Hey guys! Getting ready for the season of drinking and eating until you have to un-notch your belt? Well, lots of charcuterie plates have been popping up in my Pinterest feed, so I finally decided to take the plunge and try it. But first I needed a platter suitable for such a savory spread. I picked this one up from Target. It's no longer available online, but I managed to find a few still in stores. I've also seen a plethora of "tree slice" platters at Home Goods, but any beautiful wooden board would do. :)


Round Rough Edge Serve Platter


So far I've managed to experiment twice with a few different combinations, but this one came out the best.



From the left going clockwise:

  • Red grapes
  • Green pitted olives (with pimentos)
  • Prosciutto
  • Toasted slices of bread with olive oil and spices (picked up as a bag for $2 at the Kroger bakery)
  • Ritz crackers
  • Sliced gourmet pepperoni
  • Extra sharp cheddar cheese
  • Goat cheese infused with cranberries (this sweet cheese was great with the savory bread slices)
  • Garlic and herb Laughing Cow cheese wedges (which were wonderful with the Ritz crackers)


Brandon and I actually had this for dinner last night and struggled to finish the whole thing. I must admit, it's nice to do something like this without the pressure of entertaining. Who wouldn't want to treat themselves  with a big glass of wine and a plate of goodies in front of the tv! Also this is a great practice run for when we actually have guests.

Since making this charcuterie plate was so easy (slice things up, arrange them on a pretty platter) I'm thinking it could be a great addition to Christmas afternoon when we're not quite ready for dinner, but need a filling snack. I could also do it when friends come over for an enticing game of Cards Against Humanity. In the future I'll probably add some mixed nuts and maybe some greenery (like fresh rosemary) to fill in the negative space. All in all, it was short, savory, sweet and I didn't actually have to cook dinner. Win!





Call me a rebel, but I was completely determined NOT to mount our tv over our fireplace. Why, do you ask? Well imagine having to tilt your neck up every time you wanted to watch tv. Who am I kidding? Lots of people reading this post are like, "I do that every day". Sorry guys. It's just an ergonomic and cord management nightmare waiting to happen. Are your tv cords swagging off the side of the mantel, and your television components sitting on the floor, or hanging three inches off said mantle? Fix that immediately. Like now. No, really. 

All joking aside, the tv over the fireplace debate is the toilet paper roll over or under debate of the residential design industry. Different strokes for different folks, am I right? Our place actually came designed with an outlet and cord channel behind the drywall (you can see the exit plate on the bottom left-hand corner) but I just...couldn't...do it. I even bought a tv mount from work with intentions of trying it (shakes head). Therefore our tv ended up on an IKEA PS tv stand adjacent to the fireplace (against the staircase) and my favorite artwork and accessories ended up on the fireplace mantel - just like God intended. Here's a closeup of a few of the things that call this focal point home.  



Above is my $1 Pothos from Kroger in a hot pink summer snack container from Target.



This gentlemanly pen and ink drawing came from Goodwill. On the left are Missoni by Target candles (that I also found at Goodwill, almost never used) and a Target candle votive from the one spot.



If you follow me on Instagram you'll remember my TJ Maxx skully vase/votive and of course the candle sticks came from Goodwill (as a set of three, but only two are shown here).




Here's another snapshot a few weeks later after I changed out my skully and candle sticks. Notice that the Pothos has gotten longer. :) If you recall, the large abstract painting used to hang over our sofa in our last place



EVERYTHING in this photo came from Goodwill. The painting is my fav. The color combination is funky, but that's what I love about it. I used to think it was an abstract painting until Brandon pointed out the guy with a teal hat, pink hair, and a periwinkle shirt. Now that's all I can see. Can you see it? Yes? Oh, sorry. These candlesticks really are a set of two, and I discovered recently that the little green vase has a hairline crack in it, so sadly no more plants are it's future, but nonetheless it's still quite beautiful.


Oh, and here's the Peace Lily that I've grown to love despite the fact that my MIL forced it off on us as we were leaving her house one day. I remember thinking, "What in the world am I going to do with this?" These things aren't even that pretty... or trendy. No, it's not a Fiddle Leaf Fig, but she's ours, and managed to thrive for many years, so now she's an integral part of the family. Also, Lily is quite pretty when she blooms. When we moved in, it took a while for her to get adjusted to change in light. She's finally feeling comfortable now, so I'm definitely relieved. Lily is sitting on a upside down IKEA Tidig bowl in case you were wondering. I'm hoping to re-pot her as soon as I fall in love with an appropriate vessel. So what do you think about the fireplace styling? Cooler than a television mounted eight feet in the air and a neck adjustment from the Chiropractor? I think so too. :)