WOOOOSAAAHHHH......

 You ever have one of those days....

WOOSAH.....

(It means to tell someone to "calm down and relax")

I would like to be excused from class please.

Thank you. 

I have tried all the suggested de-stress techniques already today

take a deep breath

( I took about 50 - is that enough?) 

gave myself a lil mini massage

(its not quite the same as the real deal, ya know?)

counted to ten 

(or 3,000....still didnt work)

had a glass of wine

(haha - i wish!) 

ate a snack

(Does granola with lots of chocolate mixed in count? What if it doenst have any granola in it?)

So, when all else fails.....

book yourself a spa massage.

YEP.

I did.

Enter?

Why yes, I will.

  

"Hello, I love you wont you tell me your name?" 

Mr. Deep tissue massage 

is his name.

(Deep compression releases tight, sore, over- worked muscles. A variety of massage techniques are utilized to encourage relaxation of tight muscle tissue)

 I will be meeting his friends:

Eucalyptus scented sauna

Cucumber infused water

He tells me that it is 

"an oasis for relaxation and rejuvenation" 

blah blah blah..... 

All I care about right now is that I will be in a robe

in a room

for 90 minutes

all by myself..... 

"on a sensory vacation to relieve stress"

(that is what he told me as well)

Just thought I would let you know. 

Cuz I am that kind of friend.

(also the kind of friend that books appointments for her 2 girlfriends!) 

:)

I wanted you to know where I was in case you got worried. 

Oh, and also if you dont hear from me 

at least you have a visual of where I was last seen.

(trust me, you dont want the visual of whats under the robe.....) 

 XOX

ps - a lil' birdie told me that your special surprise is on its way! 

Giveaway to come soon!!! 

"Autumn Wonderment"

(I love the Picnik'd version of this photo!)

I am on a roll I tell you.....

(i feel like a pumpkin roll right now tho)

I enter

and enter 

and enter.....

and nothing.

A BIG ol' "L" for "Lahooo-zaheeer" 

(i luv me some Jim Carrey ) 

And then  

wham!

Kapow!

Zonkers!

(you like the Batman references?) 

Suddenly I am livin' the Giveaway highlife

Oh yeah! 

:)

My newest acquisitions....

Courtesy of the lovely Donna over at D'Reyne's!

~~~~~

** First of all, I have to come clean and tell you that I am a thief.... 
I stole these pics from the other winner, the REAL winner, 
Carol of "A Bird in Hand"
(thanks for letting me "borrow" your sweet pics Carol!)


My digital camera is still broken!
All I have is my phone camera 
and the pics came out CRAPPY...
did NOT do Donna justice AT ALL.


I couldnt not put any photos up.
I almost dug up my old camera
(you know those cavemen ones that had *gasp* film in them?!) 
Except I couldnt find it amidst all the packing rubble.....


Anyways, I modified the photos so I didnt feel like a big ol' loser.... 

~~~~~

Back to the thief's my story.....

She titled her 200th Follower Giveback

"Autumn Wonderment"

She said it was a surprise of goodies.

Love that! 

I forgot about being a winner for a few days....

Until Byron (our Lab) started doing his UPS Man howl....

(the kind of howl that you would imagine coming out of a basset hound)

which of course the Stig and Stiglets (aka kids) have to mimic 

(so now the whole house sounds like a pack of wolves-our poor neighbors) 

 Yes.

Lovely.

Apparently we were all born in a barn.

My mom used to say it all the time and I never quite understood.

We come from a long line of children born in a barn....

Anyhoo -

 My hubby brought the big ol package in and said:

"Did you order cinnamon or pumpkin something?"

"Huh?" 

(says me)

I didnt order anything.

I swear. 

(well, i did, but nothing that was supposed to be delivered already...woops) 

Then I see sweet Donna's name on the box!

I swear I was like a kid in Chuck E Cheese...

(except I promise my home does NOT smell like vomit and I don't have temper tantrums...)  

Cinnamon, leaves, glitter....

*sigh* 

Donna and I have never met

so how is it possible that she knows me so well?! 

Eeeek! 

I unwrapped the wonderment of cinnamon and pumpkin spice

which was hugging:

A cute lil muslin "D'Reynes" tote

( i wish I could go trick-or-treatin with it!)

gorgeous yummy crusty hydrangea blooms - tucked in a Lolo~style burlap chick-wire cone

a cute as a button burlap pumpkin with a chalkboard tag
leaves and leaves and leaves.....
a set of mini chalkboard tags
a pumpkin scented sachet 

and a handmade paper treat cone filled with ME treats....

(i think i said "mineminemine" ala the seagulls in Nemo) 

A starbucks gift card and candy!

Isn't the burlap cone the sweetest?!

And when I cruised into Starbucks yesterday for my pumpkin spice latte
I got this with my gift card:

 A Starbucks burlap tumbler!

Now, everytime I get my latte in my new tumbler
I will think of Donna!

"Oh Donna......oh Donna...."

(in MY head I sound like Ritchie Valens - So shut it! )

Thank you AGAIN sweet darlin'....
I am enjoying my very special Autumn Wonderment  
from you! 
(even if I dont have "real" digital pictures of my own) 

Have a lovely autumn wonderment-filled weekend everyone !!!

XOX

** Thank you so much again Carol for not pressing charges!
Please stop by and say hi to Carol.....
and tell her the thief sent you.
:)

 * photos of courtesy of Carol of A Bird in Hand *
  

Dinner with Chanties

Meet my dinner date from tonight...

Chanterelles

aka "Chanties"

If you like mushrooms, then I highly suggest you try these golden beauties.

I cant even tell you what a delicious fungus they are!

They are quite pricey and hard to find....

They are found under mixed woods, under conifers and oaks

and apparently in Costco!

(West coast warehouse store)

Imagine how absolutely STUNNED I was to see them

at Costco for $9.99/lb

What a score!

(they go for over $20+/lb)

I was so excited I had to call the Stig and tell him of my find

afterall, he is the one who introduced me to Chanties years before....

He had a connection that used to harvest them

(a friend of a friend, of a friend....etc. PRE-Lolo)

They are very tempermental and

only grow in certain conditions for a short time.

(think of truffles and bad hair days)

Anyhoo -

this is my throw together recipe for Chanties

1/2 lb Chanterelle mushrooms (dry-brushed cleaned and stems trimmed)

1/2 cup white wine

2 tbspn butter

3 cloves garlic-minced

4 tspns worschestire

salt/pepper

Bring to a boil then simmer for 10 minutes

(until all liquid is absorbed)

and then...

{*angelic voices singing*}

They have the most amazing taste

Its almost fruity like apricots

I swear.....

nothing like plain ol' button mushrooms

(which I happen to love too!)

The Stig and I enjoyed our Chanties along with :

Butternut Squash Ravioli

Basil Artichoke Alfredo

fresh Spinach

my favorite La Brea french baguette

and of course some Pinot Noir (Byron Winery)

(I replenished my low stock!)

True Story......

did I ever tell you we named our dog after a Winery?!

(see above said Winery)

Oh, and did you notice

 somethin new peaking out in the center of the the table??!!

I will be back on tomorrow to tell you all about it!

XOX

* ps - Im working on a lil treat for you all :)

Can I get "A Bushel and a Peck" ?

Please tell me you have heard of her....

....the lovely Jeanne Oliver.

 

How could you not?!

She is simply ah-mazing. 

 

I have been counting down the hours for the premiere 

of her winter collection ~ French Brocante

 Let me tell you....once again, she has not disappointed.

 

 

 

 

Can you stand it?!
I cant......hehehe

So much gorgeous french vintage yumminess!!

She does it all I tell you...

~ beautiful art creations

~photography

~vintage finds

~handmade vintage inspired creations

I cant stay here anymore

I just know someone is buying that lampshade right now!

(better not be!)

If this were a virtual shoppe I would say I would see you over there right now!!

(I would be the girl with an armload of Jeanne's goodies)

Oh, and in case nobody told you......

IT'S MONDAY ALREADY!!

  

XOX

ps - Jeanne takes beautiful photographs as well....

check out her blog that she has just for her photography

Breathtaking shots..... 

www.jeanneoliver.blogspot.com 

www.bushelandapeck.typepad.com

** All photos courtesy of A Bushel and a Peck / Jeanne Oliver ** 

Hard Drive Space

My brain is tired today....

{but its Friday - YAYA!} 

I am running out of room on my hard drive

aka - brain storage 

Can you find that for sale on Ebay? 

 Where's the "Buy it Now" button?!
Hahaha.... 

Right now my hard drive is full of all things "remodeling"

{LOL}

all sortsa ideas.... 

downsizing 

paint colors 
{white, greys, browns.....oh my} 

never-ending to do list 

dreams of a vintage clawfoot tub

dashed dreams of a vintage clawfoot tub 
{insert "wa wa wa" voice here) 

wood finishes

organization 
{i am going to channel my inner Martha....her name is  Magitha}

realities of square footage restraints
{you mean my kids cant live in a closet?} 

tile samples 
{maybe I can get a few more and I will have enough samples to tile the whole entry!} 

budget
{its a bad bad word} 

packing 
{*cough* sucks} 

A couple of wars are going on in my noggin too....

Pedestal vs. vanity

Marble or travertine? 

Demo the wall?

Black or White? 

Satin nickel or Oil rubbed?? 
Seed or Sod?
Have an extra cocoa truffle.... ??

OOoops...how'd that get in there?! 
tee hee hee...... 

And some other crazy conversations are going on in there too....

If I only have one piece, it cant possibly go straight to my hips ,right?

Do we really need air conditioning? 

Vintage is better than new, right? Right??

Why isnt Starbucks open @ midnite...thats when I NEED coffee!
Oh crap, tomorrow is Boss' Day - woopsie
Can I lock Stig in the garage for a few weeks while I design the new house?
What the hell is going on with my hair today....
 I wish it would rain so I dont have to go to that party. Ughhh
I think I am out of Pinot  - great....

That guy was nutso thinkin I would pay that much - HA 
I really wish someone would pack MY lunch for school work 
(and put a pudding in there please) 
If I twinkle my nose and click my heels 3 times will the remodel be over? 
How can crystal chandelier prisms cost MORE than the stinkin' chandelier?! 

Oh yeah -

I still need to find more crystal door knobs.... 

Better add that on my list.

Oh crap, where is that list?!

Who am I kidding....

its really a BINDER.

Later Alligators!

I am off to reboot with a pumpkin latte from *bucks before my "server" crashes!

 

Had to leave you with one more Yosemite fall shot......

my happy place.....*sigh* 

HAPPY FRIDAY!!

{in my crazy Animal from Muppets voice!} 

XOX  

New Peeps and Purple Teef

Well we are back from our lil' love getaway....

I cannot believe all the new friends that I made while I was away!!

(thanks Lu and Donna!) 

Why, hello there you all :)

I love new peeps!

Cant wait to get over to all your blogs and say hi!! 

(still gotta unpack, clean, etc etc.....) 

Oh, and did you hear the news? 

Apparently while I was working hard on my purple "teef"* this weekend

(drinking Pinot Noir-of course) 

I won a giveaway! 

Winner need not be present....

phew.....thank goodness 

:) 

Oh, and its my favorite kind of gift.....

A surprise!

A tote filled with autumn goodies.

Im gonna show it off as soon as I get it. 

Love ya Donna!

(and your hubby for pickin' my #) 

I love surprises....

Well, let me rephrase that.

I like the G O O D surprises....

NOT the ones where you find dead animals in kids pockets - 

AFTER the dry cycle....

(yes, that has really happened-sorry Mr Alligator Lizard) 

On that note - 

I am off to do some laundry.

Cross your fingers that we wont have to bury any petrified corpses....... 

XOX

** footnote **

"TEEF"– noun
pl. of "toof".

1. (in most vertebrates) one of the hard bodies or processes usually attached in a row to each jaw, 

serving for the prehension and mastication of food, as weapons of attack or defense, etc.,

also used in the drinking of wine..... 

2.  when consuming large quantities of wine and laughing uncontrollably,

 the word "teef" is the proper pronunciation for the word "teeth".

used in a sentence:

"If you have gold teef do they turn purple when you drink red wine?" 

Hmmm....

just wonderin'.

Eskimo Kisses.......

.....to my Stiggy Bear 

Happy Anniversary to: 

the grin to my day 

my sidekick

the milk to my chocolate chip cookies

my perfect accessory 

the one who brings laughter to our home and to my soul 

  

the one who showed me that:

"its amazing what you find 

when you look in the opposite direction" 

(quote on Rachel Ashwell's blog)

I love you more than ever....

XOX

Cottage of the Month

I have not been this in love with a house in a LONG time....

I cant even come up with enough adjectives to describe

how amazing Lu is.

I have drooled over her photos many a-time

(she is a photographer/stylist for Rachel Ashwell - need I say more!) 

Jennifer has just featured Lu's home on her site

The Old Painted Cottage 

I cant even put into words how amazing her Fall Home is..

Just look at these photos while I shut my mouth.....
(and pick up my chin off the floor!) 

 

Wowzers, huh?!

Yeah....
I know.
Lu has got some serious skillz!

Im wonderin' since her house is all perfect and everything,
if she can come over to my house
and fix her up all purdy like??

XOX


** all photos courtesy of Dusty Lu and Cottage of the Month**