Two Years Later...

I just passed my 2 year blog anniversary last week. It doesn't seem possible. And, yet in the design blog world, I am still in the infant stages of blogging. There are bloggers who have been at this for 6 years. Now that's impressive! I don't know if that milestone is in the cards for me, but right now I plan to continue as long as I think I have something to contribute and my dear readers are well, still interested in reading!  

My friend, Linda, made a dozen of these for our family over the holidays. They didn't last 24 hours,
 except for the one I hid in the freezer!  This was definitely a case where the taste matched the appearance.
 They were moist with a molten-like center. Rich, decadent, and so pretty!


I want to thank all the readers who make A&A a little stop in their day, so many of whom are unknown to me, as well as those who send me an email from time-to-time. And, of course my fellow bloggers and anyone who has ever taken the time to leave a comment on a post and contribute to the dialogue. I sincerely thank you. And, I'd be remiss not to mention those of you who I've had the pleasure getting to know beyond the blog. That's just been an unexpected bonus!

Best wishes to all of you for a very Happy New Year!!!

Merry Christmas From My House To Yours!

Deck the halls.... 

with nutcrackers on the fireplace mantle.



with cherished ornaments from Christmas' past.

with stockings hung with a little jingle bell.



 with presents under the tree.

and reindeer dressed up for  Santa's big day.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!!!

All photos by A&A

Tuesday Tip

Make pomanders for a last minute holiday centerpiece. Pomanders comes from the French pomme d'ambre meaning ball of perfumes and used since medieval times.

I used to live in Williamsburg, Virginia and never do I miss it more, than in December. Strolling through the cobblestone streets of Colonial Williamsburg when the city is dressed in all it's holiday finery was always a highlight of the season. From the simple swags of pine garland draped across painted fences and windows glowing with candles to old doors adorned with wreaths made with fruits. So utterly simple and breathtakingly beautiful. The aroma of pine, citrus and clove can transport me in an instant!

This past weekend, I enticed my son into helping me make a few pomanders since I needed something to dress up the kitchen table. All it took was the lure of holiday cookies baking in the oven. He's in college, and declares that all the cookies are bad, so he was an easy target a willing helper!

You need only 3 items: a bag of oranges (I used firm tangerines since I already had them), a jar of whole cloves and several toothpicks.

Use a toothpick to puncture the skin of the fruit in the pattern you want, then insert the clove spikes. We did 3 patterns. If you've never made pomanders before, trust me when I say, it's requires no talent whatsoever! Let your kids help, because once they are placed in a bowl no one will notice a pattern gone awry. They are festive on their own in a decorative bowl or tureen, or add pinecones, fresh greens and a candle and you have a very easy and inexpensive centerpiece to enjoy!

Working With Models...

Models are high maintenance.

Not happy with the outfit,  photographer or freezing temps.

List of demands from model for 15 minute photo shoot:
A handful of baby carrots- organic.
A spoonful of peanut butter- Skippy All Natural.
A couple of biscuits- variety box from Trader Joe's.

Head shot

Profile

Out take



Diva



Strike a pose. Very nice, but give me more.



Looking good, work it!

YES, that's it!!!



I showed too much excitement. The model is demanding a bone--us for this shot.

The photo shoot is over. The model is bored.

Really bored.

I don't know what's worse, models or their owners shameless exploitation of them, all in the name of the Christmas card photo!

Winner Of Book Giveaway Announced!

Sorry for the delay folks, it's been a mad dash around here to get ready for Ol' St. Nick!

One of my favorite linen holiday hand towels.

The winner of the signed copy of Blue Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews is...

I asked my daughter for the first number that came to mind between 1-25 when she was grabbing two cookies that just came out of the oven. Her pick?

It rhymes with blue, it's number two, the readers name is Kathysue!!! Please send me an email with your address and I'll pop the book in the mail to you this week.

Thank you to everyone who participated!!!

Sharing Holiday Entertaining Tips!

Please join me today at the beautiful Party Resources blog where Kate has been running her series on Holiday Party Tips and I sent her mine along with a few of my favorite holiday images from Martha Stewart who is always so inspirational this time of year!

When Kate asked me last month if I'd like to guest post for this series, not only did I think it would be fun, but it would also keep me focused on my own holiday planning. Thank you Kate!

In addition to sharing tips on topics from Best Hostess Gift Under The Tree to Favorite Holiday Cocktail,  I thought I'd kick things off by passing along the recipe for one of my favorite quick appetizers. This recipe for cheese filled apricots came via Traditional Home-November 2002 in a segment called Cooking School that featured appetizers that took only 10-20 minutes to assemble. This was included in the 12 minute category!

Recipe:
Blend equal parts blue cheese and butter until smooth. Pipe or spoon into small dried apricots, top with nuts.

Every holiday season I buy 2 rosemary trees to flank my kitchen window. They are festive, fragrant and
 oh, so handy when I need a quick snip to garnish a platter as well as seasoning for the Christmas roast!

Tips I've learned from making these for nearly a decade:

Use a pastry tip and bag. Or fill a zip-lock plastic bag, cut a small hole in one corner and fill the apricots. I could never figure out how to "spoon into" without making a mess!

Both walnut and pecan halves work great or combine the two to appeal to the nut lovers.

Use quality blue cheese and unsalted (my preference) butter at room temperature when blending. Taste and make any adjustments before you fill the pastry bag! 

These can be assembled on any size platter depending on how many you make. My favorite way to garnish them is with a rosemary wreath. Put them on a cake stand or pedestal and they look especially festive, like little jewels!!!

Please visit Party Resources for more tips and to say hello!  

PS: Since this guest post was already scheduled for today, I will announce the signed book givaway winner this weekend!

All photos courtesy of A&A

When HomeGoods is Jolly Good!

Yesterday, I stopped into HomeGoods. I was in desperate need of a new non-stick skillet.

Initially, I was distracted by some beautiful copper cookware. For those of you who cook with or collect copper, they had many pieces under $100.  I found a great skillet (not copper) for $39.99, but I also found a few other things...

William came home with me.

Inside



So did Jane.



Is that Mr. Darcy?

These big books would look great on the coffee table, in your library, not to mention under under the tree! Both the jackets and the cloth covers are beautiful, especially for $19.99 each!