pleasure in simple things

roses for days

July 2, 2019

Typically, I’m not a big fan of roses, but it is hard not to be impressed with the San Jose Municipal Rose Garden.

Located near the downtown of San Jose, in the quaint Rose Garden District, the garden contains more than 3,500 plantings and over 189 varieties of roses.

It is easy to tell I’m not on the East Coast as soon as I arrive to the garden – the beautiful weather and surrounding homes are good clues, but also I can tell by a cathedral of redwood trees that contribute to the garden’s West Coast vibe.

Rose enthusiasts will be interested to know that The All-American Rose Selections, a national independent rating organization, sends the new varieties to the San Jose Municipal Rose Garden for testing before released to the general public.

The Rose Garden is a City of San Jose Historic Landmark and is open to the public free of charge (free parking too!) A super find!

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you have a fabulous and safe holiday!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things…like smelling a beautiful rose, Jackie

*Yellow roses have a special significance to some special friends of mine…I’m dedicating today’s post to the memory of someone we all share. :)

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boba addiction

June 28, 2019

Starch balls made from a cassava/yucca shrub! Yes, that is what boba is and tea drinks made from these balls are my current addiction!

You have seen me post about bubble tea before. But, in California, it is available everywhere and I was able to consume it daily on my visit!

The term boba references the entire drink-plus-toppings, the most popular topping being tapioca pearls (which also happen to be called boba). The drink as a whole is also known as bubble tea.

Boba — the drink in its entirety – originates from Taiwan. Originally, boba pearls were used in shaved ice desserts and paired with syrups, beans, and rice balls. Milk tea was also consumed regularly and thankfully, someone decided to merge the two, creating the wonderfully delicious drink I happen to adore!

Boba culture made its way to America through Taiwanese neighborhoods and blossomed near college campuses and high schools, where students would gather for study groups. Probably the strong Asian influence is the reason the drink is so much more popular in California than here on the East Coast.

Boba is the quintessential topping at any tea parlor. Once these balls of cassava root are rolled into bite size bunches, they’re boiled and flavored, often with brown sugar or honey. The result is a subtly sweet, chewy addition to a tea drink. If you’re trying milk tea for the first time, I’d definitely recommend going classic and adding boba – the best part of the drink!

To make it even more confusing – my favorite milk tea drink during the time I was in California contained no milk at all! My favorite drink was strawberry jasmine tea fresca…so yummy! And, I got this at my favorite place to get boba – Boba Guys! The line at Boba Guys was typically down the street – for good reason! Be sure to visit if you happen to be on the West Coast!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a fabulous weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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visiting the redwoods

June 25, 2019

If I had to pick a theme for 2019, it could easily be Exploring California! You may recall I visited Southern California earlier this year and I was excited to share some of my adventures with you. More recently, I visited Northern California for the first time and I am even more excited to share some of my more current California adventures!

The Northern part of the glorious state of California sure has some super cool places to visit! One of these is the Big Basin Redwoods State Park and I had the opportunity to visit it with my two favorite people! Established in 1902, Big Basin is California’s oldest state park and is home to the largest span of old-growth Redwoods south of San Francisco.

Redwood trees are such an amazing part of nature. The trail we walked in the park passed by some of the biggest redwood trees in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The tallest tree in Big Basin was 329 feet – until the top broke off in a storm reducing its height to 293 feet – still tall by any standard!

Not only are the trees unreal in height, but how crazy is it to think a tree is 2,000 years old! Awesome!

In addition to witnessing these redwood beauties, we were determined to witness a banana slug in its natural environment. This bright yellow slug is native to the forest floors along North America’s Pacific coastal coniferous rainforest belt (including redwood forests) which stretches from southeastern Alaska to Santa Cruz, California.

As luck would have it – success! We spotted one on our way out of the park!

Thanks for stopping by! Have an awesome week!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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break time

June 13, 2019

Hi friends! I am in need of a little recharge…I am going to take a little internet break.

Have a fabulous week or so and I look forward to reconnecting after my hiatus!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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key holder reused

June 7, 2019

I can get excited about the smallest of details. This week it was about a key rail from Target!

These little pieces of hardware are incredible jewelry holders! Multiple holders can be used – mounted side by side and/or one over the other. And, they are so easy to install – screws are included – only a screwdriver is required!

I am organizing my jewelry utilizing as many of these babies as I can fit into any scrap of available wall space in my closet! Because, of course, the only way to store necklaces is in a way that they are visible!

Thanks (again) Target!

I hope you are inspired to organize something in your home this weekend! Have a great one!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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summer tablescaping

June 4, 2019

It is crazy how few photos I’ve taken recently. I must have set a personal record for the fewest number of photos taken in the last few months. So uncharacteristic of me!

I really noticed it when I got home from the Country Living Fair in Rhinebeck this past weekend. I had a wonderful day with fabulous friends. Normally I come home with tons of photos to put up for you to see. Not this year! In fact, I took only a few photos the entire day! I guess hanging out with the fabulous friends got in the way!

When I looked through the few photos I had, they were all related to table settings. I always say everything runs in themes with me and it certainly is true. My takeaway from the fair this year is to ‘summerize’ my tablescapes!

I love all the cool arrangements created by Cutlery Couture. They put flatware in little burlap pouches with pretty coordinated designs and ribbons…aren’t they super! The green herbs are my favorite motif!

I am also inspired to think about adding some embellishments to existing napkins. Look at these black and white napkins with an embroidered bee…it inspires me to do something similar. I would like to do some with ladybugs!

I hope the few photos I am sharing from the Country Living Fair this year are inspiring you to come up with some cute summer tablescapes like it did for me!

Thanks for stopping by! Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

P.S. I won’t forget to share ‘after’ photos of the dresser in an upcoming post!

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new beginnings

May 28, 2019

Hi friends! I know my furniture redos usually show a ‘before’ and ‘after’ in the same post. But, today I am only showing the ‘before’ of a current piece I have been working on.

Like me, the piece is starting a new beginning! I have given new life to a vintage mahogany dresser and I am taking it with me on a new journey!

As you read this, I am on my way to a new beginning…leaving a place I’ve lived for a long, long time. I am looking forward to sharing some future projects with you as I prepare to downsize everything in my life!

I am going to give you one little peek as to how I refinished the dresser my daughter used growing up – a family heirloom. It is renewed and ready to join me! Because of my moving out, I don’t think I will be posting on Friday, but I will be back next week! And, I will share, in more detail, my new dresser!

Here is a little peek of the ‘after.’ As you can see, I decided to keep the original hardware. What do you think the rest of the piece looks like?

Thanks for stopping by. Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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a tuscany themed shower

May 24, 2019

Why was a Tuscany theme extra special for the bridal shower I helped organize? Tuscany was the location of the proposal!

The bridesmaids, mother of the bride, mother of the groom, and myself got together for planning (and some good eating!) meetings months ahead of the shower date. The mother of the bride had the place and theme decided, so we ran with it!

Of course, a couple things just pop into your mind when you think of Tuscany! We decided to use lemons, and all things wine as reoccurring décor items.

The maid of honor, an artist, created a beautiful painting of the proposal as a gift to the bride. The painting was front and center on the day of the shower – we used it on the mantel above the spot where the future bride opened her gifts. The maid of honor also created a beautiful handlettered sign “Showered with Amore” that greeted guests as they arrived.

I created table signs, naming each table after an Italian wine. The guests picked up a table card strategically placed on a cork in a crate of grapes. The same type of graphic was used to tag the favors – a homemade Tuscan spice mix created by the soon-to-be bride’s mom. I used the same theme/colors in creating a ‘bridal bingo’ game. Another favor, created by the matron of honor, was a cluster of grapes styled from chocolate candies…so cute!

The mother of the future groom had saved corks from the entire time of her marriage – she had A LOT – and we used these in our decorating…and, in our games. One of the games was “Guess How Many Corks in the Jar.”

Can you believe I found a dress in a lemon print fabric? It was an Anne Klein Dress at an original price of $119. that I bought off-season at T.J. Maxx for $29.99!

The best part of the shower, of course, was getting together with old friends and meeting new friends who will be a part of the upcoming wedding day. The bride-to-be looked absolutely fabulous! If the shower day was any indication of how she will look on the wedding day – bellissima!!

I hope you enjoyed seeing a few photos from the Tuscan themed shower created by ‘our team.’ We all had a blast – the reason I didn’t take as many photos as usual! I hope you are inspired to use some of our ideas in your own party planning!

Thanks for stopping by! Remember to take pleasure in simple things. Ciao, Jackie

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time will tell

May 21, 2019

Hello friends! I had a super busy weekend…my favorite part was attending a bridal shower on Saturday. Not only was I a guest, but I had the opportunity to help with the day…a true honor!

I had planned to share some photos of the day with you, but you know what? I never even had the chance to download the few photos I did manage to take!

I will share on Friday! You know I love a good theme and we had a good one for the shower!

Have a great week! Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

P.S. Why did I post a photo of my bedside table? I don’t know except for the fact that I have been wondering lately if others have as big a problem with digital alarms clocks as I do…I need an old school alarm clock!

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what’s a woolly fig?

May 17, 2019

I often say my life runs in themes, and it really does!

If you thought the banyan tree on Tuesday was the end of my fascination with trees, you were wrong! I am leaving you this week with one last tree! Like the banyan, this tree is also located in Fort Myers, Florida.