Faschnacht Day & a Little Sledding

Amber, Jill and I headed up to Shrewsbury, PA this morning for the annual Sechrist Family tradition: Faschnacht Day!

Eyes to Get Lost In

I am in love with this little guy's eyes! Seriously, I could just get lost in those pools of chocolate! And I love his little hands grasping his Starbucks hot chocolate. So cute!

Wedding Trial Run

My darling friend, Lindsay Godwin, is getting married in two weeks and today she modeled her wedding dress for Amber and I. Her dress is fabulous! The lace tiers are absolutely beautiful, and she's going to make a stunning bride. Can't wait for the wedding in Florida in a few days!

XOXO Dinner

Another Valentine's Day, another XOXO Dinner! And in keeping with my tradition of the past few years, I forgot to take pictures of my friends at the dinner! Gosh! Why can't I remember to take pictures of my friends at my house?!?!?

This year, I chose to do a "farm-to-table" themed dinner and I loved it! I created invitations that were red-and-white gingham with a twine bow and I put them all in a burlap envelop, Pretty cute if you ask me!

I invited Jenn Johnston (just returned to DC from Germany), Sue Stahle, Alicia Poulton, Laurel Edmondson, Jill Chappell, Laura Bernadini and Susan. It was such a fun group! There was a great dynamic at the table, and I loved it!

I set the table as "farm-ish" as I could fit on my small table; oh for the time that I might actually be able to have a real dining room and a real dining room table! I had lots of gingham and burlap going on and I think it all looked pretty cute.

I gave everyone a wrapped candle and a darling (if I do say so myself) Valentine's card. Amber helped me cut the XOXO cards and I think they turned out super cute!

For dinner, I served some yummy food:

• Whipped feta and tomato crostini
• Popcorn
• Sparkling raspberry lemonade
• Wedge salads with homemade blue cheese or ranch dressing
• Crunchy mustard roasted chicken
• Roasted vegetables
• Roasted fennel
• Mac-n-cheese
• Coconut Cake
• Red velvet cake

Everyone left stuffed and happy - just how I like my parties to end!

All in all a very fun night and a fun tradition to continue.

FINALLY!!! SNOW!!!

It'll only be here for today, but finally my neighborhood was hit with a dose of snow! I'm guessing I got about 7 inches at my house. Our office was closed for the day - snow day! - so amid working from home, I took a break to shovel my car out. It's the first time since I bought my shovel three years ago that I've gotten to use it! Notice the sticker still on the shovel! So glad I finally had a dose of winter snow....albeit for one day!

XOXO Prep....Disaster Zone!

I know something is afoot when my teeny kitchen looks like a bomb went off!

Sink is full, counters are a mess and drawers are wide open. Must be XOXO Dinner prep!

Superbowl Enthusiasm Before Superbowl Blues

My little Denver Bronco fans! I FaceTime'd the boys during halftime, when our hope was still alive. How cute are their jerseys??

 Sadly, this is the last time Sawyer got to use this pose all night! Broncos lost against the Seahawks 43-8. Seriously, a 35-point spread. Pitiful.

Even a Superhero Needs to Run Errands!

One Broncos player and one caped crusader on the hunt for lumber and painting supplies. Just a routine Sunday morning in Vegas! 

2014 Cooking Adventures

 

I love this quote! Maybe because I love to eat!

I've decided that 2014 is going to be a year of trying loads of new recipes rather than always reverting to the old standbys. Herewith, some of my successful, failed and "eh, probably not again" cooking adventures:

1. Broccoli Cheddar Soup, by The Pioneer Woman - I thought it was ok, but probably not a recipe I'll return to again and again. Of course, I polished it all off over a series of lunches and dinners so it wasn't that bad!
2. Sugar Cookies, by The Ultimate Cookbook - They tasted just as sugar cookies should...but I didn't really care for them. Good, but they didn't ring my bell.
3. Macaroni-n-Cheese by Founding Farmers - DELISH! The recipe calls for 7 cheeses and you can taste them all. Done and done...this is a repeater!
4. Crunchy Mustard Chicken by Ina Garten - Loved this. I dredged the chicken in dijon mustard and wine and then dunked it in a mixture that included panko, garlic, herbs and lemon zest. Yummy!
5. Red Velvet Cake - I found a recipe for "the best red velvet cake ever!" and I have to say it delivered. Totally red, totally moist and totally delicious!

2014 Books

I've been very lazy recently about reading anything other than magazines, so one of my 2014 goals is to read more. Here's my list for the year:

1. War Brides, by Helen Bryan.
2. Labor Day, by Joyce Maynard
3. Flowers from the Storm, by Jane Kinsale
4. Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker, by Jennifer Cavallier
5. The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak