Beautiful Things

Sunday is about the only day of the week that I really enjoy cooking. Why? Because it’s a day when I can leisurely  cook, roast a chicken in the oven, make soup, bake cookies. It’s not rushed and it’s simply enjoyable.

Recently I’ve taken to doing extra cooking on Sundays. Spending a few hours making casseroles, lasagnas then storing them in the freezer makes for some easier weeknight meals.

Some of my favorite make-ahead meals include chicken divan, stuffed shells, veggie lasagna, chicken cornbread casserole, tortilla soup, chili and meatballs. I also have a yummy make-ahead mashed potato recipe that freezes well.

If you  have a busy week coming up, try my Sunday cooking trick. It really helps and it’s so much better than eating take-out or fast food on busy nights.

Yesterday I had plans to go over to a friend’s house.  Not for lunch or dinner, just a chatfest and a short play date for our sons. Problem was, I was busy with a lot of work stuff, so I really didn’t want to go. Due to her kid’s schedules, she only had a small time frame in the afternoon for me, and I’d have to be back home by 3:00 to get my daughter off the bus. I stressed about it the night before- too much work to do, really don’t have time to go over there, but she’s a friend, blah blah blah.

After some soul searching, I called her in the morning to cancel. And it felt GOOD! I know it would have been the right thing to just suck it up and go, but if that’s the case, why was it such a weight off my shoulders when I told her I couldn’t make it?

We made plans to reschedule- next week, when we both have some free days.  And I know life is short, but sometimes doing the right thing means doing what you want to do.

Yesterday my kids had an unexpected snow day. We’ve had  a lot of snow this winter and yesterday we work up to icy roads—again–  but by 8:00 am the sun was shining and the snow had stopped falling. It was the perfect snow day, because the kids could actually play outside in it, even though it was cold outside.

Unfortunately, I was busy working on my computer most of the day. Because I work from home, it was business as usual for me. So I had what I’ll call  a bad mommy day. I should have cherished the free day and went out in the snow with my kids. Because I do work from home, I can be flexible with my hours but I stupidly stayed with my normal schedule.

Oh, my kids were fine, they played together and with some neighbors, and I and made them a  nice lunch and let them play Wii later in the afternoon. But still. Yesterday was an unexpected snow day. I shouldn’t have done the expected.

When you’re starting the process of decorating a room, an inspiration board can be a powerful tool to help you  make it all come together.

An inspiration board is essentially a board that showcases items and colors that you’re interested in using in your room decor. By attaching inspirational items to a piece of cardboard or canvas, you will easily see how everything will look together.

Many people cut out pictures from magazines, but you can also attach fabric and paint swatches, wallpaper and  wood samples. By putting everything on your vision board, you can see what works and what doesn’t. I  personally like to use vision boards to decide on color schemes for rooms, to see how I can tie in certain colors together using pillows or accessories.

I love Yankee Candles. This says a lot, because most scented candles make me sneeze. Yankee Candles never bother me, and I love all the wonderful fragrances.

Yankee candles are everywhere. Besides the Yankee stores in the mall, you can find them at Hallmark stores or other gift shops. With spring on the horizon, a fresh smelling Yankee candle can help get you in the mood. They also make great gifts—because who doesn’t love a terrific- smelling candle?

Some of their new spring scents include Blue Hydrangea, Cherry Blossom and Garden Sweat pea. These candles burn for a long time and come in a variety of sizes. Yankee also offers seasonal scents—so come fall be sure to look for their homey autumnal candles.

It’s Lamp-Mania over at Potterybarn Kids.  Spring is coming and so are some beautiful lamps for little girl’s rooms. There are so many adorable lamps. I can’t even decide!  From the pink Rose Table Shade to the purple polka dotted Dotty Table Base, your little girl’s room may need a complete do-over just so have an excuse to buy one of these lamps!

I’ve managed to use the Bell Gingham Shade in my daughter’s room for years, but it may be time for a change.

What I like about the Potterybarn Kids lamps is you can mix and match the shades and bases. Prices range from $25 to $149 (the high end is for the floor lamp bases). Their selection of lamps is definitely worth checking out!

The retail chain Homegoods is new to me. I know there have been Homegoods stores in other areas for years, but the first one just opened in my area about 2 months ago. While its sister store, Marshalls, has been around my area for at least a decade, I wasn’t prepared for how awesome Homegoods would be!Talk about home decor items, especially seasonal. My local Homegoods store has a wide selection of wreaths, ornaments, and floral arrangements. Also small furniture items, lots of lamps, wall art, pillows, kitchen gadgets—you name it! I wish I had a whole house to decorate!There’s a cute bed and bath section, as well as an area dedicated to children’s rooms. I’m also loving all the kitchen items and cookbooks- I came across a monogrammed trivet set. And the best part is, the prices are very reasonable. If you have a Homegoods store near you, take the time to check it out. Merchandise changes over quickly, so you never know what you will find!

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t’s hard to believe that Valentine’s Day is in only 2 weeks. And one of my favorite stores, Crate and Barrel, has some wonderful Valentine’s Day kitchen items to help get you in the mood.

From Valentine heart plates to heart-decorated dish towels, they have it all. I’m a fan of the Barefoot Contessa, so right away I noticed C&B’s Barefoot Contessa red velvet cupcake mix with cream cheese frosting.  Make the cupcakes (and use the Valentine heart cupcake liners) and then, with Valentine decoratifs, you can embellish your cupcakes.

Crate and Barrel also has Valentine cupcake stencils (pictured). For only $5.95 you can decorate your cakes, cupcakes or cookies for Valentine’s Day. They also have heart-shaped springform pans, cake pans and pancake molds!

I’m  loving the spring Ballard Designs catalog! There’s a ton of beautiful new stuff in it and best of all, they are offering free shipping through this weekend if you spend over $50.One of my newest favorites finds is their new Couture Pillows. I love the look of these pillows and also the fact that they come with a hypoallergenic insert. No more feather inserts that I’m allergic to!

These are classy pillows, in a beautiful neutral color with braided cording and embellishment. They cost a pretty penny at $99.00 each, but they’re luxurious and simply beautiful!  The pillows are made for Ballard by luxury design firm Ankasa.

Photo: Ballard Designs

I may have mentioned that I discovered Facebook recently (I know, I know, where have I been the past 5 years?). It’s been quite interesting reconnecting with old friends.  And I was thrilled to find a few old friends on Linkedin as well.

Part of me thought, why not leave that in the past? I mean, let’s face it, my good friends and work colleagues have stayed with me all along. But it’s not always possible. Life gets in the way and before you know it your lose contact with someone. That doesn’t make you (or them) a bad person. It’s just life.

 Even if you haven’t talked to some in a decade, there’s something fun about reconnecting  with them on a social network, seeing photos of their family, etc. It’s better than a high school reunion if you ask me.  I’m  simply loving it!