Happy Fall!

Hello,

Here in New England we are enjoying Indian summer. It has reached 80 degrees the last couple of days. Not to shabby!! Yesterday was the first day I started to use some warm colors to get started on Fall decorating. Have you started? Love the warm cranberry reds and orange colors this time of year. Enjoy some of these inspirational pictures.

Happy Fall!

Our Sun Room

Image by Country Home

Image by Country Home

Image by Country Home

Take care,

Claudia

Champagne Thursday!

Hello,

Last couple of months we have been breaking up the week and enjoying Champagne Thursday. I think I first heard about the idea in one of the episodes from Sex in the City. It looked so much fun that I thought it would be nice to try once a week. The girls in the show would get together and have Champagne for no special reason but just to have some fun. So my husband and I try to have a glass of Champagne on Thursdays.

We have been working on building a retaining wall and a small sitting area on one side of the basketball court. Our landscapers just finished and just in time for Champagne Thursday. Some of the plantings are sea grass, pink sedums, evergreens, and pink cone flowers.
Came out so great! Can't thank enough Hedges Inc.

I bought a couple of blue potted candles from Crate & Barrel and they are sitting around some chairs. We are also looking for either rockers or Adirondacks chairs to go in the sitting area facing the court. Right now we have these plastic green chairs to set the mood. The kids are having fun hanging out there after school. We have some wooden Adirondack chairs sitting in our backyard patio but they are not painted yet. Maybe the same color as the candle holders. The last phase of this project is setting up some lights.

Here are some pictures. Looking forward to tonight!

Cheers!

Is there something fun you like to do?

Take care and have a great weekend!

Claudia

Stairs leading to basement.

Hello,

The stairs and the cubbies were finished today. Love the cubbies. Thinking of choosing a rope handrail.

Before

After

Another view.

Cubbies under the stairs.

Love the rope handrail. I think the kids will love it.

Image from House Beautiful

Take Care,
Claudia

It's a new day!

Feeling relaxed and ready for this week. Lots going on after coming back from vacation. Dentists appointments, dr. appointments, and sneaking in more activities before the summer is over.

The basement is coming along. I wish I took some pics of the before. The laundry room was moved, the framework was put up for the cedar closets, cubbies for the toys were built under the stairs, and closets were framed for the utilities. Now we are deciding whether the walls should be beadboard or wide planks. As we have been renovating our home one room at a time we have been designing the rooms half beadboard and half sheet rock. Our sun room is the only room in the house that's all beadboard. Should they go horizontal or vertical? Most rooms I have seen in magazines have the vertical look. I'm not sure I like it that way. Another dilemma is that one part of the basement's ceiling is lower because we have a sunk in living room.
We were thinking that we would leave the pine beams exposed in that section of the basement and then do a regular ceiling in the others.

Here are some inspirational pictures. Which do you prefer for the walls horizontal or vertical?

Vertical planks here in the dining room. I love the window panes
in the entry way to the dining room.

Here in this picture the boards are vertical too but they are a lot thinner.
I have always loved the beadboard ceiling look.

Exposed beams. Maybe this look for the ceiling for one part of our basement. Paint the beams white and in between.

This is my favorite picture. I think I do like the wide planks going horizontal.
This is a pretty room. I can picture myself drinking a cappuccino and looking through my Country Living Magazines.

Here is another style with the wide planks going horizontal.

Images from House Beautiful and Country Living.

Take care.
Claudia

Nantucket Roof Tops

Hi,
This is our last night in Nantucket. We had a fabulous time! Such a peaceful and beautiful place. Thank you to my husband who works very hard so that we can enjoy this magical place for a little while. Our kids made sweet memories for us all. Here are some pictures........

Nantucket Whales Museum Roof Top!

Bye, Bye Nantucket for now....

Take care,
Claudia

Buon Appetito!

Hello,

I'm made this for the first time last night. We stopped in at the East Coast Seafood market after going to the beach. Picked up some fresh tuna. Then stopped at the local Bartlett Farm for fresh vegetables and goat cheese.
Came across this recipe in the new issue of Better Homes & Garden and was inspired to make this as part of our dinner tonight.

Slow- Baked Tomatoes with Garlic & Mint

1 1/2 lb. cherry or grape tomatoes
1/4 to 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
7 cloves garlic, peeled, spilt lenghtwise, and green shoot removed
1 bunch fresh mint, trimmed
1 to 2tsp. coarse or flake slat
1 tp. freshly ground black pepper
Toasted slices of rustic bread
Goat cheese

Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degree F. Wash and drain tomatoes well. Pat dry with paper towels.
2. In a non reactive (such as earthenware) 2-quart baking dish place tomatoes in a single layer. Pour on olive oil so they are well coated and there is a thin layer (1/8inch) of oil on bottom of dish. Toss in garlic, mint, salt, and pepper.
3. Bake, uncovered, for 45 to 60 minutes or until skins split and soften but tomatoes still retain their shape.
4. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature. Spoon or mash over slices of toasted bread and serve with goat cheese. Makes 8 servings.

It was so delicious. My husband loved it. Enjoy!

Bartlett Farm

A few things picked up at Bartlett Farm. Fresh tomatoes, french bread, dutch apple pie. It's a great kitchen for prep work. The kitchen island is about 12 ft. long. It's such a great house to cook in!

Slow baked tomatoes with garlic & mint.

Add a little goat cheese, roasted peppers, pesto, and the tomatoes. It's delicious! (I added the roasted peppers & pesto with goat cheese not in the recipe).

Buon Appetito!

Take care,
Claudia

Day of Shopping and Raw Bar!

Hi,
We went into town to do some shopping for the basic t-shirts and sweatshirts and then went to my favorite store on the Island. The Best of the Beach.

They carry tote bags to household items and best of all Dash & Albert rugs. Love those!! They had a whole bunch wrapped up and sitting in a small wooden boat.

Couldn't decide which one yet. I thought I would go back tomorrow after the beach and pick up the blue, yellow, and pink stripe one in the middle. I thought it would look good in the new basement somewhere near the laundry room. We'll see. I hope it's still there.

I did see a few things for the kids school supply list. I checked off three things. Didn't want to think about school yet but they had these cute placemats and cups.

We ended the day at the Raw Bar at the Nantucket Lobster Trap and had an Elbow Bender. It's a combination of rum, fruit juices, cherry herring and a secret ingredient. It's delicious! Heading out to the beach now.

Take care,
Claudia