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Hello, can you believe it’s New Years Eve?? It’s crazy, and yet there is something kind of exciting about starting a  new year. I will have been away for a few days for a much needed little rest and relaxation by the time you read this but have a few posts scheduled to post, so fingers crossed, they do:)

Hope everyone is having a relaxing and great weekend, hard to believe we are about to christen a brand new year, being a lover of even numbers…2018 sounds like a great year to me already. Here we go with my Seven on Sunday-

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1 ONE BEAUTIFUL HOME This home is so pretty, warm and inviting. I love the classical architecture and the open welcoming rooms, looks like such a happy home. Found in Traditional Home click here to read more about it.

2 CAKES TO BE BELIEVED!!  I have written about Maggie Austin’s cakes before but seriously I continue to be dumbfounded by what this cake maestro can do….astounding does not even seem fit!  She turns cake and sugar into sheer edible works of art, though it is almost impossible to understand how one can cut into these!! Click here to learn more about the incredible work of DC based Maggie Austin.

Mind you every one of these pictures is sugar NOT real flowers as you would think!

3. FOOD AND WINE CLASSIC IN ASPEN. I really want to go to this….doesn’t going to beautiful picturesque Aspen in the summer to sip wine and nibble on delicious food  created by iconic chefs all day sound like pure heaven? I may get a few friends together and do this. I remember reading about it a few years back and really wanting go, I want to make 2018 a year of doing the things I think about, anyone ever been? Click here to read more about it.

 

4. INSTAGRAMS OF INTEREST Such a wonderful collection of pictures this week.  A little bit of holiday and all kinds of wonderful winter pics this week with a funny one thrown in-

And my fave this week is this because is this not just the most charming store front ever!

 

5. BEST DOCUMENTARY I HAVE SEEN IN A LONG LONG TIME. I have been a huge long time fan of the iconic Princess Diana. She was the perfect example of elegance, grace and class, something that our world needs a lot more of. This was so good I watched it not once, not twice but three times (last time was when my mom and sister was visiting). It really affords one a deeper understanding into her long standing battle with depression and just how much she loathed being in the public eye.

This is the now famous documentary which only until recently, was revealed that she had been giving private interviews all along during the filming for this documentary for to “tell her story”.

Not to mention how the marriage was doomed even from day one…really tragic and quite moving. She was a sad soul who you could even argue felt tormented but had little private time to really allow herself to get the proper help she really needed and so deserved.

She was her happiest when she was along with her kids, I could see they were the center of her universe and likely were a huge factor in her keeping it together under the constant glare of the world. I highly recommend this fantastic documentary, especially if you are big Princess Di fan like me, she really was the “one and only”.

 

6. HOT CRAB DIP. I made this over the holiday and let me tell you this stuff was sooooo good (found from The Suburban Soapbox). I have another recipe for hot crab dip but prefer the kick in this one and even added a bit of extra Tabasco.

Using fresh lump crab meat is key here (and lots of it)!  I cannot recommend this highly enough if you are looking for a warm, delicious, snack or appetizer, best served with toasted crostinis and you better tell your guests to leave their diets at the door for this one because they will not be able to stop at just one:)

It was a HUGE hit and sure to be prepared again one day very soon (maybe all for me)!

Ingredients

  • 8 ounce cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1 cup grated pepper jack cheese
  • 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1/4 cup minced onion
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce, or other hot sauce (I added a little more for some kick) and even added a creole seasoning one time which was GOOD!
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1 pound jumbo lump crab, picked over for shells

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
  2. In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, mayonnaise and sour cream with a hand mixer until smooth.
  3. Stir in the pepper jack, cheddar, onion, garlic, Worcestershire, Tabasco, lemon juice, salt and pepper until thoroughly combined.
  4. Fold in the crab and transfer to a small baking dish.
  5. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and bubbling.
  6. Serve hot with crackers, crostini or vegetable

 

 

7. SUNDAY’S SURVEY OK  The holidays are over and  admittedly though it is a tremendous amount of work, the “week after”  always leaves me feeling a little melancholy.  Not that I am necessarily wishing for my feet to ache so bad or that I want to to be stuck in my kitchen for hours on end whipping up meal after meal with plenty of appetizers in between or being on “bug patrol” (ugh, don’t even want to be reminded of that)!!

But there is something about the holidays that just feels so good….everyone seems so happy and in high spirits, we run around like crazy people yet there is still that magic in the air, despite the frantic pace. So it always takes me a few days or sometimes even a week to “readjust”. How about you? Do you feel the same or are you chomping at the bit to get back to “normal life” and start a whole new year?


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That’s a wrap for this weekend. Hopefully my next post will post on time and it will be in the new year,which is kind of exciting.

But in the  meantime, I  want to wish everyone a safe and wonderful New Year’s Eve and lets all raise our virtual glasses to a wonderful, healthy, more peace filled world world in 2018! Until next time…

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Happy New Year Tina! I just love the beautiful presentations in your home, from food to flowers! Looking forward to fabulous posts in 2018.

Wishing you and your a Very Happy & Peaceful New Year!
Thank you for always bringing us a little sunshine with your fabulous blog. Hope 2018 will be just as fabulous!

Hi Tina,
Huge fan of Maggie Austin for years!! Her work is just jaw dropping!!
Wishing you and your family a Happy New Year filled with love, happiness and good health! xxx

I just took your Sunday Survey and thought that it would be fun to ask my husband. We both chose the same feeling, which is what 54.68% answered, at the time of this email. After 43 years of marriage, I guess it shouldn’t surprise me that we chose the same response, but it did. On to Lady Diana, who I thought was such an icon of fashion and grace. I will never forget the evening that she died, it was such an incredibly sad event. She would be so proud of both her sons and the men they have become. I know that you will have a great year, especially since you will finally get to move in to your beautiful, new second home. Happy New Year to you and your family.

I’m a huge Diana fan, also. I have seen this documentary. I watched and DVR’d everything I could in August when it was the 20th anniversary of her death. Her death was so tragic. I really miss her and hate that she isn’t around to see her beautiful grandchildren. She would be so proud of her boys.

I hope you are tucked away somewhere warm. My cabin is chilly for the first time ever. Brrrr. As always, thank you for the beauty, though I think your home is the most beautiful and would love a virtual tour of your home soon, so I can show my husband. (We might build a new home and I LOVE yours. Ours would be much smaller, but French country is beautiful.) Happy, blessed 2108!

Thank you for the Crab dip recipe, looks divine! Princess Diana was an extraordinary woman. I am so glad her children are flourishing and happy – a testament to the attention she paid in raising them with so much love and warmth. You might enjoy “The Crown” on Netflix – a fascinating docudrama series about Queen Elizabeth and the royal family.

I have been to the Aspen Food and Wine Classic two times. My friend who has a house there did all of the ticket buying and sign up for the many events and demonstrations. It seems like everyone was there that had a show on TV at the time. This was a few years ago and Kitchen Aid had a huge presence there along with all the local wineries and some golf celebs who have interest in vineyards. It was a very well done event but can be a long two or three days. We got to see nearly all of the Food Network’s stars and many other people at the main tent tastings afterward. Then we went to the spa at the St. Regis hotel which was heavenly. They have oxygen mask therapy for those feeling a little sluggish with the altitude. You can partake of the pure O2 therapy at poolside in a lounge chair by their indoor pool and be served something healthy (or not) to sip while you wait for your massage. If you go be sure to get the paraffin foot treatment included in your massage. I could get used to that! Unfortunately, that was the last time I had a Cinderella day like that!!!

Hello my dear friend
I just wanted to wish you a joyous new years eve, and a very Happy New Year. Like you, for 2018 my hopes are for a more peaceful world so I am raising a glass ( a real one ) to you across the pond. I entertained all over the festive season and I am doing so again tomorrow and missed my comment to wish you a Merry Christmas.
I am so sorry, I did read your beautiful posts though and was so glad you were surrounded by all those you love, I know your family will have had a wonderful time. Everything looked gorgeous
Dearest Tina, you are such a joyous inspiration with all the beauty and style you share. Your blog is one of my happiest places, and I thank you.
Here’s to 2018, may it be the best year ever
Fondest love
Sally xxx

Got to remove CHRISTMAS pounds before making the hot crab dip but I can see this in my future.. Looks delicious.

Happy New Year, Tina May 2018 be a very special year for you. I know that it will bring with it your lovely new holiday house.

Tina
I love that you keep posting so many wonderful pictures of Teddy. I know you family missed him over the Holidays. Best wishes for the New Year.

Hi Tina, wishing you a Happy New Year! 2018 went off with a Big Bang here in Sydney, we had a lot of fireworks going on around us. Here in the suburbs some of the fireworks that were being used are illegal, but people still manage to get their hands on them …a shifty lot, but fun nevertheless. Thank you for sharing beauty. Enjoy your holidays. Regards Esther from Sydney. ?Here’s to a Wonderful 2018?

Happy new year Tina. How fun to see you on Instagram, you are GORGEOUS!. I hope to “see” more of you! I enjoyed this post as I do every Sunday and so happy I discovered your beautiful blog from a friend’s recommendation last year.
I hope the coming year is wonderful for you and your family, love also see Teddy’s sweet pictures at the end of your every post, what a nice way to honor his memory. We lost our golden in 2015, Daisy and not a day goes by that I don’t think of her.

Happy New Year Tina. Another wonderful post. My mind is racing with how fast I can gather the ingredients to make that crab dip, its below 0 today so it’s a stay at home day for our family and this would be a hit.

Also those cakes are breathtaking. All the best to you and your family in the new year.

Tina I was so excited to see you on Instagram. You are one beautiful lady (inside and out)!! Fun to put a pretty face to your fantastic blog and Instagram account. i know Teddy is always in your heart 🙂

Happy New Year!

forgot to add went to Aspen FW with husband and three couples, had the best time. You would love it, it’s non stop and you eat and drink all day long, what’s bad about that!!

Happy New Year dear friend!! I put the Diana documentary on my must-see list. Hope you had a fabulous holiday. Your Christmas table was gorgeous. Glad the holiday is over. I’m ready to commit myself to Betty Ford.

That CRAB dip looks amazing!

Happy New Year Tina! Wishing you and your family happiness and good health in the coming year.

This dip sounds delicious, Tina, and I haven’t made crab dip for a long time! Perfect snack during the game! Thanks. xox

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