Notes to Self

A few years ago I started a tradition I'd been meaning to start for ever.. but somehow kept forgetting. I always thought it would be neat to write a letter to my future self, from my current self, which would then become my past self.  I probably seem crazy, but I think finding notes, letters & mementos from moments past is really fun (Remember the messages in a bottle?) and New Year's is the perfect chance to write a new letter, and read last years letter.  I think this would be really fun tradition for families, & the kids can get in on it too. It can be your lil' New Years Eve tradition.

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Now, sadly (or not so sad?), I can type WAY faster than I can write, so I'm opting out of the handwritten note to myself, & moving to the e-mail. Sign of the times, right?  Plus - with a nifty little gmail add-on called Boomerang, you can write an e-mail & schedule it to send to yourself a year later.

So what do you write to yourself? Oh you know.. like you're writing an old friend.  Fill yourself in on what's new, what's goin' on... what are your goals & plans for next year, little reminders to yourself like  "Jeez, are you EVER going to visit Japan?" .  Grab a cup of coffee and ramble on, and a year from now, you'll be really, really entertained.  Plus, you can get pretty personal since it's from you to you, ya know?

Seriously I do this type of stuff all the time.  I opened up the Christmas decorations this year, and there was a note in there saying "Hey Jesse... so last year you forgot to stock up on white Christmas lights that you can use on the patio in Summer, and I'll bet you $20 you're going to forget this year too. Prove me wrong!"... haha... nerd alert!

So, while it might seem weird at first, I think it's really cool to see how far you've come from last year - in your own words, from yourself.   Happy New Year everyone, I'm very excited & optimistic about 2014!

-Jesse

P.S. totally NOT sponsored by Boomerang in-case you were wondering. I just really use the heck out of that thing.

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Independence Day

Happy 237th Birthday America! Have a fantastic independence day everyone, be safe & be proud!

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DIY July 4th Ideas for the Host

SURPRISE! It's July.. didn't see that coming, huh? Me neith.  Snuck right up.  Time to get ready for the Independence day activities! Will you be hosting the celebration this year? We aren't hosting, but it did get me thinking how I would decorate if we WERE to host.. I love a good brainstorm!

I was browsing Pinterest this morning looking for ideas that fit this bill:  fun, unique, but most important: Easy DIY.  I love being able to take a few supplies that I always have on hand, and whip up some snazzy party decorations that didn't cost an arm & a leg. I picked a few favorites to share with you today, I really like them for their simplicity. To each their own of course, I really lean towards decorations that go along with a theme but aren't screaming it at the top of their lungs. For example, a collection of blue bottles with some red or white flowers:

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That's like a ten second centerpiece.  Cobalt blue bottles are pretty easy to find nowadays, but in-case your town has run completely out of cobalt, just take any bottles and spray paint them:

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I've shared a similar project like that before.  Bottles are such an abundant resource around most any home, and paired with some simple flowers from the yard... easy.  On the topic of tables, a quick way to jazz up a simple white tablecloth to match is to use plain old solid colored crepe paper.

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I love that! Simple, woven crepe paper is such a different use than the classic swirly streamer, right? Cute & Easy.

This next centerpiece is a great way to use the shell of a watermelon.  I'm hoping they used the watermelon insides for eating (I'd melon ball the whole thing & put that in drinks... mm...)

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They're like flowering Cactus! That's so cute.. and paired with a simple star pattern fabric you buy by the yard... delightful.  the simple addition of solid colored paper lanterns... a flag or two, that table came together quick & easy. I could see this with the baby watermelons, lined down the center of the table....

Not into fruit rinds all over your beautiful table? OK - how about we take one of the more affordable flowers and give it an expensive look? Hello Carnation Ball......

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That, as you may have guessed, is a ball of floral foam covered in short cut carnations. Looks amazing! And with all the different shaped floral foam available... I spy a trend that's about to spiral out in all sorts of crazy directions.  Possibly literally, we'll see...

You may have noticed.. I'm a big time fan of bunting, but don't always have the time to sit down and MAKE the bunting.. (Remember this tutorial?) this is a very cute, Americana style bunting solution that you can keep for years to come.

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Oh, and it's washable.  These Handkerchiefs are pretty cheap too: Here's some from Amazon, and here are some bulk ones from Oriental Trading Co.  Solid colors would look nice too.

And just for fun, here's an idea board that totally sets the mood for what I was searching for! Simple, cute, modern....

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YUM.  Those colors are all so nice together...  and notice it's following the theme but  not so specifically, meaning - you could easily have a patio theme like this year round versus packing it all up in August.  And who wouldn't want that?

To see more of the ideas I found, check out my board on Pinterest, or follow all my boards to see what else I'm oogling on Pinterest.  It's just so easy to get caught up on there, am I right?

What will you all be doing for the fourth of July? Are you hosting or will you be hosted?  Hope the weather is great in your 'hood! Have a great day...

Oh, pop back over to this post to see the decorations I posted a while back for that crazy Tamale Party we had.  I swear I am still cleaning the Masa out of my mixer...

-Jesse

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Corned Beef and Cabbage

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Almost... it's this weekend (already!?) and I have been looking forward to one of my favorite dishes for about 6 months now... Corned Beef & Cabbage.  I know, you can get it year round - but something about the wait makes it that much more delicious.  Growing up my mom would make this every year, and now that I'm all growed-up, I'm carrying on the tradition.  We've tried it several different ways, traditional, crock pot, extreme crock pot (it cooked for like, 12 hours...serious)  and it's always delicious. This year, I think I'm going to try a recipe I saw on the food network website, it looks super easy, and has a different take on the cabbage. She takes it out and saute's it with butter and onions, which sounds amazing.

Link to the recipe: Corned Beef & Cabbage

You like? I agree... one modification though, I'm going to cheat a little and have the crock pot do some of the cooking here.  Then, when it's time to add the vegetables, I can either let the crock pot work on them for about an hour or transfer everything to a pot if I'm low on time.  Either way, that cabbage is getting sauteed!

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