ready, set, tables!

there are few things i love more than a perfectly set table. i'll blame [or thank] my fabulous mother & grandmother for this. the linens, the china, the glasses, the flatware and most importantly the centerpieces. the beauty & class that radiates from a finely set table is often unmatchable. man... did i mention that i LOVE a lovely table setting.

and... being that it's the holiday season there are so many wonderful things to draw inspiration from. i'll be searching for some looks i love to draw from for our table. i've started on the setting, but it's nowhere near finished. i did find this great photo on the good housekeeping website. it's just darling.

[click photo to go to site]

now, to finish the table & have a dinner party! who's coming over? 

cheeseburger- redesigned

today was more of a lazy day, however, three great things came from it. i got to spend time with my best friend, i did more organization around the house [things have been shifting around since we found out we have a mouse visiting us on and off... not the most welcome of visitors] and i tried a new recipe for dinner: all-american cheeseburger soup.

i found the recipe a few years back in a magazine [i wish i could remember which one] and have been meaning to try it ever since. luckily it got lost in my recipe book and resurfaced! mr. phipps LOVES cheeseburgers, so this cold day seemed perfect for it.
it was quite tasty, although, i have to admit it didn't taste much like cheeseburgers until the toasted bun [served on the side] was dipped in. it was an extremely hardy soup. i think this will be a yearly soup at very least!

fun-filled friday

i was one of a small portion that didn't shop today. instead i surprised mr. phipps with a christmas decorated home. i have never been super big on decorating for the holidays, but the mr. LOVES the holidays. we had an agreement to wait until december 1st to decorate, but he had to be to work by 3am for all the retail craziness so i wanted to make his day by doing it earlier. he was beyond surprised & completely stoked.
he has mentioned getting personalized/monogramed stockings the last few weeks, so i decided to cross-stitch our names on the plain velvet red ones we got last year. they definitely look hand done, but i was going for that cozy, homey look, so i am pleased.

we were finally able to try pie-face pizza today. if you live in or visit reno ever i highly suggest you try it. they sell by the slice & whole. slices go for $3-4 & whole go for $16-20 [however they are quite large, whole:14-20" slice: 1/6 of a 20"] it's a great value. they have so many unique combinations and also choose your own options. it's thin crust and locally owned. extra delicious.

ideas, inspiration & fun

so... if you haven't ever encountered the blog Design*Sponge then you surely need to!
i want to spend hours a day pouring over everything they have, and let me tell you they have a lot. before and afters, diy, mini trends, podcasts, recipes... man, so much to love. do yourself a favor and check it out.
[all photos are from various Design*Sponge blog posts]

Thoughtful Tuesday

Last night in between work and dinner I finished a small project I started Sunday for our bathroom. Nothing huge, but fun enough. I used some old street maps and pieces from a ripped up card board box. Now our bare wall has a friend to fancy it up.

In other news, I can't wait for our first combined family thanksgiving! Both our (mine & Mr Phipps) families are having the holiday together. We won't have to do 3 thanksgivings this year! Thanks to my fabulous momma for hosting. She is the most wonderful hostess of all time. We are bringing some hors dourves, and I'm excited to make them. I'm thinking hot artichoke dip/crackers & stuffed baked pepperoncinis.

breakfast for dinner

today mr phipps and i, both, had quite a day. up at 445am and work til 5pm. so, we settled on breakfast for dinner. i used my favorite vegan french toast recipe [as i am allergic to eggs] & we cooked up some turkey bacon.

it was delicious and a great way to start the evening.

Stuffed Peppers

i thought i'd share this recipe. it's really easy and so delicious.

ingredients:

4-6 medium bell peppers
1lb. ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 cups cooked rice
1 8oz. jar of Kraft cheez whiz
dash of pepper
dash of basil (or garlic salt)
optional: 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
           1 Tablespoon melted butter

in case you are unfamiliar with Kraft cheez whiz, it looks like this-










steps:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
[recipe calls for COOKED rice. minute rice works well. you can cook the rice while the peppers are parboiling]

1. remove tops & seeds from peppers. parboil [place in pot of boiling water] for 5 mins. drain.










2. brown meat, drain
3. add onion to meet & cook until tender.


4. stir in rice, cheez whiz & seasonings.
5. fill peppers [a tablespoon works well] & place in baking dish.

 * tossed butter with bread crumbs & place on top of peppers
bake for 40 mins.



- i only used 2 peppers instead of 4-6, so we had extra meat/rice mixture to use as burrito filling or to eat alone.

etsy shop find:

i just came across the cutest etsy shop SMEETA. how could i not fall in love with [and totally want] these little sweeties?

click on photos to go to her shop

aren't they just adorable? little handcrafted plush things make my heart smile.

to begin

i've been feeling quite inspired & pretty motivated lately, which is amazing. in order to keep that up i've decided it was time to start a blog. hopefully through committing to sharing my experiences i can better follow through with all these ideas floating around in this world of mine.

here it is. my life in adventures, baking, crafting, cooking, exploring, learning,  & sharing.  i hope you can enjoy it.