Valentines Day Decadence Dinner

The dinner went very well, the menu was fabulous but guess who decided to stay UP. I know you can see him there. What could I do? He had me over a barrel!

In other news my table looked wonderful!



I was going to take pictures of each course, but because of the little intruder, there was no way.
Menu:

Mushroom Soup Cappuccinos (from the site phood-d.com)

Heirloom Tomato and Goat Cheese Napoleons (Giada)

Individual chicken pot pies (hubbys recipe)

and for dessert?

Banana French Toast! (Lilly Pulitzer Book)

How's that for decadent!!!

PS Hubby got me NOTHING for Valentines Day. Not even a card! He's in the DOG HOUSE! Make me jealous. What did you get?

Valentines Week! Valentines For The Class!

When I saw these little playdoh tubs at Target I wanted to do something with them! I came up with the idea of attaching them to Landon's classmates Valentines. I think it came out pretty cute!

"So fun playing with you! Love Landon"

Being Room Mom at Landon's school, I will be there today decorating, hosting and then cleaning up the Valentines Day Party. I hope he feels up to going, it would be sad if he missed it!

Landon is doing pretty well but is limping from the pain. Look at that face. Thank goodness nurse Shelby dog is here to comfort.



Happy Friday!

Valentines Week- Best Movies To Rent

I know some of you are going to brave the crowds and see Valentines Day (let me know how it is!), but I will be happy recovering at home after our sumptuous Decadence Dinner!

V-Day can be fabulous for some and depressing for others. So, taking that into consideration I am giving you the best Valentines Day movies to rent.


For The True Romantics:

Ghost
Prelude to a Kiss
Moonstruck
Titanic
The Notebook
Sabrina
You've Got Mail
When Harry Met Sally
Down With Love
How To Loose A Guy In Ten Days
The Wedding Planner
Maid in Manhattan
Dirty Dancing
Notting Hill
50 First Dates



For The Romantics Who Feel Old and Need Inspiration

Don Juan DeMarco
Nights In Rodanthe
What Women Want
Sense and Sensibility





For The Dysfunctional Romantics

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Much Ado About Nothing
Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Grosse Point Blank
Gone With The Wind
Grease
Pretty Woman
Legends Of The Fall
Moulin Rouge
Step Mom
Brigette Jones Diary
When a Man Loves A woman
Wimbledon





Young Romantics

Before Sunrise
10 Things I Hate About You
A Walk To Remember
Amelie
Romeo and Juliette
Little Women
Say Anything
Can't Buy me Love


For The Anti Romantics

War of The Roses
Kramer VS Kramer
Cruel Intentions
Fatal Attraction
To die for
Far From Heaven
Dangerous Liaisons

What about you? Anything I have forgotten? What kind of romantic are you?

Dear Landon and some prayers please

Dear Landon,

Today, at the mall, something strange happened. I helped my baby boy get on the toddler train ride, and as I stepped away and the train began to go round and round, I saw a big boy sitting there. You have to imagine how surprised I was watching this big boy ride round and round "by self". You see, you are my baby. I prayed for you. Begged for you. Dreamed of you. And now, you have, before my very eyes, turned into a boy.

I am trying to not be sad you are growing up. I know we have a lot to look forward to together. I can't wait to travel more with you, watch you learn and understand, be creative, find your passion, fall in love, get married...

I am proud of you, everything you do, your sense of humor ( see a bit of Great Grandma Jenifer in there who's birthday is today), your loving sweetness. I am so happy to be your mom.

Today you have another surgery. I'm not happy about it but it has to be done. They will be skin grafting. You will see me smiling and being chipper but I am terrified. If anything ever happened to you they'd have to put me in a padded cell.

I want you to know you are brave, braver than me. I am inspired by you and I love you so much.

Prayers for Landon please today. We could really use it!

UPDATE:
We are home and resting. What an exhausting day! Landon is doing well. He is such a trooper. Blue cast this time!

Valentines Week! Decadance Dinner!

My good bloggy friend Eloise always does a lovely Valentines Day Lunch for her girlfriends. Well this year I decided, since Valentines Day fell on the weekend, we'd do a Decadence Dinner!

What is a Decadence Dinner? It's where hubby cooks and we spoil a few other couples with fabulous food and wine.

Here's the invitation I came up with:

"Decadence can be defined,
As luxury and self-indulgence intertwined.
And so it is, with much ado
That we look forward to dining with you.
Prepare to be spoiled
With Food & wine
We promise you'll have one helluva time!"

So the idea is to spoil and enjoy a meal with fabulous friends. Here are so menu ideas we are toying with:

Bacon wrapped scallops
Baked artichokes with gorgonzola
Beef tenderloin with blue cheese
and
Chocolate fondue for dessert!

I would love more decadent menu ideas...I will post the final menu and table when we have our dinner.
What's your Valentine plan?

Valentines Week!

Valentines Day is not my favorite holiday (that would be EASTER!), but I think it's a great opportunity to reach out to someone.

Suburban Princess did the most amazing post about this on her blog. She has issued a challenge and I wanted to pass it on to you.

Go through your address book and send a card to anyone you think may need a little love. She made the point that we all know of a story where someone was feeling suicidal and then they received a note in the mail that made them feel special. Small acts of kindness can make a HUGE impact.

So go pick up a little pack of cards or print something out on line. It doesn't have to cost a lot, you can even get a little something at target and wrap it up and give it to a neighbor who needs a little cheering up.

Other ideas of someone who may need a card? Someone who just lost a job, someone who has lost a parent or child, someone just getting through a divorce or break up, or maybe someone who you feel is a little lonely in your office.

Let's make Valentines Day really be from the heart!! Who's up to the challenge? Pass it on!

Tummy Tuck Diaries- Day 56!

I am just blown away. I am so inspired my new tummy, that I am eating right and the pounds are coming off! I have learned a lot about my eating and how to lose weight.


My new findings:
To lose weight you have to eat a little bit all through the day.
Never skip a meal.
Protein shakes are the best cheater breakfast ever.
And half a pound weight loss counts!
Eat until you are satisfied but not stuffed!

I used to skip breakfast, be starving by lunch, overeat, make bad choices and gain weight. NO MORE OF THAT.

Most mornings I am having a protein shake. Then late morning a yogurt. Maybe an hour later a string cheese. (will post protein shake recipe next week)

Lunch is a salad and protein.

Then a snack string cheese, fruit, nuts etc

Dinner is a protein and veggie. We do a lot of salmon and asparagus, broccoli and chicken, etc.

I don't eat until I am full, just enough to feel good. I try not to finish a meal. How about that?

I also have a tanita scale that measures pounds down to the smallest amount. It really helps when you see the scale moving even a little!!!! I am now at a weight I haven't been at in years and fitting in a new size.

I did not know how much the permanently pregnant tummy was depressing me. I feel like sleeping beauty, like I woke up to the world! It has been life changing, confidence boosting, and enlightening to say the least!

I was thinking about the tummy day and night, it was taking up a lot of my head space. What am I doing with that space now? Writing, having ideas, creating, and planning fun things! If your struggling with a tummy like my before pics or weight loss I understand! Just know you can do it!!! You can get yourself back!

Decorating- Built In Shleves! I'm a believer!

One of the things that is great about being married to a contractor, is that once in a while I get something fun! He designed these and had the built. Aren't they amazing!





I tried to group the books by color, I have seen that before in design magazines and it looks so clean! Turns out all the dark books were hubbys and all the white ones were mine!

I've been hiding out lately, feeling a little depressed about finances and the lack of shopping in my life now that I have my new bod!

I had a wonderful discovery today though, clothes I had put away, one size down, that were perfect and fabulous! What a thrill! Shopping in my own closet! Woot! Woot! More on that tomorrow and a tummy tuck update!!

Too Soon- An Ordinary Life of a Mother

Watch this. Try not to cry.

Forty Things To Do Before You're Forty- First Challenge!

Turning forty seemed a little bit like a day of reckoning for me. I was feeling like I had not accomplished things I had set out to do, and was not exactly where I wanted to be financially, career wise, and personally. It was my mother in law who put it in perspective...

Read the rest of this post on the Forty Things To Do Before Forty Blog!