A house becomes a home

Time for another Friday blanks post, courtesy of Lauren at the little things we do!

Image credit: Lauren

1. My favorite room in my home is my bedroom because it is ocean/beach themed, calm, quiet and comfortable.


2. My current decor style is traditional mostly, but I wish it were more rustic shabby chic with a hint of modern. I'd love a log cabin with the matching decor.


3. I wish I could redecorate the bathroom in my house to make it more modern and clean.


4. My dream house absolutely has to have a large, professional kitchen because I cook quite a bit, and I like to have good tools and great space.


5. One house item I am willing to splurge on is a quality mattress. Without a good night's sleep, I am useless.


6. A decor trend that I just don't "get" is none... or at least none that I can think of...


7. Warm colors is a little touch that makes my house feel like home.




Enjoy your weekend! Anyone have any big plans???

Wishful Wednesday: Bedroom

'I wish'.... I could come home to this beachy bedroom every night!

When Jed and I bought the house last year, I told him I wanted to decorate the bedroom with a beach-inspired theme. He gave me the go-ahead, and he even helped me pick out some accessories and pictures! I do come home to a beachy bedroom every night, but it could be better (am I ever truly happy? No!), including actually being on the beach (just because I live in the Ocean State doesn't mean I'm on the water)!

 So, my ideal "beachy bedroom" would be some combination of this:

and this:

I would be in absolute paradise every  night when I came home! The first bedroom overlooks the Pitons in St. Lucia (a dream come true!), with an infinity pool -- that maybe I would replace with an infinity hot tub. Oh yeah, baby! The bathroom is right behind the bed, elevated by a few steps, with a rain stand-up shower, jetted tub for two, sink and toilet. At this resort, there's just a half wall separating the bathroom, but I'd do a full wall, of course, maybe with a window in the shower and over the tub so you can look out to the ocean and mountains.

And the bedding in the second picture is perfect. Bright yet soothing in ocean-inspired colors and prints, and white furniture is a must for any beach bedroom -- preferably white-washed. I like the simplicity of this bedroom and how it opens right to the beach and palm trees. I'd like to be able to walk out to the sandy shore from my bedroom... on a private beach, of course, so people wouldn't be looking right into my magnificient room!

{Images via Jade Mountain and The Company Store respectively}

Um, could someone turn the light on, please?

As I sit here in the office, in my cube, I realize the lights overheard are off -- at least in my area. I'm in the dark. So, I start thinking how a cute table lamp would not only give me much-needed illumination, but would also spice up my cube, making it feel more like home. Here are some illuminating devices that caught my eye.

Pier One

I stopped into Pier One the other day just to check out what they had and maybe get some home decor inspiration, and I saw this lovely, modern lamp. My heart skipped a beat as I imagined it in my living room, where I already have a perfectly good table lamp on a bronze table (so this one wouldn't really fit). It would, however, look fantastic on my desk!

Target

I love strange shapes on lamps, and the wood really gives off a warm feel.

Target

Back to modern... I just thought this was so cute, and it doesn't even look like a lamp! I could throw this in a corner of my desk, and it would look like a huge, empty pencil cup until I turn it on... and then it would look like a spotlight shining above my cube. Hmmm... Party's right here, people!

Target

I liked how different this lamp looks. I like the warm wood tone, but again with the spotlight. That's ok... reminds me of a Japanese temple or garden. Peaceful and serene... just like my cube (yeah, right!).

Do you have a lamp on your desk in the office? What does it look like?

Friend-Making Monday: Design Style

Question for the week: What's YOUR personal decorating style?

Head over to Sproost to take the quiz. 

{I just copied & pasted the results}

{then I saved the pictures I liked & uploaded them}

According to the site, this is my personal design style:

38% Nantucket Style

38% Cottage Chic

24% Mountain Lodge Style

And here's some other interiors from the quiz I really liked.

Writer's Workshop: As we are

 weheartit

The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.

~ Maya Angelou 

We often say "home is where the heart is." I've always thought this was true, but, for me, home is also where I'm most comfortable, most myself, most accepted. Home is the place you go when you are emotionally and physically drained to recharge. 


While I have no doubt there is heart in my home, it is not yet a safe place. I'm still looking to find that here. 


I am not the easiest person to live with, I know that. I want things my way, on my time, and I can be quite demanding. I wasn't an only child, but that was the way things were in my childhood home: my mother's way on her time. We all played along unless we wanted a stern talking-to. Ha, and I take after my mother after all. 


The problem is, I don't feel safe being that way because it causes a lot of friction with Jed. Understandably. I can completely understand how he would not just roll over and play my way. I get that. But, aren't I supposed to be able to be myself at home? 


The answer is yes, but with a caveat: I need to let those that live with  me be themselves too, and I need to be myself with kindness and respect. My mother mastered that, I haven't inherited that yet. 


Truth is, I just want our home to be comfortable. For the first few months we lived here, I was obsessed with having "the perfect house" -- so much that I treated it more like a museum than the place we live. Saying it now, it seems so stupid, but it meant so much to me for a while. I'm getting over that. My home isn't a museum; it's not perfect, but it reflects us and our lives. 


I want to be able to come home and feel like myself, happily and peacefully. I want Jed to be able to come home and escape from his day and relax. We're not there, but I think we can be, with a little compromise and a lot of love. 


I ache to live together as we are, unquestioned, without expectation.

This post inspired by

Our first Christmas

Well, I'm a little late for Friend-Making Monday, but I wanted to give you the holiday tour of my home. I'm quite proud of the way it turned out, although I still have some minor touches left to do.

I enter my house into the dining room (a little strange, I know), and I kept it pretty simple and classic in here.

Lit wreath and pine-cone-filled basket in the corner, cranberry garland in the chandelier with a clear and silver bead garland, and an Advent "wreath" on the table (I couldn't get pink and purple taper candles like you're supposed to have, I'm going to hell).

Whoops! A little sneak peek at my Christmas shopping...

I put my favorite Christmas decoration in the kitchen, where I spend a lot of my time. I've had this fun garland since college when Mom gave it to me to spruce up my cinder-block dorm room.

Santas hanging over the sink.

I also decorated the windowsill over my kitchen sink with some random odds and ends...

Oh yeah... I accidentally started collecting Mr. Potato Head! Friends give me different ones as gifts all the time! I got this one last Christmas.

I had to get a Christmas Yankee Candle! I love this scent; not sure if you can see, but it's a mix of Balsam & Cedar with Sparkling Cinnamon. Yum!

Should you need to use the bathroom...
... there's a stocking waiting for you next to the sink...
... and some fun little surprises on the medicine cabinet over the toilet (please don't mind our deodorant!).

As you enter the living room, don't forget to admire my new Nativity scene. This was Jed's grandmother's, and his mother just gave it to me the other day. I am honored to place it in our home.

Ah yes, and I couldn't forget to share my/our Christmas present with you! Santa came early this year and brought Jed and I a brand-spanking-new, HUGE TV with a fancy-smancy Blu-Ray player!

So, of course, we had to move the Bose surround-sound system out of the "movie theater" in the basement (we have another, less smancy system for down there) and up to the living room. And, of course, I had to decorate the Bose console with a little friend...

Sony and Bose, I'm waiting for my advertising check in the mail...

Here's a close-up of Piglet and Pooh helping me decorate the room, next to the TV components.
The tree lights up, Pooh and Piglet move so Piglet can reach the top of the tree with the star, and it plays music!

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care... along with some gorgeous Poinsettia garlands strung with lights. My stocking is missing; it's still at my parents'.

The main event: the tree!
With a pup underneath! Hi Morris! I am so relieved that we got the tree, and it's all decorated. it's just not Christmas without the tree.
My parents' trees were always the bright colored lights with a hodge-podge of ornaments collected over the years (my mom's bulbs are from BRADLEE'S!!! Remember Bradlee's?). So, this tree is a change for me; I actually went with a "theme." We have white and red lights with silver and red ornament bulbs. Yes, I tied the bow on top myself and curled the ends. Maybe I'm sorta crafty after all? My mom got us a tree topper, which I'm sure I'll get when I pick up my stocking...

What have you done for holiday decorating? Are you done?

And the big question: When do you take it all down? This is a huge pet peeve of mine; I leave my decorations up for the 12 days of Christmas, which extend to January 6 for the Epiphany. It makes me sad to see people taking their decorations down the day after Christmas. The festivities are not over, people! Enjoy them a little longer; you put all that effort into putting them up!

Best09: New food and home changes

I have a little catch-up to play today since I didn't post the Best09 prompt yesterday. It's another crazy weekend, so I'm sorry if this post is short and lacking pictures; I'm about to head off to church (to pray for all those bloggers needing God's strength this holiday season).

New food. You're now in love with Lebanese food and you didn't even know what it was in January of this year.

For yesterday's prompt, I had to really think about what new food I have tried this year (and make me realize I should try more next year!). I came up with grouper. While down in Palm Beach, I was a little hesitant to try all that southern fish since I'm such a spoiled New England seafood girl. Finally, we went to a nice restaurant with a yummy-sounding grouper special, so I took the plunge and enjoyed my swim! It was well-prepared and delicious! I would definitely try it again in another dish.

What's the best change you made to the place you live?

Today's prompt makes up for yesterday's difficulty, but I feel like I'm being redundant. You all know by now that I moved this year into my own house. I don't think that is the best change though; the best change is really showcasing my personality in my new house. My bedroom is my dream, and it is such a calming place for me now (my old bedroom hadn't changed decor since I was 6, and it was very cluttered). My living room is a cozy space to cuddle next to the wood stove, read a book or watch a movie. My kitchen is efficient and updated and organized. So, I didn't just change where I live, but how I live, and that was the best change this year.

Hope you are all having a lovely weekend! Mine is very hectic, chaotic and a tad stressful. I'm actually looking forward to it being over! LOL

Best09: Challenge

I'm diving into this blog challenge with a challenge theme...

via weheartit.com

Challenge. Something that really made you grow this year. That made you go to your edge and then some. What made it the best challenge of the year for you?

This one is actually easy for me since this entire year has been one big challenge: buying a house and moving in with my boyfriend.

Whoa! Two huge steps all at once, especially for a girl who has a hard time adjusting to major changes (read: major bout of depression freshman year of college) and who, with the exception of four years for college (when she went home almost every weekend), has lived with Mom and Dad her entire life. Major upheaval. Major behavior modification. Major adjustment.

Thankfully, there was no major bout of depression. I was really excited about the whole thing, until about two weeks in, it really hit me. I'm a *gasp* grown-up. No one is cleaning for me. No one is cooking for me. No one is taking care of me when I'm sick. No one does my laundry. I think I had an anxiety attack that lasted for months.

Truth be told, I never really wanted a house. Don't get me wrong: I like my house, and I love living with Jed. What I really wanted was my own place and to live with Jed. I'm not all for the house maintenance thing; I'd be just as happy in an apartment where I can call the landlord when something breaks.

However, I like painting the walls the way I want them. As stressful as it was, I loved buying furniture and decorating. I love being able to spruce the place up for Christmas.

I think the biggest adjustment, however, was not living with my parents anymore and living with my boyfriend.

The pros: cable TV (never ever ever had it in my life before), having whatever I want for dinner, sitting on the sofa however I want, running the show the way I want, seeing my boyfriend every day, re-organizing and de-cluttering, having a dog, not fighting with my parents.

The cons: having to figure out what's for dinner and motivating myself to cook, cleaning and laundry that never seems to end, having to compromise on how to run the household with my boyfriend, fighting with my boyfriend, not having that "space" from said boyfriend, leaving MY room, housebreaking the dog, missing my parents.

The upside always has its downside, I suppose. With that, I have learned a lot and grown a lot, though I certainly still have a long way to go.

I'm learning a lot about my relationship with Jed. We're fighting a lot more, but we're figuring out how to compromise more, listen more, communicate more and love more. We're trying really hard to work as a team, instead of against each other. I never realized how much of a spoiled brat I am in that I have MAJOR control and OCD issues. We're talking panic attacks because he left his dirty glass on the coffee table overnight.

I'm also learning to trust that I'm where I'm supposed to be. I've had a lot of good feelings and a lot of negative feelings, but deep down, I know that I had to grow up sometime. I had to move out of Mom and Dad's, even though Mom crying made me cry (and still does). I had to figure out how to do it on my own... and more importantly, with someone else who is not my family.

I've learned how to keep an entire house clean, how to paint, how to keep weeds from growing through mulch, how to build a fire and how to cook. I'm starting to feel safe again, at home again. I can walk into my old home without tearing up. And, when I really miss being a kid again, I can drive a short 40 minutes and have Mom and Dad cook me dinner.

Change has a considerable psychological impact on the human mind. To the fearful it is threatening because it means that things may get worse. To the hopeful it is encouraging because things may get better. To the confident it is inspiring because the challenge exists to make things better.

~ King Whitney Jr.

Catch up, part deux

I never do to-be-continued posts, but I didn't want your eyes to fall out of your head trying to catch up on my entire week in one, gigantic post. If you haven't read part one, click here.

When we started, it looked like this...

Then, once we painted the walls blue, it looked like this...

So, as I was saying...

via www.diylife.com

Now we're both failing at DIY, at wit's end, can't breathe and cranky. The rest of the week was fairly uneventful. I struggled through days at work from my bed -- I have had chronic sinusitis problems (even when I'm not suffering a cold), and I was extremely light-headed, so all I wanted to do was sleep.

Wednesday night, we went out to dinner with a group of friends for my BFF's husband's birthday. There happened to be trivia that night, and my friends love some trivia, plus JB and D completely rock at it, so we joined the fun. And. won. second. place!!!! That's right, we were able to give Ollie's hubby a $20 gift certificate to the restaurant we were at for his birthday! LOL

Once I came off the cold meds and started taking my allergy meds again, I felt much better and less light-headed (maybe it was just allergies?), and I ventured to Ollie's Friday night for girls' night, box of Vick's tissues in the purse. We plan these nights to watch the entire Sex and the City series and girl talk. Friday we ordered some yummy pizza and figured out where we left off in the series (we're only on season 3!). Then the girl talk started... and didn't stop until 2:30 a.m.! We never switched the TV from HGTV that Ollie was watching when I arrived. It was a good night though because all of the girls were able to make it, including one who now lives in Connecticut and is recently engaged. We discussed her wedding plans and listened to her vent about her frustrations.

Saturday, Jed and I tackled the hallway again. He had applied a thinner joint compound Friday night, so we sanded (more drug dust, which he kindly cleaned). We put doors up and put the new doorknobs on. We hit up Michael's and Wal-Mart Saturday night to buy some Christmas decorations.

{Brushed nickel doorknobs so much better than shiny gold!}

The walls looked MUCH better than they did the previous weekend, so we dared painting again. As I rolled, Jed cleaned up the hardwood floors that were the worse for our DIY-wear. And Morris looked on... closely... so close that he ended up looking kinda like this kitty...

via www.diylife.com

Yup, he brushed right against my freshly painted wall, and even after a bath, still has tan paint on one ear!

Regardless, the walls looked PERFECT. FINALLY!

I got up Sunday morning a little scared to walk into the hallway, but the paint had dried and still looked perfect. Minus the two blue streaks on the ceiling behind the light fixture we forgot to paint! Oh well!

We put up the painted door frames and caulked them into place. Then we measured and cut the baseboards. There were quite a few "specialty" pieces that needed to be hand-crafted. Jed made a "picture frame" out of the door frame left-overs to go around the large vent at the end of the hall, and I worked on a tiny little piece that needed to fit between the baseboard and the door frame to the living room.

Once all the baseboards were cut to perfection, I painted them. They are now drying in the garage waiting for Jed to get home this weekend and put them up. Then it's one more quick coat around all of the trim and WE'LL BE DONE!

So, that brings me up to the present when I'm still suffering from a slightly stuffy nose, but I'll survive. I'm still working on catching up on all your blogs, so just be patient with me, please. I have put up the Christmas decorations inside, and I decided to wait for Jed to tackle the outside (me + snow + ladder + extension cords + electricity = another DIY disaster waiting to happen).

Finished pictures (both hall and decorations) coming soon!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

weheartit

So it is, and with the beginning of the holiday season, I have been absent. The past week and a half since Thanksgiving has just been crazy, so let me catch you up (sorry about the long post).

Thanksgiving was lovely. It was good to be home, surrounded by family -- even if Jed couldn't make it because he was sick. Black Friday, we were up and ready to tackle our hallway project. No shopping for us, minus a trip to Home Depot to pick up some paint supplies. The project started as just painting the hallway. Then, I decided I wanted to replace the baseboards because they were grimy. Jed figured, while we were at it, we'd replace the door frames as well.

We pulled off the baseboards and door frames, then applied joint compound to even out the walls where we'd messed them up, pulling stuff off. Saturday, we sanded the walls (our entire house looked like a cocaine-producing factory with white dust everywhere!) and got ready to paint. By Saturday, night we were watching our new hallway paint dry.

Until Jed noticed you could see some of the lines where the joint compound met the wall. Ugh. Let's start over. Apply joint compound, sand Sunday morning (more white powder), paint. *sigh* I started cleaning up the white powder before the cops showed up as Jed is pondering whether the hall looks "too blue."

Yup, he decided it was "too blue," and he got his wish to change it when paint starting peeling in large strips from the wall because nothing had enough time to dry! Start over. Joint compound, let it dry overnight.

Monday morning, Jed headed back to Home Depot for paint, but not before searching the entire house for just the right color of "tan" we wanted in the hallway. He brought the rug in front of the kitchen sink with him to match the color. When he got home, we sanded (more crack everywhere) and painted.

*Whew* Um... nope! Paint's peeling again! Our wall looks like a rainbow with light tan, then light blue, then off-white, then peach, then lilac, then white drywall. Ugh! GRRRRR! We both stood in the hallway, pissed, at wit's end, and almost ready to just up and sell the house. After a rational debate, we decided to leave it for the week.

Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention that I came down with Jed's cold Saturday night. Perfect. Now we're both failing at DIY, at wit's end, can't breathe and cranky.

... {to be continued} ...

Life's a beach, or at least my house is!

{Hello Megan!}

I found this quiz on Megan's blog and had to take it because who doesn't love quizzes to find more about herself?

So, my result was a tie between Nantucket Style and Traditional Country. While my house definitely incorporates elements of both, I'm gong with Nantucket Style because, if I could, my entire house would be a beach!

Nantucket Style

Oh how you love the beach! Who doesn't, right? And so your dream home is either perched in your favorite beach town, or you've brought that favorite beach town into your house.

Materials

Your art and accessories speak directly to the activities that are found at the beach. Pieces of driftwood you found here, pictures or paintings of the amazing views there. Things that remind you of the coast - surf boards or fishing boats - are found throughout the house. The feeling of the seaside is both abstract and literal in the design of your space. The fabrics are natural, cottons and linens and are light in color and touch. Much of the furniture is wood or wood framed (the lighter the better, think driftwood!) and wicker, when done right, is a must.

Colors

And since your true inspiration is the sea, the colors and textures in your home are the same that you would find at your favorite beach: white, light beiges and grays of the sand and driftwood, a variety of blues for the ocean and sky, and greens and vibrant blues of the sea glass... but the key is white! Your space should feel light and airy and give off the mood one has when at the beach: laid back!

Space Planning

Your furniture is comfortable and the layout is cozy. The more it reminds you of actually sitting on the warm sand the better! And what do you do at the beach? Hang out with family and friends - and your home is just an extension of this play place... and though the space is filled with large white furniture, it somehow manages to feel both durable and casual.

That room is gorgeous right? So relaxing and inviting. I love everything about it. EVERYTHING!

Ok, quick weekend recap...

Friday night I picked up Jed at the train station right now time and drove down to Warwick to get me some Hooters. Um, awkward. I meant wings... and a nice cold Blue Moon pumpkin! I dunno about the rest of you, but I'm one chick who loves Hooter's. I take it all in good fun. Which is why I was extremely disappointed when our waitress came over wearing black boy shorts! Black! What happened to the shiny, tacky, fluorescent orange shorts??? Don't even THINK about bringing Hooter's into the 21st century. Don't.Even.Think.About.It.

Saturday morning we got up early to sort out some car stuff, then came home and lounged on the couch in our PJs catching up on TV shows we had recorded. Mostly the House season premiere, and it was depressing. We finally decided it would be a good idea to get dressed... for more lounging on the couch catching up on TV. LOL! We did leave the couch to go to my parents' house for dinner. My mom made one of my favs: roast pork with roasted potatoes, along with asparagus, whipped butternut squash and cinnamon apples. Yum! Then warm homemade brownies topped with ice cream and caramel sauce for dessert. More yum!

Sunday we slept in, went to Mass, met up with Jed's parents and grandfather for a delicious lunch at this place, then went back to Pepe's house for birthday cake for Jed's dad. Last night we caught up on more TV, made nachos and garlic bread for dinner (yes, healthy, doesn't even compare to the night before) and went to bed somewhat early.

Now it's back to another week! I missed out on football yesterday because of the fam stuff, so I'm going to watch the Patriots game tonight, which I'm sure you'll hear about when it's over (for me).

How was your weekend? How's your Monday going?

Sweet Dreams...

KS over at While We're Waiting politely asked me to share a sneak peek of my bedroom (actually my slumber throne) with her. Oh if only she knew how this baby has been in hiding. If only she knew how much thought I put into decorating my first "real" bedroom (a.k.a. not in my parents' house and not in a college-owned property). If only she knew how proud I am of how it came out.

It is not there yet, friends, so I am truly only sharing sneak peeks, but you will have to let me know what you think. First, though, some awesome bedrooms I found browsing the Web... all of which contain elements I tried to incorporate into my own (and Jed's) sleepy space.

My first "wow" bedroom (outside of the Newport mansions) was walking into Rachel Ashwell's (excuse me, she blogs here!) Shabby Chic store in the new Natick (MA) mall. I felt totally at home and like the entire store was one huge manifestation of my personality: sweet, romantic, delicate, a bit rough around the edges, elegant but casual. These images are taken from Rachel's blog...

Love the roughed-up white-wash with the light blue and contrasting bright pink.

I love blue, if you can't tell. And yellow, while not one of my favorite colors, offers a great, soothing contrast to my fav shade of blue.

I love the light drapes, the matching bedside lamps, the white metal bed, the cute bedside table and the natural-fabric rug. This room is so light and airy, but the polished dark hardwood floors ground it. And for a bit of shabby chic, misaligned pictures over the bed.

via Pottery Barn

And here is the same bed in antique pewter, which I'd probably prefer to contrast all the light colors I would have in the room.

In this room, I really like the roman shades with contrast stripe and the white trunk. The wall-mounted bedside light frees up the bedside table for some shabby chic finds. Oh, and I heart the half bead-board, half tan-paint walls.

Also via Pottery Barn

In my room, I tried to incorporate some shabby chic elements with my main design: beach cottage. As much as I love blue, I love the beach: the colors, the sounds, the smells, the texture.

This is the ultimate in beach cottage chic. The white board walls, the huge windows, white Roman shades... all reflect the bright summer sun. I really wanted white furniture for our "beach room," but that's not very practical if you ever want to switch it up. And Jed doesn't like white furniture. But I heart this storage bed from Pottery Barn with straw baskets. Notice the turquoise dresser between the beds -- totally beachy and shabby chic! Everything in this room is perfect. Cut it out and move it into my house please!

We're getting closer...

Here is a beach cottage bedroom that I've actually slept in!

This is the master bedroom in the cottage I, and my two best girlfriends, rented in Harwich, Cape Cod (I won't tell you how many years ago). Again with the white board walls (a must-have... too bad I couldn't do this with my walls) and huge windows creating an airy summer feel. My favorite color makes an appearance as an accent, and the white bedspread is perfect for chilly summer nights.

Now your sneak peek!

Are you excited???

Here's a shot of the comforter, blue and white color-block.

A $70 steal at Wal-Mart.

And the side of the comforter with a glimpse of bed-rail...

And here is a piece of our headboard, through which you can see our innovative paint job.

Ah yes, and don't forget my sateen-stripe, 400-thread count sheets.

(Target -- they are ah-maze-ing! Try them!)

And that's all for now, folks. Sorry!

But wait! Don't leave quite yet. There's more to these sweet dreams...

Some Wednesday randomness for you...

One good thing about Jed being away is that the creative chef in my comes out. (Sad for him, I know.) After three nights of Mexican layer and buffalo chicken dip, (don't ask... ok, ask... they're are immense amounts of leftovers from our big party Saturday night) I was ready for a real dinner.

So I cleaned out some leftovers of a different variety: fresh broccoli and cherry tomatoes. I efficiently set up two frying pans and a pot on the stove: EVOO in the frying pans and water set to boil in the pot. Washed the veggies and quartered the tomatoes. Some farfalle pasta boiling away. Start sauteing the tomatoes, adding Italian seasoning and garlic salt.

{This is not a recipe folks, this is a Nifer original.}

Once those are softened and simmering, saute the broccoli with a bit of thyme (sauteing is my favorite cooking method). Mix your homemade "tomato sauce" with the pasta, add broccoli on the side, and sprinkle with parmesan cheese...

And you get this gorgeous, yummy creation! Simple, quick, easy, healthy and TOTALLY DELICIOUS!!!

And waaaay more refreshing than another night of dip.

Finally, I got my hairs cut today! I totally needed a trim, and with my looming vacation, I gotta polish up! Plus, I found out the water in my new town is loaded with drying chemicals, and my poor curls have been suffering! A friend on the same water system alerted me and told me about this Goldwell product her hairdresser recommended to replenish moisture to her locks.

I invested in some Organix Hydrating Teatree Mint shampoo and conditioner. And I talked to my stylist about my little problem. She also recommended Goldwell: Dualsenses Curly Twist Leave-In 2-Phase Spray. She used it after my cut, and combined with the Organix and trim, it seems to be a bit better.

So, here's hoping I'm on my way to beautiful, healthy curls once again!

Sorry for the long post (but wasn't it action-packed?!?), I'll leave you to your own sweet dreams now...