Pink Trees

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!!!!

It's time for that giveaway I mentioned!!! Are you ready? I am!!! I'm super excited that CSNStores asked me to do this! I think this is the first product giveaway I've done (that isn't something I've made) in the almost 5 years I've been blogging! YAY!!!

So, while browsing the amazing AllModern.com the other day I was thinking about something usable, practical, smallish so it would fit into the alloted price range, and something that I think most of you would say "eeeep! how stinkin' cute is that?"

Are you ready? Drum roll please......ppppdddddttpppddtttpppddttt.....

Cute right? This is the Thomas Paul Matryoska Pouch! You can read the designer's bio. on the AllModern site so I'll just give you the specifics:
- measures 5.5x9
- 100% cotton fabric
- white pouch with with red print on both sides, zipper and red trim

Why did I choose this pouch? Well, first off who doesn't love a cute matryoska print? Secondly, most of you lovely readers are some form of crafters (knitters, sewers, etc.), wouldn't it be a cute way to hold all the little accessory things we use? Also, I'd totally use it as a wristlet!

You wanna win this cute little pouch? Here's the scoop:
- You need to have a US or Canadian mailing address...I know, I know that leaves a lot of people out including me! They're just not able to do the international thing at this point.
- Leave me a comment! Tell me it's cute, just say hi, or if you feel like it browse their websites and send me a link to something you like!
- On December 23rd around 10 a.m. my time (you'll probably be just heading to bed) the comments will be closed and I'll choose a winner! I'll assign a number to your comment based on the order from which it was received...first to comment is number 1 and so on! When the winner is chosen I'll post their name in a new post and ask that they email their mailing address. I'll give you 24 hours to respond then I'll pick a new number if I don't hear from you.

TEASER post!!!

Guess what??? There's going a spiffy GIVEAWAY on my blog in the very near future!!!! Watch this space!! I was contacted by a promotions team member of CSNStores a few days ago about doing a little giveaway and a review...um YES! I never know how to word emails back to them without sounding like I'm totally greedy! Bwahahaha! So, I'm browsing one of their sites AllModern.com and drooling over everything! Can I have it all Santa? Pa-leeezzee!! The giveaway item is somewhere on that site but I'm not going to tell! Let's just say it's super cute and you'll love it! Promise!!

While I was at it I did a little surfing on their other sites...um...can we say I wish I was back in the States so I can buy sofas from CSNsofas.com? Now, most of you all know that when my house isn't packed into a 16 foot PODS container everything is vintage from the 50s/60s...everything. We sadly sold our vintage pea green, super comfy, sofa and brown tweed armchair thinking it wouldn't fit into the PODS container (it would've); so we'll be in need of a new sofa when we return! [slurp] Eew, sorry...that's me wiping the drool off my chin because I'm drooling majorly over this sofa. Doesn't it look so comfy and the prices are not bad at all! I love that it's still very modern but would totally fit in with our vintage stuff. The whole collection by Gus Modern is AMAZING! Can I have this too? OOH! Or this one? and I'll definitely need 2 of these chairs! HA! I think this is the sofa that my in-laws had or it's really close to it! It was super comfy! Oh ok! I found another one! I've gotta get off this site otherwise I'm going to need a bucket!

So, any-hoo...I'll keep you posted about the giveaway! Sorry it's only open to US or Canadian residents...I'll tweet reminders too! If you're not following me on Twitter I'm PinkTres (duh!). I'll be doing a product review too so I'll let y'all know about that as well!

French Press Cozy

Yesterday (12/9) was the hubby and I's 9th wedding anniversary! We said no gifts but I wanted to make him something...plus I benefit from it too! He's just started becoming a coffee connoisseur and has changed the way he brews his joe to the french press. I actually prefer coffee made this way now too! Anyway, a cozy was in order for his french press. I didn't have any elastic like I've seen in some tutorials but I did have snaps! I just quilted (pebble quilting is my new obsession!) a rectangle that fit, added a large tab, and snaps! Viola!

Fabric is all Kaffe Fassett shot cotton quilted onto cotton batting backed with muslin; the inside is the gray shot cotton.

Hello Fall???

While Fall here in Kuwait is still bright sunshine and 80 to 90 degree days I've got Fall on the brain. I miss the leaves changing colors and all that comes with the season. I've been drinking cocoa, burning apple cinnamon/vanilla candles. dreaming of making the perfect pumpkin muffins (maybe tomorrow?), thinking about Thanksgiving, and drooling over "cold weather" recipes like spiced cider, stew and chicken and dumplings. I couldn't take it any longer so we're having chicken and dumplings for dinner. We bought a slow cooker yesterday!! Over dinner the other night I was telling the hubby about my dumpling plans and we both were a little surprised that we hadn't of bought one sooner! Hello A Year of Slow Cooking...I'll be an avid reader and will have to buy the book!

While we're on the subject of food...have y'all seen Julie & Julia? I watched half of it on the plane back home on Sunday (we went to Dubai for the day for a "visa run") and I loved it! The hubby got it for me the other day so I was able to have some "me time" all snuggled in bed eating way too many Reeses. I think Meryl Streep did an excellent job playing Julia!

EDITED TO ADD: Chicken & Dumplings Verdict
Delish!!! I give it 2 thumbs up! Even with the changes (I'll tell ya that in a sec) it was really yummy!

Changes I made and other stuff:
I cooked the chicken in the slow cooker for 3 hours and instead of using all water like the recipe calls for I used half chicken stock. I also added the veggies pictured in the top while it cooked. The chicken came out looking like something you'd find in a zombie movie! eww!! If you use chicken stock I'd eliminate the salt because after it was all put together it was just a little too salty for me.

While the chicken was cooling enough for me to tear it into pieces I was sauteing the veggies in a stock pot. The recipe says to add pearl onion but I just chopped up a regular onion and threw that in with the carrots, celery and garlic. Aren't the colors pretty?

There was so much stock leftover that there's enough for me to freeze for later. Here's a pic of what it looks like when you add the stock to the roux/veggies. This was taken before I added the cream. The recipe calls for 1/4 cup but I think I added about 2/3 cup. I also added more fresh ground pepper and a bit of dried parsley.

The dumplings were like little pillows of heaven! I was expecting them to be doughy in the center but they were like little heavenly biscuits...yum! I didn't have any chives so I just added a smidge of garlic powder and some dried parsley instead. I only used about a quarter of the dough! The recipe says to not let the dough touch...which is totally unavoidable! I used little dessert spoons to get smaller dumplings but they puffed up to almost golfball size! Here's a pic to see what I mean. This was even after I stirred it around a bit to try and cram some more dumplings in the pot.

And here's a pic of the huge bowl I dished out for my dinner!

And the inside of the dumplings...

 

 

Atlanta TSA agents: FOR SHAME!!! (or maybe not...)

Heard through Twitter via Kuky:

http://www.mybottlesup.com/tsa-agents-took-my-son/

Someone call Gloria Allred!!! Notify the new stations! This is an absolutely horrific thing to do to a parent! I was in tears reading her post. When Jerrett was a baby I flew without the Hubby a few times and it was hard enough getting through the TSA line without problems! I'd be in jail if this had happened, no one takes my baby away from me!

EDITED TO ADD: TSA has responded on their blog and have included a video, although it is edited.
http://www.tsa.gov/blog/2009/10/response-to-tsa-agents-took-my-son.html