I don't know if you have noticed but I have an addiction for
cookbooks!

I truly enjoy trying out new recipes.

Crazy huh?

And then there is my family!
While they get a healthy meal most nights.
They also are the victims of some pretty bad ones!

Now I realize that you can't love every single recipe in a book.
But I have made several meals from this new book and
so far so good.


I was working around the house with the TV on
and Rachel Ray had this guy on her show.

He is Rocco Dispirito!


And he was talking about his new cookbook.

"Now Eat This"

All the recipes are under 350 calories.
Comfort foods that are low in calories and fat and
actually taste good.

And because I have a weakness for cookbooks,
I ordered it from Amazon.

We love the Chicken & Dumplings and the Steak Au Poivre.
Next I am trying the
Smothered Pork Chops With Apples and Cheddar Cheese.

I will say we weren't love'n the
Grilled Turkey Salisbury Steaks with Tomatoes
and Provolone Sauce.
But I think it was because I am not crazy about rosemary.

~So far this cookbook was worth the $~

Enjoy!

Linens

I'm so excited!!!

Tomorrow my daughter, MaryKate and I are going on a road trip.

We are headed east to a great little shop I've mentioned before.

"The Painted Lady!"

It's a quaint little shop in the Bucktown neighborhood of Chicago.
It has tons of refurbished pieces of furniture,
mostly painted in different shades of white.


They also carry Pom Pom Linens.
A wonderful bed linen!
Which is the main reason for the trip.

I have always wanted real linen bedding.
But I have never had a room that they would fit into.
Now I have a shabby chic bedroom so I decided to splurge!

Don't you just love this bed by Pom Pom!

The only draw back is that my shabby chic bedroom is our guest room
and I'm a little concerned that
these two......

.......when they come to visit,
will not appreciate my lovely linens.
(If you have sons you will understand my concern for my new linens!)

Another company for wonderful bedding is
Pine Cone Hill.

Couldn't you just snuggle up in this pillow-filled bed!

All this talk about bedding is making me sleepy!

Tea, Anyone?

We went to the big city this weekend.

Chicago!!
Our main reason for the trip was to visit with my husbands mother.
She had surgery and was at Northwestern hospital.
She is doing great and we were happy to sit and visit!

We stayed at The W Hotel on Lakeshore Drive.
The hotel is a very contemporary hotel.
Not really my favorite decor but it was actually fun
to check out all the funky furnishings.

The next 3 photos are the lobby of the hotel.
Comfy seating?...... Not!

This was The Wave restaurant.
The restaurant over looks Lake Michigan.
The food was excellent.

And here are a few shots of the rooms.
I've decided that modern is not always about comfort.

For me, the best part of the hotel stay was my morning tea!
I am not a coffee drinker. So tea is my caffeine of choice.
I had the most amazing Earl Grey tea in the morning
and a wonderful green tea before bedtime.

"Tea Forte" is the brand and the hotel served it in these
really cool clear glass cups and saucers.
The cups, saucers and teapots are also made by Tea Forte.

I felt pretty cool sipping my tea!
And the flavor of the tea is so wonderful.
I love, love, Loved it!

And...get a load of these pyramid shaped tea bags with the little leaf on top.

And the best part of all is I found it online HERE.
The prices are higher than what I buy at the supermarket
but less expensive than at Starbucks.

I think I will save my new tea for times when I need to pamper myself.
Or...I'm thinking it would make a great gift for someone
who loves tea as much as I do.

So relax and have a "spot of tea" today.

Reinvent?!

More
That's right More Magazine.
Along with tons of decor magazines I also get More magazine.
It's geared towards women 40 and older and each month the
editor-in-chief, Lesley Jane Seymour writes a letter to us.

This month's title was Ready, Set, Micro-Reinvent.


Well, I am ready. How about you?
So to sum it up, she hit on 5 things for a quick reinvention.

1. Get more bang for your buck from your exercise bike
(Can't say I use a exercise bike)
2. Cramming in mini Kegels (ok,ok I'll keep trying to do this)
3. Wash your hair less - and it will look better (Really?!!)
4. Reinvent your nightlife
(Wow, where does she live! It's really, really cold here!)
5. Make friends with silicone (What!!)

She's talking about Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer.
It has silicone in it, which help cover up laugh lines and makes your foundation go on like butter. So I found the website and ordered it. Love it!
She's right. It's cost around $36. And it didn't require any exercise!
I even think gals under 40 will love it.

Sometimes I come across something that I just think is so great
I need to tell all the women in my family.
This is one of those things.