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I’ve never been more excited for a week to wrap up than I am right now.  Happy Friday! It’s been a trying few weeks living outside of my house while repairs are being done, and guess what – they’re finished!  We get to move back tomorrow morning.  Its a good thing too – I’m not sure I could handle one more night on my air mattress.

Last night was the first night I was able to connect to the internet at my temporary home (two weeks without internet and I went a little nuts).  I spent a good hour combing through Pinterest looking at some amazing business cards.  I’m thinking of reconfiguring ours before we head out to Alt Summit NYC in a few weeks (nothing like last minute thinking).  There are so many good designs and concepts for business cards out there.  I found this really simple and very effective idea by Fischer Portugal on Design Vagabond.  It’s a self inking stamp designed to imprint a ‘business card’ on just about anything.  The person represented is an environmental consultant.  So clever, I love it!  Now to just think of something equally as clever for Get Along and Go.  No pressure….

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OK – I’m almost back living in my house (it’s been under construction for almost two weeks and move-in is Friday), and I’m longing to cook a meal, spend time with friends, and sleep in my own bed.  I’m missing my creature comforts….particularly during this busy time of year – every weekend seems to be taken up with a wedding, a trip to here or there, or out-of-town guests.  These are the events that make summer so exciting and so exhausting at the same time.  And as if I need another obligation on my plate, I’ve decided to host a birthday BBQ for Ben and I (our birthdays are a week apart in July).  I really love entertaining, so it’s really something I’m looking forward to.  I’ve already started thinking about the menu, and with the garden in full bloom at that time, I’ll likely make everything from scratch, including my BBQ sauce.  After checking out a bunch of recipes – it turns out BBQ sauce is really simple to make, and easy to customize to your own liking (plus the homemade sauce can be made without the high fructose corn syrup most store bought varieties have).  I’m going to try a variation of this recipe for Sweet and Tangy BBQ sauce from the Kitchn.   I may add some fresh hot peepers (jalapenos or serranos) from the garden.

It’s such a simple recipe, I thought – why not make a huge batch, buy a few inexpensive glass bottles here, and send guests away with their own BBQ sauce party favors.  I love the idea of people taking a small token away, and particularly if it’s something that inspires more BBQ’s.

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Ok, I’m having a major indecisive moment (not surprising), and I can’t seem to commit to a new lighting fixture for my living room/dining room.  I’m over thinking it, and I may have just reached the point where I need to walk away and let someone else choose.  The six here are what I’ve managed to narrow it down to.  I thought for sure I’d be picking one from my fave Schoolhouse Electric, but then I found a few others that I like too….ahhhhh – which do you think will look best in my living room?  The walls are being painted a warm grey, the ceilings are rather high, and there is natural brick exposed nearby.  This particular fixture will be hanging nearly over the dining table (but not perfectly centered which makes me shy away from the pendants a little??) What do you think?

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With all the chatter about the newest Gatsby movie, I can’t help but want to revisit the book.  Being a big fan of the novel, I’m having a difficult time buying into this uber modern Baz Luhrmann version.  I’ve heard mixed reviews, and the one’s that have surprised me come from critics who thought they’d hate the film, but walked away from the screen impressed and surprised.  Part of me wants to give it a chance, and allow myself to be pleasantly surprised too, but to be honest, I’ve never really enjoyed Luhrmann’s style, and I’m afraid he could ruin my interpretation of the book.

I’ve always been such a visual person, so naturally when I read a novel every place has a landscape, every face has characteristics (I think I subconsciously fill in the details left out by the author).  I need to be able to picture every detail as the story unfolds.  For this reason, cover art has always been hugely important when choosing an edition.  Similar to how I shop for wine by the label (bad habit), I pick my books by the cover, and continuously refer back to it as I make my way through the story.   My first time reading Gatsby I read the version above, the classic painting by Francis Cugat, which was commissioned before the book was completed, and was beloved by Fitzgerald – so much so that it’s been said he wrote it into the book.

The second time I read the story I read the edition above (on the bottom right).  What a different experience….maybe it was the cover art, maybe it’s the nature of years past in-between readings.  Who knows – probably both.  Of all the covers I found in my search (here, here, and here), right now I’m liking the one above (on the bottom left).  I think I’d like to have that one in my collection.  Is it strange to collect multiple copies of the same book just for the cover art?  I don’t think so, but I also collect milk bottle caps.

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Worishofer 505 / Sweedish Hasbeens / Madewell Mini Wedge / Crossed Wedges

Today’s weather is gorgeous! Dry, mid-70′s, sunny, just perfect.  Of course with days like these, my mind wanders to my summer wardrobe, and what I’m missing.  I’m due for a new pair of summer sandals and these four are on the tip top of my list.  Deciding is going to be the hard part…I want a pair of each…

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Life has been so busy recently, I haven’t even talked with my mom about mother’s day plans yet.  When I scheduled this post, I thought I’d already have something lined up for Sunday, but here I am planning a hypothetical Mother’s Day gathering (it will likely unfold in some version of this).

Holidays like Mother’s Day are all about seasonal food, easy outdoor entertaining, and relaxing with the fam.  All this brings to mind three things: lawn games, fresh salad, and refreshing cocktails made with citrus.  Here are three ideas that are super simple to pull off and perfect for a sunny spring day.

Lawn Games:There’s so many to choose from, but my personal fave is bocce (or petanque/boules).  This game is inexpensive to buy (the set pictured is fancy, but you can get less expensive sets here), great for a group and really casual – so if you need to pause for dinner that’s just fine.  No special skills are required.  Grandma can play and so can the tikes.  It’s like bowling without gutters.  Bocce makes a good Mother’s Day gift too.

Fresh Salad: I made the most amazing salad the other day, and of course, I forgot to snap a pic, so I’ll just give you a brief run down.  First – it’s very easy to make, and without any leafy greens, this salad travels well.  Make it ahead of time – no problem.  You’ll need: 1 cucumber sliced into thin half rounds (I like the seedless English cucumbers), 1 bunch of radishes sliced into thin half rounds, 1/2 cup of red grapes slices in half,  1/2 cup of pineapple in small chunks, 1/2 cup cojita cheese crumbled, 1 bunch of cilantro, 1 fresh jalapeno pepper, olive oil, white vinegar, and fresh ground pepper.

In a large bowl combine the cucumber, radish, grapes, pineapple, and cheese.  In food processor combine jalapeno, cilantro, 1/2 cup of olive oil and 1/4 cup of vinegar.  Process until smooth (if you don’t have a food processor you can chop everything very fine and then whisk together).  Pour dressing over the chopped friuts and vegetables.  Toss to coat.  Done.

Refreshing Cocktail: Who doesn’t like grapefruit juice, gin, lillet rose and flowers? These are the four simple ingredients that go into this pretty drink.  Just a few ingredients, and combine, nothing fancy, but wow, this is a refreshing and impressive cocktail to serve at a spring soiree.

Have a happy Mothers Day!

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Happy Friday!  I can’t say why, but some weeks just feel long, and for me, this was a very long week.  I’m looking forward to at least one free day this weekend to finish up a new outdoor project.  This one is pretty simple, but finding the time has been a struggle.  I’m building a light canopy for my back deck.  There’s so many ways to go about this, but I’ve decided to build a wire frame for the lights to hang over.  I’m far from finished, but I thought it would be good to share in two posts, so consider this post phase one.  The materials are simple….3 ten foot wooden posts (the height is important), 60 ft. of 3/32 gauge galvanized wire, 6 wire clamp sets, and 6 snap clips.  I bought it all at the hardware store for under $60.  The idea is to anchor the tall posts to my existing fence to give the canopy structure height (I’m short, but tall people will hit their heads on the lights if the posts are too low).  Each post has an eye hook at the top, and a reciprocal eye hook has been anchored to the house on the opposite side of the deck.  I’m building three strands of wire to connect each post to the hooks on the house. To build the wire pieces I’ve used these interesting clamps that pinch the wire around a metal ring to create a secure loop – who designs these things?  I love discovering solutions like these…so clever.  From there I attach a snap clip to each end of the wire.  So far – the most difficult seems to be measuring the wire pieces to make sure they will be taught when clipped to the post and house. I’ll probably have trouble getting this right (exact measurements aren’t my thing).  The end result should be a three row wire canopy ready for lights to be strung.  I’ve bought commercial grade outdoor lights that can hold a full sized bulb.  I like the effect of the larger lights (instead of the christmas light strands).  Now everyone cross their fingers for me.  I’ll post the outcome next week.  Have a great weekend!

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We’re over the moon about this nice weather and we both are already planning warm weather adventures like the Brimfield Antique show and Newport Folk Festival. So for our second joint post, we decided to pick our top 5 day trips…Trips that you/we can easily do on Saturday or Sunday…

So here are our 5 top picks for day trips. Are we missing something? Share with us!

Jacob’s Pillow – Jacob’s Pillow is on my list because the Berkshires is great place to spend a day. The Berkshires is only two hours from Providence, so it’s an easy drive and everything in the Berkshires (Lee, Lenox, Great Barrington) is a half hour away from each other (or just about). You can visit numerous towns in one day – do some shopping, enjoy some fantastic food (The Dreamaway Lodge and Baba Louie’s are my favorites), all before visiting of my favorite places: Jacob’s Pillow. Dance companies from all around the world come to perform at Jacob’s Pillow to perform in their numerous theaters on their 220-acre property. Being surrounded by the talent of the dancers and watching them perform surrounded by such gorgeous scenery, the place is enchanting and really unique. Their Inside/Out Performances are free performances they perform on their outdoor stage. Tt seriously doesn’t’ get better than this in the summer.

Institute of Contemporary Art – I’ve never been to the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, but it’s a place that has been on my list for a while and making a day trip out of it seems like the perfect excuse to be in Boston (something that I don’t do often enough, even though it’s so easy to to get to). It’s only $15, or free every Thursday from 5 to 9pm and is located on Boston’s waterfront, only a short walk downtown.

Brooklyn Flea Market – The New York Times called the Brooklyn Flea Market “One of the greatest urban experiences in New York”, and I’ve heard more rave reviews about the Brooklyn Flea Market so I hope this summer is the summer that I finally make it there. While it would be a shame to visit Brooklyn and not do anything else, since there is so much to see the Brooklyn Flea Market it is possible. They have “hundreds of top vendors of antique and repurposed furniture, vintage clothing, collectibles and antiques, as well as a tightly curated selection of jewelry, art, and crafts by local artisans and designers, plus delicious fresh food”.

Blithewold Mansion – One of my friends just posted a picture of herself surrounded by daffodils, and I knew immediately that I have to check out the gardens of Blithewold Mansion. Located in Bristol, I can visit the gardens, then hit the beach and enjoy a seafood feast for dinner. Yes please!

Newport Vineyards - Visiting Newport Vineyard is one of the those obvious choices of things to do in Summer, that I have yet to do. What can be better than enjoying glasses of wine while be surrounded by the beauty of Newport Vineyard. This summer I hope to cross it off of ‘Rhode Island To-dos’. They’re open 7 days a week, with tours Sunday-Friday at 1 & 3pm and Saturday hourly from 11am-4pm.

Just thinking about all these day trips has me all excited to pack up the car and hit the road.  I’m ready for a little adventure, and these five trips seem simple enough to pull off on a weekend without having to take time off from work (boring I know, but I’m just to busy to take a long vacation).  There were so many places to consider.  It’s kind of amazing how far you can go in one day…but these five locales are top on my list this summer.

Brimfield Antique Show – I look forward to this massive antique show every year.  I’ve found most of my favorite home decor at Brimfield.  Last year was the absolute busiest I’ve ever seen it (it was a bit uncomfortable) so if you’re thinking about checking it out I’d say skip the weekend and go earlier in the week.  Wear comfortable shows, bring cash, and a wagon or cart on wheels.  It’s well worth the trip.

New England Aquarium – It’s so ridiculous that I’m always planing on visiting the New England Aquarium, but haven’t actually made it yet.  I’m excited to check out their Seadragon exhibit (there are two types – leafy and weedy).  I’ve heard of seahorses, but seadragons??  For $20 this sounds like a great day-trip.

B.F. Clyde’s Cider Mill – This is more of a fall trip (they don’t open until September), but I’d recommend putting it on your calendar.  Clyde’s boasts the oldest cider mill in America – and they’ve set up viewing windows so you can watch the process.  Before visiting Clyde’s I’d never heard of cider wine, just hard cider, but Clyde’s has both (and many varieties of each).  They offer cider wine tastings while you’re there, and then you can leave with jugs of you’re favorites.  Plus – don’t miss out on the apple cider doughnuts – they’re the best I’ve had.

Block Island – As a Rhode Islander, Block Island is a regular stop each summer.  Just a short ferry ride away (bonus – the ferry has a bar), this tiny little island takes me away to a simpler time…no chain restaurants, no strip malls, just small shops and restaurants and plenty of beaches.  It’s hard to say what my favorite beach is (they’re all really top notch), but if you’ve never been I’d recommend bringing a bike and checking out a few.  The island has 17 miles of beach, and they’re all free.  This is the kind of day trip that only requires a bathing suit, sunblock, and some beer money.

Mass MoCA – With a focus on ‘new art’ the Mass MoCA is full of  talented artists I’ve never seen before.  Their site calls the museum, “the most fertile site in the country for new art. The museum thrives on making and presenting work that is fresh, surprising, and challenging.“  With an ever changing rotation of exhibits and live performances the Mass MoCA makes a perfect annual trip.  Plus it’s located in the heart of the Birkshires which is a beautiful trip on it’s own.

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* photo of the Montreal Jardin Botanique shade garden

I’m very fortunate to have a raised bed vegetable garden in full sun.  It just happens to be that my side of the street is south facing and I have a vegetable patch in my front yard (not ideal for privacy though).  Now that I’ve successfully planted the veggies for a few years, I’m attempting to tackle the back garden, which has raised beds as well, but unfortunately, they only get a few hours of sun a day.  This partial shade situation has been tricky.  I’ve made a few attempts in years past that didn’t quite work out.  I wanted to grow veggies in back, but I’ve found the rumors to be true, not many vegetables thrive in shade (I was in denial and being stubborn)…so it’s time to adjust some of my expectations.  The good news is, I’ve discovered plenty of plants do very well in shaded areas – even some edible varieties.

I’ve found a good number of edible plants that will tolerate partial shade (mainly leafy greens and not ‘fruiting’ vegetables), and even more exciting, I’ve discovered really beautiful flowering plants that will grow well in shade.  My favorite flowering plants are hardy enough for cutting (for taking inside) – and luckily, many shade tolerant flowering plants are also perfect for cut flowers.

If you’re questioning what to do in your shade garden, here are a few more tips:

• Plants in shady areas shouldn’t be over-crowded.  The leaves need space to spread out and capture as much light as they can.
• For that same reason, large leafy plants do better in shade.
• Paint fences and walls near-by the garden white.  This will help to maximize your available light (you can cover boards with aluminum foil too, but I’m not that interested in aluminum foil in my garden).
• Don’t mulch or add compost until well into the hot dry season, otherwise you risk too much moisture.
• You may have a slug problem (gross I know), but the easiest solution is to pour a beer into an upside down frisbee and leave it out next to the garden.  Strange, I know, but beer is a slug magnet and it kills them…poor slugs.

Edible plants to try in partial shade: mint, parsley, wild ginger, lettuce, swiss chard, spinach, arugula, endive, radicchio, mustard greens, kale.

Flowering Plants to try in partial shade: bleeding hearts, astilbe, foxglove, lambs ears, begonias, larkspur, snap dragons, cleome

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I’ve been stuck in place for a while now.  Partially it’s having a needy dog (we’re leaving her behind for the first time this weekend – thanks Lorien!), and I think partially it’s putting in too many hours at work, and of course money, and all the other reasons people don’t travel.  I just haven’t in a very long time, and likely won’t go far in the near future.  It’s all about weekend get-aways in real life, but a girl can dream right?  When I decided to work on this Dream Get-Away post, the first challenge was where to first?  What pretend journey was on the top of my list?  After finding this amazing little apartment in Barcelona, and the choice was made.  It’s so quaint and crisp, with that perfect mix of natural materials and stark white.  This hidden dishwasher and refrigerator make it look so uncluttered.  The complete antithesis of my house.  I just love it and the video tour makes me want to leave today.

I’ve actually been to Barcelona before, but it was so long ago, and I’m sure much of it has changed.  I know that I have (I was 10 years old).  So this would be a perfectly new adventure for me.  I’ve had so much fun checking out Barcelona’s restaurants and shops (there are so many options!).  Muebles RAM looks like one of those places I could spend hours combing through, and from what I can see in the pictures, I’d likely have to buy another suitcase.  The Guardian says…’Muebles RAM is nostalgia distilled, packed into a warehouse‘.

In all this searching of Barcelona – I haven’t visited one site yet that didn’t have something to say about Tickets Bar…I guess that means it’s worth a visit.  Their website certainly looks spectacular, and all the reviews I’ve read highlight the creativity behind this trendy tapas bar.  I’m always up for a little flash with my food.

So the sad news is, I’m not going to Barcelona (not today anyhow) I’m just day dreaming….but if I ever get the opportunity to, I know just the place to stay.  That has to be worth something.

Have a wonderful weekend, happy Friday!

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