Recipe {Cucumber Salad}

Growing up, I spent a lot of time at my grandparents farm.  During the summer both Grandma and Grandpa plant gardens.  One of mine and Grandma's favorite veggies are the cucumbers.  I remember Grandma picking a cucumber from the garden, slicing it up, and sprinkling it with salt and pepper.  So simple and so delicious!  We actually had some last week while sitting on the porch of our condo in Destin, Florida. 

There is such a difference between a homegrown cucumber and those huge things you buy at the grocery store...no comparison.  What we have found is that the smaller the cucumber is, the better it tastes.  Many of the big ones can get bitter.If you can't get your hands on homegrown cucumbers, the next best thing that I have found are the mini cucumbers.  I just bought some at Sam's.  They are much smaller than the typical ones you buy and they taste a whole lot better! 

I love them just with salt and pepper, as mentioned above, but I also love them in this Cucumber Salad....

Cucumbers

Onion

Vinegar {can be any kind, this time I used apple cider vinegar}

Ranch Salad Dressing

Salt

Pepper

Slice your cucumbers & onions {as many as you want}, toss with vinegar, ranch dressing, salt, & pepper.  I just eye ball it.  You don't want them floating but you really can't mess it up.  These are great right away, and also after they sit for a little bit and marinate.

This is a great crisp and cool side to any summer dish.  Oh....and EASY!

What's Cookin' This Week?

We are back from beautiful Destin, Florida.  Such a great vacation....doing nothing but laying on the beach.  It doesn't get much better than that!  But alas, it is back to the real world.  Last night we painted our whole living room and hallway...took foreva but it is done! 

Now I need to get groceries so we can eat around here.  This is what's on my menu for this week...

Memorial Day Dinner with the Hays'....Herbert's Chicken stuffed with crawfish & jalapenos, Red Beans & Rice, Asparagus, Beer-Cheese Bread and finish it off with Chocolate Chip Pie

Pita Pizza & Salad

Sauteed Shrimp with Sherry & Chiles - new recipe to try

Mushroom & Swiss Patty Melts with Sweet Potato Fries & Salad

MyMichael's Grilled BBQ Chicken & Fresh Green Beands, with Homemade Macaroni & Cheese

Are you trying any new recipes this week???

Miss S.....Two years old already!

It's hard to believe that Miss S is already 2 years old.  Her mamma is one of my good friends from college and is getting ready for baby #2...a boy!  It was a super windy day when we took these....by windy I mean one side of their 6' tall privacy fence blew over!  But we still had fun, she loves her little play house.

Are you kidding me with those eyes and lips?  Love them!!!

Check out her nine month photos and one year photos, if didn't get enough!

Also, you can still enter my interior design facebook giveaway!  Go to the Ruby Jewel Studio facebook page and leave a comment under the giveaway post.

Facebook Giveaway Details!

Do you want help with your house?  Great!  Go to facebook, "like" Ruby Jewel Studio's facebook page and then leave a comment on my Giveaway status. 

Tell me what your biggest design challenge is in your home. 

Don't live in Tulsa?  Not a problem...you can still enter and I can help through my E.Design services.  The internet & email are fabulous tools!

-Can't figure out what color to paint? 
-Need help with an overall color palette?
-Can't figure out how to arrange your furniture?
-Thinking about renovating your kitchen or a bathroom and need input?
-Have a large wall that needs attention?

The sky is the limit for one whole hour!  Here are a few favorite spaces from past projects......

Furniture & accessory selection

Custom built home assistance

Selection of fabric for baby bedding & nursery

Go enter....NOW! 

avery lyric

Miss Avery is getting so big {see her 4 month photos on the farm here}!  My aunt asked if I would snap some photos of her last time I was down at the farm....of course I said yes!  This first photo of Kathy and Avery is my favorite....that special bond between a Nana and her grandaughter. 

She was cracking me up with the cell phone, just blabbering away!  Beware Colby and Kassie....I think you have a talker on your hands.

They are headed to Destin with us as well....expect to see some adorable beach pics of this one!

what's cookin' this week?

This week is going to be fast and furious.  With bookclub and a Prairie Hive meeting, Friday is going to come fast...and Friday we head to Destin!  So excited.  So, here is what I have on my menu...

Sausage & Rice Casserole with Salad
Chicken Tostadas
Turkey Sausage with Black Beans and Rice

Have you tried any new recipes lately?

Prairie Hive Day

It's Thursday!  My day over at Prairie Hive.  It's T.V. to Reality featuring one of my favorite fabrics right now...I am desperately looking for someone's home to use it in!

I also want to share some phots from the IIDA {International Interior Design Assiciation} Color & Couture Fashion Show that I photographed.  You can read more about the details of the show here, but the basic idea is that there are multiple design teams that are made up of local OKC architects and interior designers.  Each team is paired with a sales rep and they have to use the products from that sales rep...carpet, tile, vinyl wallcovering, fabric, or plastic laminate.  They are also given a color for the dress from Sherwin Williams.  So, needless to say, the architects and designers get to be very creative with their designs!  Oh, and the model is one of the architects or designers from the team.  Onto the fabulous project runway-esq dresses.....

Glass tile...and her "wings" lit up!

Vinyl Wallcovering...

Rubber base and jute backing of linoleum...

Fabric....

Carpet backing and fibers....

Plastic Laminate....

Fabric.....

Vinyl tile...

Carpet and fibers...

Three of the Prairie Hive girls were there...Sarah helped organize while Dawn and I photographed.

My good college friend, Jenn, was able to come as well!

A super fun night!  I've heard rumors that they might try and do this in Tulsa next year.  I think that's a GREAT idea.  What a fun girls night out, crazy fashion, runway, drinks, and dancing!

What is E.Design?

Many of you may not be familiar with the term "E.Design".  I wasn't either until a year or so ago.  E.Design is an Interior Design service that is done through the internet and email.  When I started my own company, Ruby Jewel Sudio, I did some research and decided that it would be a great service for me to offer. 

Ruby Jewel E.Designs are exceptional interior design services that you can receive no matter where you live. I communicate with you through email, phone conversations, and snail mail. 

This is perfect for clients who desire a customized design plan that don't mind doing a little legwork themselves and just need a good "design map" to follow.   Depending on the type of package selected, you may have to send me measurements or your room and furniture.  But don't worry, I will email you the "Ruby Jewel Guide to Measuring & Taking Photos", so you will know exactly what to do.  The E.Design packages also allow you to make product purchases as your personal budget allows.

The pricing for E.Designs is super simple because it is a package price.  You know exactly how much you will be spending for my services, before we start.  The type of package and size of your room determines your price. 

Here is an overview of the different E.Design packages and a couple of previous Inspiration Boards:

Ask A Designer: 
-do you need a designer’s opinion? don’t know where to find something or need a quick idea for one specific area in your home? this service focuses on a single design problem or question.

Color Selection
-selecting a new paint color for your home can be an overwhelming task! whether it is a single room that you are wanting to repaint, or your entire house, i can help you pull together, one or twenty, colors that will work with your existing home accessories and furniture.

Space Planning & Reorganization
-do you have a room in your house that just doesn’t flow correctly? you can’t seem to figure out a good arrangement with your furniture? or did you just buy new furniture and have no idea how to place it? if yes, then this is the perfect option for you. it is amazing how a room can change by simply reorganizing it.  i can give you a plan showing what works the best for your space. it can be existing furniture you have or if you are wanting new furniture and want to know what would fit best in your space.

Simply Accessories
-simply accessories is for the client that has all the basic furniture in your room, but you need suggestions for accent pillows, window treatments, rugs, accessories for book cases, art, etc. simply accessories will give you the finished, designer look that you want for your space.

All the Above {& More}
-this is your complete room design. a color palette, selection of furniture {all or individual pieces}, space plan, selection of accessories, and a shoppting list with every product listed and where it can be purchased. this will be a complete "design map" for you to assemble your newly designed room.

For additional information and pricing, please visit my website http://www.rubyjewelstudio.com/. 

I would love to help you with any of your Interior Design needs....residential or commercial....big or small! 

rubyjewelstudio@gmail.com
http://www.rubyjewelstudio.com/

 

fun weekend & what's cookin' this week

My, what a busy weekend!  Saturday Sarah and I hit up the Jenks Church Arts & Crafts show where we both picked up some pretty cute finds.  We also headed to downtown Jenks and did a little bit of antique shopping...love downtown Jenks!

Once I got home myMichael and I headed down to the Harley Davidson store here in Tulsa.  MyMichael has wanted a bike for years.  He really wanted one when we lived in Dallas and I just wasn't too keen on that idea w/ the crazy traffic and all.  Since being back in Tulsa {4 years} we have gone a couple of times and looked.  You see, he is the more financial savvy, "is this a good idea", one in our relationship and has talked himself out of getting one multiple times.  When it came up again about a month ago I was curious to see if he would actually go through with it!  As of Thursday afternoon he had talked himself out of it...as of Friday morning it was back on the table but we were just going to "look" on Saturday.  Well, he finally pulled the trigger and got himself a bike!  He got a 2011 Harley Davidson Sportster Nightster.  Here is an extremely blurry iphone pic of us ringing the bell {when you buy a bike you have to ring the bell}.

To say the least, he is a very happy guy right now!  I'm kind of excited as well...I've never been on a bike.  He's going to get good and comfortable and then we will look at a different seat for both of us to ride!

Mother's Day is always fun.  This year I had a Prairie Hive photo shoot, for our online magazine, in the afternoon, so we did Mother's Day dinner.  KJ {my sister} was in town, so we both cooked dinner which was a blast...and a mess.  I managed to overflow a pitcher and she dumped my salt bowl over onto the floor.  I made Cherry Pepper Chicken {get the recipe here}, rice, and roasted brussel sprouts, and she made the stuffed peppers.  Friday night I made some sugar cookies, so for dessert we made ice cream sandwiches with them.  Summer Berries ice cream filling, rolled in sprinkles.  Yummy!

I am way behind on all things food for this week.  Usually Sunday is my grocery/menu planning day, but that didn't happen.  So, here goes...I want to try making an Indian dish in the crock pot.  I found a recipe that I am tweaking, so we will see how that turns out. 

Indian Beef Korma w/ Basmati Rice & Garlic Naan

Chicken Quesadillas

BBQ Chicken & Grilled Vegetables

Grilled Pizza

Hope everyone else had a fabulous weekend!  Oh, and how about this muggy weather.....already!?!?!?

Prairie Hive Post & Randomness

Today is my day at Prairie Hive.  I got a tad bit sappy over there talking about Mother's Day, so be sure and read!

In other news....this Saturday is the Arts & Crafts Show at my church, Jenks Church.  The perfect place to find a unique Mother's Day gift and a boat load of other great things.  More details at their website, http://www.jenkschurch.org/ and below...

My facebook page is up and running {finally}!  I have some photos posted of my interior design projects, photography clients, and travel photos.  If you, or anyone you know, needs commercial or residential interior design help, please give them my name.  There is a lot more information on my website:  http://www.rubyjewelstudio.com/

I'm going to do a post soon on my e.design services.

Also, when you go to my website I have a new category under photography, "prints".  Certain photos from my travels are for sale.  I am still adding to the collection, but it's a start.  Does anyone have an etsy shop?  I'm thinking about maybe getting one, but would like some feedback on it.

And finally, Happy Cinco de Mayo!!!  If you want to throw together a quick fiesta tonight, check out this Prairie Hive Post.

Happy day-before-Friday!

lost and found

just the other day i found my new york city photos that i had *temporarily* misplaced.  to say the least, i was ecstatic!  i blogged about the trip in this post, but i didn't have my pics done.  so, although extremely late, here are a few photos from my fun girls trip with my sister kelsi and her college roommate abby. 

you can write on confetti that is released on new year's eve in times square.

beautiful central park

frozen hot chocolate at serendipity.....get it....it's awesome.

store desplay in soho

dinner in little italy...fab-u-lous!

yummy cannoli

my friend francie from college...totally ran into her walking around the upper west side!

francie's apartment and super cool wallcovering!  i love it...and totally gushed about it in this post.

what happens when you have a camera, time to play, and a beautiful fall day....

we are completely out of focus on this pic....but i love it!

i do have to admit that it was quite fun going through the photos so many months later.  it totally makes me want to go back.....i really do love nyc.

shelby sneak

miss shelby is turning 1!  hard to believe over a year ago i was taking maternity pics and then newborn, 3 weeks and 6 month photos.  shelby's parents are long time friends of mine and mymichael's.  so fun getting to watch them with a little one!  one year pics and cupcakes.....

love shelby's facial expression!

happy birthday shelby!