A little hodge podge...

Today is a post hodgepodge of things I've been looking at for the house and food and birthday/gift giving advice.  Yay lets get started.

Sunday morning we skipped church.  I needed some time out away from the house and kids and chores.  You know that whole time to clear your mind and have some single pringle fun?  The hubs kept the crumb crushers at home while I ventured away.  Yes, I have a good hubby.

I found myself walking around the local Target.  With the changes for our home coming about I scoped out the home section of the store for some ideas.  We need some wall décor badly - but not until the walls are completed and paint is finished.  My eye was immediately drawn to the Friends Gather Here print {above}.  What do you think?

 

I'm guessing my eye was drawn to that print because I fell in love with this rug!  However, I am totally torn on this classic yet completely OVER DONE pattern.  See, Brownie doesn't much go for trends but rather classic looks that will stand the test of time.  I'm not real sure when this style came into play for décor but I am guessing it was a long, long, long, long time ago.  I get this idea because I have seen it in catalogs and magazines from the 50's and on websites that show it being used as far back as the 1920's. 

 

Ideas?

 

This rug also caught my attention.  The medallions are gorgeous and my favorite colors are used in this fabric:  brown, tan, blue, green.  I can see this being classic as well but in a bohemian kind of way. What do you think?

 

Do you know what this is?  Delicious is what it is.  Sunday morning we had to have a special treat for breakfast with our fresh watermelon and cantaloupe.  I reached for a Betty Crocker Lemon Bar mix and man....we really enjoyed it!!!  We didn't wait for it to totally cool down (thus the bad cutting) and it went great with a cup of coffee.  This is the first boxed bar mix I have used and I will for sure be purchasing some more.  Yummmy!

 

Over the weekend my husband had a craving for baked beans.  I'm not much of a connoisseur of the bean that is baked.  Last year we had some delicious baked beans made by a friend who can tear some Pinterest up for some recipes.  I didn't have her exact recipe so I did what a good woman (or man) does best.....I went to Yummly.com

I love Yummly.com it will make a non cook want to cook!  I have mentioned this site in previous posts and really hope you will also give them a try.  Think of it as Pinterest but only for recipes!

Here is a link to the baked bean perfection we had.  Next time I will reduce the brown sugar because I'm not a big fan of the sweet taste in the beans.

And yes....these are Texas style baby.  If you're going to eat you better eat BIG as any good Texan would tell you right?!

 

 

 

Lastly, over the weekend a treasured friend celebrated her birthday - number twenty-two I believe {wink}.  I had to get her something that I knew she would love and wouldn't go to waste.  I detest gifts that are wasteful. Really, when it is time to gift skip the trinkets and whatnots and get something that says I appreciate you so much I got you something you can actually utilize that I will not find in your next yard sale.  I believe this rule of thumb should go for all occasions.  I had a friend who was given a "Mermaid House" one year as a gift.  She's nearly 30 and she was given a mermaid house people.  No, she didn't love mermaids or have this dying fascination with Ariel.  She just was given one.  Since it was given to her she had it stored away and every time it was mentioned she would roll her eyes and sigh! Seriously for good friends and good family: you give chocolate, jewelry, or giftcards ok?  So what is truly better than a bag full of chocolate? Nada! Walgreens is my go to for good chocolate selections.  Nothing says you love your friends better than some Godiva.  I wrote a prescription for its best use in the Enjoy blank card.

xx

Brownie