pleasure in simple things

happy 2019!

January 1, 2019

A new year. New? That is a real understatement in my case. Trying to come up with a word for the year that could possibly apply to my 2019 seems impossible. Renew? Not dramatic enough. Strength or something related to being super strong – like, super-hero strong? Maybe. I just can’t come up with a single word that seems just right.

Instead of the perfect word, I thought I would share a few quotes for 2019…a few words that I find inspiring as I think of the year ahead.

Thank you so much for following. I have some exciting times ahead to share in 2019!

I wish you the very best in the year ahead! Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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more holiday neutrals

December 28, 2018

As promised…

A continuation of Tuesday’s post with a little more from a favorite gift shop…

Holiday neutrals…

Enjoy!

And, that’s a wrap on this year’s holiday inspiration! I am already thinking of colors and themes for holiday 2019! Am I the only one?

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

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holiday seaside neutrals

December 25, 2018

Did I mention this year has been a little crazy? Many of my holiday traditions did not happen this year. One of these traditions was going on my annual ‘shop hop’ with the gals! We always have such a fabulous time! We plan it out so we can visit our favorite shops close to the official holiday reveal date.

I did make a quick stop to one my favorites, as you saw it a previous post. But I didn’t go close to the reveal date this year so the merchandise and décor was not at its true magnificence!

Nonetheless, in honor of the holiday week, I am sharing some photos from my quick holiday trip this year to Taken for Granite on this week’s posts. No matter what day the visit – it is always a pleasure and an inspiration to visit the store.

I hope you are having a fabulous day with the special people in your life. Enjoy the photos.

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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discovering the acai bowl

December 21, 2018

Not sure what I thought an acai bowl was. I certainly had heard of it. Never gave it much thought.

If I had known it was a healthy smoothie-in-a-bowl, I probably would have made an effort to try it much sooner!

It is basically a smoothie topped with granola. It is said to have been originally invented by Brazilian surfers, but soon spread to other areas with large surfing cultures – like Maui and California.

My current favorite at Playa Bowls. The Olas Bowl is made up of a banana blend topped with granola, banana, blueberry, coconut flakes, chia seeds & almond butter.

The acai is a berry in Brazil that looks similar to a grape and is a super source of antioxidants. Since it goes badly very quickly, you won’t find it fresh in stores. Instead, in the grocery store, you will find it as a frozen puree.

When making the bowls, some places started substituting the acai for pitaya (another name for dragon fruit). Pitaya is found in Mexico and Central America. It is sweeter and has more nutrients than acai. It tastes more like a watermelon – whereas acai is more like a blackberry in taste.

My first taste of an acai or pitaya bowl was when my daughter took me to a place called Playa Bowls in Connecticut. Jersey shore natives Robert Giuliani and Abby Taylor recreated their favorite recipes from surfing locations they visited and founded Playa Bowls – the shop that currently includes over 50 locations in 6 states with more on the way!

Now that I have tried an acai bowl, I am hooked! Always one to like food cold or frozen (you know my love for ice pops and slushies!), these bowls are a perfect treat for me! What a great discovery!

Have you tried an acai or pitaya bowl? What ingredients are your favorites? Do you have a recipe you can share?

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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pick a wish

December 18, 2018

With all the craziness going on in my life during 2018, I didn’t design an Advent calendar as I usually do each year to kick off the holiday season.

So, this year, rather than inspire you with one of my creations, I want to show you something wonderfully inspiring I saw at one of my favorite gift shops.

It is not exactly an Advent calendar, but I am inspired to create an Advent calendar using the idea from this beautiful ‘grab a wish’ display at Taken for Granite in Stonycreek, Connecticut. What a beautifully executed way for the shop to give each of their customers an individual holiday wish!

Each pocket contains a written sentiment with a clear star ornament attached. The wish I chose was absolutely perfect for me! It read: Have the courage to step off the ledge so you may realize you’ve had wings all along.

I hope this inspires you, as it does me, to create something similar.

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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a life-size gingerbread house

December 14, 2018

Yes, I am a Food Network junkie. And, since I love to bake, I particularly enjoy any show that includes baking! Currently, that show is The Holiday Baking Championship on Monday nights!

I was recently lucky enough to meet a current contestant, 35 year old Lerome Campbell, one of 3 bakers at the Ritz-Carlton beach resort in Naples, Florida.

At this time of year, Lerome is something of a local celebrity because of his part in creating a gingerbread house in the lobby of the Ritz hotel. Each year, pastry chefs at the Ritz-Carlton beach resort plan, bake and construct a life-sized gingerbread house. This year’s creation used 60,000 pieces of candy, 1,200 gingerbread bricks, 464 eggs, and is held together with 400 lbs. of icing! No small feat, the house required 1,000 hours to put together!

The first challenge on last Monday’s episode of The Holiday Baking Championship was for contestants to prepare a classic chocolate holiday dessert with the addition of two common pantry items. Lerome chose to create a chocolate trifle that incorporated potato chips and red wine…interesting combo! Coating the potato chips in melted chocolate and then sprinkling them with peppermint insured a crunchy, flavorful chip. He simmered the red wine into a thick reduction and layered it into the dessert.

Even with the twist of having to incorporate the secret ingredient of fruit cake into his second dessert creation of a pecan financier on the episode, Lerome was able to avoid elimination and is advancing to the finale.

I’m rooting for my new friend Lerome next Monday (December 17^th) when he competes on the finale episode!

I should mention, since the gingerbread house at the hotel is not available for tasting (it is lacquered after constructed – so it is totally inedible), I made sure to taste every one of Lerome’s creations while visiting his hotel! I probably tasted at least a dozen desserts and they were all beautiful and delicious! One of my favorites was the yuzu crème brulee.

Hope you enjoyed today’s Friday field trip and a glimpse of the 2018 gingerbread house created by Lerome Campbell and the bakers at the Ritz-Carlton beach resort in Naples, Florida.

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

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christmas in a teacup

December 11, 2018

Would you like to try a Christmas craft that is a little different from creating a gingerbread house? Maybe even a little less intimidating? How about crafting a holiday scene in a teacup?

I recently met a good friend at a tea house for breakfast and came upon these lovely centerpieces on the tables…instant smile makers!

Of course this one is my favorite…it most closely matches my decorating style!

Isn’t this a great DIY craft idea? Even for inexperienced crafters, creating a little holiday teacup scene is not intimidating at all! A few little decorative items and some artificial snow are all that is needed to transform a teacup and saucer into an enchanting holiday scene!

I love this idea! I have plenty of vintage teacups since I sometimes use them to serve crème brulees or to plant moss or small plants. If you don’t own any, pick one, or several, up at any Goodwill or tag sale. Better yet, use a family heirloom to build your miniature scene!

I can’t wait to take out my box of miniature white bottle brush trees to get started! You know I don’t decorate in red and green for the holidays, so I can’t wait to create some scenes in neutrals! I think shells and sea glass are also in order! I see coastal holiday scene teacups in my future!

I hope I have inspired you to create some Christmas scene teacups of your own this holiday! Use your imagination and have fun with it!

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

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a visit to the georgia aquarium

December 7, 2018

Living in a coastal state, I have always had a fascination with sea life. Visiting the Georgia Aquarium while in Atlanta recently was high on my priority list!

While there, we took in both the sea lion and dolphin performances, but the true star of the show for me was the whale shark exhibit.

The aquarium is the only institution outside of Asia that houses whale sharks. After one look at these breathtaking creatures, it is easy to see why the aquarium, as a whole, was designed around the whale shark exhibit – one that contains 6.3 million gallons of water!

I immediately fell in love with the whale sharks. I am sure many visitors to the aquarium feel the same. Their sheer size is overwhelming! It is the largest fish in the world and the largest fish known to have lived on this planet! Their average length is between 18 and 32.8 feet and the largest accurately measured whale shark was 61.7 feet!

The Georgia Aquarium sits on 13 acres in downtown Atlanta on land donated by The Coca-Cola Company. It contains more than one hundred thousand animals, representing 700 species of fish and other sea creatures. It opened in 2005 as the largest aquarium in the world!

The Aquarium’s notable specimens include whale sharks, beluga whales, California sea lions, bottlenose dolphins, and manta rays. My favorites? Whale sharks were number one by a landslide, but I also loved the penguins and the jellyfish. The penguins were in an exhibit were you could actually go nose-to-nose (beak to beak?) with them! It was very cool! And, the jellyfish, though very common in Connecticut, are not displayed in nature against a beautiful deep blue background like they are in the aquarium! They look like works of art!

The Georgia Aquarium did not disappoint! I hope you enjoyed seeing a little peek from my visit on today’s Friday field trip.

Thanks for stopping by!

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

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december book giveaway!

December 4, 2018

The December giveaway is not exactly a book…it is a calendar for 2019. I am giving away a Felix Doolittle calendar! I am obsessed with Felix Doolittle illustrations and thought I would share my obsession with you! Once you take a look, you too will be in love with Felix Doolittle! (Check out the website for some great holiday gift ideas!!)The 2019 desk calendar is a wonderful way to honor a true calendar. And, I do not consider a digital calendar on a cell phone a true calendar! This calendar is a work of art – each month a beautiful illustration! To win this giveaway, just leave me a message on this post or on my Instagram and you will be entered in a random drawing. The winner will be chosen at the end of the month.

Congratulations to Beth, the winner of last month’s giveaway. I hope you enjoy the book, Beth! To see more on the November giveaway, click here.

For those of you who use Instagram, please join the challenge to post a favorite tree ornament(s) for the month of December. It could be one you crafted, one you purchased, or a family heirloom! I LOVE Christmas tree ornaments and can’t wait to see what you may post! Use #pleasuregram to tag your photos.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Please note: I did not take the photos of the Felix Doolittle calendar – they were taken from the website.

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a visit to atlanta botanical garden

November 30, 2018

One fabulous stop included on my Atlanta trip this fall was the Atlanta Botanical Garden. The best part was visiting on the tail end of the Imaginary Worlds exhibit.

Imaginary Worlds was a display of giant living plant sculptures!

These topiary-like whimsical sculptures were amazing to see and ranged up to 26 feet tall and 21 feet wide – including an enchanting mermaid, a trio of gigantic camels (my very favorite!), and a beautiful peacock!

The sculptures were made from steel forms covered in soil and sphagnum moss and planted with thousands of meticulously groomed plants – staged in 14 installations.

The process for creating the Imaginary World sculptures took nearly six months. After metal frames were fabricated, the empty frames were shipped to Atlanta, and the garden’s horticulturists began covering them with a mesh fabric and stuffing them with soil.

Then the planting started. More than 200,000 plants, primarily annuals, were inserted, one by one. Sculptures were built in sections that were planted inside a greenhouse just outside the city, then trucked to the garden in spring for assembling on site. Intricate irrigation systems beneath the surface of the sculptures allowed the plants to grow – and the creatures to flourish – in Atlanta’s summer heat.

I am sure the Atlanta Botanical Garden is always worth a visit, but I was thrilled to be able to visit during the Imaginary Worlds exhibit. I hope you enjoyed a little glimpse of the display on today’s Friday field trip.

Though beautiful, we didn’t get the chance to see this goddess in full splendor – she was already being disassembled to create a holiday display.

Thanks for stopping by!

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

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happy 2019!

more holiday neutrals

holiday seaside neutrals

discovering the acai bowl

pick a wish

a life-size gingerbread house

christmas in a teacup

a visit to the georgia aquarium

december book giveaway!

a visit to atlanta botanical garden