The Kitchen. Our biggest home improvement project to date- by far. I have always dreamed of creating a kitchen from scratch (as clearly evidenced by my plus-sized Pinterest kitchen board), and I feel so fortunate that I am able to put these dreams to work. Not since high school have I lived in more than 750 square feet. I’ve grown rather accustomed to my tiny galley kitchens, so this is a big leap. Disclaimer: What follows is a fairly long and detailed post about all things kitchen-y. If you are not so much kitchen/reno-inclined, do as the Jedi Mind-Tricked Stormtroopers[…]

  

Happy Valentines Day dear readers. Are you all celebrating this lovey dovey holiday? I have to admit, I have always loved this syrupy-sweet day. But let’s get down to brass tacks on this one already, its origins are not as sweet-hearted as you may think. While I admit, I don’t love this lover’s day for the doilies and bon bons as much as I do for the excuse to celebrate, I had no idea the possible origins of St. Valentine’s Day were so dark. It all started in Rome as much in our Western history has- those Romans really had a[…]

  

A quick snapshot of what we’re doing to our main living space. We are fans of open-concept (thank you, Property Brothers and their fellow HGTV Canadians for cementing that phrase into our American heads) and prefer to eat, live and cook in the same space so we are doing away with the walls that separate the space. We will leave up a partial wall however so that you don’t walk directly into the kitchen from the entryway. Here’s our Miss V. on closing day. Woo-wee, those window treatments are something, aren’t they? There are so many wacky little details in[…]

  

It’s no secret to my readers that I enjoy a good glass of bubbly probably more than I should, but then who’s keeping track. There’s no time like the present for a proper glass of Champers, especially when it’s ridiculously freezing outside and no end to this endless winter in sight- thanks Punxsutawney Phil- when in doubt, blame the groundhog. I love bubbles year round. There’s always a reason to pop open a bottle especially on a random Tuesday night just after the bebes hit the bed. A great close to a day and a good start to an evening.[…]

  

Cute blue midi dress for $20? Bought. Done and done. Go get yours. Related posts:Dear Effortlessly Chic Florentine Man,7 Things for SpringCouch Tripping: Reggie’s Camel Camp

  

Here she is folks… Miss Virginie, live and in the flesh. This is our little Virginian beauty. She’s got a long way to go but I’m looking forward to every re-inventing step of the way. She’s a little mousy right now but soon she’ll be zhushed up and ready to make her entrance into this century. While not the mid-century masterpiece of my dreams, I love her just the same. Her exterior will have to wait until spring (and a little additional income) for a complete makeover, because apparently you can’t work with exterior paint in cold weather- who knew?[…]

  

Can you stand this fabulous image of Jacqueline Bisset from Casino Royale circa 1967? That eyebrow says it all. Oh Jackie, I love your wily ways and your crazy award acceptance speeches. What a hot dame. Happy Weekend dear readers! What are you all up to? My mom is in town- hooray- so we’ll be hanging with the bebes. They are cracking us up these days. My little lady has some seriously fancy footwork and the little dude can really jump- they love their after-dinner dance off- we do too, it’s quickly become my favorite time of the day. What I’m[…]

  

Philip Seymour Hoffman’s passing has left such a sad mark on our country. He was one of Maker|Changer’s of this world- I’m so grateful for his work and so sad to see him pass too soon. The quote from Willy Wonka (well, really from O’Shaughnessy) always comes to mind when I think about individuals that truly light the world with their artistry, “We are the music-makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams”. To lose such a brilliant artist to drugs is a scary and sad reminder that the drug problem is rampant.  I don’t want to dive too deep[…]

  

These pink roofs make me happy. Happy Weekend dear readers! What are you all up to this first weekend of February? Yay- it’s February, let’s hope Punxsutawney Phil is in the clear on Sunday- come on Spring! We’ll be drinking our Caip-beer-inhas and watching the Super Bowl, maybe take in a Frozen Sing-A-Long matinee with the bebes (their first official movie outing- we’ll see how that goes), make an IKEA run (AHHHHH! Am I crazy to attempt a weekend run?- Yes.), and continue our reno/home improvements. Our furnace conked out on us less than 2 weeks after owning our home.[…]

  

It’s that time of year again kids. Football fan or not, it’s fun to plan a little party around the annual helmet mash. What to drink? I like to mix up a signature drink of some sort and personally think it’s a bit blasphemous to not include beer in that mix. So… a beer cocktail is the way to go. I’m going with the Caip-beer-inha- that’s a mouthful isn’t it- maybe not the best name for this twist on the classic cocktail, as Caipirinha is hard enough to spell as it is, but it sure is tasty. Created by mixologist[…]