I don’t think I’ve ever been this tired in my life.  My brother and sister-in-law deposited their three children on my doorstep last Friday.  Grinning ear to ear, they promptly departed, and didn’t return to pick up their darlings until this past Tuesday afternoon. 

I’m totally wiped.  I’m completely beat.  And I bow to any Mom with more than two children in their custody, especially if they are rambunctious adolescent boys.  

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I’ll never forget these fantastic chairs on the February 2009 cover of House Beautiful.

The fabric is Annie Selke’s ‘Scramble’ in ‘Slate’, and I’ve always always always loved it!  Annie Selke is also the genius behind the textile companies Pine Cone Hill and Dash & Albert.   Her visionary designs are undeniably divine! 

Many of you are already aware of Annie’s beautiful patterns and Pine Cone Hill’s reputation for suburb quality.   So when the kind representatives of Pine Cone Hill offered to send me a few yummies from their linens collection, how could I possibly resist ? 

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Two years ago, my husband and I did something we’ve never done before.  We left our children with trusted family and traveled to Mexico to spend a birthday weekend with five other couples in a villa in the middle of the wine region in Guadalupe Valley. 

We spent the weekend wine tasting, lounging by the pool, and lingering over long dinners with friends.  The inn was La Villa del Valle, and it left an impression on me forever. 

The journey to the inn in the middle of the valley is long, but the destination is worth the arduous task of finding it. 

I simply swooned at the decorative railing in this foyer, and the medallion tile detail on the stair risers.  Everywhere inside the villa, the walls are painted concrete ~ love that. 

On the opposite wall of the foyer, this stunning bench and mirror combo greets you. 

There’s a great room on one end of the villa filled with eclectic furnishings.  A giant stone fireplace sits in the middle and three walls of windows and doors allow for plenty of light.   (Pics from my phone, sorry for the blur)

Just outside the great room is an enchanting loggia with a view of the sweeping Guadalupe Valley.

The tranquil gardens that surround the property are filled with olive trees, roses, lavender and the owner’s vegetable garden. 

I’m not sure if my enchantment with this villa has something to do with the location, the ambiance, the decor, the free flowing wine, the lingering meals with friends, or simply the fact that the kids weren’t with us that weekend.     But this villa made me dream of owning a small inn someday right here in our own part of the world. 

Has this ever happened to you?  Have you ever spent time in a place so enchanting that it forever changed your vision of a ‘dream’ home ?  

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Recently, I’ve stumbled across two sites that I love.  The first is NonPareil Magazine which features beautiful food and table styling, plus inspiration for brides, including DIY wedding projects and downloadable templates. 

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School starts in less than three weeks for us, and I’m in no way ready for fall. 

When summer began I had the same feeling I think many moms do, dreading wondering how I was going to fill all those summer days.  But I forgot just how wonderful summer really is.  Sleeping in every morning past eight, lounging around the house in our pajamas, with the only commitment being a daily swim lesson.   There’s no rushing, no homework, and no real bedtime.  We’ve all settled quite nicely into a daily routine of very little. 

There’s been some motorcycle racing between Blue Guy and Yellow Guy.

Plenty of free playtime, bedhead and messes . . .

wild pony rides . . .

. . . and a little mutiny.  

I’m loving this summer spent with my munchkins.

And ever since I discovered this, we’ve stayed plenty busy making a lot of this. 

Time does what it does well, it flies incredibly fast.  It is hard to accept the kids are back to school in less than three weeks.   I look forward to a real schedule and more time for all those projects that have been placed on the back burner, but I am determined to enjoy what’s left of this break. 

You’ll forgive me if the pace around here is a little slower during the next two weeks.  You see, we’re incredibly busy savoring summer ~ there are only 19 days left.   

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I know this is a DIY/decorating blog, and y’all know I never get tired of talking about fabric and paint swatches, but sometimes a gal just needs a little mid week girl talk.

Today, I feel like talking about summer skin essentials.  Even though around these parts, we talk plenty of decorating and home improvement, I often digress.  Today’s topic happens to be favorite skin care products for protection, coverage, and subtle glow.   Ooooh, cosmetics, I can hear you giggling !!

Let’s pretend we’re all out to lunch together drinking iced tea, gabbing about our favorite things, loving each other’s shoes, and giving each other the down low on beauty products.  Glad you could join us girlfriend ! 

There’s an ongoing debate about the sun’s rays, its dangers and benefits (Vitamin D), but the overwhelming consensus is we are all supposed to avoid extended sun exposure. 

For face every morning, I use La Roche Posay’s Anthelios SPF 60 Ultra Light Sunscreen Fluid and I buy it at my local CVS Pharmacy.   It’s very thin, fragrance free, and has matte finish, and that just makes me happy.

In the afternoons, or when I’m outside, I use Colorscience Sunforgettable mineral sun protection and I love it.  It’s pricey at $50 a tube, but worth it since it avoids the often greasy feeling of lotion sunscreens, and for me, lasts all summer. 

It has titanium dioxide and zinc oxide to intercept ultraviolet rays ~ I carry it around in my purse and dust it on throughout the day.  Definitely a fav. 

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It all started with this strange whirring sound in the middle of the Fourth of July party.  I was catching up with my girlfriends when the sound of a small appliance began to compete with the iPod playlist. 

Turns out, my hub had decided in the middle of the party to make homemade vanilla ice cream.  Huh ?  It was one of those moments where you look at your spouse that you’ve been married to for over a decade and realize perhaps you really don’t know that person at all. 

Apparently, he had pulled the never-been-used Krups ice cream maker (so ancient, it’s now discontinued) out of its dusty box the day before and frozen the bowl in anticipation of making ice cream in the middle of the party.  That’s just how he rolls. 

I confess, I mocked him.  “What’s going on here?”   Reply:  “Obviously, I’m making ice cream.  What’s a Fourth of July party without homemade vanilla ice cream?”   Perplexed and befuddled was I.   But my bewildered smirk gave way to a satisfied grin when I tasted his concoction.  He said, “Don’t you remember, we said we would make homemade ice cream this summer?”   That’s right, I did say that. 

Unfortunately, he’s now created a dangerous monster because I’ve been obsessed all week with my ice cream maker.   Oh, it all started so innocently, with plain vanilla. 

My vanilla soon morphed into pralines and cream with some caramel sauce and chopped pecans. 

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Hey everyone, it’s summer berry season, so I’m off to the farmer’s market this week to make my annual batch of preserves.  This is a repost from last summer, but I just had to share it again ! 

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Every summer, I go to the farmer’s market to buy enough summer berries to make my mixed berry preserves.  I was given a recipe by Mr. CG’s grandmother years ago for refrigerator preserves.  I tweaked her recipe by adding my own special ingredient, and then learned how to can it four years ago.  Now we enjoy mixed berry summer preserves even on the coldest wintery day.   

I start with the freshest fruit.  I use strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries.  After they’re rinsed, they look just like this.   

 This recipe does involve the canning process, but don’t be intimidated if you’ve never canned anything before!    All you really need is a very large pot and you can make these preserves quite easily.   

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Yo.  It’s grilling season.  And I like to fire up the grill.  A lot.  

Yep, I cook up most suppers out on the grill all summer long.  To me, it’s so easy to roast up the meats and veges on the BBQ outside.   Barbequed food is always so tasty, and it is one of my favorite things about summer.

Now that June is here, and the Q is officially fired up about four to five times a week, I thought I’d share the creative concoction that I turn to time and again.  It has my basic requirements:  simple, fast, and tasty. 

I don’t do a lot of recipes around here, but I do consider myself a foodie, meaning I just love food in all forms, but especially the savory stuff.  So today, I’m here to share my most favorite marinade for poultry.  But you don’t need a BBQ to enjoy – you can use this same marinade recipe to enhance your poultry in a pan.

It’s simple.  It’s tasty.  Try it, you’ll really like it. 

The marinade is made from five simple ingredients – easy to store in your fridge and/or pantry.

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