that used to be my favorite holiday. i loved getting dressed up and i especially remember the feeling when i was younger of pretending not to be afraid and then being really scared. i loved the whole pumpkin carving thing, the trick or treating in the cold michigan weather with my dad holding our hands and making stupid ghost noises.
here are some fun desserts to make with your kiddos or loved ones…
all my goodies are on my pinterest page here:
it’s hard to write a blog called the appreciator (that is me) when i’m so darn tired, worn out and just pain, well...grumpy. it’s even harder admitting it to you. many of you are going through a much harder time than me. the appreciator can’t complain, can she? harumph.
it’s interesting that over the past few days, it has been hard to appreciate anything because i’ve been too busy being busy and stressed out. you know when you get to that point that you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel or the break in the trees?
there is one thing you really need to do to re-center (next to praying) and that is start to appreciate.
todays links are to 5 things i appreciate. and you’re actually going to have to click to see…
1. i appreciate these people who having a bad day for them probably means it is a lot worse than my bad day.
2. i appreciate this and the wonderful person that surprises me with it for dinner sometimes..
3. after the summer we had, i can’t tell you how long i’ve waited for this. oh, yes, like 10 stinkin’ months!
4. i appreciate the fact that you, loyal reader, won’t mind when i beg off at this very very late hour to go to sleep. Check out the cool links to the right…
talk tomorrow. XXOO
tomorrow, my team and i are putting 35 bloggers in 35 chevy dealer diamond white chevy traverses’! and…at the texas state fair, no less. who knew this idea which was created around a table at a cafe by the galleria (the name which escapes me) over 6 months ago would come to fruition?
only chevy dealers as bold and cool as the north texas chevy dealer (and next week, the houston chevy dealers) would do something like this. i love that they are reaching out to connect with women in the local market. this should be fun…
in honor of all the blogger power we will have going on tomorrow, I’m linking you to 5 of my favorite blogs to read. have fun!
BLOG = web log. web log of fun, that is.
link #1
for some amazing food recipes click here
link #2
just read their description of blog #2. click here to go there…
link #3
hands down one of the funniest, oddest websites out there. tell me you didn’t giggle. click here
link #4
love this blog. that’s it. that’s all i can say. because it’s great (and i’m tired)
and last one…
link #5
forget everything else. the photography in this blog is to DIE FOR. i wouldn’t really die for photography but you get the point. it’s good. real good.
another day, just aiming towards friday. i hope you’re doing well. today is tuesday, so you know what that means…i find links and you click on them. it’s really that simple. for some reason lately, i always have food on my mind. it’s just wrong. i think it could be stress. but that’s another blog post all together.
since i’ve been on this fall kick (and if you must know, i am a full fledge cowboy fan) and it’s time to talk tailgating. here are some links to some good ones.
cheddar burger with tarragon russian dressing
i think this is great to pack in a thermos and sip while the burgers are being made! thanks ree
Cook pasta in a pot according to package directions, being sure not to overcook it. Drain and rinse in cold water to cool. Toss in 1 tablespoon olive oil and set aside.
Place chicken in a large pot or dutch oven and cover in chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer chicken, covered, for 30 minutes. Turn off heat and leave covered for 30 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and shred meat. Discard bones and set meat aside.
Dice canned tomatoes and return them to their juice. Set aside.
Heat a small skillet over medium high heat. Add olive oil and oregano and turn off heat, stirring over the next minute to keep oregano from burning. Set this aside.
Either pour off chicken broth into a separate container or use a new pot to saute onion, green pepper, celery, and jalapenos in 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat until tender and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add chicken broth, shredded chicken, and tomatoes with their juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add cooked pasta, cream, and all the oregano and olive oil from the small skillet. Stir to combine. Turn off heat.
Serve with lots of Parmesan sprinkled on the top–the more the better! Crusty Italian bread is good, too.
i’m not usually a fan of paula deen just because that accent drives me BONKERS but these eggs will be the hit of your party or tailgate. just pop them in a tupperware dish and throw on the table. BAM! oh, wrong chef.
check out these great and cute ideas for a theme party on the sidelines…
gotta have a dip! check this one out from southern living (click above)
i don’t know about you, but i love tuesday’s “5 lovely links” because it is fun finding them. yesterday was so stressful (it was a monday) and so i decided to give you 5 links to help relieve stress.
tech note: oh yea, my mom wanted me to give a shout out to all of you who are receiving this via email. click at the top of the email and you’ll be transferred to my actual blog.
the best thing to do to relax is to take a break or a vacation …but wouldn’t we be less tense if we took a little 5 minute break every hour or two to just refocus and clear our heads? kinda like a “smoke break” in the mad men era. i think so.
is called moodturn.com and you can check it out here. this is a website that will turn your desktop into a sweet oasis. now, i can’t say that i would listen to this at work but at home I can listen to the rain while working on something and because we haven’t had any in, like 4028, days it sounds pretty calming. ahhhhh… but it also made me have to go to the bathroom after listening for a while. tee hee.
i don’t know who “angelcrack” is but he created a lovely relaxing playlist on 8tracks. listen to it here. it is appropriately called “calm down, bro” how funny is that? i most certainly did,bro.
ok, you’re for sure going to say “whatchatalkinaboutwillis” here. but trust me. let’s say you are in dire need of relaxation because you’re putting in 12 hour days at the office. then you need to try this. guided meditation. i first was introduced to this when my dad had cancer and i was looking around on itunes for something for him to relax and found something similar to this. must listen to this laying down with eyes closed. don’t be afraid. there is nothing hocus pocus about this. it is just a mental break. you can’t do this with ROF because he makes me giggle endlessly. there is a british guy who is like the best at this named glenn harrold – which is who dad and i listened to – and ROF imitates his voice which cracks me up.
here is a top 50 list of ways to relax.
and lastly,
i did this for only a moment, but very relaxing. choose a fish on the left and they follow your mouse! make them jump and twist. relaxing, right? i may have ‘jumped the shark’ with this one. (sorry i couldn’t resist!)
is it because i’m desperately wanting october to arrive? orange reminds me of the fall leaves that we do get, believe it or not, here in the big d. or maybe orange reminds me of the morning which is my favorite time of the day. the sun coming up…orange juice. whatever it is – orange is my color pop of choice. not surprisingly, i don’t have a lot of orange in my house. i’ll have to change that. but here are 5 links to some cool pops of the color that i call my favorite:
print of chinoiserie chair by Anne Harwell
these are from the one, the only wisteria. wisteria is located here in dallas. and i am a fan. my husband ROF, has been known to say to me “we don’t need anything” which is really always a true statement. however the definition of the word, NEED, varies considerably depending on who you talk to. right? my definition of NEED is very similar to the terminology of WANT. which brings me back to wisteria. oh wisteria. this is a very high fahluton catalog with great stuff you’d have to be stupid to pay full price for. the wisteria outlet is very close to me and i have gotten some very unbelievable deals there. i also can walk into anyone’s house and tell instantly if they’re a fan. call it a gift i have. then we talk a language foreign to any non-wisteria fans. kinda cultish.
if i NEEDED new artwork, this is what i’d get. to your left is a vintage horse poster from stories divinations i would frame and hang and then throw this great pillow (on your right) on the chair on the other side of the room. these pillows from erin flett are fantastic.
i want these so bad. since ROF and i make a big deal about our morning coffee i love these retro espresso mugs with the splash of orange to pop out of the BROWN. oooohhhh. i can see us using these right now. love-er-ly. thank you jo and sonja for finding these.
maybe martha stewart. i guess you could say that ROF and i like to do that more than anything. there is nothing we like better than having good friends, good food & wine and of course, music. almost every weekend we have people over if not all three nights! we love to plan, shop, bake, cook and i love to put together playlists and table settings that are just perfect. or close. be sure to check out my montage below.
here are some fantastic entertaining links for today’s regular feature “5 lovely links”:
1. hit up ‘smitten kitchen’ for some party food: click here
2. the ‘hostess with the mostess” blog has some awesome theme party ideas. make sure you scroll to the bottom. i love the “scotch & chocolate 40th birthday party” check these out (and there are a million ideas – great kid ideas too!)
from hostess with the mostess blog
4. everyone knows, the best place to get party decorations (of the cool kind) is on luna bazaar online
5 lastly, but not leastly…music. look here! food & wine magazine found the pros behind awesome vibe restaurant music and check out all the playlists! so excited i found this
Look no further. The best margarita recipe is here. Once you make this, you’ll never, ever use a mix again. These, hands down are the best drinks to usher out the summer. if you want a plain, delicious margarita recipe, see this. But if you want to shake things up a little bit (that’s cocktail […]
There is nothing like fresh Sangria in the summer! Well, a margarita is pretty good too. Sure, you can buy the premixed Sangria drinks from Costco, and honestly, it’s pretty good. But ROF has been making his own Sangria for as long as I can remember. See video – filmed from vacation in Long Beach […]
Last year, ROF and I went to Hawaii with some close friends. It was my first time in Hawaii and it didn’t disappoint. You know how people talk a place up for so long and it either disappoints, meets expectations or exceeds expectations? This exceeded expectations. Awesome. While there, ROF made his delicious Hawaiian ribeye steaks that […]
This quote is the key to entertaining. Memorize it. I love to have people over. The whole experience should be smooth, fun and lovely not only for your guests – but for you. Why? Because whether you are having friends over for dinner, your spouse’s colleagues around for a happy hour or a baby shower for […]
Since the Cowboys aren’t in the Super Bowl, this isn’t a big deal to me. ROF is rooting for New England. In fact, he is giving us all a refreshing cocktail to sip along with this scrumptious dip or these awesome sliders.
