Guilty Pleasures

According to the web, a guilty pleasure is something one enjoys and considers pleasurable despite feeling guilt for enjoying it. 

Well, Trader Joe's fleur de Sel Caramel is definitely one of my newest guilty pleasures...

My mother, Adrienne, from La Vie Quotidienne, first introduced this delectable sauce to me on New Year's Eve, and I've been addicted to it ever since. 

 It is delicious on a scoop of vanilla icecream...but if you decide to eat a spoonful of this delicious sauce straight from the jar, I won't tell anyone!  Not that I've ever done that!

So last night, along with my Trader Joe's caramel sauce, I indulged in my next guilty pleasure... watching Masterpiece Theater's "Downtown Abbey".

My oldest daughter introduced me to this British television period drama series, and I am hooked!  Every night I can hardly wait to watch an episode.  I'm almost done with Season 1 on Neflix and am recording Season 2.  The characters, the costumes, the stories, the scenery...I love it all!

 

Now that I've shared mine, what are some of your guilty  pleasures?

Another Kitchen Update!

Over the weekend, my wonderful MacGyver husband was able to install my brand new GE Cafe microwave and range.  I chose the GE Cafe for two reasons.  First, it has the look of a professional style range without the expensive price tag.  Secondly, the GE Cafe range has a baking drawer!  I would love double ovens, but there just isn't space in my small kitchen nor in the pocketbook!   

 As you can see, we still haven't put on the cabinet doors just yet.   I ordered knobs and handles from Home Depot and am anxiously awaiting for them to arrive.    Also, I'm still trying to decide a backsplash.  Originally, I was going to put a piece of stainless behind the stovetop, but now I'm thinking of tiling all the way across.  Tile?  Don't ask what kind!  I'm not sure, but I'm leaning towards penny tile or perhaps marble.  You'll just have to wait and see! 

It's been terribly hard to cook on the new range.  It works beautifully, but I want it to stay perfect!  I'm convinced that people who design showcase kitchens for hundreds of thousands of dollars don't cook in them!  Anyway, the hungry diners here at Love and Life at Leadora would never allow that, and as soon as the range was put in, they demanded cookies.  After much pressure, I finally broke down and baked espresso double-chocolate chunk cookies.  I'm not sure if it was the new oven or my outstanding baking, but MacGyver husband proclaimed, "These are the best cookies you've ever made"!

Kitchen Update

I've become quite well acquainted with Martha Stewart...Martha Stewart paint, that is!   I love Martha's paint colors, but,  unfortunately, Martha's paint won't be around for long.   According to our sources, Home Depot is phasing it out soon. 

After much deliberation (I have a horrible time picking out the right paint color!),  MacGyver husband and I spent the New Year's weekend painting our existing cabinetry Martha's Sharkey Gray and Bedford Gray...

  I'm probably the last one on the bandwagon, but I love gray cabinetry, especially after seeing Sally Wheat's kitchen on Cote De Texas...

And, of course, Martha's gray kitchen...

I wish I had a lovely photo to show our version of gray cabinetry here at Love and Life at Leadora, but you'll have to stay tuned!   Also, the apron sink is in, the countertops are being installed Thursday, and the new light fixtures are on their way!  I am so excited!

Happy Holidays!

Well, I think I'm finally ready for Christmas!  Pioneer Woman's cinammon rolls have been baked...

The Christmas cookies have been decorated...

And the cake balls have been dipped!

To all my sweet blog friends, I would like to wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year!  See you in 2012!

A Woodland Christmas Tree

The other day, my daughters begged me to go to Cost Plus.  I have to say, they didn't have to twist my arm too hard because I love Cost Plus Christmas ornaments.  I told myself that I wasn't going to buy any new Christmas decorations this year, but once I got there and saw these mushrooms, I couldn't resist...

Every year, I decorate my tree with a woodland theme.  Except this year I did not bring out my 6 foot tree, but instead  I decorated a small, 4 foot tree... 

I took my cute mushrooms and placed them in a "gap" in the tree...

You can tell that I "shove in" lots of things in my Woodland tree, like beeskips and birdhouses....

Every year I tell myself that I need a different theme, but I just can't resist the toadstools, woodland animals, and sweet birds...

What Christmas theme tree do you have this year?

Christmas Centerpiece

Today, as I was waiting for the man to come measure for new kitchen countertops, I decided to throw together a Christmas centerpiece  for the dining room table...

I was inspired by my corner cabinet...silver sleigh bells, white snowflakes, greenery, and floral china, all suggested by my mother from la vie quotidienne...

Do you suppose the kitchen counter guy will like it?  hee! hee!

Christmas Corner Cabinet

When I announced to my kids this year that their gifts would be a new oven range and solid surface countertops, they weren't exactly thrilled!  Seriously, the kitchen project has become our main focus these days, and the upcoming holidays are not top priority this year.   Last year's corner cabinet displayed some of my Spode Christmas china...

Well,  this year the Spode will be spending another lonely year boxed up in the garage, and we'll be eating on paper plates!  

I knew I had to do something, and I wanted it to be easy.   My red and white dishes were already there, so I just added some greenery, a few snowflakes, and some of my Wallace silver sleigh bells....

 

Every Christmas, my mother-in-law has given me a Wallace silver sleigh bell.   I've been married for twenty years, so, yes, I have twenty of these beautiful silver bells!  I just love the silver finish, and you know what I like even better?  They make a fabulously easy Christmas decoration!  How's your holiday decorating coming along?