thursday's ten: our open house

i'm being totally lazy today.

here's 10 things we served at our open house on saturday

:-)

we have several gluten-free friends, a couple of vegan buddies, and at least one person who is both gluten free and dairy free.  since i wanted to have several options for each person attending, i had quite the challenge when it came to the menu.  but i finally found a good balance, i think.  not everything fit special dietary needs, but everyone had a few choices!

1. a veggie tray (in the shape of a Christmas tree.  kind of)

*both gf and vegan.  obviously.

2. deviled eggs
*gf and dairy free

3. my guacamole, salsa (herdez), and mexican spinach dip (his aunt's recipe)
*the guacamole and salsa were gf and vegan
the spinach dip is gf

4. fresh fruit (pineapple that i for real chopped up, blueberries, clementines and strawberries)
*gf and vegan
5. swedish meatballs (gluten free recipe found here)
*gf
6. pinwheels

7. stuffed mushrooms
*gf
8. mexican hot chocolate cookies (recipe soon)
*vegan
9. (vegan) ginger cookies (recipe soon)
*vegan

10. peppermint joe-joe truffles (omgosh, SO good.  will post recipe soon)


add to this holiday punch, hot chocolate and coffee and we were good to go for several hours :-)


and between antiques from my grandmother and new wedding gifts along with a few other pieces i've collected over the years, we had the perfect serving piece for each dish.


the table decoration was a simple runner from ikea with turqoise felt tree ornaments from target interspersed and taper candles throughout.  i didn't want it to be overwhelming amidst the food, but i wanted it to look *pretty*


unfortunately, i didn't get any pictures once the party started of our guest, or of the dessert bar or beverage station.  oh well.  there will be a next time.


we LOVE sharing and opening up our home to people, so there will be MANY next times :-)


have you had a party this season?  are you planning one?  what's your menu look like?

Thursday's Ten: to be a kid again

when's the last time you just acted like a kid?  sometimes we take ourselves waaay too seriously, you know?  so here's my little list for you today.

1.  go swing on the swings at a local playground, or play on the slides

2.  play tag.  or hide and seek.  or flashlight tag (the best of both!)

3.  dance in the rain

4.  actually PLAY with children -- yours if you are blessed with them...and if you're now, i'm certain you can find a parent who will gladly loan you a child or two for a few hours ;-)

5.  eat candy.  not a lot, but remember how you used to love ________ as a kid?  go have some!

6.  have a popsicle.  it'll bring back a rush of memories.

7.  read children's books.  sometimes there are truths in there that span the ages...and sometime they are just plain fun.

8.  use FUN dishes and silverware.  a touch of whimsy in your kitchen or other home decor is nice

9.  keep a few stuffed animals tucked away -- or use them in decor as well

10.  go to events at children's places that are meant for adults :)

(see, there IS a point for this post)

last week anthony and i went to the adventure science center for the "way late play date"

it's a 21 and up event, and yes there are 21 and up beverages served

(2 free drink tickets per person)

we played around with several exhibits

although we spent most of our time in the planetarium

once for a demo of the stars and stuff

and again for a separately ticketed laser show of U2 music

(i was *thrilled*)

pics you say?

here ya go

(all taken with my phone, so sorry they aren't crazy good quality)

 blurry pics of our entrance

 anthony makes a tornado

 we thought this was a green screen until we walked in front.  colors changed as we moved.  pretty fun.

 haven't played with one of these since middle school! 

 the heat thermal screens were way cool

 pretending to pick each other's noses because we're dorks

 we played this weird game

 and neither of us won. some random person came and joined and then left so we never saw our scores.

boo.

 we did giggle at this poster

 not the greatest shot, but you CAN see the skyline from the planetarium wing and it's uber-cool

so my point?  go have FUN today!

Monday's Memory -- The One Where I Spontaneously Redecorate

**this blog is about decorating. My friend Kristie has a great post about finding/developing your own signature style up at her blog. Click here to investigate!**

***disclaimer: this is also my style directly out of college. let's just say I had a LOT to learn in the decorating department and my style has definitely evolved. I promise.***

Moving right along.

Getting bored is not always a good thing in my world.

I moved into a great apartment after graduating college. It was ground floor, lakeview, and in a great little suburb of Nashville. I was excited that the pet deposit was low, there were washer/dryer hookups, and maybe most of all that we could paint...as long as we returned it to the dull and lifeless white when we left.

I hadn't been there more than a couple of weeks when I came home from work one night (I was working at Victoria's Secret as well as nannying part-time that summer) and looked around.

I was bored. Nothing on TV and nothing stimulating in my apartment.

I had a red, black and white theme going on in my kitchen. And it just so happened that the kitchen was tiny. And so, the decision was made.

Off I went, and bought 2 small buckets of paint.

One red.

One black.

I had a vision. And if I do say so myself, with the texturing of the wall above my cabinets it actually looked pretty cool...kind of an awning feel to a French or Italian bistro. Exactly what I was going for.

(crappy non-digital photos and crappy apartment fixture alert)



But there was one thing I forgot.

A year later, when I moved out...it took about 10 coats of paint to cover those pesky black and red stripes...

Blog Pimping Today!

Hi all! I'm doing a little something different today, and trying out my very first McLinky hop...so play along, ok? If this is successful I plan to host it once a week or so.

My friend Kristie just emailed me with the link to her brand new blog: http://www.makingarrangementsblog.com

and I thought...

Wouldn't it be fun to pimp a friend or 5?

So please list 5 blogs that you've recently discovered or just never mentioned on your blog. Sign the McLinky if you're playing along--and please do! Also, please visit a couple of links before and after yours and visit the blogs they're pimping...after all, that's the point!

Here's mine!

People I know:
Kristie: Making Arrangements (decorating, home interiors, awesome stuff!)
Dee: Dee (movie reviews and writing)

Anthony: Running Man Gaming (the boyfriend is a gamer...this is his gaming blog. He says he may start a personal one soon which would be uber cool)

Great Recipes! One of the few bloggers whose recipes I might actually follow...
(Marin) Marin's Creations

My brand-newest blog friend discovery--I became a follower last night. So very fresh! She and her fiancee are adorable, and have these great engagement pics on a vintage bicycle that I'm positively drooling over...
(She's so new I don't know her name yet!) Blessed Chick

And as a bonus, a new favorite site:
I Heart Love