Coconut Cake

Happy Birthday Daddy! I was nominated to make the cake for my dad's birthday this year because I'm always looking for an excuse to bake something. And I honestly don't think I've ever baked a cake. I'm not a cake person - or at least I never was. Enter Jamie's Coconut Cake.




















The cake was so moist and delicious. I think that using coconut milk instead of regular milk really made the difference. And it was pretty easy to make. Although I could definitely use some work on my cake decorating skills...

Vermont

I just came back from visiting my two best friends from high school in Vermont. It was my first night away from James in three years of marriage, so it was kind of a big deal to have a girl's weekend. We had an amazing time stuffing our faces with cheese samples, homemade pasta, and wine. Not to mention apple picking, hiking, running, the farmer's market, King Arthur's Flour, and great conversations. And of course, I forced them to do a little antiquing too!

Hostess Gift

Here's a cute idea for a hostess gift - recipe cards with a bottle of orange liqueur. It's definitely more creative than the traditional bottle of wine! I used K & Co paper for the cards and a blender stamp from the Stampin' Up Mix & Mingle set.

Fall Scrapbooking

Fall 2007. Okay so I'm way behind on my scrapbooking. And we did go apple picking yesterday, but these are pictures from 3 years ago that I just scrapbooked last week. I've got a lot of catching up to do...

Maine

We went to Maine last weekend with my family. And I thought Connecticut antiques were expensive. Not to mention that every antique store we walked into was dirty with no air conditioning. My mom and I had almost given up hope when we stumbled by this gem near Old Orchard Beach:













































It had the most beautiful shabby chic decor with incredibly reasonable prices. I totally wanted this blue chair for $28. But then I heard James' voice in my head telling me that if I ever bought a shabby chic item into our home he would throw it out. (Little does he know that we have several shabby chic items displayed throughout our condo.) So anyways, I stayed strong and resisted the temptation for once in my life.

Farmer's Market

Just went to the Farmer's Market in Shelton! It was the perfect way to start this beautiful fall day. I couldn't resist the snapdragons - they're my favorite flowers. I got some fresh basil and eggplant too, thinking that maybe James will make my favorite Eggplant Rollatini for me? It's the only thing he knows how to make, but it's amazing! The dried hydrangea's are from my mom's amazing garden.















We're off to the apple orchard to start the season off right! And maybe a little fall wardrobe shopping as well...

The Puppies in the Football!

These are James' favorite salt and pepper shakers. He bought them for me because I made my adorable face when I found them online...that face can work wonders!















They are marked with the number 3004 on the bottom.

California Dreamin'

Here are some pictures from our trip to San Diego this summer. The Antique District in Ocean Beach was so amazing that I had to document it in film - even though James thought I was crazy! I was a little bummed that Vignettes, one of Rachel Ashwell's favorite "shabby chic" resources, was closed at the time of our visit. But I still took plenty of "shabby chic" pictures elsewhere to bring home to show my mom. There was plenty of vintage kitchen eye candy (salt and pepper shakers galore) to suit my tastes as well!