Monday, February 11, 2013

LAZY DAYS IN THE KITCHEN



Other breaking news in the kitchen...I am doing so~so with following my weekly dinner menu book. It started out great, I loved knowing what to make ahead of time and we are promptly at six which The Husband loved.  We got a little messed up when we spent most of Friday downtown and decided to have an early dinner at a Chinese restaurant.   I didn't feel bad about the "eating out" part (which the menu is supposed to eliminate) because we had a gift certificate,  I just need to shift that meal to another night next week.  But then we ate leftovers Saturday night and last night after having French toast for breakfast, no one felt like having the planned BLT's for dinner, so I swapped it for the salad.  I guess all of this is okay, I'm not totally rigid but I really thought we'd all benefit by sticking to a plan.  And you know, once you start to deviate from a plan, things can go awry.  On that note, I enticed The Husband to go to my dermatologist appointment with me by telling him we could have dinner at Mimi's Cafe across the street and he went for it! lol!  So, I'm swapping out the planned dinner for one with good company.  Have to love that! :)  See you soon!

55 comments:

Susie said...

Blondie, Easy-peasy cupcakes. Yum. I like the ticking fabric with your floral print...it brings the blues flowers out. I have to explain to my husband, the more we eat at home, the more we have to grocery shop. Duh !! He's killing me :):) Enjoy this day, xoxo,Susie

Lisa @ Fern Creek Cottage said...

I like the thinner ticking stripe. I think it will give you more of the neutral feel that you are wanting.
Mmmm, I love Mimi's Cafe! I miss it. We don't have them around here.

Beth said...

The cupcakes look delicious!

xinex said...

Great idea on the cupcakes, Janie. They look good and so pretty.I am having a tough time deciding which striped fabric I like better. I like them both equally, I guess.You are a girl after my own heart....I stay on my pj's all day and only get out of them when I have to go out or expect company, lol...Christine

Beth said...

Your cupcakes are so pretty, Jane! Very nice for Valentine's Day. You are doing a good job with your menu planning. You just build in a little flexibility. When I do my menu planning, I don't plan ahead for what dish on what day. I just plan 5 or 6 dinners per week (the rest are eat out or eat leftovers). Actually, though, you have inspired me to try to do my grocery shopping only once every two weeks. I think the more times I go to the grocery store, the more money I spend!!! Have a great week!

Kathysue said...

Hi Blondie, Love the first stripe the best, it is simple and classic, I don't think you can go wrong, the other ticking with the smaller stripes next to the middle stripe does not coordinate as well with your sofa fabric, IMHO. Can't wait to see which one you go with, Happy Monday,
Kathysue

Linda said...

I love your February Day!!
Pajama Days are just the best, aren't they? I am wearing my 'Grundgies' today.....a pair of way TOO loose jeans, sweat shirt and a denim shirt over that with the sleeves rolled up. Today is MY 'Kitchen Day'.....but it will not be as productive as yours! Mainly cleaning and organizing and baking chocolate chip cookies. My go to cookie for the kids in my life!
Enjoy your MiMi's Cafe meal. Mother and I go there occasionally!

Anonymous said...

beautiful cup cakes! The blue ticking looks lovely with the floral, either one but I like the wider.I have to bribe my husband sometimes the same way, and who said the way to a mans heart is NOT his stomach!

Julie Marie said...

I love the ticking and think that would go so pretty with your floral... and I had fun trying to keep up with your menu switching!... those cupcakes look good... what didn't you like about them?... xoxo Julie Marie

Barbara F. said...

I like the fabric you're looking at for the chairs. I think I would choose the thinner stripe. Your dining out sounds wonderful to me. Enjoy! Plans were meant to be changed sometimes. I like to fly by the seat of my pants a little too much. ;-) xo

Anonymous said...

HI Jane! O, the fabric is lovely! You've been a busy gal too. Your little sweets look o good.
be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)

Sue said...

I thought you had made Whoopie Pies...those look good and such a great idea using cupcakes!

I actually like the thicker stripe with your sofa fabric, but I am not an expert...I always just go with my gut on things like that.

I had to laugh when I read about your meal planning. When I saw your book last week I thought...that would never work for us...although I have tried it before, just not in a cool book. It seems that so many times we just don't want dinner. We often just want a snack in the evening if we have had a big lunch or breakfast on the weekend. It sounds as if you have the same issue. I am planning a bit more since the healthy eating started. I like to stretch those calories as much as possible!

Olive said...

The cupcakes look good. I love both the stripes. I would pick whichever one is the most sturdy because of the pets. We need a new sofa and with an eighty pound plus dog we may need to get a leather sofa. But we are not getting a new anything anytime soon. Hugs, olive

Pinky at Designs by Pinky said...

I like the first stripe the best to go with your sofa. The cupcakes look SO good. When I stay home I stay in my PJ's too!!!! Glad I am not the only one;) XO, Pinky

Unknown said...

Hi Jane, I love those cupcakes, they look so delicious! I'm also voting for the smaller stripe!

Marigene said...

Those cup cakes sound divine, Jane. I love the ticking fabric, it goes really well with the floral print.

Stacey said...

Those cupcakes look wonderful. I think I will try them this weekend. You are making me extra hungry with all your cooking.

Here's something to think about with your chair fabric...I love both of the stripes. I always love ticking. Here's what I'm wondering....at my last house I had a chair covered in a cotton that was a weight similar to what ticking usually is. It wasn't heavy enough and the chair always looked wrinkled. Your fabric may not be like that..does any of this make sense? Wrinkles may not bother you but they did bother me.

Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions said...

I like both the stripes, Jane, but I guess it depends on whether or not you want the stripe to stand out more or not. I think the wider stripe is a nice complement to the floral. The thinner stripe is harder to make out. Those cupcakes look delicious. I am making gluten free cupcakes this week and I'm cutting mine in half and putting some cannoli filling in between.

20 North Ora said...

Your cupcakes look delish!! And so pretty! I like the thicker ticking stripe. To me, it brings the blue out of the floral. That's my 2 cents worth!

Judy

Kathleen Grace said...

I would totally eat those cupcakes, which means it's a good thing they are with you and not me! I think the beauty of having a week or more of menus planned is that you have everything on hand and can swap them out if you want to. It's the fact that you have narrowed down your choices and have everything you need for any of them that I find really helps. I've done this in the past and it cut the grocery bill and I could just choose something from the menu instead of wondering all day what to make and then wondering if we had everything to make it!

Lynn said...

Your cupcakes look great Jane and I'm lovin' the thinner stripe with your floral-have fun:@)

Cindy (Applestone Cottage) said...

Hi Jane,
I like the thicker ticking pattern, it just seems to fit!
And those cupcakes, amazing girl!
Going to meet up with fellow blogger Keetha and hubby for supper on Friday, they are always fun.
Sending hugs your way,
Cindy

Always Nesting said...

The cupcakes look delicious and easy enough for even me to bake :) Don't feel bad about the jammies thing. I have days when I do that very same thing - go from one pair to another after a shower. I wear flannel and they are just so warm and cozy.

Deserae said...

Ohhh those cupcakes do look delicious!!!! The chairs will looks so fabulous done in ticking....can't wait to see them :o)
~Des

Susan Shull said...

Adding MiMi's to my list! Thanks, Jane! Hope you got some of this sunshine today. I love that you spend the entire day in jammies and aren't afraid to admit it. I haven't done that in awhile, but I think it sounds wonderful!

Unknown said...

Hey lady,
Sounds like my kind of day. Our grandson was home from college so we had a great time with him this weekend. He was looking for something that belonged to his grandfather and decided that I am an "organized hoarder". He's so funny. He was referring to all my junk!

Regarding the fabric, I like the wider stripe. The stripe will look good with your sofa. I have a similar sofa and loveseat in storage that I'd love to sell. It has hardly been used. I've put it in my yard sales, but no one wants to give what I want for it. It's in just too good condition to "give away". So, I'll just keep it.

Hope you have a wonderful week!
Kathy

Kelly said...

The cupcakes you made look yummy and so pretty! That's a neat idea to split the cupcakes like that. I like the blue ticking fabric you're thinking about using. The wide stripe would probably show off the stripes better but either fabric would work nicely.

Theresa said...

The cupcakes look yummy! I am hungry right now and they didn't help:) I had to giggle with the meal rescheduling! I plan my meals when I shop but not necessarily the day I will have it! That works for me! Sounds like you all have had some good dinners in and some good meals out! Balance is good, right?

I am having trouble picking thin or thick stripe... they are both very pretty:) Have a blessed week dear friend, HUGS!

ℳartina @ Northern Nesting said...

Those cupcakes look so good Jane!! I love the ticking fabric you chose for the chairs, it's going to look beautiful with your couch! I think I would go with the thinner stripe.

Sharon Lovejoy said...

Hi dear Jane, I LOVE the cupcakes and the day you had in your jammies.

Those ticking fabrics are the best. I had a wing chair and my camel back sofa covered in red and white ticking. I raised two boys, hosted hundreds of people (many of whom spilled food), and allowed two dogs up on the furniture. I swear, it never looked bad. So fresh and pleasing. Go for it.

Sending warm love across the miles,

Sharon

koralee said...

Oh my those look amazing! I could use one about now with my tea..love cupcakes..Happy Valentine's week to you..hope you gather lots of love along the way. xoxo

Debby said...

I love that you showered and put on clean jammies. Sounds like me.
I might plan ahead on a meal but never miss an invite out to dinner.
I had problems posting today too. I can't seem to put my words where I want to.
Hope your week goes well.

Something Nice and Pretty said...

I'd go with the thicker stripe, the smaller may make the chair look all blue from a distance!
Wish I could eat at Mimi's Cafe sounds wonderful!

Kristi said...

Those cupcakes look DELICIOUS!!!!! I need to make those!! And I love your fabrics! I am terrible a picking fabrics and usually ALL and any I like, LOL. :)
Kristi

Melanie said...

Oh my, those cupcakes with the cream in the middle look so delicious!

I love the ticking fabric - both of them! Not sure which one I'd choose.

The Summer Kitchen Girls said...

Those cupcakes are adorable Jane....just darling! (and they look soooo delicious!!) I'm sure you'll be happy with either ticking ~ they both will look great with that cabbage rose print ~ LOVE IT! I'm in the middle of picking out carpet in our entryway....everything I look at I think "the dogs will destroy it with their dirty paws...not to mention the people prints & spills!" So I have to find something with pattern ~ ahhhh what we don't do for our pups!

KTW said...

The cupcakes look YUMMY! :) Love the fabric choices, as I'm partial to ticking. From the pics I'd say the thinner stripe looks best but since lighting and what the camera actually picks up can be quite deceiving, I'm sure you'll be able to do a wonderful job choosing while looking at them live and in person!

Sweet Posy Dreams said...

Looks like the thick and thin stripes are both getting votes. Either will be nice. When we moved to our house 18 years ago, we recovered our sofa and two chairs in a washed out floral, which I still love, but I'm wishing we hadn't done all three pieces (and ottomans!) the same. The fabric is still in perfect condition, so can't justify changing it.

Ricki Treleaven said...

Good morning, Jane! I'm so sick of cold rainy weather complete with GRAY skies!!! UGH!!!! :/

Your cupcakes look so yummy. They remind me of whoopie pies but better since they're *cupcakes*

I like the first stripe much better. I think it's the perfect fabric to complement the floral.

The little thumbprint cookies in the previous post with the heart-shaped chocolate are so, so cute. :D I haven't even thought about which Valentine's Day treat I'll be baking....I need to get on it!

xo,
RJ

Lori E said...

I prefer the thinner ticking.
Any time you get a chance to eat out at a restaurant I think you should. Life is short. Get out in enjoy it. A menu plan is a good thing but it is just that, a plan. Life comes along and gives you lots of fun opportunities.

Leslie said...

Hi Jane!! I have a ton of catching up to do. I should do some better meal planning too. I've have been slacking off so much that I feel like I have been in my pj's for months! Hurry summer!!!!
I love both fabrics .. I just picked out two chairs for my living room and I am super excited to get them. : )
Have a great week.

Susan EvelynAndRose said...

Those cupcakes look adorable! I love your ticking stripe too, Jane.
Enjoy all that Valentine week cooking! Now you've inspired me to get baking...

Sarah said...

Jane, I'm trying to decide on my dessert for tomorrow night. Well, actually I'm need to decide on my entire menu. '-) The cup cakes look delicious, but I think I may go with just berries and cream. It's dinner for a group of girls who are all watching their calorie intake.
Probably serve soup and salad.
I like the thiner strip with the floral.
Happy Valentine's Day to you and the husband. ~ Sarah

Vee said...

Hmmm...the cupcakes look heavenly. I love stripes and florals in combination. Hope that you'll share what the room looks like once you've decided. Decisions...decisions... it's always so tough to make them.

Unknown said...

oh yum! And coffee too:). I like ths maller stripe too. Good luck! And thank you for all of your lovely & suportive comments! Have a great week, Jen

Sunflowers With Smiles said...

I think I would go with the thin stripe ticking. So beautiful. Your cupcakes look great, I love to watch Giada too! She is so pretty!

Babs said...

Your cupcakes look delicious..easy recipes are my style. Looking at the striped swatches, the wider ticking stripe looks more in proportion in size with the floral. Looking forward to seeing what you decide. Hugs and have a Happy Valentine's Day.
Babs

Mary said...

Hi dear girl - I'm remiss staying away so long but you know how far I traveled this time, and it's taking me all my time to catch up with everything!

Know I'm thinking of you and A and hoping all is well in chilly Chicago. Hey, chilly isn't so bad in Antarctica...........as long as you dress appropriately and go in their Summer season. I had such an amazing expedition..........will take a while to share so much but I'm working on it.

Love and hugs from us both -
Mary

Unknown said...

Thanks do much for the visit and compliments and Happy Valentine' day! Love the cupcake and my visit today.
Xo
Isabelle
www.lechateaudesfleurs.blogspot.com

Stan and Jody Gabara said...

Blondie, The cupcakes look amazing! I love the fabric and can't wait to see the finished chairs. Wishing you a Romantic Valentine's!

Jody

Balisha said...

Happy Valentine's Day...
Balisha

Tammy@T's Daily Treasures said...

I love ticking fabric. Either one will be perfect with the flowered print. The cupcakes look and sound amazing. Yum! I usually just make a meal with whatever is available in the kitchen. I do try to keep certain staples on hand all the time and if all else fails, salad it is. :) I love pajama days -- sometimes on the weekends, that's all I do is switch from one pair of pajamas to another. Best wishes for a great day. Tammy

Nutritionist4u said...

A reaaally random question for you! While growing up, my family had that same floral patterned couch, and over time got rid of it. But still to this day we remember it being the MOST comfortable couch to take naps on, watch movies, cuddle with a cup of tea and a good book etc. but we can not remember the name of the couch, so we could look it up and see if we can get another. my parents originally bought the sofa back in the 90's in Connecticut. Any idea ofwhat the couch might be called??? Thank you !! -Sabrina

Nutritionist4u said...

A reaaally random question for you! While growing up, my family had that same floral patterned couch, and over time got rid of it. But still to this day we remember it being the MOST comfortable couch to take naps on, watch movies, cuddle with a cup of tea and a good book etc. but we can not remember the name of the couch, so we could look it up and see if we can get another. my parents originally bought the sofa back in the 90's in Connecticut. Any idea ofwhat the couch might be called??? Thank you !! -Sabrina

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