Category Archives: 101 in 1001

It’s been a while.

Posted on by

I haven’t been around in a while.  The last couple of months have been jammed packed and I haven’t thought much about writing.  I am going to try to resolve this.

Below are some of the 101 in 1001 tasks that have kept me busy.  More to come soon…

21. Go one week without television.

Every month my husband and I try to complete a challenge.  November we decided to give up television for a month.  Now if you know the two of us, you know this was quite a challenge.  We love watching movies and enjoy our time in front of the boob tube.  However, after a month without, we realized that we have so many other wonderful things that we want to do.  The television just doesn’t have any sort of pull for us anymore and we have actually cut down watching dramatically.

26. Buy a fire safe

This isn’t one of the most exciting 101’s, but it is one that I have wanted to do for a while.  We have a lot of paperwork that needs safe keeping and our filing cabinets were not doing the job.  In comes the fire safe.  Our paperwork is now safe.

49. Finish five DIY projects (1/5)

Below is a picture of a wreath that I made in December.  I know the picture is of horrible quality, but it was all I could do at the time.  I have wanted to do a wreath like this for some time, but always put in on the back burner.  Since I had plenty of time in November (while not watching television), I decided to   give it a try.  I love the outcome and can’t wait to try it in other colors.  Want to try one yourself? See a tutorial here.

63. Stop cussing for 1 week

Family and Friends know I have quite the potty mouth.  I couldn’t believe I could go a week without ONE curse work.  Job well done, Danielle!

66. Make our wedding album

I have pushed this project off for a year.  I was always too busy or wasn’t in the mood to spend hours trying to put together the book.  Again in November, I sat down and designed a book on Blurb.  I am in love with it and can’t wait to surprise our families with one.

70. Send my uncle all of the photos he has lost.

My uncle was working on his computer where he stores all of his pictures and had a major malfunction.  Bye, bye pictures.  Lucky for him I have all of them stored elsewhere and I was able to send him what he was missing.

71. Make a gingerbread house with my husband

My husband, sister and I each received a William Sonoma No-Bake Winter Wonderland Gingerbread House Kit in the mail.   So in December we gathered at our apartment, opened a bottle of wine and proceeded to make our houses with Christmas tunes humming in the background.  Who knew that three adults could have so much fun making Gingerbread Houses!

“Congrats! You’re a Winner!”

Posted on by

“Congrats! You’re a Winner!” The e-mail notification from Goodread’s read. I was beyond ecstatic. Numerous times I have entered to win books with them, but never did. Finally it was my turn!

A couple of weeks later Little Gale Gumbo arrived in my mailbox.

Little Gale Gumbo is about Camille and her two teenage daughters who fled from New Orleans to the island of Little Gale off the coast of Maine after suffering through abuse. Camille opens a restaurant, The Little Gale Gumbo Café, and it becomes an island staple, as well as, the legacy of her romance with islander Ben Haskell. Camille and Ben, along with their children, created a new family. When Ben is found unconscious in his home, next to the body of Camille’s estranged husband, old secrets and suspicions reemerge, and the family must reunite to hope for Ben’s survival. But as revelations come to the surface, so do long-held secrets that will test the limits and definitions of family.

This book is about the romantic triangles of the two generations and the difficult nature of family. The description of the food in Little Gale Gumbo left me craving good old fashion southern cuisine (speaking of which there are recipes in the back of the book which I would love to try). Erika Marks has an incredible attention for detail and well-written characters. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and look forward to future novels from this debut author.

This also is the 1st of 30 books for my 101 in 1001 (#2. Read 30 new books (1/30))

Tuesday’s Inspiration.

Posted on by

As was told yesterday, K and I are going to try to experience life without television for a month.  We both love to challenge ourselves.  For us this is a pretty big challenge because we are both so used to having the television as a distraction.  Last night was our first night.  K did fine.  I, on the other hand, did not do as well.  I was bit a cranky.  I yelled at K. I yelled at Layla, our cat. I yelled at the bed when I stubbed my toe.  Hopefully it was just because of the day I had, not anything that had to do with our challenge.  Let’s see how tonight goes.

So while we have nights without television we will be doing things that inspire us -reading a great book, playing a game of scrabble, having long talks, long walks and DIY projects.  Below are a couple of projects that I have been meaning to make.  They are pinned on Pinterest and have sat there for months.  Now it is time to get the supplies out and bring them to life.

1. Scrabble coasters
2. Crayon Wreath {Perfect present for my sister who is a teacher}
3. Guitar shelving {We already have a guitar that is broken!}
4. Snowball Wreath
5. DIY: Taco Seasoning {Mmm..tacos}
6. Colorful DIY Mirror

Completed: #94. Watch 5 foreign films (1/5)

Posted on by

94. Watch 5 foreign films (1/5)

As of today Monday, November 7th my husband and I started a month long experiment to go without television.  Once we challenged ourselves with the meat-free month we were smitten with seeing what our next challenge would be.  What does this have to do with watching a foreign film?  Well, this weekend we made sure to pack in as much television and movies as we could.  We cleared out our DVR and watched whatever Netflix had come in.  The Orphanage was one of those movies.

The Oraphanage revolves around Laura who returns to the dilapidated orphanage where she grew up, accompanied by her husband, Carlos and their seven-year-old adopted son, Simón.  Her plan is to reopen the orphanage as a facility for disabled children. Once there, Simón claims to see a boy named Tomás, whom he befriends.  During a children’s party at the orphanage, Laura and Simón argue, and Simón hides from her. While searching for him, Laura is confronted by a boy in a sack mask with the name “Tomás” embroidered onto his shirt. The boy traps her in a bathroom, and when she escapes she finds that Simón is missing.  The rest of the film revolves around Laura figuring out the mystery of who Tomás is and where her son Simón has disappeared to.

I am a very big fan of films that Guillermo Del Toro is involved in and this one did not disappoint.  It has been a while since we have seen a stylish, creepy ghost story that has kept us on our toes.  I found that the acting, story, score and pacing were beyond perfect.  If you are looking for something a bit different than the usual slash and gore do try this movie.  I know you won’t be disappointed.

Completed: #17. Become a vegetarian for a month

Posted on by

17. Become a vegetarian for a month

On October 1st my husband and I started a month long experiment to go meat free.  One of the main reasons we decided to do it was to simply see if we were capable.  Every month or so we like to challenge ourselves – last month was coffee free and this month meat.

Things we learned in our meat free month:

  1. Being vegetarian is not nearly as difficult as I thought it was going to be.  When beginning this journey I really thought that I wouldn’t make it the full 31 days.  To my surprise it was my easier and tastier than I expected.
  2. We were highly aware of what we were eating.  No running to the local fast food spot or our favorite restaurant.  We had to think ahead and find out places we could eat that had alternatives to meat.  You would be surprised how many places didn’t.
  3. You become aware of other food choices. You find recipes and foods you never considered.
  4. Some people were not so understanding.  There were many that didn’t understand why we were just giving up meat for a month.  There were a few that were very hostile toward our challenge and insisted that we “Weren’t going to make it”.
  5. You need to listen to your body.  Part of why our bodies crave certain foods isn’t because we want them, but because of what is in them.  Our cravings were more about our bodies needing certain elements instead of actually wanting a cheeseburger.
  6. I was in the mindset that a vegetarian menu was bland and boring.  I was pleasantly surprised by how interesting it could be and how many different spices come into the equation.

All in all K and I were pleasantly surprised with our excursion.  Even though we are going to be eating meat in the future, we look forward to adding some of the recipes and foods we came upon into our everyday lives.

Georgia’s Kitchen

Posted on by

At thirty-three, talented chef Georgia Gray has everything a woman could want—the top job at one of Manhattan’s best restaurants; a group of smart and savvy girlfriends; and a platinum-set, cushion-cut diamond engagement ring courtesy of Glenn, the handsome entertainment lawyer. She has all of this until a scathing restaurant review destroys her reputation and Glenn suddenly calls off the wedding to “find himself”.

Brokenhearted, Georgia escapes to the Italian countryside, where she sharpens her skills with her mentor who seems to have it all—a lover, a magnificent villa, and most important, a kitchen of her own. Georgia quells her longings with Italy’s delectable offerings: fine wine, luscious cheeses, blue skies, and the irresistible Gianni—an expert in the vineyard and the bedroom. So when Gianni tempts Georgia to stay in Italy with an offer no sane chef could refuse, why can’t she say yes?

Georgia’s Kitchen was a delightful read for me. The story takes you on a journey to two completely different places – New York City and Italy. You can actually feel the change in people, scenery and attitude when you are reading. The chef topics and culinary aspects were wonderfully delicious and well researched. It made me long for Italian food. I actually went home one night and made a wonderful pasta dish inspired by the novel.

It was an easy book to read (I read it in three days). I did have a slight problem in some sections due to the overly descriptive scenery. I also felt that the ending felt a bit forced and was completely predictable. Overall, I read this novel fairly quickly and enjoyed it. It was worth the time I spent to read it because I love culinary novels with a mix of chick lit. This was the author’s debut novel and I look forwarding to reading her next.

This post is part of my 101 in 1001 series. Please click on the ”101 in 1001″ tag to read the many other attempts.

Jessie J’s Price

Posted on by

Ok. Don’t tell anyone, but when I first heard this song I danced around the kitchen. Does that ever happen to you? You just hear a song, no one is around, so you turn the volume up and just have fun being a girl? Yea. Well that happen with this song!

Hoping it makes you want to dance around your kitchen too!

This post is part of my 101 in 1001 series. Please click on the ”101 in 1001″ tag to read the many other attempts.

** If you are interested in sending me new music please do!! Just add a comment and I will check them out. I am always on the look out for new tunes!

Maybe there is something in the water?

Posted on by

This song gets my foot thumping, my heart racing and my face smiling.  I don’t know what it is about this songs but it makes me happy.  It makes me want to take a long drive on a spring day with my husband with the windows wide open.   Ever feel like that?  Maybe there is something in the water?

Enjoy!

This post is part of my 101 in 1001 series. Please click on the ”101 in 1001″ tag to read the many other attempts.

** If you are interested in sending me new music please do!! Just add a comment and I will check them out. I am always on the look out for new tunes!