favorite things

thought it was time for some favorites! 

if you have never had a tyler candle, go get one!  they are the most fragrant candles, you can actually smell them throughout your house.  i hate it when i spend money on a candle that smells so good in the store and then when you actually light it at home, you have to stand directly over it to even smell it.  that is not the case with tyler candles.  i love most of them, but i have one that is my favorite and it is called diva. i received one as a gift {thank you kelly!}and at first i didn't know if i liked the smell, but it grew on me fast and now it's a favorite.  here is it's description...

"The Tyler Candle Diva fragrance is a warm and complex fragrance overflowing with delicious fruits and rich florals. Rich aromatic chocolate and amber complete this luscious blend. It is her world...we just live in it. "

doesn't that sound fabulous?  trust me, it is.  you can get tyler candles at different stores around tulsa.

so you know when you smell something good and you wish you could just wrap yourself in that fragrance?  well, you can.  i was just recently introduced to the tyler candle laundry detergent....in the diva fragrance!  one of my reps got me hooked on it.  it isn't cheap so she uses it on her sheets.  the key is to use it as a fabric softener instead of your main detergent.  that way you use only a little, but man do your sheets smell good!  the other night mymichael asked if they had dryer sheets so that you could "freshen up" the pillow cases!  i'm telling you...it makes you sleep much better! 

for christmas i got some new cd's that i am loving.  john mayer and norah jones are so relaxing!

i love alicia keys.  i think it somewhat goes back to my days of piano lessons.  i love that she has an amazing voice AND can play the piano.  very talented!  this cd is just as good as her last one...love it!

bonefish grill.  it is a wonderful restaurant in tulsa.  for an appetizer, if you like shrimp, definitely get the "bang bang shrimp".  it's awesome.  they have wonderful fish entrees as well as some great chicken entrees.  one of my favorite chicken entrees is "lily's chicken", it has goat cheese with a lemon butter sauce.  we were there last weekend and i had one of their specials, haddock with feta cheese, artichokes and lemon butter sauce.  yummy!  give it a try when you get a chance.

and finally...it is girl scout cookie time!  i love me some samoas and thin mints...oh so good...and dangerous...very dangerous.

those are some of my favorites right now, what's on your favorite's list?

recipe {chocolate pound cake}

if you love chocolate and you love cake and you love a fast chocolate cake, then you will love this recipe!  this is one of my mom's most requested cakes.  this chocolate cake is one of the most moist cakes i have ever eaten and it is even better if after you bake it, you wrap it in plastic wrap and put in the freezer.  mom use to always make this when we went on skiing trips.  she would make it ahead of time, freeze it and then we would eat on it as we came off the mountain...nothing like a little chocolate to get you rested up! 

1 yellow cake mix

2 packages instant chocolate pudding

4 eggs

1/2 bag milk chocolate chips

1/2 cup oil

1 1/2 cups water

mix all ingredients together.  spray bundt pan {you can also use 2 loaf pans, just divide the batter in half} with cooking spray {very important!!!}. 

bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour or until done {stick a toothpick or fork in the center...if it comes out clean it is done...if it comes out with batter it needs to go a bit longer}.

Let cool a few minutes and then dump onto a cake stand or platter

icing:

1/2 - 3/4 back of chocolate chips

water

melt chocolate chips on stove or in microwave and add a little bit of water at a time until it is a good consistency for drizzling.  drizzle over cake.  i like to follow with a sprinkling of powdered sugar.

enjoy!  if you try it leave me a comment and let me know if you liked it!

we give this recipe

*****

 

this melts my heart

this beautiful, colorful ottoman melts my heart....well,only second to mymichael and third to any future children =).

in 2008 mymichael and i vacationed in portland, maine, and while we were thre i came across Company C.  since then i have received their promotional emails...which i constantly drool over.  today i received one eaturing this ottoman.  is it not awesome?  i love the legs, and the fabric, and how it is paired with other patterns in the photo above.  if only i had a place for it to go.....

somebody, that i know, PLEASE purchase this so that i can drool over it at your house!

what's cookin' this week?

Here is what's on my menu this week....

Spicy Shrimp Fried Rice

Baked Fish w/ Couscous and Fresh Green Beans

Dorito Casserole

Chicken Piccata

what is on yours? 

 i would love some new recipes to try out...leave me a comment!

project update

last month i had a post talking about my job as a commercial interior designer and i posted some pictures on one particular job that is currently under construction. 

well, last week i had another site visit, so i thought i would show you the progress that has been made....



***for those just tuning in...or to remind others...this job is a school that will house lower elementary age students.  the original school building burned down almost a year ago and at that time was about 100 years old.  the new school was to resemble the old school on the exterior.  the interior is full of color and pattern...not your typical white walls with one or two accent colors.***

it's still a mud pit...no progress there

but i did come prepared with better shoes unlike this day...snow boots can work in the mud, right?

love the rock and brick combo...no one would ever know that this is actually a metal building...

the tile is up in the restrooms and the countertops are the correct laminate.  can't remember if i mentioned last time or not, but when i walked through last month i noticed that the countertops were all installed with the wrong laminate.  we had tried to work very closely with the millworkers but they weren't returning our calls.  so usually when a mistake happens i am more than willing to work with them if it looks okay and the client doesn't mind the change.  this time i was not in the mood to work work with them.  they had two options...#1 replace all the counters with the correct laminate #2 refund money back to the client...they chose option #1.  don't they look good?

they have started staining the concrete floors.  there is a combination of 4 different colors, dark brown, light brown, blue and green.  this picture shows two colors.  the final step will be sealing the floors which will make them shine and bring out the colors even more...can't wait!

here you can see that they have got the light fixtures installed.  there is still a lot of work to do.  the bottom portion of the walls will have a vinyl wallcovering and there is still lots of painting to be done.  the circles hanging from the ceiling will actually be painted a color.

this week they were starting on the carpet and vinyl wallcovering.  i am planning on going back out next week, so stay tuned!

recipe {breakfast casserole}

this is a really easy and tasty breakfast casserole.  i used bacon bits instead of sausage this particular time, but it is great with either!  this is perfect for mixing up the night before and then in the morning popping it in the oven warm weekend breakfast.

{forgot to take a pic of the finished prduct...sorry!}

8 eggs slightly beaten

6 slices of wheat bread cubed

1 pound sausage  OR bacon bits

2 cups milk

1 cup cheese

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. dry mustard

mix together and put in 9 x 13 pan.  refrigerate overnight or for a few hours if possible.  bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

enjoy!

we give this recipe:

*****

snow!

this year we have had some great snows so far.  i am a big fan of the 4 seasons and getting to experience different weather throughout the year.  i could not live somewhere where it is the same all year round.  in the spring i love the thunderstorms with the rain, thunder and lightening, in the summer i love beautiful hot days where you can lay by the pool and relax, in the fall i love the crisp cool air and smell of fire and in the winter i love watching big white snow flakes fall. 

a couple of weeks ago we had a snow storm come through that had the local weather guys all in a tizzy.  it was all the news talked about for a whole week.  the staple winter foods were sold out in the grocery stores and you couldn't find a snow shovel or fire wood anywhere.  yep, our big 6 inches of snow shut the city down.  it's kind of funny b/c currently the northeastern u.s. is under something like 36" of snow....or more.  just goes to show that it's all relative! 

the friday that the snow came down mymichael and i went to a movie with my parents and afterwards i convinced them to all come with me to take pictures of the snow.  it was 11:30 at night and i wanted to try out my new wireless shutter release.  so we loaded up the camera and tripod and headed out.  we also brought along some snow shoes to have fun in.  one thing i determined that night is that i am not good at working a tripod!  i definitely need more practice.  i would much rather just hold the camera.  my goal was to get some pictures of the snow without using my flash, which means that you have to leave the shutter open longer on your camera so it can get plenty of light in {remember...it was 11:30 at night}, which means that the camera has to be super still or it will all just be a big blurr.  it was a challenge and fun at the same time.  i think we got some pretty pictures.  here are a few...

the moon was so bright!

a sihloette {totally think that is spelled wrong, but i don't want to look it up} of a tree.  i think it looks like sticks of bamboo....look how smooth the snow is!

the picture below is not in black and white like the others.  it's amazing at how it looks like day but it's really night and pitch black.  letting that shutter stay open longer lets you capture all kinds of goodness!

this picture illustrates how an open shutter can give you that soft flowing water look...so cool!

i love snow...it's beautiful and white and soft and fluffy and pretty.....that is until it starts to melt and all the road gunk gets mixed into it.  i figure if it's going to be cold outside, you might as well have something pretty to look at and take pictures of. 

oh, i forgot to mention, we also made snow ice cream that night.  i hadn't had it in years and mom whipped up  a batch that was pretty yummy and super easy.  would probably be a fun little activity with some kids....if i had any....but i don't...so i just acted as the kid and enjoyed it myself.  i also usually try and fit in some sledding as well.  here are a few pictures from last year when we hit up the retainage ditch at 111th and yale...

note that not one of the happy sledders is an "actual" kid....dad, me, whit & mymichael {mom is a watcher and picture taker}

this is me taking out mymichael with an awesome snow ball...he totally deserved it!

ah...good memories!

 hope everyone's making the best of this crazy winter with some good memories!

miss S {9 month pics}

one of my closests friends from college asked me to take 9 month pictures of her adorable daughter, "miss S".  she is just simply adorable and looks just like her momma.  her eyes are huge and beautiful...check her out....

can you say big blue eyes???

this one below is one of my favorites...i love her facial expression!

in this picture, below, i think she looks like a little doll....oh so cute!

recipe {biscuits & chocolate gravy}

growing up a special treat for breakfast would be homemade biscuits and chocolate gravy.  yes, you heard me, chocolate gravy!  it is so yummy if you have never had it before.  so what did a snowy saturday morning call for this past weekend?  yup, biscuits and chocolate gravy!  this is one of my mom's recipes for homemade biscuits.  i like it b/c i don't have to roll the dough out....

baking powder drop biscuits

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

3 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup shortening

1 cup milk

mix dry ingredients together.  cut shortenin into dry ingredients until it looks like course crumbs {i used my kitchenaid mixer and just let it mix for a few seconds}.  make a well in the center; add milk all at once.  stir with fork {mix} quickly until dough follows fork {mixer} around bowl.  drop from teaspoon onto ungreased baking sheet.  bake at 450 degrees for about 12 minutes until light golden.

if you want the pretty cut-out biscuits you simply cut the milk to 3/4 cup milk, mix and then roll dough 1/2" thick and cut into circles....i prefer mine more...."organic" in nature! =)

 

chocolate gravy

1 cup & 4 tbsp water

2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa

1 cup sugar

1 tbsp cornstarch

bring water to a boil.  mix dry ingredients together and add to boiling water.  wisk/stir and let cook for another minute or two until it thickens a bit.

serve over warm biscuits with butter! 

the chocolate gravy can also double as a homemade fudge sauce for a quick sundae.

we give this recipe

*****