Sprouts!

Here's the progress of my potted herbs. They are loving the sunshine and being inside for the time being! Keeping my fingers crossed for summer herbs a'plenty! 

Dreamin' and Cleanin'

Last week, upon our return from Jackson Hole's snowy weather, we were greeted with warm Spring weather in Georgia. It got me jazzed to "swap over" my closets. In our 50's ranch-style house, closet space is not quite in abundance. So, out of the 4 tiny closets we have, I have one, David has one, our linens are in one, and my crafts are in the last one. Mine is technically the only "walk-in" closet, but that's a bit of an over-statement.
I digress....I store my summer things in a little antique armoire in one of the guest rooms to make way for winter coats and such. And during the summer, we store our winter/ski things down in the basement and use the little armoire for sweaters, scarves, and boots. I had so much fun cleaning out my closet and remembering what I have! It got me pumped for some lake time, some beach time, and some warmer weather clothes. Have you done your spring cleaning yet?

Taking out all my winter things, and making piles....give away, throw away, and sell.

My little armoire is the home of my summer things during the colder months.

Agggghhhhhh! Our bedroom was a disaster! But, I was able to really clean out the little space. Since there's hardwoods in there, they needed a good vacuuming too.

And here she is with all of the bright fun stuff for the warmer months.

Its so fun for me to do this....I always forget what I have!

 I wanted to show a few pictures of dream closets I have seen on TV, both real and staged....they are more like boutiques than closets!

Miss Paris Hilton's closet. Obviously, she loves pattern and color in her clothes like I do. The mirrored cabinet in the middle is super glam! And that chandelier!

And Ms. Oprah Winfrey's well-organized space. Truly, a place for every thing. I love her lanterns! 

Did any of you see this episode of Cribs? Well, this is Mariah's closet. It really should be called Mimi's Boutique! With babies on the way, something tells me that she won't be wearing all those stilettos anymore! I love the petite tufted pink silk chair. It looks amazing sitting on those fabulous marble inlaid floors.

How much fun would it be to get dressed in here with all of your girlfriends?!?!

THE iconic Carrie Bradshaw closet from her apartment. I love the beautiful blue paint on the cabinetry.

I love the rug too....not to mention those gorgeous couture clothes hanging along the rods. I loved the time when she and her girlfriends tried on all of her old clothes.

And what an upgrade she had when Big designed this closet for them in the new apartment! This takes His & Hers to a whole new level!

Its not the size of a small house, but for now, I am happy to have my little closet organized and at the ready when I need her. And the organizing freak that I am really loves my time to myself doing my spring cleaning.

Jackson Hole

I wanted to share a few pictures of our awesome trip to Jackson Hole. (My camera was on the verge of dying the entire time, and sadly my camera battery was about the only thing I left behind. So, here's a couple of the very few pics I took. No worries though, Jill and Mere took tons!) We were gone for 6 days, and had a ball spending time with our friends! The first plane took us from Atlanta to Salt Lake City, then another from SLC to JH. We had an incredible house that slept 14 people, and we were able to cook dinners, sit by the fire, and enjoy our time together. We skied for 3 days and on our last day, David and I took a snowmobile ride through Yellowstone with Meredith and Johnathan. It was gorgeous! And we had the most hilarious guide, Bob. He was a trip! A real ski bum/outdoorsman from out west. On the trip, we also met a young couple who had quit their jobs in New Zealand and had been traveling since last June all over the States, Canada, South America, and Western Europe. Needless to say, we were envious of their lassez faire lifestyle.
David's skiing has improved tremendously (thanks to his Ski Instructor Kimmee), and he and I took it easy mostly on the soft snow and the runs at the bottom of the mountain. One afternoon, we took the lift up high and had an interesting time skiing back down the mountain. On our last day of skiing I was brave enough to do it again...and came down unscathed! Afterward, David and I took the gondola to the top to see the views...it was snowing so hard and was so cold and windy that we didn't stay long!
At the bottom of the mountain was a great place for us all to meet back up and have a beer in the afternoons - The Peak at the Four Seasons. They served great lunches and beers, but our favorite drink was the Bailey's Hot Chocolate!
We had an amazing time skiing the mountain, laughing with our friends (especially playing the Game of Things and watching the Bachelor finale), and eating good food. Looking forward to our next time with everyone!

On our way!

On the way into Jackson...

The bottom of the mountain at the ski resort

From the bunny lift!

My skier hubbs!

The view from our afternoon perch

The adorable little skiers in their tutus!

And the conclusion of ski school...all in a line!

Before dinner on Saturday night at the Snake River Grill

Under the antlers!

Million Dollar Cowboy Bar!

Boxed wine!

We had fresh snow all week!

Taking off through Yellowstone!

Old Faithful

The snow was really deep in places! David and Meredith sank!

Buffalo

Headed back to the airport

Headed out West...

This morning, David and I are boarding a flight to beautiful Jackson Hole, Wyoming to go skiing with our friends The Roberts, The Kings, The Campbells, The Grays and two other couples. While y'all are enjoying the cusp-of-Spring weather in the high 60's, we'll be enjoying fresh powder with this forecast:

Fri Mar 11AM Clouds / PM Sun 31°/16°

Sat Mar 12 Mostly Cloudy 37°/23°

Sun Mar 13 Few Snow Showers 37°/23°

Mon Mar 14 Mostly Cloudy 38°/25°

Tue Mar 15 Few Snow Showers 37°/25°

Wed Mar 16 Rain / Snow 36°/24°

Happy Skiing!

Healthy and delicious!

Its no secret my affection for my favorite kitchen utensil - my handy dandy Magic Bullet mixer. I've had so many people ask "What all can you make with it?" Well, add this one to your list with homemade guacamole, pesto, and salad dressing...mashed cauliflower. Yep, cauliflower to take the place of your beloved mashed potatoes. I know I am not the only one out there who tries to eat healthy, so this is a great substitute for those carb cravings. And, a diet rich in cruciferous vegetables like kale, collards, broccoli, cabbage and brussel sprouts is essential. David and I eat a really low carb diet (save for those occasional frozen yogurts and bread in the restaurant basket! Oh, and does wine count? :/ ), so this was a nice alternative to mashed potatoes that can have up to 18 grams of carbs per serving! Yikes! The healthy cauliflower only has 2-3 grams of carbs! Now that's my kind of substitute!

I mean, do these mashed potatoes and gravy not look divine?

But these mashed cauliflower with chives look equally as good!

My ingredients: sauteed tomatoes with basil; reduced fat milk; Smart Balance; cauliflower; and my Magic Bullet.

After adding all the solids into the bullet mixing cup, I filled it with milk to create a creamier texture.

They look great!

And placed on the plate with grilled salmon, grilled asparagus, and sauteed spinach, they were wonderful!