HGTV, me, and a fantastic potluck party!!

Swing on over and check out just how to throw the perfect potluck party (and you know how much I LOVE throwing potluck gatherings). Produced by Matthew Mead and written by me,  it can be found NOW over at HGTV.com

(And I'd be lying big time if I didn't admit it was a pretty exciting project to take part in!)  

M.I.A.... and Mired In Action!

Well, it's been a long time since I paid any attention to my blog...I am sure you all share a similar level of busyness in your lives right now. Back to school shopping, last trips to the beach, camping trips and some of you are actually back to school already and caught back up in the familiar routine of that and all it entails.

This summer has been a  particularly hectic one in our home. We have camped, swam, had the photo shoot for HOLIDAY with Matthew Mead (so you can imagine what that entailed getting ready!), trained and completed a 70.3 mile IronMan race (the handyman, not me...Of course, you knew that already, didn't you!), and took various road trips including our most recent trip to New Hampshire to wrap up some HOLIDAY business...and watch as the handyman swam, biked and ran a ridiculous/admirable distance.

I could lie and say I will be back tomorrow, but tomorrow means back-to-school shopping, groceries, and maybe a bit of lounging around so instead you can read about my New Hampshire trip here.

And in my busyness, I forgot to share this video preview of what has been taking up all of my writing energies this summer, leaving this poor little blog languishing in oblivion.

But honestly, this magazine is going to be sooo worth every late night spent hovering in front of my computer and you - my crafty, cooking, stylish, holiday-loving friends - will LOVE it!!

And I WILL be back with a few new decorating projects I have managed to fit in and bits and bobs that made up my summer.

 Enjoy the rest of yours!!

I'm Lovin' It...

Just a little collection of photos from my camera and my inspiration folder. 

Just a few things I find pretty great.

My new dining area light fixture. You'll see it in all its glory in the pages of HOLIDAY

 My pretty girl. Her hair is that of a wild child lately:

And that's all she wrote...(I'll be back soon!)

 

Goodness! How boring am I?!

Sundae, Sunday...

 

One of my favourite things about maintaining this blog is that it reminds me to create something special from the ordinary. Like putting your best face forward. Basically, if I am going to go to the trouble to snap a photo, record my thoughts, time-stamp a moment in our lives, then I should put effort into making those ordinary moments stand out. Because there is enough ordinary in life and sometimes all that is needed is some extra attention to details. And details matter. You can never pay enough attention to the details when they have the power to make life more enjoyable.

Right?

Right!

On the weekend, we put a real dent in our Summer List, which (for the record) has turned out to be a true blessing this summer. It has given us direction and allowed us to do some of the things we have always meant to do, wanted to do, wished to do. On our list are many easy, quick, inexpensive ideas and two of them involved food (we have to eat dinner, right?) so we did double-duty by choosing those ones.

Sundaes.  

Who doesn't love them? A sundae bar was on our to-do list so a pretty set-up made things extra special:

 

Ice cream: we chose plain vanilla and marshmallow fudge crackle with toppings of fresh strawberries, hot fudge, Maltesers, gummy bears, Dove chocolate mint cups, real whipped cream, and Smarties:

But before all of that sweetness, we devoured salted, vinegared golden crispy on the outside-soft and fluffy on the inside homemade french fries, just like my mum used to make. In fact, I hope my mum isn't reading this because the handyman declared them even better than hers! 

Which, of course, secretly pleased me...

Honestly, they do look pretty perfect, don't they?

(Note: no electric deep fryer was used in the making of theses french fries. They are a once/summer treat so I go the old-fashioned route of employing a "chip pan" - which should only be used by the most safety-conscious cook. Not recommended for scatter-brained cooks. Safety first!)

It is fair to say that it was an extra-ordinary day!
With half of the summer remaining, I look forward to many more days just like it!

Down Memory Lane...

I read a quote recently about how all of your dreams don`t need to have an expiration date. I think that is so very true and we get caught up in wanting to fulfill all of our dreams and wishes in an instant, when sometimes they happen in the order they are supposed to. I am not sure if my weekend adventure qualifies as a dream, per se, but it certainly has been a wish of mine for as many years and I am not sure why it took me so long to see it through.

Memory Lane Heritage Village is tucked away in a tiny place called Lake Charlotte, a blink and you`ll miss it place on the map, but very well worth the trip. I read about Memory Lane about ten years ago when a local newspaper ran a feature on it. Set in the 1940`s and 1950`s, its vintage appeal was/is right up my alley and I made a mental note to check it out. Well, lo and behold, it took me a decade but I finally made it; and although the drive there was longer than I'd anticipated, it was worth every minute - especially since Sophie and her friend were as good as gold! Basically, as soon as I set foot on the path to one of the Village homes, two little sheep - one black and the other white - stepped out in front of me. Looking just like the little sheep in Sophie's favourite book, Emily's house , I knew they were a sign of good things to come.

Ever the dork sentimentalist, I even wore a retro-inspired dress and packed up a lunch in an old English wicker picnic basket I found at an antique shop last summer (it came stocked with butter-yellow flasks and mint condition bakelite cutlery). 

My sister would have had such a chuckle at my antics.

But when in Rome...

And knowing my love of retro fridges, can you imagine my excitement when I saw this pink beauty?! I could honestly have moved right in...until the sheep I met earlier made their way in through the front door, headed straight into the kitchen, and promptly peed on the floor!

(I didn`t take a photo of the pee...aren't you glad?)

Sophie had fun pretending she lived there:

And check out the cute kitchen sink of this little house:

Next up, we headed to the carpenter`s shop where the handyman got all excited about a scythe. Apparently he`s always liked them...not sure why. I have honestly always thought he was born in the wrong era and it turns out he would have made a great gentleman of the 1940`s.

And I have long called him "The Preacher", so he hopped up to the pulpit and did his thing:

(Except he looks a bit demented in this photo)

Off to the schoolhouse where I put Sophie in the naughty corner. Hey, did you notice the map? Much like the one I bought last year! I guess I have finally pinned down the era in which it was produced.

A wish fulfilled and another thing crossed off The List!

******************************

Now, what small dreams can you make happen for you?

Pretty Little Campers...

  

I recently stumbled upon these adorable little VW campers and just had to share. I know some of you are readers from the UK, and others travel there (lucky ducks!), so please take note of this wonderful company. 

 Snail Trail is the brainchild of Lucy and Steven Lord who rent out these travelling caravans of sweetness from their base, 35 miles north of London. Adding to the charm is their habit of dubbing these sweet treasures with suitably English names like Maud, Gracie, Daphne and Ruby, among others. Even smarter is that they offer the option of renting out the caravans for photo shoots! Can you even imagine? Bliss!

Just be sure, when I make my return journey/holiday to the UK, I will definitely be looking into these as a nostalgic way to explore the English countryside. Sadly, they currently don't allow renters to take trailers into my birthplace, Northern Ireland; but surely they will make an exception for me, especially when I remind them that N.Ireland and England shares our beloved flag, the Union Jack?! 

Either way, I'm coming, so hats off to the Lords and Snail Trail for offering this sweetly vintage nod as a way to tour their beautiful country!

A Holiday photo shoot...

How do you think you would prepare for a photo shoot? I am sure such you would want to put forth your best effort and dust every surface, polish wood floors, touch-up paint and make things sparkle, right? I think that is a good plan, too, but it just didn't happen that way for me when Matthew and Jenny Mead arrived to shoot a holiday feature at my home. With five stories due to Matthew (by noon on the day before he was to arrive) for the gardening magazine we are working on, I had been basically chained to my desk all week. My house in a relative shambles, I hit send - files attached - jumped from my chair (my daughter in tow), and raced to the grocery store for *luxuries* like bread, milk, and eggs. Back home, I gathered up a few pretties and headed out to the little cottage by the sea which Matthew and Jenny were renting for the upcoming week. There, I made up a bed with a pretty quilt and sheets, threw open some windows and stocked the fridge with some Canadian goodies like (real) Cadbury chocolate and Kraft peanut butter. You know, the basics. Once home, I began to declutter (not clean) the house while my husband set to cleaning out the garage to make room for the props...

**For the rest of the story, head here!**