Friday, June 29, 2012

Put a Record On

It's summer. To me that means warm summer days on the back porch reading and flipping through magazines. Evenings cooling off at the pool. Peaches. Cicada bugs buzzing in the trees.

It also means MUSIC. Not that I don't enjoy my music in the fall, winter, and spring. But summer is when I really need my tunes in the car when I'm driving around! I thought I'd share a few of my faves for those of you whose car stereos or iPhones or iPods need a little re-vamp!

Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson's The Breakup: Scar Jo's voice is dreamy, and I really dig Pete Yorn's sound....

AC/DC's Back in Black: classic, and the louder it is, the better it sounds.....


Ben Harper & The Relentless 7 White Lies for Dark Times



Matchbox Twenty More Than You Think You Are: I know. Throwback, right? I vividly recall listening to this album on my discman in high school. My best friend Diana took me to the Matchbox Twenty concert when my first boyfriend broke up with me. Memories. 


These are just a few of the albums rolling around in my car now. What are YOUR favorites right now?





Thursday, June 28, 2012

Brussels Sprouts Salad like WHOA

I know what you're thinking. Brussels Sprouts Salad like WHOA? Why the WHOA?

Because you will make this, and you'll take the first bite and say "WHOA". It will happen. I'm just saying.

Olive oil, cider vinegar, tangy dijon mustard, parmesan cheese. It's totally good for you. AND it's totally delicious. Also vegetarian. I'm just sayin'.

Recipe adapted from Shutterbean


  • 24 Brussels sprouts, shredded and rinsed
  • 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated 
  • 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
  • 9 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons apple cinder vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • salt & pepper to taste



Add olive oil, mustard, cider vinegar, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper to mason jar. Seal tightly, and shake vigorously until combined. 

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Add parmesan cheese and sesame seeds. Toss till combined. 


Enjoy!






Monday, June 25, 2012

Keep Calm...

It's funny how no matter where you work, the time of the year that's most busy varies like crazy! When I worked in commercial lighting, January was crazy-town. In the on-campus Residence Life world? June and July are the time when you buckle your seat belt and hang on till September!



Between that, and being crazy busy at home during the evenings and on weekends, I've experienced many a moment when I need to just stop what I'm doing, get up, and put on a kettle of water to boil for tea. I think I come by that urge very naturally. I remember many an occasion where things just weren't going properly, and my mom would ask if I'd like a cup of tea.

I don't always handle stress with the poised perfection I'd like to, but who does? Kevin can attest to that. He has a particularly hilarious (in hindsight) iPhone video of me sitting at my parents kitchen table the day before our wedding, frantically wiring together corsages for the grandparents. The look on my face is pure panic, and I distinctly remember thinking that every second ticking by was one less second that I could be using to put corsages together. There's a possibility that I also have a coworker who regularly tells me I need to stop stressing out about everything. There's a possibility that I'm right.

So how do you handle stress? Prayer? Deep breathing? Yoga? Witty banter with your coworker across the hallway? I want to hear all about it! Hit the comments below!

AND don't forget to check out my post on summer beverages and a GIVEAWAY for a chance to win this sweet little number below!

xo Diana






Sunday, June 24, 2012

Summer Beverages (and a GIVEAWAY!)

Man, we have been BUSY. Seriously. When did we get this busy? Monday through Friday turn into a blur of work, evening meals, and sporadic loads of laundry (usually when we're totally out of underwear). Then the weekend comes, and we're busy with all the things we're not busy with during the week. Crazy.


I'm SO glad it's summer though! I love sitting on our back patio with a cool drink, watching the dog soak up the sun, and flipping through a magazine or reading a book on my Kindle. I've actually been coming across some delicious drink recipes (both boozy, and otherwise) that I can't wait to try out! And with a little garden full of rosemary, mint, and lavender, things are about to get interesting! Here are a few of the recipes I'm dying to try: 

Kiwifruit Caipirosca - yum! Kiwi!
Watermelon Cucumber Cooler - watermelon and cucumber? Sounds refreshing - count me in!

The Bees Knees - anything with honey in it is a winner in my book!

Boozy Frozen Peach Pops - I've always loved a good frozen treat - add some peaches, cointreau, and some vodka, and it's a party!

Here comes the GIVEAWAY! What's YOUR favorite summer beverage (be it adult or otherwise!). Leave your favorite in the comments section below, along with the recipe (or link to the recipe if you have it) and you'll be entered into a giveaway to win this sweet little clutch purse from my shop, The Brass Bell Stitchery. I will be announcing the winner (random number selection) this coming Friday. You can enter as many times as you like (as long as it's with different recipes!). Happy posting!!




Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Twenty-Seven

So, I'm almost 27. It's kind of a big deal. Well, it's kind of a big deal in my mind.

So today's post will be a collection of 27 things. Things about me. Things about the past 27 years. Things about food. Some general over-sharing. Enjoy....

1) 1985. I was born.
As soon as I typed this I immediately had an auditory memory of Olivia De Havilland reading the exact same thing (except for the 1985 part) from "David Copperfield" in "Gone with the Wind" during the scene where the ladies are waiting for Ashley to return.

2) I didn't like pie. And then I did.
I'm not sure what it was about pie when I was growing up, but I hated it. It just seemed like Cake's ugly step-sister.

3) I used to not be able to cook. And then I moved into my own place, and quickly learned that I LOVE cooking, and that I'm pretty good at it. I should clarify that I never feel more like a culinary genius than when I'm eating pasta noodles that I made from scratch, especially with nice olive oil, an olive puttanesca sauce, and some nice Parmesan.

4) If I have the option to wear a dress/skirt or pants/jeans/shorts, I will pick the dress/skirt option EVERY time. It's not so much that I'm a girly girl, it's just that dresses and skirts are SUPER comfortable. I don't think guys understand. I feel bad for them sometimes, especially when they're walking around the office wearing dockers and button up shirts with ties, and I'm sitting in my office wearing a cotton jersey dress that looks professional and cute, but basically feels like pajamas. Sorry guys.

5) Someday, I will own a 2012 Harley Davidson Softail Blackline. I will ride it around, and it will be awesome. Don't get me wrong, I'm a nice little girl who loves going to church, enjoys sewing, knitting, and crocheting. I listen to country music, top 40, opera, and alternative music equally, with relatively equal levels of enjoyment. I am an enigma, wrapped in a riddle, wrapped in a Pilsbury crescent roll.

6) Every once in a while I make baked maple beans with fried eggs for dinner. It reminds me of my mom.

7) I have a concerning amount of warm fuzzy childhood memories that have everything to do with food. I vividly remember the best part of Christmas dinner with my mom's side of the family: my grandma's mashed potatoes. Everyone will argue that my brother likes them more. He wrote a poem about them. My admiration was more silent and reverent. I was always careful not to eat too much, though, because regardless of what else was for dessert, my Auntie Sheryl's donuts were always tucked away in a little tupperware container, and I could hardly wait to sink my teeth into one (or four). I remember the hot dogs and rice that my mom used to make - a dish that consists of white rice, hotdogs, and a ketchup/onion sauce. It sounds way gross in the description, but I assure you, it's culinary gold. Most of all, I remember how she'd bake cookies, and I'd be in my bedroom (with the door closed, listening to 104.5FM....I was a teenager) and she'd show up with a tiny plate with three cookies - fresh from the oven. So fresh from the oven that the chocolate was the temperature of molten lava - delicious, delicious molten lava. Sometimes when I'm just sitting around the house, I fantasize that she'll just show up at the front door with a tiny plate with three warm cookies on it.

8) I was an awkward teenager with a huge guilt complex. This got me through my high school years without getting into too much trouble. Being heavily into concert band probably helped, too.

9) I was good at math until 2nd grade. I'm still waiting for it to come back....

10) I've always hated the feeling of un-painted fingernails.

11) I have always thoroughly enjoyed walking around outside barefoot, but I will always be 99% certain that an army of angry bees is waiting in the thick patches of grass, waiting to attack me.

12) I get irritated when I think back to my elementary and high school days. I have a huge amount of insight now on what made the 'popular kids' as popular as they were. When I'm thinking about this, I marvel at what amazing insider information I'll be able to pass along to my kids. Although they will probably just roll their eyes and assume that it's different than when I was a kid. Which is a lie. I'm pretty sure I would have been golden if I had listened to my mom's advice when I was in high school.

13) One time in fifth grade, we were lining up at the end of recess to go back inside. In front of me in line was Dean, a nice boy with a perpetually runny nose. I recall something mildly annoying happening, something that briefly delayed our walk back to our classroom, and I said "oh sh**". To this day I have no idea what came over me. I remember Dean turning around and looking at me with a horrified look on his face. I begged him not to tell, he shrugged and turned around. I spent the rest of the school day suffering from intense anxiety-related nausea, sure that I was just seconds away from being hauled down to the principal's office where I would serve detention for the rest of my life. Nothing happened. I think Dean was more interested in POGS to be worried about my potty-mouth.

14) I was a fat baby. I had big fat creases on my big fat legs. I refused to learn to crawl, and just rolled around like a fat little barrel for months. Then I got older and more-or-less resembled a flagpole. Tall, knobby knees, hopelessly pale skin. I had a steady rotation of multi-colored floral bicycle shorts that I considered the epoch of fashion until my best friend's smarty-pants neighbor observed that you could see my bright blue underwear right through my white bike shorts (White bike shorts? Really 11 year old Diana? Really?)

15) I loathe soggy bread UNLESS it's French Toast

16) My favorite ice cream is the Peanut Butter Chocolate from Easterbrooks in Burlington. Especially if it's eaten right after a footlong hot dog.

17) My sweet 16 birthday party was a Luau. We watched movies, and I wore a Lei. There was ice cream cake. I remember thinking "well, I guess this is what it's like to be an adult".

18) I take back all the times when I was little and I told my mom I didn't want her to french braid my hair.

19) Raspberries will always remind me of my Nana, and blueberries will always remind me of my Grandma.

20) I like to sing in my car when I'm alone. My car's name is Betty, and she's 9 years old.

21) My husband is pretty amazing. It's been scientifically proven that he's one of the smartest people in the world, and I think I'm starting to get some pretty deep laugh lines (he cracks me up regularly). I miss him every time I leave for work in the morning, and my drive home always seems IMPOSSIBLY long, especially when I know he's already home, sitting on the couch, lookin' all handsome and kissable.

22) I will never be able to say no to one of those chocolate covered cherries.

23) I love sitting outside on a sunny day eating peaches until the juice runs down my arm, and my hands are all sticky.

24) I'm a weird person. Sometimes I wonder if I'm abnormal. I mean, I'm a home-body. I like to chill at home. Sometimes I'm peeking through facebook, and see women I know going out on girls nights with their girlfriends, and I never really do that. I think I just over-analyze everything WAY too much, to the point that I feel like I'm bad at making friends. Maybe I should just start walking up to potential best-friends and propose the idea. "Excuse me, miss, you seem fun and jovial, and I believe we have the potential to be BFF's. Thoughts?". Not quite. The fact that I just thought that is an indicator that I'm weird.

25) I have a black thumb. We are trying to grow a garden right now, but I'm pretty sure Kevin is exerting as much effort to keep me from killing all our plants as I am trying to pretend I know how to garden.

26) Twenty-six. That's the age I am now. 6 more days left!

27) The age I'm about to be. I am legitimately curious to see what it will be like to be 27 for a year....I'm sure I'll get myself into plenty of scrapes and shenanigans. Here goes....

Monday, June 11, 2012

Monday Favorites...

Okay so usually I do my Favorites on Friday, but things got a little bit delayed. Enjoy the Monday Faves, and have a great Tuesday!

I *need* to try this amazing-looking bruschetta recipe. Goat cheese? Check. Prosciutto? Check. Peach slices? Check. Somebody stop me...

I should clarify that I usually feel like Martha Stewart is a little too much for me. A lot of her recipes flop when I try them. Plus she gives her dogs shiatsu massages. Let's be real folks. I'm lucky if I can just keep the dog in the bathtub when I'm washing her. She's a wiley little rascal. She tries to escape. But I think Martha's got me on this one....Watermelon Lemonade? Yes please....

These Toms wedge sandals are precious - love the color!

Loving this kitchen remodel from Apartment Therapy. I LOVE the idea of two-toned cabinets. While I love the color they used, I'm thinking more along the lines of gray tones for our kitchen. White cabinets on top, light gray on the bottom, and a nice smoky charcoal on the walls, with flat panel curtains on the windows in a cheery yellow chevron pattern. Yes. Also vintage-inspired glass knobs. Also yes.

Don't even get me started on these sweet potatoes from SpoonForkBacon. Chopped pecans and feta? I'm on board.

My birthday is soon. I might have to ask my mom if I can bring my own birthday cake. And by birthday cake, I do mean these Toasted Marshmallow Squares that my super best friend Joy the Baker (I might be lying. It's possible that we've never met, and it's also possible that I just have imaginary conversations with her while I read cookbooks). There's cherry jam in there, which I would feel the need to promptly change to raspberry jam, because my nana will be here on my birthday, and she and I are raspberry buddies.

Apple's FaceTime, because my mom is in Canada right now, she I got to FaceTime with my Nana, who I'm pretty sure was in her kitchen wearing bright yellow dish-gloves. Hello, technology!

Joy the Baker's podcast. Because she and Tracey Shutterbean are hilarious, and listening to their conversations on my way home from work almost completely distracts me from the fact that my AC in my car is broken, and only spews out hot air. I should either get that fixed, or go ahead and fill my car with cedar and just call it a sauna.

champagne cupcake from Gigi's....just sounds so good right now...

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

It's a good day...

Have I been in a bit of a funk lately? Yes. My husband should be WAY tired of me by now, but he's got the patience of a saint, and just keeps talking me through everything, and encouraging me like crazy. I'm super lucky. As I write this, I'm sitting on our newly power-washed back deck on an adirondack chair sipping club soda with a squeeze of orange, and it tastes like SUMMER. I'm also admiring all the planting I did on Saturday. I've got big pots of flowers right next to me, and it smells divine - big fat glorious marigolds (they just seem like such a humble flower), a pretty little cluster of purslane, some feiry red salvia, some deep deep purple petunias, hot pink geraniums (which remind me of my mom - I think I remember her planting lots of geraniums and impatiens back in our garden on Rebecca Street), and a big cluster of lavender that I absolutely cannot WAIT to get bigger. Oh, I almost forgot, I also have a little potted zucchini plant, but that is soon to be transplanted into our veggie garden. What veggie garden, you ask? The one Kevin built on Sunday. Well, he would say that we both built it, but it was really him. I mostly just watched and brought him cold drinks and chilled towels from the freezer.

We had a huge area in our back yard right next to the deck that desperately needed attention. It was just eroded, and muddy, and it was impossible to get on and off the deck without getting covered in red Georgia clay. On Sunday, he decided enough was enough. A few trips to Lowe's, and a couple hundred dollars later, we (let's be real - HE) had a 2 1/2 foot retaining wall that we filled to the brim with good healthy moist garden soil, and hopefully by the end of the week, our zucchini plants will be cozy in there next to some cucumber plants, tomato plants, a big fat collection of herbs (basil, rosemary, mint) and some MORE lavender! I can hardly wait to plant them and watch them grow. I've heard zucchini is very easy to grow, and it produces a bonkers amount of zucchini. I may write a post in the next few months begging people to come by and please, please, PLEASE take some zucchini. We'll see.

Lately I've really been missing my family back in Canada. Some days I just wish I could swing by my Nana and Papa's house for a cup of tea (and to sneak my Papa a fresh made shortbread cookie). I wish I could just meet my Aunt Dori and Uncle Steve at August 8 for a full belly of delicious sushi. I wish I could just sit in the backyard with my Auntie Sheryl and talk about life and smell the fresh earthy smells of her garden while Chester rolls around in the grass in the background. I wish I could just have a cup of tea and a slice of bread with butter and jam with her. I wish I could see my Grandma and Grandpa all the time, just to listen to her tell stories, and tease him about how he misbehaves. I wish I could hang out with my cousin Rachel and her two (oh my gosh she has TWO) kids, and eat some of her fresh made bread and talk about life. I wish we could spontaneously meet my cousin Jon and his wife Jordan for a random date at this amazing Poutine place that keeps entering my dreams at night. I think I tend to miss Jon this time of year. Since we were born the exact same day (8 hours apart), it doesn't feel quite right to celebrate my birthday without him.

It just feels strange to be feeling this nostalgic and a little homesick. I'm usually not like this, you know.

Time to enjoy Tina Fey's "Bossypants" for the 6th time. The book just gets more hilarious every time you read it, I swear.

Diana