Lipstick and Rouge

Dining Room Reveal - Before & After

2011-02-28T20:11:00.011-05:00

BEFORE:

Christmas 2010

I have been wanting Grasscloth for ages. If I could grasscloth cover my whole house I probably would. Heck, I would drape myself in it if I could. However, I settled on the dining room. It was like Christmas morning waiting for my wallpaper man to arrive that Saturday morning a few weeks ago. He did a fabulous job and even though I wasn't certain at first if I had made the right choice on the color, my fears were quickly put to rest as soon as that beautiful first piece was applied to the wall.

After applying 4 coats of primer

A quick swap out from my ~~hideous~~ functionable chandelier to a more sleek lantern style one and then up went my old guest room drapes that I think fit the room perfectly.

Close up of the finished product

I didn't want to use my hutch and buffet but I knew I didn't really have a choice due to storage issue. I needed something, so I decided to only use the buffet. While I was staring endlessly at it one night trying to decide how I could jazz it up, I had an idea to flip the hutch upside down and see if it was painted underneath. Imagine my surprise that it was! It was like the heavens opened up and started singing Hallelujah! I flipped that baby to the other side of the room and loaded it with my booze that always had a cramped home on my tiny wine rack.

So all in all, this whole room transformation only set me back around $750. Using what you already have is the key to decorating on a budget!

The Reveal
yes, I realize the drapes are too short, I am waiting on coordinating fabric & trim to be added to the bottom!

HGTV Bragging Rights

2011-01-14T20:25:00.005-05:00

Yesterday on facebook I submitted a photo to HGTV's page for a contest they were holding called "Snow day". They wanted to see your best snow day photos. I uploaded this photo of my nephew during a snowstorm in Connecticut recently, keeping his eye on his Mr. Frosty that his Gramps built him.

Imagine my surprise when HGTV picked

my photo as the winner!

My photo was picked out of hundreds of submissions and I was thrilled! There is no official "prize" but HGTV Bragging Rights is all I need! Now if I could just have them come knocking on my door that I won the HGTV Dream Home in Stowe, Vermont........

Oh..the silent majesty of a winter's morn.......

2011-01-13T19:34:00.006-05:00

I couldn't resist posting a picture of my husband in his favorite Christmas gift. Nevermind the expensive Hugo Boss winter coat I got him - he was secretly more thrilled with his new Griswold Blackhawks jersey! We couldn't resist snapping the obligatory photo of him staring out the window at my parents house. Christmas Vacation will always be a classic in our house!

Winter Wonderland

2011-01-13T15:13:00.001-05:00

Last weekend Connecticut got hit by a snowstorm (one of many!) and I was up visiting for the night. I convinced my sister to have my nephew sleep over for a little snowy slumber.....

Cooper staring at "Mr. Frosty" that his Gramps built for him...

Finally going outside to visit him!

Beautiful sky the next morning after the snow had finished....

....and to all a goodnight!

2010-12-24T09:26:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone has a beautiful Christmas Eve tonight and a wonderful day tomorrow celebrating!

The Halls are decked! Connecticut Gal's holiday best.....

2010-12-09T09:12:00.029-05:00

Welcome to my holiday home dressed in its finest! Our Living Room decked out in its finest. Being from Connecticut and seeing how we spend every Christmas there, I couldn't resist this picture above the mantel.

View from the front door.....

Close ups of the tree...used a hydrangea, white pointsettia and pale blue theme - along with a faded brown zebra stripe ribbon.

Close ups of the mantel...

My Byers Choice Caroler collection - I have about 25 now I think....The factory where they are made are close by to me in Pennsylvania, its really a fun thing to go visit during the holiday season!

Our family room with the more "fun" holiday stuff.....

Close up of the tree, yes its missing its star! Looking for a new one to top it!

Nighttime View

Photo of us on our first Christmas 9 years ago

as well as a photo of my husband playing Santa at work!

My wall of autographs from "A Christmas Story". We roadtripped to Cleveland, OH a few years ago to visit the "real" Ralphie house where the movie was filmed and we got to meet many castmates!

Dining Room - this room is next to be re-decorated. Hopefully going to start after the holidays!

Kitchen - Everyone needs a copy of Paula Deen's Christmas! Also, a great book on the left called "The Gingerbread Architect" - its blueprints to make a fabulous gingerbread house - which I have yet to do!

Hot cocoa station - I just recently saw something similar posted on another blog

- I guess great minds think alike!

Front Hallway with Santa Greeting - LOVE his green toile coat!

Bannister going upstairs - ribbon done in a brown zebra stripe -

same ribbon used on the living room tree.

Halloween Soiree

2010-12-08T15:55:00.005-05:00

A little late to the game, but better late than never, I guess? Just wanted to share a few pictures from our Halloween Soiree we had back in October....

Part 3: Rehoboth Beach - The Bellmoor Inn

2010-12-08T15:26:00.004-05:00

We had never been to Rehoboth Beach before and what a lovely surprise it was! After receiving some hints from a fellow blogger, I took her suggestions and booked a room at The Bellmoor Inn. It was pure luxury. We were booked on the 4th floor, where there are no children allowed, and its private card key access to get into.
We had a well stocked library with a roaring fireplace right across the hall from our suite and you could help yourself to snacks and drinks.
They served a great complimentary hot breakfast the next morning in the sunroom and common room areas. We enjoyed walking the town and walking the boardwalk, even though it was October, it was quite busy probably because it was such a beautiful day.
We finished our evening at the "Cultured Pearl" restaurant. All I can say is Best. Sushi. Ever. Actually, every single thing we ordered down to the carrot cake with ginger cream cheese frosting was some of the best food we have ever had.
Luckily Rehoboth is only about an hour and half way from us, so I see us making frequent trips down there in our future!

This bed was so comfortable, and check out the size of that pine armoire! Entrance inside our suite - I was in love with the grasscloth wallpaper!

This was the other side of the hotel room. The gas fireplace made is so cozy!

Part 2 - The Virginia Hotel - Common areas

2010-11-02T16:42:00.001-04:00

For being a fairly small hotel with only 24 rooms, they have truly created some wonderful living spaces. Cape May.com has described this hotel as walking into a F.Scott Fitgerald novel because of the 1930's feel that it reflects. The Virginia was recently renovated in the past few years and decorated by NYC's Colleen Bashaw, whom I just recently read that her brother owns The Virginia and also their much larger sister property a block away, Congress Hall.
This is the room to the left side of the lobby that houses a small bar in the corner. The hotel is in a great location where people shopping or dining can stop in for a drink and enjoy it out on the front porch.

This is the area right off the front desk. There is a piano in the right corner that they have a pianist playing most nights, with the fire going and all the candles lit on the mantel, it is a truly relaxing space.

This little nook was new this time around for us. It was in the far corner of the inside porch. I finally found it empty so I could snap a photo - most people were using it for coffee and Sunday newspaper reading.

Here is a view from the porch looking back towards the lobby. Love that starburst mirror with the sconces over the piano and also that tufted ottoman. The same style of Osborne and Little wallpaper that covers the downstairs was also continued in the guest rooms.

8 Years? Where does the time go? Part 1

2010-11-02T16:13:00.004-04:00

In the first few years of our marriage, we would usually plan a great vacation for October and incorporate it into our anniversary. The past few years that we have been living in the 'burbs, we have stayed pretty low key. This year we decided to do a little getaway that wouldn't be too far from home. This gives me a chance to share a couple of great hotels that we stayed at.

First we were off to Cape May, NJ. This is the entrance that greets you from the fabulous front porch of The Virginia Hotel in Cape May, NJ. They are always on the ball with making sure that the porch is decorated to the appropriate season. We have never stayed here in the fall, so we were delighted to find the cornstalks, pumpkins, gourds, etc. that welcomed us as soon as we pulled the car up to valet.

We have only been lucky enough to stay here twice now and have enjoyed in both times....

Our room this time was a large corner suite style. I am in love with the wallpaper and the pops of red and coral they use against the turquoise.

Unfortunately for me, it was football Sunday so the quietness of the room didn't last too long once my husband was settled in front of that flatscreen.

I have this same mirror hanging in my living room. Do you think they were frugal like me and found it at Home Goods? Probably not. I love hotels that use fresh white linens as their bedding. It adds such a crisp feeling to the room....

Next up: The common area's of the hotel

A Do-it Yourself Fire Pit for people that are NOT Do-it-Yourself!

2010-10-13T11:41:00.007-04:00

My husband and I are not handy people. Not even an ounce when it comes to building things. However, after watching a step-by-step video on good ol' Lowe's website, we felt very confident we could turn some stone blocks and a run-of-the-mill fire pit bowl into something a little more special. It was so easy! The hardest part was trying to get the blocks home. Not realizing how heavy they are, we split the 68 rocks into 2 trips back and forth to Lowe's, and almost popped a wheelie in the Jeep after realizing how heavy the load was!

First step, take the cover off the bowl and place down where you want to start building. Layer the blocks in a circle around the cover.

Second Step, just start layering the next level, staggering them from how you built the first layer. Each layer will take 16 blocks for this particular bowl, which was 35" across.

This is what it will look like once you have all four levels complete. You can do 3 layers, but we wanted it a little bit higher.

Next, if your fire pit came assembled (as did ours, since it was the last one, a perfect floor model that they took $30 bucks off, score!) you will need to take the legs off it, so you are just left with the bowl. Place the bowl on top of the rock layers, making sure that the lip has enough overhang.

Eventually we would like to get some snazzy furniture to put around this, but for now, these $17 ace hardware adirondack chairs will have to suffice. We haven't lit it yet, I think we will christen it next Friday night when we have family coming over for my husband's birthday.

Cost breakdown:

64 Lowe's rocks - $2.48 ea+, minus 10% coupon I had = $143

Lowe's fire pit - $60

Adirondack chairs - (we already had two!) $34

Total Spent: $237, which I don't think bad, as alot of people I know have fancy installers come and built them one. Another plus? Its totally moveable since it doesn't have to be cemented down. So when we finally figure out next spring what we want to do with our yard, it can easily be transferred.

Halloween Mantel

2010-10-13T11:24:00.005-04:00

I started decorating & cleaning today for our Halloween Soiree that we are having next Saturday. Today I spent a little time working on our living room Mantel. Thought I would take a quick break to share a photo of the finished product.....

Linking up with The Stories of A to Z for her fabulous Fall Mantel Party.

Living Room Part Deux

2010-09-20T21:54:00.008-04:00

I am linking up with http://www.kellyskornerblog.com/ for Show Us your Life Friday. I am a little late in the game, but I figured why not. This past week she was showcasing Living Rooms. Here are a few photos of mine:

Summer Wrap Up

2010-09-14T08:47:00.007-04:00

I figured I had better do a summer wrap up , since Fall will be here next week already! I definitely lost track of time this summer, as being unemployed right now, has its benefits with being able to take some great little trips.
Below find some photos of our trip to Cape Cod this July. The house that our friends family rented was fabulous - loved each and every room.

Sunset from Rock Harbor Beach across the street from our house.

Back view of the house Family Room

Fabulous Paper Mache Fish that hung over the doorway of the family room/dining room.

Hydrangea centerpiece I cut from the front bushes.

This house was loaded with those beautiful flowers!

Loved this fabulous Kitchen! We cooked almost every night here, especially since there was a wonderful fish market directly across the street on the bay.

Front view of "Harbor House"

We are counting down the days until our Cape vacation next July !

Silence for Cohen

2010-07-01T09:04:00.000-04:00

Send Love to Cohen

Look who's one!

2010-06-30T17:17:00.000-04:00

This past Saturday was my nephew Cooper's 1st Birthday! Where does the time go? I feel like he was just born a couple of months ago. We decided to do a baseball themed party since his middle name is Fenway and his dad is a lover of all things Red Sox!

Here is the tent that we rented since it was going to be almost 90 degrees.....

Trail mix that his mom made up for the little ones that couldn't eat all the fun snacks....

Baseball & Bat favors for the kids

Cotton Candy!

Popcorn from the popcorn maker

Red Sox cake that I made!

The Birthday Boy Turns One!!!!

His first taste of cake. He was so mad!

Hmm..maybe this doesn't taste so bad!

Cooper and his Uncle Tribbs

We sent an invitation to his party to the Red Sox team and they sent back a little note

and a bunch of little fun things!

Welcome to the World!

2010-06-11T11:45:00.000-04:00

Our new nephew, Cayden Joseph was born May 23rd at 1:15 p.m. We are so happy that he is here

and is so happy and healthy!

Big Brother Nick arriving at the hospital!

Eye Candy

2010-04-14T21:15:00.002-04:00

How would you like this in your master bedroom closet?
I know I would!

photo from here

Little Houses, Big Curb Appeal

2010-04-11T11:59:00.003-04:00

I recently came across some homes on the smaller side, and while they are certainly not "McMansions", they sometimes have more curb appeal than your large stately homes. One thing you will find with a small home, is that that it can have alot more charm. Take this home for example, simple touches like the starfish in the window sashes and the tiny white picket fence make this home look so inviting.

This home is a home I found recently in Cape Cod Magazine. It can't be more than 2 rooms with most likely a galley kitchen. My family owns a home on the beach in Old Saybrook, CT which could one day use some major upgrades. I think the above fabulous cottage could easily be swapped out for our family cottage:

This simple South Carolina bugalow is the perfect picture of low country.

Another simple beach cottage that they keep simple looking with white paint, black shutters and for a little pop of color, purple front door with matching adirondack chairs.

Tweet Little Baby.....

2010-03-21T19:47:00.001-04:00

Last weekend we threw a baby shower for my sister in law Lori. Its her second, but her first "baby" is turning 8 this year, so we figured she could use some new goods! Here are just a few details....

sign made from Etsy seller Devany

favor stickers made by Etsy seller AutumnLeah

My birdcage from my wedding, I knew that it would come in handy again one day!

Beautiful cake made by our dear friend Karen.

Happy 3rd Birthday Divi !

2010-02-25T18:01:00.003-05:00

Even though I am a few days late, I couldn't let this week slip by without acknowledging my niece Divi's 3rd Birthday. I wanted to share a few of my favorite pictures of her over the last few years, starting with the most recent....

Happy Birthday Divinity Grace!!!!!

Love, Aunt Jen & Uncle Joey xoxo

Linguine & Clams

2010-02-25T17:16:00.002-05:00

I first had this recipe this summer up on the Cape where our friends made it for us for dinner. I have tried to recreate it a few times but according to the Hubs, it still does not compare to when our friend Jen made it. I am trying to convince him it was the freshness of the clams brought straight in on the wharf that day, but secretly, I do know Jen's is better! I am going to share it with you, because if you haven't had Jen's on Cape Cod, than you won't know the difference, and the recipe comes out restaurant quality good!

Ingredients:
1 lb dried linguine
3/4 C olive oil
5 cloves of chopped garlic
3 shallots or diced thin
2 lbs littleneck clams, rinsed to remove excess sand
1/2 C. white wine
2 T. butter
1 lemon, zested
1 shake of red pepper flakes
S & P to taste

Start by scrubbing, or at the very least rinsing, the clams to make sure you have gotten rid of any excess sand.

In a large pot, heat up olive oil and begin to sautee the shallots until they are almost soft, than add the garlic and saute on low temperature to make sure the garlic does not burn.

Meanwhile, in another pot, bring water to boil for you to cook the linguine in, you may want to start boiling the water as soon as you start all your sauteeing.

When the garlic & shallots are done, pour in the wine and let simmer on medium temperature.

When the wine and olive oil is hot, drop clams in and cover with a lid to steam them open. Simmer & steam for approximately 7-8 minutes. If for some reason any of the clams don't open, pick them out and throw them away, nobody wants to eat a bad clam! When everything has opened, stir in the butter to give the sauce a little bit of sweetness.

(this is what it will look like once they have all opened).

Zest up the lemon and set aside

When linguine is done cooking, drain and toss everything together in a big bowl. Season with salt and pepper, be generous, the pasta really soaks it up. Shake on a little bit of crushed red pepper flakes and top each bowl with a sprinkle of the lemon zest.

Happy Hearts Day!

2010-02-15T10:14:00.001-05:00

Hope everyone had a fun Valentine's Day! ♥
Mine was spent exactly doing exactly what I wanted to do!
A little bit of this:

and then a lot of that:

On another note, my sister forwarded me some pictures of my nephew's photo shoot from last weekend, and I wanted to share them because I thought they came out so cute!! This photographer was amazing, she was very reasonably priced and they were given the rights to all photos to do what they please. Here are a few of the little ham:

and one with me, the proud Auntie, even though the little guy was NOT happy at this point:

* photo credit, Photography by Asiya

Super Easy Dinner

2010-01-07T11:18:00.001-05:00

This dinner is so easy to make in a pinch.

I like to keep the ingredients on hand when I dont

have anything else to throw together.

Start with a package of chicken breasts, cut them up into cubes. Throw a swirl of olive oil in a big pan

and cook the chicken until its cooked through.

Next, throw in a bag of the birds eye green bean stir fry. It is full of beans, water chestnuts, carrots, broccoli and little pieces of spaghetti.

Once that gets cooking, use about a 1/3 to a 1/2 of a jar of the "secret" ingredient - Heinz 57 sauce.

At this point, it will look like this. I like to throw in a small handful of sesame seeds as well.

Finally, you can add either extra spaghetti noodles, or for a REALLY quick meal, I throw in a bunch of boiled Ramen noodles. Did you know you can buy them separately without the little powder packages that usually come with them? You will find them in the asian section.

VOILA! The finished product.

Does Christmas come any cuter than this????

2009-12-21T18:07:00.002-05:00

Frosty the Snowman......was a ~~jolly happy soul~~.

or do you think Cooper is wishing he could just melt away?

HAHAHA - have you ever seen a 5 month old give you the 'Stink-Eye'? I have now.

Ohhhhh Fudge....

2009-12-20T20:11:00.016-05:00

Last November (2008) I dragged my husband from New Jersey all the way to Cleveland, OH (8 hours of driving each way) for a convention celebrating the 25th Anniversary of "A Christmas Story". It was one of the most fun trips I have taken in a long time. We stayed for three nights at the Cleveland Renaissance where the convention was being held. We got to meet some of the actors and listen to their stories. Then on Saturday we got to go the "real" house that the Parkers lived in. The house was mostly used for exterior shots with a few interior shots of the living room being used. The backyard was also used for filming the famous "Oh My God, I Shot my eye out" scene as well as the Black Bart scenes. Here is a photo of us outside of Ralphie's house.......

The actual shed still stands in the backyard.

The famous leg lamp...."the glow of electric sex gleaming in the window". HA!

The living room

These were the two evil elves from Higbee's......

On the left is the delivery man that brought the FRAGILE box to the front door. On the right is Black Bart.

My favorite photo - us with Grover Dill (on left) and Scut Farkus

Joey with the"Toadie" Grover Dill

Me with Scott Schwartz who played Flick.

Me with "Randy Parker"

Higbee's Department Store went out of business many years ago, but the occupants of the building still have the sign up and every Christmas they decorate the front windows to commemorate the movie. They do a fabulous job!

Only 3 more days until the 24 hour Marathon on Christmas Eve & Christmas Day.

I swear I don't miss a second of it!

Its beginning to look alot like Christmas.....

2009-12-18T08:19:00.013-05:00

I decided to jump on the bandwagon a little late, and join the Nester's Christmas Tour of Homes. Here are some photos from our humble abode decked out in its holiday best!

Here are some exterior shots that we took before our Christmas Party a few weeks ago.

Our Family Room with our beloved C-9 huge Christmas Lights.

My Byers Choice Carolers Collection. I have about 30 of them now and have been collecting them for the last 10 years. If you are ever in the Philadelphia area and are a lover of Byers Choice, make sure to go visit their plant. Its amazing to see how they are made and how much work goes into each one!

Possibly my favorite decoration, my wall of Autographed pictures from "A Christmas Story". We drove all the way to Cleveland last year for the 25th Anniversary weekend. I could go on and on but thats another post for another time soon.

Our Living Room, with a "Christmas in Connecticut" Theme.

Other view of the Living Room

Living Room Tree. I picked out this one and Joey picked out the Family Room Tree.

Decorations in our Theater Downstairs

Hope you have enjoyed my Christmas decorations! Enjoy the rest of the Tour of Homes!

New Mascot? Wally the green "monstah" ain't got nothing on this kid!

2009-11-08T18:23:00.005-05:00

Halloween 2009

2009-11-08T18:11:00.007-05:00

I hope everybody had a Happy Halloween! It was so nice that it was on a Saturday this year, although I didn't get very many trick or treaters. Here are a few photos from the night, including my adorable niece and nephews!

Where to begin?

2009-09-09T07:41:00.013-04:00

Wow, almost three months has gone by since my last post. I guess that means its been a busy summer!

I will have to start with the most important thing that happened, I became an aunt! My nephew "C" was born on June 26th and I have spent most of my summer weaseling my way back and forth from Connecticut for plenty of visits with the little guy.

Here are a few photos from his first couple of months:

************************************************************************************

Next we traveled to Cape Cod for summer vacation and had a fabulous time! I am already counting down the days until next summer. We had the best time as usual with Jen and Don and her amazing family.

***************************************************************************************

August came and that brought our annual Cousins Weekend to my family's beach house in Old Saybrook, CT.

I had a terrific summer, but am certainly glad that we are getting into pumpkin/hot chocolate/halloween time of year!

Before & After

2009-06-19T11:26:00.014-04:00

This project came about when we were looking at new houses to buy a few years ago. We happened to visit an open house where the family had a home theater in an extra room in their basement. It was very small, but cozy and they did an awesome job with it. It got our wheels turning that we could recreate something like that if we bought a house with a finished basement. Fast forward about two years and when we finally did settle on a home, it had a perfect basement to create our dream room. Not only did it have a finished basement, but there was another room for storage - so we didn't have to compromise anything.

Without further ado, here are some before and after shots:

This project was certainly time consuming but so worth it in the end. Luckily for us, our brother in law's are an electrician and a contractor, so there was alot of help given to us, which we greatly appreciated!

2009-05-28T17:00:00.002-04:00

Kelly over at http://www.kellyskornerblog.com/ has a new installment of Show us where you live Friday. This one for me will be a little different - this one for me will be show us where your sister lives. My sister Allison and my brother in law Brad are patiently awaiting the arrival of their first baby due on June 19th. The room is finally just about complete so I thought I would share a few photos. I guess it can count a little towards me since I was the one who found the bedding and some of the decorative accents. Oh, and the wall color too! HA!

This is the view from when you walk into the room. Wall color is Benjamin Moore Ylang Ylang from the Aura Collection.

Look at those cute little pick up trucks on the radiator. Brad has been collecting them for years and finally has a reason to put them to good use!

The curtains in the room were made by my very talented Mother. A lot of cursing went into those valances, HA

Over in the little alcove, we found these prints from www.landofnod.com . We thought they were perfect and a great punch of color.

Here is the changing table area with pictures of their other "baby" ~ Tucker.

The bedding came from www.poshtots.com as well as the painting. Posh Tots have been the best to work with and so accomodating to all our special requests. If you look really close, you will see that the license plate says COOPER.

Here is a close up of the bedding - Isn't it the cutest thing ever?

And of course, no baby with the middle name "Fenway" room would be complete with at least one old Red Sox sign. I found this on ebay and thought it went with the vintage feel of the room wonderfully.

This post would not be finished without a gratuitous shot of momma-to-be....

So there you have it. Now we just have to wait for Cooper to make his debut.

22 Days and counting!

Tablescape Thursday

2009-05-28T13:03:00.005-04:00

Over at http://www.betweennapsontheporch.blospot.com/ has been doing something fun called Tablescape Thursdays. I am a very new reader to her blog, but I wanted to add my own little tablescape that I did recently. This was from a Mexican Dinner Party we did at Casa Jen & Joe.

And here is one from Thanksgiving last year:

Thanks for taking a peek! Be sure to go back to www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com and take a look at all the fabulous posters tablescapes!

Show us where you live Friday - Dining Rooms

2009-05-21T20:21:00.000-04:00

This is our dining room as a 'pre-before'. We haven't even begun to overhaul our dining room yet. I am imagining in the future possibly a bay window in place of the two windows, or perhaps even french doors out to a flagstone patio. I can also visualize some built in shelves to show off my collection of white serving pieces.

Here is the dining room still as a "current before" (i.e. We've spruced it up a little bit to make me happy, but it obviously doesn't even hold a candle to what I want it to look like as an end result.) I loved the colorful chairs that I had in there, but since re-doing my living room which opens up to the dining room, I had to put them in my new kitchen. They majorly clashed with the fabrics and colors in there and they look like they belong in their new home around the kitchen table.

This photo was taken during our Christmas Party.

Here are a couple photos from the Thanksgiving last year

And also for my husbands Birthday Brunch last year:

The little sideboard comes in handy, but I can't wait to really have built ins that will hold all my serving pieces.

Here is the dining room dressed in its Spanish best for Mexican Mastalski Night ~ October 2008

Well hopefully within the next year or so I can update with some fabulous new "After" shots. But for now, hope you enjoyed the tour!

And We're Off....

2009-05-21T11:16:00.000-04:00

.....to Massachusetts this weekend to visit these two squirrels:

Whom recently shared some of the best news I've heard in a while- that they are expecting! Baby Soja will be arriving some time mid October and we couldn't be happier.

Jen brings out my "drinking" side, since I only find myself kicking back more than a few when I am with her. Of course, with the baby news means no more of this for awhile for the two of us:

But with our upcoming vacation to Cape Cod together, it will mean alot of this:

We are looking forward to a Memorial Day Weekend full of relaxation, good friends and lots of memories (or mischief) to be made.

Hope everyone has a Happy Memorial Day 2009!!!

Happy Mothers Day!

2009-05-10T07:26:00.000-04:00

Happy Mothers Day!

I hope everyone has a fabulous day! Wish we could be in Cape Cod right now where this photo was taken!

Show us where you live Friday - Living Room

2009-05-07T20:16:00.002-04:00

Kelly over at http://www.kellyskornerblog.com/ is doing it again ths week with show us where you live Friday. So here is my living room in my new home.

View from the Front Doorway:

View from the Dining Room:

New sideboard from Home Goods. Pretty much everything I own comes from that store!

With all this dreary weather we have been having (Day 9 of rain!) I had to put some summertime touches out.

Here is a "before" photo:

And now onto the Family Room:

Ever since we went to Arizona, I had to do a little Cowboy theme in that room! The red walls are Benjamin Moore "Confederate Red" it is the BEST red that I have ever had!

Christmas time in the Family Room

My prized posessions, LOL.... autographed pictures from the actors of "A Christmas Story". We went to Cleveland over Thanksgiving and went to the real house and met them! SO FUN!

Thanks for taking a peek at my home!

Corn on the Cob Cupcakes

2009-05-06T23:37:00.000-04:00

I have been busy all week getting little things ready for our Mothers Day BBQ this Sunday. I found this picture and I think I will try to re-create for dessert. How cute are these? Especially with the yellow starburst as a pat of butter!?!?

Photo courtesy of Martha Stewart.

Trains, Planes & Toys...Thank Goodness for Little Boys!

2009-05-02T22:14:00.000-04:00

Well I am finally able to sit down and post some photos from the baby shower last weekend. My sister Allison is about 33 weeks along with a little boy and we can't wait for this little peanut to arrive! Everyone is getting more and more anxious for him to be born and we can't wait to meet him! My mom and I hosted a baby shower for Allison last Saturday afternoon and she received such generous and wonderful gifts from everyone!

Here are some of the centerpieces that I created:

Favors: Chocolate covered Rice Krispy Treats (stickers from Etsy)Cowboy Diaper CakeGift from Tucker:More Centerpieces:

Kitchen Shots....

2009-05-01T14:24:00.002-04:00

Kelly over at http://www.kellyskornerblog.com/ is doing a fun thing today where everyone is sharing shots of their kitchens. I am usually a lurker over there, but have come to look forward to seeing Kelly's new posts with her adorable daughter Harper everyday. I thought I would join in on the fun! Here are some recent photos of my new kitchen:

And for good measure....here is the "Before" shot :

Thanks for taking a peek!

Mexican Mastalski Night ~ 2008

2008-10-16T13:42:00.000-04:00

Once in awhile, I get a hankerin' to have a Mexican Mastalski Night. This year, we did it in honor of my sister's birthday, her last year in her 20's! We were happy to have her and Brad here for the weekend along with my cousin's Nick & Alana and my goddaughter, Darian. I think the pictures speak louder than words, so I will just leave you with them!

Summer Lovin' : Dreamy Beach Houses

2008-08-05T17:15:00.001-04:00

I'm in a beachy mood and I have been spending the afternoon drooling over these beauties!!

2 Months - Yikes!

2008-07-21T17:01:00.000-04:00

Summer Vacation 2008

I can't believe its been almost two months since I updated! Not much has been happening though. Summer has flown by and I can't believe that when I get back from my upcoming vacaction next week, its already going to be August! Where does the time go?

Speaking of vacation, the hubs and I leave on Friday for here first:

Our Room

Then, we are off to here:

The Cape Cod National Seashore
and staying here:

The Whalewalk Inn, Eastham, MA

From Cape Cod, we are then traveling north to Vermont and staying here:

Lake Morey Resort, Fairlee VT

From Vermont, we will make the brutal 7 hour drive south and wind up "Down the Shore" and spend a few days in Wildwood Crest and Cape May, NJ.

And finally,
ending up here.

The Virginia Hotel, Cape May, NJ

Whew! It will be alot of time in the car (and gas money!)

But it should be a great time visiting friends and family.

Happy Mothers Day!

2008-05-11T08:10:00.000-04:00

Happy Mothers Day to the Best Mom Ever!

2008-05-02T16:51:00.000-04:00

Is it tradition that the richer you are, the bigger the hat is?

I hope everyone has a fun Derby Day tomorrow!

Smokehouse Pizza

2008-04-13T18:41:00.000-04:00

After watching an episode of Sandra Lee yesterday, I thought I would try her method of pizza baking - on a gas grill. I bought the tin throw-a-way pans from the grocery store and poked dime size holes in the bottom all over the place.
Ingredients:
1 package Pillsbury Roll out Pizza Dough
1 Rotisserie Chicken
1/2 Pink Lady Apple
1/4 Sweet Onion
BBQ Sauce - I use Sweet Baby Ray's
Sharp Cheddar Cheese - White and Yellow

I pulled all the meat from the rotisserie chicken and mixed in bbq sauce to moisten it. I sauteed in a little olive oil, the onions, sliced very thin, and the apples, which I diced into small squares.

I spread the dough out on the tin pan, making sure not to push down the dough, you don't want it to poke through the holes. I had to trim some excess dough off from around the sizes. Spread it as thin as you can get it on the pan.

Place on pre heated gas grill from approximately 7 minutes, or until crispy on bottom and very light brown on top.

Take off grill and spread thin layer of BBQ sauce on , as you would tomato sauce. Sprad Chicken, Onions and Apples. Put generous amount of white cheddar cheese on top and fill in with a sprinkling of yellow cheese for color. Dust with a little salt and garlic powder.

Put back on grill, on top rack if you have one, for about 5 minutes or until cheese is done.

A Major Award!

2008-04-07T19:43:00.000-04:00

Sorry, I couldn't resist myself. For all of you that know me, you know my addiction to "A Christmas Story" every year. This past Saturday, Joey won a "Major Award" at the annual Mummers Banquet which was held for the Murray Comic Club that he is a part of every New Years Day. Here he is receiving his award proudly. He thinks it should be hung in our front entryway. I have a feeling that I will win this one.

Table Setting

2008-03-26T18:54:00.001-04:00

I thought this table setting that my sister did for Easter Sunday came out lovely!

New Design Challenge: Living Room

2008-03-22T11:30:00.000-04:00

Here is the Living Room, at the beginning of our project. I painstakingly took down the chair rail myself (thanks to a razor and a butter knife!) and primed the walls. After deciding on the color that I wanted to use (Benjamin Moore Aura: Ylang, Ylang) I needed to come up with a design plan. I have been drooling over this magazine photo at the bottom of the post and I think it is what I am deciding to go for. Let me know your thoughts.

Recipe: Pineapple Stuffing

2008-03-22T11:08:00.000-04:00

Pineapple Stuffing:
Perfectly paired with your Easter Ham

Ingredients:

1 can (20 oz. crushed pineapple)

1 stick soft butter

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

6 slices of bread, cubed

In a large bowl combine... Mix well and turn into about an 8" casserole (mine is square) Bake at 350* for about one hour or until golden brown and you can see it pulling away from the sides of the pan. You can test with a knife to be sure it is not runny in the middle.

Serve hot or cold. Makes enough to serve about 6 - 8 people

Finished product:

Happy Easter Everyone!

2008-03-22T11:01:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone has a happy and fabulous

Easter Sunday!

A few kitchen shots - before and after (thank god!)

2008-03-20T15:38:00.002-04:00

One view of the kitchen eating area Kitchen: Before, gotta love those linoleum floors

Kitchen: After

Marathon Weekend

2008-03-19T15:26:00.000-04:00

Literally! We had Allison & Brad, Nick, Alana & Darian come visit this weekend. They arrived at about 11 a.m. on Saturday and were gone by 8 a.m. Sunday. Not even 24 hours! But it was worth it, as we had fun and laughs as we usually do. Here are a few pics from this weekend.

Some Entryway Design Inspirations....

2008-03-19T13:54:00.000-04:00

I love the curved huge front door of this home and the dark wood floors.

The double front doors, again with the dark wood; and the huge chandelier makes this front entryway so inviting.

Front Entryway: Before, During and After

2008-03-19T11:11:00.000-04:00

Here is the front entry way before,

take note of the hideous wallpaper and 1970's railing.

Thank god the wallpaper is gone and hopefully it won't be too much longer that I will have to live with that iron railing.

Here is the project during construction. The linoleum flooring is ripped up and the wallpaper, or shall I say three layers of wallpaper is gone (Thanks to my mom & one long weekend project)

And finally, the after shot of entering the front doorway. The hardwood floors are a walnut and were purchased through
Avalon Floor and Tile in Philadelphia.

Our New Home - Turnersville, NJ

2008-03-19T10:33:00.001-04:00

Well it looks like we are finally starting to get settled in. My Kitchen is completely done, my husband's home theater is almost done, just missing seats. Now we need to start working on our living room and sprucing up the outside. With the weather beginning to get more mild, we can really start getting outside and getting things done.

This picture was taken a few days after we moved in, in August, 2007.