Dear Home Beautiful....

....I was drawn to your current issue as I stood in line at Whole Foods; the pretty bedroom on the cover with it's cooling tones of lavendar drew me right in. 

But to my dismay, I had to get to page 77 before I could see any beautiful homes. Sadly, the preceding pages were full of advertisements. And while I do enjoy a good ad or two- mmm, that wasn't exactly what I had in mind.

Seeing more of THIS was what I'd been hoping for: 

Sadly, I don't think I will be buying you anymore. 

Opening up my world...

Pinterest is really fabulous. I know I've commented previously however...aside from being just mindless relaxation, every single thing I've tried from other pinners has been wildly successful. 

From THE most delicious chili, to the simplest of cakes- to designing collages or tablescapes- it's really never let me down. 

I highly recommend it. 

If for nothing else but to admire the creativity of others. 

It's just very, very cool. 

Gathering of the Girls....

I don't get to see my friends really but once or twice a year. Gone are the monthly potlucks, weekends visiting friends at the beach or even the quick dinners occasionally. Life is full of sporting events, homework, and other gatherings involving little people. I wouldn't trade that for anything in the world- and we have plenty of time to do those things once the kids get older- but I'm not going to lie...I miss my girlfriends. 

So I decided to plan a get together that was unlike any other we've ever done. And with some assistance from Kitchensurfing, we found a fantastic private chef to come and cook for us a fabulous plated meal. We set the budget, we work on a menu- and they make the magic happen. 

Almost best of all, was that for the first time ever- I got to enjoy my dining table, my meal and my company- without having to clean. That's right... My kitchen was left as pristine as it was when they arrived. Mmmyeah, I'll be doing this type of soirée again. 

What WAS best of all....was the laughter. Oh, I loved the laughter. Hearing it. Participating in it. Thinking about it again now. We laughed and laughed...and that my friends, was exactly what made the whole night worthwhile. 

So now I share with you a few snapshots of our Real Housewives of the North Shore- but without all the drama! 

Bread of life...

Making bread is a labor of love. 

I discovered this tonight as my son and I made two loaves of home made bread for his humanity class. They're donating a loaf to charity- and we get to keep the second loaf. 

This, my friends- has been a 4 hour project. 

But the house smells soooo good. 

It also further reaffirms why I cook, rather than bake. I don't have the patience for it! 

That being said, while the dough was rising, I took a moment to do something I've always wanted to do but never have--and that is to sage my house. 

There's no negative energy here, outside of typical famijy tensions- but it just made me feel like it was a fresh start to the season, and I look forward to winter to do it again. 

Nothing like a little warm, fresh bread and a smudge of sage to say "happy autumn".