My Sweet Savannah Rose

Two years ago today, my life was changed forever........I became a mother and my sweet Savananh Rose was born into this world!  I love this poem (not sure the author), but it sums up just about everything I am feeling today as I look back over the last two years.

Before I was a Mom
I made and ate hot meals.
I had unstained clothing.
I had quiet conversations on the phone.

Before I was a Mom
I slept as late as I wanted
And never worried about how late I got into bed.
I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday.

Before I was a Mom

I cleaned my house each day.
I never tripped over toys or forgot the words to lullabies.

Before I was a Mom
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom
I had never been puked on
Pooped on
Spit on
Chewed on
Peed on
Or pinched by tiny fingers.

Before I was a Mom
I had complete control of my mind
My thoughts
My body
And I slept all night and got plenty of rest.

Before I was a Mom
I never held down a screaming child
So that doctors could do tests or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
When I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew what love at first sight really meant.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important.

Before I was a Mom
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
Every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth
The joy
The love
The heartache
The wonderment.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much
Before I was a Mom

Happy Birthday, my sweet Savannah Rose - I love you from here to the moon and back again!! (ILYFHTTMABA)

loving…

there is much to love around the blog world this week.  here are just a few things that i’m loving…

1.  the new summer collection from pottery barn.  head on over to belle maison to see a sneak peek before the catalog comes out.

images- pottery barn via belle maison

2.  the home of lee kleinhelter, owner of the store pieces, featured in atlanta homes & lifestyles.  it’s so clean and fresh.  i saw it about a week ago on the the atlanta h&l website but somehow forgot about it until full house posted it on wednesday.  i’m not quite sure how i forgot about this home because it’s beautiful.

 

images – atlanta homes & lifestyles; photography - erica george dines

3.  designer jill johnson.  love her style.  i hadn’t heard of her until today when erin from eos did a post on her home.  jill is madly talented.  click over and check out her portfolio if you get a chance.

images – waterleaf interiors

4.  this AMAZING giveaway going on over at this photographer’s life(in search of style).  blayne beacham, the author of this blog, is giving one lucky winner an ad space in the publication “the beacham series.”  how cool is that!!!  if that’s not an awesome giveaway, then i don’t know what is.  this isn’t a typical “post a comment” giveaway so make sure you go through all of the steps she has listed to enter the giveaway.  oh, and the best part is the actual magazine is absolutely beautiful.  complete eye candy.  blayne, one of the principal photographers of “the beacham series,” is an extremely talented photographer.  the magazine features multi-million dollar homes that are for sale around the atlanta area. 

gorgeous photography + multi-million $$$ atlanta homes + beautiful interiors = one HOT online publication.

head over to blayne’s blog to check out “the beacham series” and to get the details on the giveaway.

image – courtesy the beacham series

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oh, and if you haven’t signed up for one kings lane and received your $10 credit make sure you do so before march 10th.  anyone who signs up for okl through my sign-up site receives an automatic $10 credit just for signing up.  check it out here.

have a warm weekend.  i think atlanta might hit the 60’s this weekend.  i’m super excited about that possibility. 

LiveJournal Tags: loving...,belle maison,pottery barn,lee kleinhelter,pieces,atlanta homes & lifestyles magazine,jill johnson,elements of style blog,this photographer's life,blayne beacham,the beacham series

Cajun Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

I honestly think I could eat pasta everyday for the rest of my life - that is how much I love it!  There are so many different ways to prepare it and it can take on so many different flavors and styles of cooking.

My friend Megan was my inspiration for this dish.  She mentioned a similar dish that she had made for her family that had her husband coming back for more.  So I took the recipe she told me about and added my own spin on it!

Cajun Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

Ingredients:

1 lb. pasta (shells or penne rigate)

1.5 cups heavy cream

1 cup roasted red peppers (I used ones from a jar)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 clove garlic

1 teaspoon cajun seasoning (or a lot more if you like it spicy)

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese + a little for garnish

Green onions (for garnish)

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Ok, it doesn't get a whole lot easier than this......place all ingredients (except pasta) in a blender and puree until smooth.  Then pour the red pepper/cream mixture into a saucepan and cook for 10 minutes on medium-high heat until thickened.

Meanwhile, slice green onions.  Once pasta is cooked, drain and combine with sauce and parmesan cheese.

Sprinkle green onions and a little more parmesan on top and serve.  Enjoy!!

Cottage Mama's Note:  I would normally add sliced andouille sausage to this dish, but the day I made this version, I didn't have any on-hand.  It tasted great without it, but for my "meat-loving" hubby, the sausage is always a winner!  There are some wonderful chicken andouille sausages available in-store these days ("Amy's" makes a great one!).

Whoooohooo - I'm a Finalist!!

Yippee!!  I just found out I am a finalist in the Lil Blue Boo / Dharma Trading Design Challenge.  The judges narrowed the field down from 154 entries down to 15 and I feel so honored to be part of this group.

The dress that was chosen was my first entry, "The Gracyn" (Finalist #12).  Head over to Lil Blue Boo and check out the other finalists and cast your vote for your favorite dress.  There are some other incredibly talented women in this group!

For more information about this dress, click here.

"The Gracyn"

I'm so excited!!  Eeeeeeek!!

tomorrow night and a sneak peak

tomorrow night i’ll be here…

the tory burch store at phipps plaza.

and i’ll be hanging out with jennifer boles from the peak of chic blog.  she’s hosting a great blogger event.  i’m looking forward to meeting her as well as other local atlanta bloggers. 

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i’ve also been working on updating my entry table.  here’s a little sneak peek of what it looks like.  i’m loving it.

LiveJournal Tags: tory burch,the peak of chic,my home

Honey-Dijon Pecan Crusted Salmon

I have been in such a "fishy" mood lately.  I found wild salmon on sale at the grocery store the other day and just had to buy it.  I think the fact that it is Lent right now has really gotten me in the fish mood.  At The Cottage Home Lent = no meat on Fridays, so I really started putting my mind to work coming up with some tasty "no meat" dinners.

I really wanted to try something new with the salmon I had bought at the store.  My husband and I have a grilled salmon recipe we LOVE, but that is more of a summertime dish, so I decided to come up with a new recipe and here it is:

Honey-Dijon Pecan Crusted Salmon

Ingredients:

4 medium-sized fresh salmon fillets

1/4 cup honey

1/3 cup Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons water

1 cup pecan pieces

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix honey, dijon, and water together in a small bowl.  Add more water if necessary - you want it to look like a honey-mustard dipping sauce that you might get in a restaurant.

Mix pecans, butter, and parmesan together in a seperate bowl.

Lay salmon fillets on a cookie sheet.  Brush salmon fillets with honey-dijon mixture and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.

Top each salmon fillet with pecan mixture.  Divide the mixture evenly among the four fillets.

Place salmon in a preheated oven for 15 minutes.  Salmon is perfectly cooked when it flakes easily with a fork.

Serve salmon with rice or potatoes, green salad and/or a steamed green vegetable - YUM!

Cottage Mama's Note: The topping for the salmon would be delicious on many varieties of fish including tilapia or halibut.

a little decorating fun

about a month ago i couldn’t sleep one night so i put together an inspiration board for our family room/dining area.  creating these boards for clients has become one of my favorite things to do, second only to selecting fabrics.  i’m sure our family room won’t end up having every item from this inspiration board but hopefully it will have some of the more important pieces…like that lee industries sofa.  :o)  it’s one of my favorite sofas.  i used some of our current artwork and furniture to create the inspiration board as well as new pieces.  i want our house to have an industrial but comfortable feeling, and i want it to be filled with lots of character.  i’m so indecisive when it comes to my own home though.  things could change before it gets completed, but hopefully after we get our tax money back we’ll have a family room that looks something a little like this.

LiveJournal Tags: our house,lee industries