tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27393805013831172942011-10-10T06:28:20.096-04:00Abby McGnoreply@blogger.comBlogger601100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-16421437170958195032011-03-22T19:21:00.000-04:002011-03-22T19:21:52.678-04:00

This is the cake I made for my sister-in-law's baby shower, featured HERE. The cake was my old standby - Martha's One Bowl Chocolate Cake/Cupcake recipe. It's the best. I made two 12 inch cakes, and put my classic swiss meringue buttercream icing in between and for the crumb layer. The cake is super moist and chocolately - dense, but not heavy. The buttercream complements it perfectly.

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-69172227583168389532011-03-21T16:55:00.000-04:002011-03-21T16:55:04.029-04:00

My sister-in-law, Alison, is having a baby boy in April. We planned a surprise shower for her last weekend that went off without a hitch! The nursery decor is blue, tan, brown and white argyle, so we took our shower decor cue from that, and added the teddy bear theme as Alison and Matt have temporarily named the baby "Ted" until his debut. My talented friend Danielle designed the lovely

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-60976951241658711632011-01-11T09:23:00.000-05:002011-01-11T09:23:05.650-05:00

Back to real time blogging, this was dinner last night. Basil Orange Chicken. I found the recipe in the May 2010 edition of Good Housekeeping magazine. Basil Orange Chicken Serves 4 1 large navel orange 2 lemons 1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves, chopped 2 tbsp olive oil Salt and pepper 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (1 1/2 lbs) 1/2 tsp sugar 1 cup whole wheat

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-25172047645703336812011-01-10T08:48:00.000-05:002011-01-10T08:48:06.524-05:00

I mentioned this cake in my Thanksgiving 2010 post I wrote just yesterday. As cakes go, this was pretty simple. Although, there are a lot of components that all should be made in the same day. I made the cake the day before Thanksgiving and kept it in the fridge until two hours before serving and it was a hit.  The recipe is from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook, page 157.  It's a

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-68249583636071545062011-01-09T17:18:00.000-05:002011-01-09T17:18:00.379-05:00

Continuing the 2010 catch-up, today's post is a recap of Thanksgiving. Only the second time I've ever hosted turkey day, but the first time for Jim's family. I was certainly a lot less stressed about it than I usually am for Christmas - mostly because I felt comfortable with cooking all of the the Thanksgiving "regulars" and wasn't planning on anything new or fancy like I usually plan on

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-4041881357677730932011-01-08T17:14:00.000-05:002011-01-08T17:14:51.034-05:00

I'm back! No real excuse for the hiatus, so I'm going to do a few posts of some older topics, and eventually get caught up to our current plans and projects of 2011. I finally have a snowy weekend of nothing planned to get organized and caught up on some much needed blogging. So here's a look at a spice cake I made for Halloween...  Looks tasty, right? It's actually a cake made from

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-43648788370746112192010-10-12T22:17:00.000-04:002010-10-12T22:17:39.297-04:00

I'm back on track with planning ahead, making menus, and cooking what I plan for dinner. Our hectic lives forced us to spend less time on dinner each night and I just hate that. So I went to my trusty pile of recipes I've ripped from the pages of the countless magazines I am given, and found some great new recipes to try.  This one was quick, easy, and absolutely delicious! I'll definitely

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-58123812172252006472010-10-10T22:31:00.000-04:002010-10-10T22:31:49.249-04:00

Yes, it really has been over a month since my last post. I'm terrible. Well, terribly busy. But still, I made a promise to myself when I started this blog to not forget about it after a few months and add it to my pile of unfinished journals and diaries from my childhood. I fully intend to keep this one up and running.  So, what better way to get going again than to welcome a new season with

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-44458860748483216032010-08-31T09:01:00.000-04:002010-08-31T09:01:35.582-04:00

Jim and I spent this past Sunday doing something that we've been talking about for weeks - cleaning out the garage. I'm happy to say that our garage wasn't as cluttered as it could be - we certainly still fit my car in there - but it needed some organization. Rather than tackling the whole thing, we just took care of one section first - what I like to call "the nook". The best part about this

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-11836326092955972192010-08-17T08:22:00.000-04:002010-08-17T08:22:31.056-04:00

The only regret I have about this past weekend's visit to our friends' house in MA is that I did not douse myself in enough Off with DEET to kill a small elephant. I thought that the several applications per day of regular Skintastic Off would have been enough to keep the little suckers at bay. It wasn't until we were about halfway through our six hour journey home that I discovered otherwise

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-30284352944791454022010-08-16T20:32:00.000-04:002010-08-16T20:32:14.411-04:00

Hello there. Sorry I've been away for a while. Busy, busy summer, and no time to tell you about it. I think I'll start with the most recent happenings and blog about the rest in between throughout the coming weeks. Jim and I just returned from a wonderful weekend in Lancaster, MA with our great friends Jo and Eric, and their new baby boy Dylan. They have a beautiful historic home (built in

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-23158063604445675392010-07-06T21:58:00.002-04:002010-07-07T07:40:15.084-04:00

Most tennis fans know that the Wimbledon fortnight usually ends on Independence Day weekend. Not that the Brits care - in fact they probably planned it that way so that they could take their minds off of the fact that America is celebrating its independence from England :) Anyway, I am English by birth, American by nature :) Also a big tennis fan. I've been lucky enough to attend

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-81875451286894593182010-06-28T23:07:00.005-04:002010-06-29T07:46:49.013-04:00

Jim's (and my) cousin Patrick is also his godson. He turned the big 1-3 this weekend, and we volunteered to host the family birthday dinner at our house on Sunday. Didn't get any photos of the main course, but the spread was delicious: Mozzarella and Prosciutto Chicken on the grill Prosciutto wrapped beef on the grill Steamed veggies Baked potatoes Cheesy garlic bread Chicken

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-14433906866039510672010-06-22T22:47:00.000-04:002010-06-22T22:47:36.251-04:00

As promised, here are the recipes from the three desserts I made on Sunday for Father's Day Dinner. Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. This recipe is straight from The Joy of Cooking - page 876. If you read it from the book there's a lot more explanation on how to bake covered fruit pies, etc - and variations of the pie. But I'll just list it the way I make it. The crust I use is the same

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-79562986307936561512010-06-21T19:42:00.000-04:002010-06-21T19:42:23.255-04:00

Yesterday morning Jim got up VERY early to golf with his dad, brothers, cousin, and uncle. I got up a little bit later :) to prep for the father's day dinner we were hosting. 10 people for dinner - my in-laws and my in-law's in-laws. Good times. My plan to have dinner under our big beautiful walnut tree was ruined by the humidity, so I was forced to set up inside. We still all fit at one

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-6094736490593414042010-06-20T08:14:00.000-04:002010-06-20T08:14:46.673-04:00

Happy Father's Day to all the great Dads out there - especially mine! Mom, Rach, Dad, Me, and Jim at an Auburn game last year. I won't be seeing my Dad for Father's Day this year - he's in South Carolina and I'm in PA. But we did get to spend some good time together in Panama, and he and my mom will be heading up to visit in July. Hopefully he's spending today on the golf course or

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-79937036636662868172010-06-19T16:48:00.000-04:002010-06-19T16:48:22.051-04:00

Ooh how exciting! One of my past blog posts was featured over at The Idea Room! I love Amy's blog and all the wonderful ideas she has. Thanks so much for putting a piece of the spotlight on my blog! The post she featured was the cake I made for the birthday party for my sister-in-law, who happens to have a blog herself - check it out HERE. She's pretty darn creative with the cupcakes

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-80019180960378616202010-06-16T01:37:00.004-04:002010-06-19T16:36:29.494-04:00

For anyone visiting for the first time, to get the background on this story, read anything in my archives called "My Best Friends Wedding" and/or labeled "Panama Wedding". Too many posts to link to, but I will link to a few throughout. So the biggest design element of the wedding ceremony was the chupah. I came up with the idea almost immediately after Zett and Bryan got engaged, and am

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-73770729741230811632010-06-14T23:14:00.001-04:002010-06-14T23:15:20.287-04:00

Only about a month before the wedding, Zett called me and told me about an idea she saw in a magazine, and wondered if we could do it for her wedding. She wanted a fabric aisle runner for the terrace - but not just a plain white runner. She saw this one in Brides magazine and wanted one similar: I found the photo featured HERE  Cute huh? Loved it. And since we were already planning

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-43069044520490661732010-06-11T08:12:00.001-04:002010-06-11T08:14:17.164-04:00

OK I'm back to talking about the wedding.  In case you missed the other Panama wedding weekend posts: For day one, click HERE For day two, morning, click HERE For day two, afternoon/evening, click HERE For day three, the ceremony, click HERE Also, to see a selection of photos from the official photographer (my Dad), check out his blog, HERE So the ceremony was great - a little long

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-31158069299007615632010-06-10T20:58:00.000-04:002010-06-10T20:58:01.949-04:00

I will post more on the Panama wedding later tonight, but first... One of the very first blogs I started following when I was newly introduced to this blogging world, was that of Abby Sunderland. I was browsing the "popular blog" list on the blogger homepage and of course the one titled "Abby's Blog" caught my eye. The blog is that of Abby Sunderland, 16 year old sailor who is attempting

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-23099002213434089182010-06-09T22:38:00.001-04:002010-06-09T22:39:31.053-04:00

The report on the Panama Wedding continues... To see the post from Day One, click HERE. To see the post from Day Two, Morning, click HERE. To see the post from Day Two, Afternoon/Evening, Click HERE. Sunday morning arrived before we knew it. We headed back to the Gamboa resort bright and early. Zett's orders were to relax and drink champagne, while I put my mom to work :) I had spent a

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-30688876547412205702010-06-08T23:00:00.001-04:002010-06-08T23:05:51.486-04:00

For the story on Day two, morning, click HERE. For the story on Day one, click HERE Also please check out Hey Morand! Photography for more photos - my Dad's blog - the official wedding photographer. So after we had a delicious lunch at the Gamboa resort, it was time to get cracking on all the wedding ceremony and reception decorations. Here are some photos of what I had to work with at

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-53723380243739151252010-06-07T22:18:00.000-04:002010-06-07T22:18:39.796-04:00

Saturday was another fun filled day. The schedule was packed from morning to night.  First, an early breakfast with Jim and my parents, followed by a thirty minute ride to the Gamboa Rainforest Resort (the location of the wedding). Zett's Dad, lovingly referred to as "Don Marcos", was our chauffeur and tour guide for the drive. Right before we entered the resort, we crossed over an old

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-83611153865094435532010-06-06T22:39:00.000-04:002010-06-06T22:39:32.878-04:00

Hello everyone! It's Panama Week here! We got back from a wonderful trip last Monday. We're done with the laundry and catching up on things around the house, and now I'm ready to tell you all about it. Each day I'll feature a different part of the trip. And the Panama theme will likely bleed into next week, as I write some more detailed posts about the wedding details. For those that

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-63794507249412247242010-05-24T10:24:00.001-04:002010-05-24T10:30:52.114-04:00

I had been wanting to have a LOST finale watch party for almost as long as I have wanted to see Rose and Bernard for one last time. Last night both those wishes were granted. Just a few dedicated fans over for dinner and dessert last night - we started at 6pm with general discussions of how we thought it would all end, sharing our hopes that we would be left with a satisfying conclusion,

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-4695729407974337162010-05-20T18:35:00.001-04:002010-05-20T18:36:34.175-04:00

For my birthday almost two months ago, Jim gave me a gorgeous gift that I love. This beautiful stems vase from Stems Vases. I just love it. We saw them for sale during our trip to the Philadelphia Flower Show several months ago, and they caught my eye. And these vases catching my eye caught Jim's eye, and he tucked that nugget of information away for a later date. So glad he did!

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-8514800975399931022010-05-19T09:32:00.000-04:002010-05-19T09:32:56.486-04:00

I just realized that I never did a post about my most recent bridal shower - the surprise extravaganza we pulled off in Houston for Zett. This is Zett - the BRIDE :) The rundown: Zett lives in Houston with her fiance and all her friends are scattered across the country. With the wedding in Panama, she assumed that she wouldn't have a shower because of all the traveling everyone is doing

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-21056601466969400362010-05-17T13:07:00.001-04:002010-05-17T13:09:41.434-04:00

With Zett's wedding fast approaching - and the flight to Panama even sooner, I am buckling down in the final days to finish all of the craft projects I have signed on for.  Sunday was an absolutely gorgeous day, but I had to spend most of it inside sewing and playing with tissue paper (two separate projects). So as I have mentioned before, this wedding is on a pretty tight budget, and

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-35444974732495253542010-05-16T20:28:00.000-04:002010-05-16T20:28:56.954-04:00

A gorgeous Sunday here today in the northeast. I spent most of the day inside crafting for Zett's wedding but did have all the windows open while Jim worked on the yard. I did manage to get some time outside to smell the roses - literally - they smell gorgeous! Snipped some peonies to enjoy inside also. Wish I had some more time to spend in the garden...that time will come after Panama. All

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-51013977468184167622010-05-15T12:01:00.001-04:002010-05-15T12:01:57.135-04:00

A busy Saturday for me, so I just wanted to share some photos I took with my new camera in early spring. They were all taken on our property - the flowers have been such a treat after the long and snowy winter! Enjoy! And these were taken a few weeks later...

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-49172361248716101902010-05-13T11:15:00.001-04:002010-05-13T11:16:05.335-04:00

We're finalizing the flowers for the wedding this week, and I thought I'd put all my research into a blog post to kill two birds with one stone... As you may recall, the colors for the wedding are turquoise, red, and orange. Turquoise will be the main color, with the red and orange accents.  Red and orange flowers will dominate, with these ideas for bouquets in mind: Photo:

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-67758006625964009812010-05-12T17:54:00.001-04:002010-05-12T17:55:53.998-04:00

Just wanted to write a quick post about an amazing cupcake bakery in The Woodlands, Texas - Frost Bake Shoppe. You'll hear more about Zett's Surprise Bridal Shower and Girls Weekend in another post, but I just wanted to quickly highlight some delicious cupcakes and wonderful customer service that I experienced while in Texas. Photo: frostbakeshoppe.com In a frantic internet search

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-64108547175313844132010-05-11T08:07:00.001-04:002010-05-11T08:08:37.842-04:00

I have a bone to pick with Bloomingdale's - but I'll get to that later. Zett has asked me to be her matron-of-honor and of course I said yes! This being a pretty casual wedding, she said that I could pick any dress I like, but would like for it to be turquoise. There will be two other girls in the ceremony also wearing turquoise, and our dresses will all be different.  Great! How easy is

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-71526293780876503932010-05-10T08:49:00.004-04:002010-05-12T18:20:04.053-04:00

My sister-in-law turned the big 3-0 last week, and I volunteered to make the cake for the party I couldn't attend.  I ran into a few speed bumps but nothing I couldn't handle. It was my first time using the recipes I used, and the frosting was a bit temperamental, but I managed to get it to do what I wanted it to do. I guess that's what I get for cheating on Martha. Yes, I have cheated.

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-42838679438913898822010-05-09T20:54:00.001-04:002010-05-10T09:06:45.956-04:00

To all the great moms out there...and especially mine...HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! I just wanted to let everyone know what will hopefully be in store from me in the coming weeks. I have been absent from my blog for a few weeks - absolutely swamped with life.  Some upcoming posts: Zett's wedding is fast approaching - more to come on that and the projects we're working on.  I have the fun

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-74151106485945726612010-04-12T22:25:00.003-04:002010-04-20T08:50:33.101-04:00

The wedding invitations are complete! Mailed out early last week, they have a quick turnaround time, but as this is a destination wedding, a lot of information has been communicated via email and the couple's website. The invitations were more of a formality, but what a fun one! As mentioned previously, the colors we're using for this wedding are turquoise, red, and orange, so naturally these

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-17360337755313862112010-04-11T10:21:00.001-04:002010-04-12T10:16:40.225-04:00

I promised an update to Joel's Baby Shower - The Results! with recipes for some of the menu items. The cake was really pretty simple and utterly delicious! I used Martha Stewart's One Bowl Chocolate Cupcake recipe (from her Baking Handbook and her Cupcake book) and adjusted the batch size for my cake pans. I really just eyeballed it. I made 2 batches of the cake batter, and combined them

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-57262903229836696292010-04-07T10:07:00.001-04:002010-04-14T19:33:52.215-04:00

Oh my, have I been busy these past few weeks! What with planning Joel's shower, designing, printing, and addressing Zett's wedding invitations, turning 30 (!), Easter weekend, and full work weeks in between - it's been a lot to take in. The shower was a huge success and I would like to thank all of the lovely ladies who attended and made such a special day for my girl. She looked so adorable

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-12709223953277202622010-03-17T09:19:00.001-04:002010-03-17T09:21:26.022-04:00

On March 2nd, my Dad celebrated his - let's call it a "milestone" - birthday. He's a wonderful high school science teacher at T.L. Hanna HS in Anderson, SC (home of "Radio") who loves teaching and his students. He began teaching when I was 15 - a second career for him, but one to which he is certainly well suited. He's that crazy science teacher who goes to some extremes to make the kids talk

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-85412457330129439312010-03-16T10:24:00.001-04:002010-03-16T23:35:46.852-04:00

I promised this a few weeks ago when I finished my Kitchen Message Center, and I'm only now getting around to posting a quick little how-to. Been busy these days - sorry! Basically I found this old piece of art in the basement left from the previous owners. Ugly art, but nice frame! A close-up of the frame: (the basement is not that dusty - that's sawdust from another project!) So

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-52226690264965144702010-03-14T22:12:00.000-04:002010-03-14T22:12:56.153-04:00

We had a family dinner party to attend tonight, and recently polished off the last sleeve of Thin Mints. That of course led to the decision for what kind of dessert to make today - Devil's Food Cake with Mint-Chocolate Ganache! My old trusty friend never fails me :) This was the very first recipe I ever made from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook and the success of it made me fall in love

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-81753343048537957292010-03-10T10:50:00.001-05:002010-03-10T11:26:07.600-05:00

We had Jim's sister and brother-in-law over for the Oscars on Sunday. It was create-your-own panini night - delicious! I also whipped up a little dessert that I've made before and happened to have the ingredients on hand. Light and citrusy to get us ready for spring! This Lemon Cake recipe came from a cookbook my sister gave me called Auburn Entertains. One of those spiral bound books

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-36771324716394512342010-03-09T10:34:00.002-05:002010-03-09T10:41:36.236-05:00

Spring is coming! I can feel it. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and the two feet of snow on our property is finally melting away. To get ready for the new season, I convinced Jim to head into center city with me for the Philadelphia Flower Show on Friday night. Loved it! Picked up some great seeds, artwork from a favorite artist, and some gorgeous pussy willow branches. Loved seeing

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-64144459328310919312010-02-26T09:36:00.003-05:002010-04-14T19:39:31.746-04:00

While changing the color of the kitchen cabinets, I decided that I also wanted to do something drastic with the other end of our huge-but-awkwardly-laid-out kitchen. These bookcases: I've had them since my first-apartment-after-college and they always housed my large collection of books - either in a living room or bedroom, or both. When we moved into this house, we still needed

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-30128908445973387792010-02-26T09:34:00.002-05:002010-04-12T09:31:35.446-04:00

...So a little background on our home. Built in 1978 and not really decorated since. We bought the house in September '08 and immediately ripped off wallpaper and painted every room except 2 bathrooms. We also ripped up all the carpeting and installed hardwood throughout in every room except the kitchen and bathrooms. Other than decorating and a lot of gardening, that's about it. Fast forward

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-84494358235457593212010-02-24T21:33:00.001-05:002010-05-10T09:11:19.993-04:00

As I sit here under a blanket watching the weather report for tomorrow's huge and fourth snowstorm of the season, I started to daydream about spring and all the things I'd like to accomplish in the garden.  My number one project for the spring/summer will be window boxes for all the windows in the house. Did I say ALL? Well, with any luck :) I'd at least like to get the ones in the front -

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-26748170342552806852010-02-20T20:04:00.002-05:002010-02-24T20:34:59.092-05:00

Jim left me in the snowy northeast this week while he was enjoying sunny San Diego in flip-flops for a work trip. Am I bitter? Only a little :) Well to welcome him back I thought I'd try something new for dinner last night. He LOVES bread pudding, and this is a delicious variation of that. Savory Bread Pudding. YUM. My mother-in-law gets about 650 magazines a month, which she then passes onto

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-61557603675013476162010-02-19T09:24:00.002-05:002010-02-19T10:32:57.451-05:00

So, after owning our lovely home for over a year, I have the itch to start making some changes. Some are grand and take a lot of planning and $$, and others are a quick fix to make a small change until I get the time, resources, and funds to tackle something larger. This is one of those quick fixes. Our dining room is blue - 2 different blues which I am already starting to dislike (hopefully this

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-15419160515547012912010-02-09T14:03:00.006-05:002010-02-09T20:17:19.310-05:00

A color story I created for Zett. Just a few ideas for now. And what a trendy lady that Zett is - Turquoise has been named as Pantone's color of the year for 2010! Dresses will be a lighter turquoise, but I love the contrast with the orange. We're thinking red flowers with the orange also. Again, lighter turquoise dresses, with orange and red flowers. Lots of candles on the tables!

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-26204465760771648182010-02-07T20:28:00.014-05:002010-05-10T09:10:12.538-04:00

Happy first birthday Maya! The daughter of our dear friends Danielle and Gerard, Maya is a beautiful, happy little lady. We traveled to their home on Long Island for a small party, and Danielle asked me to make the cakes and favors. Of course I would! One of Maya's gifts from us was this happy birthday banner. I picked out the fabric to coordinate with her party and her room, and sewed it

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-9900199839026335692010-02-07T20:08:00.007-05:002010-05-10T09:08:06.779-04:00

In May of 2009 I threw Jim a great birthday party in our backyard. A pub-themed beer-tasting party complete with dozens of beers, baggo, darts, flip cup, beer pong, the Phillies game projected on a big screen outside, and of course tons of food. Favors were royal icing coated sugar cookies that spelled "JIM". Pool themed cupcakes made by my sister-in-law. http://alicakes33.blogspot.com/

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-27629403875483997802010-02-07T12:38:00.017-05:002010-02-07T20:28:00.824-05:00

Joel and Eric got married in August of 2008 in Washington, DC. They were living in Charlottesville at the time, and we threw her a shower at her parents home in Falls Church, VA. Joel is an avid reader, enjoys her time in the kitchen, and also loves to travel. We incorporated all of these ideas into her theme, where we asked guests to bring a book and a recipe. The food was from all over the

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-85584989786103089382010-01-31T14:55:00.001-05:002010-01-31T14:55:39.496-05:00

Originally submitted at Dean & DeLucaThe best tea cookies are prettily petite and full of flavor. Our Chocolate Tea Cookie Collection contains a generous sampling of some of the best tea cookies available, handcrafted from all-natural ingredients by One Girl Cookies of New York. Your collection will include 8 of each of the following:... Chocolate Tea Cookie

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-60543245691366651512010-01-20T18:07:00.006-05:002010-01-20T18:38:30.320-05:00

My dear friend Joel is having a baby boy in May! She and her husband Eric live outside of Boston, and unfortunately, that's quite far for most of her friends and family. So I am scheming with her mother to plan a wonderful shower at my home in suburban Philadelphia - actually a pretty central location to most invitees.This is the quilt to the nursery pattern she registered for at The Land of Nod

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-13439338555084683762010-01-19T13:10:00.006-05:002010-01-19T13:17:04.660-05:00

So I picked up some fabric in Zett's color palette today - for use on a later project. Love the colors!

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-56799732841441807722010-01-11T14:15:00.008-05:002010-01-19T13:26:55.626-05:00

Zett is engaged! Well, she has been since Halloween '09, but now the planning is in full swing. She has come to me for planning advice, and even if she didn't ask - I'd be offering my two cents! We're having fun coming up with the design, and I thought I'd start to journal our ideas. I'll blog about this wedding planning from start to finish!It's a bit challenging to work on this together -

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-54650127143544556882010-01-09T21:32:00.022-05:002010-01-11T21:23:40.171-05:00

The holidays are no small affair in our family, and for the second year running, Jim and I were happy to host Christmas dinner for both sides of our family. Dinner for 13... The centerpieces that I designed and created for the tables. Christmas dinner menu:Roasted turkeyBaked spiral cut hamMashed potatoesWild rice pilaf with cranberries and thymeSteamed carrotsSteamed green beansCranberry

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-32451833407561126432010-01-09T20:51:00.006-05:002010-02-07T20:27:29.310-05:00

Some samples of classic calligraphy that I have done for friends' weddings. Please let me know if you are interested in my services!

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739380501383117294.post-61108612891942851312010-01-04T23:11:00.071-05:002010-02-07T20:28:22.850-05:00

It wasn't quite how it all began, but our wedding was definitely the largest event I had ever hosted, and I never lost the taste for planning events... ...I'd been in love with the beauty of weddings well before the first time I saw Father of the Bride. The traditions, the grandeur, the dresses, the flowers - oh how I loved it all! The first wedding I can really remember being a part of was that

Abby McGnoreply@blogger.com0