oh diana.

This cold weather makes me want go home right after work, change into some comfy lounge wear, and relax.  I created a Diana Krall Pandora playlist and love it.  It immediately calms my mind.  I put Diana on and start cooking, enjoy a glass of wine, and can even read with this fabulous background music.  It is even great to play when you have dinner guests.  Her soothing sound takes me away from all the thoughts going through my head.

{photo credit: www.smh.com.au}


Relax!

grace.

I got the new February issue of House Beautiful and am loving this kitchen!  My favorite features are the butcher board counter tops, deep sink, and open shelves.  They chose a color similar to the morning dew we recently painted our kitchen in.  The dark fixtures create balance - they provide a solid foundation to give the room overall grace.

{photo credit: house beautiful, february 2011 issue}

two z's for the weekend.

Zico.  I found this tonight while shopping at Trader Joe's.  I realized I tried it once before at Whole Foods, but after researching more about it, this is a drink, I will drink more often.  It has 5 essential electrolytes, including more potassium (569 mg) than entire banana.  Also no added sugar and no fat. It is all natural - which I love!  For years it has been a source of nutrition, beauty, wellness and hydration.  Zico just makes you feel good.  I suggest trying it after your next work out.  It is the natural energy boost to rehydrate and recover your body. Ahhh...

{photo credit : www.zico.com}


Zolo's.  One of my new favorite restaurants.  Truly Italian with homemade marina sauces, wonderful European wines, and delicious desserts.  Justin and I went last night with Blake and Jenny.  We started off with the bruschetta.  It was amazing with fresh tomatoes, garlic, scallions, fresh basil, and olive oil - topped with baked parmesan. Jenny got the lasagna with layers of beef, Italian sausage, ricotta, parmesan and mozzarella cheese.  Blake got the Trio so he could try a little of everything.  Spinach & cheese ravioli, sausage, meatball and penne pasta in marinara - baked with provolone cheese. Yumm...
Justin got the eggplant paramsean - you can never go wrong with this dish.  I got the spaghetti with clam sauce.  I wasn't sure about this when I ordered it, but the baby clams prepared in a delicious white wine butter sauce was amazing! It was a treat to enjoy a wonderful dinner with special friends.  I always love going to downtown Franklin.

You can find Zolo's at 119 5th ave N. Franklin TN, 37064 and call 615.599.2901 to make reservations.  

{photo credit: www.zolosonline.com}


Cheers! 

warrrrrr eagle. hey!

I just had to make my post today about Auburn!

What a game last night.  The Tigers had my heart beating fast until the last second of the game.  Thank goodness our kicker, Wes Byrum, put it through the uprights for Auburn to beat Oregon in the NATIONAL Championship game!  This is only our second National title EVER!  

My favorite play of the game had to be when Michael Dyer  started running again.  There was no whistle, so he started running, running past he tackler and landed close to the 20 yard line.   A true "once-in-a-lifetime" run, the kind that wins championships.

Dyer's stop-and-go maneuver set up a short field goal on the last play that sent No. 1 Tigers over the No. 2 Ducks 22-19 in the BCS title game.

Loved hearing him say..."All I knew was the whistle wasn't blowing and my coach was saying 'Go!"' Dyer said. Click to read the full story.

War Eagle! 


{photo credit: foxnews.com}

chalk up some painting fun.

The cold weather made Justin and I very productive this weekend.  We decided to paint the kitchen, since we would be in doors staying warm.  Both of us agreed doing one wall with chalkboard paint.  We will use this wall for to do lists, grocery lists, bible verses, etc.  The other color we chose was morning dew.  It blends perfect with the gray chalkboard paint and the tile on the backsplash.

Justin and I both painted.  We would swap up who did the trim and who did the roller brush.  Fun times and definately made some memories. It felt so good to do this ourselves.

Before :

After :

One room down, a few more to go...next we hope to paint our bedroom.

Happy Painting!

lift.tone.burn.

One of my favorite gifts for Christmas was the Pure Barre DVD's I received from Justin's sister.  If you have not heard of Pure Barre, you should definitely see if they have any locations near you.  It is the best workout ever!  The classes get a little expensive at $225 per month.  To get started I recommend going to the month unlimited class for a good feel of the overall workout with a live instructor.  If you are a new member it is only $100 per month for the first month.

The DVD's are a perfect option for me, especially since it has been so cold outside.  The last thing I want to do after work is go to the gym, change, workout, come back home and cook dinner.  With the DVD's I am able to come home, change, get dinner going, and workout.  The workout is a solid 45 minutes and I feel great afterwards.  All it takes is doing Pure Barre 2-3 times a week to change your body.  The best bang for your buck is the Collector's Edition.  You get it all in one package.

I promise you will see and feel the results very quickly.  You want that shaking and trembling in your legs and body...so go for it!

As they say at Pure Barre...Happy Tucking!


{photo credit: www.purebarre.com}

make it personal.

At the beginning of the year I like to stock up on small gifts.  You never know when you might need a dinner party, house warming, birthday, or thinking of you gift.  In This Very Room has some great options, at fairly decent price points.

Some of my favorites are:

trellis magnetic board

the "links" cutting board

And last, but not least...fabulous trays for entertaining

the damask tray

macbeth tray

I just love all the prints to choose from. You pick your favorite color and just add initials, name or monogram.  All your friends and family will adore these personalized gifts. 

Happy gifting! 


{photo credit: www.inthisveryroom.com}