grounded

i guess sometimes it takes hashing it out on the blog for the storm to calm...she-devil decided she did not resemble that title and has slept 11 hours the past two nights. KNOCK.ON.WOOD.

and i open my eyes at 6:30am feeling refreshed and ready to take on the world.
seriously...i do.  its amazing what uninterrupted sleep can do for a body/mind/soul.

i have been nicer to my children and husband and actually folded clothes this morning.

i am asking myself why i am at the computer tonight as i closed it at 5:30pm telling stephen i was not opening it for work again until monday {we will see if that really happens}, but i had a deliciously simple dinner and food makes me want to blog.

a small disclaimer: i think you have to love mushrooms to love this dish.
and i do.
love mushrooms.
as in i might have been known to have consumed an entire 8oz package of sliced {"washed and ready!"} raw button mushrooms directly out of the carton in high school upon returning to the car after a grocery run with my mom because i was hungry. {um can we say prepositional phrase?!?!}

do yall eat gnocchi? if you dont, you must.  if you do, we are soul mates. 

mushroom gnocchi
{recipe based off the back of the archer farms mushroom gnocchi from target, adjusted by moi}

1 package mushroom gnocchi {or plain gnocchi would do fine here i imagine}
1/3 onion, chopped
1 8oz carton shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, sliced
1/8 tsp dried thyme {and you know i didnt measure it}
1c heavy cream {i didnt have any heavy cream, so i did this: melt 1/3c butter [or 5T], let it cool, and mix with 3/4c milk...the cold milk might solidify the butter if the butter is still hot, so you might have to reheat the combined mixture to get rid of the solids}
salt and pepper to taste {dont kill me erin...i know you hate "to taste"}

cook gnocchi according to package directions, drain.
in a skillet over medium heat, cook onions in olive oil until soft.  add mushrooms and thyme and cook until mushrooms are soft/browned.  add cream and bring to a boil.  let boil for one minute.  add gnocchi and cook until heated, stirring. add s&p and serve.

stephen tasted the gnocchi as it was draining and almost dropped it directly out of his mouth into the garbage {i disagreed and ate around four draining gnocchi as i cooked}...but then i got him to taste the finished product and he said it was "eh good. not put it in the good stuff good, but good." {"the good stuff" is the name of the cookbook i compiled of all of stephens and my favorite recipes}

however, i could probably eat this once a week.
but as i mentioned in my disclaimer, i am a mushroom lover.

and yes i have found a way to segue from mushrooms to interior design:
here are some interiors that evoke that earthy, grounded, smack-dab-in-the-middle-of-nature feeling i love so much :)

its going to be hard to call out what i love about each of these pictures bc i love them all, for so many reasons

 

 the brown and green accents {beams, dark side table/chest, brass floor lamp bases, dried hydrangeas and ferns} ground this mainly white room

i still think its funny that antlers, or deer mounts as we southerners call it, are now "in style." i always told stephen the only way i would allow mounted animals in our house is if they are in a "man room" or antlers without the heads.  and now they are such a fad in design it always makes me chuckle, but also pull up my britches and stand proud of my huntin' friends and family.  at least ours are authentic :).  love the gallery of antlers and plates on the soft white board wall

i love how the painting looks like something one might overlook at an estate sale, but really grounds this arrangement.  again, perfectly stained dark wood with soft white = love

talk about bringing the outside in...lets just make our chandelier out of trees.  works for me!

beammmmmms.  this is how you do it.  the ceilings are so high but the finishes of the beams and the coordinating woodsy tones in the furnishings below still create a cosy atmosphere.

by now i think yall can tell i love the juxtaposition of white and well stained wood. this is just heavenly.

i wouldnt be surprised if the color of that lampshade was "mushroom."

i wonder how much it would cost to stone a wall in our master bedroom.
yeah i dont think stephen would go for that.
so i will admire the rustic beauty of this picture
i mean cant you feel those stones under your bare feet?
and hear the bird chirping out the window?

 that green lantern makes the kitchen.  and i am determined to have a house full of living plants at some point in my life.  i might need to work on this "thumb" of mine {i.e. remember to water}...

and now, since you are all probably feeling grounded and earthy and serene {not unlike a mushroom...HA}, here is a video to pump you up on this friday night:

to explain, i started calling emory "embop" soon after she was born, inspired by the incredibly moving and influential ballad by the hansen brothers, "mm bop".  bennett quickly caught on and turned it into his name for her.  however now we sing it to the song he so proudly demonstrated above.

"embop a doo wop a wop bop bop tutti frutti em-a-roooodi"

good night and happy weekend!

sources: 1, 2: country living; 3, 4: phoebe howard; 5, 6, 7:  suzanne kasler; 8, 9, 10: unknown