e.louise

Day One, Year Two

October 25, 2010

Yesterday, my husband and I celebrated one year of marriage. I can't believe how quickly it went by. It seems like only yesterday we were dancing, eating, and celebrating with our friends and family. It's been a wonderful year and I'm excited to spend fifty more with him.

*photo by ALCollective

Recaps of our wonderful wedding can be found here.

If I had $1,000,000

October 21, 2010

Okay maybe not. But I do have a gift card that I recently won from the Happyhour with a Housewife's blog, and I'm trying to decide how to spend it.

Shoes are always a great buy in my book:

I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about these:

And I have a new affection for belts:

~~You~~ I can never have too many cardigans:

Looks like a shopping trip is in order.

*all images found here

Recipe: Italian Stew

October 18, 2010

I first discovered this stew last fall at Upper Crust Bakery in north Austin. It's only served seasonally in the late fall and winter, but it's so good. So when they stopped serving it, I tried to make it at home. The basic ingredients:

mushrooms
fresh oregano
red potatoes (3-4)
red diced tomatoes (canned)
sausage (one link)
salt & pepper as needed

Remove eyes (or peel) and slice potatoes into quarters. Bring one pot of water to a boil and add potatoes. Boil until potatoes are soft. Drain water and set aside.

Slice up one sausage link into small pieces. Heat skillet and brown sausage.

Once sausage is browned, remove from pain and set aside. (I place them on a paper towel-lined plate to drain any excess grease).

Check to see if potatoes have cooled. If they have, slice cooked potatoes into small pieces and set aside.

Open can of diced tomatoes and bring to simmer on stove. Dice one stem of oregano and add to tomatoes.

Add potatoes, mushrooms, and sausage. Simmer for 10-15 mins. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

Making a House a Home: Part II

To save some $$ (and to feed my inner crafter), I've decided to make throw pillows for our sofas. I've started/finished a few using this fabric:

Alexander Henry- House in Grey via Hawthorne Threads

It's a greyish/brown color- very neutral- and I really love the simplicity of the print.

Also, I bought a rug (!!!). I drove all over Austin last weekend of search of something, and almost came home with nothing. It's not what I had really hoped for, but it's a quick (temporary) fix and it was cheap. The downside(s) are that 1) it's not wool (you can read this informative post on wool rugs) and 2) it's neutral. So, I'm hoping to now add color to the room through the use of throw pillows and accents on our coffee/end tables.

I looooove these.

Eisman Design via Daily Candy

I think I'm going to stay away from patterns, but I like the idea of pillow embelishments like these:

Apartment Therapy

I could easily sew (not crochet) some flowers for our living room pillows that could be removable/changed out.

Bookends

October 12, 2010

I know the concept of the Kindle, Nook, iPad, et.al. is a great idea (less clutter, all reads in one place), but...

I love book cases
I love physical books, especially these.

Eventually, I'm sure I'll cave into technology and purchase an electronic reader. Until then I'll dream of my imaginary library filled with bookcases, lined with books and bookends like these: