February 1st!

Welcome February~Bienvenido, Febrero!  

It was a gorgeous (and surprising) 60 degrees in the Northeast - what a great start to a fabulous month!  A month to celebrate friendships, love, the Super Bowl, Mercedes Benz fashion week in New York and dream of beach getaways and so much more...

Before you know it, we'll all be able to wear clothes like this again. Isn't 60-degree weather grand?
Let's keep our fingers crossed that the ground hog will not see his shadow tomorrow!

Image via the best blog ever - http://agiftwrappedlife.blogspot.com/

Crate & Barrel ~ Rebuilding Joplin

Crate & Barrel is one of my all-time favorite stores. They never fail to impress with their sense of style which is always right on target - from classically traditional to the brightest, newest colors. I look forward to their catalogs and dream of moving into one of their cottages/houses.


It is one of my go-to stores when the holidays roll around. I always go and buy pretty accents for my home like serving dishes, place mats and napkins that are holiday-specific. Even small changes have a way of updating a table and making it crisp, new and special.


When I heard about the amazing work between Crate & Barrel, The Land of Nod and Extreme Home Makeover I had to post some pictures.


In their biggest build ever, the Extreme Makeover team and an army of volunteers built seven homes for seven victims in the tornado-ravaged community of Joplin, Missouri. Crate & Barrel and The Land of Nod furniture and accessories were used to outfit two of the seven homes.

A beach style cottage for the Walter's family

An eco-friendly cottage for the Nevin's family

In addition to donating merchandise, Crate & Barrel and The Land of Nod are sponsoring an online donation campaign through Tuesday, 01/31, in support of the American Red Cross to aid in their disaster relief efforts.


How can we all join Crate & Barrel, The Land of Nod and Extreme Home Makeover to help? Crate & Barrel have provided us with a link (http://www.crateandbarrel.com/Extreme-Makeover-Home-Edition/) that contains more information and a way to make a donation.


I applaud the wonderful and thoughtful work of these three companies!  You guys rock!  Also - don't you LOVE this bed?  WOW!

Here are some of my favorite products used in the renovation:

DRIFTWOOD SIDE TABLE – isn’t this fabulous?

PALOMA SMALL SIDEBOARD – did you know that paloma means dove in Spanish?

DRIFTWOOD MIRROR – can you tell I’m on a driftwood kick? It’s so beautiful, natural and each one is unique!

Feliz dia de Los Reyes Magos!

Designed by Todd Weber for Nambé

January 6th is a day when a group of Kings arrived to worship and give their gifts to the baby Jesus after following a star in the heavens. It is a day celebrated by cultures around the world in various ways according to the countries traditions.  In Spanish tradition three of the Kings:  Melchior, Gaspar, and Balthazar (representing Europe, Arabia and Africa) arrived on horse, camel and elephant, bringing respectively gold, frankincense and myrrh to the baby Jesus.  Most towns in Spain hold huge, colorful and spectacular parades on January 5th heralding the arrival of the Three Kings  (Cabalgata de los Reyes Magos) so that children can see them in all their glitzy glory on camels or carriages before they go to bed.  Sweet wine, fruit and treats are left for the Kings and their camels.  Shoes will be shined and left at the doorway to be filled with presents (or if you have not been good - with coal).

The Roscón de Reyes along with hot chocolate is the traditional breakfast for Dia de los Reyes Magos.  A small figure one of the kings or baby Jesus is hidden in the bread along with a dry faba bean; whomever finds the figurine will be the "king/queen" for the day and whomever finds the faba bean pays for next years Rosca.

 So....here is wishing you a very Feliz Dia de los Reyes Magos and may you get tons of presents (since you have been good, right?)

{Images via:  Nambe.com; haus design}

2012!!!

Happy New Year!

Let the celebration begin!

Here's wishing you a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!
Salud, 2012!

Images via: agiftwrappedlife.blogspot.com and artsonearth.tumblr

Christmas Eve!

Happy Christmas Eve!  I hope you're all having a warm and cozy evening surrounded by family and friends!  We're so lucky to have our kids home with us for the weekend. With a roaring fire warming our toes, Christmas carols playing softly in the background, and a standing rib roast with roasted root vegetables cooking away in the oven, we're definitely in the Christmas spirit.

My daughter & son have just finished preparing fudge (my mom's famous and decadent recipe), which my son will take with him on his visit to some good friends.  What are your traditions?  What traditional meals do you prepare?  Do you wait for Santa and open gifts tonight at midnight or wait till morning?

Merry Christmas!

Images via:  My three favorite blogs - Splenderosa, Inspired Design, The Enchanted Home

Jeez only 2 days!

I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season.  My sisters and nieces and their friends all recently gathered for Christmas cookie baking and a sleepover.  This is when I really miss living so far from my family (they're all the way in Arizona).  It's a wonderful family tradition from my childhood that I remember fondly (my sister Ana bakes the best cookies in the world). It's not stressful - it's just a fun, wonderfully delicious treat.

My mom's special mini pecan pies
(made with pecans from our tree in the backyard)

Ingredients

• 2 cups butter or 2 cups margarine, softened
• 4 (3 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 4 cups flour
• 3 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 1/2 cups pecans, chopped ( chopped dried cranberries or mini chips can also be put in with pecans)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. In medium bowl, mix together the margarine and cream cheese until well blended. Beat in flour, 1 cup at a time, until the mixture forms a smooth dough. Chill the dough while making the filling.
3. In another bowl, mix the eggs, brown sugar, butter, vanilla, and salt. Stir in the pecans.
4. Roll into small balls, and press slightly into the bottoms and sides of greased tart pans or mini muffin pans making sure to put some of the dough over the lip of the cup. Use a spoon to fill each of the crusts 2/3 full with the filling. It will overflow if you fill too full.
5. Bake for 15-18 minutes in oven, until shell is lightly browned, and filling has puffed up. Cool, and carefully remove from pan.

It's just the right time to take time out from all the shopping and running around, bake something delicious with your family, and relax!

Images via:  coastal style, maxine brady, pinterest/bhg.com; martha stewart, life is beautiful

Pink for Christmas?!?

How do you feel about pink for Christmas?  I love it for my daughters bedroom, but I'm not sure I could deck the whole house in such a sweet, girly hue.  But the following pictures make me feel like I should reconsider.  The silvery tinsel and sparkly pink is so festive and bright.  Pink could very well be exactly the right color for Christmas.

This gingerbread house is so very sweet - I absolutely love it!

Images via:  katie-d-i-d.blogspot.com ; http://www.marthastewart.com/; Life is Beautiful...just add color.