newport

I've got to add a new favorite to my list... Newport, RI.


Cresting the bridge into town took my breath away as the view opened up to amazing beach houses, sailboats in the harbor, and vibrant, colorful flowers galore. It was postcard pretty.

We stayed in a lovely old hotel that stood among shops, restaurants and the mansions on Bellevue, which were so enormous my idea of mansion is forever changed. (Think 140,000 square feet!)

We wined, we dined (on plenty of fresh seafood) and even got a chance to catch a flick on a rainy afternoon. Oh, and how could I forget this? We slept in! (I haven't slept until 8:00 since before the kids were born. What a treat!)

It was the perfect long weekend away, and after only a few days there, I completely fell in love with this little city on the sea.

All that's missing was The Twinkies. It was the first time I was away from them for so long, and I missed them loads. I was so happy to see them when we got home! (and it made leaving all that much easier.)

(Image via here.)

design inspiration: a caribbean cottage

A lovely little glimpse into the Beside the Point Cottage in Bahamas' Cistern Cay. The 250-year-old cottage is bright and cheery with glossy white walls and ceilings, a jumble of traditional and contemporary furnishings, and views from nearly every room of the crystal blue Caribbean.

Sounds dreamy...

(Coastal Living Wish You Were Here: Beside the Point Cottage)

Guess what? You can actually rent this beautiful cottage by the week! For more visit here.

travel: waterfront cottage

I want to go there now...

A three-bedroom Maine cottage rental right on the water. Porches, a fireplace and nearby lobster bakes? I'm in!

(Maine Cottage Rental)

(PS - thank you, Liz Lemon, for giving me a cheeky line to say all. the. time.)

lavender's blue, dilly dilly

Lavender's green
When I am king, dilly, dilly, you shall be queen.

Who told you so, dilly, dilly, who told you so?

'Twas my own heart, dilly, dilly, that told me so.

Do you remember that nursery rhyme? I played it for a piano recital once in Elementary school, and now that I've brought home a bottle of lovely Caldrea Lavender Lotion, every time I put it on (or even see the bottle, for that matter), that little ditty pops into my head.

Did I tell you that I'm obsessed with lavender now? It's my new favorite scent. Ever since we went to Mexico (which I am now realizing I have not talked about AT ALL... oops!) I started to love it. We were lucky enough to have a room with a balcony that overlooked a huge garden of lavender. Rows and rows of it. We were still a few weeks away from seeing the flowers bloom, but the garden was so pretty nonetheless. The owner of the villa grows lavender for soaps and lotions, and so there were bunches of the dried flowers hanging all around leaving the most amazing aroma in the air. And even though it’s been months since our trip, every time I smell it, my mind goes right back to our time in Mexico. (Hence the Caldrea Lotion – who wouldn’t want to be reminded of a perfect trip?)

Now I'm on a mission: to find inexpensive bulk dried lavender so I can try to copy the idea in the photo above. (If anyone has any suggestions for finding it, I'd really appreciate it!)

{Photo above was taken by me at the office of the villa.
They had bunches and bunches of dried lavender strung from wall to wall.}

vacation - here i come!

I'm signing off a little early this week.

Why, you ask? Because I'm leaving on a jet plate. And I'm heading here:

La Villa del Valle in the Guadalupe Valley, Mexico.

"A secluded, relaxing sanctuary" in Mexico's wine country.

All I want to do is this:

And drink a lot of wine and take a lot of naps, too.

See you next week!

you call that work?

(This T-shirt was spied in a souvenir shop window; it's also available here.)

I just got back from a three-day work trip to Kennebunkport, Maine. Even though most of my time was spent unpacking musty old boxes in an even mustier old house, I still saw enough of the pretty seaside city to fall in love with it.

A few things I learned in Maine: you can never eat too many lobster rolls * ocean air brings out the best in people * the sound of waves crashing on the shore is louder than the voices in your head telling you to stop running * the perfect end to any meal is a scoop of homemade raspberry swirl ice cream * waiting for your flight is much more comfortable in a rocking chair * and last but not least: always end each day with a phone call home to say “I love you and miss you and can’t wait to see you.”