All American Dish...

It's been awhile since I cooked and so therefor, I decided that with my mom being out of town, now would be a good opportunity to swoop in and make my dad eat some "hidden veggies" again! I know I just became a brit, and should have probably been making a shepards pie or something of that sort... but I decided to play it safe if I was going to expect my dad, the picky eater, to eat some of it.

I opted for the oh so traditional american meal of the deluxe meatloaf and garlic red mashed potatoes... funny thing is I don't think my mom has actually ever made this for us... oh well there's a first time for everything hu? All I know is that it looks like something my dad would eat, so I decided to try and make it!

Every Day Light Meals Cookbook

I gathered all of my ingredients, tools, and got to work... ever pretend your hosting your own cooking show when you make fancy dishes... is it just me? I can't wit to in London and the hubs can make special guest appearances on my show =)

some worcestershire sauce for my in laws...

mix it all together...

tada... deluxe meatloaf!

So now I put almost finished deluxe meatloaf in the oven and let it do it's thing in there while I move onto the mash... The meatloaf is where the hidden veggies are... sorry I couldn't show all the pics for fear of my dad finding out and then refusing to eat the loaf... but they are in there, promise!

ever so patiently waiting for something to drop...

love me some garlic!

the finished masterpiece...

served with chilled riesling...

I had a lot of fun cooking this meal! It was definately a little more hands on than other recipies I've tried before but I liked the extra challenge... My meatloaf kind of fell apart as I tried to slice it... I think I needed to wait a little while after it came out of the oven before cutting it but we were so hungry we couldn't wait! Still tasted delishes and you know what, my dad even had extras =)

As always, if you have any questions or want any of the recipes, just comment me and I'll share! Have you ever tried to do a meatloaf? Any tricks you can add to help it keep its shape when slicing???? Let me know.

Wedding Preview...

On the crazy long list of things I have to get done before I head over the pond: finally post my wedding pics!!!! Searching around the web I found this video and it made me all happy and gusshy stirring up memories of Ben and I's long journey and how it's distance part is finally coming to a close...

Love comes in all shapes, colors, sizes, genders, and forms... I think it is so beautiful how Bright Eyes captured the true emotions behind what love can be... Cheesy I know but our wedding felt like it was the first day of my life too... So I thought it would be the perfect thing to accompany some wedding preview pics...

 

Stick around if you want to see more... you never know when I might post them... ;)

I'm British!!!

So remember that thing that I've been ever so patiently waiting for... yep that's right... MY VISA IS HERE!!!!!! It actually got here yesterday, and I actually got an email the day before (thur.) telling me about my acceptance and that it should arrive soon... but I didn't want to jinx anything and decided not to tell anyone (except for Ben, my parents, and little k) until I had the actual, physical, visa in my hands. A little extreme I know, but you know when your about to get the everything you've been wanting for the past five and something years... I just wanted to protect it until it was 100% real... and now it is!!!!!!

Well I called the hubs straight away and made the mistake of telling him while he was at work, so of course due to his reaction, well let's just say some brits may have also found out... but not through me! And then his status changes to "my wife is british" although I told him to keep it quite for now.. but he reassures me no one will be able to break through his super duper crypt message... Stacey congrats me later that night, apparently she has super duper crypt message breaking powers!

So here I am bursting with all kinds of emotions... shock, thrill, excitement, nervousness, you name it... I felt it... dying to share my news with someone and being good while he's pre-celebrating lol. But now it's my turn and I could not be more ecstatic to inform you all that I Jackie Beale am British!!!!!

That's right... I'm British!!!

Yep I have British Red Lipstick...

Thanks to all the love & support everyone has shown Ben & I throughout the years... we couldn't have gone this far without it!

Morikami...

I've been meaning to post pics from this amazing visit to the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens for awhile now and just kept forgetting... but better late than never! One of my oldest friends Bryan invited me along on this outing with his family and I just couldn't pass up the great opportunity... the day was filled with so much needed nature, beauty, and zen... i loved every minute of it! We strolled through endless gardens, had a terrific time catching up, and indulged in molchi (mine was hazelnut flavored and delish!)

Thanks again to Bryan and enjoy!!!!

 

Bryan & family...

Colour Like No Other...

Dropped my ma off at the airport today... she's headed for a cousin's wedding in Peru! I wish I could have joined her but as you may or may not know, the visa people still have my passport... grrr.

I just love everything about weddings... and I know I know, I have to dedicate a post to my own wedding from this past November... stick around, you never know when I'll feel inspired to get it all together!

Not much to say today... I came across this video on one of my fave blogs, the flower child dwelling and it just made me feel so happy and light, I had to share it with you all! Thanks Kelly An! I love the use of color, the song, and the fact that I didn't even know it was an ad until the very end! Very original and refreshing... Enjoy it and check out her blog too... I'm pretty positive you too will fall in love with her personal style, posts, and the cute things she offers on her blog... definitely inspiring!

Here is what I LOVE about blogging and discovering new things... that first video led me to these other ads Sony did for their Bravia televisions... loving the color concept they aimed for!

Milly + Clinique

Sometimes a collaboration comes around that feels so right and obvious, you can't believe it's only now being executed... that is how I felt when got my Clinique email this morning and the great news! Allow me to introduce to you Milly for Clinique in Pretty in Prints.

Also if you happen to shop at Bloomingdales, you can get this great $75 value Milly set free when you purchase any $30 at Clinique... I'm thinking about running over and grabbing me one! Another cool thing Milly is doing exclusively with Bloomy's is this super cool sweepstakes offering a grand prize of 3 pieces straight off her Spring Runway Collection!!!! Of course I already entered... =)

 

So all this Milly talk and seeing the fun prints on these makeup bags of course led me to view her Spring 2011 RTW Collection... and I am a HUGE FAN!!! I think I honestly want at least half of the collection to spruce up my wardrobe and would gladly throw out my some of my current things for it... now how to convince Ben this is a good idea... See for yourself and you'll know what Im talking about. To sum up Milly's Spring collection... she uses a bold color palette of bright reds and oranges, emerald greens, navys, and pops of yellow and lavender. Her look is filled with color blocking, retro inspired prints, brocrade and tweed fabrics, and of course her staple bold florals. Each look is polished off with some more emerging trends for this spring, including turbans, 70's inspired glasses, and coral lips... LOVE!!!

Here are some of my favorite pieces... enjoy and go check out her whole collection.

Milly Spring 2011 RTW Collection

Back to the Future...

As I was catching up on some of my favorite blogs, I found this amazing photo shoot over at A Cup Of Jo that I just to share with you guys! Check out photographer Irina Werning's latest project Back To The Future where she has people reenact old childhood pics. I love the way she is able to capture that nostalgic and retro vibe from the old pics in the updated version of them. It's also pretty cool to see how she evoke the same emotion now out of her subjects as they did back then... well go on to her site and I promise you will not be disappointed!

Here are some of my favorite ones... though it was really hard to choose!

 Thanks again Jo and Irina!!!

N.Y. I Love You...

So I've been coming up with some big ideas... doing a lot of brainstorming and researching... but not quite ready to share just yet so stay tuned!

In the midst of my research, I came across the film New York, I Love You and totally fell in love, all over again, with New York... for those of you that do or have lived in the big apple, you'll definitely relate to all of the quirky short stories with a "yep that's NY..." and a smile. Those of you that have never been, well don't worry, you'll enjoy it all the same =)

The movie is directed and filmed in the same way as Paris, Je T'Aime... and if you haven't seen that one well shame on you and make it a movie night pronto! It's a series of story lines that develop as quickly as they disappear into the next story and rarely do the characters repeat, but since this is N.Y.  and it is such a small island at times, they might reappear in the background. But don't fret, each story and its characters are brilliantly developed in a way that keeps you wishing there was more to that specific story. One of my favorite story's of the movie is what I like to call the Old Couple or Ben and I in the future. I hope you like it as much as I do and let me know of any films that you think I might like....

*P.S. I've been missing N.Y. a lot lately and might just have to dedicate a post to the city that stole my heart...

Have you Heard of Swirl???

One of the things I definitely knew I would miss the most about NYC are all the fabulous sample sales!!! Sorry to sound spoiled but I like designer things... the luxury and quality just don't compare once you've added some into your closet. The way I see it, it's an investment on statement and staple pieces that will last you the rest of your lifetime if purchased correctly... I like to think of them as family heirlooms my daughters will get to inherit one day... far, far away =)

Alright but before you think I'm rich or blowing all of my paycheck on these items... enter sample sales!!!! I can proudly say that yes I have built up quite a nice collection of designer (big & small) pieces in my wardrobe and that no, I have never paid full price! Sure the prices may still range a little high, but when compared to the original prices, it's amazing how much you are saving! Just remember that it is quality over quantity and that the one piece you bought will last a lot longer than the 20 cheaper things you could have bought instead.

So what's a girl to do if you don't have the luck of living in NYC??? I was worried too when I realized I would be moving... but rest assured... enter Swirl. Think of Swirl as a giant online sample sale, catered to your needs exclusively. Once you sign up, you personalize your profile with preferred designers, womens, mens, or kids wear and they start emailing you accordingly! It's so much fun to see what's out there and although at the moment I am in between jobs and can't actually purchase stuff, I still feel like it still fills my shopping void to just add things to the cart... do you ever do that??? Here are my top pic's of what was emailed to me today:

Maison

Heartloom

So what do you all think??? Signing up as soon as your done here right? Right! Let me know of any other good sites like these that you may know of... girls gotta help each other out you know ;)