Mediterranean Orzo Salad + Kenny Loggins

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I made this orzo pasta salad last week to take as part of a picnic dinner for an outdoor concert.  It was simple, delicious, and quick.  Cooking doesn't get much easier than this!
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Ingredients:
- 14 oz. cooked orzo
- 1 yellow or red pepper, diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives, chopped
- 1-1/2 cup spinach, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup feta crumbles
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- salt & pepper, to taste
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Prepare ingredients.

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I find that the easiest way to chop the spinach and basil is to take a handful, roll it up tightly, and then slice.  I use this method whenever I chop fresh herbs.

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Once ingredients are prepared mix everything together with cooked orzo.  Refrigerate and serve cold.  Tastes great the next day too.

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Last week my Mom, Aunt, and I went to see Kenny Loggins in concert at the Meijer Gardens (If you are ever in Western Michigan the Meijer Gardens are a must see).  This was my first time to a concert @ the gardens.  It was great!  They have an outdoor stage and seating is on tiered sections on a hill.  Everyone brings their lawn chairs and a picnic dinner. 

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I brought the pasta salad, my Mom brought delicious turkey sandwiches on focaccia, and my Aunt brought this amazing appetizer platter:

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Yum!  At one point the people next to us turned and said "Wow, you guys are like the Martha Stewart group!"  Haha, it was pretty funny.

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It was a great show.  I bet that even if you don't think you are a Kenny Loggins fan, you probably are!  He has so many hits - Footloose, This Is It, The Danger Zone, Celebrate Me Home (my personal favorite), Whenever I Call You Friend, and so many more.  I might also be trying to validate the fact that I was one of the youngest people there!

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I hope you have a wonderful weekend!  I'm off to Chicago with my Dad and World's Cutest Brother to visit Baby Sister for three nights of fun in the city!

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I've linked up to Tasty Tuesdays @ A Beautiful Mess.

Five. . .Just Five

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Rene of Cottage and Vine is hosting a really fun link-up party this week called Five Favorites.  If you were going away for the weekend and could only pack five items (yes, only five!) in your cosmetic bag, what would they be? 

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My Five Favorites:

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1.  First off, I wouldn't be caught dead without a cleanser!  When I travel I take this Lancome cleanser called Creme Radiance.  This isn't my normal cleanser but I have a few travel size bottles that I travel with because the bottle size is 2.0 oz so you can fit it in your quart size bag.  I travel quite a bit, so nothing makes me happier than good, quality products that will fit in that darn quart size bag!  I also like this cleanser because it is cream based, isn't drying, and you only need a teeny, tiny bit each time you use it.

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2.  My second choice is a tinted moisturizer with SPF 30.  I've used other tinted moisturizers before but this Lancome one is my favorite.  I've been using it for a little over a year.  I don't like a lot of heavy make-up, so when I want a little coverage, this is what I use as foundation.  It's really light but I think it still does a great job of evening out my skin tone.  I apply it with a make-up sponge because I think it helps it go on easier.  And the SPF 30 is a definite bonus!

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3. Sorry - this is starting to feel like a commercial for Lancome, but their Definicils Mascara has been a favorite of mine for years.  I don't know if I've ever had to purchase it myself because it always comes in their gifts!  Most days I don't wear any make-up but I almost always put on mascara.  Brighter, bigger eyes make me feel presentable!

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4.  I wouldn't want to be gone for the weekend without my Burt's Bees Replenishing Lip Balm with Pomegranate Oil.  I love this stuff! It also adds a hint of color to your lips, so if you had to be without lipstick your lips will still have a little color.

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5.  The first four items were really easy, but choosing fifth item was really hard!  I finally decided on my Nars Blush / Bronzer combo.   This particular combination can only be purchased @ Sephora.  I think this combo is perfect for achieving a sun kissed look. {Little known fact:  This exact combo was stolen out of my suitcase on a trip to Cabo San Lucas.  Our bags were delayed and we didn't get them until the morning after we arrived.  At first I thought I had left it at home but then I started noticing other things that were missing!  They also took a brand new Lancome eyeshadow - I still had it in the box among other things.  So, apparently, this Nars compact is a very sought after item.  I still can't believe someone hand picked through my cosmetic bag and took only certain things!  Now I pack all of my cosmetics in a carry-on!}.

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Head on over to Cottage and Vine and check out all of the other great links and link up your own five favorites.  If you've never visited before, you are in for a real treat - Rene has a beautiful blog.  Thanks for hosting a fun party Rene!

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Home Tour @ Remodelaholic

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If you would like to take a peak inside my house, head on over to Remodelaholic.  My house is on tour there today!  Thank you Cassity for asking me to show my house - I am honored that you asked!  It was also great motivation to clean my house, top to bottom! 

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Summer Mantle

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Well, Summer is here and my mantle was in need of a make-over that was worthy of hot, summer days.  I decided on a beach theme using lots of shells, sand, and other natural elements. 

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Here's what my fireplace looked like before I started:

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Everything I used to decorate were things that I already had.  Most of the shells I used I have had since I was a child.  Most of them came from family trips to Florida.  I'm so glad I have all of these beautiful shells - who knew I would be using them years later to decorate!

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Here's what the mantle looks like now:

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I purchased the apothecary jars from TJ Maxx and Marshall's a few years ago.  I'm glad I have them - I keep them up on my mantle most of the year.  I just switch out the fillers for the different seasons.

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Two of the jars are filled at the bottom with sand and shells on top.

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The third jar is filled with dried sea bark I purchased from Pottery Barn a few years ago.  I think it is actually dried cactus.  I recently saw it for sale at Michael's.

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I bought both of the star fish on the island of Capri in Italy.  Every time I look at them it reminds me of our great vacation!

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I printed out the sea horse and shell print for free from Vintage Printables.  I first found out about Vintage Printables from Rene of Cottage and Vine and now I can't stop printing out things!

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I have two frames hanging near my fireplace.  I switched out the photos I had in the frames for more shell prints.

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Not bad for free prints!

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I added beach grass to a vase filled with sand to set in front of the fireplace.

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To complete the Summer look, I added a hurricane filled with sand and shells to my coffee table.

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Thanks for reading!  I hope you are inspired to bring a little bit of Summer inside your home.

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I'm linking up to these great parties:  Toot Your Horn Tuesday @ Silly Little Sparrow, Table Top Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life, Show and Tell Day  @ Blue Cricket Design, Strut Your Stuff @ Somewhat Simple, Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Chic Cottage, Frugalicious Friday @ Finding Fabulous, Mantle Vignette @ The Stories of A to Z.

Big, Fat Failure

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If you've been around here for a while, you might remember back in March when I posted about my seeds from Italy.  I always grow tomatoes and herbs and lots of flowers, but I had never started anything from seed before.  Well, everything started out good enough.  The seeds were planted and watered and looked after everyday.  They sprouted and started growing!
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See - they were growing!  And then, they just stopped.  The seedlings didn't get any bigger and they started to turn yellow.  I'm not sure where I went wrong - Not enough light, too much light?  Too much water, not enough water?  Not warm enough?  Maybe I should have re-potted them to larger pots? 

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I did manage to salvage a few of the zinnias.  They are slowly but surely getting larger.  No buds yet, but hopefully soon.

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A few of my basil seedings also survived.

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But the mint and oregano never had a chance!  I ended up buying plants from the nursery.

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I also bought basil to get me by until my basil seedlings are large enough to use.

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I couldn't live without homegrown tomatoes, so I bought those at the nursery too.  They have really taken off in the last couple of weeks - I think they have already tripled in size.  I have one Roma plant and one called Santa (a grape tomato variety).

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I'm hoping for lots of tomatoes soon!

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I'm pretty disappointed with my seedlings, but who knows, I might give it another try again next spring. 

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Free Font Art

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I got the idea for this project after seeing something similar in the Pottery Barn catalog.  Find different fonts, type out the alphabet, and frame - It couldn't be any easier and I already had all the supplies on hand so it was completely free.

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The first step is to determine what fonts you want to use and what size your print will be.  If you are looking for interesting, free fonts try dafont and Free Scrapbook Fonts from Kevin & Amanda (The font I use for my post titles and on my sidebar came from their site).

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The frames I used have a 5" x 7" opening.  Using MS Word, I changed the layout size to 5" x 7" so that my letters would fit in my frames.  Then I played around with different fonts and sizes until I had three that I liked.

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Then I printed out the fonts on white paper to test the sizes and make sure they looked OK in the mats.

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Once I was happy with the size and spacing I printed to my final paper - an olive green card stock.

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I framed them up and now they are hanging in my home office.

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***Fonts, L to R:  dear joe 4, Vineta BT, AR Bonnie.  I can't remember which site I used to download these fonts, but I'm pretty sure all three came from dafont.

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I'm pretty sure it took me longer to write this blog post than it did to make my free font art! 

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I'm linking up to these great parties:

Making the World Cuter Monday, Modern Craftswoman Monday @ Tools are for Woman Too, Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping it Simple, Toot Your Horn Tuesdays @ Silly Little Sparrow, Get Your Craft on Tuesday @ Today's Creative Blog, Show and Tell Day @ Blue Cricket Design, Remodelaholics Anonymous @ Remodelaholic, Frugalicious Friday @ Finding Fabulous, SNS @ Funky Junk Interiors, We Can Do it Cheaper @ The Virginia House.