Snow Day

We woke up to 5 inches of snow yesterday and enjoyed - yet another - day off from school.  This time was worth it though.  We slept in, made waffles for breakfast, ordered Big Hero 6 from On Demand and then ventured out with the neighborhood kiddos.

True Southern Boys.  No ski clothes here.  

Baseball pants, under jeans under sweatpants - with rain boots.  That's how we roll.

Pretty courtyard....but I'm ready for spring.

//

Loving my new rain boots from Talbot's

A sledding we will go!

Mama's boys

All this fun warranted use of the hot chocolate bar

Christmas has gone but we are still enjoying our Polar Express mugs.

Thumbs up, Mommy!

Ended the day making a sweet potato vine.  Stay tuned for progress.

Here is what the yard looked like at the end of the day.
The weather is calling to be in the 60s on Monday.  Only in the south.....

We have school today so I am off to pack lunches.  It was fun while it lasted!

xoxo,

TSS

Mad About Mottahedeh

I am linking up again with the Share Your Style party.  Last week, I opted for an entertaining entry with my Welcome Home Cheeseboard.  Today, I am sharing a sneak peak of how I style my home.

I was born an old soul and draw a lot of decorating inspiration from Colonial Williamsburg - think Baldwin Brass, mahogany, china, silver - you get the idea.  Ever since I was a little girl, I have been mad about Mottahedeh. I blame my mother.  She would drag me from one antique shop to another as a child but certainly had a huge influence on my own style.  While my friends would be playing Barbies, I would be pouring over her catalogs oogling at all the pretty things.

But back to Mottahedeh.  Mother loves the Tobacco Leaf pattern and has it all over her home.  When it came time to start building my collection, I chose the Duke of Gloucester pattern.  Here is how I prettied up a corner in my dining room.

As  you can see, this is a tricky space to decorate due to the vent.  

My wall shelf and plant stand fill the space perfectly.

I hope you enjoy!

xoxo,
TSS

Sunday Supper: BC Easy Tomato Soup with Jalapeno & Cheddar Cornbread

It has been downright cold this past week here in the south.  I have a lot of friends who live up north and realize that I have little room to complain about the weather.  BUT, the south just doesn't do well when the temp drops to single digits......and doesn't snow!  We had a dusting covered in ice - ick.  Dump some snow on me if you are going to freeze me out.  I had to laugh the other day when I actually said how happy I was that it was 20 degrees.  So clearly, all this cold weather had me hankering for a big bowl of warm soup.

I opted for an easy, ol' faithful recipe from Barefoot Contessa Foolproof - Easy Tomato Soup.  This is a super easy meal.  You saute onions in oil, add garlic, a 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper and then some orzo and heavy cream.  It is so, so, so very comforting on a cold night and surprisingly filling.  You can search the recipe on Food Network or just google Barefoot Contessa Easy Tomato Soup.

What I was most excited about was trying my hand at homemade cornbread.  Up to this point in my life, I have been a Jiffy girl.  I had seen a recipe for Crawfish Cornbread while I was researching Mardi Gras meals that I was hoping to give a whirl.  Sadly, our seafood shop is changing crawfish carriers and won't have any for the next few weeks.  So, I simply omitted that part of the recipe and figured cheddar and jalapeño cornbread would still be yummy.  In truth, this might have been good if I halved the jalapeño portion.  So I'll keep trying.......I have a few other cornbread recipes to try.  Would love you to share if you have a good one.  Here is the recipe I followed.

Have a great week!
xoxo,
TSS

Ash Wednesday

We've ushered in Lent in our house and I am so excited to share this season with the wee ones.  I grew up in the Episcopal Church and married into a Baptist family so Lent is a little different now.  But, the meaning is the same and I feel very strongly about making sure my children understand the Lenten journey.  Unfortunately,  our Ash Wednesday service at Church was cancelled due to ice and another pending storm, so I simply revealed our projects before dinner.  Of course, I want them to be excited about the Easter Bunny and egg hunts; but I also want them to understand the power and meaning behind the season.  So join us for a kid friendly Journey To The Cross.

I love this interactive 40 Day Lenten Walk found on Pinterest from Catholic Icing

Journey to the Cross Prayer Chain

Each day we will write a prayer on a piece of paper and create a dangling prayer chain

On another note entirely, I am excited to have linked up with the Share Your Style party.  Check it out here - mine is the Welcome Home Cheese Board (#50).

xoxo,
TSS

Mardi Gras

Why are we celebrating Fat Tuesday?  What exactly is Mardi Gras?  These were the questions my hubby asked as he sat down to my dinner last night.

1.  Why are we celebrating Fat Tuesday?  Silly man, like I need an excuse to throw a party.  But in truth, I adore New Orleans.  I went for a weekend back in my 20s with a friend who was from NOLA (New Orleans, Louisiana).  The antique shopping, the food, the music, the architecture, the homes - oh.my.word!!!!  It was divine - and not for the debauchery, which has made the city famous.  I also have ordered a King Cake from Gambino's Bakery in New Orleans every year since I worked in the U.S. Senate.  The Senators from Louisiana would send all the offices a King Cake and I was a goner after one bite.

2.  What exactly is Mardi Gras?  Well, it is a carnival that starts on Epiphany and runs through Shrove Tuesday (Fat Tuesday), which is the day preceding Ash Wednesday.   A day to store up for 40 days of fasting and reflection (Lent) that brings us to a glorious Easter morning.  

Last year, Harrison came home from his TK class with some Mardi Gras beads and was asking questions about the holiday.  I was excited to share with him the history (he's gonna be a history buff like his Daddy) and decided we would celebrate the day going forward.  I left out the explanation of how one earns beads.......little man is going to have to learn that one on his own.........many, many, MANY years from now.

Sadly, my family doesn't share my love for King Cake.  So we started the day off with a variation of King Cake, cinnamon rolls with green decorative sugar crystals - they were out of yellow and purple at the store....I figured the wee ones wouldn't mind.

School was closed due to a little bit of snow covered with a lot of ice so hot chocolate was in order.  They accompanied our Girl Scout Cookies fabulously - yummo!

We enjoyed a cajun shrimp casserole for dinner.  The recipe came from Southern Living and was wonderful though I think I will add some sausage to the leftovers.  You can view the recipe here.

After dinner, we had our own parade.  I put on a little Harry Connick, Jr (Jambalaya) and we danced around and drove the puppy nuts.  Even the hubby joined in the fun.

Let The Good Times Roll!

xoxo,
TSS

Sunday Supper: Pork Tenderloin with Mushroom & Country Ham Grits

As a southerner, there are few things I love more than grits.  They are good ol' comfort food in their own right; but dress them up a bit and they can really make a meal.  Last night, they were certainly the star of our Sunday Supper.

The hubby has been traveling a lot lately so it was nice to gather around the table for one of our favorite traditions - Sunday Supper.  I simply cooked up a store bought peppercorn crusted pork tenderloin, steamed up some asparagus but then made it special by serving it all with creamy stone-ground grits with mushrooms and country ham.  This recipe came from Virginia Willis' cookbook, Bon Appetit, Y'all. 

Virginia Willis' Creamy Stone-Ground Grits with Mushrooms and Country Ham

2 cups water
2 cups whole milk
1 cup stone-ground grits
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
4 ounces country ham, thinly sliced into strips
1 1/2 pounds mushrooms of choice
1/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup grated parmigiana-reggiano cheese
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

In a large saucepan, bring water and milk to a boil over medium-high heat.  Slowly add the grits, whisking constantly.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Decrease the heat to low and simmer until grits are creamy and thick - about 45 to 60 minutes (stirring occasionally).

Line a plate with paper towels.  While the grits are cooking, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the ham and cook until lightly browned and some of the fat has rendered, about 3 minutes.  Remove the ham to the prepared plate and tent loosely with aluminum foil.

In the same skillet, cook the mushrooms.  Season with pepper (no need for salt as the country ham will have released plenty in the skillet).  Cook until tender, about 2 minutes.  Add wine and cook stirring until the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are tender, about 5 more minutes.

Remove grits from the heat; whisk in the cheese, parsley and butter.  Taste and adjust for seasoning.  To serve, place a dollop of grits on each plate and top with the mushrooms and ham.  Garnish with the parsley.

I cannot even begin to tell you how wonderful this is - make it today!

Bon Appetit, Y'all!
TSS

Cupid's Luncheon

Happy Valentine's Day!  We have enjoyed a lazy day around the house but managed to whip up a fun lunch in honor of Cupid himself.

I love taking something as simple as peanut butter sandwiches and transforming it into a special meal.  I used a cupid and a heart cookie cutter to make the sandwiches, threw some apple sauce in a bowl and printed off this "Happy Valentine's Day, Cutie Pie" topper for some Oatmeal Cream Pies.  I wish I had thought of that earlier - I am definitely going to have to remember that for class valentines next year.  They washed everything down with a Pucker Up Kiddie Cocktail (which was really just 7 Up, Grenadine and cherries).  Lastly, I whipped up a sign with X's and O's that read "You are soooo loved".

When the wee ones sat down to the table, they had cards from Grandparents and other loved ones waiting for them.  It was a sweet time and the hubs and I exchanged our gifts as well.

Hope you are feeling loved - be it by family or friends today.  And speaking of friends, it is one of my best friends birthday today so happy, happy birthday, Naomi!!!

xoxo's - you are soooo loved!

TSS