~thank you Layla~

I just about fell out of bed this morning when I was scrolling through blogland.

There it was, on the famous Lettered Cottage blog,

my little old living room!!!

Layla, you made my day! Thank you so much!!!!!

If you want to read the full post, click here....

xoxo

~today my baby turns 7!~

Happy Birthday to my sweet Cody! Cody, you are the funniest, goofiest kid in the world,

and you make us laugh every day!
The last 7 years you have brought us so much joy!

We can't imagine the world without you in it.

Love you sweet boy!

xoxo

~2009 in pictures~

It's been great spending 2009 with all of you!

Thanks to all you readers, all your comments, and to all the wonderful new friends I have made through this blog.

Here's to a great 2010! May the new year bring you happiness and joy!

xoxo

~kitchen island organization~

I am loving all the new pull out drawers my dad made us for Christmas! It's kitchen island organizational Heaven!

xoxo

~stylish kitchen storage~

I am all about organizing and simplifying in 2010.

For Christmas my dad made us wood pull out drawers for all the cabinets in our kitchen island.

{pictures to come}

I am in love.

I am not only in love with the fact that he tuned into my swearing every time he was over and I opened a cupboard and something fell out, but I am in love with the organizational aspect of it.

I now have my pots and pans all organized, my tupperware neatly stored, and extra dishes within arms reach.

No more broken dishes.

Thanks dad!

Today I am going to look for some storage ideas to hold all those packages of saran wrap, foil, and sandwich bags.

Organization turns me on,

what can say,

I'm weird.

Look at these clever and cute ideas from Living Etc.

Use a vintage plate rack on your counter, it's practical and cute!

Think outside the box and store your dishes in a cupboard maybe made originally for some other purpose.

Keep your utensils within arms reach.
Hang the pretty ones from your back splash!

These inexpensive shelves from Ikea give this kitchen an industrial feel!

Love this idea!

Fashion bookends for your cookbooks out of dishes and canisters that hold flour etc.

Another industrial look with restaurant wire shelving.

Happy Monday

xoxo

~LOVE is in the air~

made to look like they are from the 1960's,

these vintage style flashcards are available in my etsy shop...

click on the link at the top of this page
xoxo

~2 pictures sums it up~

What do you do first thing when you wake up in the morning?

I grab a cup of coffee and after reading all your wonderful comments,

I head over to visit my favorite blogs.

Today on make room for living

I saw this kitchen and my heart skipped a beat.

I love the island, the chandeliers, all the white, the bar stools, the floor,

EVERYTHING!

Then I headed over to my Mimi Charmante

where I saw this fabulous space!

I think I am still drooling.

Seriously.

Thanks for all the inspiration girls!

xoxo

~I am starting my diet tomorrow~

That title has nothing to do with this post,

I just thought if I got it down in writing I might stick to it!

Did everyone have good Christmas?

It's such a busy time of year,

I'm looking forward to a more relaxing 2010.

I found these photos of old and new ceiling tiles.

I just love them, don't you?

I never would have thought to use them as a headboard.

I always think of them for the ceiling.

Here they add architectural interest to the wall.

ahhhh!

I'm in love with this room!

I think I would have to "rough" this up a bit to make it look old.

Hope you are enjoying a relaxing day!

xoxo

~a holiday tour~

My friend Trina has a home like no other.

She has decorated it beautifully for the holiday's

and I thought I'd share a few photos with you!

This is a fresh wreath outside her front door. Her fireplace mantle.

A shot from the kitchen through the
dining room and into the living room.

On the china cabinet you see above.

Dining room.

She is right on the lake and this whole

wall is windows that face the water.

Living room tree.

shelves in living room all decked out as well!

Living room fireplace looking into dining room.

Entry table.

A white fur tabletop tree with vintage ornaments!

Ooh, la, la!

Me likey!

finished off with a Wendy Addison

winter wish....

Love this home,

love this girl!

xoxo

~our Christmas card~

Merry Christmas everyone! From us, to you!

xoxo

~it's amazing what a little white paint can do~

Our living room before and after.

I was just going through some old photos and found this before photo of our living room.

Yuck!

It really is amazing how airy and bright this room feels now! now, to answer a couple questions.....

1) where did you get the glitter letter T on your Christmas gift? {Sandy in Michigan}

You can find them here!

2) where did you get your numbered plates in your dining room? {Jennifer from Texas}

I got them from a company called Rosanna and they are the party raffle line. I think they are retired, but you may be able to find some on eBay or

here.

3) What color is your son's room? {Barbara from New Jersey}

It's called cinnamon cherry by Behr in a satin sheen.

4) do you plan on making any more photo stocking holders. {Donna from California}

Yes! I just found some new {old} hardware so I will be making around 5 more shortly, probably not till after Christmas though.

5) what are your plans for the New Year? {Elly from Texas}

I plan on making a ton of more chunky distressed picture frames, devoting more time to my etsy store, and coming up with some fabulous new creations! I would also like to update our guest bath!

6) what colors are the stripes in your hallway? {Kris from Maine}

They are tee pee brown by Behr and Roadster white by Ralph Lauren.

xoxo

~you are about to go up a dress size~

sorry to do it to you, but it may be worth it.

This is what we will be having for breakfast on Christmas morning.

It's good.

Real good.

Unbutton your pants good.

And here's the recipe for you....

Ingredients
1 (1 pound) loaf French bread, cut diagonally in 1 inch slices
8 eggs
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups half-and-half cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup butter
1 1/3 cups brown sugar
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
Directions
Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange the slices of bread in the bottom. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, cream, vanilla and cinnamon. Pour over bread slices, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
The next morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a small saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar and corn syrup; heat until bubbling. Pour over bread and egg mixture.
Bake in preheated oven, uncovered, for 40 minutes.

* Here is what I do differently.
I dip the bread instead of "pouring the egg mixture over the bread"
and I sprinkle each layer with cinnamon. I also turn the whole thing over {I just use a spatula and turn each stack one at a time} after it's been soaking for a couple of hours. Finally I just buy San Francisco sliced french bread instead of cutting the bread myself and I use the biggest lasagna pan I have.

Eat your hearts out.
xoxo

p.s. yes I know I was MIA yesterday.

I was recovering from the cocktail party.....

loads of fun I might add!

~holiday drinks~

My husband is throwing me a birthday cocktail party tonight.

Among the yummy foods will be some pretty splendid cocktails.

Here are a few we are thinking about..... caramel apple martini

white Russian

the blizzard
classic eggnog

eggnog martini

candy cane cocktail

Yum!

Kids are getting shipped off to Grandma and Grandpa's for the night.

Wonder how I'll feel tomorrow?

Wishing you a night filled with fun also!

xoxo

~tine k~

~Happy Friday Friends~

Thank you for all your birthday wishes!

I had a fabulous day and am actually excited to be 35!

source

xoxo