Friday Favorites - 8/31/12

Here's what I'm digging this week:

My new favorite song:  "Don't Leave Me (Ne Me Quitte Pas)" by Regina Spektor
This is one of the most infectious melodies I've heard in a long time. I've gone to see two movies in the past three weeks, and both times this song was featured in the pre-movie ads. Love it!

   








Favorite Wisdom:  Smooth Sea
It sure is wonderful when life goes your way, but a little adversity makes you learn things that you might never have learned otherwise...



Favorite Dessert:  Apple Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream
A perfect bit of fall sweetness!



Favorite Funny:  As You Wish
A bit of geeky humor from moi?  Inconceivable!!! ;-)





Favorite Outfit:  Cute and Casual
Gray and yellow - one of my favorite combinations.  I would totally wear this.  In fact, I think I might have to shop for just such an outfit this week!




Favorite Gothicness:  Lady in Black
Beautiful, eerie photo that makes me want to know more about this lady and her lost love.



Favorite bedding:  Plum & Gray Bouquet Duvet from Urban Outfitters
Gray and chevron?  Yes please!!



Favorite Truth:  No Reason
All 3 of my dogs follow this philosophy, and my neighbors hate me for it!



Favorite party idea: lemon boat
Such a cute placecard for a summer party!



Favorite color combo:  yellow and turquoise
I've fallen for yellow in a big way this year.  In fact, Bill and I painted our dining room a yellow very much like this - that's probably why this picture makes me smile. 



Enjoy your weekend, friends!

Chris

Meal Plan: August 27 - August 31

How about some dinner-time inspiration?  Here's what the Perkinses are having this week.

Monday:  Pasta with Pancetta and Leeks from Pioneer Woman



Tuesday:  Mexican Salad from A Zesty Bite



Wednesday:  Chick-fil-a Bites with Honey Mustard Dressing from Iowa Girl Eats



Thursday:  Grilled Mozzarella Sandwiches from Martha Stewart
Someone on Pinterest suggested serving these with marinara sauce. Sounds good to me!


Friday:  Broccoli, Mushroom & Mustard Pizza from Good Things Grow



Enjoy your own culinary pursuits this week!

Chris

Front Foyer

Hey there!  It's been a long time since I posted anything.  Life got in the way...you know how it goes.  Anywhoo, I actually accomplished something I'm kind of proud of today -- I recovered the little chair in my foyer.

Check out the before:

 

 

This chair has been in my dad's family for about 100 years.  From what I understand, it belonged to my dad's grandmother.  It passed to her daughter (my Grandma Hagan), then to her daughter (my Aunt Curly), and then to my mom, and then to me!  It's a perfect little perch to put on shoes or to set down a bag.

I decided it needed a bit of an update to fit in with the new look of our foyer.  I found a beautiful piece of white chevron fabric from Nautica at JoAnn's a couple of weeks ago.  It was on *super* sale, so I nabbed it!

 

 

I'm not 100% happy with my front corners, but I'm gonna live with it for now.  :-)

Here's the after:

 

And here's the finishing touch I added to it:

 

 

A gift from my friend Gretchen that I just love!

 

The foyer as a whole:
 

 

On the opposite side, here's what you'll find:

 

 I think it turned out rather well (though I may be prejudiced).  Hee hee!

Salad Sunday

Hello, lovies!  Hope your weekend is going swimmingly.  In case you need a little dinner inspiration for the upcoming week, here you go.

Baked Potato Salad

Doesn't this look...divine?!  I have to say that whenever I can't really figure out what I want to eat, a baked potato usually fits the bill.  I think this salad would be delicious paired with a little fresh fruit salad.



Roasted Tomato Caprese Panzanella Salad

There are few things in this world that Bill and I love more than each other and caprese salads.  We know from experience just how good roasted tomatoes are in a caprese scenario, thanks to Ina Garten.  This salad looks like it just might take her genious to the next level.



And last but not least, Doritos Salad

It's like taco salad without the beef.  And it looks cruncy and hearty and Mexican-y all at one time.  I can't wait to try this!



Enjoy, friends!

Chris

The Lounger

This was the sight that greeted me when I came home yesterday.  Our dog Lucky was lounging artfully on the loveseat in our living room, propped up by a mound of pillows.

He's got such a hard life, you know.  What with having to bark at every unsuspecting person that walks down the sidewalk, chasing squirrels and bunnies in the backyard and foraging for food every. single. day. in the kitchen.  Whew!  You'd be tired too after all of that.

I like how his left leg just hangs a little bit off the loveseat.  Like "Yeah, I know it's there but I can't be bothered to move it up onto the furniture."  Poor baby!

All kidding aside, I can't imagine not having a sweet dog like Luck in the family.  He just makes life more fun.

Friday Favorites: Week 10

Favorite color combo:  Cake from a Mint & Peach wedding pinboard
Seriously, how pretty does this look?  I find myself really drawn to pastels, particularly minty green, this summer.  I must be going soft.  :-)


Favorite party food:  4th of July Salsa
I've never had jicama - I think it's time I try it out.  And blueberries are just about my favorite thing on the planet right now.  Did you know they're supposed to help you lose belly fat?  Cool!



Favorite bit of wildness:  temporary tattoo
If I were going to get one, it'd be a ship.  This is pretty awesome.




Favorite funny:  my man Ludwig
He's right, you know.  A man before his time.



Favorite sweet:  Monster Cookie Bars
Oh my gosh!  I need to make these ASAP.




Favorite refresher:  margarita fruit dip
Sounds too yummy for words.  Gotta get some strawberries and try this out.




Favorite cutie pie:  Awww!  From photosbynatalie.com



Favorite doggie treat:  Pupcakes
I know each and every one of my dogs has a sweet tooth.  This is a great way to indulge them without giving them something that could be harmful. 



Favorite new possession:  Nico from shoedazzle.com
I love these!  They're cute and comfy at the same time - a rare find in shoes these days (for me, at least).



Favorite parting thought:  Satan's weather
We've had 100+ temps for the past three days.  And there's no end in sight.  C'mon, Satan, get this weather behind me!!



Enjoy your weekend, everyone.  Keep cool and carry on...
Chris

Salad Sunday

Okay, I'm going to switch things up a bit here.  I had been posting regular meal plans almost every week, but now I think I'm going to take a break.  It turned out that half the time, I wouldn't even make those meals myself.  So instead, I'm going to find 2-3 salads online that I want to try, and post those for you instead.  Bill and I are trying to eat more healthy meals, and it's summertime:  the perfect time for salads!

Here are three delightful salads that I've found this week:

Wedge Salad from the Tasty Kitchen

Two words:  Fried shallots.  Yummmm!




Honey Roasted Chicken Salad from Iowa Girl Eats

I've tried several of Kristin's recipes and have yet to be disappointed.  As a bonus, this salad is mayonnaise free!



And finally Cabbage with Almonds, Blood Oranges and Ginger Vinaigrette from the Roost blog

I'm doubtful that I'll be able to find blood oranges at my local cut-rate grocery store, so I will probably go with regular old navel oranges instead.  And you know what?  I bet I won't know what I'm missing.  :-)



Enjoy your Sunday!
Chris