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Mon
17 ^th

The Last Slice: An Uncommon Goods Story

Posted by Erin — No Comments

This post has been compensated by Uncommon Goods however the opinions and stories are 100% my own.

My Dad had a ridiculous sweet tooth. He loved all sorts of sweet treats and baked goods. Milkshakes, doughnuts, cakes, and cookies. He had a particular fondness of pie.

My Dad who was also a hardworking and genuinely great guy had come home from a long day at the office. Most days after work, Dad would go for a run, do some lawn work, or if it was one of our many sports seasons he would end up having to head right to coach us. I think the physical activity would help him unwind. However, on one particular day, no amount of physical activity was going to help.

There was one day when I was about 10 and we had a gorgeous and fresh blueberry pie in the house.

My Dad had walked in the house and had seen the pie sitting on the counter he couldn’t help himself. He didn’t even change his clothes or exchange pleasantries with anyone. He grabbed a fork and plate with an almost ‘Hello, old friend’ look in his eyes, and helped himself to a slice. My brother, Kevin, and I were looked at each other wide eyed knowing that dinner was soon, and Mom wouldn’t be happy to see a slice of pie missing. It must have been a particularly rough day for Dad at work, though, because he got up from the table again and helped himself to another slice of blueberry pie. He wolfed it down as fast as the first, this time topping it off with a glass of milk. He went to the counter for another slice. Then another. Kevin and I’s eyes widened with every gigantic slice of pie that was eaten. Until, finally, there was only one slice left. Kevin and I looked at the pie plate, then at each other.

We had just witnessed a stress eating session of epic proportions.

We thought he was finished when he had cleared his mess from the table, the only evidence of the insanity was the one slice of pie left in the pie tin.

Until…

Dad walked to the counter grabbed the entire pie plate, and dug in with his fork and finished the entire blueberry pie.

I guess he figured there was no sense in leaving just one slice. Looking back, I kind of agree. What’s the point?

When I eat pie, I think of my Dad and that last slice of pie every time, and I always laugh.

For those that read my blog on a regular basis, you know that when it comes to gifts or things in my home I like to surround myself and decorate with things that are sentimental, remind me of something, or possibly have a history, and have a lot of heart. When Uncommon Goods reached out to me and asked me to write about their beautiful line of products I was eager to pair up with a company that is sentimental, personal, and has a lot of heart.

Uncommon Goods supports artists, most of them living right here in the United States by selling handmade items such as home decor, wall art, kitchen and housewares, and even jewelry. Many of the unique items Uncommon Goods sells use recycled or up cycled materials which show their commitment to our planet. Also, as a part of their mission, and this was my favorite part, Uncommon Goods employs all of its workers for a fair wage. In fact, their lowest paid seasonal worker receives 50% more than the local minimum wage. If that doesn’t show heart, I don’t know what does.

Uncommon Goods asked me to browse around their wall art line which you can find here or home decor line which you can find here, or their adorable line of decorative pillows which you can find here. Then, I was to find something that I liked for our home. Let me tell you, it was not easy as there are so many adorable and beautiful items to choose.

As my list of items to choose got longer, I saw this adorable watercolor entitled The Last Slice by Kendyll Hillegas in the Wall Art section, and I stopped dead in my tracks. Hillegas paints ordinary every day objects, and this ordinary everyday object was perfect.

It immediately made me think of my Dad and the blueberry pie story. I knew it would look adorable hanging in my dining room, and it would bring me back to the moment not just when I am eating a slice of pie but every time I sit down in my dining room.

Not only is the watercolor itself so cute and a perfect addition to any kitchen, but I am loving the natural wood tone of the frame.

It arrived perfectly packaged. Safe and sound.

And it is hanging for all to admire. I am looking forward to someone asking me about it, so I can not only share where I got such an adorable piece of art, but also share a funny family story.

If you would like more information about Uncommon Goods or to shop, visit the website. For news or information about new items follow them Uncommon Goods on Facebook or Twitter.

Wed
15 ^th

Brand New Door

Posted by Erin — 3 Comments

A few months ago, Brian and I made the decision that we needed a new front door. Even though, I had painted the door to “help” it cosmetically, it never seemed to work right. It would stick, the deadbolt never seemed to work exactly right, and few weeks ago, the frame of the door pretty much started falling apart.

When it comes to holding a door together like this, it is time to get a new door.

We shopped around at a few different places in our area for front doors. We had an idea of what we liked and about what we would like to spend. We ended up getting a craftsman style door by a brand sold at Home Depot called Feather River.

The biggest decision for us was color. While we liked the idea of a bright colored door, our house faces directly west. In the afternoon we get tons of sunlight, and we new a painted door would fade fast, where a wood stained door would need much less maintenance over time.

We also opted for a new storm door, which is much quieter and looks a lot better than our old one.

Since Brian and I are newbies to DIY, we figured that having the door installed by professionals was the way to go. It added to the final cost of the door, but our theory was that a door is only as good as is installation. We are glad we did.

Here are some before photos:

Bye bye, Old Door!

Why, hello there!

There is a slight flaw in the door, but the Home Depot installers noticed immediately and have will be bringing us a new door sans flaw as soon as possible. Since our old door situation was horrible, we are keeping the new door with the flaw until the new one arrives. This should only take a few weeks.

So far, we are loving the new door. It is adding a lot to the curb appeal of our home.

Anyone else out there working on their curb appeal?

Fri
15 ^th

Mariano’s, Family History, and Clover Quiche

Posted by Erin — 2 Comments

Let me preface this whole post by saying, I have a thing for grocery stores. It is weird, I know. When I was a kid, my favorite thing was to join my parents on their weekly shopping trip. I loved checking out every part of the store. To this day, I love wandering around grocery stores thinking of all the things I can make.

Well, my favorite grocery store is here! It’s HERE! Mariano’s! For those of you outside of the Illinois/Wisconsin area, Mariano’s is a grocery store that recently made its way to my neck of the woods (no more driving to the city). It is like nothing I have ever seen before (for those that live in the upstate New York area, the closest comparison would probably be a Wegmans).

Mariano’s is a full service grocery store that carries all your favorite brands with prices comparable to other stores in the area, but it is unique with all the amenities they offer.

First stop, the wonderful bakery(two words: Chocolate Croissants).

The store also has great amenities that include gorgeous floral department, a fantastic deli, amazing produce department with an excellent organic section, and a fish and meat department that will prepare your fish and meat however you want for FREE while you wait. I think next time I am in a hurry, I will have them cook up some fajita mix, while I run and grab tortillas. Healthy dinner, on the go, and much healthier and less expensive than eating out or grabbing fast food!

Also, did I mention the do it yourself trail mix bar? Brian’s favorite trail mix is M&M’s, peanuts, and raisins. I surprised him with some trail mix, and made it just the way he likes it with extra M&M’s. Also, all do it yourself trail mix was a dollar off.

It also has a prepared food section with things to take home for dinner like homemade chicken pot pies or home made meatloaf. All you have to do is take it home and heat it up.

What I love most about Mariano’s so far is the convenience. They have a Hot Bar to pick up lunch or dinner, a gorgeous salad bar, (you can eat in the seating area or take home). Mariano’s also has a cafe (their French Kiss latte with Hazelnut and Vanilla is to die far),a smoothie bar, a sushi bar, a gelato bar, and fresh pizzas, BBQ, and sandwiches (the turkey with melted havarti cheese, arugula and apple slices is awesome) all made to order.

Typically, I don’t recommend grocery shopping while hungry, but at Mariano’s it is totally ok! Last Friday, I was able to tour the new store near me, and grab lunch for the kids. They had mac and cheese, fresh veggies, a fruit salad from the salad bar. To finish, I grabbed some fruit smoothies to keep them busy while we did our shopping (the police car shopping cart helped too).

Cheese is probably my favorite food group. My mother’s family is from the part of Ireland (Ballyporeen, County Tipperary) that is like the Wisconsin of Ireland, so it is in my blood to love all things dairy.

As you can imagine, during my tour of Mariano’s I quickly made my way to my favorite part of the store: The Cheese Section (which, coincidentally, is right next wine section my second favorite part of the store). I have never seen a cheese section like this before. They had six year sharp cheddars, smooth and creamy and reasonably priced brie, and a gruyere that was so wonderfully mild, I just HAD to use it in a quiche.

I grabbed a few other things and headed home to make a St. Patrick’s version of a quiche with lots of cheese as a nod to my Irish ancestry.

Erin’s Clover Quiche with Gruyere

1 frozen Pillsbury frozen pie crust
5 eggs
1/4 cup cream, half and half, or milk
2 or 3 scallions chopped
1/3 cup grated gruyere
2 tsp. fresh thyme
Salt and pepper to taste

First, I carefully bent the metal pie tin into the shape of a clover by bending the opposite sides gently inward.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat eggs, and add cream, scallions, salt and pepper and mix until well incorporated. Pour egg mixture into pie crust. Top with cheese and thyme.

Bake for 45 – 55 minutes.

I will be heading to Mariano’s again tomorrow. You know, just to hang out and get some cheese.

I was not paid or perked in anyway. I just love Mariano’s that much.

Linking up at Serenity Now for Weekend Blog Reading!