As you read this I am on a plane headed back to Arizona. I’ve been in Texas the entire week on a house hunting trip. There is one home that is a definitely a front runner on our short list. In the kitchen the wall where the range is located is real brick. I’ve never worked with brick as a featured design element in a kitchen before. This is an image of the actual kitchen in the house we are seriously considering. (Please also notice the wood floors and awesome molding and baseboards. :) ... View the Post

Today as I write this post I am feeling so…contented. I had to smile as I wrote those words because life is certainly a bit topsy turvy at the moment given that I will be moving to a new state in just a few weeks, our current home has not been sold and our future home has yet to be found. But there is joy to be found in Happy Happy! I think if I had to choose a cake to represent my day today it would be this one: Happy Happy! Life and how we choose to see it really can be just mind over ... View the Post

Today I am throwing a Party For Miss Marty of A Stroll Thru Life!!! She is celebrating a HUGE milestone birthday. (But I’ll let her tell you how young she is. :) She thinks I am just taking her to lunch. But a few of her favorite people are gathering together to celebrate her! I first met Marty five years ago at a Bloggers Tea. I just instantly liked her (and Maija too!:) Over the years we have celebrated many happy and Royal occasions together. And sometimes we just get together ... View the Post

The past two weeks I have been cleaning out closets like a boss! I had put at least 10 pieces of large furniture on Craigslist in preparation for our upcoming move to Texas. This last weekend we hosted a garage sale. I was so happy that everything sold quickly and for prices we were happy with. Yes, I was the pare down princess! Then I made one dreadful error. I walked into a thrift store with no agenda. I was merely just burning some time before a scheduled appointment. That’s when I spied ... View the Post

I tend to fall into the category of being a planner. I love the structure of filling in a calendar with appointments and creating daily “to do” lists. But in the area of travel, as much as I read travel guides and have long columns of items that are a “must see”, I leave myself open to entering mysterious gates that beckon me. By now you may have surmised that I have a certain fondness for visiting churches. For me ancient churches provide a glimpse into what life may have been like for its ... View the Post

These candles were so fast to create and very inexpensive too. Keep reading for the fast and easy tutorial. A favorite pastime for our family is collecting seashells. I selected a few that had been gathered from previous outings but you can find seashells at craft and thrift stores. Make sure they are clean and then place them on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper or foil. Using citronella candles from the dollar store simply pop the candle out of its thin tin votive holder. Turn ... View the Post