does your stomach ever talk to you? tonight, mine said “meesh, i NEED those crispy brussel sprouts with chinese sausage that you and Hubby had at Broadway in Laguna Beach.” then i learned that it’s actually brussels sprouts. plural. not sure why. just is. tonight, i absolutely needed to have these. so delish. even Hubby […]
Restoration Hardware inspired wood growth chart :: DIY
October 28 by
i’ve never met a piece of wood i didn’t like. i made a makeshift wooden deck around the kids’ playhouse last spring. there was a 6′ piece left. i knew i’d use it. someday. somehow. today was mr. woods’ lucky day. Ecowood Treatment is pretty nifty. But what I’ve found is that on smooth wood, […]
powder room reveal :: sophisticated beach vibe
October 25 by
i’m in love love love with our new powder room. our awesome designer, Erica Bryen, helped us find this perfect sea fan wallpaper. it’s blue-ish green, has some shimmer shimmer and sea fans. it’s official. i’m old. i’ve chosen wallpaper with shimmer? BUT, it’s perfect for our beachy, laid back vibe, yet sophisticated enough to […]
delish lamb chops with a balsamic viniagrette reduction
October 24 by
i’ve been watching a LOT of kitchen nightmares. gordon ramsay is harsh, but seems to know how to motivate people. he’s kind with some, in-your-face with others, yet encouraging throughout the show. anyway….all that being said, watching the show has sparked some inspiration for new recipes! i picked up some lamb chops at my favorite…costco. […]
antique pedestal table refinishing project :: step by step how-to
October 24 by
this adorable side table was handed down by my hubby’s grandparents, via his uncle. pretty beat up, but good structure. the legs were nearly perfect. then, we had a garage sale and one of the kiddos put his half-eaten donut on the table. (confession: i love my kids…almost as much as i love donuts). some […]
queen anne dresser :: grand finale
October 22 by
don’t you love when life knocks you for a few loops? i got the flu shot, and low and behold, got a 4 day mini flu. at least it wasn’t the whole shebang, but 4 days of fever es no bueno, as we like to say in so cal. so, i took a few weeks […]
fall is HERE! i found a pumpkin in my garden.
October 7 by
that’s right folks….i didn’t think it would happen. i planted pumpkin seeds in june….and we had amazingly gorgeous huge leaves. they grew all through the yard. then they started to get the white powdery fungus. so i ignored it figuring nothing would come of it. it was 100 degrees+ in our area for weeks….i certainly […]
queen anne dresser :: part 2
October 5 by
The Queen Anne dresser is coming along quite nicely. This is where I started: These are the steps I’ve taken thus far: Pulled out all drawers and sanded the body of the dresser with a 220 grit paper. Definitely wore a mask and had the garage door open as the dust was everywhere! Wiped […]
queen anne dresser refinishing :: part 1
October 3 by
my husband and i took care of our uncle george for the past 18 months. he was a kind man with a generous nature. he had nothing, but gave everything he found to those in need. he treasured this queen anne dresser, which belonged to his parents. i decided it should stay in the family. […]
Tutorial :: how I made a picture wall
August 11 by
i’ve been brewing on this idea for some time for the shabby chic guest room. with guests arriving this week, i figured it was time to wrap up this project. a few months ago, i took the kids to ikea. it’s always such an adventure. big A points at the arrows on the ground while […]
shabby chic guest bedroom update
July 30 by
this room is a continual work in progress, but it’s to a state where i can actually share some photos now! the room is finally coming together. i negotiated this room with hubby when we bought the house as everything other room we designed to be very masculine. i just always loved the romantic, soft, […]
beachy cottage laundry room reveal!!
July 29 by
very excited to share the new laundry room with y’all! it was previously just a plain, boring ole laundry room. no flavor, no pizzaz. so here we go. a fresh, very beachy, killer laundry room! hooks on the left wall. a rod to hang ironed items. front loader washer and dryer lifted on the awesome […]
artichokes!!!
June 12 by
look what we saw in the garden today!?!? it only took 9 months. 🙂 anyone have the recipe for the Bandera/Houston’s artichoke?
attack of the bunnies!
June 11 by
When we landscaped our yard, I specifically researched how to keep the rabbits out. We specifically built raised veggie beds so that the bunnies couldn’t enjoy the veggies more than we did. So the guys dug a foot deep and secured the wire fencing along the 75 feet across our back yard. I looked at […]
summer’s here. the flowers prove it!
June 10 by
We’ve still got another month or so of what we southern Californians call June gloom. That’s right…don’t come here expecting hot blazing days. Along the coast, you’ll get foggy mornings until it burns off around noon…these days last until July 4th. Then we finally get some morning sun! But the June gloom is perfect for […]
