Resolutions for 2011

Even though I sometimes think that new years resolutions are a little silly (just because the year changes we have to re-evaluate our lives and fix stuff?), I'm still going to make some goals for myself for the coming year.

1. RELAX. This one is the same every year. In case you didn't know, I'm a little high strung. Just a bit. Hah! I need to relax and go with the flow. I give myself headaches and stomach aches stressing about every little thing in my life and if I did less of that I'm sure my life would be better. But, it's a difficult thing to do for a type A personality to do. So, I'll do my best, but I have a feeling this resolution will be back again for 2012...

2. Get involved with theater. Yep. That's me in Little Shop of Horrors my freshman year in high school. Can I tell you how much I miss it? I did theater throughout high school and college and then I just quit. Well, by golly, the drama queen is back and she longs for the stage! (told you I was a drama queen)

3. Eat less dessert. This is going to be more difficult than any other year because I just happen to be a dessert writer for a magazine. Clever, right? But, I figure I will try to limit myself on the sugar front. I find that when I eat lots of sugar, I crave lots of sugar. So, if I don't eat quite as much... maybe I won't want to eat dessert after each meal. My hips will thank me.

4. Create more art. Even if I just do a little 5x5" painting/collage a day, I think that will be enough to satisfy my artistic urges. If I spent half the time I spend watching TV (more specifically The Real Housewives 0f...well...anywhere) creating artwork, I bet I would also make much more progress on resolution #1.

Happy new year, everyone!

~ Mari

It's Magic Outside

As promised, here are our Christmas lights at night (the best time to see Christmas lights, in my opinion):

Baby tree

Come on in!

Happy holidays everyone! I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday!

~ Mari

Christmas Card Curtains

I love receiving Christmas cards in the mail. Seeing pictures of friends and family and opening cards with glittering snowflakes on them really ups my christmas spirit. And since the cards are usually quite lovely, I like to display them. But, putting a pile of them in a bowl somewhere doesn't quite do the trick. So, I had an idea involving some red tulle ribbon, clothespins, and a little imagination!

You could create this same affect on a window and it would be adorable, but I have a huge iron mirror in the living room that was looking a little empty. So, I decided to give it some Christmas card curtains


All you have to do is tie some tulle to the top of a mirror or window and allow it to fall down the sides. I also tied a piece from the top two corners to really frame the mirror.

Next, take clothespins and simply clip the card directly onto the tulle.

How easy is that? And now I can look at them each day as I walk by! Plus, it creates a pretty awesome frame for the Christmas tree from a certain angle...

Enjoy!

~ Mari

Candy Canes & Peppermint Sticks

Get it... Mari & Ryan?

It's bloody freezing here! Ok, maybe not as cold as it is a lot of places, but it's uncharacteristically cold here in middle Georgia. Luckily, I have some Christmas decorations to keep it warm and bright in the Smith household.

Tah dah! I think we could still fit a few more ornaments on... hehe.

Coffee table centerpiece

Mantle

Vintage stocking

Happy holidays everyone!

~ Mari

Christmastime is Here

... And things at the Smith house are looking glittery and bright! While my mom and our friend, Marilyn were here visiting, we dove right into decorating for the holidays. I thought I would share some of what we did with you!

Let's start with the great outdoors...

A vinyl-sided gingerbread house ;)

Come on in!

We picked these wreaths up at Michaels for $1.99 each!

(we made the bows out of outdoor ribbon from Lowes)

I made this wreath out of curly fabric bows from Hobby Lobby

Little Christmas Curls

On the front porch

(I found the wicker cabinet on the side of the road!)

A garden ornament with snowflakes and glittery stars

The nest of the elusive Peppermint Sparrow

Our little outdoor tree

(it lights up at night...that will have to wait for another post)

Happy holidays to everyone! Hope your decorating is going well!

~ Mari

A Not-So-Bland Thanksgiving

Happy holidays, everyone! I've been looking forward to writing this post for a while, but haven't had a chance to do it! We've had company here at the Bland/Smith household since November 18th! It's been great, but it left little to no time for blogging. But, here it is!

~ Thanksgiving 2010 ~

We started the day off by putting up the Christmas tree!

And now... onto the FOOD!

(how stunning are those carrots, btw?)

Thanksgiving Menu

Fusilli Pasta with Creamy Pumpkin Pancetta Sauce

Roasted Leg of Lamb

and

Cornbread Stuffing with

olives, pinenuts, pancetta, and fresh herbs

with

Cranberry, Apple, and Mint Chutney

and

Roasted Jewel Carrots

Curried Parsnip & Apple Mash

Collard Greens

and

Roasted Baby Artichokes

Pecan Pie

&

Mini Chocolate Eclairs

Baby artichokes - soaking in lemon water

The cornbread stuffing - ready to go inside the leg!

Mmmmm....

Holy moley... that's a beautiful leg. :)

(Thanks, Jamie Oliver, for the recipe)

Are you salivating yet?

The pumpkin pancetta sauce

(Ryan and I had a similar dish in Italy - I wanted to recreate it)

Dad made his famous collard greens :)

Dad carved the lamb and we ate it. For a few days.

Cranberry, apple, and mint chutney

Mmmmm... stuffing

My plate!

( wish I had one in front of me RIGHT now...)

Hope you enjoyed checking out the pictures! It was a wonderful day of food, family, and 80 degree weather. ;) Hope everyone else has the happiest of holidays!

~ Mari

The Last Bite

Here's the December issue of M Food & Culture Magazine - just in time for the holidays! My article (page 62) is about this amazing bread pudding I had in Macon at the Market City Cafe. If you check out the magazine - it takes a few minutes to load because it's hi-def. Enjoy!

P.S. I haven't forgotten to post pictures of the biggest food holiday of the year (Thanksgiving), I'm just waiting until I have a free moment!

Back from the Honeymoon : Part III : Seafood

I had some of the best seafood I've ever eaten in my life on this trip... also some of the most unusual. Nothing like the crunch of an octopus tentacle to start your day off right...

Vernazza, Italy - Cinque Terre

Polpe e Patate

(Octopus and Potatoes)

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Mussels with fried Calamari

Venice, Italy
Rialto fish market

Venice, Italy

Octopus, Shrimp, Sea Snails, and Cuttlefish Roe

Murano, Italy
Fried baby shrimp, Scallop, white fish salad

How cute are those whole baby shrimp? It's the original popcorn shrimp!

~ Mari