Class and Sass

Grace Kelly is such an inspiration and icon to me. She epitomizes beauty and class. She always held her head high and conducted herself in a manner that many of today's celebrities should take note of. She is one of the people I would most have liked to have met (Frank Sinatra is tops on that list as well!). This is a new book full of never before seen photos - now if only my husband hadn't told me to stop spending money...

Cape Cod 2007

I must forewarn you that this will be another photo rich posting! We had a fabulous time in Cape Cod. I absolutely love the Cape and someday in the very far off future, plan to retire there. It is so peaceful and beautiful and friendly. The Cape also has some of the best and freshest seafood! Oysters on the half shell are one of my very favorites. Loved them since I was a kid. These may not be Connecticut photos but Cape Cod is part of New England and only a three hour drive from my home so I'm going to consider these part of my photos of my home!
This is a dock side view in West Dennis. This scene was along the streets I walked each morning.

Margot is quite the beach bum! She loves the sand but isn't too sure about the ocean.

A lovely sailboat.

This is a lovely home that was for sale. Hmm, maybe I can convince Jeff to buy it for me!

This is one of the cottage's near the one we stayed at. Many people name their cottages. This one was called 'Tis Ours. Some others we saw included Summerwind, Dad's Dream, Piece of Heaven, Simple Pleasures, Our Home by the Sea, and Ospreyland.

This is my favorite photo! It is a little shed that we happened upon while driving. How beautiful is this (minus that pesky electrical box)? I am going to frame this one.

Chatham Lighthouse

View from the Chatham Lighthouse.

More views from the lighthouse. For lack of a better term, there are these pay for a view binoculars at the lighthouse. When I was a kid, instead of zooming in on the view - I zoomed in on the couple making out on the beach! My mother was hysterical. I guess I loved romance from then on!


This lovely home was under construction last year, came out pretty snazzy don't ya think?

Beautiful Victorian home. There is a lovely vintage china shop attached.

Gosh, why can't I be rich? LOL.

Some traditional Cape Cod architecture.

And the crowning glory - me and Louise! I hope Louise is one of the first (the other being Jennifer) of many blogging friends I get to meet! What are some of your favorite hometown/vacation photos?

Home Sweet Home

West Dennis Beach

Hello Everyone! I am just back from my Cape Cod vacation. We had a great time. A big highlight of the trip was meeting Louise from Beachy's Cape Cod Cupboard. She is as delightful as she comes across on her blog. I have many photos to share but first I need to unpack and get some laundry done! Thanks to everyone for all the wonderful comments you left me while I was away and thanks to all my new visitors. I'll be stopping by to catch up with you all in the next day or so.

Banana Pudding and Some Odds and Ends

Hello Everyone! I'm sorry I haven't visited you all in the past few days. I'm getting ready for my vacation. Tomorrow we go to Cape Cod for the week. Maybe I will be able to meet Louise from Beachy's Cape Cod Cupboard! I'll be sure to take lots of photos. We are bringing our laptop so I plan on sitting by the beach and visiting all of you to catch up as well as doing a few Cape Cod posts. In the meantime, I wanted to leave you with another fabulous Magnolia Bakery recipe. Tried this one last week - and once again it was a big hit!Banana Pudding

14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 C ice cold water

3.4 oz. package instant vanilla pudding mix (preferably Jello Brand)

3 C heavy cream

12 oz. box Nilla Wafers (no substitutions)

4 C sliced ripe bananas

In a small bowl, one the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat together the sweetened condensed milk and water until well combined, about 1 minute. Add the pudding mix and beat well, about 2 minutes more. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight before continuing. It is very important to allow the proper amount of time for the pudding mixture to set. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the pudding mixture into the whipped cream until well blended and no streaks of pudding remain.

To assemble the dessert, select a large, wide bowl (preferably glass) with a 4-5 quart capacity. Arrange one-third of the wafers to cover the bottom of the bowl, overlapping if necessary, then one-third of the bananas and one-third of the pudding. Repeat the layering twice more, garnishing with additional wafers or wafer crumbs on the top layer of the pudding. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours or up to 8 hours.

This is the collage I made for the Vintage Beach Swap. It was supposed to be 4x4 but I used a 4x5 canvas.

Above are some fun items I recently received including my Princess Amelia bird from the Little Pink Studio. The beautiful sachet is my "purchase" with the gift certificate I won from Beachy's Cape Cod Cupboard and the pink depression class cake plate I won on ebay.

Lastly - I leave you with the crown I made for Renee. Renee if you are reading this - look away!

~
~
~

My next post should be from the Cape! Enjoy the end of the week dear friends!

Made in Connecticut

Okay Natasha! You asked and I am only too happy to oblige. Natasha asked for some photos of Connecticut. I had high hopes of taking some photos of all different areas but I didn't get around quite as much as I hoped and the weather was lousy some days. So I decided that I will do shoreline and city photos in another post. This post is devoted to the country side of things and I think will live up to how Natasha pictures Connecticut. First up we have Westover School, a private all girls high school founded in 1909.The school is a beautiful pinky/peach color.

This is the Roman Catholic Church across from Westover.

Lovely stone wall that runs along the entirety of this road. Notice the large home on the hill.

Lovely little pond along the same road.

Hot air balloon that was hovering over the pond.

Quassy Amusement Park is one of the last parks that has a wooden roller coaster. I did have a park shot but I think I accidentally deleted it!

Quassy is directly on Lake Quassapaug - pictured above.

This is the yard for the house on the left of this photo. Holy lawn mower!

This is a charming cottage style home across from the house with the large yard. It is a converted barn. Quiet country road.

This old colonial home is now a real estate office.

Many of these photos were taken while Hubby was driving so they are action shots! This is an antique store in the Town of Woodbury. Woodbury is famous for all of the antique stores they are home to.

Another antique store. Most are housed in old Colonial and Victorian era homes.

Not the greatest photo but this is Canfield Pharmacy, a historical landmark.

This is a great Victorian home in my hometown. This was taken as we were driving by so you can't see the detail but this woman has beautiful natural wicker furniture with great vibrant fabrics and old iron scrolls all along her porch. I would love to see the inside of this home.

This is the farm land of the farm down the street from my house. They mainly grow apples but also produce corn and blueberries. You can purchase them already packaged or pick your own. I like to pick my own!
Here are the apple trees. We have three orchards right within walking distance of our home.

Few more antique stores - that is me in the rear view mirror!

Another antique store with a pretty green area (sorry for the action shot!)

This is the Historical Society in my hometown.

An ivy covered store building.
The Town Green and Congregational Church. Unfortunately, I'll be missing the Strawberry Festival but for a good reason. I'll be in Cape Cod!

Our Veterans Memorial.

This is another cute cottage home, I've always wanted to see inside.

Well that wraps it up for the country side of Connecticut. My next CT installment will be the shoreline and city areas. So Natasha, is it how you pictured it?

Crepe Paper 101

Thanks to a really great no sew tip from Natasha - I've been able to drastically improve my crepe paper ruffles! I decided to practice a bit this weekend with the above projects. The top photo is a tag I made for a christening we attended today. Our good friends have twin babies that are just adorable. The middle photo is a tag I made to go with the Florida collage I will be giving my friend tomorrow. I decided to add some glitter after I took this shot. The bottom is a little box I made for a friend.

I hit one estate sale this weekend and picked up the above lace valances for $5. They now grace our spare bedroom. The amazing thing is - my husband actually loves them! He surprised me with his enthusiasm. I wasn't sure how lace was going to go over.
This is some vintage jewelry I picked up as well. The woman who sold it to me said she has a lot more and that I should stop by her house sometime to see more. I'll take her up on this offer! She is a local woman well known in the community. I wouldn't go into random people's homes! I had to laugh because she made a big point of saying that she lives alone and doesn't invite strangers over but she can tell that I have class. I was wearing my new Sis Boom top, maybe that had something to do with it! :)

My sister and I took some time to see my cousin pitch for his baseball team. He scored two runs as well. He just turned 14. It seems like yesterday he wanted me to carry him all around and would cling to my side. Sigh... I think I'm nostalgic now, I can't imagine what it would be like to have children of my own. Happy beginning of the week to all!