Newlyweds and Nesting: Elizabeth Anne Designs Living: A Food, Lifestyle, and Craft Blog » Hasel

Making Our House Actually Sweet: Dining Chairs

Hasel — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 14:00:52 +0000

The first to-do on my list is to was to find new chairs for cheap – and I mean cheap. In the heat of the moment at our garage sale, I sold part of our “collection” of hand-me-down dining chairs. After that we were stuck using half folding chairs, half wooden chairs. After the garage sale, we took a trip to IKEA, where I picked up these two white slipcovered chairs. I highly recommend them if you are in the market for a basic Parsons style chair. That solved part of our problem, but I still wanted to replace the mismatched chairs and go back to using the folding chairs for their real purpose – extra seating.

{author’s personal collection}

My dream chairs are the Thonet Bentwood Chairs, featured below in the now-defunct domino. Growing up my grandmother had a version of these chairs with caning seats and I have always wanted a set. I found a source for them at a reasonable price ($99 per chair), but they are not in the decor budget just yet – other pieces of furniture are higher on my want list. (Like a new sofa to replace the plaid one and provide us with an extra bed for guests.)

{left: from domino, photographer unknown; right: from domino May 2007, photographer Dittie Isager}

I set out searching for a cheaper, temporary alternative. I remembered a photograph of Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick’s Hampton house dining room with different chairs all painted black. I loved this look, it seemed eclectic, but still unified!

{Elle Decor, photographer William Waldron}

So I headed to some thrift stores in search of four to six different chairs, possibly using one of the hand-me-down chairs we already had. On our first trip to a nearby Goodwill, Nick and I stumbled upon four matching chairs with good bones and a cloth seat for only $8.99 each. On Tuesdays, they offer a discount if you hold a rewards card from a casino. Jackpot! We did and we were able to score all four chairs for less than $25. That’s exactly the kind of cheap I was looking for.

{author’s personal collection}

N removed the seat cushions and the old fabric. I sanded the chairs to rough them up and painted them using Home Depot’s paint and primer in one in black. After two coats, they were good to go and I used wipe on polyurethane to make them more durable and wipeable.

A note about painting furniture: I painted my desk this summer with no problems. I primed separately using a tacky primer from Home Depot, then painted, and polyed. The desk is fabulous – not perfect, but super shiny and durable just the way I wanted. For the chairs, the poly did not dry as well; after a few days of drying it was still really tacky. I left them in the sun and that helped, but I can still see some streaks from the poly. I would recommend priming and painting separately, not using the all-in-one. That and not giving the chairs as much drying time in between coats of paint might be the reasons I didn’t have the best luck with this project. For more information, on painting furniture see Bryn from Bryn Alexandra Interiors’ guide and Jenny from the Little Green Notebook’s tips.

At a designer’s tag sale last year, I’d picked up a remnant of this caning fabric from Michael Miller for $10. It was perfect for the seats – I’d get my caning after all! After the chairs were painted and the polyurethane dried, Nick stapled the fabric onto the seats and put them back onto the chairs.

{author’s personal collection}

All things considered, I am really pleased with the way the chairs turned out. The full reveal of the dining and living room will be coming soon. Up next on the to-do list: the gallery wall.

Have you finished any home decor projects lately? Had any experiences painting and/or recovering furniture? Do share!

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Posted in: crafts, decor, furniture, home tour

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Making Our Home Actually Sweet

Hasel — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 15:25:06 +0000

My New Year’s resolution is to just do – no more procrastinating, putting things off or wavering with my decisions. It is time to get things done – in our house, at work, with my blogs, etc. Another incentive for getting our house in shape, is my mother-in-law and sister-in-law upcoming visit. It is crunch time to get our house organized and looking fantastic. The last time Nick’s mother visited we’d only been here a month so it was half painted and barely decorated.

Our “Home Sweet Home” was introduced in this post, and has changed a bit since those photos, but we still have a lot to do to make it truly “sweet.” We can’t afford to do everything I want all at once, so I’ve selected a few less expensive projects to complete before they arrive. The first room to tackle is the dining and living room. This room opens up into the entry and is the first room you see when you walk into the house. These photos show some views as of November, hence, the Halloween/Thanksgiving decor. Sorry for the terrible photos; they were taken at night before a dinner party.

Please ignore that beautiful plaid, hand-me down sofa peeking out in the corner and pretend it is a fabulous tan or green sofa from Pottery Barn. For now, it stays. I try to ignore it. Also, pretend you don’t notice the horrifying vertical blinds. For now, the blinds provide privacy and a break from the constant sun. Those will be dealt with during their visit. I might not have mentioned that my MIL is an interior designer.* During her visit, she is planning to help me choose, purchase or order and possibly hang curtains.

My short term to-do list for this space includes:

Find chairs. I know exactly what dining table chairs I want. However, they are relatively expensive, so I’m hoping to find some cheap yet attractive chairs to paint black and hold me over until I save up for the ones I really want. The black folding chairs aren’t doing it for me!
Get a gallery wall up. To the right of the dining table, I really want to do a wall filled with black frames showcasing old family photos, wedding photos, etc. This is one of those things I’ve been putting off pulling the trigger on for the past few months. Now is the time.
Organize and style the bookcases. I threw the books and magazines in the shelves right after I put them together, so I want things to be a bit more styled and edited.
Remove and repaint chandelier. The light fixture is brown speckled with black. A quick swash of black spray paint and one other small touch should do the trick to make it look more fantastic.

The long-term to-do list includes so many more items, but these will get me to a place where I actually like this space and finally feel at home. Plus, they are somewhat easy to accomplish in a short amount of time. I am looking forward to checking these to-dos off my list all the while sharing the process with EAD Living readers!

Do you have any tips or recommendations for completing my to-dos? Are any of your New Year’s resolutions decor-based? What are your goals for your home in the new year?

*Could this be why I am so freaking out about our house looking nice? Why, yes it is! She and I have different, yet similar tastes and are both very opinionated, so the curtain process should be interesting.

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Posted in: around the house, decor, newlywed life

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Monthly Book Club

Hasel — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:00:38 +0000

A month or so ago, I volunteered to lead the book club for the Officer’s Spouse Club (OSC) at our base. I thought, “Hey, I’m an English minor, I can do this!” Only two bases into my husband’s Air Force career and I’m volunteering for something I had no idea would be so painful. Brilliant!

So here I am, leader of the book club, perplexed: How do you organize a book club? How do I get people interested in the book club? How do you chose the book? Etc. Etc.

Literally days after I got the list of the first people initially interested, Brooke Reynolds of the fabulous blog inchmark posted this great guide: Books and Pie. So I drafted an email borrowing some of Brooke’s guidelines and asking the women for feedback and book choices:

One book each month. You have to have read or know someone who has read the book before you recommend it. Also, try to pick a book that is easy to find (via Amazon, library, local bookstore, etc.). I suggested that the host chose the book.
Meet the same day each month. Our location will probably be each other’s houses, however, this is all TBD and is based on how many spouses are interested, where people live, etc.
Discuss the book. The book club leader will come prepared with a few questions on cards. Everyone will take one or two and when they think it is appropriate interject with their question.
Keep refreshments low-key. Dessert and beverages.

And I haven’t heard back from a single person. Granted, one of the interested parties is one of my closest girlfriends here, but the other five women haven’t made a peep! I’ve decided I’m going to chose a book, time, location, etc. and send out an Evite with the details. However, now I have to decide on a book. I want something that isn’t a difficult read, but is still interesting and thought-provoking. I personally love novels and/or about family sagas, friendships, and women on the verge.

Here are some of my favorites and possible options (for full descriptions from Books•A•Millions’ website click on the book title). The first four I have read; the last four are ones I’d like to read. I’m hopeful some of the spouses are interested in one of these titles. If all goes well, I want to post a review of the book read every month after the we meet.

The Awakening by Kate Chopin
Love this book, which is actually a short story about a woman and her awakening in the 1800s. This version is dirt cheap ($1.50) and it is short, so maybe book club members will be more likely to read it even though they are busy.

Summer Sisters by Judy Blume
Summer Sisters is my absolute favorite book of all time. I read it in high school and have loved it ever since. I try to read it every summer. I really enjoy stories about friendship, especially those told over a number of years. This is an easy, fun read.

Truth & Beauty by Ann Patchett
This is a heartbreaking story of the author’s real-life friendship with a fellow writer. A tearjerker for sure. I read this while enroute to visit my best friends’ and I sobbed. Once I arrived, I hugged my friends a little tighter.

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
This memoir is about Wall’s tumultuous childhood with nomadic parents.

Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
This novel was written by a Parisian writer about the German occupation. Eventually, she was arrested and sent to a concentration camp; this novel was found 64 years later. I love fiction that takes place during World War II. I’ve read the first few pages of this book and think it sounds great.

A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley
A story about a family with a 1000 acre farm that is about to be left to the daughters’. Some of them want it, some don’t and their father does something terrible, causing a family drama to unravel.

The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs
I’ve heard lots of great things about this book – another one about women and friendship.

The Senator’s Wife by Sue Miller
Sue Miller’s works are well-known, her novel While I Was Gone was one of Oprah’s Book Club selections. This sounds interesting and focuses on a young wife who befriends a cheating senator’s wife.

So I am curious – are any of you in a book club? How do you organize your book club and/or decide on a book? Which of these books would you want to read with a book club? What would initially spark your interest in a book club?

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Posted in: books and reading

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Pumpkin Painting Party

Hasel — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:15:02 +0000

Last week, my close friend from college and recently-moved-in neighbor K, threw a pumpkin painting party*. She invited spouses from her husband’s squadron and extended an invitation to some of the wives from my husband’s group. I was thrilled at the prospect of crafting with a group of women and possibly making some new friends.

But I hadn’t painted or carved a pumpkin in years. To be honest, I can’t remember the last time I did either. Which is terrible because I pride myself on being the Martha Stewart of Air Force Spouses. (Haha, just kidding! I will never reach such great heights!)

After some sleuthing, I found some great ideas for decorating pumpkins without carving. 1. Plaid and striped painted pumpkins. 2. Graphic, almost folksy free-handed designs. 3. Patchwork white-on-white. 4. Doily as stencil. My favorite is the white-on-white patchwork. It looks like a Denyse Schmidt quilt, but in pumpkin form! All of these came from the Better Homes and Gardens’ Quick and Easy Painted Pumpkins for Halloween photo gallery.

Photos from Better Homes and Gardens.

BHG also has some great ideas for pumpkins on a porch: 5. House numbers. 6. Welcome sign. 7. Ghost pumpkins. (These are carved, but could easily be recreated without using a knife. Just use paper cut-outs to make the faces and tape to pumpkins before spray-painting orange pumpkins white or use white pumpkins and orange paint to create the faces.) 8. Bat pumpkins. I love the ghosts on the mantel and the bat pumpkins for new, inexperienced crafters – they are adorable, yet easy. #7 and 8 come from Parents’ photo gallery: 9 Painted Pumpkin Ideas.

Top photos from Better Homes and Gardens; bottom photos from Parents (Photographer James Baigrie).

I also found a few non-carved, non-painted pumpkins. 9. Candy faces from Martha. 10. Messages with thumbtacks from Poetic Home 11. Faces using colored brads aka metal paper-fasteners. My best friend T made this for her desk at work using multi-colored brads. Ingenious! And adorable! She ran out of gold brads, so his eye is a bit lopsided.

Photos from Martha Stewart, Poetic Home, and author’s personal collection.

However, I wasn’t completely sold on any of these ideas. At some point, I had the brilliant idea to paint our initials onto pumpkins. I found some examples on Martha Stewart and The Lettered Cottage.

Photo from Martha Stewart and The Lettered Cottage.

So I searched through my typefaces and found my favorites. I printed out the entire alphabet in black ink and brought those plus photos and templates for some of the painted pumpkins above to the party. I also brought a big stack of Halloween magazines and of course, painting and art supplies.

The party was a success! Lots of the ladies freehanded their pumpkins, but some of them used the letters and bat templates to decorate them.

Photo from author’s personal collection.

One of the gals’ painted her pumpkins in a pattern similar to the plaid and striped ideas from BHG, only using gold and silver paint.

Photo from author’s personal collection.

My pumpkins came out great. These terrible photographs do not do them justice. At the last minute, I decided to buy fake pumpkins from Michael’s (they were 60% off!) so I can use them again and again.

Photo from author’s personal collection.

The process was really simple:

Print out a letter in black ink
Use a pencil to color the back of the paper (making “carbon paper”)
Put the paper on the pumpkin with the letter up
Trace around the outline of the letter
Now there is a light outline to paint and then glitter

I’m really thrilled with the way they turned out! How did you decorate your pumpkins this year? What was your inspiration?

*We painted instead of carved because of the heat here in Nevada; however, this week has been chilly, much more like we skipped past fall and headed straight into winter.

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Posted in: holidays, painting

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Fall Shopping List

Hasel — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Originally I had planned to take a shopping hiatus (at least on clothing) until the holidays. However, getting dressed for church on Sunday, I realized I don’t have a lot for a Nevada winter or fashionable, yet comfortable clothes for working from home. I’m thrilled to go shopping! I really want some versatile, colorful and layerable clothes. My mom, my favorite shopping partner, is visiting this week and I thought I’d make a short shopping list to make sure I stay somewhat on track.

1: Colorful cords. I’m digging these straight leg cords from the Gap. They will tuck into boots for winter back in the Midwest, but be lightweight enough for winter here.

Images from Gap.

2: White jeans and boyfriend jeans. White jeans are somewhat out of season, but I’m hoping to squeeze a few wears out of them and have them for next year on the cheap. These from J.Crew are no longer available, but this is a similar option. The other jean, the boyfriend jean is ubiquitous, I know. They are everywhere for a reason – they are comfy! I’m really liking this pair from Gap. These will be perfect for working at home, but still looking fashionable.

Images from J.Crew and Gap.

3: Ruffles, ruffles, and more ruffles. That about explains it all. I’m loving these Frances sleeveless and long-sleeve ruffle tops from J.Crew. I could never have too many ruffled shirts.

Images from J.Crew.

4: Military detailed jackets/sweaters. I love a good jacket, especially one with military detailing. The yellow J.Crew coat is fantastic. I’m in the process of integrating more color into my wardrobe and that coat would be just the ticket. The detail on the back of the Banana Republic jacket is FABULOUS! Love the casualness of the grey J.Crew sweater, but unfortunately it is sold out. With all of these great options, I don’t know how I will ever chose just one!

Images from J.Crew, Banana Republic, J.Crew.

5: Chilly weather appropriate shoes. I need some new, dressy flats. These gray pointy flats from Payless are right up my alley. I’m still searching for other sources for comfy flats. Because honestly, what is the point of a flat that hurts your feet? The other shoe I’m on the lookout for is a flat boot. I’ve been dying for a pair of classic boots like these from Martin + Osa since last Christmas on our honeymoon in NYC. They were everywhere!

Images from Payless and Martin + Osa.

What’s on your fall shopping list? Have you gone “back-to-school” shopping yet? Or are you currently on a spending hiatus?

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Posted in: fashion

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Expanding Our Family

Hasel — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 21:00:21 +0000

Like many newlywed couples, Nick and I are looking to expand our family. No, no, we are not expecting nor trying to conceive. We’re trying to decide on a dog–and whoa boy–is it a hard decision.

I have wanted a dog since we moved to Mississippi two years ago. Most of our friends had pets (some of them multiple) and we really enjoyed our role as dogsitters/Aunt Allison and Uncle Nick to their pets. At the time, I freelanced from home, and I desperately wanted a dog to hang out with during the day and to motivate me to get out and walk. I couldn’t sit and veg on the sofa knowing I had a sweet pet relying on me for exercise. However, we decided financially and logistically we couldn’t get a dog until we settled in our next location. So here we are… I’m working from home full-time and available for a pet, we’re settled (somewhat) in Las Vegas with our own home and no issues in our way, but one – we cannot decide what kind of dog to get.

We have some guidelines: smaller than 45 lbs*, low-maintenance coat, somewhat easy to train, medium energy, and other pet and child friendly. (*Because we know in a few years we’ll be moving around quite a bit, it is best that we get a dog that’s size is acceptable at many hotels so we can avoid kenneling our pup.) At some point we agreed on a Beagle because of experiences with a friend’s dog and a neighbor dog in Mississippi. I’ve heard a bit about Beagles and their howling can be annoying and sometimes they are difficult to train, so I’m not so sure. I thought I would see a shelter dog here and absolutely fall in love, but most of the ones we’ve seen here are too big or too small. We’re like the Goldilocks of future dog owners, looking for a dog that is “just right.”

In an effort to narrow our decision down, I’ve taken every what-dog-breed-is-perfect-for-your-family quiz (try this one at Animal Planet) and these breeds keep appearing (to learn more from Animal Planet, click on the breed name beneath the photo):

Beagle

Brittany

French Bulldog

Surprise, surprise! The Beagle is one of the top options no matter what selections I make. The other breed, Brittany, shares characteristics with the Beagle. Most importantly, they are both adorable! ;) We’ve ruled out the French Bulldog officially because of the breed’s common health issues and intolerance to heat, but the Beagle and the Brittany keep looking better than ever. I’ve done a bit of research and they require daily exercise, but Nick and I are comfortable with that. Both breeds are friendly, affectionate dogs. Both require obedience training, but we would want to do that with any dog. The Beagle can be a bit more rambunctious, but I think we can handle it. As far as selecting our actual dog, we are planning to look at shelters and rescue organizations, as well as responsible breeders. We’ve been searching on Petfinder.com to find adoptable pets in our area. Responsible breeders can be found on the American Kennel Club’s website.

Before we make any final decisions I will be reading this book: How to Be Your Dog’s Best Friend: The Classic Training Manual for Dog Owners. It was recommended by my dog-loving best friend whose mom trains and breeds dogs. It isn’t the most exciting read (it’s definitely not chick lit!), but it will really put you in a good mindset to be a great dog owner. She also recommended the book, Good Dogs Bad Habits, which is an A-Z guide to “troubleshooting” problems once you have your pet.

How do you decide on a pet or a specific dog breed? How did you prepare for pet ownership? Do you have any tips or hints for future dog owners?

Photos from AnimalPlanet.com

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Posted in: pets

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Home Sweet Home

Hasel — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 17:00:53 +0000

As I mentioned in my first post, my husband and I purchased a new home in Las Vegas. Shortly before our move, Nick and I decided we would look into buying a home. I wasn’t originally on board because of the housing market crash and insisted that we look at rentals as well. However, the housing market in Las Vegas at the beginning of the year was insane and homes were foreclosing at record rates causing tenants to be shutout of their rental homes with no warning. The thought of being kicked out of our home with a few days to find another was not appealing. We did the math and discovered we could afford a mortgage because it was much less than the current rental rates. (Even including home owner’s insurance, which was just a bit more than we had paid for renter’s insurance in Mississippi.) I never dreamed Nick and I would have the opportunity to own a home together this early in our marriage, but with the market right now and the slashed prices we were able to do it a lot sooner.

After a month and a half of searching, we found a great house in a smaller subdivision. The house isn’t perfect, but it is in a great neighborhood and a good start for us. Some day I will get my dream home – a mid-century ranch house or a more traditional house with a wrap-around porch and lots of architectural details – but for now I’m delighted to have this newer home to call my own.

Below are photos from the realty website. Clockwise, from left. The front of the house: The biggest thing that drew us to the neighborhood was the many different floor plans and house fronts available. So many subdivisions were flooded with cookie cutter house after cookie cutter house. I’m not thrilled with the tile and the carpet needed to be cleaned, but the entry has so much potential! Entry from formal living/dining room. Family room: Niche that is perfect for the flat screen Nick is dying to purchase. Formal living/dining from entry: There is so much natural light in this room because of the patio doors. We are looking into replacing those eventually, they are so nondescript. We’d like a more secure door with a bit of character.

Clockwise, from left. Kitchen: Probably my least favorite room in the house, although I do love how spacious it is. I am not in love with the oak cabinets, but I’m hoping some fresh hardware will give them a little more flair. Master bathroom: Don’t you love the lime green paint? It coordinated with the pale lime green pain in the bedroom. Delighful! The master bath is almost embarrassingly big. Growing up I shared one small bathroom with my mom and step-dad (and step-sister every other weekend), to have this much space to get ready is unreal!

That’s a small preview of our house for now. We’ve done a lot already since we moved in April 1st, but of course we still have upgrades we’d like to make. The master bedroom, master bathroom, kitchen, family room, and my office have been painted. The only rooms left to paint are the spare bedroom and guest bathroom. Of course, the decor is still evolving. I’ve documented most of the changes and will be sharing them with you in upcoming posts.

Our plan for now is to try and sell the home once we PCS (Permanent Change of Station: military abbreviation that basically means moving to another location.) However, if that doesn’t work out immediately we can keep the home as a rental property.

Buying a home is such a personal decision for any family (and believe me our parents had lots of opinions regarding home ownership). Do you own your home? Or currently rent? Have you been affected by the housing market in a good (or bad) way?

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Posted in: home tour, life

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Dinner at the Hasel House, continued

Hasel — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 21:00:23 +0000

Thanks for the suggestions on last week’s post about easy weeknight dinners. So many options – I don’t know where to begin! I’ve looked around at Pioneer Woman’s Tasty Kitchen and I follow Annie’s Eats. I’ve bookmarked a few of Annie’s recipes, and I’m finally going to make one this week. Oddly enough, a good friend of ours from college recently moved here and has a ton of back issues of Cooking Light. She loaned me an issue this weekend from last summer featuring tons of tomato recipes (tomatoes are my absolute favorite). She and I are looking forward to swapping magazines back and forth. I’m excited to put these new-to-me sources to use.

I thought I would share my weekly meal plans occasionally, starting with this week. I’m hoping this will help me follow through with cooking a meal every night and not copping out and making a frozen pizza!

MONDAY
Garlic-Marinated Chicken Cutlets with Grilled Potatoes and Asparagus from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast, page 116

TUESDAY
Weekly Dinner with K+J
Ever since our close friends from college moved in around the block, we have dinner together every Tuesday or Wednesday, swapping houses every week.

WEDNESDAY
Steak with Grilled Tomatoes and Onions originally from Every Day with Rachael Ray
This recipe is one of our go-to quick dinners that satisfies us both. The original recipe featured a parsley or cilantro based sauce, but I made it once and wasn’t impressed with how it tasted or how long it took to prepare, so we dropped it. Now, Nick grills up a smallish boneless sirloin steak with a bit of salt and pepper. I slice tomatoes (beefsteak, roma, any tomato will work just make the slices thick) and half an onion (for Nick only, I am not a fan of onions). I lightly coat the veggies in olive oil, salt and pepper them and throw them on the grill for a few minutes. In the summer, we add pineapple slices. You could grill up any vegetable you like really. This works great for us because it is so quick – we have a somewhat healthy* dinner in 15-20 minutes with very little prep or clean up. *I know, red meat isn’t super healthy, but Nick is a meat lover. Some weeks we swap out the steak for chicken.

THURSDAY
Tacos using Tequila Lime Grilled Chicken from Annie’s Eats
This chicken recipe suggests overnight marinating, so I will prep it after we get home from dinner at K+J’s.

FRIDAY
Out for dinner and a movie! Nick’s off today.

SATURDAY
Eat out or leftovers.
Saturdays are always up in the air, especially when Nick has them off.

What are you having for dinner this week? Do you plan meals?

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Posted in: dinner

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Dinner at the Hasel House

Hasel — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 13:00:17 +0000

I will fully admit that I love to eat out. With the plethora of fantastic restaurants in Las Vegas, I could eat out every night. We don’t of course because of the expense, and Nick prefers eating at home. I do enjoy cooking and learning new recipes and techniques, but most days I don’t have the energy for it after a long day of work, so I take the easy way out. In attempt to change my ways, I’ve decided to start planning out our meals weekly again.

Last year before wedding and moving madness took over our lives, I freelanced exclusively and enjoyed planning a weekly meal plan. Nick and I would grocery shopping for the majority of our meals on Sunday before or after mass and I’d pick up perishable (or forgotten) items every other day or so. I used the What to Eat notepad from KnockKnockthat I purchased from Anthropologie for a while, and I’ll be breaking it out again.

Image from KnockKnock

To keep myself interested in cooking, I like trying a new recipe or two each week. Weeknight dinners have to be quick, easy, and somewhat healthy. My current sources for recipes that meet these requirements are:

Everyday Food and the Everyday Food editors’ blog, Dinner Tonight
The Pioneer Woman Cooks (Okay, I’ll admit not always healthy, but almost always easy – I love Ree’s photos that show every detail, leaving no room for error!)
Back issues of Every Day with Rachael Ray (I am somewhat over these. I have my go-to recipes, but after a while all of the recipes seem to be the same. I’ve stopped buying this magazine because of that.)
Better Homes and Gardens (The quick, easy meals section is great.)

On the weekends, I enjoy busting out my Martha Stewart cookbooks and creating a feast or making more complicated recipes from Smitten Kitchen and other food blogs. While I like the blogs and/or magazines I currently use for weekly meal planning, I’m always searching for more sources so I have more recipes in my repertoire.

So now I want to know – what are you favorite resources for easy, delicious weeknight recipes?

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Posted in: dinner, healthy, newlywed life

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Hello from Hasel!

Hasel — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 13:00:56 +0000

Greetings from fabulous Las Vegas!

I’m Allison, known around the wedding blogosphere as Hasel from my blog HaselBride. Until recently I was “a reluctant winter bride planning a fabulous winter wedding,” now I’m a reluctant west coaster living the newlywed military life. Just two months after our wedding, my pilot husband and I relocated from Mississippi to Las Vegas, Nevada for his newest Air Force assignment. I say reluctant west coaster because I big puffy pink heart the East, Midwest and South, and was surprised to learn our next assignment would be across the country so far away from our friends and family. However, I quickly realized how great it would be experience the perks of a big city again (shopping, restaurants, shows, etc.) and was thrilled with the change in plans. Plus, we’ve had twice as many visitors in the five short months we’ve been here as we did in Mississippi in over a year!

I was born and raised in Smalltown, Indiana and loved everything about growing up in the Midwest. I met my Missouri-born husband our junior year of college through a mutual friend just days after I had declared I was done looking for love. He and I prove daily that opposites do attract; he is definitely the yin to my yang. It is our similarities that keep us together: we are both deeply devoted to our friends and family, love to travel and exploring new places, and enjoy going to the movies. We just purchased our first home together in Las Vegas and are excited to insert our style into our new abode.

I work from home as a graphic designer for a non-profit located in Indiana. In my spare time, I love shopping, reading (anything from Jane Austin to Martha Stewart Living to Entertainment Weekly to the occasional trashy gossip mag), taking photographs, spending time with friends and family, entertaining, baking and basically attempting to be Martha Stewart without losing my mind.

I’m so excited to join the lovely ladies of EAD Living to blog about my newlywed life and hear about yours, too!

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Posted in: blogging, life, newlywed life

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