Saturday, December 28, 2013

And onto another year….

 

The stockings were duly looted…

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New little friends were welcomed…

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All in all it was lovely.

Now I need to get used to a new computer and relearn Windows…8

anyone love it??

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Yuletide…

 
…And the desserts are ready.
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Bouche Noel: Hazelnut cake with local pomelo cream and chocolate ganache
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Chocolate salted caramel tart
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A Beautiful and Merry Christmas to my readers
friends from afar.
Wishing you Peace and Hope….

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”
                                                                                  ― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
 
A big thanks to a lovely local French bakery Patissierie for the goodies!

Friday, December 20, 2013

The Christmas Bliss winner…

 

Ok…I had a hard time placing the random.org number on the blog

But trust me on this…

the winning number was 27

Cyndi

“Sounds like the perfect, lovely holiday "get-away" I crave amongst the typical days with two small children, hectic job, holiday commitments, etc...”

Email me your address, (verodoula(at)yahoo.com) Cyndi…and we will get your little

holiday right out to you!

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fa la la la laaaaa

<

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Who doesn’t love a little Christmas Bliss…(giveaway)

Ok…be honest.

You read design blogs. The idea of fixing up, owning and being an innkeeper

on Tybee Island is pretty magical, no?

Breeze Inn

Mary-Kay-Andrews-Breeze-Inn

Mary-Kay-Andrews-bright-entrance

Add in a wedding on Christmas day…

We did THAT…Really. Christmas Eve, actually. Beautiful, quiet…with a dusting of snow and a handful of friends.

Well,in this hustle and bustle of the season

why not give yourself the GIFT of a small chunk of time and immerse yourself in

New York Times best selling author

Mary Kay Andrews new novella

Christmas Bliss.

It is a fun read of quirky Savannah  friends Weezie and Bebe… with some twists and turns and it leaves you with a warm holiday feeling .

Perfect little break in your Holiday schedule!

Grab a cup of Joe…or a coconut rum eggnog

Put your feet up. And gift yourself.

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One lucky reader will get a copy of the new hardcover little book in their stocking

Along with a tree ornament and some recipes right from Mary Kay's own kitchen!

Just comment below…

Easy Peasy as Christmas Pie…no?

Winner will be selected Thursday December 19th at midnight (if I can stay up that late…)

Sunday, December 15, 2013

A little bit of Christmas…

Very little this year

It is one of those years where my Christmas Mojo…or Christmas decorating Mojo has gone south.

While I know it has been cold and stormy in the rest of the country

Here it has been hot . sultry even.

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So…keeping it simple

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Baby Jesus on the half shell

It’s Florida….what can I say

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Yep…you see tile on our floor. Roof tile

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Getting quotes….need to re-do the ole red tile roof

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We are thinking about Ekoroof. Recycled plastic/rubber.

been used in South America for years…Just got hurricane code approval for Florida.

heard of it?

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Merry Merry

Joy Joy

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Imbibe…Christmas-y, Tropical-y…

We don’t tend to do a classic red bow Christmas
in this tropical land of sun and color that is Florida
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We happen to do pinks and oranges and gold gilded coconuts in this here casa.
 
So…say I…Why not add that  tropical twist on the classic Christmas eggnog?
Enter the Coquito.
Puerto Rico already figured this delicious concoction out…centuries ago.
It is true Feliz Navidad in a cup.
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Slowly cooking egg yolks and evaporated milk over a double boiler
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adding the quintessential tropical ingredients of
coconut milk, cloves, cinnamon, ginger and vanilla
and
white rum
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Then blending…
and then…pouring into a cleaned wine bottle
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and keeping in the fridge. Great to break out for guests.
Or continue to taste….and then REALLY get your decorating mojo going.
and hang glittery paper stars from the ceiling
as I may or may have not done.
IMG_7824 Coquito:  helping your tropical flag to fly.
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:: cha cha cha ::
Coquito…Puerto Rican Christmas eggnog
  • 2 egg yolks, beaten
  • 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
  • 1 (8 ounce) can cream of coconut
  • 8 oz of coconut milk (I use light)
  • 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (I tried it with non-fat)
  • 1 cup white rum
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • some fresh grated ginger (you can omit this….I did)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
  1. In the top of a double boiler, combine egg yolks and evaporated milk. Stirring constantly, cook over lightly simmering water until mixture reaches a temperature of 160 degrees F. The mixture should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
  2. Transfer mixture to a blender, and add cream of coconut, sweetened condensed milk, rum cloves, cinnamon,ginger  and vanilla. Blend for about 30 seconds.
  3. Pour into glass bottles, and chill overnight.
  4. Decorate your house in wild Christmas colors. You will. Promise.
 
~~~~~~~~~

Monday, November 25, 2013

Planting narcissus and bringing fall indoors…

Fall flowers awaiting their Thanksgiving debut

in a vintage champagne bucket

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Ilex, croton from the garden…and orange tulips from afar

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Paper white bulbs….

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slowly opening and unfurling for winter

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I love collecting thrift store trophy bowls and loving cups through the year

and planting the narcissus in them

easy….and so winter in the tropics to me!

 

“Bread feeds the body, indeed, but flowers feed also the soul.”

                                                                                       ~Koran

Saturday, November 16, 2013

A bathroom…

As big as an airplane

lav….

ba3

 

ba

That would be our  powder room.

Took me 4 minutes to paint it  including priming and getting the mail.

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When just the Mexican star is lit….It feels like the night sky.

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A fave snap of Picaso on the beach

brought to Staples and made into an engineering print

$4.99 clams.

Benjamin Moore Hale Navy on the teensy walls.

Now

just need to place this  suggestion somewhere…

toilet-8

Apparently tight spaces can be confusing…

OOOO

carry on.

Monday, November 11, 2013

Monday, November 4, 2013

This time…a ONE minute lamp re-do.

I tell ya.
Getting faster and faster at this.
:: Lamp re-do weekend in the ole casa ::
Added some grass cloth wallpaper to these lamp shades
 
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And
well... you know.
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Big Black Dog approved.

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Another 3 minute re-do…'cause that is all the time I can afford...

So…I found a  reading lamp
for 30 clams
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Nothing exceptional….but wanted the warmth of brass.
Enter this paint
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and about two minutes of my time
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Voila.
Now the dog can read
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On HIS couch
::sigh::
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Tuesday, October 29, 2013

EVERYBODY deserves 49 seconds of peace…

Use your 49 seconds wisely :).  
Sharing a slice of ours…
With YOU.

Monday, October 28, 2013

Autumnal sunshine. Or, walking around on a lazy fall day…

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Hanging lanterns waiting for cooler nights to be lit and sparkle
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Some still budding
Others…
fading.
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Gates to the secret garden jungle
painted
adorned with a new handle.
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Jungle continuing to jungle
Those are hoses. not snakes.
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I think monkeys may live here.
With us.
one never knows, in the jungle.
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Forgotten statues become unearthed when the leaves drop.
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...I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house.
So I have spent almost all the daylight hours in the open air.
                                                                                                     ~Nathaniel Hawthorne, 10th October 1842

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