Ten on Tuesday 2.15.11

This week, Ian and I decided to list a few of our favorite things

1
Our new area...Upper Saucon Township

Our little nook is nestled under all of the trees


 
2
Traveling

On our honeymoon in Palm Beach CA, we went up the into the San Jacinto mountains to the little town of Idyllwild


 
3
Netflix

We weren't sure if we would have time to get our money's worth, but now that we can get DVDs and stream movies and shows right to our TV, we're hooked!


 
4
Going out to interesting places to eat

Our newest favorite spot is the Bethlehem Bookstore. It's a speakeasy with live jazz and era-cocktails. The food is unbelievable!


 
5
Our iPhones

What's there to say???

 

6
Geocaching & hiking

This hike was probably our most memorable. Beautiful...at first. What started as a 3 hour hike in the desert ended an 8 hour battle for survival. No water, no cell phone or GPS, inaccurate map, rattlesnakes... Memorable to say the least.

 

7
Collecting

This is not a great picture and the Bose has got to be moved, but you get the idea. We really need to do a post on our collections...books, antiques, prehistorics, tiles...
We'll post on this soon.

 

8
Taco night

Hands down, by far, our most favorite night

 

9
Booper & Betsy

Booper is on the right. Betsy is the wide-eyed runt...but we love her

 

10
Sunsets at Quaint Oaks

Ok, so maybe this photo is a little embellished, but they're gorgeous! Each night offers a unique view. This one was spectacular.

Gnocchi & Sage Butter

Ian and I don't usually do anything too special for Valentine's Day, but it does give me an excuse to make a nice dinner...don't get too excited. I didn't go above and beyond. I just wanted to try something new with things that I already had in the house. I decided to try gnocchi and sage butter. I'll admit, I was inspired by a recipe in Rachel Ray's Everyday this month. I had mushrooms, shallots, and broccoli on hand so I thought...why not?

I melted 2 tbsp of butter and 3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil over low-medium heat. Then I added some sliced mushrooms and sliced shallots. I let it sit for a while, maybe about 5 minutes, then stirred and let it cook for another minute or so. As this got going, I started to boil a pot of water.

When the mushrooms were nicely cooked through, I set them aside and repeated with another 2 tbsp of butter, 3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, the rest of the mushrooms, and another sliced shallot.

The water was just about boiling at this point so I added the gnocchi and the broccoli. Gnocchi cooks up in no time (you know when they're ready because they float to the top) and I only want to take the bite out of the broccoli so they both only took about two minutes or so.

As the mushrooms finished cooking, I added the mushrooms I had put to the side, chopped sage, ground nutmeg, salt and pepper...oh yeah, and the rest of the stick of the butter. Don't judge! It's Valentine's Day.

Right about this time, the gnocchis had all risen to the top and the broccoli was a vibrant shade of green, so I grabbed a slotted spoon and put some on Ian's plate and some on mine. Then, I poured the sage buttered mushroom sauce on top.

I had a few sage leaves left so I decided to fry them up until they were nice and crispy. They are a perfect garnish for a buttery pasta dish!

This came out delicious...so earthy and hearty. I regret that I haven't had more time to cook. I also regret that I have an incredible camera and I am incapable of taking decent pictures of good food. That's ok...I'm learning.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Our 1st Scavenger Hunt Sunday

Here are five pictures we snapped this week for Scavenger Hunt Sunday. Enjoy!

1. Shadows

The rules said we could post one picture that was not taken this week, so our first picture comes from last spring. This is a picture of natural art that one of my students designed for Earth Week. I love this picture because it gets me excited for spring.

2. Patterns/Repetition

This basket was a gift from Uncle Shelly & Aunt Kathie. We love the color!

3. Bright White

I love the way the dark water of our creek peeks out through the bright white snow.

4. Strength

Last August we lost a tree in a big thunder storm. This is one of our biggest worries at Quaint Oaks. I love this picture because even though this tree has fallen, it is still standing thanks to the strength of another.

5. Warmth

This stove keeps us warm all winter. Wood in the day, coal at night.

On this day...

On this day 5 years ago, Ian and I were supposed to go out for an early Valentine's dinner but we were snowed in.  In true Ian style, he planned the most beautiful Valentine's surprise instead.  He handed me a little paper heart and on the back was a clue.  It led me to the attic where I found...you guessed it, another heart.  I went from room to room, searched high and low, behind, inside, and under things, finding one heart after another, each one leading me to a different place.  Finally, I came to the stairs and started making my way down to the living room.  

 The lights were turned down, but there was a beautiful glow.  The table was covered in candles, candy, a card and two velvet boxes.  I sat beside him on the couch, speechless.  Part of me thought, this could be the moment.  Two boxes threw me off, though.  He handed me the first box...diamond earrings.  They were beautiful.  I was so blown away that I couldn't imagine what would be in the second box.  I thought, oh my goodness, this could really be it!  He handed me the box...another pair of diamond earrings!  It was such a strange feeling because I was blown away by my beautiful gifts and my wonderfully romantic boyfriend, but I couldn't help but be a little disappointed.   

I wanted to put my new earrings in so I started with the left ear, turning my head down and to the right so I could fasten the back.  When I looked back at Ian, he was on one knee with another velvet box.  This was it!  He told me that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me, and I said yes.  It was the most thoughtful and cozy proposal.  I don't get wrapped up in the hearts and chocolate of Valentine's Day, but every year this holiday reminds me of that special night.

Handwritten Charm

Today I found myself sitting at my desktop at work writing an email, with a laptop next to me on which I was revising the minutes from a team meeting, as my iPhone went off to remind me of another meeting, which made me think to add a note to my AwesomeNote app about something I wanted to pack for my upcoming trip...seriously...not kidding.  That all happened.  It struck me that I have stopped writing things down.  Evernote, Diigo, email, Facebook, Twitter, text messages, iCalendar, blogging...what am I missing???  I never have a need to write.  How sad.

Even though I have never really liked my handwriting, I am a note-taker at heart.  I write down everything, but I have recently come to depend on technology to manage my lists, notes, and communications.  Then, I came across a note that my Pop-Pop wrote to me many years ago.  The look of his handwriting brought back a flood of memories.  It was all so familiar.  There is nothing sentimental about 12 pt Times New Roman.  What will I leave behind for my children and grandchildren to find one day?  Here is an amazing TEDtalks on just that.

So, today I make a promise to write more.  More hand-written notes, more lists, maybe a journal.  I am going to write out my favorite go-to recipes and write on the backs of pictures.  I will not save my life on a hard-drive.

When I found my Pop's note, it made me think of a great DIY art project on Etsy...stenciled handwriting art!  I HOPE YOU ENJOY THE BOOKS will be a great piece of wall-art for our library.  More on this soon, I hope!

My First Ten on Tuesday

There's a great blog I follow, It's a Crafty Life, that you have to check out.  Kim has so many great ideas to share!  ...and she's already been very helpful in some decorating decisions at Quaint Oaks.  Anyhoo, she hosts a linkup, Ten on Tuesday, where you can post a top ten list, talk about ten things on your mind, post ten pictures...you get the idea.  So, here's my first Ten on Tuesday.

Do you ever feel like things just aren't going your way?  I have lots of those times...we all do.  Well, not this week!  This has been a great week!  I thought I would list ten things that have gone right, so here it goes...

1. Ian and I both applied for invitations to the upcoming TED conference for educators in NYC and we both received invitations!   An ordinary weekend turned into an awesome opportunity, a dinner in Little Italy, and a night in the city!
2. I just ordered a book online that I have been wanting to read, and it came in!  Nothing to Envy is a book about life in North Korea, based on interviews with defectors.  I don't know where my recent interest in North Korea has come from, but I find the whole thing fascinating.  I can't wait to keep reading...just 8 more items to list and then I can get back to it.
3. Ian and I got a new antique table!  It has presented a decorating dilemma, but I still really like it.  The color is great and the style is a little different...we just need to find it the perfect home.
4. Even better!  We also got an antique wooden chemist's box.  I love it!  I'll post pictures later.  We're going to throw some test tubes in it and use it for wall art...sounds strange, but you'll see.
5. I used our new Bose speakers today to listen to my favorite podcast and I loved them! ...that counts, right??? 
6. I won a SMARTBoard projector for my classroom!  ...this is probably the highlight of my week!  I never thought I would have my own SMARTBoard, but I do!  Well, I will!  ...soon!  Maybe next week?!  I couldn't be more excited.
7. Ian asked if I wanted to go to Ringing Rocks this weekend to do some hiking and take picture with our new camera.  I haven't been there since our first date, more than 6 years ago.  Super excited!
8. We have ten followers on our quaint blog.  Maybe not such a big deal, but the fact that half are not family members is a very big deal!  Thanks to our followers!
9. Packers won the Super Bowl!!!  ...that's for Ian.
10. It's starting to feel a little warmer out there!  That definitely deserves a spot on the list.

So there you have it...my first Ten on Tuesday.   Now, back to my book...

Wire Bird Nest

I was feeling kind of crafty the other day so I went through my list of things-to-make.  Then, I remembered this great post at Just Something I Made.  So, I went to Hobby Lobby, bought me some wire and beads, and got to it.

I started by stringing three beads.  It took me forever to find beads that I liked for this project, but then I stumbled upon these little guys that almost look like blue bird eggs.

Then, I just twisted and turned and wrapped and weaved until it started to look like something round.

With my handy dandy round-tip pliers I added some kinks and loops and tried to make it look a little less wire-y.  I personally like silver over gold, but with this silver wire, I'm not sure it will ever look less wire-y.  I'm going to make another trip to Hobby Lobby this week and pick up bronze wire or something that looks a bit more natural.

Ta-da!  A wire bird's nest.  I love it.  Like I said, I'm going to try again and go for a more twig-colored wire, but this little guy is getting put on a chain and will be a great necklace.