Auntie Joy's Open House!!

Yesterday and today was my dear friend Joy's Open House... Joy's home becomes absolutely magical, her attention to detail is absolutely incredible and the results are simply amazing!! We always call Joy over to our homes when we need a mantel rearranged, or a room made-over, because she knows exactly how to translate our vision!!

Lisa and I went over yesterday to help, because not only does she open her beautiful home in this annual event, she also has an adorable store right in her front steps!! So, if you were not able to go there, come along with me, as I share some gorgeous pictures!! Sadly, the only thing I forgot to get was a picture of Joy...!!

Comfort food

When I miss home away from home (Portugal), I go straight to my portuguese cooking books. I don't know how to explain it, but just thinking about portuguese food is truly comforting to me!! As I have mentioned before, one of my favorite things to do is portuguese soups (sopas), and, thankfully, my kids love it too...!! I shared a recipe for a garbanzo soup with spinach here, and this time I would like to share one of our family favorites, and a super easy one, too!!

Sopa de Cenoura com Feijao Verde

(Carrot Soup with Green Beans)

4 to 5 medium potatos, cubed

3 large carrots, cubed

1 medium onion, cubed

1 lb bag frozen french style green beans (of course you can use fresh green beans, I just love shortcuts if they work!)

Throw the cubed potatos, carrots and onion in a pot, cover with water (water level whould be a couple of inches above vegetables) and cook for about half an hour. I often add a Knorr vegetable

bouillon but that is optional.

Once the vegetables are cooked, I use my favorite kitchen appliance, the hand blender, to

puree the soup right in the pot! Check the consistency of the soup, I usually add a little water at this point to bring it to the right creamy consistency. Add the green beans and bring it back to a boil for 5 to 10 minutes (the frozen green beans are already cooked, so they

really don't need much cooking time).

The last touch in all my soups is a generous few tablespoons of olive oil, added just a minute before turning the heat off. Add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!!!

I have also been scouring FLICKR for some great photographs of Lisbon and gathered my favorites in a LISBON mosaic...






If you would like to see older posts of our stay in Lisbon (and London) this summer, including a few trips to flea markets, please go here... Some of my flea market favorite finds while there include this green enamel salt box, an awesome antique stamp set and, of course, lamps!!!

Joy for the heart and soul (and stomach!)

A while ago, I happened to come upon a guessing game on Corey Amaro's Tongue in Cheek blog. Corey is an american who married a frenchman and moved to France, and her daily blog is always a joy to read! As many others, I threw in my five cents, and, lo and behold, I won! Now, I didn't really guess what the item was, but I did win for the most creative answer!! I was absolutely flabergasted!! I'm usually one of those who always whines because "... I never win anything...!!". And especially from blog royalty like Corey...!!! What an honor!!


I received my little gift last week, and would like you to come along and unwrap it with me...!! Oh, the excitement!!

I love it!!! I love hearts, I've always been a true romantic... And just to know that it came from someone I admire so much makes it so extra special!!


Yesterday, Lisa and I went to a local flea market. We arrived quite early and started scouring for treasures! We always find some cool things... I fell in love with the old wicker lamps, and when the dealer gave me a great price, I knew I had to have them!! The large frame was a steal at only $5... I was also excited to find the darling little suitcase, and even more excited to see all those little bow ties inside!! My vintage finds also include an old tapestry, a silver teapot, vintage books and a darling medallion print! It was great fun!!

I also wanted to share about a blog I recently discovered... Chocolate and Zucchini is the creation of a young french gal named Clotilde. She has written several cookbooks (on my list to get!) and has great recipes on her blog!! Her fresh fig and rose smoothie is definitely on my list to try!! Check this blog out, I am sure you will love it!

Trash to treasure!

I was determined to have a productive day, yesterday...!! I have been procrastinating a ton of little projects forever (yes, procrastination IS my middle name, you know?), and decided to finally tackle a few!!


An ugly little stool got a makeover with some paint and a piece of vintage barkcloth, and here it is!




























A little box found at a garage sale also got some new paint and a cute little print!










































I found this great fireplace screen at a sale for next to nothing, but I felt it needed some "umpf"... so a piece of vintage wallpaper later, it turned out pretty cute!!



































Finally, a cute bench got a makeover with a piece from an old blanket. I love the way it turned out!!!










































Come back soon to see what I do with this canopy...!!!

Week review

Thank you all for your sweet words about my new hair-do, I am so happy you all like it!!! I am still getting used to it, it was a big change for me, and I truly appreciate your positive feedback!!!!

Where did this week go??!!! I have been busy cleaning house, but took a little time to go to Goodwill outlet where I found some old linens and baby and doll clothes (click on the pictures for a close up)... I also found a pretty piece of yellow barkcloth, which was quite exciting since I LOVE barkcloth!

On friday, after my kid's school Fun Run ( which I will talk about later), I made a run to Monticello to make sure our booths weren't too messy for the weekend, and stopped at a favorite thrift store, where I found a cute dress with great robin's egg blue ruffles. I seem to be finding ruffles everywhere, now!! The top is a royal blue velour, so I will only be using the ruffles, probably on a dress form...!!

I also stopped at a garage sale where I found an adorable vintage doll for a fiver... He is missing a hand, which makes it even more endearing to me!!! That face is so cute!!

I also found a cute pink perfume bottle, which will be added to my ever growing collection!

I haven't had much time to work on projects, lately, but last week I started working on a cute child's desk I found for next to nothing, it was very plain so I decided to cover the entire top with pages from old children's books!! All I need is a good cover of Mod Podge and it is ready to go!!

On friday morning our elementary school had a Crazy Hat Fun Run, an annual fundraiser where friends and family pledge money for every lap a child runs around the track.

Here is my son wondering if her wicked, wicked mother will actually make him wear that to school.. Actually, he was pouting because he didn't want his picture taken (have I mentioned he is a smart, smart kid?!). This is what I call ammunition for the teenage years...

My youngest daughter was a little easier to please... (by the way, there is nothing shy about her!)

My two oldest daughters (and a neighbor) running with Alex for encouragement!!

My middle daughter Clara (who is also a competitive gymnast like her younger sister) participated in a meet last weekend and came in third place all around for her age group!! I wanted to share these pictures with you, as we are very proud of her!!

On a final note, I really wanted to thank Angela from Need2Bcreating for giving me an award!! It is so rewarding to know that people (other than your friends and family who feel like they "have" too!!) actually enjoy reading my modest little blog, who would guess??!!!! Thank you, it is truly appreciated!! Have a great week!!