Hi Friends! We apologize for the problems on the site the last few days, we were hacked.
Thank you for your loyalty and we will be back with fresh ideas tomorrow.
xo,
Lydia & Sarah
Recent Posts
By Lydia Ellison Howerton | January 17, 2012
Ok, even if you are not a “place mat” person these Mattie Luxe custom creations might change your mind.
Sarah and I had SUPER cute custom place mats made by Mattie Luxe last year as a wedding gift for a dear couple. We designed the mats to match the palette and architecture of their home and they turned out so well. You choose the color, theme, monogram/name and all the details of your design online and then they print and mail you the place mats within a week. Nice quality thick paper place mats with the design on both sides and laminated to stand many, many years of casual meals. You can also have your design made into a lucite tray!
Here are some fun deigns from the Inspiration page…
I think they’re a great gift for a housewarming party or a baby shower. Or as a thank you gift when staying with friends for a weekend. Or for the person you know who has everything…
xo,
Lydia
By Lydia Ellison Howerton | January 13, 2012
Our fruit bowl is overflowing with satsuma tangerines from our organic box delivery this morning. What do I do with them all?
via
Juice them up and make A Communal Table’s Tangerine Gimlet?
Zest them into this Olive Oil Cake with Tangerines, Rosemary & Pine Nuts?
Poached salmon with tangerine-lemon Hollandaise?
Maybe make some Tangerine Sherbet?
They would be great on a beet salad…
Any favorites I’m missing?
xo,
Lydia
By Lydia Ellison Howerton | January 12, 2012
Sometimes you are just plum out of ideas of what to do with the clothes you already own right? I like to have a steady stream of outfit inspiration when I’m getting dressed…
All images and many more from FabSugar.com. Which one is inspiring you today?
By Sarah | January 11, 2012
The kitchen has its own dirty word. I’m sure you’re familiar with it, have said it or felt it hanging in the air.
Waste.
Please say you are as guilty as I am. That you’ve tossed a rotting piece of fruit you forgot was in there. Or shoved wet, wilted greens deep into the trash so you wouldn’t see them and feel bad about not taking the time to saute them.
It’s the greens that get me. They are so hearty and alive until they just aren’t anymore.
No more. Rescue your greens! Do it quickly before they turn. Freeze them or make a quick frittata, green smoothie 1, green smoothie 2 or this basic green soup. Creator Anna Thomas calls the best tasting medicine in the world.
Forget “eat to live or live to eat.” Liven it up with a Parmesan snowfall and a drizzle of good olive oil and you’re doing both. Not to mention keeping your mouth clean.
Do you have any tips for saving greens?
xoSarah
By Sarah | January 10, 2012
I’m heading back to Downton Abbey tonight. If you’ve already watched episode 1 of season 2 (it premiered Sunday night on PBS), no spoilers please! I’m going the DVR route so I can enjoy with friends.
Stills from season 2 promise more elaborate costumes and sausage roll hairdos,
the outbreak of World War I,
and more schemes from bad-egg Edith. Style, romance, and intrigue. All colored by the Anglophone wit and snobbery we’ve come to expect from the Crawleys and their staff.
If you love escaping to Downton, I must insist (imagine a good Maggie Smith imitation here. Mine isn’t passable) that you take this quiz to discover what Downton character you most resemble. As the Dowager Countess of Grantham might say, it is imperative one knows her place in life.
Mine is as a ladies maid with a heart of gold. I hope some good lovin’ from Mr. Bates is in the cards for sweet Anna.
So tell us, which Downton character are you? Are you enjoying the new season?
xoSarah
By Lydia Ellison Howerton | January 9, 2012
Friends I found a pretty cute blog/website last week with a fantastic diet and exercise plan to get back in your skinny jeans after the holidays. The problem is this is Lauren Conrad’s site (aka LC) so I was a TAD embarrassed to share it with you all. Back in the day I watched her show Laguna Beach and didn’t care for her personality, moping around her parent’s beach mansion while the other girls said funny things like “my car is dunzo” and “Steven and I would have such cute babies, they would be like so tan.”
But it’s been almost 10 years since that show and Lauren has blossomed into a major entrepreneur with a few fashion lines, multiple bestselling books and a community of followers on her website. So I respect her now, I guess.
Irregardless of who she is I think her 7 Day to Skinny Jeans Plan is a smart and sensible diet and exercise plan. Great ideas for healthy meal ideas and exercise options to keep you on track with your slim down goals and maintain your figure all year.
Check out her full plan here. Below are the breakfast and snack ideas which I thought were the most helpful.
LC’s Breakfast Options
Greek yogurt topped with walnuts, a handful of berries (or sliced banana) and a light drizzle of agave nectar
Steel cut oatmeal with 2 tablespoons of dried apricots, 2 tablespoons of slivered almonds and a splash of almond milk
Veggie omelet with a slice of whole grain toast (Click here for my favorite omelet recipe!)
Half an avocado stuffed with cottage cheese and a side of sliced tomato
Ezekiel toast topped with 2 sliced up hardboiled eggs served with half of a grapefruit
Breakfast Quinoa (Make a big batch and eat it for breakfast for a few days. It’s delicious!)
LC’s Snacks
1 medium apple with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter
1 cup of red grapes and a low fat string cheese
¼ cup of almonds
½ cup of bran cereal (or Grape Nuts) with milk and a few berries
Raw veggies with 3 generous tablespoons of hummus
1 hardboiled egg with a few whole-grain crackers
Celery with a tablespoon of almond butter and a few raisins
She even has a book club. Maybe her site is to younger girls what GOOP is to me?
xo,
LEH
By Sarah | January 6, 2012
The first sign of danger was when it moved from NBC to the Hallmark Channel last year. Then Hallmark cut her programming from 8 hours to 5. And now, the end. Martha’s show has been cancelled.
The news makes me sad. We all know Martha has an impressive work ethic. What I love about her show –whether I watched it or not, and yes, I’m part of the problem–is that it is an ode to hard work. Martha and her team conceive elaborate, beautiful sets and walk viewers through complicated recipes and crafts. In our tweet and app-happy society, their careful workmanship and commitment to excellence is inspiring.
Plus, Martha returned from prison a no-holds-barred flirt! You can see some of her lady sparkle in these clips and in any re-run featuring SNL’s Seth Meyers. The two of them have unexpected and adorable chemistry.
So tell me, did you watch Martha? Will you miss it?
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sarah
By Lydia Ellison Howerton | January 5, 2012
I have an ambitious line up of cleaning a organizing projects this weekend. This time of year makes me feel extra motivated to rearrange my furniture, clean out the garage and finally re-pot those plants I’ve been neglecting. A clean home to launch a healthy and productive new year.
I have some aqua blue ball jars with vintage zinc lids left over from our wedding and I want to make this light fixture to have over the table in our dining area. This is not my original idea, I found this picture on Pinterest last year from Re-Nest.com. Let’s hope I can figure this one out.
Happy clean start friends.
xo,
LEH
By Sarah | January 4, 2012
It isn’t work-fatigue or laziness or your lingering love affair with Amy’s roasted veggie pockets. The greatest threat to a home-cooked meal is the grocery store.
You might object. You might say, Sarah, the grocery store is crucial. Like, really crucial.
I know, I get how it works. But I hate going to the grocery store and I’ll eat cereal four nights out of five to get out of it. Meaning I miss greens, vitamins, minerals and other important stuff.
If, like me, you avoid “getting real in the Whole Foods parking lot” there are other options. You can split shopping duties with a partner or roomie, shop the green market exclusively or join a CSA (community-supported agriculture).
I’m a big supporter of CSAs. I love seeing what’s fresh and in-season and CSAs deliver just that: a box of fruits and veggies sent straight from the farm. You get prime produce and the satisfaction of supporting local farmers.
Recently, though, I started using Spud.com, a sustainable produce urban delivery company I learned about from Jen. Spud gives you options. If organic is your thing, request organic-only. Locavores can limit the distance their produce travels. You can also bump up your box with regular grocery store items like dairy, eggs, bread and proteins.
Spud lets you shop according to budget. Entering $35 into the budget field got me the produce pictured up top. Spud also emails you weekly reminders to edit your order or, as we call it, end the oppression by root vegetables. CSA-ers, you know what I’m saying. At Spud, you can swap out sweet potatoes for cucumbers at any time.
Poached eggs over creamy polenta and collard greens sauteed with red onion and garlic
Here’s the magical thing about groceries. When you’ve got the goods in your fridge, you’ll use them.
Now it’s your turn to tell us how you beat grocery fatigue. Do you prefer the store or the farmer’s market? Have you tried a CSA?
Sarah
