Oui or Non?

Do you think that if I took some of these magnetic crystal drops...

And added them to this chandie in our dining room...

I could get a look kind of like this one (with a shade)??

Maybe?? I know it's not quite as grand... but the iron, and the crystal drops?

What do you think?

first 2 pictures from:

*from Ballard Designs

Bright White and Light

Light colored walls are everywhere right now. Magazines, the internet, real clients' houses, my computer's pictures file... I don't know when it happened, but I'm really loving the clean simplicity of the look. And when done right, I don't think it's boring at all.

I love darker trim with lighter walls...

And ebonized or darker floors...

Lots of natural materials to add texture...

The contrast of dark and light...

Different sheens to add depth...

I love this kitchen with it's white walls and darker trim, natural materials on the floors and counters, and contrast of the dark windows to the light walls. It has great lighting too!

I also love the brightness that natural light brings to these rooms!

I realized that I have sooooo many "inspiration" pictures just like these - with white or very very light colored walls - and right now they're making me want to re-paint my entire house. Which is extreme, I realize.

Anyone else like white out there?

*pictures from: #1-3 from My Home Ideas.com, #4-5 from Canadian House and Home, #6 - 9 from Cote de Texas, #10-11 from Country Living, and #12-15 from Head Over Heels.

Trim-It-Down Tuesday: Loaded Twice-Baked Potatoes

Today's recipe comes from Eating Well. Baked potatoes are usually a no-no, and if you're on a low-carb diet, they probably still are. But this is an easy comforting recipe that is filling and low on calories. We fixed these up with a few modifications, and we loved them!

Loaded Twice-Baked Potatoes

Active time: 30 minutes Total: 40 minutes

To make ahead: Prepare and stuff potatoes. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Microwave and serve.

4 medium russet potatoes
8 ounces 90%-lean ground beef (see Variation) **we used 6 Tbsp of low-fat bacon bits instead, which had 125 calories.
1 cup broccoli florets, finely chopped
1 cup water
1 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 scallions, sliced

**we also used 2 Tbsp of Smart Balance low-calorie margarine

1. Pierce potatoes all over with a fork. Place in the microwave and cook on Medium, turning once or twice, until the potatoes are soft, about 20 minutes. (Or use the "potato setting" on your microwave and cook according to the manufacturer's directions.)

2. Meanwhile, brown meat in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. (Or, skip that step if you're using low-cal bacon pieces like us!) Increase heat to high, add broccoli and water to the pan, cover, and cook until tender, 4 to 5 minutes (Our broccoli didn't take this long - watch for it to turn bright deep green). Drain the broccoli; add to the meat.

3. Carefully cut off the top third of the cooked potatoes; reserve the tops for another use. Scoop out the insides into a medium bowl. Place the potato shells in a small baking dish. Add 1/2 cup Cheddar, sour cream, salt and pepper (and margarine) to the potato insides and mash with a fork or potato masher. Add scallions and the potato mixture to the broccoli and meat; stir to combine.

4. Evenly divide the potato mixture among the potato shells and top with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Microwave on High until the filling is hot and the cheese is melted, 2 to 4 minutes.

When you're finished, they'll look like this!

Vegetarian variation:
Replace the ground beef with a soy-based substitute or omit the beef altogether and increase the broccoli to 1 1/2 cups and the cheese to 1 1/4 cups.

Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: 274 calories; 10 g fat (5 g sat, 4 g mono); 52 mg cholesterol; 24 g carbohydrate; 22 g protein; 2 g fiber; 514 mg sodium; 740 mg potassium. Nutrition bonus: Vitamin C (42% daily value), Zinc (27% dv), Potassium (21% dv), Calcium (19% dv).

By Hilary Meyer
EatingWell assistant editor Hilary Meyer spends much of her time in the EatingWell Test Kitchen, testing and developing healthy recipes. She is a graduate of New England Culinary Institute.

Seasonal colors: Turquoise

On cool January days, it's nice to think of warmer times (especially when the sun's shining so brightly!). Turquoise and Sea-Glass blue always remind me of summer, so I thought I'd share some of the warmth!

**Pictures 1-4 and 7 from dearly departed Domino. Pictures 5, 6, and 8 from MyHomeIdeas.

Trim-It-Down: Slow Cooker Turkey Chili

Today's recipe comes to us from Southern Living's October 2009 issue. We tried it last week, and it was pretty good. I'm not a huge fan of corn and green peppers in my chili, so it's not my all-time favorite, but we really liked it.


Slow Cooker Turkey Chili

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 6 hour(s) 20 minutes
Yield: Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients
1 1/4 pounds lean ground turkey
1 large onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (1.25-oz.) envelope chili seasoning mix
1 (12-oz.) can light beer
1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1 (15-oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (8-oz.) can tomato sauce
3/4 teaspoon salt

Toppings: shredded light Cheddar cheese, finely chopped red onion, sliced fresh jalapeños

Preparation
1. Cook first 4 ingredients in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, 8 minutes or until turkey crumbles and is no longer pink. Stir in beer, and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spoon mixture into a 5 1/2-qt. slow cooker; stir in corn and next 6 ingredients until well blended. Cover and cook on LOW 6 hours. Serve with desired toppings.

Cary Holladay, Memphis, Tennessee, Southern Living, OCTOBER 2009

My Five Things

I was featured on the Lil Bee today, with the five things I'd like to do in this lifetime:

1) Restore and live in an old historic house.
2) Travel all over the world (really, there are very few places I'd not like to see).
3) Open up my own home/decor/antiques shop.
4) Have children.
5) Reach the age of 85 and be happy with my life.

That's my five... what are yours?

That's my list. What's yours??

Happy Friday

I'm not sure if it's the overcast weather here today, the fact that it's finally Friday, or that it's still only mid-January (and we have a ways to go before spring), but I'm craving a room like this. One that is happy, light, and filled with sunshine where I can curl up and and gaze outside!

(photo from Frank Roop)

It could also be because I stayed up waaaay too late last night watching a new guilty pleasure, Bully Beatdown on MTV. Seriously. It's awesome.

From MTV: "Bullies can pick on the small and the weak, but can they handle a trained, professional fighter? When they enter the ring -- fighting for pride and for cash -- will these bullies have what it takes? Or will they get a taste of their own medicine? "

They call them "bullies", I call them douchebags.... whatever. It's awesome.

Have a great Friday!

Designer's Home Office

This month's FD Luxe (a publication from the Dallas Morning News) features Dallas designer Michelle Meredith's new home office, which was built behind her house.

(Sorry about the poor quality scans, but you can see the full article here)

The sample room can also serve as her garage!

Michelle Meredith & Associates

I love her new studio. Another office for my inspiration files!

New Year... New Look

I know I'm a little late on this one, but Happy New Year!

One of the things I've been wanting to do is change up the look a little around here - but I haven't found the time before now (sorry). I could tell you about work kicking my butt, our interesting Christmas, my ear infection, my tooth infection, the frigid weather we've been having, and Chris finally (FINALLY) being able to stay home for a while... but I think that just about summed it up.

I'm sure there may still be a few more changes, but so far I'm loving the new gray damask pattern!