A would like to send out a loud musical glittery puffy heart THANK YOU card with a giant balloon drop to everyone who participated in Tuesday’s survey.  Over 1,700 responses and climbing, wow !  It is so refreshing to hear what you have to say, especially about things I never even notice or think of.  I’m still absorbing all of your constructive input, and I can’t express in words how truly grateful I am to all of you who took the time to respond.  

First let me say that I still consider myself a complete amateur in this blog world and have incredible respect and admiration for those who are the real experts out there, who’ve been doing this for years and years.   They are the experts, and I bow to their skills and professionalism.   There are some bloggers out there that blow me away they are so awesome.   They inspire me greatly.   As for me, I’m still learning so much everyday, and I’m just incredibly thankful that anyone at all stops by to read and share with me.  

There were a few questions that kept coming up, so I thought it a good time to address them in a post.  And because it’s impossible for me to not have photos, please enjoy these pictures from the past that are completely irrelevant to what I’m writing.   Okay, here goes.  

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I’m just going to come right out and say it.  We.Women.Need.Chocolate. 

The mood lifting qualities of chocolate cannot be denied.  There is simply no such thing as too much chocolate.  At least, that’s how I see the world – through chocolate tinted glasses.

Last week, in anticipation of Valentine’s Day, I began my adventure in chocolate candy making.  What began as an experiment ended happily ever after with a blissful box of three varieties of dark chocolate candy. 

First, I started with Sea Salt Caramels dipped in Dark Chocolate.  You can read that harrowing journey right here.

My next adventure in chocolate candy making led to these two decadent delights: 

Raspberry Chocolate Squares and Toffee Bites.

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I was flying back home on Sunday when I grabbed the latest copy of Country Living magazine.

I adore this publication, but I need to renew my subscription -  hence the airport purchase.

Inside there are plenty of great articles and idea notebooks, with features on closet makeovers, vintage luggage, antiques, and even sea salt (my latest fixation).

Then what before my eyes should appear in the March 2010 issue on page 69  but a fabulous feature on my hometown !

“Five Reasons to Visit Petaluma”

When I saw my sweet little hometown featured in a major national magazine, I got a little giddy.

Ooooh, a three page spread !   I live right nearby these places !

Petaluma is the southern most town in Sonoma County, just 35 minutes north of San Francisco.  Our town shares its eastern border with world famous Sonoma, and is known all around for its numerous antique shops in the downtown area.

Twice a year, we have an amazing  Antique Fair where the streets are closed off, and almost 200 vendors come from across the West to sell their vintage, salvage and antique goods.

The big feature in the March 2010 issue of Country Living is on this very Antique Fair !  How marvelous !

I never ever ever miss it !  In fact, I’ve written about the Antique Fair in 2009, with plenty of inspirational pictures, here and here.

The Petaluma Antique Fair is where I spied this piece . . .

. . . . which inspired my latest cabinet makeover (pictured below).

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Hi there !

Just thought I’d give you a heads up – next week is the First Anniversary of Centsational Girl (yay !) with giveaways galore, and some reflections on what I’ve learned about blogging over this past year.

For today, rather than leaving any comments, I’d appreciate if you’d indulge me in this very brief survey.  It is only 12 questions and will take about two to three minutes to complete.  The survey is designed to really get to know who you are and what you want to hear about when you take the time to visit this site.  I truly welcome your opinion.

Rules: this is a drama-free survey, so please provide only constructive feedback that will be helpful.  You do NOT have to answer any question that you prefer not to answer.

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I’m back from the conference in Nashville and a whirlwind weekend.  The hotel was gigantic, over 600,000 square feet, imagine that!  From an architectural standpoint, the hotel was truly incredible.  But the most significant thing about the weekend conference was the comradery that occurred among all the gals in attendance.  I’m still floating in the clouds, have bonded with remarkable ladies at this unique event.

The Gaylord Opryland hotel in Nashville, Tennessee is like one giant conservatory that is the size of a small town.  Everything is housed under gigantic glass paneled ceilings.  There were so many restaurants and shops and clubs and gardens.  There were fountains and waterfalls, a miniature river and lush botanicals around every corner.

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