My oldest daughter Stephanie was married last June at the Hotel Baker in St. Charles and we’re just now getting the digital files of the photos. I shared photos of the wedding ceremony a couple blog posts ago and now it’s time to share a few photos from the reception. (All photos courtesy of Jolie…
I confess. I can’t take it anymore! We had a bit of balmy weather through Easter weekend but winter is dragging its frosty heels on its way out the door. The temps dropped after our brief “warm” spell (and it wasn’t all that warm to begin with). Â I’m telling myself that since spring has been…
For the longest time I’ve been on the hunt for a cow picture for the kitchen. Since I want to keep a farmhouse feel in this part of the house, what better way to accomplish this than with a farm animal? I found lots of beautiful cow paintings for hundreds of dollars but as usual,…
Last June my oldest daughter Stephanie married her beau, Matt. And just this weekend we finally got the digital photo files! We’ve waited so long and I’m thrilled to be able to share them even though it’s months later. Â Rather than share all my fave photos at once, I’m dividing them into two blog posts….
A light snow is falling today and my soul yearns for spring. Â I miss the smell of fresh dirt and newly mowed lawns. I want to see green leaves sprouting on the trees and colorful pops of flowers in the garden. Hubby and I have deemed this summer as the season of working on the…
Daffodils are peaking through the dirt while small piles of snow still dot the landscape here in Illinois. I grow impatient for spring and warmer weather. Last year we were blessed with an unusually warm spring and I was hoping for the same this year, but no such luck. But since it’s Easter season I…
Houseplants are easy to decorate with and when you mix in topiaries with their architectural presence, you can really pack a decorating punch in any room. Lately I’ve found myself drawn to greenery … some of my recent finds are more money than I’d like to spend and others are a bargain. Surprisingly, I don’t…
I don’t know about you, but I’ve always thought that anything edible that’s also the color green must be good for you. As kids, didn’t we always shy away from green vegetables as though we’d break out in hives if we even so much as touched them? As an adult, I’ve come to love green…
Have you seen the new Simply Shabbilicious magazine by Kerryanne English of Shabby Art Boutique? It’s amazingly beautiful and is available to view online for absolutely FREE! Kerryanne is the writer behind the Shabby Art Boutique blog and is the creative mastermind of Woodberry Designs, an online boutique. She hails from New South Wales, Australia…
While we were getting 10 inches of snow outside, I was fluffing the living room with a few touches of spring. The longer days are cheering my spirits despite the fact that Old Man Winter is hangin’ on for dear life. I brought in a few greens and changed the arrangement on the shelf above…
January through March are my least favorite months of the year and once March rolls around, I start to get a little stir crazy. Even though I work in a beautiful LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified building 5 days out of the week and even though I run outside on a regular…
Don’t you love finding an easy recipe that turns out scrumptious the first time you make it? I found a tasty lasagna recipe that’s great for either lunch or dinner. Instead of laying out the lasagna noodles in a large pan, you roll them up and place them in muffin tins. The original recipe called…
The months of January through March are always hard for me. I’m not a winter person and I suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD). I find myself craving longer days, natural light, and warmth. Thankfully the days are getting longer but it’s still cold and snowy here in Illinois. By March I’m ready to be done…
It started in high school … my quest for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. I searched for a recipe that produced Mrs. Field type cookies. You know, chewy on the inside but with a little crunch on the outside. The Toll House cookie recipe left a bit to be desired, in my opinion. The…
When I think of farmhouse kitchens, I think of my grandmother and also Aunt Bee from the Andy Griffith Show. Remember the episode when Aunt Bee and Clara entered the pickle contest and Aunt Bee’s pickles tasted like kerosene? Just like Aunt Bee’s kitchen, my grandmother’s was simple yet comfortable. It’s where all the important…
Less than 2 months ago I received an email from Annarita Triarico, an Italian journalist working for Lotus Publishing. She wanted to feature my home in one of their magazines, “Gli Speciali di Casa Chic.”  At first I thought it was a joke, but I looked at their publishing site and realized it was a legitimate…
