Hello, friends!  Long time, no talk!  I apologize for the radio silence.  It's been a crazy couple of weeks.  I went to Houston to visit my best friend and followed it up with a rousing round of stomach flu.  Good times! Things are starting to get back to normal, though(whatever that means), and I'm trying to find my stride with my now very mobile puffling in tow.

The time I spent in Texas got me good and ready for some warmer weather here, and I'm getting very excited for spring and my munchkin's first Easter.   Bring on the sunshine!  Bring on the bunnies, ducks and geese!  Bring on pastels!  Bring on the floral dresses!  Bring on the handfuls of Cadbury Mini Eggs!!  (World's. Best. Candy.)

I spent some time this week pulling down the winter decor, and, with the help of Target, a local farmers market and one fabulous blogger, added some spring cheer to my home.


I started by filling a large green glass jar with spring branches.  (I would love to use real branches from the woods out back, however a certain furry critter that lives in our house has a tendency to eat them and I'm not sure that's in his best interest.  If your house doesn't contain a mildly idiotic cat, I highly recommend going the free route).  I added my one of my favorite spring decorations - a big fat verdigris bird - and an over-sized art book from one of my favorite artists.


Target's Dollar Spot came through with the sweet little wooden bunny light garland.  So cute!  I can see using that in the scrunchkin's room for years to come.


Kellie, a fantastic blogger and designer extraordinaire, created and shared some adorable spring printables at her website Nest of Posies.  Initially, I just matted and framed the beautiful watercolor egg art, but I think I may go back and add her spring quote art as well.  It is just too darn pretty!

Finally, I added some colorful (cat-friendly) posies to my monogram etched glass vase (tutorial here) and left well enough alone.


And speaking of posies...
Okay, so it's possible I went a little nuts with the flowers.  I feel no shame.  I stopped by the local farmers market with the intent of picking up a small bouquet, but they all just looked so cheery and they were all so CHEAP that I couldn't resist getting a few bunches.  I wound up getting 2 dozen pink roses, a huge batch of baby's breath, and a huge batch of purple stock for $9.50.  Hard to beat!


I added a few roses and shoots of stock to the purple flowers that remained from my Valentine's day bouquet (thanks, honey!) and arranged them in a footed hurricane on the pedestal table in the middle of the living room.  It's one of the first things you see when you walk in the door and the colors make me so happy!

The Boyd's rabbit (named Emily) was a gift from my mother when I was in college!  She's gone with me everywhere since!

 The majority of the blooms went into a galvanized bucket (also from Target's dollar spot), wrapped with some twine.  I love the juxtaposition between the somewhat rustic container and the slightly formal flowers.  It has a just-picked-from-my-nonexistent-garden feel. 


A few more flowers and a bright bowl of eggs got tucked into my demilune entry table.  The eggs are the perfect height for the scrunchkin to play with.  It's like the world's easiest Easter egg hunt. 

The last little spot in the corner received some life with greenery, my favorite chunky candlesticks and another Target Dollar Spot buy: this sweet little white rabbit.  (I dressed him up with one of my daughter's hair bows).  I have to be careful with what I put in reach of little hands, and his carved look is actually made of plastic and is perfect for my delicate little angel Vlad the Destroyer. 

The results make me so happy!  I love seeing the bright colors and cheerful displays.  While winter gasps its last outside, my living room looks like it's ready for Peter Cottontail himself. 

My goal now is to give some much needed attention to a few of the rooms I tend to ignore, and a good spring cleaning to some organizationally challenged spots that somehow never manage to make it in front of the camera :)  Hopefully it won't take me another two weeks to get around to it!

Have a great week friends!

Instead of a pressed tablecloth, the highly polished wood of the table itself brings warmth and depth.  It allows the whites and pastels to pop off of the dark background and doesn't compete with the linens or silver accents.

Small details like Pottery Barn bunny salt and pepper shakers and a painted ceramic menu card add whimsical and elegant touches.


Beautiful napkins embroidered with pink and blue flowers add color to the silver and white place settings.  The coordinating but not matching blooms seem more relaxed (but not too casual).


This Vera Wang stemware is one of my absolute favorite possessions.  I pull it out for every occasion I can.

Instead of traditional wine tags, I tied miniature mercury glass eggs (Pottery Barn) in pink, green, blue and silver to the stems of wine and water glasses with pretty scalloped ribbon. 


To protect the table and add a little extra shine, I used these gorgeous embossed chargers to back each place setting.  I'm a big fan of mixing high and low end pieces - the chargers were from Amazon (no longer available, unfortunately) and cost around $20 for a set of six, while the silver rimmed place settings are from the Parchment collection by Mikasa and were wedding gifts from generous relatives!


The centerpiece - a pure white, heirloom soup tureen filled with 3 dozen pink roses - is elegant and simple to put together.  Thanks to a local farmers market, it also looks much more expensive than it actually was.


Easter and spring themed details on the buffet and round serving table add color, and sweet yet playful touches.


I love this hatbox overflowing with hydrangea and peonies - it looks like something out of an English garden!  The hobnail bowl is filled with paper mache eggs purchased for $4 at Michael's.  I used some gold Rub n Buff to add shine - easiest egg decorating ever.  (And no funky smell after two days!)


The buffet will most likely be filled with tasty goodness by the time Easter dinner rolls around and the little extras that sit there now will probably move to our mantle.  Currently they include a fresh bouquet of hydrangea, roses and wildflowers, a small Boyd's bunny (named Emily Babbit!), and an antique tea cup filled with more gold-flecked eggs.  On the other side, sits my own very-loved stuffed bunny (I named him Benjamin), and a small bird cage featuring another antique tea cup, and nest of eggs and flowers.



I have to say, keeping it simple is making my life much easier this year.  With the table taken care of, I can focus on a wonderfully scrumptious menu (perhaps I'll use one of my top five favorite ham glaze recipes that I featured last year) and take some time to sit and enjoy the meaning of the holiday and the friends and family that it brings to the door.

Do you have any plans or traditions that you'll be breaking out this weekend?

Easy and healthy breakfast sandwich

Okay, so the Easter hunt is over.  The china and glasses have been washed and restocked, the chocolate and jellybean supply have a significant dent in them and you've begun finding Easter-grass-laced deposits left by the dog in the backyard (it's your very own, not-so-fun Easter hunt!).

And among all the leftover ham and potatoes in the fridge that will supply dinners for the next couple of nights is a giant stock pile of decorated hard-boiled eggs.  What the heck are you supposed to do with these?

Below, a few of my favorite recipes for using up that Incredible Edible Egg (please tell me SOMEONE has that Egg-council song stuck in their head as well...)


1. E.G.'s Simply Classic Egg Salad (Recipe below). This may be my favorite way to eat hard-boiled eggs. Something about it just feels so summery.
2. Green Eggs & Ham Deviled Eggs  (via babble.com).  Leftover ham and spinach up the awesome on this recipe. I can't wait to try it!
3.  Cobb Salad (via SimplyRecipes.com).  I LOVE eggs in salads.  They add such a wonderful flavor and texture! (Plus, for someone who is on the fence about most meat, they're a great source of protein).  Sub in ham for bacon to reduce that leftover stockpile as well. 
4. Easy Breakfast Sandwich (pictured above).  Toast one slice of bread lightly and remove from heat. Slice 1-2 hard-boiled eggs. Layer on toast with thinly sliced ham, spinach, and a slice of swiss cheese.  Place back in broiler or toaster oven for 1-2 minutes (or until cheese has started to melt).   Add some tomatoes to the top and you have a healthy, easy breakfast!
5. Breakfast Chili (via the LA Times).  Sausage, bacon, hard-boiled eggs, cheese, beans... if you've got a thing for protein (and something against your arteries) this is the recipe to try!  It sounds amazing and terrifying all at the same time! 

E.G.'s Simply Classic Egg Salad

5-6 Hard-Boiled Eggs
2-3 Tbsp. Mayo, Salad Dressing or Plain Greek Yogurt
2 tsp. Dijon Mustard
1/2 tsp. tabasco
2 stalks of celery chopped 
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cayenne Pepper to taste

After peeling eggs, rinse lightly in cool water.  Break into large pieces in a medium size bowl.  Add mayo and Dijon and tabasco. Mash together with fork until large pieces are gone and mixture is mostly uniform (but not to the point where the egg is pureed).  Fold in celery pieces. Add cayenne, salt and pepper to taste.

Toast bread, add lettuce or spinach and pile mixture in center.  Serve with fruit and baby carrots.

Spring is a gorgeous harmony of floral scents. I love the notes that hyacinth adds to the music.

Health.com's Blackberry Sauce with Ham

I tend to like traditional meals - turkey at Thanksgiving, burgers and chicken on the Fourth.  So for Easter, I don't necessarily want to stray too far from the Ham- Potatoes-Asparagus route, but that doesn't mean I can't give some kick to the traditional.

Today, I was searching for not-your-average-packet-o-glaze recipes for the ham.  Below are my top five picks. Decisions, decisions!

5. Brown Sugar and Mustard Glaze from the Foodnetwork.com.  Homemade is SOOO much better than the packet-stuff. 

4. Ham with Blackberry Sauce from Health.com.  Blackberry jam, mustard, lemon juice, white wine and apple cider.  Super easy and so yummy sounding. 

3. Blueberry Chipotle Chutney from myrecipes.com sounds like a wonderful Spring-y option. 

2. New Orleans Root Beer Glazed Ham  from Cook's.com.  If we go this route, we might try Birch Beer instead of Root Beer - it's my husbands favorite!
1. Apricot and Brown Sugar Glaze  from Campbell's Kitchen.  I'm really leaning toward this right now.  Apricots and ham sound amazing. 

Lately, I have read an exceptional number of decorating articles and expert advice on why you should avoid making events "too formal."  But there's a problem with that:  I love formal affairs.

I am aware that sometimes formal and elegant can be equated with stuffy or worse, ostentatious.  But I can't help liking things that are girly, vintage, and beautiful - That's just part of who I am (and I'm one of the least stuffy people you'll ever meet).  I believe a tablescape can not, on its own, make an event stuffy.  Only an atmosphere can do that.  So this Easter, I am throwing caution to the wind (take THAT decorating experts!) and hosting a beautiful elegant formal dinner for friends and family.  And there's a good chance I won't even wear shoes.

(From top, clockwise) 1. Elegant place setting with layers and mixed metals 2. Rose depression glass stemware  3. Beautiful family heirloom plates from 3 generations ago   4. Each crystal drop glimmers with the light of the candles 5. Spode flatware 6.  The piece de resistance, a tabletop crystal candelabra, fitted for tealights

Formal Service with a dose of whimsy

The pieces and players: I began setting the scene with all of the gorgeous heirloom pieces that are stocked in my decorating arsenal: Elegant hand-painted place settings that were the wedding china of my husband's grandmother; a gorgeous white Ralph Lauren vase that was a wedding gift from my brother; pink cut glass stemware and real brass chargers that belonged to my mother; a mercury glass cake stand and delicate silver bird shaped candle-snuffer, both of which were gifts from a dear far-away friend... All of it has meaning and going through these treasures felt like reading an old scrapbook.  I added a few of my own pieces like a gorgeous crystal candelabra (which can be easily removed when the food needs to hit the table), pearl napkin rings, embossed silver chargers under the brass, a dusty rose satin tablecloth from my wedding and vintage lace-trimmed napkins in a simple ivory.  These pieces are simply heirlooms in the making. 

(Clockwise from upper right) 1. Coffee cups and dessert plates stand at the ready  2. A sweet little bird sits atop the candle snuffer  3. Gorgeous blooms in lavender and pink 3. A mercury glass cloche, hobnail creamer and etched silver vase overflowing with spring flowers 4.  A tall one-sided arrangement adds big color to the backdrop  5. (center) Another heirloom tea cup from my mother-in-law hides sweet mercury glass eggs from Potterybarn