Holiday party prep

Looking to have a holiday party? With so many theme choices, how can you pick? You've got your ugly sweater party, always a winner. Or maybe you want to go more traditional with tree trimming and caroling?

This year, we are trying a new one, a holiday themed Christmas party! While our exact plans will be top secret, since our friends are readers ;) we will be sharing more and more in the coming weeks! Stay tuned!!

Have a wonderful day!
~J

Go Buckeyes!

Here in Columbus, Ohio, we all breath scarlet and gray. After last years tumultuous year, the "Urban Renewal" for this season was highly anticipated. But we don't think any Buckeye fan could have expected the great year we had!

In honor of our 12-0 Buckeyes, we wanted to share some of our pics from the final game against the hated team up North!!

Go glitter!

Nail polish, my new addiction. I have wanted to try glitter ombre effect (don’t think I have used glitter nail polish since high school). So I choose Pop Life and Some Enchanted Evening (both Deborah Lippmann). This was my first time using Deborah Lippmann nail polish and wow what a great product. (I guess for $18 a bottle it better be good). It went on so easy and stayed nice and smooth, dry time didn’t take long either. I would definitely get this brand again.

To start I used a good base coat I use Essie First Base. Then two coats of Pop Life let them dry and then applied the glitter Some Enchanted Evening. For this step I applied lightly about half way down, then went back over with more glitter about a quarter of the way down. This way the glitter is more concentrated on the tip of the nail. Then cover it all in a top coat, I used Diamond Shine by Sally Hansen, it dries quick and it did a good job setting the color.

Hope this gives you an easy way to try the glitter ombre nail affect. Also I have read some dupes of the Some Enchanted Evening being Revlon’s 261 Sparkling and Essie’s A Cut Above. However I love the ease of use of the Deborah Lippmann and the ease of use, I also understand paying $18 is quite steep.

So have some fun and give it a try, go glitter!

~Nina

Special Holiday Treat - Lemoncello!

If your family is anything like ours, the holidays revolve around good food, good conversation and booze.  My dad is particularly fond of an after dinner drink called Lemoncello, a lemon vodka mix.  While this is readily available in stores, it's so easy to make yourself, I couldn't help but try!

Start off with the zest of 6 lemons.  Put them in a container and add a bottle of vodka.  I used Skinnygirl plain vodka, but any plain vodka will do.  Then cover with plastic wrap and let it sit in a cool place for 7 days.  That's right, you can't touch it for 7 days, so plan ahead!

Once you hit the 7 days, boil 5 cups of water with 3 cups of sugar.  Once all the sugar is dissolved, remove from the heat and let it cool.  This part can take a while, but we stuck the pot outside for a while, and that did the trick.  Next, strain the lemon vodka mix into another container.

Discard the lemon peels.  Add the sugar water to the lemon vodka, and chill it until you are ready to enjoy! 

Will run for chocolate... And not much else

In keeping with our goal to complete personal goals, we entered the Hot Chocolate 5K, apparently America’s Sweetest Race. We convinced our significant others to join in as well as our buddy Corey and Nina’s sister Mandy. Originally lured in by the promise of the “Finisher’s Mug” of hot chocolate, chocolate fondue and assorted dipping deliciousness, somewhere along the way we discovered a love of running and a sense of accomplishment.

Many of our personal goals for this year will revolve around fitness. Now, we are planning a half marathon and a triathlon. While we may not be winning the Boston Marathon any time soon, the thrill of competing and finishing is just as sweet.
Have a great day!
-J

Friendsgiving... A time to give thanks.

Remember when you were a kid, and the holidays were filled with such joy and amazement? As you get older, you realize that the holidays are just a time to deal with annoying family members, long lines at Target and stress. This year, we decided to get back into the spirit of the holiday with Friendsgiving, a time for friends to gather together for a little food, a little wine and of course, Ohio State football (Go Buckeyes!)
We had the traditional Thanksgiving fare, a 20 lb turkey rubbed with assorted spices, heavy on the rosemary, stuffing, smashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, assorted vegetables and salad. For desert, we served pumpkin and apple pies with homemade whipped cream.
The night was a resounding success, as the girls retired to watch Magic Mike and the boys started a bon fire with the contents of our recycling bin. The Buckeyes even won!

Our Favorite Recipes to Try:
Classic Stuffing Recipe – Courtesy of the Food Network:
Melt 1 stick butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 cups each diced onions and celery and 1 tablespoon each minced sage and thyme; add salt and pepper and cook 5 minutes. Add 3 cups turkey or chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Beat 2 eggs with 1/4 cup chopped parsley in a large bowl; add 16 cups cubed stale white bread,then pour in the vegetable-broth mixture and toss. Transfer to a buttered baking dish and dot with butter. Cover and bake 30 minutes at 375 degrees F; uncover and bake until golden, 30 more minutes.

Smashed Potatoes –Courtesy of the Pioneer Woman (I slightly modified it based on our needs)

Begin by bringing a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make, and cook them until they’re fork-tender. Generously drizzle olive oil on a sheet pan. When the potatoes are tender, place them on the cookie sheet. Take your potato masher and gently press down on the potato until it slightly mashes. Then, brush the tops rather generously with olive oil. Sprinkle some salt, pepper and rosemary over the smashed potatoes. Bake at 450 degrees for 25 minutes.
Have a great day!
- J

Starting over...

Nina and I started this blog at the beginning of the year with such hope to make it into a popular, useful source of information, as well as a place where we could look back and reflect on projects, parties and milestones.  We realized that we have fallen woefully short.  With busy schedules, things have not worked out the way we hoped.

But all that is changing now. Our lives may be busy, but we need to take time out for ourselves. Crafting, cooking, decorating and entertaining may seem frivolous, but a well balanced life needs a bit of frivolity, right?

To reinvigorate our drive, we've both asked ourselves, what does Attempting Domesticity mean?

~finding a well balanced life, managing work, home and relationships

~learning to handle all responsibilities on your own

~setting personal goals, beyond major milestones

~being adventurous, trying new things all the time

As we continue this new blog adventure, you will learn more about our personal goals.  These may even correspond with some of yours. Growing up is inevitable, but "attempting" starts with one step. And we are starting now.