Two-fer (Happy Homemaker Monday)

I am borrowing this from http://housekeepinginprogress.blogspot.com/2011/01/happy-homemaker-monday.html. Can you tell I'm slightly bored @ work...2 posts 1 day.

The weather in my neck of the woods:Gee…another snow/ice storm….shocker!

Things that make me happy:
Deep belly baby giggles and when my hubby loads the dishwasher to my specifications.

Book I'm reading:Nada….although I do sneak in some Southern Living when I get a sec…

What's on my TV today: It will be the weather channel when I get home from work and some Sprout while I prep dinner.

On the menu for dinner:Chicken marsala(thanx mom!)and pasta, roasted asparagus

On my To Do List:
Well it’s Monday, so not much…get home from work, laundry, prep dinner, take some pics for home tour Tuesday, bathe baby and hopefully be in bed by 9 ;-)

New Recipe I tried or want to try soon:
I need to get more creative with risotto…

In the craft basket:
Ummm…I may stick some potpourri in a jar ~ I completely FAILed my January craft goals. Such is life.

Looking forward to this week:
Snow (NOT), dinner with a good friend and a Superbowl party aka munchfest…

Tips and Tricks:
I have some REALLY good ones, I am sure I must….let me get back to you ;-p

My favorite blog post this week:
This is a great idea…check it out http://thepaintedhome.blogspot.com/2011/01/s-l-t-e-c-o-s-t-e-r-s.html

Blog Hopping (a new discovered blog you would like to share with the readers): Nicole is a genius with a camera…truly. Check out her blog here: http://oncloud8.blogspot.com/

Lesson learned the past few days:
Sit & play with the kids….the laundry, scrubbing, ironing, etc…will get done.

On my mind:
I’m ready to get my hands dirty and start spring pruning, planting and all that yard work jazz….cept’ the snow won’t melt!

The Coal House

Good restaurants are NOT hard to find on the Jersey Shore, it's seeing what ones can survive the winters with just the locals patronizing them. Our friend & co-worker just partnered with a couple others to open a coal-fired pizza restaurant in Point Pleasant Beach, NJ and I have a feeling they will not have any trouble making it to Memorial Day, when our population swells. Hubster, some friends and I went on Friday nite to take a taste and I am already dying to go back. It was a lovely evening with a light snow falling and the air was electric with TGIF ~ everyone was happy to relax at the end of a week. The restaurants interior is more chic than the tavern feel of most places locally...tall ceilings, rich colors and fantastic lighting.

On to the good part! The menu is simple...salads, pizzas, paninis and a few dessert offerings. What makes CH unique is the "coal-fired" ovens, I can honestly say I didn't notice a difference between coal, or brick oven or regular pizza joints. What I did appreciate was the freshness of the ingredients, the simple menu that doesn't assault your senses (I do not need 47 toppings!), the great service and the fact that the pizza came to the table HOT!!

We sampled the house salad, antipasto, the original pie, the four-cheese, the whole wheat (they also offer gluten-free and vegan pies) and the white pie (my fave!). When it came to dessert, I can normally pass, but I was trying to absorb some FAB sangria my girlfriend made for the occasion (that recipe to follow...). We sampled the CH choco cupcake, CH Cannoli~~~heaven~~~cupcake and the cheesecake. All worth saving some room for.

Times like this I wish I had a huge readership to share with, but I will put this out there for my couple of "tri-staters" and anyone who may take a trip to the jersey shore @ some point! Check out the Coal House here: http://simplytakeout.com/thecoalhouse/coalhouse/

Ballard Designs (still dreaming of accent pieces...)

The Julia Chair from Ballard Designs is the newest addition to my wish list ~
I love the lines and the depth of it. I also love their line of fabrics which is as close to custom that I think you can get without going through a designer. This particular pattern reminds me of a sofa my grandmother had...good memories :)

Although the offering in burlap is kinda turning me off...(although I {heart} decorating with burlap, I don't want to sit on it)

This pattern is Arden Green. I STALKED this fabric for y e a r s before we treated me to a terrific table. I had a fabulous vignette on top until I had to undecorate (for a spell...I'm thinking when the boys hit high school, I can put the breakables back out)

Even with this little gem, my living room is so blah...I really need something to tie it all together. I need a paint job, carpet and maybe a Julia chair?! On another note, Ballard has become slighly more reasonably-priced in the last few years. Their catalog is a dream to receive and if you don't get it, request one. You'll get some super ideas ~ have a great weekend!

(photos courtesy of Ballard Designs)

(another) Snow Day!

It's a pretty snow...
A dry snow that coated everything...

Trees, fences, lights and cars...

Sun rising over the neighbors house...

And yes, that is our collapsed pool cover from the last storm. Can you see now why I am DONE with this stuff?! Happy Thursday...I'm going to clean a few closets!

{semi} Wordless Wednesday

Ugh...more snow. This is the view from my office, pretty yes, but this is like the 7th or 8th storm this season and we may get another 6-10 inches tonite. I miss my flip-flops...

Keeping a Resolution

Fattening coffee. Coffee-Mate Fat Free French Vanilla liquid creamer is not CALORIE-free. I was drinking probably 200-300 cals worth of the stuff everyday (and I wonder why baby weight goes nowhere). I went from 2 to 3 servings per DAY, to 2 just on the weekends. I miss it and I love it so....BUT in the meantime, I will survive with Skim/Splenda and hope this contributes to the 12-15 pounds I want (need) to lose. I haven't noticed a weight change as of this the 26th day of January, but the mugs above, are feeling much lighter.

Pantry Raid!

I am linking up with Flip Flops & Pearls and Webbisodes for Home Tour Tuesdays Pantry Raid. I tidied up a *bit* for this weeks entry, and if anything else, these peeks into my home are good for that! (Lord help me for the Linen closet tour next week). Anyhoo, I am grateful for the pantry space I do have, but it overflows into cabinets...the breakfast/bread cabinet, the spice - teas -baking - recipe soup cabinet, etc....but I am NOT showing ya'll the junk food drawer! As far as my fave snack...always has been/always will be Cheerios. Healthy right??? Wrong! I could eat a whole box in one sitting.... Have a wonderful Tuesday! (I am having more trouble posting the link-up buttons?!?!)

Accent Pieces

Love these stools, so rustic and unique for a bar area (which we happen to be planning in an alcove off the playroom). Although at $479 per stool, these will probably not make it into our home! Love this...would be a lovely pop of coastal color somewhere in the house. This piece is $579, but I have seen just as nice or lovelier painting projects by my fellow bloggers...this could totally be a DIY'er!

This ottoman makes me happy, I LOVE the colors and the pattery is vaquely reminiscent of the Pier I placemats and pillows I have in my kitchen. Although at $119 this is a bargain ~ totally shoppable...

This reminds me of Chicken Wire...I LOVE it! Probably not a DIY'er(not for me anyway!), so you'd have to drop the $299 to purchase this one...

What's better than a black velvet armchair to add elegance to your home?? TWO for the reasonable price of $539....seriously I think that is a great price for two of these and I know right where I would put them!

I've been window shopping again! All of the above are from Horchow's Accent Furniture under $600. Click here to see more http://www.horchow.com/store/catalog/templates/HP3.jhtml?itemId=cat12480732&parentId=cat000001&masterId=cat000000. Happy Monday to all!

Homes I Love

Spring Lake, NJ ~ A sea of Hydrangea

Simple & Elegant

Hints of color

Shades of the Shore

Ethereal & Dreamy

From the Realtor:

Completely renovated home - the perfect beach house! Located in the North End of Spring Lake within one block to the ocean. Custom moulding-quality kitchen with top of the line appliances and cottage charm. Hand made windows and wide plank flooring. Designer wall paper and artistic touches throughout. Vintage charm with modern amenities. Great front porches for relaxing and enjoying the ocean breezes and entertaining. Serene and private rear yard.

Taking a break today....

Bombay Company jewel-toned 5-inch Cordials
Brighton earrings

Aubergine Hunter Boots w/bonus Cable Knit Welly Socks

Not real, but really nice!

to Ebay. I am purging my closet and some items are too good (and new) to put in my goodwill bags, besides we need extra money (doesn't everyone these days). Pics of what I am selling are above, if anyone should be interested, shoot me an email (the LV is not real, the other items are!) I'll be back tomm with a Home I Love and next week with some fun stuff ;-)

More of our Master Bedroom

Hallway to our master bath and my closet. I will NEVER show you either, as I am mortified to reveal the disco tile & shag carpet that the former homeowners left behind (although they rocked the rest of the rooms carpet with PLUSH padding!)

There are 8 hooks on hubbys closet door....he has EVERY single sweatshirt and hoodie he owns hanging from those hooks....it must weigh more than we do!

The closet pictured here is where trends go to die....must purge soon...

We moved into this home in Aug 2009, our old bedroom was 8x8 with no closet. This one is 25x19 with 3 closets, and I think we earned it. We work crazy hours and that combined with 2 little ones, sleep is very important. This room is dark and away from the noise of the rest of the home, so rather than be a "showplace" it's very serviceable.

But should it ever become a "showplace" (after I win the publishers clearinghouse), I am going to seriously work that windowseat!

I am adding these pics after showing off my nightstand on Flip Flops & Pearls/Webbisodes Home Tour Tuesdays. Have a lovely Wednesday!

Lights Out! Home Tour Tuesday

I was going for a Hollywood Glam ala http://hookedonhouses.net/2008/11/11/tori-spelling-and-dean-mcdermotts-love-nest/ Tori Spelling's old master bedroom. Obviously, there furniture budget is not MY furniture budget, so I picked up a cheapy mirrored side table from Pier 1. The mirrored chest I really wanted was from Horchow for $699....ummm, no.!
Hubbies nightstand...clock, phone, kindle. Photo of him and Collin on the day he graduated from the Police Academy and a photo of his mother. All very orderly and neat. And then there is...

My mess! I actually pulled items from the itty-bitty drawer on my nightstand, so you can see the RANDOM stuff I keep in there such as; special cards and my #1 mom button, cough drops, nail file, measuring tape (Ugh...for my waistline), theatre programs, St. Patricks day face tattoos and beads, eye cream, bookmarks and froggy reading light, my nameplate from my high school job @ Things Remembered and the book I was reading when I had Brennan....haven't touched it since :( I had like 20 pages to go!! Someday I'll pick it back up....

How it normally looks...lamp, clock, baby pics and a vase my grandmother received on her wedding day in 1934.

I am linking up with Flip Flops & Pearls for Home Tour Tuesday ~ This weeks theme is Lights Out {show us what's on your nightstand}. Sending my get well wishes to Shannon, too!

Playing with Picnik

I am so computer illiterate, that I am surprised I can produce posts at all. I am using my honeymoon in Aruba pics to explore some photo editing techniques from Picnik. I am LOVING the 60's feature, reminds me of old pics of my parents & grandparents!

Now if someone can teach me how to customize my blog background & header (for free)????

Scenes from our House

Jammies inside out
Oh the Horror...eating something other than chicken nuggets


Messy little man

Again...the Horror of something new....

On the eve of a snowstorm....

Tuesday we were awaiting our 3rd major snowstorm of the season. During dinner I used the excitement of an impending snowstorm to have our VERY picky eaters try new food. Success? The big one tried meat loaf (with obvious disdain) and the little one gave himself a mashed potato facial (although some made it into his mouth). Along with Jammies worn inside out and the house looking like an explosion in a toy factory, it was a happy, random night in our lives.