I don’t know about you but here in Phoenix the last thing I want to do is turn on a hot oven during dinnertime. We’ve been enjoying several delicious salads and Shrimp Louie is one of our favorites. You begin by layering a large platter with washed and dried crisp lettuce. I like the butter variety for this salad. In the center place a generous mound of delicious cooked shrimp. Next add in tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado's, lemon slices (to squeeze over salad), olives, and hard boiled egg ... View the Post

Sweet Boy is officially back in school! With summer vacation over let the DIY delights commence!Did anyone even remember that I was working on the Fashionista’s bathroom?I don’t blame you if you forgot. After all I began the project back in March. If you remember there were all sorts of setbacks. But basically this was the “BEFORE”. Brown yucky cabinets, old faucets, a nasty vanity top…you get the idea. TA DA!I had talked about painting the cabinets HERE. They are Annie Sloan Paris Grey. I still ... View the Post

I want to start off by saying that in terms of accomplishing any home DIY projects this summer I was a complete and utter failure. The man cave did not get its much needed room makeover because the space was perfect for building forts and hosting sleepovers. The baseboard trim and doors did not get painted because I was too busy reminding my kids to pick up their shoes. The guest bathroom vanity didn’t get a fabulous “AFTER” shot because the “BEFORE” remains along with several bits of ... View the Post

Today would have been Rembrandt's 407th birthday. Let’s celebrate! Self portrait ~ 1659 as seen in the National Gallery of Art. After a wonderful weekend in the Virginia beach area we headed north to the Washington D.C. area to visit our cousins L, C and B. If you are a longtime reader you may recall we last visited in 2011. (Click on the highlighted links to find past posts of our visits to Arlington, Monuments Near the Great Basin, and the MLK Memorial.) One thing that I didn’t write about ... View the Post

I am, for all intents and purposes, a vacation maniac. If you want to torture me just take me someplace new and make me sit in a hotel room. Sweet Boy and I arrived in Virginia on a Friday evening after a full day of travel. No sooner had I unpacked our toiletries Mr. Decor strolled in and said “How would you like to go…” The poor man didn’t even get to finish his sentence as I was already headed towards the door. First stop, Langley A.F.B. to show us where he had been working these past few ... View the Post

Staying cool and looking cute is a bit of an oxy moron during the long hot Phoenician summer. Yesterday it was 117 degrees. Blah. Over the past few years I have noticed that it is getting harder and harder to find pretty blouses in cool cotton. The racks are full of heat trapping polyester and rayon but the thought of wearing such a garment makes me break out in a (even heavier) sweat. So what’s a girl to do but make her own cotton tops and blouses.     I have to confess that I have ... View the Post