Chili

I just made the best chili ever!  It is for Soup Bowl Day at school – money and awareness for homeless – kids eat soup instead of regular lunch – blah blah blah.  Anyway – back to the chili.  It is the BEST I have ever made.  Spicy, buffalo meat, beans, tomatoes, yummy!

There is a problem with the chili, though.  It is soooooo unphotogenic. It looks like dog throw-up.

Looks better from this angle…

Even better from a distance with the bags of Fritos as props…

Oh well…I am serving the soup, too, and am going to be late if I don’t finish this post.  Later.

Twi-crack post

I confess. I am addicted to Twi-crack and I highly recommend that you try some. My story started about a year ago. I was talking with a 13- year-old about school when her eyes suddenly glazed over and she said, as if in a trance, “Have you read Twilight?” I looked at her, puzzled by the random change of subject, and said that I had not read Twilight. She said, again trance-like, “You HAVE to read it. You HAVE to read Twilight.” I didn’t think much more about it until a few weeks ago. I finally finished Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth and World Without End, both excellent books. Upon finishing World Without End, I decided that I should read something silly and light and easy. I thought about the 13-year-old and decided that whatever she was reading would be perfect. That’s when I tried Twi-crack. I began reading on Wednesday. By the following Tuesday I had read Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn, AND the partially leaked internet book – Midnight Sun (Edward’s version of Twilight). PLUS, I am sad to say, that I watched the Twilight movie four times. The Twilight series is crack literature. That is why I am PSYCHED for November 20th because the New Dawn movie will be released. I’ll have to get there early so I can find a good seat amongst the hoards of teens that are also PSYCHED about November 20th. Twi-crack is sooooooo gooooood.

Do I even have to say it? Go team Edward.

Kitchens need accessory love, too!

I could write a witty introduction but I won’t.  Who reads blogs anyway?  Blogs are like Playboy.  No one really reads them.  People just want to see the pictures.  So………

1.  I don’t like to see a bunch of unused appliances out on the counter tops as decoration.  Instead, I would rather see baskets, plants, cutting boards, and vintage tins for storage.  Pack up that crusty old Cuisinart and put it behind closed doors.  When was the last time you used it anyway?  Donate it.

ps – The chopping block island is perfect as a kitchen table.

2.  This kitchen is less accessorized, but it works because some of the upper cabinet doors are glass.  I like the utensils and oils above the stove.  I have that setup, too, and it is so handy.  The toaster in the corner is ok as I am sure it gets action in the mornings and something like that needs to be convenient.

 

3.  This kitchen is interesting because the cabinetry is very modern but they are juxtaposed against an industrial brick wall and accessorized with antiques.  The balance is nice.  The chalk board propped up on the counter is useful, too.

4.  I like how the stuffed glass fronted cabinets are next to the simple glass jar on the capital pedestal.  I also like how the coffee maker is inside it’s garage.  Coffee makers are messy.

5.  I like the large plants in the windows.  They soften this otherwise sparse kitchen.  I also love the wine storage on the left.  It looks like a bottle dryer (similar ones can be found in NapaStyle catalog) propped up against the wall. Great idea!

6.  This photo is from Coastal Living.  Another sparse kitchen, but the tile wall makes up for it!  I like this trend.

7.  I love you, but I can’t live like this anymore.  You’re just so vacant!  It’s like nobody’s home.  Oh, sorry, I was speaking to the kitchen.  Obviously this person eats out a lot.

8.  The next two photos are from La Dolce Vita.  I am a sucker for glass fronted refrigerators.  I just love them.  This is a beautiful kitchen.  I love the dark shades of gray.  The counter tops are free from clutter but the cabinets and open shelving are packed with interesting dishes, etc.

 

9.  Another tiled wall – like this.  Open shelves – like.  Accessories – LOVE!  Herbs, cutting boards, utensils, cookbooks, toaster, microwave, canisters, all gooood!

10.  This black and white floor is fabulous! It fills up the space so not as many accessories are required.  I like the collection of wine jugs on the table.

photo – Things That Inspire

11.  Loooove the dark stained floors!  This photo is from Cote de Texas – one of my favorite blogs.  I’ve said this before – I love the light blue and red combination. WOW!

12.  This chalkboard is a nice touch.  Is it a door conversion?  Not sure.

13.  Great accessorizing here…topiaries, fruit on a tiered pedestal, vintage bread tin, glass cloche, upright mixer, and bottles of Pellegrino.  Love the black cabinets, the white drum shades and the simple window treatment. Oh – and don’t forget the great rug!

14.  First of all, the black framed windows and doors really make this space special.  The chandeliers are perfect and the long wooden table is too fabulous!  Notice how the cabinets are more modern with the long handles.  Accessories – artichokes, upright mixer, flowers, art, and oils.

photo – Southern Accents

15.  Another big trend – shelves instead of upper cabinets.  Accessories – dishes and glassware, potted herbs, toaster, flowers, vintage tins, canisters, a bucket filled with green apples, and a little shelf (?).  Not sure if it is a shelf, but it is so cute!

16.  Another wooden kitchen table against a white backdrop AND more black framed doors!  The chandelier and the sconce in this space are lovely.  This could be accessorized for Christmas with all the red fruit on the table.  Grandma’s old crystal and sterling are suddenly chic when grouped together.

17. This is a Southern Living kitchen.  I included it because the accessories are more practical.  The chips are stored in plain view on the island and it’s ok because they are in a decorative wooden basket.  The dark shades on the windows balance out the dark shades of the island and the granite. The dog bed is cute and I would have no problem having it in the kitchen but I know a few germaphobes who would probably protest.

18.  I like the LARGE accessories in this kitchen.  The lemon tree in the urn is pretty and the basket of rosemary is also pretty.  I know fake plants  are a no-no but would it be bad to wire a couple of fake lemons on the lemon tree when the real ones drop?

photo – Southern Accents

19.  Another pretty chandelier.  I like the niches over the stove.  They are perfect for small items like toothpicks and salt and pepper, etc. There is a sink in this kitchen table – nice.

photo – Southern Accents

20.  Ok – this kitchen has the best accessory so far – the taxidermy hog.  I need one of these.  It would go well in my kitchen – not kidding. I’ll have to check eBay…

 

photo – Southern Accents

21.  Gwenyth Paltrow’s kitchen – love the black cabinets and the chandeliers. I see a lot of appliances on the countertops.  Accessories could be better – Gwen.  I like the basket of veggies on the island.  Those were probably thrown in for the photo shoot.

22. And finally, a Windsor Smith kitchen that has been all over the blogs. I loooooove this kitchen.  I love the useful accessories.  I love the marble topped table and the trellis chairs and the wingbacks.  It’s just perfect.  The vase of flowers is a pretty centerpiece and the black and white floors add a lot of visual weight to the mostly white room.  Oh – I just noticed that the chairs have black vinyl cushions! Yummy!

         

It’s Still Summer in SoFlo! Outdoor images…

I know Labor Day has come and gone and, technically, one is not supposed to wear white after said day, but IT IS STILL SUMMER HERE! So, I am wearing white today and I am posting images of beautiful outdoor spaces.

I like pools surrounded by lots of landscaping and shade – like this one. I also like how the stepping stones go through the pool over to the sitting area.

The colors in this outdoor space are wonderful. Notice how they are all the same tone, just different colors. Orange…

Coral…

Yellow…

Tan…Looks like there is a koi pond on one side and a spa on the other side.

I wish the cushions on my patio furniture were black like these. They would be so much easier to keep clean (looking). I like the black trim on the house – so much better than white.

The next two photos are from Celerie Kemble. I like her style because it closely matches my own.

I like how the old is mixed with the new. It looks layered and lived in.

I love this courtyard. I wonder if the fountain turns in to a spa? Love those vines.

More vines. The blue furniture, umbrellas, and trim really stand out against the green vines.

This is a pretty Vero Beach mansion that is for sale. It is a nice house but it needs vines. It’s too new and perfect. I do like the blue shutters, though. It probably looks funny in the day time because there doesn’t appear to be any mature landscaping. Stark.

Here we go…mature landscaping…love the fountain and the pops of red. This home was featured on Cote de Texas.

I would like to have one of these. I like the sound of water and fish are pretty. Someone should figure out how to market these pre-fabricated. Like a hot tub, but a koi pond that looks custom built.

This is what I would do with my pre-fab koi pond when I got tired of taking care of fish. I would use it as a planter.

I hope you enjoyed the outdoor inspiration. Me and my white outfit are headed to town to do errands. Bye-bye!

photos via: MyHomeIdeas, Cote de Texas, Western Interiors, Real Estate.com, Southern Accents, and Celerie Kemble

France - Part 3

It's been a while since my last post. I am slowly getting caught up. France, Part 3...

We rented a van in Paris. That was brave because driving in Paris is difficult, especially in a giant Mercedes passenger van! The roads leaving Paris heading south are wonderful. We stayed on the country roads and avoided the huge highways as much as possible only because we wanted to really see the countryside and not just whiz by it.

This is an example of many of the roads that we travelled...lined with trees! Few fences, just fields.


Look how even the town bridge is decorated with hanging baskets! The French take so much pride in their villages and towns. Every little village that we drove through was landscaped with flowers!


I didn't pass up many opportunities to eat goodies. Yum!

Chateauneuf sur Loire...

Fields of grain...

Another bridge, this one with long flower boxes lining the sides.

We stayed in the Burgundy region for a few nights at a place called Castel de Tres Girards in Morey St. Denis. It was wonderful! Click on the link and see more photos. I would definitely go back to this place.

The exterior of Castel de Tres Girard...

We travelled from there to the Annecy area and stayed at Chateau des Avenieres in the French Alpes. This is another place that I would reccommend to anyone travelling in the area. The food was fabulous and the grounds were beautiful. We went hiking one day in the woods and marvelled at how pretty the property was. The road up to the hotel was very scary, though. I do not enjoy driving on mountain roads especially where there are few guard rails.

We stayed in two different rooms here. One night was in the Sonate room which was a former music room. This photo does not do it justice. First of all, it was HUGE. The wood paneled walls were lovely and the bathroom was large and luxurious. From the balcony, we could see Mont Blanc (Switzerland).

Breakfast was served on the terrace.

We stayed a second night in the "white" room. They call it the white room because it is white. This room also had a large balcony and bathroom.

The view from the terrace.

A closeup of the rear exterior.

We went to Grignan after the leaving the Alpes and stayed here a while. Grignan is a beautiful walled town. It is surrounded by fields of lavander.

The countryside in this area is more arid and reminds me of New Mexico. The annual Festival de Correspondance was happening in Grignan while we were there. There were many stalls offering antique books. It was really neat.

A sunflower field near Grignan...

While in Grignan, we stayed at Manoir de la Roseraie. The property boasts hundreds of rose bushes. This place has a pool and a restaurant and beautiful grounds. The rooms here are huge and the bathrooms are nice.

Nice was our final destination. It wasn't really what I was expecting. I probably won't visit there again. It was big and dirty and there were many pickpockets. I was warned a few times by various people to watch my valuables at all times. One of the good things about Nice is that you can do cool things like jump off a cliff into the sea.

The beach consists of rocks of various sizes. Warning - wear shoes to the beach in Nice! The rocks get really hot and are difficult to walk on. The water was wonderful - the perfect temperature and few waves. We stayed at Beau Rivage which was a nice place - very modern. This particular hotel has a wonderful beach area with lounge chairs, a restaurant, etc. We saw the Tour de France come through Nice. It was very exciting!

Cannes is prettier than Nice, in my opinion. It is much cleaner. The shops here are wonderful and the people are super friendly. Actually, the people of France are friendly everywhere. Only once did we run in to anyone unfriendly and that was a very busy waiter in Paris who could not tolerate any questions regarding the menu. Maybe he was just having a bad day.

I love France. I cannot wait to go back and explore the western region of this beautiful country. Until then, au revoir!

Winter Park Rendezvous

Oh - good grief! Blogger is really frustrating. I have collected so many great real estate photos of Winter Park and I am unable to get them in order because of this ridiculous program! I'll try to make sense of it all...

I spent the last week with my mom. We ended the visit in the Orlando area as my step-dad had a meeting in Orlando and I ended up travelling there to spend more time with her while he was in his meeting. We spent the day in lovely Winter Park. Winter Park is located north of Orlando, just east of I-4.

Winter Park was founded as a resort destination by wealthy New England industrialists before the turn of the 20th century. It really has a small town feel even though it is right on the edge of Orlando. The population is about 28,000. There is more park space per capita here than any other city in Florida.

The shops of Olde Winter Park...

Winter Park is built around a chain of lakes that are connected by narrow canals. The lakes are only 10 to 15 feet deep - perfect for sculling and water skiing. Many of the streets are brick and lined with huge Live Oak trees draped in Spanish Moss. Winter Park is the home of Rollins College - a small, liberal arts, private, college with a very high price tag. Winter Park is also the home of the world's largest collection of Tiffany glass housed at the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art.

If you ever get to this area, you MUST take a boat tour. The tour guides were knowledgeable and the tour afforded us a great view of the gorgeous homes in this area. We took a tour and travelled from lake to lake through the narrow canals. It was really neat!

Boat houses like this one were behind most of the homes. It looked so peaceful!

OK, this is where Blogger really messed me up! I would have liked to grouped the interior photos with the exterior photos of each home, but Blogger won't let me move the photos for some reason! Ughhhhh...

Many of the homes are historic, built in the 1920s and 1930s. I like this Spanish style living room...

A few kitchens...

A beautiful new bathroom...I love the tile work in the shower.

I like the mix of light mouldings and window casings with the dark stained doors.

This Charleston style home is listed as a short sale at $1,299,000. I love this style. I like the dark pool and all the brickwork.

This house photo was supposed to be grouped with the bathroom photo above. Pretty, pretty, pretty!

Interior...

This home has so many built in bookshelves, etc. Love it!

One of the rare contemporary style homes...

Bonus - Casey Affleck owns a home in Winter Park! I loved him in The Assassignation of Jesse James.

If anyone can suggest a better way to blog, please let me know. I am so tired of fighting with Blogger. There has to be an easier way...

All photos are from RealEstate.com and Google Images.

Je t'aime Paris!

Oh gosh, I have been neglecting my blog! This post is about the Paris portion of our summer trip. Paris is beautiful to say the least. It is also different than any other city on Earth. It is obvious that beauty is a high priority in the French culture. In Paris, some sort of beauty is everywhere. The buildings, the trees, the monuments, the people, the food, the street performers, the art, the flowers - they are all beautiful in different ways.

We drove down the Champs Elysees and saw the Arc de Triomphe. The traffic was horrendous but it was worth it because the Arc is so large and impressive. It was built in 1836 during the reign of Louis Philippe. Since 1920, it houses the tomb of France's Unknown Soldier and commemorates the dead of World Wars I and II. It is really breathtakingly beautiful. It brought tears to my eyes!



We visited the Louvre, of course. We even took naps in the lawn just outside.

We saw the Mona Lisa. There were so many other people also visiting the Mona Lisa - WOW!

This is a better shot of the mysterious lady.

We saw the Venus de Milo, too. She was created sometime between 130 and 100 BC and is believed to depict the Greek goddess, Aphrodite (the goddess of love and beauty).

We took a train to the Chateau de Versailles. Days could be spent here exploring the gardens. It was a little eerie touring the chateau because I kept thinking of the mob of people invading the palace during the Revolution. I was also amazed at the access given to the hoards of people touring the building. I wish I could have toured the kitchen area and the work rooms, etc.

How strange that the Treaty of Versailles was signed here in the Hall of Mirrors ending World War I? The history associated with this place is mind boggling.

The Chapel....

We stayed at Hotel du Louvre which was really nice, right in the heart of things.

Isn't the bar beautiful?

The lobby is also very pretty.

We visited the Paris Catacombs. There are over 1 million people's bones in this particular catacomb. Over 6 million Parisians are in all the catacombs!

The Seine...so pretty!

I love the art installations around the city.

We ate at a neat little restaurant called Quai Quai on the Ile de la Citi. The food was fabulous and the service was excellent.

Sidewalk street performers...

We climbed the stairs to the top of the Eiffel Tower. The lines were too long to wait for an elevator! The Eiffel Tower itself is way more beautiful than I thought it would be. It is amazing how much thought went into making the structure beautiful. It is more than just a tower.

Me at the Jardins du Palais-Royal. There was a group of men playing boule on the other side of the trees. It was so neat and relaxed and enjoyed by many.

The view from our hotel balcony...

The next post will cover Bourgogne and some of the countryside. Au revoir!