House of Hydrangeas

In honor of National Cheesecake Day today, I thought I'd bring you guys this recipe from Just A Taste . Kelly's recipe and instructions are listed below.  But if you're an impatient or novice baker like me, you can use a brownie box mix instead of making the batter from scratch.  I love mini desserts like this--they are great for parties and don't make you feel too guilty for indulging!  :)  Enjoy! Cheesecake Brownie Bites Yield:   About 30 brownie bites Prep Time:   10 min Cook Time:   12 min Ingredients: For the brownie batter: 4 large eggs 1¼ cups baking cocoa 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 Tablespoon instant espresso powder, mixed with 2 teaspoons water 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2¼ cups sugar 1 cup unsalted butter, melted 1½ cups all-purpose flour For the cheesecake filling: 1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened 3 Tablespoons sugar 1 large egg yolk Directions: Preheat the oven to 350ºF. In a large bowl...

I mentioned here that I received a box of burlap bags from burlapfabric.com a few weeks ago.  And ever since then, I've been dreaming up just what all I could do with them. I received a bundle of 25 bags in sizes 4x6 and 5x7.  The site has a variety of sizes from which to choose-small, medium, large, wine bottle holders...you name it.  I thought the size I received would be ideal for favor bags...and not just a standard favor bag, but one for every occasion.  Here are a few ideas on how to adorn your own burlap bags. Number it.  Instead of using a typical name card at your next dinner party, place a numbered gift bag at each dinner place setting.  I drew my number on with a Sharpie marker, but if you're a little weary, you could easily use paint and stencils as well.  Just make sure to place a thick piece of paper in the middle while you work so that the ink/paint doesn't seep through to the other side of the bag. Clip it.  Add a mono...

Hi friends! Sorry for the lack of posts as of late.  I've had a lot of things on my plate and a lot of things I'm prepping for just around the corner. Many of you may not know, but my husband Jon has been in Afghanistan for the past several months.  And I'm happy to announce that he will be finally arriving home a week from this Saturday!  And a week after that, we are going on a nice relaxing vacation to Napa Valley!  I'll give you more details on where we're staying in an upcoming post, but I can say it truly looks like it'll be heaven on earth...and that it was recently named "The Best Taste of Wine Country" in the summer travel issue of Martha Stewart Living. As if that wasn't enough excitement, the Olympics are also right around the corner!  Will you be watching the opening ceremonies?  I know I will, and I can't to see the show.  According to the news, milllions of people will be tuning in as well.  Sounds like a great reason to t...

I first showed you guys a peak into my May Santa Rosa wedding here .  While I had a few photos from my own camera, I've been waiting to incorporate some of the photographer's shots as well.  Now that they are available, I can show you all of the gorgeous details! Let's start with Brynnan's bouquet.  It consisted of white jumbo hydrangeas, white ranunculus and light pink roses wrapped up with jute twine.  The end result was a ball of soft, sweet and romantic blooms fit for a bride. Terri Smith Photo Terri Smith Photo Her bridesmaids carried a mix of white and green hydrangeas also wrapped in jute. Right photo by Terri Smith Photo The boutonnieres were made of hydrangea leaves and white ranunculus. Terri Smith Photo Terri Smith Photo We kept the ceremony decor classic and understated so as not to compete with the beautiful architecture at St. Rita Catholic Church.  I created moss covered M's to hang from the rails outside the church ...

I'm typically not one of those people who is always looking to what's ahead and not really enjoying the moment they're in.  However, I would be lying if I said that I wasn't already dreaming of fall. I'm ready for a crisp breeze in the air, college football (Roll tide!), trees of red and yellow, pumpkins, cinnamon and all of the other goodness that comes with autumn.  It has always been my favorite season. I just recently received a box of burlap bags from burlapfabric.com that I can already envision as great halloween favors bags, amongst other things.  More on those ideas in a post to come! But for now, I'll just keep on dreaming, crank down the AC and light a cinnamon and clove candle.  :)  

Especially if said paint is covering up a crimson color that you once thought was a good idea but could now potentially drive you to insanity!  ...Such was the case with the upstairs guest bath at my mom's house. Here are some before shots... It was great while it lasted, but it was definitely time for a change.  So the last time I was home, we headed off to Lowe's to pick out a new paint color--this time looking for something much more light and soothing.  The winner was Ante Meridian by Valspar. The Ante Meridian is a great compliment to my mom's existing white tile and plantation shutters. and it is the complete antithesis of the bold crimson color that was.  We also took off the 1970's ceramic towel rack and soap and toothbrush holders under the mirror.  It.  Was.  Time. Unfortunately for us, the fixtures that we thought were PLASTERED TO the wall, were actually CUT INTO the wall...leaving us with a few gaping holes.  Oh th...

I don't typically do a lot of fashion posts on here.  In fact, I think I've only shared personal outfits on here once .  But when I did, it seemed to get a good response so I thought I'd start start posting some of my daily outfits on here from time to time.  After all, everyone needs a little fashion in their life right? :) Here's what I wore to go run some errands the other day.  {Excuse the cheesy grin.  I hate taking pictures of myself} One of the things on my "to do" for the day was going to the grocery store.  I hate going to the grocery store for many reasons, but one of them is that it's always so cold in there...hence the rolled up skinny  jeans in lieu of shorts. Top-TJMaxx/ Skinny jeans-Banana Republic (old)/ Sandals-Dolce Vita via Piperlime / Earrings-Stella & Dot (from last year)/ Watch- Michael Kors , Ring-David Yurman, Toes- OPI "Red Lights Ahead...Where?"