Whenever I need a little pick-me-up, I make the short drive to my hometown of Geneva, Illinois. Quaint and idyllic, the town was settled on the Fox River in 1835 and carries a heavy Swedish influence. In fact, the town’s biggest festival (held in June) is appropriately dubbed Swedish Days and attracts thousands of tourists. Residents…
I confess … it was difficult for me to brush yellow paint across the pink clapboards of my circa 1875 historic home. But the pink was looking faded and I felt a jolt of sunshine was needed. It took months to choose trim colors but we eventually settled on Cottage White, a dark shade of…
My 140-year-old dining room is screaming for a re-do. Well, maybe not screaming … but it could use a little help. I’m happy with the colors; Martha Stewart’s Quaking Aspen green walls paired with white trim, but the table and chairs could use some freshening up. The windows could use some dressing, too. Right now they’re graced with a simple, white, roman…
Lately I’ve been playing around with soups made from scratch. In August I started with Heirloom Tomato Basil, and then I moved on to Butternut Squash Carrot Soup (do you see the seasonal trend here?). Both were pretty tasty, but I wanted to try a mushroom soup to serve for Thanksgiving. After poking around the internet,…
Introducing my new blog with a tribute to my daughter Bridget, who was married to Zac on October 8th, 2011. She wanted a burlap and lace wedding on a country farm and after months of searching, she found just the right venue that blended rustic charm with lots of rural beauty. I just love the…
