After I did my patio redo post last month, I have been receiving a bunch of emails asking how we did it!!! I learned a few things about making outdoor living spaces look their best. An outdoor space is a huge blank canvas with so many possibilities…
- Use outdoor friendly finishes (consider outdoor furniture in greys or charcoals).
- Use lots of indoor accessories to decorate the space (Homegoods is great for this).
- Buy a rug to ground the space (I still need to do this!!).
- Lighting, Lighting, Lighting is soo important! (Patdo Lighting has some great inexpensive LED battery operated decorative lights)
- The more greenery the better!
- And planters too (they can be mixed and matched)
- Bold colors are best!
- Set your outdoor dining table as you would your inside dining table (avoid breakables though!!)
Did you know that Saturday is National Mac and Cheese day? I didn’t until this awesome recipe popped up in my in box. It is a favorite dish on the very popular Revenge BBQ, right here in Westchester’s menu. Oh and did you know that Mac and Cheese was first brought to America from our founding father Thomas Jefferson (according to the Smithsonian).
Ingredients:
1 lb cavatappi pasta
8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 quart milk
2¼ cups grated extra-sharp cheddar
2¼ cups grated cup Gruyère
1½ cups grated American cheese
1 Tbsp kosher salt
¾ tsp coarse-ground black pepper
1½ cups panko breadcrumbs
I have received a ton of questions asking for ideas for summer dresses to take on vacation. I have rounded up some really cute ones. They are perfect for walking around town, dinners by the water and even a summer wedding. I can see all of these will a great pair of statement earrings.
Here is another awesome beach read….this week’s choice is Hey Ladies, The Story of 8 Best Friends, 1 Year and Way Too Many Emails by Michelle Markowitz, and Caroline Moss. When I saw this book it really tugged at my heart strings. Many of my closest friends have moved away from this area. I really really miss them all the time, but the summers are especially tough because we spent so many together growing up and throughout our college/working years and then as newly married and eventually parents of our own children. Soooo many great great memories!!! I just knew I had to read this…and you know what…just seeing the cover made me smile and reminded me of my own ladies…….Here is the great summary…..ENJOY!!!:
Based on the column of the same name that appeared in The Toast, Hey Ladies! is a laugh-out-loud read that follows a fictitious group of eight 20-and-30-something female friends for one year of holidays, summer house rentals, dates, brunches, breakups, and, of course, the planning of a disastrous wedding. This instantly relatable story is told entirely through emails, texts, DMs, and every other form of communication known to man.
The women in the book are stand-ins for annoying friends that we all have. There’s Nicole, who’s always broke and tries to pay for things in Forever21 gift cards. There’s Katie, the self-important budding journalist, who thinks a retweet and a byline are the same thing. And there’s Jen, the DIY suburban bride-to-be. With a perfectly pitched sardonic tone, Hey Ladies! will have you cringing and laughing as you recognize your own friends, and even yourself. – Amazon.com
For more information or to purchase this book, click HERE.
By now you must realize that my family and I are HUGE Amazon fans. We order everything for our household on that site!! Whenever I run into my readers, they always tell me that the Amazon finds are some of their favorite posts so I thought I would try to keep them coming on a regular basis…..sooooo here are some of our weekly favs!! Bon Weekend!!!
I just bought this for my daughter in pink and blue and it is adorable!!!!
This is called the bloggers bag…I knew I had to order it!!!!!
If you are traveling with your family this summer..this is a must have!!!!
I have been addicted to salon hair conditioning masks..I decided to try this at home one!!!!
I am obsessed with these Pajamas
I always also have this in my suitcase!!
I have been burning this candle all summer!!!
I did not buy this yet but it is in my cart for some upcoming long flights!!!!!