wrap it up.....

my mom and i have two showers to go too,and the brides both live out of state....instead of having them lug a big gift back to california and chicago we opted for gift cards, but than you run into the problem of making them look pretty...i mean its a gift card,how boring!....so i went through my supplies and got out some cello bags, added some white jordan almonds and inserted the gift card. tied it up with some white tulle and some calla lilies and adde a pretty gift tag that i made with some simple white paper and a rubber stamp,and i think this makes a lovely little presentation!....

for the second idea i took some little pink favor boxes that i had,(you can purchase boxes from several etsy shops or a good candy supply store.), again i added some tulle,  some pink seam binding, a random silk flower and a cute little tag i made with some old recipe cards and my friend lisa's line of paper.....i had wrapped up a simple chocolate bar for a friend who had surgery,and i got to thinking that this too would be a great way to present a gift card, just tuck i into the candy wrapping and this makes a sweet little gift!...you don't have to spend alot of money to make a small ordinary gift look spectacular...just look around your house,and think outside the gift box!

everyday miracles.....

yesterday the baby chicks started to hatch...we got to witness these small miracles, and one in, particular, come into this world...they made a small hole in the shell with the help of their egg tooth,and than slowly the egg started to crack...you could see how hard these little guys were working, trying to break free,taking small breaks in between the fight out of their birth home....after a few short naps,and much hard work they emerged,flopping around, eyes closed, small cheeps.....soon they dried out and fluffed up and they are just so adorable,don't you just want to take them home?....sadly the last little chick didn't make it, he took a long time to hatch and the other chickes were pecking at him before he was even fully out of his shell.....club foot and seemed to have wear his intestines on the outside, he floundered around and unfortunatly could not be saved....a little reminder of how fragile life really is....what a beautiful miracle for my 3 yr. olds to witness, it was so great to see the excitement on their little faces!...in honor if the chicks coming my class made paper mache eggs and little pom pom chicks...just part of our everyday miracles!

the perfect spring day.....

yesterday was the perfect spring day, we planned to go into manhattan to walk around...we started out at the union square market and strolled around enjoying the beautiful produce and flowers...than lunch at our favorite vietnamese resturaunt for some pad tai....after that we shopped around (anthropologie, abc carpet, h&m and daffys)...than we  walked down to the village and went to sit in washington square park...there was entertainment all around,and this sand artist who was amazing...we had some time to kill before our movie so we went for a drink al fresco, than to the movies to see "city island" it was very funny!...after that we walked back up to have a nightcap at "bar 13"...it was the perfect day to walk around our favorite place in the world!!!...
on the drive back home we realized we were starving so we went to the diner for a very late bite to eat!

celebrating....

today my family gathered to celebrate my daddy's birthday. it was such a nice day, and i made some delicious pasta with zucchini and carrots, grilled suasage rings, seafood salad fresh mozzerella and foccocia, (all my dad's favorites)... my dad loves wine, so i made him a canvas of wine labels that he collected for me over the years...i made a brownie cake edged with truffles, and topped it with another wine label that i turned into a birthday sign.
  i have the most wonderful parents, and am so grateful for them, i appreciate them so so much...i don't know what  would do without them!!!
happy sunday, i hope everyone has a great week!

fleur de sel caramels

i made these delightful caramels tonight and they came really delicious...

here is the recipe...4 tbs. unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

2 cups sugar

1/2 light corn syrup

pinch salt

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

lightly grease a baking pan.

combine all ingredients except vanilla in a sauce pan. turn on medium low heat. cook stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves.mixture will bubble and darken, cook  and stir until the firm ball stage,(245 degrees). take off the heat and stir in the vanilla and pour into the prepared pan. cool and cut into little pieces with a sharp knife. its best to do this when the caramels aren't too sticky anymore. wrap in waxed paper and place in a bowl....so sweet!

nicoise salad on a lovely sun day...

yesterday was such a beautiful relaxing  sunday....i decided to make a lovely nicoise salad and eat al fresco, pretending i am in france instead of my backyard in new jersey!....i boiled potatoes and lovely haricot vertes and dressed them with a delightful vinageratte, i grilled some salmon, and added some olives, tomatoes and hard boiled eggs... i grilled some bread and served it along with an artichoke and romaine salad...delicious! we washed it down with a refreshing margarita...there was a lovely breeze blowing and dinner was enjoyed by all..i hope you took time out to enjoy the beautiful weekend!