Since I work out of my home, most days I’m, well, at home.  No surprise there.  I’m a homebody, so it really suits me.  I could probably stay in the house for a week straight and be totally fine with that.  It would drive Jeff nuts, so he’s usually the one who runs little errands.  But, there are days when I just need to get out!  It’s good for me creatively and it prevents me from getting into a rut. So, Thursday was a get-out-of-the-house day and my mom and I went shopping.  I hit a couple of my favorite local antique shops and found some really amazing things… A vendor had just put out these corbels when I walked by and snatched them up.  Talk about chippy goodness… I usually don’t like this style of scale, but the color of the paint on it was really beautiful… …and I

Back when I was an itty bitty baby blogger, I took a big step and went to my first blog conference – Blissdom.  I went by myself and roomed alone, so it was a little intimidating.  I awkwardly walked around, hoping to recognize someone from their 125×125 profile picture or maybe someone would recognize me, but I wasn’t hopeful of that.  I did manage to connect with some other DIY/Home Decor bloggers within an hour or two of being there and more began to gather. Someone suggested a group picture, so we bunched up on a grand staircase, turned sideways, so we all looked skinny and smiled.  In the midst of the tummy-sucking-in and hip twisting, someone next to me said, in a soft voice, “Hello.  I love your blog.”  I was taken aback that someone knew who I was, so I turned to see who my “fan” was.  The

Before I get into today’s post, I just want to share how encouraging it is to hear how many you are going to pull out your china and silver and start using it regularly in response to my spurring yesterday!  I started to chuckle at the thought of all of the families who came home to a set table with folded napkins and fancy place settings…probably thinking there mom has finally lost it or there was bad-news-bomb she was about to drop.  I love it.  Anyway, onto my topic today… I used to be an HGTV junkie.  Remember the days of (the original) Design on a Dime and Room by Room?  And when Candice Olson and Sarah Richardson hit the scene and brought it to a whole other level?  HGTV was like my comfort background noise when I was at home.  I loved watching the makeovers and getting new ideas.  Sarah started

As I shared a few days ago, Jeff took me to the Poconos for a couple of days.  We stayed at a beautiful stone lodge that was built on 5500 acres in the 1920’s – Skytop. I loved getting to know a bit about the history of the place.  The architecture and intact original details were beautiful.   …and it was fun looking at pictures taken over the years… The service and food were spectacular.  Since I’m a vegetarian, it can be a little tricky sometimes when I eat out if I want more than a salad or a plate of mushrooms, but they were so accommodating.  The chef made a dish for me of a cheesy risotto with fresh vegetables.  It was delicious and the food altogether was a highlight. Unfortunately, the weather was rainy, misty and foggy, so we didn’t get to enjoy all of the outdoor activities

A couple of weeks ago, Jeff declared that we needed a little getaway.  I am a homebody and I love my work, so I don’t usually feel like I need to get away, but he’s almost always right with that sort of thing and it ends up being really great. He always picks the destination and accommodations, so the arrangements are not on my shoulders.  And I love that.  He always does a fantastic job in the planning.  This trip, he chose Skytop Lodge in the Poconos of Pennsylvania. It is a beautiful lodge that was built in the 1920’s. It was rainy, misty and/or foggy the entire time we were there, but we still managed to get in some outdoor activities.  I’ll share more about the lodge next week. Since the weather was a bit of a bummer, Jeff suggested something he knew I would enjoy…hitting a few antique stores.  What a

Today, our realtor had a “broker’s open house” at our home, so I had to find something to do away from home.  I’ve been having a lot of tightness and, not quite pain, but discomfort in my shoulders and neck.  My trapezius muscles to be more specific.  That’s where I hold my stress and it gets tight when I’m, well, stressed.  The weeks heading up to Lucketts were busy and stressful, culminating with my tent collapsing from torrential rain the Friday before Lucketts.  For some reason, the event this year really took it out of me and that manifested itself in a hoarse voice and tired body. I set aside the week after Lucketts to relax…hang out in bed, watch Netflix and movies and only work when I wanted to.  You may have guessed that I’m not very good at loafing around.  I did extend my “break” into the following