WHAT'S BLOOMING AND HAPPENING

In spite of the rain and gloomy weather, my tulips decided to make an appearance this year.  This made me really happy because last year we had such a mild winter that I thought I had lost all of them.  What a pretty sight!

Further down from the tulips is my forsythia bush.  It's a monster.  I call this my Woodland Garden because of all the trees that shade it like a big canopy.  I have day lily's, astilbe, columbine and bleeding hearts in here...there's always something blooming from spring to fall.  Ignore my neighbor's garage, that tree on the right will block the view soon.

The forsythia branches have to come inside!  They last about 2 weeks.  Unfortunately you can't dry them, they just shed their petals, but they are so pretty while they last.  

As you know I had the kitchen painted along with the living room last month.  I had a very flowery wallpaper above these cabinets and everything up there just sort of disappeared in all the busyness.  I used to  keep my cake plates here because they're so hard to store anyway, but this time around I did a little different arrangement...some baskets, vintage bowls, a bee skep (this is the left side)...

...and a bit more on the right side. 

A couple of ladies asked me about the stove hood that they spotted when I posted pictures of the cookbook shelves, so this is a shot of it.  We had a carpenter do our whole kitchen, the cabinetry, trim, counters, electrical.  He even did the fireplace in the living room as well as the wainscoting.  So, he surprised us with this, I think the design on it is called a breadbasket.  It's also continued on the spice rack and trim around the kitchen window.  He really was a talented guy.

Once again I have odds and ends accumulating in the living room, ready to be pieced together.  Everything is here but for the area rug (it's on it's way!!), I just need The Husband to hang the floating shelves (same deal, just different shelves).  And I'm working slowly on the den and office, packing and purging.  I know I could get both rooms done in a day, but I have been having the worst allergies and asthma over the past two weeks.  There isn't a antihistamine I haven't tried.  I used Claritin on Sunday and I thought I would just lie down on my bed for an hour and I woke up 5 hours later and was still groggy.  If you have something good that you take for allergies, let me know.  With the asthma, I just get very winded and have to stop and sit for a few minutes when I'm doing something strenuous (like making a bed or carrying a box, I'm serious, it's a terrible thing to have).  I think it's from everything budding outside but I've never had a spring this bad before.  Sheet.

Rumor has it that The Husband is going to the lake to play with his new fishing boat.  I wish I had a diversion like that right now!  He really needs a break right now and after this wedding I'm going to lock up the house, grab the dogs and head to the lake where I'm not going to do anything but float on a raft and sip spiked lemonade!  But for now, I have to get out and find new shoes, a bra and a clutch purse.  I have a fitting appointment after I get the carpets cleaned tomorrow and then there is another party for Emily Saturday night, sort of a bachelorette party for all the ladies invited.  The stripper party last weekend was just for the bridesmaids! lol!  Sunday is going to be my day of rest.  I mean that. :)

Linking to Feathered Nest Friday at Courtney's

XO,

Jane

CANDICE OLSON VISITS & MORE DECORATING NEWS

It's so good to be back!  Little did you all know, our internet crashed Wednesday night.  It was apparently due to our friendly little squirrels nibbling away at the cables outside.  We thought it was from the horrendous thunderstorms we had been having...flooding and water damage everywhere.  We definitely got our share of rain.  After a week of doom and gloom, it's sunny and beautiful out.  And I'm in a much better frame of mind since I last posted.  Thank you ladies, for all of your support.  Decorating should be fun and we have moved on to Plan B.  More on that later.

I busied myself with what I could accomplish in the meantime.  Remember those dried hydrangeas I found on eBay?  They came all the way from Seattle so I thought they deserved something nicer than a simple vase.  I dug through my baskets and containers and found this guy...I think it's from Wisteria, it came in a set of three.  I filled it with moss from Michael's and poked the dried flowers in it.    I think these are the prettiest hydrangeas I've ever found on eBay and you can't beat $7.50 for a nice sized bunch!

I found this basket, too, and put it to use holding pop and bottled water that doesn't fit in the fridge.  Very handy.

Emily was so excited to learn that Candice Olson was going to be visiting the furniture shop she designs/sells in.  They carry a line of furniture by Candice and she stopped in for a meeting and to talk to the designers.  It was the thrill of Emily's life to meet one of the icons in the design world (and how great so early in her career!). Em said that she ran into Candice in the ladies room and was terribly nervous as they washed their hands side by side.  But Candice was super friendly and they struck up a long conversation.  

Things You Might Like To Know About Candice Olson

She is as sweet as she is beautiful.

She is super tall.

She played professional volleyball in Canada

She will not be coming here to give me decorating tips.

I'm sorry if this is turning into Emily's Journal.  I'm trying to talk her into starting a blog once the wedding is over with.  She continues to work on making her new house a home and look at this dresser that she found through Facebook.  Two girls that live in the Chicago burbs find furniture and fix it up.  I wish I had posted the before picture...a very ugly, beat up brown thing.  She has it in the room that will be the future nursery.  Isn't it gorgeous?  I only had my phone to take this picture, I wish you could see the detail better.  I love it!

I went over there Thursday evening and we had some wine and worked on the table seating and the place cards.  She is just so organized even though she has a zillion balls up in the air.  May 10th is fast approaching...I just hope spring arrives in full bloom before then!

And then I just have to share this quick side dish that I threw together last night.  I'm always trying to find innovative ways to use potatoes that don't involve boiling and mashing.  Sorry this picture isn't too appetizing, I like taking pictures of desserts so much more.  Anyway, I just sliced potatoes somewhat thinly so they would bake fast, tossed them with olive oil, salt and pepper, added a handful of crumbled bleu cheese  (you can use Feta as well), poured about 2 tablespoons of melted butter over the top and baked uncovered about 40 minutes.  Give them a toss halfway through.  So, so good!

Back on the redecorating/organizing front here, I dragged the big area rug from LL Bean to the post office to return it.  Never believe it when a company says, "easy returns".  The post office really frowned on me using 10 rolls of masking and electrical tape to wrap it so I had to stand in the vestibule and redo it with packing tape.  Then I had to run back home because I forgot the address where I was sending it.  And it cost $30.00 to return it.  But I kept my chin up and spent a crazy amount of time this week organizing rooms and tossing junk.  All I have left is the den (our catch all room) and the office (another catch all room).  We will probably just close Abby's door as we always do when we have company.  

Well, The Husband and I are off to Homegoods to return the floating ledges.   They are impossible to hang so I bit the bullet and ordered two from Pottery Barn.  I also ordered and received (in 4 days!!) two framed prints from Art.com.  I will share them after I have the monster, pain in the neck wall in my living room finished.   Where's Candice when I need her?

Joining Tweak It Tuesday at Cozy Little House.  See you there!

XO,

Jane

TABLE REDO, NEW CHAIRS & A FRUSTRATING WEEKEND!

Okay, the week is not starting out good.  Lots of rain and out of Dunkin Donuts coffee.  And Diet Pepsi.  The morning was ruined before it started.  But I put my best foot forward, cleaned out a few closets and cabinets and decided to share with you what I did get accomplished over the weekend.

Back to last Thursday, Emily and I went to the bridal shop for yet another fitting.  Sorry I can't reveal much more of the dress but you know how that goes.  If the process of lacing the dress up looks time consuming, you should see how the bustle is done!  Thank goodness she has a Maid Of Honor to do that!  The gown looks gorgeous, but she has to have more hemmed.  My dress...the neckline and bust is too big and I have to go back with the bra I'm going to wear as well as the shoes so it can be hemmed.  I suppose I should also bring along the clutch I'll carry, I'm sure they will find a way to alter that, too.  I despise dressing rooms.  The mirrors confirmed my suspicion that I have no waist to speak of.  And the dress looks more purple than plum.  Sheet.  We did hit Homegoods afterward, so the day wasn't lost.

Back in Blondieville, Abby, Megan and Mary Clare were preparing for the bachelorette party weekend.  They bought wine glasses from the Dollar Store and jazzed them up with glass paint for the girls attending the party.  I forgot to take pictures of them!   It was fun though, we ordered pizzas and talked and laughed.

As I mentioned before, the party was up at the lakehouse and a tour of some vineyards and wineries was planned.  Here is Mary Clare, Megan, Emily and Abby on the bus that took them along with 15 other girls.  They had a great time and brought me back a couple of bottles of local wine.  Back at the house that evening they texted me pictures and as the night went on, they were harder and harder to decipher!  I will say that they moved the furniture against the walls and created a dance floor.  It's rumored a gentleman arrived and entertained them.  In one picture that I couldn't post, there was a questionable object that appeared to be blown up...and it wasn't a balloon.  And the cake was in the shape of something that would make us all blush.  Oh, to be young and crazy!  They arrived home Sunday and assured me that they cleaned the house spotless (that saves me the spring cleaning...yahoo!) and then Abby went straight to bed with a head and stomachache.  Good times!

Sunday I got to work on that table I showed you in my last post.  I used two coats of Sherwin Williams Dover White.  I changed out the knob for a glass one.  I haven't distressed it, I was already worried that The Husband would freak out over a piece of painted furniture in the living room.  You'll remember he either didn't notice it the few days it sat there nekked, or pretended not to.  When it was finished, he said I did a good job.  I guess I get to keep it.

If you remember, this is the "before".

And here it is next to one of the new chairs.  I have the same lamp from Target but I added a new shade that I fell in love with.  I really love the chairs.  I'd love them even more if The Husband would stop throwing blankets over them to protect them from the dogs!

Now this is the part where it gets ugly.  We laid the area rug down that I ordered online from L.L. Bean.  It was too small.  It's a 5 X 8 and I needed an 8 X 10.  The Husband thought it was fine but I was mumbling some very bad words.  I  wrapped it back up with bubble wrap and a ton of electrical tape and ran to the post office with it.  Just in time for it to close.  So I carted it back home and it's sitting here like a big mummy.  The Husband wants to wait until we get our credit back before we order the new size.  Grrrrrr...

Moving on the the floating wall ledges I found at Homegoods.  A no go.  The hardware was crazy, even after a trip to Home Depot.  We tried for 2 solid hours and all we did was scratch the new paint on the wall.  Another no go.  And then I spent most of Saturday evening looking at art online until I thought I'd go blind.  I finally found 2 framed prints that I like a lot.  Sigh...something went right.  Oh, I digress.  I hung my newly cleaned curtains back on the windows and they are hanging sort of funky.  I'm just ready to throw in the towel.

So, I guess it's back to cleaning closets.  I hope to have something more cheerful to post about later in the week.  :)

Linking up to The Scoop at Cedar Hill Ranch

XO,

Jane

CURTAIN SEARCH, A LITTLE COOKING AND SOME PAINTING

We all know how projects snowball, it happens to the best of us.  But it's a good thing in a way, we look at things with a fresh eye and think, it's time for a change.  So while we work and wait, and work and wait on the living room, I've tweaked the kitchen, done a little bit in one of our bathrooms and then got it in my head that I needed something different in cafe curtains for this bay window in the dining area.  It's hard to tell in this picture, but the curtains are a brown ticking strip on a creamy heavy linen fabric.  Very nice but I needed a change.

I love Country Curtains and have done so many rooms in my house over the past 20 years with their quality curtains and nice selection.  As I perused their website a few weeks ago, I thought, maybe I'll go with something light and airy for summer.  So I ordered these, they came, I washed them and hung them up wet as my mother always did.  Well...envision Aunt Bea's kitchen in Mayberry.  Noooooo!  I took them down before I even thought to take a picture.  Problem is, I washed them so I can't return them.  Maybe I can reincarnate them in a bedroom or something.

This is the fabric from the curtains I really want...cafe curtains in a weaver's cloth.  I like the texture, I hope you can see it well enough in this picture.  The problem is, the size they come in is about 5 inches too long for my window and though I can hem them by hand, I'm not confident with this fabric.  So...my dilemma is, should I order the curtains and spend additional money on a tailor or should I stop fussing over this window in the first place?  And why are curtains and drapes so frustrating for so many of us in the first place?  My choices are so slim because I don't sew.  Anyway, this keeps me up at night.  Seriously.  Do you go crazy choosing curtains?

So the window remains curtainless and it's only a matter of days (or weeks) before The Husband notices.  He's observant like that. 

I have spent a little time in the kitchen the past few days, my slow week hasn't been as slow as I thought.  Abby's birthday was Sunday.  The Husband wasn't feeling well so we didn't go out to dinner or celebrate big, but I did make her favorite dinner...chicken, mashed potatoes and asparagus.  And I made a cake.  She couldn't decide on vanilla or chocolate frosting so this is what I did.  I'm not the best cake decorator in the world so this is as good as it gets!

The Husband and I took a trip to a little local grocery store on Monday for some things we had run out of.  This store has a really impressive produce department and when we saw these green bell peppers we had to grab some.  They looked like they were on steroids!

So, I made stuffed peppers and they were delicious.  My mother used to make these a lot and they were really good.  I remember while growing up we had a little terrier she called Poopsie.  Well, Poopsie had an irritable stomach and my Mom would cook up ground beef and rice for her and said it was the best remedy for Poopsie's tummy problems.  Anyway, I always think of that when I make stuffed peppers.  If you'd like my very own recipe (not Mom's), send me an email.

And finally, while I was rummaging around in the basement looking for a paintbrush to do the shelves for my bathroom, I came across this old end table.  My living room has gone through so many changes and different pieces of furniture, I just don't remember where or when this fit in my decor or even where it's from.  But it's heavy and sturdy and it's nice that it's a drop leaf.  So I am going to sand it down and paint it.  The Husband is not a fan of painted furniture but I think he'll like the transformation.  He hasn't noticed this sitting smack dab in the middle of the living room, but as with the naked window, he can be oblivious to a lot of things.

Good news...my new chairs are being delivered Saturday, my area rug was shipped, so we should be hanging curtains and putting the living room together over the weekend.  Other than the gallery wall, I still have a lot of decisions to make for that big open wall.  I think it will come to me once I see the furniture in place.  Now, I'm off to paint!

Joining Courtney for Feathered Nest Friday!  See you there!

XO,

Jane

WEEKEND ORGANIZING

Happy Saturday everyone!  We have no plans for the weekend.  None.  Zip.  Not sure how I feel about that, I have nothing planned for next week either!  It seems the flurry of activities ebbs and flows.  Well, I'm sure I'll find something that needs fixing, organizing, fluffing or tweeking.  I'm sharing my Easter flowers with you, they actually look better now that they have opened.  It's so nice to have something LIVING in my house because there sure isn't anything outside.  Well, I did spot some tulip and daffodil shoots sprouting up the other day when I had a little adventure in the backyard.  Layla found a bunny nest and left two tiny bald babies on the back steps.  They didn't even have their eyes open.  I cuddled them to keep them warm while I searched for the nest.  My backyard is pretty big and it was like looking for a needle in a haystack.  I had pretty much decided to just cover them up in some leaves and leave nature to do it's thing when Abby suggested we let Layla out and have her lead us to the nest.  And she sure did!  I tucked those little babies back in the hole with their siblings and let out a sigh of relief.  Thankfully she hadn't harmed them but believe me, some that she's found have not fared so well. 

Here are my new and improved cookbook shelves.  Yes, I can finally say I organized them after giving away half the books and then shopping the house for some little extras to put up there.  I think the arrangement looks so much better on the creamy wall than when it was green.  As below...

Not that you can see much of the wall!  This area had become command central with the overload of books, the calendar, the dog leashes.  Now do you see why I need to simplify my life?!  So, do you like the new look?

Once again I'm on eBay, bidding and wrangling on dried flowers.  This is what you have to lower yourself to when you live in the city.  And even at the lake, the only thing we have in abundance are cattails.  I also won a box full of dried hydrangeas and the colors are beautiful.  I think I spend less on these dried flowers then I would if I bought the faux ones at Michael's.

Last week I made a trip to Homegoods and I found two white washed wall ledges for my gallery wall.  I think this is a better way to go then trying to figure out how to hang the pictures and putting a zillion holes in the wall.  And they were half the price of the ones I saw at Pottery Barn.  So the next step is to choose some frames and I'd like to paint some myself, and then of course, go through my photo files to find pictures.  I also paid a visit to good old Tarjay and walked out with a lampshade and a loaf of bread!  That is a first for me! lol!

Not much else is new.  On the wedding front, Emily's bachelorette party is being held up at the lakehouse.  They have booked a bus and are spending the day touring vineyards and wineries.  What a great time they're going to have.  And it's nice for me, too, because Emily, Abby and a few of the girls are going up early to open windows and do a little spring cleaning.  Yes!!

I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend.  Is the sun shining for you?  We are already 54 degrees and I'm loving it! :)

I'm joining Maria Elena's Tuesdays At Our Home.  Stop by and join the party!

XO,

Jane

A TRIFLE LATE ON EASTER

Hello!  It looks like we are back to our regular routine again...wishing and waiting for spring.  I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter.  All that preparation and it's over in a blink of the eye.  First off, did you notice my new blog design?  I had been toying with the idea for awhile and Friday night I decided to bite the bullet.  So here it is, courtesy of Sara at Sadie Olive.  I told her what I wanted in great detail and she had it up and running for me yesterday.  She did an excellent job!  If you ever need any design work, you have to contact her.

An update on Emily/Mike news.  They moved into their new home on Friday and worked all weekend unpacking, painting and getting rooms in order.  Emily wasted no time in getting their bedroom outfitted and cozy.  The bathroom across the hall is just gorgeous and her kitchen is well stocked with all the great gifts she received from her shower.  The Husband and I went out on Saturday morning and did a grocery shopping for them as a little present.  They are so thrilled. She told me, "Mom, it was so awesome to get up Monday morning for work, take a shower, make a cup of coffee and get ready in my own bathroom!".  It really is those little things that matter.  She asked me if I was happy or sad that she was gone now...how could she even question that?  I guess she hasn't read my last post where I was sobbing on all of your shoulders over losing my girl!  But she is SO happy and I am, too.  I'm going over there tonight to look at some of the recent changes.

Our Easter went really well.  Okay, there were a few snags, of course.  I made some desserts the night before and The Husband and I did a little over~sampling of them.  So I was up at 8:00 a.m. Sunday morning making cupcakes and a trifle.  Then the appetizers, potatoes, salad, ham and a much involved recipe for puff pastry wrapped asparagus.  The snafu, I forgot to defrost the puff pastry.  I ended up doing it in the microwave and it came out a globby mess.  Not to be intimidated, I used a lot of flour and managed to roll it out.  But...I forgot to take a picture.  Next time.

I liked the way my table turned out.  I can't for the life of me remember where I got the salad plates from but the glasses are from Pier 1 and I used my every day flatware.  The kids took a stand against my antique silver plate until I shine it up.  They don't share that awe we have in wondering who used it way back when!

A close up.  As usual, I thought I was organized and prepared and there I was ironing the tablecloth ten minutes before we ate.  I had bought the flowers earlier and I ran around the house looking for anything that screamed "Spring"!!

These are the appetizers, Buffalo Chicken Cups.  They were a big hit.  They are made in won ton wrappers and very simple to throw together.

And finally, my trifle.  I received the dish as a gift over 15 years ago and I did nothing more than display fruit in it.  This trifle consists of layers of angel food cake, strawberries, vanilla pudding and whipped cream.  It was so delicious and simple, I will definitely make it again. 

I totally vegged out on Monday and then yesterday I met Melanie from Comfy House at the Cheesecake Factory out in the burbs.  In spite of my getting lost and ending up 15 miles past the restaurant near O'Hare airport, Melanie was very forgiving and we had a nice long lunch and never stopped talking!  She is incredibly nice and bubbly and since we have been emailing back and forth for months, we were like old friends.  I can't wait to get together again.

The next few days are going to be slow and relaxing.  I am going to hang some new curtains in the kitchen and paint some shelves for the bathroom.  And no, I haven't arranged those darn cookbooks yet, but at least I'll have something to share in my next post.  So off I go.  I hope all of you are having a great week, we have had so much sun lately, it actually looks like spring weather is on the way.  Yay!

XO,

Jane

COOKBOOK LOVE

I'm squeezing in a post before a crazy weekend.  Today is the first day of sunshine that we've had all week.  It makes me want to go out and play in the dirt!  But it's the same old, same old with getting this house back in order.  Thank you, all of you, for your ideas for making some changes in the living room.  Who needs decorating magazines?  Within the next 3 weeks, my new chairs will be delivered as well as my area rug and I am going to start off with a clean slate.  I am really leaning towards a small section for a gallery, I saw some ledges at Pottery Barn which will keep the pictures from "floating"...more of a shelf~like look and I'm sold on that.  I seem to like order, probably because I am so mentally scattered! lol!

Anywho, with the gloomy weather I hunkered inside and worked on my kitchen.  I lugged all of my cookbooks back into the kitchen and lovingly cleaned each and every cover with soapy water to get the accumulation of gunk from the stove off them.  I went from the six piles that you see above to three, giving away a lot of them.  It really was a walk down memory lane for me.  If any of you are cookbook/recipe lovers, you know how these books become your friends, a sort of scrapbook of your life.  Crammed inside most of them were recipes torn out from newspapers and magazines, grocery lists and menus.  It was a very bittersweet moment when I came across a book that I used to cook from when I was making meals for my Mom and Dad years ago.  My Mom was losing her struggle with cancer and my Dad didn't have a clue how to cook, even if he had had the time, so I would make meals over the course of a few days, enough for a few weeks and freeze them.  I would bring them bag fulls that they could pick and choose and microwave.  Well, in this much used, stained and tattered book I found the menus, my notes, little stars by the dishes they loved and it really choked me up, especially now since they are both gone.  I put a lot of love in those meals and they so appreciated it, they gave me a lot more credit for my cooking abilities than I deserved and I would do it all over again if I could have more days with them.

Onward.  I don't know if you have ever heard of Charlie Trotter, a world renowned chef who had restaurant in Chicago named after himself.  Well, he was my idol and this was back in the day before celebrity chefs on television, popping up with multiple restaurants all over the place.  The Husband bought me this book, the year was 1997, and he made reservations at the restaurant for my birthday.  I was beyond thrilled!  I remember picking out a brown velvet dress to wear and thinking I was going to be too excited to eat!

Well, not only did The Husband make the reservations, he made arrangements for me to meet the chef himself!   OMG!  So this is me and Charlie, posing a little awkwardly (gotta love that 90's hair on me!).

And he signed a book for me, "After love, there is only cuisine".  What a night that was, I don't even remember the food!  I still follow him in the society pages, he closed his restaurant last year after thirty years and is doing some philanthropic work.  Did I ever make anything from the book?  Well, can you say, "Morel Flan with Black~Eyed Peas, Roasted Baby Fennel, and Herb~Infused Chicken Stock Reduction"?  Nope!

This weekend Emily and her fiance move into their new house.  Have I mentioned it is next door to Papa?  Isn't that great that she will be living next to her own grandfather, they can keep an eye out for one another!  And Mike's parent live two doors down, how's that for closeness?  As I said, Emily grew up on this block with her Nana and Papa living there so she knows everyone.  Tomorrow is the closing and then they are going to get right in.  She came home from work last night they moved gifts from the shower into their cars and then she started to box up the things in her room.  I nearly had a meltdown right then and there.  With all the wedding plans and craziness going on around here, I never fully realized that my little girl was leaving and starting a new life away from home.  I mean, I knew it, but it hadn't really registered until I saw the boxes of her clothes and all of her personal things from her room, which will soon be empty.  I know it's a new beginning for us, she is going to become a wife, homemaker (is that an outdated word?), and mother, and it's a happy time.  So why do I feel so sad?

Tomorrow I will be shopping for the Easter menu, the traditional ham and all the fixings, we have a small group here for dinner and dessert and I have just started to think about the dishes and centerpiece.  I have looked at so many pretty tables over the last few weeks, I'm kind of excited to do something elegant and spring~like.  Dinner is a no brainer, but I am going to try to make something delicious and new for dessert.  I'll share that with you next week when things are much more calm around here.

From my family to yours, wishing you a wonderful and blessed Easter! :)