Custom Beret Giveaway!

Remember my tiny knitted rose garden? And, how I said I would soon be sharing what I was creating with it? Well I finally decided to go ahead and show you! I made my sister a beret with roses on it for her birthday! I made myself one too:) I have made a couple of friends this same type of hat. I love this hat pattern from Love to Knit because it is quick and makes a beret that isn't so slouchy that it doesn't stay on. 

I decided that it would be fun to make one of these cute little hats for a giveaway!! Then I decided it would be even better if the person who won got to choose what colors they wanted their hat to be! So, if you win you get a custom spring-time beret in ANY color you'd like! You don't have to choose one of the colors I've shown, it could be anything; white with pink and yellow roses, purple with orange and blue roses, the skies the limit! If you'd like I can also add sequins to the leaves:) This is my first giveaway so I'm really excited to see how it goes:) 

To enter just:

1. Leave a comment telling me what colors you would like your hat to be!

2. For an extra entry you can become a follower, or for those of you who already are a follower just remind me! 

3.For another extra entry grab my button for your page!

Just copy and paste the following:

<center><a href="http://www.schottofclass.blogspot.com/"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUMZ-CByekAcOYF6XsR5BNH6_WV0caXKeLGX5hYIgvDa1-utD3659UYv7UmWPRtXKgVYPPnlQw4cj-DA5mHKnFF3kbE2jYXQXn-vN_81a2gu4MpRwPHerEcfaNMYYXUj1jPXI_5mv_-mo/" /></a></center>

You can just leave one comment and make sure you let me know if you are or have become a follower and if you grabbed my button in your comment! If you don't have a blogger account please leave an email address!

I will announce the winner on Sunday, March 14th!

Is There Rehab for an Addiction to Yellow Roses?

On Saturday we went to some thrift stores searching for a nightstand, a lamp, frames and a headboard for our bedroom. I came back with a painting for the living room, a tile for the kitchen, a scarf hanger, a decorative pillow (like I really need more pillows), a book of jokes and a nightstand. At least I got one thing on my list! I think our tiny apartment has had about all the junk it can take! I doubt I'll stop though. It's an addiction:)

This was two dollars! It's so cute and so very true:) I'm in love with it. I still need to find the perfect spot in the kitchen  to hang it.

This is so cool. It will hold 24 scarves easily! I definitely needed this even though I didn't know it. I didn't even know these existed! I found it at Goodwill but it had an Ikea tag so I'm sure you could find these there or at Target!

This was a dollar:) I love it. I decided to replace the colorful pillow I made for our bedroom with this one. I'm going to put the yellow roses blanket in the living room and replace it with a brown and white zebra pattern blanket on our blue bedspread. I think the blues and browns and greens are a more relaxing color palette for the bedroom... Who knows though, it could change:)

I love this nightstand! It was super cheap and it really sturdy. I'm going to sand it and paint it. I'm not sure what color yet though... Maybe a light minty green color? What do you think?

I know, I know. I've gone a little crazy with the yellow rose stuff but I can't help it! I just about died when Matt dug out this painting! It is so gorgeous. It was painted by a local Sacramento artist. I don't know if I love this one or the one I found last weekend more:) Slowly but surely the walls are being covered with flower paintings and birds and everything is getting more and more girlie. Poor Matt:) He's such a good sport!

Hope everyone is having a great Monday!

Spending Love

My wonderful cousin, Sharla shared a quote with my mom the other day and I have really been thinking about it a lot...

"We are not here to earn God's love, we are here to spend it!"

Such a simple thought. God's love is unconditional. Nothing we could do would ever change that and we will never need to win him over. We are here simply to let His love show through us. 

So easily said and yet it can be hard to do... Life can get in the way and resentment or pride can really cause hardening of our hearts towards others. I really want to make this my new goal in life. I just want to try very hard to have love for everyone, no matter what our differences are, regardless of whether or not they love me. If I fail miserably one day I can just try harder the next day.Wouldn't the world be a much better place if everyone tried their best to spend God's love? 

Thank you for the beautiful, inspiring words Sharla:)

Spring Fling!

It seems like overnight the trees started blooming and a few flowers on the ground were popping up here and there. It is raining right now but the past two days it has been warm and sunny and gorgeous! All the streets here in Davis are lined with trees full of white and pink blossoms. It is so pretty. Is it a little early though? I feel like this usually doesn't start until the middle of March, but hey I'm not complaining! 

Yesterday my little buddy that I take care of and I went for a long walk and I took some pictures to show you how lovely everything looks. Hooray for spring!

The last two pictures I took from our balcony. I feel like I live in a flowery paradise right now:) The only downfall is my allergies are about to kill me! I think I'll take the congestion if I get to have a view like this...

I came across this little card last night:) It is so adorable and sweet and I plan to put it out every Spring from here on out. My mom-in-law gave it to me before Matt and I even started dating, while we were just friends. Just one of the many, many reasons I love that family:) They were so welcoming and wonderful to me ever since the first time I met them.

Treasure Hunting

I just wanted to share a few little things I've picked up this last week. I am trying to finally get our bedroom in order. We're painting the walls, hanging stuff, I'm going to try to either find or make some new curtains, I want to make a headboard and I am hunting down some old night stands. I have some but they are just newer dark wood ones and I would really like some cool, mis-matching ones that are old and/or distressed:) I hate dark wood cause it shows dust way too much and I HATE to dust!

While we were home last week my mom gave me a bunch of cool stuff. I'll share some of it after it's hung, but one of the things she gave me was this teapot! I've seen teapots like this in antique stores and have always wanted to buy one but they are kinda pricey. This was my mom's mother's (my memaw). It is over 50 years old. Isn't it cool? I like to pretend there's a genie in there...

Matt and I went to my favorite antique store the other day and I found this little guy. I'm pretty sure this isn't an antique lol but it is still super cute:) I'm going to hang necklaces from it in the bedroom. 

Annnndddd (drum role please...) I found this amazing, gorgeous painting!!! I actually saw it a while back with Mona and didn't get it cause I'm dumb, but when it was still there I figured I was destined to have it. The woman said it was painted in France and she found it in a shop in Europe somewhere. I still need to find a frame for it. I think it is just so lovely. The colors are perfect for our bedroom. I'm really trying to go peaceful and serene. There is enough brightness and cheer with all the yellow, red and bright blue in the rest of the rooms. I think bedrooms should be calming and relaxing:)

Grown Up Mac & Cheese!

So like I said, Matt made me dinner for Valentine's Day. I am here to report that it was so scrumptious I couldn't even talk, all I could do was grin and say "yuuuuummmm!" What did he make? MAC AND CHEESE!!! I love all things cheesy and all things chocolate so he made Ina Garten's grown up mac and cheese recipe, asparagus with cheese sauce, asiago cheese bread and the most delicious molten chocolate cake. My man delivered. 

I was so impressed with this mac and cheese recipe. Seriously, you have to make it! You will not be disappointed trust me! 

I got the picture and the recipe from the Food Network's website. We obviously didn't use bacon in our's (we're both vegetarian) but I didn't even think to take a picture I just dove right in:)

Ingredients

• 4 ounces thick-sliced bacon
• Vegetable oil
• Kosher salt
• 2 cups elbow macaroni or cavatappi
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated
• 3 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated
• 2 ounces blue cheese, such as Roquefort, crumbled
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch nutmeg
• 2 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed
• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped basil leaves

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place a baking rack on a sheet pan and arrange the bacon in 1 layer on the baking rack. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the bacon is crisp. Remove the pan carefully from the oven - there will be hot grease in the pan! Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and crumble when it is cool enough to handle.

Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt the butter in a medium pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or 2 more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, blue cheese, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and crumbled bacon and stir well. Pour into 2 individual size gratin dishes.

Place the bread slices in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until you have coarse crumbs. Add the basil and pulse to combine. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the top of the pasta. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

A Couple of Mushy Valentines

I can honestly say that this has been my best Valentine's Day ever:) We both kept it simple. Simple is always sweetest... 

I woke up this morning and had the yummiest breakfast made by my honey, banana nutella crepes with whip

cream. Sooooo good!            

After I got the prettiest card I've ever seen. Inside was a wonderful little surprise... He got me a subscription to two of my very favorite magazines, Real Simple & House Beautiful. I didn't have subscriptions to any magazines so this is such a great treat. I would have never even thought to ask for that. 

He bought a couple of bouquets of flowers and used only the ones he knew I'd love the most to make this lovely, lovely, lovely arrangement. He bought this darling carafe to use as a vase! The whole thing screams me:) 

I have the perfect husband.

Is there anything happier or more delightful than yellow roses? I could smell and stare at these forever...

He even put the extra flowers in another carafe on our kitchen window sill.... With all these flowers and the rose my dad gave me it smells and looks amazing in here!

Since we were trying to do simple and inexpensive gifts (we're saving for some projects) I couldn't really think of what to give him. I decided to go with a book he has been really wanting to read called Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman. I also found this cute little novelty gift:) It is called How I Love You, a journal of my affection. It is full of things like "When I first met you I thought you were..." and then it gives you space to write. It is long with 6 chapters and 90 pages filled with thoughtful questions. I thought it was perfect for Matt because nobody loves being doted on more than him! (Except me of course!)

Of course he loved his gifts as much as I loved mine. We spent the afternoon reading my little journal for him and eating conversation hearts. We went to the movies to see the most corny, sappy movie ever, Valentine's day. Sometimes you have to cave in and do things that are super lame and ultra cute:) 

Now I am sitting here blogging and watching one of the best sappy movies around, The Holiday while he makes me dinner. Have you seen it? I love this movie. I would hands down absolutely take Kate Winslet's cottage over Cameron Diaz's mansion, wouldn't you? It's the cutest house ever. I'll let you know how dinner goes later! 

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

There's No Place Like Home

I went home last night to spend time with my family. I hadn't been home in too long. When Matt and I got there we had dinner with my parents and visited until really late. I didn't bother going downstairs to my room until we were getting ready for bed. When I finally went to my room there was a rose and card from my dad waiting for me:) For as long as I can remember he has always gotten me a flower and card every Valentine's Day. I'm always surprised. I guess I'm just one lucky girl to have two Valentines!

Simple Things & Simple Food

One of the many, many things I absolutely adore about my husband is that he is an incredible cook. I love that he went to the store the other day and when I got home from work there were mason jars full water for the fresh herbs he bought:) It's just a simple little thing that I would never really think to do. He is just too cute.

Here's an example of his cuteness/weirdness.. When Matt told me he was going to his friend's super bowl party I asked if he was going to take anything. His response was, "I'm thinking about making some baklava." If that's not the most hilarious and random answer, I don't know what is. What guy thinks of baklava as super bowl food? Only my Matty...

Speaking of cooking, has anyone ever picked up this book by Alice Waters? My sister-in-law, Katie got it for me a while back. I have looked through it several times but only recently have I really tried learning from it. It's so great for beginners like me because it explains how to do everything from boiling an egg to how to stock your kitchen! I highly suggest it for any ladies who are trying to learn to make more than just tuna:) Especially those who can't cook who have husbands that work full time AND come home and make delicious dinners.... Bless his heart.. (as my mom would say)

Oh, and Oliver wanted to say hi!

Happy, Happy Bday!

Happy 20th Birthday Katie!!

Love you!

Weekend Weighs Well

Did everyone have a fabulous weekend? I know I did! I'm not much for football so I went antique shoppin' with my mom-in-law during most of the game hehe. I didn't show up to the football party until 4th quarter. I was there for the chips and dip not the sports:)

Every time I see I kitchen scale I want it but I just have never bought one.. Yesterday I decided to go for it! Isn't it old and cute and fun?!

I also got four of these super darling retro plates! Hooray!

On Saturday I headed to San Francisco for my long-time friend Renee's bachelorette extravaganza! It was a  bunch of us girls who graduated high school together :) We had an absolute blast! The ultra lovely Laura was our charming hostess and man, can she throw a fun bash!! Below is a picture of Laura and myself and below that is Miss Renee the beautiful bride-to-be!

Speaking of weddings, yesterday was my parent's 29th wedding anniversary! Happy anniversary Mom and Dad! 29 years is quite an accomplishment. They were 18 and 19 years old when they tied the knot:) Aren't they cute? Gotta love the baby blue tux!

*Fun Fact: Matt's and my parents were both married the same year just a few months apart! Mona and Dan will be celebrating their 29th anniversary very soon as well! I think that's pretty neat. It's extremely rare for our generation's parents to still be married, and even rarer to have parents who have been happily married for nearly 30 years! How lucky Matt and I are to have such amazing examples.

P.S. I can't wait for Valentine's Day!!!