Bye, Bye Winter; Hello New Entryway

With winter comes a lot of stuff. Hats, gloves, scarfs, boots, big puffy coats. Ugh, I’m sick of it and so is my apartment.

Recently, Target challenged me to “spruce up” an area of my home in honor of spring. I instantly thought of the entryway to our place. It’s a narrow hallway overflowing with winter gear.

entryway now

Until this weekend. I removed the 14 winter coats (yes, that’s the insanity from just two of us!) and a silly basket oozing with knitted accessories. I packed all but a few away (luckily because it’s snowing AGAIN!) until next year and for the first time in many months, I could actually see the hooks again.

entryway after

bench

And then, I put my favorite new piece from Target just under a few spring coats. The perfect bench. It’s bright, but small. Funky, yet functional. AND my darling husband will no longer “have to” leave ALL of his shoes (and there’s many more than coats) by the couch because that’s the only place he can sit to put them on. He now has a bench. In an appropriate place. And a few pairs of shoes can even fit underneath.

My photos really aren’t doing justice to how cool this bench is… next to spruce up? The lighting apparently!

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So you see Spring? We’re ready for you and ~~I’m~~ my entryway is pretty excited about you, too.

Check out more Target finds on my Pinterest Board.

“It’s the right mix of classic and modern. An effortless elegance. Beautiful, yet affordable. Designed for a lifetime of housewarmings. It’s everything you’ll love about your home.” – The Threshold Line for Target

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Target via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are LOVE U MADLY’s and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Target.

Posted on January 19, 2013 at 6:05 am | 1 Comment

Never Too Late to Declare a Resolution

“Dont be so hard on yourself, Kim.” My husband says this almost daily to me.I have no idea what it means. But, he knows me pretty darn well so if he thinks I’m too hard on myself, I know he’s right and I know I want to fix it. Sure, I get the overall idea, I’m just not really sure how to apply it. This will be my New Years resolution. Don’t roll your eyes. It’s not too late. I can still do it.

First, figure out what it means to be too hard on yourself. Then, figure out how to stop being that way.

I’ll start by being nicer to myself which I think is different but must be somehow related. A few nights ago when it was cold and miserable in New York, I made the most delicious chocolate chip dulce de leche cookie bars in the world. That was very nice of me. I first tasted them as part of a bloggers cookie swap and I’ve been dreaming of them since (thanks Stacciatella Bella).Now I have 348 days to figure out the rest, but at least I found my favorite cookie of the year.

Salted Dulce De Leche Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Author: Love U Madly via Stracciatellabella

Ingredients

2⅛ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups chocolate chips
10 ounces of dulce de leche (this is my favorite, but you can also melt 10 ounces caramel candy squares, unwrapped, with 3 tablespoons heavy cream)
Fleur de sel (or other sea salt), for sprinkling over caramel and bars

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch square pan; set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Using an electric mixer, mix together the melted butter and sugars on medium speed until combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix on low, just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
IF using caramel squares instead of dulce de leche follow this direction: In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine the caramels and heavy cream. Microwave on high until the caramels are melted, stirring every 20 seconds. This will take about 2 minutes.
Press half of the cookie dough into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Pour the dulce de leche/caramel over the dough cookie dough and spread into an even layer, leaving some empty space around the edges. Sprinkle the caramel with the sea salt. Drop the remaining cookie dough in spoonfuls over the caramel and gently spread the dough with a spatula until the caramel is covered. Sprinkle the bars with additional sea salt.
Bake the cookie bars for 30 minutes, or until the top of the bars are light golden brown and the edges start to pull away from the pan. Cool the bars to room temperature, then refrigerate for about 2 hours to allow the caramel layer to set. Cut into squares and serve. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.

Posted on January 17, 2013 at 6:00 am | 4 Comments

My Celeb Moment & The Golden Globes

I had a bit of a celeb moment yesterday and it almost completely passed us by unnoticed. My hub and I were on the cover of the Boston Globe Magazine for their wedding issue. It was most exciting because it was not only a total surprise, but they also chose a photo that so perfectly embodies how I felt that day. Colossally happy.

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Then my Sunday only got better. I made dulce de leche chocolate chip cookie bars (recipe to come this week) and got ready for the Golden Globes. I love Awards season. I get to sit in my bathrobe in front of the TV shoveling pasta in my mouth, while yelling at the TV… oh my god, she’s amazing… oh no, that’s a worst dressed lister for sure…

Here are some of my favorite looks of the night.

Sex Pot Katherine McPhee (please tell me what is going on with her sandals? i see no toe strap):

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