Junk Bonanza

Good evening gals!Most of you know I live in Minnesota. And while I do a fair amount of complaining about the l....o....n.....g winters, one of the best things about living here {like most places}are the people I have met.You may have noticed that when I redesigned my blog, I also rewrote the "About Me" section - including my desire to pursue a few passions of my own...Just over a year ago I was...

Memorial Day 2010

May your.....* hearts be filled...* your margaritas chilled....May your.....* wienies be roasted....* your marshmallows be toasted....Can you tell I am a feeling a bit punchy today? Might have to do with the fact I just spent an hour in Costco with half of the world stocking up on Memorial Day "necessities". Can you say, "cocktails will be served early this evening"?Chee...

My girls have a "school's out" countdown calendar on the chalkboard.....I am struggling with how I feel about school ending....for lots of reasons........Today as I passed this chalkboard on my way to the laundry room, like 57 times, I appreciated that I was doing the 57 loads of laundry in a quiet house with no one asking me for playdates or a ride somewhere.....my days of such solitude while doing...

scratch n' sniff...........

french lilacs blooming in my yard....means summer is here!..........................finally!wish blogger had a scratch n' sniff feature....then i could share the best part of these gorgeous blooms with you!what about where you are? has summer arrived in your neck of the woods?...

Chocolate Chip and Banana Muffins

I have not made a habit of posting recipes on this blog but thought I would share one of my girls' favorites with you. These muffins are a no fail winner as an after school snack....and they have bananas in them so they must be healthy, right?Chocolate Chip and Banana Muffins1 1/2 cups sugar (I use just one!)1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted2 cups mashed overripe bananas (about 6)3 large eggs2...

Serena & Lily...

So I was sitting down at my computer this morning, getting ready to compose an oh so profound post about the Serena & Lily catalogue I received yesterday when a girlfriend called and suggested meeting for breakfast....well, I was in the shower getting ready before you could say "eggs benedict"! After breakfast my friend suggested a trip to Nordstrom Rack - they were having a premium denim sale.....and...

giveaway.....

***and don't get all excited and stuff cause I am NOT giving away my bike!With the help of a fabulous blog designer, Forever*Cottage recently got a major makeover (although I am thinking the new look really is more of a make-under given that she is quite simplified and sports a much cleaner look). Jenna from qadesigns was fabulous to work with and really has a fresh aesthetic that you just don't...

It was love at first sight!

Yep, that's her pictured above....All 8'x 8' of her...Of course, she doesn't always look like this....someday I will show you her "everyday" look.She looks extra special because she got a mini-makeover this weekend. If I was being honest, the mudroom in our cottage is what really sold me on the house, period, end of story. In addition to the three built in lockers pictured above, there are three...

Wisteria love...

Do you get the Wisteria catalog?It really is my favorite mail order home decor source. While I do know they have an outlet store, I still can't believe they have not opened any retail stores.....Hey people from Wisteria....open a retail store, in Minnesota, preferably!I love that Wisteria has unique products that always seem to be "on trend" but not in the mass produced "Made in China" kind of way...

Take a seat.....

If I may say so myself, one of the best ways to spend the lazy days of summer is sitting in an adirondack chair, preferably with a nice cold beverage and good company. The chair pictured above is on the front porch of my cottage. My porch is shaded so this spot makes an ideal late afternoon/early evening spot for enjoying a glass of wine and chatting with a friend.Adirondack chairs just scream c-o-t-t-a-g-e,...

Extreme Makeover....Blog Edition

So what do you think? It was time for my little bloggy home to get a fresh coat of paint, so to speak...And when I saw what Wendy at The Shabby Nest had done, I knew I had found a great blog designer! Let me know what you think of the new look. I will post more on Jenna (the designer) and host a giveaway to celebrate my "updated" look! Come back so...