For the past few weeks I've been addicted to Pinterest.com, like some many other people. I love sitting and dreaming about what I can do for my home, in particular. Though, this morning, I got up with enthusiasm to actually do something. My problem is that a lot of projects take a lot of money. So, I took a trip to Michael's, with my pin boards memorized, and saw what I could afford to do.

According to the US Government there are over 2 million marriages each year. In 2011, I will be but one of these celebrations. I’ll admit that I’ve dreamed of my wedding day for a long time but now that’s time to plan my own celebration, the vivid images of roses and tulle are not so clear. I’ve been finding it almost impossible to align what I’ve always thought I’ve wanted, what I actually want, what’s available and what I can afford.

So, back over a month ago, I wrote down my new year's resolutions. Just a few quick notes of things I thought were important to acomplish in the new year. Things that would make me a better person in one way or another. And really, nothing too tricky. In that short month, I've already done a pretty poor job at sticking to them. So my hope is by posting them I will feel an "obligation to to blog" to adhere to them. So here are a few goals I really would like to achieve this year. I'll check back in in 11 months.

Is it fair that I can write a year in review blog even though I only blogged maybe four times this year? Can I sum up everything I failed to blog about in a few paragraphs? The answer is probably no to both those questions but doesn’t mean I won’t try. I started this blog almost two years ago with the intention of recording moments and adventures so I wouldn’t forget them but I forgot to blog. Nevertheless, 2010 was full of moments and events that I won’t soon forget. So if it’s not too late, I present, 2010 in a blogshell.

Like any good aspiring foodie, I find myself watching a lot of cooking and food television. Not long ago, on an episode of Alton Brown's Good Eats I saw a retro looking sign in the background that I suddenly wanted for my kitchen.

The Boulevard Luncheon series started about a year ago and I finally made my way over for the April luncheon. This month's local restaurant was KC Hopps, owner of Barley's, 75th Street and Odouwd's. This series is all about pairing KC's hometown beer with local eateries to showcase the best of Kansas City. Plus, it's held in the Muhlbach suite at the brewery which has one of the coolest views of downtown.

In honor of St. Patrick's Day I wanted to make something festive. Last year we made homemade Rubens, so I thought this year should be dessert, and to really celebrate, it should have beer. I Googled and found many variations on the same Guinness Cake recipe, but used this one from GroupRecipes.com with one serious substitution - I didn't use Guinness as the beer. I substituted Young's Double Chocolate Stout. I know what you're thinking, "Is it really an Irish cake if it doesn't have Guinness? And you used a British beer instead? For shame."

'Twas the day before Christmas, and all through the house,
You need a last minute gift for your beer loving spouse?
Not to worry, I said, and I got out my list;
Tons of KC beer gifts he just can't resist!

Need a last minute gift for the beer lover you love? The man in my life is a serious beer aficionado and I thought of tons of gift ideas I just couldn't use so I thought I would share. Here's some easy and quick ideas of what will sure to wet his whistle.

There are not a lot of wineries close to us in Kansas City, but Somerset Ridge not only happens to be a short drive away, they are producing some excellent wines, in my opinion. Every year, they ask volunteers to help them pick grapes. I was lucky enough last year to go with some girlfriends, and this year I was excited to share the experience with Corey. The family-run winery is on a handful of acres near Paola, Kansas.

For my birthday, my boyfriend got me an awesome KitchenAid stand mixer. It's a 10-speed, bowl tilt, Professional HD model, and it's red - so I couldn't be more exicted. To break it in we decided to make homemade pizza dough and then top out pizzas with whatever we wanted. Not only did Aiden (the name for my KitchenAid) really impress me, but we had a lot of fun cooking and learning a new recipe.