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s’mores for dinner

September 20, 2019

firepit and snacks

Well, I didn’t actually have s’mores for dinner…they were dessert to my dinner of a fabulous cheeseboard and a glass of Napa wine!

Connecticut has had some cool evenings this week – perfect fire pit weather!

fire pit

On today’s Friday field trip, I hope to inspire you to enjoy something unconventional for your next meal.  Maybe some Ferris Acres (my favorite ice cream spot)…or, Trader Joe’s yummy cinnamon bun spread on apples!  Don’t rule out ‘cake for breakfast!’

Trader Joes cinnamon bun spread

Have a fabulous weekend.  Thanks for stopping by!

marshmallow on the firepit

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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old is new again

September 17, 2019

harvest moon

The old song goes “everything old is new again.”

That was the case for me this past weekend when I spent some time in the town of Mystic.  Even the evening views were ‘new again’ with the beautiful harvest moon seeming to hold court over the town!

Mystic drawbridge

The famous Mystic drawbridge under the harvest moon!

 

sticky bun at Sift

For a Food Network fan like myself, no Mystic visit is complete without a visit to Sift! If you haven’t been in a while, you may not have seen the new addition – including a rooftop bar!

While visiting, I realized that the hints of autumn were unusual since Mystic is always a summer destination for me.  So, there you go – ‘new again.’

1881 cider mill

B.F. Clyde’s Cider Mill is not a place I would think about visiting on a hot summer day! The mill is even operational at this time of year!

 

bravo bravo

Even my favorite restaurant in Mystic – Bravo, Bravo is new again! It moved to a new location across the street from The Whaler’s Inn. Yes, still the same fabulous food!

I am sharing a few weekend examples of ‘new again’ with the hope that I can inspire you to also revisit a place you enjoy!

collage saltwater farm

All vineyards seem ‘new again’ after my trip to Napa! I have learned so much more about wines and vineyards!

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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no worries

September 10, 2019

loving

I worked all weekend and couldn’t get started on any of the many projects I have in process!  I used my couple little bits of free time well – with those who matter. :)

Have a great week.  I hope to share some work in progress on Friday…but, maybe not!

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choose a season

September 6, 2019

pumpkins on display

You know how I try to hang on to the summer as long as possible?

Look what I needed to do at work today:

fall display

Kind of ironic, isn’t it?

fall mug

Putting out seasonal items is inevitable when doing visuals, but it is still hard to admit that summer is becoming a memory.

birch and fall

Have a wonderful weekend – enjoy whichever season you choose to embrace!

fall inspiration

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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no labor day 2019

September 3, 2019

beach on ldw

How was your holiday weekend?  I did work some of the weekend.  Here in Connecticut we had a pretty good weather weekend.  Yesterday was a bit of a crazy weather day, but I guess that was because of all the stormy weather approaching.

rocks on the beach

I went down to the water in the afternoon to see if Dorian had impacted anything here.  The rain kept coming and going, but the water wasn’t rough.

shells ldw

The beaches were pretty empty because of the weather – even though they were open for the holiday weekend.

shore on ldw

I included a few photos as a tribute to summer of 2019!

holidayweekend

I hope you had a great weekend!  Enjoy the (summer!) week ahead.

surf on ldw

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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water you waiting for?

August 30, 2019

whiteforsythia

Unless you are obsessed with details like I am, you probably haven’t been searching for the perfect garden hose!  I like every detail in my environment to be beautiful – even if it is just something I use to water my garden!

I was a little surprised when I started shopping around locally, that beautiful garden accessories aren’t that abundant!  I find it surprising because there are so many people interested in gardening – particularly in my home state of Connecticut!

If you follow my blog, you know I am really into what I call a ‘virgin’ garden – I love all flowers that are white!  So, it would make sense that I would be on the hunt for a beautiful white hose, right?  Well, when I didn’t find a beautiful hose at any of the garden stores I visited, I ended up purchasing a hose and a hose holder the exact color of my house.  It worked out well because the hose just kind of blends in with the house.

Since the purchase, I have been able to locate a couple gorgeous white hoses and I thought I would share them today on Friday field trip just in case anyone else out there is on the hunt for a really beautiful garden hose!!

I am sharing my two favorites!  The first is from one of my favorite stores – Terrain!  If you go to their online store, there are a bunch of beautiful color hoses to choose from…my favorite, of course, is the white one!  Look how gorgeous it is!

whitehose from Terrain

The second hose I found is from Garden Glory.  They have some really over the top garden accessories (even leopard!) – check out their website when you have a chance (look at that diamond ring bird feeder!).  This is their white garden hose:

gardenglory white hose

One of these hoses would really go well with my white bleeding hearts, lily of the valley, moon flowers, white forsythia…

If you want one, there are pretty garden hoses out there!  It will take me until the current hose wears out to save up for a white one!

Have a fabulous weekend!  I hope you get some time off for Labor Day!  I will be working in the garden! ;)

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Note:  The photos of the white hoses are taken from the respective stores’ website.

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it is still summer people!

August 27, 2019

orange flower

I know the school supplies are just about wiped out at Target.  But, listen folks – summer is not over!  Why does the start of school have to be the end of summer?

I went to my favorite home and garden store on Sunday and all the signs pointed to fall…it was very disheartening!

pumpkin butter

I really don’t like seeing pumpkin spice everything when it is still August!

pumpkin spice

I have until September 23rd to celebrate my favorite season and I will squeeze every single moment out of it until then!  I hope you are enjoying summer as much as I am…there is plenty of time to appreciate fall after the 23rd!

Have a wonderful week!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things…like a beautiful summer day in September, Jackie

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plenty of eat

August 23, 2019

eat sign

What do you think of my new metal eat sign?  I thought it was perfect for my kitchen!  The colors, size, and texture are super!

It certainly makes a statement – don’t you think?

There is another reason I am sharing this photo with you besides showing you my sign…this photo gives a hint of the next furniture redo project I am working on.  It is in Annie Sloan charcoal gray and I can’t wait to finish so I can give you the full reveal!

Have a wonderful weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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vintage dresser before & after

August 20, 2019

top of dresser after

Do you remember the vintage dresser I was refinishing?  I finally took a few photos of the ‘after’ to share with you.  It is an old mahogany piece – I’m sure you’ve seen similar pieces.

before and after dresser

Most of the furniture I refinish is for others, but this piece is staying with me!

left corner close up

Here are the steps I took to transform the piece:

  • Stripped the finish off the top
  • Sanded the top with fine grade sandpaper
  • Stained the top (in ebony) – I used 2 coats
  • Sealed the top – I used 4 coats
  • Painted a sealer over the rest of the dresser (to prevent the stain from bleeding through the light color paint)
  • Painted the dresser in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White – 2 coats
  • Waxed with Annie Sloan clear wax (all but the top)
  • Lightly distressed
  • Waxed with second coat of Annie Sloan wax in clear (all but the top)

I retained the original hardware without altering it since I love the dark color in combination with the ebony stain on the top of the piece.

birds eye view after

Isn’t it beautiful!?  I love it.  I ended up styling my entire bedroom around this piece.

nest collection

I put a buffalo plaid duvet on the bed and combined a couple of my favorite motifs (with my collections – old books and bird nests) to style this vintage dresser.  The crowning jewel was to add a mirror.  I thought the mirror that originally went with the piece was too ‘matchy matchy’ for my taste.  I originally thought I would just go without a mirror, but I soon found out I really liked having a mirror in the bedroom, so I set out to find a vintage looking piece.

old books and nest

I didn’t really expect to find anything I liked to fit my budget until Ballard Designs had a 40% off sale with free shipping and I was able to purchase the perfect piece!

mirror

My biggest bargain in the room was the bedside wall lamp.  Every one I liked had a price tag over $100.  And I had all but given up on the idea of including a lamp in my room until I came across the perfect one for $19.99 at IKEA!  Score!

bedroom details

The dresser ends up being my favorite piece of furniture!  I hope you enjoyed seeing how I transformed this old dresser!  Thanks for stopping by!

dresser side view

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

P.S. Click here to see how I refinished the mahogany side table that matched this dresser.

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everywhere you look…

August 16, 2019

painted ladies

No trip to San Francisco, no matter how short, would be complete without a stop at the famous Painted Ladies.  These are a row of colorful Victorian houses located at 710–720 Steiner Street, across from Alamo Square park.

So, of course, on my first trip to San Francisco, one of the stops on a 9 mile walk around the city included Alamo Square park to snap a couple shots of the famous ladies!

I am sharing my glimpse of these gals here for today’s Friday field trip.

painted ladies in sf

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a wonderful weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

P.S. The title of this post, if you don’t recognize it, is taken from the Full House theme song ;)

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