Just a thought….

What if...

I were to upholster these two chairs in

SWISS ARMY BLANKETS?

Yes...No...Maybe So???

Whoops I did it again…..Lampapalooza.

Another trip to my local habitat store

and I found yet ANOTHER lamp I apparently needed.

This one is HUGE and HEAVY…and I have no clue what to do with it… sigh.

My first thought was to use it outside in our covered area by the pool

But in bringing it home, the shade was ruined…it was fugly anyway…but now another shadeless lamp is at our casa.

What would you wise and savvy folks do

hmmmm?

It does need a taller harp for sure

Half gallon of milk to give you an idea of size….

Ooooh….and do you love the Swiss Army blanket I picked up too???

I do!

So give a girl a hand…suggestions…ideas….ever seen a lampapalooza like this?

Lets skip down memory lane together and take a peek at the other Habitat lamp *finds* I have dragged home

shall we?

The above water bottle lamp was transformed last year…remember it here

…This not so little brass guy was rescued from Habitat

The guy above…hiding behind the paperwhites…just needed a new shade and some love. 5 bucks.

…Then there is this little lady.

Dayum…I have lit up the casa with some Habitat Lighting…

who Knew?

Support your local Habitat for Humanity

…go buy a light for Heaven’s sakes.

Projects for a long weekend…

So…With paint brush in hand…I have a lofty goal of panting all of our windows black.

maybe not all this weekend

but it is a goal

before…yucky ugly metal on guest house

My plan is to also paint our house…again, not this long weekend…but this year…

I am looking at a classic hacienda white

Inspiration pics from pinterest

While I painted and dreamed…I also got a call…ran out…and spent the rest of the day and night helping a new baby into the world…

Others…not so motivated,…

Held down

The fort…

*sigh*

Color suggestions?

Motivational speeches for the Big Black Dog?

….Come with me…

In this new year of 2012…to Palm Springs California…if you would

To a beautiful little boutique hotel

the Korakia Pensione

Nestled at the base of Mt San Jacinto

This Mediterranean/Moroccan retreat was built in the 1920’s as an artists studio

and has been beautifully cultivated into a

romantic and dare I say, Sexy, hotel...

It has meandering candle lit paths…pools and fountains throughout the property

At once aged….yet hip.

Weekends are reserved for morning yoga.

The rooms are peaceful

white…uncomplicated

Maybe 2012 won’t be half bad.

Whose in??

Visit it here

Continuation…

Year's end is neither an end

nor a beginning…

but a going on

with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.

~Hal Borland, Outdoor writer

May the year 2012 meander in with grace...

A Chocolate Christmas gift for you…

While the chocolate hazelnut Nutella

cake is cooling

And our traditional Christmas Eve fondue Bourguignon is awaiting…with umpteen delectable sauces

I thought I would gift you with the most wonderful recipe.

It truly tastes like it is from a European Bakery

Fine chocolate, cognac, hazelnuts…

D I V I N E

Nutella Cake with Chocolate Hazelnut Ganache
Adapted from Nigella Lawson

Cake:
6 large eggs, separated
pinch salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 13-ounce container Nutella
1 tablespoon cognac or brandy

1/2 cup finely ground hazelnuts
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted and
cooled

Ganache:
4 ounces whole hazelnuts
1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon cognac

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees; butter a 9-inch springform pan. In a large bowl (preferably metal),
whisk the egg whites and salt until stiff. In another bowl, cream the butter and Nutella, then add
the cognac, egg yolks, and ground hazelnuts. Fold in melted chocolate.

Add a blob of beaten egg whites to the chocolate batter, and mix gently until well-combined. Fold in the remaining whites, one-third at a time, very gently but thoroughly. Pour into springform and bake for 40 minutes. Test for doneness by inserting tester, which should come out mostly clean; lightly pressing finger into top to check for a slight bouncing-back; and observing edges beginning to separate from pan. Let cool completely, in pan, on a rack.

Toast the hazelnuts in a dry skillet, or toaster oven shaking them around frequently. Do it for about 4 minutes, or until they are lightly browned, then let cool completely. If hazelnuts came with skins on, put them in a towel after toasting and rub around; this will remove most of the skins.

Chop chocolate, and add to sauce pan with half and half and booze over medium-low heat. Once chocolate is melted and components are combined, whisk until mixture reaches desired thickness, then cool. Remove rim of cake pan and pour cooled ganache over, spreading lightly to create a smooth, shiny surface, and apply hazelnuts all over.

Rich and heavenly…what Christmas is all about!

To all of my blog readers and friends.May your

Christmas or Hanukkah include some chocolate

and LOTS of LOVE.

Love Me.

Last two images from google…mine is not ready to pour the ganache on yet...slurp.

Christmas cheat alert…

So…If you don’t happen to have a mantle for stockings

and you have stockings santa needs to find

ya make one…

Out of tropical's from the yard, lights and candles and an old credenza.

Merry Tropical Christmas…

from our Casa to yours!