Table scape Thursday! And a recipe! Yea!

OMG, it's my very first table scape! I'm so excited. It's not crazy good, but it was for a real dinner party! Valentine's Day is really for the young and newly weds, IMO. Sure, it's nice to go out, but everything is so crowded and really, it's just annoying to see so many try so hard to be romantic. Who needs that kind of pressure? M and I (okay, really just me) decided to have a dinner party instead. We had 2 of our couple friends (and their kids) over instead.
We had salad (provided by one of the couples), shrimp and scallops en croute (recipe to follow), bake asparagus, broccoli and Erdbeer-Sahne Torte-Strawberry Cream Cake-(provided by the other couple). It was so nice and laid back. We actually decided to do this the morning of, so it was all a bit hurried (on my part). Not really romantic, but that's okay. We all had a great time.
Indy even put on a tie for the ladies. He told me that's what you do when you have dinner with girls on Valentine's Day. Smooth. They all have girls, so it was just him and 3 little girls at the kids table. We are so in trouble in a few years.

Shrimp and Scallops En Croute (about 4 servings)

1 sheet of puff pastry
10oz pkg scallops (cut in half if they are large)*
8oz pkg small shrimp (I use precooked salad shrimp)*
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2c milk
1 c shredded cheese (I use the Italian mix)
salt and pepper to taste

*I use small packages of frozen (thawed), but fresh will work too.

Cut puff pastry into desired shape (I used a heart shaped cookie cutter for V-Day) and then cut another the same size and shape. Cut the center out of the second shape and rub one side with a small amount of water. Place the damp side on top of the solid shape and press gently. When they cook, they will form a bowl.
While the pastry cooks (keep in mind that it takes the pasty a lot longer to cook than the filling), heat small amount of oil in deep frying pan or wok (I like to use the wok) and cook the shrimp and scallops until the scallops ar, e done (about 3-5 minutes). Add soup, milk and cheese. Salt and pepper to taste. Heat thoroughly and spoon into warm pastry shells. Done! This is so easy to make and makes a big impact. Indy loves this dish and always asks for seconds.

Thanks for visiting me on my first table scape and let me know if you try the recipe. It's delish!

Many Mini-Metas

How's that for alliteration? It's Monday! That means it's time once again for Metamorphosis Monday! Yeah! I don't have any rooms to show you today (they all in various metamorphic phases at the moment), but I have several projects for you to take a peek at.

First up is the frame for one of our home school boards. I got this frame at HL (I miss you HL!) a while back in the clearance section. IIRC, it was originally in the $40-50 range, marked down to $17.50 and then another 75% off. What a bargain! I loved the frame and the detail of it, but not really the gold color. I mean, it's nice and all, you know if you live in Versailles, but it just didn't really go in my house. Here is is in AZ:


And here it is today with a nice coat of paint. Isn't that better? I think so. Obviously I have to put the board back in and hang it, but we'll get there. See that pretty yellow wall behind it? That's going to be our school room. That meta for another day though. (Check back!)



When my downstairs neighbors PCS'd (military speak for moving) last month they threw this sweet little chair out. I saw it, looking sad and forlorn just sitting by the garbage waiting for the bulk garbage truck to come take it away, and knew I needed it. It had beautiful bones, and just needed some love. And paint.


Here it is painted the same color as the frame above. Adorable, right?


Our dining chairs were looking sad. And dirty. This was Indy's chair (before he became a much less messy eater). The beige color didn't really work anyway, so I decided to recover them.


No spray paint, but prettier.


Finally, here we are with all the chairs around the table. The table was great when we bought it, but it's just too small for our purposes now. Look how close the chairs are when pushed under. Crowded!


Last week we went to IKEA (squeeeeee!) to get some furniture for the school room and went to check out the Fundgrube section. In America, we would call it scratch and dent (though much of the stuff in Fundgrube is just returned, overstock or items that were used in a display at one time), but they call it Fundgrube, which literally translates to "find pit." M found this gorgeous table top. It has one small dent on one edge. There were no legs, just the top. It was marked down from 60 Euro to 29 Euro. It is a gorgeous table top. We knew we had to have it and snapped it up. When we got it home, we just sat it on top of our existing small table! M has to secure it to the table, but it is so heavy it's almost impossible to move, so it'll be fine until he can get around to it. Isn't it gorgeous? Look how much bigger the table is! BTW, we had a dinner party on Valentine's and I did my very first table scape! That will be posted for Table Scape Thursday. We comfortably seated 6 adults at the "new" table. We could have seated 8, but we would have had to go buy more chairs.


And that concludes today's Meta. Hope you enjoyed it. I can't wait to see all the other Metas!

The Artist Downstairs: take 2

You may remember a few weeks back when I showed you the super awesome snow sculpture my downstairs neighbor made. Well, we got more snow the other day (lots of snow!) and he was at it again! Check this out:

Happy Birthday Abe!

I'm a day late in this. Drat. As I'm sure you know by now February 12 was Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday. How could you not know that? It was all over the news yesterday. Abe was, aside from GW (that would be George Washington, not our recent GW), probably our most famous president. Quick, can you name 5 presidents NOT in the 20th century (and not Abe or George)? Think about it. If you can't, here's a list of all our Presidents so far.
Anyway, I'm not going to expound on Lincoln because I'm sure you've had enough of that with all the media saturation. Instead, I'm going to post the clip (lyrics written by Irving Berlin) to the song "Abraham" from the movie Holiday Inn. Best. Holiday. Movie. Ever. Seriously. This song was sung by Bing Crosby (love!) and Marjorie Reynolds. In black face. Remember that the movie was made in 1942, and back then lots of performers did black face. Bing makes a throw away comment while putting MR's black makeup on her that the broke through as a boot black. This is actually partially true. He did do several "boot black" (so called because they used black boot polish on thier faces-yuck) routines in his early career IRL. Also, keep in mind that the term "darkie" was not meant as a derogatory term. That line was uttered by Mamie, played by Louise Beavers, who was a BRILLIANT actress and songstress. Side note, she also stared in one of the first ever TV sitcoms to feature a black lead actor. Am I boring you? I hope not. I loves me some trivia. In case you're not bored, Louise Beavers was a close friend of Hattie McDaniel, the first ever black actor to ever be nominated and WIN an oscar, for her role as Mammy in Gone With the Wind. BTW, these movies were made less than 80 years after Lincoln was in the White House. I think he's have been proud. And also freaking amazed because, well, moving pictures? Sweet!
Without further ado, here is a clip of one of my favorite numbers in Holiday Inn. If you're easily offended, you may not want to watch, but really, watch.

The great purse clean out

Last month Indy earned his tiger paw thing-y for Cub Scouts. It attaches to the pocket and they put beads on it for....something. I do not get Cub Scouts. It's very complicated. You know a man came up with this stuff because a woman would never make it so complicated. Bobcats, Tigers, Bears, Wolves, Weblos, and on and on. It's mind boggling. Girl Scouts are simple: Daisy, Brownie, Girl Scout (now Studio 2B, which is weird, but whatever). Easy. I know you're wondering what on earth this has to do with the great purse clean out, but stick with me. I'm getting there. So, Indy earns his little tiger paw thing-y and I put it in my purse (see, told you we'd get there). This all happened 3 days before our household goods arrived. I decided that I would put the paw print up so I would know where it was when I got around to attaching it to his uniform. Can you see where this is going? Yeah, I have no clue where that flipping thing is. I have turned this place upside down looking for it. Where on earth could it possibly be? I had already checked the purse I took with me to the meeting and it wasn't there. Today I thought maybe I had pulled it out of that purse and chucked it into another one. Sounds reasonable, right? I thought so too. I pulled all the purses out that I keep in the same closet as the purse I carried that night (about 12). Since I was looking, I thought I'd clean them out. I did not know what I was getting myself into. I had already started organizing it by the time I thought to take a photo, so here's a glimpse of what I pulled out:


This is it catagorized:


Oh, and here are the eleventy-billion receipts I pulled out. I had to get rid of those before dh got home. Yikes!


So, here's a list of what I pulled out (aside from the receipts):

11 pens/pencils
6 lipsticks
2 tissue packets
my bluetooth earpiece (I have been looking everywhere for this thing!)
my iPod box with the cable
2 bottles of hand sanitizer
4 fruit strips (in the packages of course)
2 packages of cough drops
altoids
tictacs
5 packs of gum (4 of them were gross and got thrown out)
2 check books
chapstick
dramamine
compact hairbrush
pony tail holder
2 pins
2 bottles of med (though to be fair I jsut got those the other day-they are refills)
4 bottles of homeopathic meds (for bruising)
4 reusable shopping bags
film (I don't even own a camera that uses film)
an Army Lodging Directory
a kinder egg toy
Tide to go stick
The remote to my digital camera
46 cents
6 Euro 20 cents

Meta Monday: Entry

So, it's Metamorphosis Monday again! Today we'll be checking out my entry way. You may remember it from my post back in Nov (I'm too lazy to look it up). If you don't remember, here's a photo of what it looked like when we moved in. Boring. White. Blah.


After a coat of paint, some moulding, some wall words, and other various items, here it is today (from the doorway you see in the above photo):



The closest I showed you last week (again, too lazy to pull the link, just scroll if you want to see it) is in the entry. The door that is closed leads to our bedroom, but I haven't really done anything in there (yet) so we''ll just keep it closed shall we?


This shot is looking to the living room, but I don't want you to see that room yet. We'll save it for another Meta Monday. Plus it's a huge mess.


I actually have some more stuff to do in here (more photos to hang around the "FAMILY" words, but I haven't gotten to them yet. I hope you like it and find it warm and welcoming. Thanks for taking a peek.

'A' mazing

Over at Clever Girl Goes Blog (if you've never been there, you should. She's a hoot) she did a post where she was assigned a letter (L) and had to make a list of 10 things she liked that started with that letter. She asked if anyone else wanted to play and I said sure (hey, I've got little to blog about, remember?) and I got the letter 'A' not the letter I would have liked (E would have been better-Edward!, but it's my letter, so here we go.

1. Amazon.com. I don't know where I would be without amazon. There are days when I think I single handedly keep them afloat. You can get almost anything from amazon and it comes in a box with a little happy smiley swoopy thing.

2. Art. What's not to like? Well, okay, plenty because there are some weird artists out there who do freaky stuff. But mostly I like art. I've been to the Louvre, the Orsay, the Art Institute of Chicago and countless other not so big named museums and galleries. I love to look at portraits and imagine who those people were. What their lives were like. Stuff like that. Caillebotte's Rainy Day in Paris is one of my all time favorite paintings. I have a copy of it hanging in my bedroom. It's lovely isn't it?

I also really like sculptures. The Winged Victory of Samothrace is one of my favorite sculptures. I don't know why but I could just stare at it all day. It amazes me how artists could take a piece of marble and make it into something so beautiful and detailed. I think it's the details that get me.


3. ABBA Oh, that's right, I said it. Come on, they made a song and worked in Napoleon and Waterloo. That's freaking genius, that is. And you KNOW you know the lyrics to their other songs. Here are a few, tell me you don't sing these in your head from just the title: Dancing Queen, Mama Mia, Take a Chance on Me, S.O.S, Fernando. All awesome songs. ANd they did it while rockin' these looks:



4. America! 'Nuff said.

5. All-In-One Printers. Man, whoever invented these should be given some sort of techy award. Fax/copier/printer/scanner in one machine? Are you kidding? Only one wire! Huzzah! I adore mine.

6. Apple ipod! So I can listen to Abba! I think this is probably the absolute best piece of portable technology ever. I could live without my cell, but my ipod? No way. It also plugs into a special little port in Ulrika von Nordland so I can have good music while I drive. Plus, it comes in pink.



7. Apples! One a day keeps the doctor away! Pink Lady and Honey Crunch are my favorites. Also, an apple was on the original Twilight cover!




8. Anderson Cooper. If any man could make a woman want to watch MORE news, it's AC. Delicious, wealthy (his mother is Gloria Vanderbilt) and smart. What more could a girl ask for (other than Edward Cullen, of course)?


AC is thinking: Who is the Edward Cullen I keep hearing about? Is he better looking than me? Let's get him on the show and then we'll see who the ladies like more. Look at me brood. He doesn't stand a chance.


9. Ahi Tuna. This is my favorite fish in the world. Indy loves it too. If you've never had it, you're missing out. It's brilliant grilled with a slightly pink center. Eat it by itself or slice it up and put it on a salad. You'll never look at tuna the same again.


10. Alexander McQueen shoes. Mmmmmm....how could you not love these?








BTW, these boots are on sale! They are a mere $987. Down from $1608. That's a bargain!


So, there's my 10 'A' things. If you want to play, just let me know and I'll shoot you a letter.

V-Day decor, a tutorial, and you can call me Kate (if you want to)

The Christmas decor is gone and it's still winter. It's so.....blah. I decided to pretty things up (despite the fact that I am outnumbered by boys) for Valentines Day. Fortunately for me, Indy thinks V-day is still cool and loves everything I do. I love that kid. So, I mostly shopped the house (thanks Nester) and the 1 Euro store (like the dollar store in the States) and my beloved IKEA.

We have a chair in our entry way (for M to take off his combat boots before trekking mud through the house). It needed....something. I used Kimba's idea for a no sew pillow and made this cutie pie pillow from some scraps.



An apothecary jar filled with cinnamon imperials (I could eat every one of those yummy red hearts!), a scrap of pink ribbon, red books and an old lantern are on the entry shelf.


The entry table. The pink candle is sitting on a (red) copy of Romeo and Juliette.


More apothecary jars. The rose petals come from IKEA. The twine balls came from the 1 Euro store (3 for 1 Euro) and the porcelain flower under the cloche was a gift from M several years ago. He actually had a friend fly it in from Italy on his private plane.


Willow branches with red ribbon tied on and hung with paper hearts I cut out while watching TV. I'm cool like that. More twine balls and rose petals in the bird cage and a little piece of art I made on top of another red book.


Now, onto the tutorial for how I made the little piece of art in the above photo.

I printed off a bunch of lovey-dovey quotes on a regular piece of white paper with a fancy script.


A piece of red paper (left over from the hearts on the tree), and a photo frame (isn't Indy cute in this photo? He was 2).


I thought the white paper was too white, so I took my tea strainer (it had dried a lot from my morning tea, but was still damp) and tapped it all over the paper. Don't do this too much or it will smear the ink. I then patted it with a paper towel.


I cut it to fit the frame, put 2 cut out hearts in front of it and voila!

It was so easy and took all of about 10 minutes. Actually, gathering the supplies took longer than making it.

I got an email from Sweet Rue jokingly saying that I needed to give some kind of name so she didn't have to call me 'Mom.' I laughed and realized she was probably right. I don't want to use my real name because it is so unusual and I've only ever met 2 others with the same name. Also, my parents spelled it weird. Those of you who know me IRL know what I'm talking about. So, I thought and thought and thought (I didn't hurt myself, don't worry) and then it hit me: my bar name! When you were in college did you ever have an alias that you gave guys you met at parties/bars/the library/the caf that you weren't really interested in? No? Well, my friends and I did. The main reason I did it was because of the unusualness of my name, but all my friends had aliases and we had to know them, so if a guy asked we gave them the right (incorrect name). My alias was Kate MacNamara. I just liked the way it sounded. Say it. Kate MacNamara. Doesn't it sound awesome? I think so. It was given out (along with the wrong digits) to many a weird guy during my college years. If you feel that you have to call me something, feel free to call me Kate. I'm not giving you my digits though.

How to blend

I am proud to be an American. Super proud, BUT when living or traveling abroad, it's best not to look like an American. I know that sounds crazy, because you're thinking, what? WHY? There are always people out there who, for whatever reason, hate Americans and will take any given opportunity to either do us harm or use us for their own purposes. On our TV, we are constantly getting commercials (in place of what we would see in the US) warning us not to stick out or be the "obvious American." Europe is mostly safe, but better to be cautious. So, here are a few tricks for not being the obvious American:

1. Never, ever, ever, ever, EVER wear white sneakers, gym shoes, tennis shoes (whatever you call them). Ever. You might as well be waving the American flag and singing the national anthem. Nothing says "Hey, I'm an American" more than white sneakers. Yes, they might be comfy, but just don't do it (my apologies to Nike). If you must wear sneakers (hey, I do a lot of walking, so I'm feeling you on this), you can get away with Skechers (there is a European brand called Rieker which is very similar), but don't get white ones. You could go with these, these, or even these. If you really want to "blend" go for a funky color like these from Til Schweiger, but I won't.

2. Boots are better, so in the fall and winter, wear those. It doesn't matter how high the heel is, just wear boots. If you can tuck your pants into them, even better.

3. Wear a scarf. A silky, wildly colored one it the spring and summer and a warm one during the fall and winter. During the fall and winter it should be either a funky color of striped. Bonus points if it's both.

4. Carry a bag (plastic or canvas that has obviously been used many times) with a loaf of bread sticking out the top. Seriously, Germans (Europeans in general, really) always seem to be carrying a loaf of bread. They have great bread over here so I don't blame them.

5. Don't make eye contact unless it's to scowl at someone. Why? No idea, just trust me.

6. Don't smile at anyone. Ever. Okay, that's not entirely true. They do smile sometimes, but not as freely as we do in America. I really have to reign this in because I'm a smiler. It makes the Germans nervous. They scoot away from me on the bus if they catch me smiling at them. On the up side, if I want more room on the bus or train, I just smile at someone and they scoot away like I have the plague. Or American cooties. Either way, more room for me.

7. Don't giggle, gawk and point at the topless billboards. They're everywhere. Get used to it.

8. Learn a few words and phrases in their language. Almost all Europeans speak English. If they tell you they don't, they are lying because they don't want to deal with you. It's true. If you learn a few polite phrases (good morning, please, thank you, goodbye, have a good day, etc), and use them, they will appreciate the effort and be much friendlier. They will also give you a look that says 'Please quit butchering my language you silly American, I speak English. Probably better than you.' and usually respond in English.

9. Look bored and irritated at the world.

10. Suck in your cheeks. Okay, I'm kidding here, but Europeans have wonderfully sharp cheekbones (as a general rule) and our round, multi-ethnic, American faces are easy to pick out. If you happen to have great cheekbones, you are in luck.

This was me 2 days ago when I went out. Things to note:

1. Boots, NOT sneakers. It would have been better if I'd tucked them in, but I had on boot cut jeans and there was too much fabric.

2. A striped and funky colored scarf.

3. A bag with a loaf of bread sticking out. It was delicious, BTW.

4. No eye contact!

5. I look slightly angry and irritated with the world in general.



So, the next time you travel abroad, you'll know how to blend in with the locals and look like you belong. Safety first! Or in the immortal words of (fake!) Mad Eye Moody "Constant Vigilance!"

Mini-Kitchen Redo

It's Metamorphosis Monday! And I made it. On Monday! Huzzah! I spent the weekend painting. It was cold, windy and snowy, what else was I going to do? I posted a pic of my kitchen a few months ago. If case you don't remember here it is:



Unfortunately the whole thing is that blah brown tile, except for the small bit of wall around the window. I wanted to make the whole thing brighter and less depressing, but when you have almost all tile, it's kind of hard. I normally wouldn't have chosen such a strong color, but it needed something bold, and as it turns out, I love it. M came in and decided to take a few photos. As you can see my hair had come no where near a flat iron. Scary.


He took like 10 pictures of my behind. What is wrong with men? And, yes, I AM painting in my Seven Jeans. Shhhhh.


Here is the finished result. It took about 45 minutes and the fabric is just clipped up and poofed out. I'm going to put a slightly longer "mistreatment" behind the poofy thing, but I haven't found the fabric yet. Still, this is worlds better than it was before and it makes me happy just to look at the wall. If only there weren't a sink full of dirty dishes below it.