I'm grateful

On the way home from work the other day I was thinking about how truly blessed I am. This has been a year of highs and lows for us but overall I could not ask for anything more. So here goes, this year I'm grateful for...

My husband - he is the most wonderful person I know and he always makes me laugh, I'm so lucky to spend everyday of my life with him.

My parents and sisters - they have been so supportive in more ways than I can count. Together they have been there whenever we needed them and individually they have given us so much of their love and time.

The Rollers - we've had visits from all of Jason's immediate family and it's been so wonderful. We truly appreciate all the time they've spent visiting us in our new home and all the love they share.

My nephew Rett - I didn't know I could love someone (other than Jason!) so much. When he says my name I just melt. He's the most adorable, smart and loving little boy. I'm so lucky to be his Aunt!

Our health - We are both so lucky to be healthy! I had a bit of a health related issue this year and some sadness that came with it but in the end I was just so thankful to have my health.

Our church group - We joined a couples group through our church and it's been an amazing experience for me. It's brought Jason and I closer together and brought us both closer to the Lord.

Our new home - We are so very blessed to be in our own place that we can call home. I am a homebody so I enjoy just being in our house.

Our jobs - Jason and I both are lucky to work for such wonderful employers. It makes such a difference when you wake up in the morning and you feel good about going to work.

Wonderful friends - We have some amazing friends! We've met wonderful people in San Antonio and we also have great friends spread out across the country. My hope is in the new year we can visit more of our friends.

Our adorable Sadie - she's the best dog and gives us unconditional love. She's getting up there in age (she'll be 9 in March) but she's still the sweetest. She enjoys nothing more than cuddling up with us on the couch with her special blanket and watching a movie.

My hope for the new year is that I will take time to think of the things I'm grateful for more often and give thanks. Wishing everyone a wonderfully blessed 2010!

Mascara...yes, I'm blogging about mascara

I thought my next blog post would be about my recent trip to Canton, TX. I spent a great weekend there with my girlfriends and found some amazing deals...but I have not taken pictures of my purchases yet to post! So that will be the next post. Jason is probably not going to be too thrilled with my post on mascara but oh well!

Two weeks ago I ran out of my tried and true mascara - Kevyn Aucoin Volume Mascara. Since I can only purchase this at Neiman's or now Sephora, I just quickly ran to the grocery store and purchased some Loreal. Yikes! I will never go without my Kevyn Aucoin again!

Let me explain my obsession with mascara. I have worn mascara since 7th grade and wear it even when I don't have on any other makeup. I love it! In addition, I love my Kevyn Aucoin eyelash curler - there is no way I can do my lashes without it. The first mascara I wore was Maybelline's Dial-A-Lash because that was what my Mom wore. I remember being about 8 and my Mom putting Dial-A-Lash on me for my dance recital. I wore that mascara until they stopped making it when I was in college. Then I started a search for a new mascara. I've tried it all - Loreal, Maybelline, MAC, Lancome, Mary Kay, Mally, Cover Girl, Laura Mercier. The only other mascara I wear on occasion is Loreal Lash Out Waterproof and I only get that for summertime trips to the lake/beach because you always need to wear mascara, even in the water!

If you haven't tried this mascara before I strongly encourage you to give it a shot. But be sure to use an eyelash curler - it amazes me how many people don't use one. It's such a helpful tool! I will warn you that it's a bit pricey for mascara but in my opinion well worth it. It comes off in tubes, so no black stuff around your eyes and never any flaking! Several of my friends wear it as well as my sisters and we all swear by it.

The first time I tried this mascara was at Henri Bendel in New York (which is makeup heaven in my opinion). I'm so happy that you can now by it at most Sephora's and at sephora online.

So thank you for letting me discuss something so frivolous! And just so Jason doesn't feel left out, let me share a photo of his brand new truck! He's pretty excited as am I - bye bye CRV :)

Channeling Ina Garten

I'm a big fan of the Food Network, cooking and searching for great recipes or just creating my own. Luckily, I married someone that enjoys my cooking and all my "experiments". Some of the shows I enjoy watching are of course Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten), Paula Deen, Bobby Flay and Tyler Florence.

But back to Ina...one of the first Barefoot Contessa shows I watched totally had me mesmerized! She was preparing a dish and she needed to pull an appliance from her pantry and she walks into this huge amazing room that had tons of shelving for all her appliances/pantry items/etc. I remember thinking WOW that's awesome and also thinking someday I want a pantry/storage room like that!

One of the things that sold me on our house when we were shopping around was the pantry. Yes, the pantry! I remember walking into the pantry and thinking this is kind of like Ina's! I had dreamed of a pantry similar to this for so long. A place where we could put all of our appliances on shelves and actually see what we have versus digging for them a cabinet. Here's a picture of part of our pantry.

It's not just her kitchen storage that I love about Ina - it's her wonderful recipes and her simple but elegant approach. Her cookbooks are wonderful! I guess I should mention that I also collect cookbooks. When we travel I usually try to get a cookbook from the area. Last year when we visited Charleston, SC for our anniversary I drug Jason around town tracking down the Charleston Receipts cookbook - it's the oldest Junior League cookbook still in print in the country. Yes, we found it!

Back to Ina again...early in our relationship Jason mentioned to me that one of his favorite desserts was one he had in his elementary cafeteria - chocolate cake with peanut butter icing. I searched all over for a good peanut butter icing recipe, even trying to create my own with no success. In the first Ina cookbook I purchased, Barefoot Contessa at Home, I found the perfect peanut butter icing recipe! Thanks Ina! Below is the recipe for her wonderful peanut butter icing.

Peanut Butter Icing


1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter (she uses Skippy)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup heavy cream

Place the confectioners sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.