Cozumel Mexico - A Few Pictures

We are back from our cruise vacation to Cozumel, Mexico and I thought I would share a few pictures with you. I took 2 cameras with me so these are pictures from one camera but I still need to download the one's from the other camera. So please be patient because I'm slow moving after a few pina colada's, lots of relaxing time in the sun, and way too much fun.

More pictures to follow soon - I promise!

Bon Voyage

By the time you are reading this, I will be waving from the top of a cruise ship to all of those at the port in Miami waving as we say "Bon Voyage"! David and I will be on a Western Carribean cruise and let me tell you - we need it!!! We don't get to vacation very often but an opportunity arose to catch a cruise following a business meeting and we couldn't refuse. It will be nice to relax in the sun, hang out with friends, and spend some quality time together. And if there's time I plan on visiting the spa, drinking some fruity drinks out of a pineapple, and maybe even play some BINGO (just for you Nancy).

We love to snorkel and will be snorkeling on Saturday after our "mini jeep" excursion. I just hope no one gets hurt like last time. (Remember honey when you rolled your ATV???)

Only 1 stop on the cruise but honestly, I'm just looking forward to getting away, as long as the sun is shining, it'll be great.

BON VOYAGE!!!!!

My Favorite Restaurant on Earth

I LOVE SEAFOOD!!! It is my favorite food of all and the best place to have seafood in my opinion is at Joe's Stone Crab (not to be mistaken by that awful Joe's Crab Shack). There are 3 locations in the US which include Miami (the original), Chicago, and Las Vegas. I'm proud to say I've eaten at all of them multiple times but I have to say the original restaurant in Miami is my favorite. The ambience there is unbelievable and besides the best food ever, the people-watching is incredible as well. I hope that everyone is able to eat there at least once and when you go, you MUST eat stone crab! I promise it's the best crab you'll ever eat.

And when it comes to dessert, the key lime pie melts in your mouth and leaves you begging for more. On their website they actually had the recipe and I can't wait to try making it to see if it really is as good. Interested in the recipe, here you go.

I plan on eatting dinner at Joe's this week and I can't wait. My mouth is watering just looking at these pictures.

HomeGoods StyleScope Quiz - I'm an Earthy Casual Person

I completed the HomeGoods Style survey and it said that I'm Earthy Casual. I love taking these types of quizzes because they are very helpful in defining your style and showing pictures that are full of decorating inspiration. In addition they usually provide you with some tips.

Earthy Casual
You're interested in creating a welcoming home where people feel comfortable and happiness flourishes. You appreciate the warmth and individuality of natural materials and handcrafted things and are inspired by colors and forms from nature. You love mixing up different textures and are sensitive to the tactile qualities of objects. Your style is grounded and solid, not flighty or frilly. And you are never taken in by the trend of the moment.

You value creativity. You are stylish and fun loving, and can be an inspiration to others. You have a natural sense of drama, and you know you have to be willing to take risks—whether with colors, finishes, furniture choices, or ideas—for your home to stand out. Your home can be happy and lively and the place all of your friends want to be.

Putting Your Style to Work!

With your style and needs in mind, here are a few tips that will help you make your home a little happier.


1. Your Design Challenge: UNIFY (this is so true for me, this is my challenge)


The good news is, you probably have many things you love and have collected, and no one would ever say your home is boring! You've done the hard part; now you just need to pull it all together. If your furniture seems like a mish-mash, unify it through similar upholsters or slipcovers. When grouping objects, try to find something they have in common. If they share a shape, color or material, they will look like a collection. A tray is every decorator's secret weapon for making groups of small objects look purposeful and sculptural. If your accessories are all over the map, try subduing the upholstery or wall color, so your small items are the stars.

2. Your Happy Place (this is so true also, hence why I blog about this room frequently)


The more serene your bedroom feels, the happier you will be. A pretty coverlet over a big duvet makes the bed look smooth—and not all duvet-lumpy! And, a blanket folded at the foot of the bed breaks up the big expanse of fabric. Euro shams—those big square pillows—are great for reading in bed, and a few decorative pillows can also be a nice touch. Consider adding a basket or a small occasional table near your bedside table for books, papers, lotions, linen spray or whatever you'd like.

3. Be Party-Ready All the Time!


Mood: Nice, flattering light makes us feel good. So nix the harsh, direct light from overhead fixtures in favor of the softer glow from floor and table lamps. Also, keep some votive candles and a couple of hurricane lanterns for setting around the room.

Scent: The first thing you notice about a home is how it smells. Use naturally fragrant cleaning products. If you find a scented candle or fresh potpourri you love, stock up on it. Any scent you like, whether perfume or linen spray, can be used on upholstery, bedding or just spritzed into the air.

Food: Devote space in your pantry or on a shelf for go-to party essentials: crackers, dip, chips, nuts—whatever you like to serve. Keep on hand a collection of attractive bowls and cocktail napkins, and you'll be able to set a spread—instantly!

Drink: The simplest and chicest thing is to have a drinks tray or table always set up. Include a mix of pretty glasses, an ice bucket, a lovely pitcher, and bottles of soda and water. When the bell rings, just add ice and limes.


HomeGoods StyleScope - I'm an Earthy Casual

Posted using ShareThis

Our New Bedding - Finally!

Do you remember this post, and this post, and finally this post about getting new bedding for our master bedroom? Well I started blogging back in February about my desire to get some real nice adult bedding and after months, and months, and months - I finally found exactly what I wanted at HomeGoods. They only had it in queen size but I decided to ask if they had king and the nice lady went to the back and found it in king for me. I was like a kid in a candy store when I saw the bedding and knew it would be perfect for our room.

Can you see why I love the bedding so much? A little feminine but the white, gray, and dark chocolate brown give it a masculine touch so that David and I both are comfortable with the bedding. I also got some new dark brown sheets that were on sale as well. I finally feel like we are in a luxury hotel but it's actually our own bedroom.

The gold framed artwork, mirror, and lamps also came from HomeGoods - I LOVE THAT STORE! You can't beat most of their prices.

Oh did you notice my headboard? I made it back in May, click here to read all of the details, it's held of well thus far.

So what do you think - did I make the right decision in bedding? It's super warm, just in time for the cold weather that is coming our way.

Decking the Halls

We have spent the last 2 days "decking the halls" with Christmas decor. That included decorating the exterior and interior of the house. Also for the first time we have put up 2 Christmas trees instead of just one - 1 upstairs in the living room and 1 downstairs in the family room. The second tree is smaller in size and was given to us by my brother and SIL who just didn't have room anymore. We were eager to add it to the house because we could have 1 tree that was decorated in a classy theme and the other could be all of those ornaments that are sentimental in nature but just don't match anything.

Are you eager to see our hard work? Here's a few pictures.....more to come soon.

Here's our more formal tree - decked out in white, silver, and clear ornaments.

We used white lights, white glittery garland, silver strands of beads, and a variety of white/clear/silver ornaments. I love the sophisticated but classy look it adds to our house.

I had to add some fresh greenery into our holiday decor. It smells wonderful and since we have a fake tree this will have to do. 

This is our make-shift mantel. David promises that our next house will have a fireplace but the buffet in the dining room will have to do the trick for now.

I made this simple centerpiece for the dining room table. I put a small vase full of fresh greens in the middle of thie glass vase and I really like the look. I need to add more to the table but couldn't wait to snap some pictures for you.

I also decorated the top of our entertainment center with fresh greens and berries, our family room with another tree and snowmen, and some also little touches that I'll share with you soon. What theme are you using to decorate your home this year? Are you the traditional green and red type of decorator or are you doing something like turquoise and silver for a more modern/contemporary look. Do share.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!

My Thanksgiving Final Touches

Remember these Thanksgiving Dinner invitations I made a few weeks ago for my guests? Well in making my final preparations for the big feast, I thought I would carry this theme to a few other things the guests would see during our Thanksgiving feast.

How about menus at each of the 4 tables (17 peeps in total) so that the guests can see what will be served during the big feast. There is a lot of food and they shouldn't leave hungry. I was a little stressed about the 22 lb turkey so I bought a ham as well - lots of leftovers and I already have some new recipes to try and use up all that delicious turkey.

This year in addition to using David's grandmother's fine china, we are using real linen napkins, I hope I don't regret this decision because there are a few messy folks coming but I guess that's what the washing machine is for. I decided to make my own napkin rings using some twine and stamping "bon appetit" on the tags.

What do you think? Simple but I like adding my own touch to things even though my husband said I was just making it harder on myself. Well the tags only took 5 minutes to make but rolling the silverware and typing the tags took about 30 minutes. Still not bad for a little touch, I want my guests to feel welcome.

It's Almost Turkey Time!

I love hosting Thanksgiving because it's all about the food and I love trying a few new recipes out on my family. They are very traditional food people so I usually only get a few thumbs up because what I can I say, they love meat and potatoes and don't mess with those potatoes. Slowly but surely they are getting used to my new recipes which always come from 'Taste of Home' magazine which my grandma always got for me.

I went to the grocery store to get all of my groceries on Sunday night and let me tell you people, that is the best time to do your grocery shopping! The shelves had just been restocked and there were only a few people there - yes - no playing bumper grocery carts today! Anyways - if you haven't already, start defrosting that turkey people. I bought the biggest turkey I could find which was only 22 pounds and I have 17 people coming over and we MUST have left-overs. So I think I'm going to make a small ham as well, I just need to make sure that both will fit in my oven first.

What I'm serving on Turkey Day:

• Orange glazed turkey
• Cornbread Stuffing (on the Oprah show last year - it's the best!)
• Ham - I'm worried I'll run out of turkey so may need to get a small one
• Mashed pototoes
• Gravy
• Corn
• Pumpkin Pie Dip with apple and pear slices
• Green bean casserole
• Deviled Eggs
• Rolls
• Boston Cream Pie
• Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Turkey cookies for the kids
• Cranberry Punch
• Apple Cider
• My favorite white wine - Line 39

I'm always worried people will leave hungry so I'll probably add 1 or 2 more dishes before the big day.

P.S. I'm not making all of this by myself - I have lots of help thanks to my lovely guests. Thanks in advance.

Our Fall Photoshoot

For those of you that know me, you know how much I love sleeping in on the weekends especially since I'm not a morning person. Well today I made an exception to my sleeping in on Sunday's rule for a photoshoot at Veteran's Acres. My friend Brooke loves photography like me and offered to shoot some pictures of us using her new portrait lens (Nikon 35mm). I absolutely love her new lens and so did my hubby so I think their is a portrait lens in my future if Santa treats me well. Santa if you are listening I want the Canon 50 mm/1.8 lens - pretty please! Anyways, enough about me, we hope you enjoy the pictures Brooke took this morning.

P.S. There are many more and I can't wait until I get the disc of photos from Brooke.
P.S.S. Would you like to see more photos that Brooke has taken? Check out her blog - Second Time Mommy. She has some serious phototaking skills and I better book our next shoot with her before she's too popular!!!