All the Single Ladies...

I'm not one of those bitter single girls that hates this day.  Maybe I used to be, but I still LOVE Valentine's Day.  I love the sweetness of Romance, whether it seems forced or not.  I love seeing the flowers, the chocolates, the colors (red, white, pink), the sappy sayings.  What can I say I'm a Sappy Romantic.  Instead of dwelling on being single I thought I'd do a list of the UPs and DOWNs of this Single Life....


UP: planning a girls trip to wine country

(image from http://www.winenapavalley.com/)

UP: all the time in the world to keep up with all the latest celebrity gossip, which I consider a "hobby"

down: Some days you wish someone was greeting you at home with dinner

UP: You can have Macaroni & Cheese for dinner on the days you don't feel like "cooking."  Heck you can even have it in bed if you feel like it.  (I may or may not have had one of these days in the midst of the snowstorms)

UP:  All the time you could ever want to meditate, read, reflect in silence

down: too much silence and thinking by yourself can lead to negative thoughts...

UP:  I definitely keep myself feeling young cause I keep up with all pop culture (I was one of the few friends of mine that knew ALL the artists on the Grammys last night)

UP: all the guilty pleasure TV I could want - The Bachelor, Keeping up with the Kardashians, and all my other fav reality shows

down: I may or may not be getting a false reality to "LOVE"

UP: When someone needs a friend, a listening ear, a pal to run around with I'm available and don't have to ask for permission.

down: finding that time to talk, catch up, or hang out with others when I need someone to talk to, want to run to dinner with.   It can take a couple of weeks to a month to get together with those other married friends, after we've spent time comparing calendars, checking with spouses, kids, etc.  

down: some days I could really use some manly hands/strength around this house for all of these renovation projects.

UP:  I've discovered more strength, independence, and knowledge in performing home renovations as a single gal.  And you can't beat the satisfaction you feel when you see a project completed that you know YOUR Hands completed!!!

UP: That cute purse, shoes, outfit, yeah I bought it...SO WHAT?!

down: Some days I probably need someone to hold me back on my shopping sprees...that's what returns are for though, RIGHT?!

UP: I have been able to spend time needed to take care of family without being tied down.

UP: at my will I was able to up and fly off to New Mexico to visit my bestie and her family.

UP: Dance classes Every Monday Night

(image from: http://www.ballet-photography.com/)

down: The bed can be cold and lonely at night

UP: No one's keeping me up with their snoring.


Bottom line, the UPs are far outweighing the downs and I'm pretty sure I'm right where I'm supposed to be at this time in my life.

Over the past year I would say I truly "UNDERSTOOD" what that meant.  And I'd say over the last 3 months have I actually begin to put it into effect in my life.  Those who know me, know I seek love, approval, and affection from others.  These last few months I've realized instead of waiting for that love/affection that always disappoints,  I've discovered it's been in me all along.  Doing things that I find happiness in, has led me to more Joy in the 3 months I've put it into action than the past 31 years I've been off in "search" for it!

Love to All my Single Ladies out there, we've definitely Got THE LIFE.  And I bet a few of you attached Ladies may find something to take away from this...nope that Love we all long for doesn't come from your spouse/boyfriend, it comes from YOU and the Amazing Love of our Lord!  Only when we realize this can we feel FULL!

Freshen Up the Dry Winter Air

Going on Day #3 of being "STUCK" Indoors.  Dallas had an Ice Storm and my street has turned into a skating rink. 

I have opted to stay home from work and keep warm.  Tuesday was the worse day with Wednesday a little better, and from what I'm guessing I think today is better, although we still have ICE with some more snow expected tonight.  I know there are many of us getting the Cabin Fever/Indoor Blues.

My heater has been running constantly trying to keep this cozy home warm with temps staying below 20 for 3 days now.  Today in an attempt to "freshen" up the house and get some much needed moisture in this home, I have made a Stove-Top Humidifier.

Pictures do NOT do the smell justice.  Give it a try...Fabulous is all I can Say!

One Large Pot filled with water, add Cinnamon Sticks, whole cloves and nutmeg and set it to boil.  Add more water as needed.  I cannot tell you how Fabulous my house smells!! 

Other Wonderful variations...add essential oils you may have, orange/citrus peels.  A definite uplift to being stuck indoors for several days.  ENJOY and Stay Warm my Sweet Friends!

Foodie New Mexico Style

For the last week I've been in Vacation mode.  And I'm not gonna lie...it's been Heavenly!  Makes me think how can I make Everyday feel like Vacation Day?!  I went to New Mexico (Albuquerque and Santa Fe).  My best College friend lives in Albuquerque with her most Beautiful family.  More on them and the rest of my trip in another post.

Before I left I looked up several restaurants through Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.  Here is a "fan-site" for the show with a complete listing of all the places they've featured. FlavorTown USA  is Very well put together and for most of them, they've included the clip from the show. 

So here's a little restaurant rating and the reviews of some food worthy places to visit in New Mexico.  Not all of them are from Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.  (DDD) will be included on those I found through that.

Monte Carlo Steakhouse (Albuquerque) (DDD) (3.5/5)

Yes this is a Steakhouse in the back of a liquor store. :-)  They have been in business for a Long-time, but it's a hidden secret in Albuquerque as most people are not going to stop at a liquor store for Steaks!  It was a nice cozy restaurant.  The place had all kinds of neat Chachkis to look at.  They have an open kitchen/grill.  The place was Packed on a Friday night.  We were lucky and called ahead and got reservations (which they told us they don't normally do).  LUCKY US!! :-) 

I had the Pork Shish Kabob.  It had a tasty Greek Marinade and came with a Salad and Baked Potato.  It was definitely a heavy meal.  But very tasty!!


Flying Star Cafe (Albuquerque) (4/5)

This is a place my friend likes.  It's a cafe/dinner/bakery/coffee shop.  I had the Californian Sandwich - Marinated, grilled crimini mushrooms, Swiss, avocado, tomatoes, caramelized onions & ranch dressing on grilled sourdough  Yup it's as YUMMY as it sounds.  And of course I couldn't resist the Devil's Food Cupcake!  This girl pass up chocolate?!  NEVER!  They have locations all across ABQ and a place in Santa Fe!!


Harry's Roadhouse (Santa Fe) (DDD) (5/5)

Hands down, the best place and a MUST if you're headed to Santa Fe.  I stopped on my way into Santa Fe as it's right off 25.  Let me set the scene for you....as I'm driving it begins to snow (making this Texas girl's heart go pitter-patter).  I pull up to this cute little place

I walk in the door to notice a lit fireplace!!!  I'm immediately given a warm-hearted welcome and when I ask if I can sit by the fireplace, he says "perfect choice on this kinda day."  So I get seated right next to the fireplace in a cozy little room next to a window, so I can watch the snowfall.  Yes this is going to be a Good Lunch!!

This is the type of place where strangers become friends.  And I literally made friends with other patrons.  I wasn't dining alone, no I was dining with new friends.  I ordered the New Mexican Blue Corn Turkey Enchiladas. 

AMAZING!!  The Green Chile was done just right.  I'm not normally a fan of Red Chile, but theirs was good.  By far my favorite meal of my trip.  I wanted to stop by again, but didn't get a chance.  From what I hear, they have WONDERFUL Breakfast as well!


Plaza Bakery (Santa Fe) (4/5)

This place is right off the Plaza in Santa Fe.  And was my mid-shopping energy stop!!  I grabbed a Cafe Amaretto and a HUGE Slice of Tiramisu.  That could have made a whole meal in and of itself.  The Tiramisu was Divine!  Perfectly soaked Lady Fingers with the lightest/fluffiest mascarpone. 

image from Plaza Bakery (http://www.sweetsantafe.com/cgi-bin/shop.pl?shop=get_item&item_id=31&wholesale=)

Oh I can't forget...I made a friend here too.  Well, maybe we should call him a "peddler."  He came and sat next to me at the bar and proceded to tell me he was a massuse and did work on the "stars" that come to New Mexico to film movies and he would love to offer me his services.  Yeah I bet you would! ;)  I entertained him for awhile then politely declined his Generous offer!


Zia Diner (Santa Fe) (DDD) (3.5/5)

I think I should have visited this place when I was actually hungry.  I went after my "meal" at The Plaza Bakery.  I was feeling a little full and settled for the Fried Goat Cheese Field Green Salad - with dried cranberries, toasted walnuts and a creamy balsamic vinagrette dressing. 

The Fried Goat Cheese was Spectacular!  And the salad was just what my tummy needed after a heavy food day!  This place is a classic diner and is known for their New Mexican style Meatloaf.  I failed to get a good sampling of what this diner had to offer.

La Casa Sena (Santa Fe) (5/5)

So I stopped at this place several years ago when I visited Santa Fe.  In fact, on that trip I ate here twice because of this salad. 

La Casa Sena Chicken Salad - Romaine Hearts, & Radicchio, Grilled Basil Pesto Chicken Breast, Cotija Cheese, Guacamole, Guava Vinaigrette, Tortilla Strips.  It is only served on the lunch menu, by the way.  And it is Amazing!  The Guava vinagrette is sweet and tangy and flavors very well with the guacamole.  It's a rather LARGE Salad and hard to finish, but it can be done!  They also have these Amazing Blue Corn Muffins.  They use blue corn meal and have bits of real corn in them.  Oh so good!


The Candy Lady (Albuquerque) (5/5)

So this place is located in Old Town Albuquerque.  And I'm 3 for 3 on my visits to ABQ and stopping here!  It is a definite on my places to stop!  I've never met The Candy Lady, but I'd sure like to, because she sure knows how to make my tummy happy!  The Best homemade chocolates!  My favorites are the chocolate covered strawberries (milk, dark, or white) and the chocolate truffles (Kahlua, Irish Cream, Grand Marnier, and more). 

She also has a "Naughty" room with her chocolates in the shape of all that is naughty! :-)


Now that we're all hungry...I leave you to go open your refrigerators and have some...leftover rice and chicken??? :-(  New Mexico I miss you!!!

Bedroom Retreats

A patient of mine told me she could really use a "Mink Coat Bed."  Poor thing has been through a rough surgery that will unfortunately result in slow uncomfortable recovery.  Her dream, a soft comfy bed.  It got me thinking...I could use a "dreamy retreat" myself.  So I find myself lost in these bedroom retreats...

image from http://www.tetokiretreat.com/

I'll make sure I book that trip to New Zealand next week! ;)  I love the open windows and airiness this room has.  I could spend a lovely afternoon/evening in this bedroom enjoying, I'm sure the fabulous view this room must have and reading a good book.

image from unknown source :(

While this is technically not a "bedroom," on a beautiful summer night I would have no problems enjoying this peaceful bed.

I'll leave you all to dream of your dreamy bedroom retreats.....

New Beginnings

I cannot believe it has been over a year since I've done a post!  I started here on my house-hunting adventures.  I've now been in my lovely house for 2 years and 3 months!  Lots has been going on over here and it is finally starting to feel like home.

It's a new year and yes I made Resolutions.  It's not your normal lose 10lbs, be more organized resolutions.  I've vowed to surround myself with things I find Beautiful and Inspiring and do more things that bring JOY to my Soul.  If you're doing more things you LOVE, how can you NOT be Inspired to keep your resolutions?! :-)

So that is where this blog is picking up.  I am inspired by many Beautiful women out there.  I find myself reading their blogs and pulling inspiriation from their creative minds.  I hope to transform this blog and bring creative inspiration to new readers.  Bringing the Faith, Joy, and Love I find to your souls so they may feel Inspired and Beautiful.

A Few Beautiful Places out in the Blogger World I LOVE:

Layla and Kevin are quite possibly the biggest creative influence in my home decorating. 



Laurie Anna's is a shop I LOVE to visit on trips to Canton!  I love the Vintage French Decor!




As a Dancer I recently started following Keltie Colleen.  She is so emotionally raw in her posts and I love the Dance videos she posts now and again.

Antiquing

So as a kid I remember going to MANY antique stores with my mom. She LOVED to go look at and buy antiques! I HATED IT! I didn't want to go and I didn't like wandering around looking at "Old Stuff." Yeah I thought it was neat to see some of that "old stuff," but I NEVER grasped the concept of wanting to buy it and put it in your house. But my mom LOVED it! And I got to the point that all that stuff was the same...someone else's Old Used Crap! I never understood why the stuff was more expensive. I'd tell my mom all the time you can buy something new like that for CHEAPER!

Now I have a house and let's say...I've matured a little. I do have to say for the most part my style is modern/contemporary, but you can do some neat things with the older pieces. And I've found I "like" SOME of it. A good portion of the stuff still just isn't me, but I'm more accepting! :)

Big shock here...recently I went to an antique mall to actually look around...all by myself, no one saying to go, just me purely interested in finding some neat piece to add to my house. Well I did find 2 things I like...


I LOVE this entry bench! I think it would be so nice in my entry...well I don't have much of an entry, but I could make it work! :) I love the detailed carving and the little hinged storage under the seat. So why didn't I snatch it up? It was $895. I still don't think I get the pricing for antiques. But it is quite nice to look at...I'll keep searching.



The second thing I found was this SUPER Neat French Wire Wine Holder. They placed shells in it, but I thought it would look GREAT in my kitchen near the stove. I wanted it to hold my olive oil bottle and cooking utensils. Cost...$160...ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!! Uh, does that include the shells, because I don't really need those?! :) Again I did not purchase this. Oh well. I did come home and look online, but all I found were single wire wine holders. I love that this one has three all hooked together with the handle coming up.

Am I being ridiculous on the pricing? I am very conservative with money, but I was willing to splurge, but not like that!!!!

I do have to share an antique piece I do now have in my house...It is this BEAUTIFUL early 1900's Singer Sewing Table. It was a piece of furniture my dad had from my great grandparents. I got it after my dad passed away.



I think it is a Beautiful piece. It is not something I would have purchased and I'm still uncertain how I'm going to decorate with it. But I do like it. My dad had it beautifully restored. I'm honored to have it!!




Look at it opened up. So incredibly NEAT! Yes it is foot pedal powered. And yes I have played with it and watched the needle go up and down! :)

Thanks for Antiquing with me!!

The Year of Firsts

Well yesterday was quite the CRAZY day! We got hit with Thunderstorms ALL DAY and into the night. I've had a few other Thunderstorms while living here, but it just seems like yesterday everything was hitting just right. Thunderstorms are always SUPER loud in this house. I think it is because of the skylight in the kitchen. I've never noticed my little dog, Zoie, being scared of Thunderstorms, but she sure didn't like yesterdays! I think she could hear things I couldn't like trees falling, and uh I don't know the Cowboys Training Facility a few blocks away collapsing?! :)

It was a little weird because we were having some HEAVY rain and then all of a sudden the electricity goes out...the rain stops and I began hearing LOTS of emergency vehicle sirens. A little while later I've got several helicopters circling over head. I have NO IDEA what is going on. The helicopters and sirens continue for at least 30-45 min. We finally get electricity back on and low and behold I find out...The Cowboys Practice Facility has collapsed in the winds we were having! Their offices and practice dome is literally just a few blocks from me. A lot of us that live over here joke about the Cowboys living in our backyard.

The Big white training dome with the Blue Star on the top can be seen from just about anywhere here in the valley. Of course I can't find pictures of what it looked like before. But it was an Icon to Valley Ranch. It's kinda weird to drive around and NOT see it standing high above everything.

I took a walk up the street to take pictures. I hate that I did that because the WHOLE metroplex is all of a sudden in our neighborhood. It's a little annoying! LOTS of Traffic and Lookey Loos! You can basically get the gist of everything from the CRAZY amount of news reports we have. I'm not sure why people are wanting to drive to see it in person. I guess it's the die hard Cowboys fans. For me it's just like WOW that big dome is gone? I see it every day!! It's weird because we were just talking about if the Cowboys were going to move their offices with the new stadium being built. And we wondered what would happen to that big dome they fought to build here in Valley Ranch. Well I guess no worries on that...mother nature took care of that one. It will be interesting in the coming months to see what winds up going through HOA for any rebuilds. It was quite a fight for the Cowboys to be able to build that in the first place.

Here are the pics of the collapsed dome...

You can go here and see footage that was taped inside while the dome went down...
http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/latestnews/stories/wfaa090502_lj_cowboys.11e43627.html

Around the neighborhood there are quite a few trees and fences down. It looks like I've just got a little shingle pulled up around one of the vents. I'm Thankful that this is the only damage I've found! I need a good escape from repairs. I'll call insurance out to double check for me, but hopefully this is the only bad spot on the roof.




Yes it has been quite a weekend! In a few days I'll post some pics of a recent trip to an Antique Mall. Why oh why must the things I find and like cost so much?