Little Cabin in the Woods

This has been our home away from home for the past few days. It may not be as sprawling as say this...

or this...

or these...

...but what it lacks in size, it makes up for in charm.

I just love the eat in kitchen. The girls were a big  help in setting the table for dinner.

Even as small as this little cabin appears from the outside, it's still filled with all the comforts of home. Though, the electric wine bottle opener gave me cause to unhinge my jaw to let out an exacerbated Gaawleee. (If you've read this blog long enough you'd know that I often have Gomer Pyle moments -- moments when I gush and marvel over life's simple gadgets.)

The double bunks have been a big hit with the girls. You can't see it from this image, but there's also a large flat screen TV in this room.

Even the little details like the painted tile on the window sill and the snuggly blue throw over the wicker chair add so much charm and character to this otherwise simple interior.

The master bedroom is no bigger than ours at home and we all managed to stuff ourselves in there for a good time.

The TV in the closet well, yes, I did gaawlee over this too. What a great space saving idea!

Wii in the living room -- gotta love that. And you see those hooks back there? How convenient.

Hooks for towels after spending time in the hot tub.

Oh, and there are books everywhere... on shelves, nightstands and tucked away in these handy little baskets. So darling.

I want to paint our bathroom this color? It's so pretty. I love the pocket door.

The girls are enjoying their bunks with the convenient reading lights and windows. Alex is especially loving it as this is her first time sleeping up top.

We all have slept so well each night snug in our cozy bedrooms. Tonight will be our last night here and it makes my eyes water just a little bit.

Chicken Souvlaki and A Backyard Transformation

Hello blog readers. Thanks for tuning in even though I haven't had a blog post in quite some time now. I've taken on an albatross of a project that is my backyard transformation which I'll tell you about in just a bit. We started our backyard project by getting rid of our old rickety BBQ grill and replacing it with a sparkling brand new one. And as promised, I've got a grill recipe for you.

I found a Chicken Souvlaki recipe {here} and it couldn't have been easier. The chicken came out tender and flavorful. The whole family enjoyed it served with a side of roasted potatoes sprinkled with a bit of Feta cheese. My husband however did chomp on a wee piece of under cooked meat so I threw the skewers back on the grill for a few more minutes and everyone was happy again. {I never said I was a master at grilling.} Minor salmonella scare -- we're all okay. But don't let my little mishap frighten you away from trying this recipe. Sometimes I say too much and probably should have left that little tidbit out -- just keep'n it real folks, just keep'n it real.

Moving on. . .

I picked the Green Leaf lettuce from my garden.

I washed it right up and now look at it. I'm not a Gardener so anything that actually grows and then becomes edible is a huge cause for celebration.

Here is the "before" picture of my garden. It actually looked a lot worse but I forgot to take pictures of all the weeds and grass that occupied this space before I planted the flowers.

I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing so I'm just buying plants that I think have good staying power. I also bought a trellis and rich dark mulch. I didn't know what kind of mulch to buy, I just followed a couple at Home Depot who were loading bags and bags of this stuff into their cart. I figured if it was good enough for them then, why not. They looked like garden people too so I figured I couldn't go wrong.

Now my garden looks like this. I should probably pick that Kale soon don't you think?

I planted herbs and placed them at the backdoor in hopes that I'll someday be able to just step outside and take in the aroma of the peppermint and lemon balm. Only time will tell.

These chairs have been with us for about 12 years and now I'm finally getting around to giving them some love and attention. I've painted them a pretty coastal blue to give our backyard that beach feel. I also went to Cost Plus and purchased cushions and an umbrella {they were having a huge sale}. We're still waiting on our dining table from Home Depot -- I can't wait for that sucker to arrive.

I'll be sure to post images of our new backyard soon.

Happy Independence Day!!!

Getting Ready for a Joyous Evening

It's Thanksgiving Day and I'm sitting at my computer typing this blog entry which may seem like a crazy thing to do since I'm expecting to feed 8 adults and 4 children tonight. No worries. I finished all the side dishes last night and the turkey breasts are trussed, seasoned and ready to roast. I'm all done as far as I'm concerned save for a little housecleaning that shouldn't take too much time.

The other day my girls and I found these lovely fall burnt sienna, rust and gold leaves on the sidewalk in front of a coffee shop. We couldn't resist bringing a bushel of them home. Here's what we did with them. . .

. . . an autumn garland for the fireplace. We just strung these beauties onto fishing line {Alisha, thanks for the fishing line, I know I said I'd return it and haven't. It's come in handy for so many projects. I'll buy you a new spool, I promise. You're the best next door neighbor ever, and I'm not just saying that becuase you let me borrow the fishing line!}

I also finished getting the table ready for tonight's feast. I can't wait to see the food on the plates and the candles flickering. It's going to be a joyous evening!!

Here are some images from my table setting. I washed the tablecloth last night. I removed it promptly from the dryer and placed it on the table in hopes it would keep from wrinkling. Well, that didn't work. But who cares right? Oh who am I kidding, I may just get out the iron afterall. I don't know if the crinkle look is in this year.

And you should also know that this isn't my dining room. It's actually the formal living room that we transformed into a dining room. We do this every year. Our "regular" dining room space is quite snug making it difficult to seat 8 adults.

We swap the furniture from our living room with the furniture from the dining room. The dining room space becomes a cozy sitting area and then the living room, becomes the dining room. I love it because it means we get to dine in front of a roaring fire. {roaring may be stretching the truth a bit, but it is a fire nonetheless.}

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy 4th of July

My morning started off with a 45 minute yoga practice mostly of balance poses so my legs are definitely feeling the burn. A bowl of oatmeal for breakfast and then a hot shower. I feel refreshed.

Tonight I'm off to the Green Day concert at the Key Arena and hope to meet up with a few friends for dinner before the concert. Later in the evening, it's drinks with more friends. I'm keeping myself very busy today/tonight before the 4th of July festivities tomorrow. What am I doing to myself?

Today I scoured my home for holiday items to photograph for today's post, but couldn't find anything but a roll of stamps and these luscious cherries. Why cherries? Well, I was speaking to my girl's nanny yesterday and she said that cherries remind her of the 4th of July because it was always something she and her family had for the holiday. So I thought they would be appropriate for today's post -- aren't they lovely? And yes, they taste just as delicious as they look. Thank you, Susan for picking them and giving me a large bag full. Unfortunately, this is the last of them. We will try to savor them.

And then lastly, here are some images from a recent window shopping trip to University Village.

I love this woven tray and the dishes are something to behold. Miller Pollard has some of the best home accessories and furniture for small homes.

The children's section at Miller Pollard is magical. What child wouldn't love to have all of this.

One day I will own this book. Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey: Desserts for the Serious Sweet Tooth by Jill O'Connor is right up my alley. I found this while at Crate&Barrel.

Enjoy the holiday weekend and I'll have more posts on Monday. Watch for images of my gigantic homemade ice-cream sandwiches and images from the 4th.

Suspended Serenity

I was talking to my friend Lisa the other day and she was telling me how she was entertaining the thought of buying a suspended bed for her son. The thought behind it was that the suspended bed would have a calming effect and would be a nice way to have a little quiet time. And as luck would have it, I found myself stumbling across amazing pictures of blissful suspended beds and chairs. I think we can all use a little calming every now and again. I hope these photos help to bring a little bit of calm to your day.

Big Yarn

I told myself that I wouldn't post pictures from other sites, but I stumbled across these fabulous knits while perusing Style Files and just fell in love with the photos. I love the ginormous, nautical rope ball and humongous knitting needles.

I like this pattern on the wall and would love to own the same pattern in a sweater.

This rustic scarf clearly would cozy up any room simply draped over the arm of a chair, sofa or even at the foot of a bed.

This ottoman is incredible and would dress up any patio or porch. I'm so glad that I found these styles.