Herb Bundles

We have a great "poultry" herb pot I picked up @ Armstrong Nursery a couple weeks ago. I had gathered a bunch of herbs to make my own and by the time I added them up, It was cheaper to buy the one already put together... that was a no brainer :). So I took my assorted herb pot home and have been absolutely loving it! We use them all the time for, chicken, salsa( mmm, fresh cilantro), roasted veggies and even tossed into a salad!

But since I've been on bed rest, I haven't really been cooking much :( Here where these yummy herbs with no one to eat them! Also, I wanted to make sure the herbs were pinched back so that they would continue to grow!

So, I cut them back and bagged them in snack size ziplocks with labels. Then tied them with some raffia and threw on my trusty shipping tag, stamped with a little "merci"stamp. They made great little thank you's!

The herb bundles make a simple and super practical hostess gift or thank you. (I probably could have made 6 bundles of assorted herbs if I cut them all back) Also, I thought the mixed herb pot was a fun gift idea for someone who enjoys cooking! ( it was around $20.. not to bad considering a sprig of fresh rosemary or sage @ the grocery store is $2-3.00!) It would make a fabulous christmas gift tied with beautiful tag and bow with a couple recipes tied on (that included those particular herbs :) A specialty or boutique nursery is a great place to find these, they will probably have organic herbs too!

Enjoy! CJ

heirloom turkey melts

I made this sandwich a couple weeks back and it was a hit! This picture doesn't do it justice. It's super quick and is a yummy meal to serve when having people over for lunch. It's just a little spin on the traditional "turkey melt". I served the sandwiches next to a bowl of warm tomato soup, the Trader Joe's tomato and roasted pepper  goes great with it!

The fresh basil, heirloom tomato, and fresh sprouted bread all came from my local farmers market, a great place to get fresh and affordable organic produce! 


Heirloom Turkey Melts 

2 slices sprouted bread with butter (on the pan sides)

2-3 slices TJ's Columbus peppered turkey

2-3 slices heirloom tomato

3-4 fresh basil leaves

3 slices of havarti dill cheese ( a staple in our fridge!)

3 slices of sharp cheddar cheese

sea salt and pepper

Lightly coat the 2 sides of bread with butter, then layer cheese, basil, turkey and tomato ( season the tomato with S&P).  Place sandwich in a skillet or frying pan and cook until cheese is melted and bread is toasted to a golden brown.

Enjoy!

Restoration Chalkboard...

A while back Chad and I were driving out of a shopping center and spotted this fabulous mirror dumped @ the back door of Restoration Hardware. We flipped the car around and found a beautiful beveled mirror with a nice big crack down the middle of it ... one mans junk is another mans treasure! This is the exact mirror we found: Venetian Beaded Mirror ! Score :)... we were going to do something cool with this thing!

I must admit it sat in the garage for a while, but it was just to interesting to get rid of. Finally, the idea came! A chalk board! I had been wanting a fun chalk board for our dinning room or kitchen, something unique to put menus on. This was the perfect thing!

First, I took the broken mirror out of the frame. I taped it all off so that it didn't shatter everywhere and then broke the mirror out. Next, I went to Home Depot and bought a piece of luan plywood board. I was a dork and didn't have my measurements with me so we had to cut it when we got home. Home depot will cut it for you there which is a total time saver! I brought the board home and Chad cut it and primed it for me. Several hours later we painted a coat of chalk board paint on and then painted another coat 1 hour later. After it was totally dry, I drilled in the new board into the back or the frame, and voila! The chalk board was complete!

This could really be done with any frame! Find a cool mirror or frame, small or big, and turn it into a chalk board. A small one could make a fun gift or Christmas present given with a little box of white chalk :)

easy fall leaves idea

I have had this blank spot on the wall of our guest bathroom that has desperately needed a something on it! Every time I walked by it it said " hang something here :)" I asked Chad if I could have a little budget to do something fun in there and he replied with " I'm sure we have something around here you could use"... not the response I was hoping for :)  But determined to have something up and of course always up for the challenge. I took on the hunt to find something we already had and re-purpose it!

Through the house I went, searching for something I could use...Ah! It came to me. Our yard is filled with beautiful colorful leaves right now that i thought might be cool in a frame? I stuck the leaves in between the pages of a heavy book and pressed them for 48 hours. I probably put 15 leaves in and will use the leftovers for gift tags, place cards, etc.  I found a frame in the garage I had bought several years ago and just couldn't find the right photos for.  I dug through my craft closet and found some floral patterned scrapbook paper I had used for something a while back. Then, simply glued 4 different leaves onto 4x6 pieces of scrapbook paper and stuck them in the frame! I don't think this project could get any more simple or cheap!

Supplies: leaves, scrap paper, frame, scissors, and a glue stick

This project would also be cool in an assortment or little collection of vintage frames with different papers or pages from old books!

I'm glad I got the response I did from Chad. There is so much around here that has potential, that with a little bit of creativity everything can be turned into something new!

p.s. I did this a couple weeks ago... I promise I've been good and off my feet! :)

Update :)

Yay! 29 weeks! I had a great Dr. appointment on Wednesday morning. All looks good. Ford is growing really well and is super active. Being on modified bed rest has really made a difference and lessened( if not totally stopped at times) the contractions. So... I will be doing this resting thing :) until he comes! I am so thankful to be home resting rather than in the hospital!

This week Deb (Chad's Step-Mom) has been here helping us! It has been such a treat having her here to help with everything! There's no way I would have been able to rest as much as I have with out her here!

We are also excited that Chad's grandparents are coming too!  :) They will be here all next week spending time with Hudson and helping around the house.

Thank you for your help and prayers!

Resting and Relaxing :)

CJ

here's the view from our family room, my new hang spot... I get to enjoy our little container garden, sure glad we did it two weeks ago! :)

Since I'm not supposed to be cooking...

I am missing my kitchen very much, being on this modified bed rest thing. Watching cooking shows just makes me want to cook. Reading Martha Stewart and Real Simple just makes me want to cook. Checking my email just makes me want to cook, because I probably get a million "recipes of the day" every morning! So here's my solution :) I'll just post them!  Here's 2 sweet recipes my friend Jenny gave me that she had made and got ooo's and ahh's over. She got both of them from Real Simple (one of my favorite magazines and places on the web!) I love these recipes because they are simple! Especially the Pumpkin Cupcakes! When the first ingredient is a boxed cake :) There's an easy start!

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting 

Makes 24 cupcakes

Hands-On Time: 15mTotal Time: 40m

Ingredients

• 1 18.5-ounce box yellow cake mix (plus the ingredients called for in the package directions)
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
• 2 8-ounce bars cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 24 pieces candy corn

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350° F. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners. Prepare the cake mix as directed but with the following change: Add the pumpkin pie spice and substitute the can of pumpkin puree for the water called for in the package directions.
2. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin tins and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes. Let cool.
3. Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar until creamy. Spread on the cupcakes and top each with a piece of candy corn.

Peanut Butter-Cup Cookies

Makes 48 cookiesHands-On Time: 15mTotal Time: 40m

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 12-ounce package small peanut butter cups, coarsely chopped

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375° F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat to combine. Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Fold in the peanut butter cups.
3. Drop tablespoon-size mounds of dough 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake until light brown around the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a baking rack to cool.

Enjoy!

CJ

the Getty Villa

Here's some pic's of a great Saturday our little family had a couple of weeks ago. We spent the afternoon @ J. Paul Getty's Malibu Villa. We were actually just crusing the coast with Hud taking a nap in the backseat and drove in to check it out. We only paid for parking and the tickets to get in were free. We later learned that there is a little bus system that runs from a parking lot of of the property, so you can save and not have to pay for parking or the ticket, so it's totally free!

 It is quite a place to see. We strolled through all of the museum and enjoyed one of the most delicious lunches! I think one of my favorite parts was the amazing food! Chad had the " best burger he has ever had!" (that is quite a statement :) and Hudson and I had an awesome butternut squash soup and roasted chicken sandwich. I should be talking about the incredible artifacts and antiquities, but I think I most enjoyed the beautiful location, great food and fabulous architecture! Here's a link to Visit the Getty !

Orange Circle

 Chad and I ( Hud just gets dragged along:) have a little Saturday morning ritual. It starts with breakfast, somewhere out. There is no regular place... it could be anything from a croissant from a doughnut shop to a sit down trendy spot we have never tried. Most times it's the quicker spot's close by so we can get first pick @ the garage sales in our neighborhood. My sweet husband is not really a garage sale guy, but enjoys the fun finds and gets a laugh watching me barter :) I love finding antiques for quarters and fun designer clothing for a dollar! ( a few weeks ago I bought a Jil Sander handbag for $2, you can't beat that!) Womens Handbags at Barneys New York. We normally come home and do a fun project we have been wanting to accomplish around the house.

But a few Saturday's ago we mixed it up a bit, and did our little ritual in Orange County @ Orange Circle. We discovered it when we went to Disneyland for Chad's birthday. We admired a chandelier in one of the quaint little stores on main street and were told it, and all of the antiques @ Disneyland were from the bounty of Antique stores in  Orange Circle. We were so curious, so on or way home we drove through and realized we had to go back one day to walk around!

Here's a funky thrift shop, but we found some cool antique books for our mantle for super cheap! 

Chad and I got down there around 9:30, and scored! None of the shops were open yet, but to our surprise there were ton's of garage sales! This neighborhood is adorable! The homes are all about 100 years old and maintained beautifully! I reminds me of Pasedena so much. I found a great silver tray with feet, a cool layer cake plate, a great canvas tote and a bunch of great books for Hudson for a whopping total of $15 :) We then went back to the main strip where all the antique malls and shops were. Our friends Matt and Jenny live in Irvine and came up to meet us for lunch and some window shopping.

We love cheese! This little store had a great spread!

I love the hand written cards describing all the cheese, mom and pop shops are the best!

We had a great morning enjoying all the antique shops (there's quite a few!). On Chapman St., which is the main drag, there are tons of little shops and boutiques, lot's fun places to eat, a cupcake shop, a handful of little coffee places and tea house that looked fun. It's totally worth checking out if you enjoy antiques! Take a morning or afternoon, go with a friend to shop around and grab a bite to eat! It's a fun hidden spot you are bound to find a little treasure in!

This is the Tea house "Paris in a cup",  it looked super cute.

Here is chad dancing in the cupcake shop :) I think he was excited!

update :)

Yay! The contractions have really spaced out, as long as I'm off my feet. I'm so thankful for the help and meals we have been getting. It has really allowed me to take it easy and rest, so we can keep this guy in longer. I went in to the hospital with Hudson @ 31-32 weeks and delivered @ 35, so we would love to avoid the whole living @ the hospital thing if possible :)

I have photos, projects, and recipes I have been wanting to put up but haven't had the time to do, so some random posts are coming soon!

CJ

bed rest :)

Baby Ford is doing great!  He is moving around and growing right on schedule. But, my body over the past 48 hours has been having consistent contractions (I will be 28 weeks on Wednesday). I went in to the E.R.( Labor/Delivery) Sunday morning and they were able to get the contractions to space out and not be as intense. I was sent home Sunday afternoon, but then had to go in last night after the contractions came back. I was released a couple hours later, again they were able to stop the contractions with another terbutaline shot.

I am feeling much better and am home now trying to stay off my feet and make sure Mr. Ford stays in longer ( hopefully MUCH longer!) Please pray that the contractions stop, or at least don't make me dilate! We trust that the Lord is in complete control and can do ANYTHING, so we are asking Him to keep Ford in as long until he is big enough and strong enough to come out :)

We are so thankful for our family and church family who have been so thoughtful and helpful.

Thank you for caring for us and praying for us!

much love,

The Brannons

The latest around here :)

Well... where should I start? We have all had the lovely flu :) ( on and off for the past three weeks). I am anxiously looking forward to seeing all our dear friends we have stayed away from! Hudson want's to go to Baby Gym ( a class at church, with a bunch of his buddies)... every morning while getting dressed he asks "Go Baby Gym?

 Since Chad and I have been around the house much more than normal, we have taken on some of the projects that we couldn't ignore:

Outside, we built a compost! ( a fabulous housewarming gift my thoughtful husband got me.. I had been wanting to do one for so long! We planted a "container garden", using a bunch of large old pots (18 of them!) we planted a little herb garden, some veggies, olive trees, and a bunch of great succulents. I will put some pictures up soon. It turned out great and was so much fun to do together. ( It would have never been accomplished without the hard work of my Martha Stewart mom :) She was such a help and gave us some great ideas!) We also got great ideas from  Sunset - How To Live In The West It's a cool website, so simple and had answers to all my gardening questions.

Inside, we hung some new light fixtures we had ordered to replace the really funky 1960's ones our house came with.

 We finished a new dinning room table.. we kind of just beat it up, to be really honest. We sanded out the scratches and left it unfinished and raw, It turned out great, and it was only $40.00! It was my Salvation Army find of the month!

Here is the fun new table :)

Our measuring man :)

new light @ kitchen table, cool Home Depot find!

One of the weekends we were feeling well, we went to Orange County to visit our friends Mat and Jenny. We went to a pumpkin and veggie farm, antique shopped @ Orange Circle, had the yummiest dinner @ The Crab Cooker of Tustin and Newport Beach: Seafood Restaurant - Serving Orange County Since 1951 ( we went to the one in Newport :) It was a really fun and tasty place, we would totally recommend and love to go to again. I had the halibut, it was delicious!

We are excited to be feeling better! It was a bummer to be sick, but had such a sweet time enjoying being together. It's been such a blessing to have Chad work @home! What a treat to enjoy random time together :)

On another note here are two links of families that go to our church. I have been praying for them these past few weeks. If you have a second, read their stories. Their lives are reminders that so many things that I think are mine (Chad, Hudson, Ford...) are not mine! They are sweet and generous gifts from the Lord! I have learned so much from their testimonies and am so convicted, challenged and encouraged by their trust and faith in the Lord. Pray for them and their families as they are in these trials and times of sorrow, yet hope. May we have faith like them and  may we long for heaven as they do!

Nichole Greene

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/malachismith's Blog

CJ

Holiday Candles are in!

I am excited to post that the CJ HOME Holiday scents are in and they are WONDERFUL! 

Fall/Winter:

Ojai/lavender pumpkin:sounds odd, but is really yummy! If you like lavender you'll love it!

Thankful/ harvest spice: Mmm... the perfect candle for Thanksgiving or Christmas!

Santa Barbara: red currant, just like the Votivo candle

Peppermint: a sugary peppermint, sweet and clean

Eggnog: it is eggnog in a jar! 

Chestnuts and Cream: nutty and sweet, almost has a latte(coffee) scent to it

Mistletoe: Wow! This is basically Christmas in a jar. It's a blend of holiday scents, smells like Christmas trees and cinnamon :)

 

16.50 each

3 or more 13.00 each

5 or more 12.00 each :)

 Stock up on great holiday gifts, everyone is sure to enjoy!

All orders can be shipped! Email me @ carlybrannon@earthlink.net

cute boy :)

I took this pic of this cute boy last weekend when went adventuring in O.C.. I will be updating some fun pic's and places we've been to soon! We've been pretty busy around here!

It has been project week. We semi-refinished a dinning room table. I'm revamping a beveled mirror and turning it into a chalkboard (roadside find)... I hope it turns out, it could be really cool!( or could be really ugly...hopefully not:)  I will post some how to pics if it works :) I found some great new recipes that must be shared. We are planting a container garden on our patio tomorrow, there were tons of great pots in the backyard left by the previous owners of our house. So all that to say, I have a lot of posting to do! Posting more soon, CJ

Girls Night IN!

We were supposed to have a girls night OUT with our SoBo high school girls small group, but since it was going to be a cold and rainy night, we stayed inside! I'm putting up this post because it was a fun and affordable evening that would make a great family party or evening with girlfriends! We had several "Fall" desserts we baked with the girls and while our treats were baking we carved/decorated Trader Joe's pumpkins ( which were only 3.49 a piece!) We baked sugar cookies and had the girls add candy corn and m&m's to decorate them.We also made some delicious "pumpkin bars", the recipe is below :).

 We had each girl chip in $5 to cover their pumpkin ( which they took home) and the supplies for the treats, which made the party supper affordable! I made some practically free "give thanks" and "thankful" signs, by just finding a fun font on my computer, printing the letters nice and big and glueing them on card stock squares. I then hung them on what I hang everything in the world on ;) some twine and clothespins ( I keep the twine and pins up, and change out the signs when we have guests over or for up coming holidays ).

Here's some of the pic's from the evening! I'm thankful for the Staff and our sweet girls, we have so much fun together!  P.S. there's a funny pick of my ever so prego belly next to one of the pumpkins, My belly and Mr. Ford are getting big!

Here's the PUMPKIN BAR recipe we used which was FABULOUS! The cream cheese frosting that goes with it is SO easy and tastes just like "Yummy Cupcakes" (in Burbank) Red Velvet Frosting!

Ingredients

Bars:

• 4 eggs
• 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 15-ounce can pumpkin
• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Icing:

• 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth. Spread the batter into a greased 13 by 10-inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting. Cut into bars.

To make the icing: Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and mix again. Spread on cooled pumpkin bars.

Enjoy!  CJ

this thing rocks!

After having dessert at our friends Matt and Suelynn's place a couple of months ago, Chad and I discovered this wonderful contraption! It is a glass, cordless, pretty much instant boil water kettle! We both love tea and Chad is now making coffee with a Chemex coffee maker which requires boiling water in a kettle. This thing is the ultimate time saver and makes brewing SO much faster! It is also great for parties, it makes refills on tea or hot coco no big deal to make. There are several different companies that make it, but we really like this one... Check it out! It really is quite fabulous :)

Capresso H20 Glass Water Kettle

Also... Suelynn is a pastry chef, who makes the most amazing desserts! I couldn't resist having 2 pieces of this delicious pie! I know it's fall, but stick this recipe in your back pocket, for a warmer day :)

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Lemon-Meringue-Pie-10149

getting big!

Here's some shots of Hud playing with Chad :) This is his new favorite activity, walking on Chads back and then jumping off!... The harder the fall the better! Oh, the joy's of little boy's!

and the winner is...

Laura! Chad pulled your name out of the bowl this morning! "Santa Monica" will be on it's way to Austin, TX soon :)

Also, I will have all candles in stock this afternoon and NEW Holiday scents by next week!!

Here is the list again of what I have:

THANKFUL/harvest spice: pumpkin,cloves, and cinnamon, smells like pumpkin pie in FALL!! ( this is what my house smells like right now :)

JOYFUL/chestnuts and cream: this one reminds me of a vanilla late. creamy and nutty

SANTA BARBARA/red currant: similar to a cranberry but richer and sweeter, this reminds me of the scent of some cozy beach house in the fall

VENICE/raspberry: is the most fragrant and really does smell like fresh raspberry gelato from my favorite little spot on Abbott Kinney St. :)

STUDIO CITY/grapefruit: fresh, clean and sweet

PASADENA/gardenia: true gardenia scent, smells like some 1920's mansion in pasadena :)

SANTA MONICA/ apricot fresia: a yummy ,unique blend of sweet and floral

TOLUCA LAKE/ rosemary cucumber: earthy and clean

SILVERLAKE/ cilantro basil: earthy and fresh, great for kitchen :)

email me @ carlybrannon@earthlink.net !

Thank you for all your fabulous ideas! I will be doing some of them!!! Keep posted to see what's comming! Have a great day!

CJ

CJ Home Soy Candle Idea Giveaway!

So... Thanksgiving and Venice are all SOLD OUT! I do have stock on all others but am limited. Thank you for all the orders! I will hopefully have more by the end of this week. For all order info and contact, email me @ carlybrannon@earthlink.net.

I am brainstorming on what people are going to be wanting to have for Christmas scents? I have several ideas in the works but am curious to see what some of YOUR favorite Holiday/ Winter scents were?

This week I'm doing a candle give away of " Santa Barbara" my latest Fall candle (no biggie if you're far away, I can ship it!) To enter just post a comment with your name, favorite Holiday/Winter scent AND an all year scent you would love to see CJ Home candles have? I will do a drawing THURSDAY morning @ 9:00 so have all entries in before then :) Looking forward to your thoughts! -CJ

SoBo Retreat 2009

Our Family had a wonderful weekend with our new high school Bible study, SoBo...(named that because we are located "south of the boulevard" :) It was a great weekend of getting to know each other, making memories and learning from scripture. The two teaching times were on humility and effective small groups. These were perfect lessons to hear,to prepare us for a year of unity, honesty and growth. Larry and Lauren Brown were so gracious to allow 20 students and 5 staff to invade their beautiful home for the weekend. I am so thankful to the Lord for this group. They are an answer to prayer and such a joy to serve an serve with. I am looking forward to seeing the fruit that comes from this weekend, and am grateful to get to be a part of this awesome ministry!

A day in the dirt...

Baby Cole's Shower

My friend Bethany is expecting a little boy any minute now :) So last Friday night my friend Julie and I threw a little surprise dinner shower for her. She thought we were going out on a little date night out to dinner with our husbands, but that never happened :) Instead it was fun evening enjoying friends and showering her with fun little boy goodies! We had an assortment of different hummus dips, bruschetta, mint fruit salad, chicken caesar salad, and homemade key lime pie ( yumm ... I will post this recipe as soon as I get it:)

Julie Martin made all the cute little signs, name cards,tags,etc... If you are looking for fabulous invites, or design needs, she is the gal! She also designs these chic and not cheesy baby books/albums that are a must have for any new momma! I have one for Hudson and already have one for Ford :) You can find them @ http://rubylovedesigns.etsy.com

Bethany, we hope you had a wonderful evening! We love you and can't wait to meet sweet little Cole! - cj

CANDLES ARE IN!

The NEW Fall candles are in! They smell pretty fabulous, if I do say so myself :) I absolutely LOVE the new scents. CJ Home soy candles are all SOY WAX, CLEAN BURN, LEAD FREE, HANDMADE AND 100% RECYCLABLE.

Santa Barbara a.k.a Red Currant : reminds me of one of my favorite beach cities; clean, sweet, and fresh.

THANKFUL a.k.k. Harvest Spice : the perfect fall/winter candle that smells like a pumpkin pie baking in the oven....

JOYFUL a.k.a. Chestnuts and Cream : this candle is a rich warm blend of vanilla and chestnuts.

I have all 10 scents in stock! I had so many requests for the originals, but wanted to make sure we had some fun new ones to add in this season! Remember to stock up on great "thank you " gifts, birthday presents, and Christmas presents! Here are scents, pricing, and packages!

1 candle : 16.00 each

Fall / Winter 09 Packs... your pick, mix and match :)

2 or more: 14.00 each

3 or more : 13.00 each

5 or more : 12.00 each

Studio City a.k.a. grapefruit

Toluca Lake a.k.a rosemary cucumber

Venice a.k.a. raspberry

Pasedena a.k.a gardenia

Santa Monica a.k.a. apricot fresia

Malibu a.k.a jasmine lily

Silverlake a.k.a. cilantro basil

Santa Barbara a.k.a. red currant

THANKFUL a.k.a harvest spice

JOYFUL a.k.a. chestnuts and cream

To place an order, contact me @: carlybrannon@earthlink.net

Dance Pants

I

I love this little series of Hudson dancing @ the hamburger stand we stopped at for lunch the other day. He's got some pretty cute new moves! I like the little tongue sticking out!

Cupcake Bar

My friend Sarah passed this "Cupcake Bar" idea to me. I had a group of the High School Staff gals over for dinner and wanted a fun dessert. So I put out several flavors of cupcakes ( I was going to make them, but ran out of time so MARTINO'S BAKERY in Burbank came in handy and their cupcakes rock!)( I even used their famous teacakes for "cupcakes" and they were the first ones gone!) and a handful of toppings. I displayed them on cake plates and did the topping in an assortment of vintage bowls. I also told friends when they sweetly asked "what can I bring?"to bring their favorite candy or cupcake topping. We ended up having a great assortment from candy to fresh strawberries.

We then had a little decorating competition (the kitty at the top was the winner, but there were some pretty cute others too!). It ended up being really fun and was a crack up watching everyone rack their brains on what to do with their cupcakes. I will be using this "cupcake bar" for future parties and showers. It was easy and was a great little social thing to do instead of a game!

Jenny's Birthday

B-Day Dinner

MENU

_____________

Memphis Baby Back Ribs

Texas Beef Brisket

Lazy Smoked BBQ Chicken

Beef&Pork Hot Links

Southern Green Beans

Creamy Coleslaw

Made-from-Scratch Baked Beans

CJ's House Salad

Texas Toast

Jean's Famous Fresh Peach Cobbler

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Coffee :)

www.intelligentsiacoffee.com/

I wanted to do something fun for Chad's 30th birthday :) so I combined some of his favorite people with some of his favorite food! We had a wonderful evening last night enjoying friends and family! I kept the decor simple, fresh flowers around the house, hung classic Chad pictures on twine with clothes pins, and as always at our house lots and lots of candles! I found a new local flower mart and scored on kale, black dahlias ( my new favorite fall flower! ), bells of Ireland, and lots of white stalk!




I really wanted to be able to spend the night hanging with Chad and our guests, so I ordered all the food from www.zekessmokehouse.com/ in West Hollywood. This is the closest thing to Texas we can get. It was delicious and It was SO nice being able to not have to cook and clean it all up! ( I love the cook part but dread the clean up part:) We had a great night enjoying our dear friends and celebrating my wonderful husband :) He is so loved and I saw that so much last night!

Disney continued...

These were some sweet shots of Hudson while we waited at the steamboat dock and a couple other random ones :)

Happy Birthday Chad!

We went down to disneyland for the weekend to celebrate Chad's birthday. We had so much fun! We had a great day together! We enjoyed all the kiddie rides with Hudson, who kept saying RIDE!, lunch @ the Blue Bayou, plenty of overpriced tasty snacks( popcorn and turkey leg :) and a yummy birthday ice cream dessert from the Gibson Girl Ice Cream shop!

We debated on splurging and staying @ one of the Disney Hotels, but after much deliberation and the idea of a $300-600.00 hotel room... ouch! We decided to stay @ the Howard Johnson, which may sound slightly funky and slightly outdated... ok, very outdated :) but it was wonderful! I would recommend this to anyone looking for a place to stay while @ Disneyland. The rooms were super clean, we had great service, $90-120.00 a night rates, 8 minute walk to the gates of Disney, and a new water park on the property ( which Hudson could have played @ all day :)! Very cool! We actually took a break from Disneyland and went back to go cool off and play in the water at the hotel in the middle of the day, It was so nice!

Here are some pics of our Disney adventures!

P.S. Thank you Chad for a wonderful trip! I love you and am so thankful to be your wife! May the Lord continue to do great things in your life! Happy 30th baby! You're the best! -cj

hudson and the hill

We had a great weekend away to Lake Arrowhead for our dear friend Jenny's birthday. We stayed at their beautiful lake house and enjoyed waterskiing, great company and delicious food :). Their house has this great big grassy area outside before you hit the water to the lake. I had to pull my camera out when Hud was running down the grassy slope to Chad who was waiting at the bottom. It was so cute watching him climb up the little hill and run as fast as he could ( half the time tripping and rolling in the grass :) back down. Here are some pic's of Hud in action :)

Magazzino Studio Cafe

Mmm... I just had to write a quick post about this little place. I'm glad I don't live super close because I'd be tempted to never make lunch and eat there everyday :) MAGAZZINO Studio Cafe is @ 109 North Pass Ave. Burbank CA 91505. it is directly across the street form Warner Brothers Studios. When I had the store I ate there all the time. It is a Sandwich/Salad/Soup cafe with a simple menu that is delicious!

Today I was in Burbank and just couldn't resist . I had a half house salad (mixed greens, goat cheese, roasted peppers & sun dried tomatoes) and a half bowl of lentil soup ( lentil doesn't sound that fabulous, but all her soups are amazing). The soup is so yummy that even though it was 111 degrees outside I still ordered it! I also love her sandwiches they are ALL delicious... you can't go wrong. If I wasn't prego (no caffine :) I would have had a big glass of her house iced peach tea that is a must try.

It's a great spot for a lunch date. You can eat there or take it to go. It would also make a yummy picnic to take to a local park. The place is REALLY small ( but very cute and quaint) so get there extra early or extra late or you and all of the Warner Bros. Studio people will be waiting for a table... I think there are only 9 little tables :) They are open Monday - Friday. Go check it out! Enjoy! -cj

We have a winner :)

FORD it is! Hannah you are the winner! :)

okay so maybe we need a couple more clues :)

What do Harrison, Gerald, and Galpin have in common?...... :)

Care to buy a consonant?

There were some very cute names on that last post's comments but none were the baby's name. Here is the last clue :)

4. There is a D in the name...

The first person to guess the name wins a CARLY JEAN HOME fall soy candle :)

(only ONE guess per person :)

Thank you all for having fun with my silly game!

Baby Name :)

As of now Baby's name is a secret :) Here are a couple of hint's to help ... I'm curious to see is anyone can guess it ?

1. I do not know anyone personally with this name

2. _ _ _ _

3. One of the letters is R

:) Happy Guessing!

kirberg candids...

Here's some fun shots of our friends @ the wedding :)

Kirberg Wedding

Our friends Courtney and Jeremiah tied the knot this weekend in Camarillo. It was a sweet wedding and great reception, filled with yummy food and great company. Chad and I had a great time. Here are some of my favorite pics...

two to tango

I really should be doing the dishes right now but couldn't resist this post :)Hudson and I had a fun morning with Bethany and Katelynn. A walk, hot fresh bagels, and a little dancing. Hud and Kate, hand in hand, dancing around the patio... priceless :) Ok, now back to dishes.

good morning hud ;)

Here's a couple of pics of Hud I shot this morning... He was in the sweetest mood and had the best sleepy eyes, I couldn't resist. The squinty one is his reaction to the flash... before it would even come on :)

BLUE :)

We are excited to announce WE'RE HAVING A BOY! We had a great Dr. appointment yesterday, things are looking great so far! We are trilled and can't wait to meet this sweet little guy! Hudson is ready for his new partner in crime :)

yummy new spot!

 The Counter is a tasty, new (to Studio City), gourmet burger joint. Their menu is actually a checklist for you to build your own burger, so you can make it all your own.  Chad and I had a date afternoon last week and had a great time here. We ordered 1/3 lb burgers on their ever so yummy wheat buns, with horseradish cheddar cheese, mixed greens, roasted peppers, red onion and garlic sauce! We split the sweet potato/onion ring/shoe string french fry basket, that came with three fabulous sauces. We wanted the whole experience so we split a fresh chocolate chip cookie a la mode for dessert too! :) Yumm! There are some great healthy options too: their home made veggie burger or grilled chicken. You can also order any burger over a salad instead of the bun. And if you have self control, you can ditch the fries and the cookie and you can make it a whole lot healthier ;) We will be back soon! Go check it out!

 

CANDLES SOLD OUT! Batch #2 on it's way!

How cool is that! Within 48 hours the new CJ Home Candles were gone! They were a hit in the store and did really well at the "Keep it Local" art show! The next batch will be done and in the shop tomorrow. (3319 w. magnolia blvd. burbank ca 91604...818.972.2500) I  introduced 3 more scents: 

"Malibu" a.k.a. jasmine lily

"Toluca Lake" a.k.a. rosemary cucumber

" Santa Monica" a.k.a. apricot freisa 

 

Come check them out in the store or shoot me an email if you'd like to make an order! They are all 20 % OFF! Have a great day! -CJ

CARLY JEAN soy candles...

I'm so excited about my new candle line! This is a fun new little business that I am going to be running from home and online! I absolutely love the final product and am so happy with the quality. These are hand poured, 100% SOY, amazingly fragrant candles. They burn for 45 hours. I have 4 scents that remind me of 4 of my favorite L.A. cities. The "Studio City" candle reminds me of the fresh aroma of the grapefruit trees in my backyard. The "Silverlake" blends cilantro and basil and reminds me of the earthy cool vibe of the trendy little town of Silverlake. The "Pasedena"reminds me of fresh cut gardenia out of some 1900's Pasedena mansion garden. The "Venice" tastes like NiceCream's raspberry gelato - fresh and sweet! The candles retail @ $16.00 for and 8.0z jar. I will be selling them @ 20%OFF ($12.80) in the shop for the next two weeks! The CARLY JEAN website is in the works and they will be for sale there also! Until then, you can email me @ carlybrannon@earthlink.net.

Carly Jean 50% off EVERYTHING!

Carly Jean Boutique will be officially closing May 31! The entire store is on SALE @ 50% OFF!  Bring your friends in, now is the time to go! We are selling out of merchandise quickly. There's tons of great gift ideas to stock up on ( birthdays, thank you's, holidays), scarves, jewelery, and basics. We are also selling furniture: lamps, fixtures, tables, frames, and tons more! Our hours are TUESDAY-SATURDY 11-7.  

50% off ALL CLOTHING

50% OFF ALL JEWELERY

10.00 ALL VINTAGE NECKLACES

5.00 ALL EARRINGS (on green table)

10.00 ALL VINTAGE CLUTCH PURSES

10.00 ALL SKIRTS

15.00 ALL JACKETS

10.00 ON ALL SHOES

10.00 ON ALL BOOTS

As some of you know I am ending the store to be able to be a full time momma. The store has been one of the most amazing blessings to me and it will truly be missed. I'm so thankful for an amazingly faithful clientele, I will miss all the wonderful people I worked with. Carly Jean closing is not the end of my creative journey, it's the beginning of something new and exciting. I will now have the time and ability to focus all my energy on Chad, Hudson, our home and our church. I know this is what the Lord want's and I'm excited to see what He has for me!-cj

water break

Hudson found a comfy place to take a water break while I folded laundry :)

a couple pic's...

Gladstone's

This past Saturday night my boys and I headed down to Gladstone's for dinner. It's located @ 17300 Pacific Coast Hwy. Pacific Palisades CA 90272. We love taking the 405 South and exiting Sunset, take Sunset Blvd. (rt) all the way down to the coast. You will dead end @ Gladstones. The drive is beautiful through all the cool neighborhoods. I know the menu is amazing, but my favorite thing ( which conveniently is the cheapest thin on the menu:)is their famous clam chowder in the fresh sourdough bread bowl. Sit outside,watch the seagulls and enjoy some delicious food! The key to this event not taking forever is MAKE RESERVATIONS! if not you'll be waiting 2 hours like we did! (we watched all the people with reservations eat dinner;)The number is 310-454-3474. Here's a couple of pics :)

70 and Sunny!

This is the second time in a week that I've packed up a lunch, threw a big blanket and toys in the car and headed to the beach. The weather has been just beautiful here, 70 and sunny! Here's some fun pics of our beach adventures!

Thankful

Last week I went in for a regular check up at my doctor, I was 9.5 weeks pregnant. Sadly we found out that the sweet little baby went home to be with the Lord. It was not what we had planned, but we know that it is exactly what the Lord had planned. I always think of Habakkuk, His name means " one who embraces". His name was so appropriate, He clung to God and even when times looked hopeless and dark, He rejoiced in God and was dependent on God's strength. One of my favorite verses is Habakkuk 3:18-19 at the most hopeless of times Habakkuk prays,

 " Yet I will exult the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of My Salvation. The Lord God is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds feet, And makes me walk on my high places." 

I love that picture of hinds feet walking on mountains that look impossible to climb, but God has made their feet to climb and overcome them. I'm thankful for God's strength that carries us through all things.I'm thankful the Lord continues to teach and grow us. I'm thankful God tests our faith. I am thankful for Salvation, which saves me and gives me forgiveness and hope beyond this world. I'm thankful for a husband beyond what I could have dreamed of, who so sweetly loves, teaches and leads me constantly to Christ. I'm thankful for my sweet baby Hudson who I can't kiss enough, squeeze enough, and love enough. I'm thankful the Lord answers prayer, and will continue to pray for another baby! 

Whole Foods Arroyo-Pasedena

I met my mom for lunch last week @ Whole Foods on Arroyo Parkway in Pasedena. If you are a fan of Whole Foods, this will be like Disneyland! The store is two levels and has more variety and assortment, than any other WF I have been to. On the second level there is a hot food bar, cold food bar, sushi bar, wood fire pizza spot, deli , bakery, gelato bar, tapas bar, and the list goes on. We enjoyed some salads and little tastes of a variety of the hot food. I've had the wood fire pizza before and It is awesome!  There's tons of tables and chairs, perfect for a date for two or a bunch of friends. The menu satisfies any craving or desire, they have about everything you can think of, and it's mostly healthy and all tasty. 

The store also has a fresh juice bar (which I enjoyed for dessert), olive bar, beautiful produce department and expansive health and beauty area. There's also an awesome selection of gluten free products, the largest I've ever seen. It's a fun store in a great city. Go grab lunch and enjoy some fun shopping in the area, great antique stores are not to far away and Colorado Blvd. always has plenty of fun things to see ( it's maybe 5 min away). The Salvation Army Boutique off of Fair Oaks, has been one of my secret places to find furniture and antiques for great prices! If you're in Pasedena or looking for a fun new spot, Whole Foods is a must see!

Whole Foods Pasedena

465 South Arroyo Park

Pasedena CA 91105

Happy Birthday Olivia!

Today would be Olivia Grace's 2 year birthday. For those of you who don't know, Chad and I lost our first baby @ 27 weeks of pregnancy. It was a total shock, and to this day we don't have any concrete medical reasons to explain it. But we do know that God's timing is perfect and that was the time he had planned for her.  Romans 8:28 say's "And we know that God causes ALL things to work together for GOOD to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Even though this was devastating and heartbreaking, in the same moment we could rest in the fact that God was still good, and this was part of His perfect plan. That doesn't mean we don't still grieve, It means that we as believers have hope and peace knowing our perfect God is in control. A day doesn't go by that I don't wonder what life would have been like or what she would have been like but,  We rejoice in knowing she is in Heaven with our great God and anxiously await to see her and hold her again when we join her someday.  Happy Birthday Olivia! We love you and miss you!