Time to Get Ready for Summer

Say what?? Get ready for summer?

Yes, even though we are having the first real snowstorm in the Northeast today, with 11" expected, I am already thinking about getting myself ready for summer.

Right about the beginning of March I start concentrating on getting my skin, nails and muscles ready for nice weather. I start this far ahead to have enough time to get them to where I feel comfortable exposing all the parts of me that have been covered up all winter.

Although I don't wear shorts anymore, I do want the lower part of my legs and of course my feet to look good in my capris and sandals.

I do go sleeveless so the upper arms have to be buff (or somewhat shapely!)

I recently discovered body sugar scrubs. I found a recipe to make my own chocolate scrub and it is yummy! Always use a plastic container to put it in for use in the shower!

Here is the recipe thanks to Dee from

Meatloaf and Melodrama

DIY Chocolate Sugar Scrub

Ingredients

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Mix all ingredients together until fully incorporated.

Spoon into small plastic jars.



This was so easy to make and I was able to make it right out of my pantry....no need to run to the store for ingredients.

One tip: In the shower, be sure to rub the sugar scrub into your skin till the sugar has dissolved. It leaves a satin finish to your skin that water will bead off. Pat dry.

Once your skin is nice and exfoliated, apply this next product.

Although I am 100% Italian, I am pretty pale or fair skinned so I have to use a self tanner. I am not supposed to go out in the sun for long so this stuff makes me look like I do!

I discovered Jergens Natural Glow a few years ago and I think it is the most natural looking self-tanner there is. I started with the Light for fair skin but have graduated since up to the Medium to Tan. I also choose the +Firming option. Not sure how much firming it does, but why not?

I have used Original Jergens lotion forever mostly for the scent of "Cherry Almond Essence" but it is also a rich lotion on your skin. They work well together.

Some tips.....

*rub the Natural Glow in well and as evenly as possible. I don't have problems with streaking when I do this

*let it dry completely before getting dressed. It does transfer onto clothes.

*use it daily until you get the color you want and then every other or every few days for maintenance.

* make sure to wash the palms of your hands or you will have tanned palms!



For sandal ready feet, I use my foot brush, a foot emory/file and Burt's Bees Miracle Salve. My toenails tend to get very dry over the winter so this salve truly is a miracle. It is great for fingernails too.

And probably most important but not very fun for me is the use of my two pound weights EVERY NIGHT. I found a few exercises for my upper arms that really define them. You will have to find what works best for you. Just pumping your arms up and down holding the weights does wonders!

Last but not least, check all of your bottles of nail polish to make sure they are in good condition and not dried up for sitting over the winter.


Now, if you live in a warm climate where you always have a nice pedicure, or you keep up on them over the winter, you probably are good. I only use my nail polish on my toes in warm weather.

I like to have a variety of colors for my changing mood. My favorite brand is OPI. I love the colors and the names. That gorgeous aqua color is called "Can't Find My Czechbook".  Following through on my own advice, I found two bottles that are dried up and useless. I am sorry to see "Alpine Snow" and "I'm Not Really a Waitress" go.


Last tip:  Make your first pedicure of the season appointment early but not too early. One thing I can't stand is to get a great pedicure and then have to cover it up with socks because it is cold out. I wait till mid-June here in the Northeast. Lucky you, if you have more warm than cold weather or if warm weather starts earlier for you!!


If you start now along with me, we will both be toned, browned and polished by the end of June!!

Do you have any routines for getting yourself ready for summer?


AnnMarie xoxo
***I was not compensated for mentioning any of these products. I just love them and wanted to share.

I am linking up with these great blog parties:

Roses of Inspiration
Talk of the Town
Share Your Cup
Practical Mondays
Thoughts of Home
Home Sweet Home
Best of the Weekend
Pink Saturday
So Much at Home

Embracing the Cracks....or What Was I Thinking???

I started stripping wallpaper in my dining room this week.

What was I thinking??!!



I have talked myself into leaving the wallpaper in the dining room for the past 20 years for a couple reasons.


I thought it added an old world charm, enhancing the age and style of my home. It may even be original from my 1870 Victorian, but it was most likely added in the 1960's.



It matched my madeover furniture I brought from my farmhouse perfectly. The color of my huge cupboard and rocking chair is called Buckwheat. I painted all the trim the same color.

I was okay with it also because being an old home, I knew that the walls are plaster and lathe and that there is a really good chance that there were many cracks and imperfections in them. It has proven true in other parts of the home that we have redone.


That was all good and well until I went to my Pastor's home for a ladies' bible study. Our Pastor's wife Kathleen went to school for design and I have always loved her style. She has done a wonderful job styling their new home with every single element I love and have seen on HGTV!

Our tastes are similar except for one thing. Where I use color and wallpaper, she used a backdrop of plain grey walls. All of her décor just popped! Industrial and primitive mixed in with modern worked so well.


I have been incorporating a lot of  industrial and primitive items into my dining room décor but they seemed to have gotten lost in the busyness of the wallpaper.

When I got home from her house I went into the dining room and started ripping the wallpaper off in an area I knew was loose....I really did! I have left the remnants there as a reminder that I was really going to do this.



Should I even go into the fact that there are two other projects that I was definitely getting to this winter? I still have the paint swatches hanging from the door frame in my linen closet area. The wallpaper has to be stripped from there too and it should be a fairly easy and quick job. But still it is waiting.

My front foyer floor and stairs are hardwood and a hot mess. This house used to have two apartments upstairs so it was the main entrance for those and the main house. After I saw Tuula's makeover over at Thrifty Rebel Vintage,  I was determined to pretty mine up too. Still it sits waiting. That would be a significantly harder job!

I think it comes down to how sick you are of looking at the stuff that needs fixing. I am pretty sick of looking at my front hall entrance, I am still okay with the linen closet area, but the dining room? I was more than over looking at that wallpaper.


Can I say I might be regretting it now?


It is too late to turn back. Major cracks.

And did I mention yet that the wallpaper is not cooperating on coming off? It is GLUED on pretty good.


I am now thinking of how I might be able to embrace the cracks. You know, make them part of the design and décor? My vision is to paint the walls a neutral linen color so that all my stuff shows much better.


I have visions of those ancient walls you see in Italian villas or castles in Ireland.


Yeah, probably not.


Our handyman Jim is coming over this weekend to fix our kitchen faucet. I may have to ambush him and negotiate a job.


The dining room!


Stay tuned!


AnnMarie xoxo

I am linking up with these great blog parties:

Thoughts of Home on Thursday
Vintage Charm Party
Share Your Cup Thursday
Home Sweet Home
Best of the Weekend


New Jersey Crumb Cake

This is probably the best crumb cake I have ever had and some compare it to Entenmann's....I think it is better than Entenmann's. It just happens to be my husbands favorite crumb cake too (maybe because he grew up next door in Manhattan?!).

This is the nice golden color it should be right out of the oven.

Hubby has requested I make some so that he can take it for breakfast at work. He is a total carb guy in the morning.


So since I am making a pan (a 13 x 9 pan! It freezes well) I thought I'd share it with you, since it is pretty easy and worth trying out. Amy, at Ms. Toody Goo Shoes, I am thinking of you over there in New Jersey!

Lots of crumb topping!



Not sure how this recipe got it's name. After googling it, I have come to realize that crumb cake is or was the thing to eat on Sunday morning in New Jersey. They may just have dibs on the best crumb cake ever made, since this breakfast cake is not available all over the country.

Wikipedia describes it this way:


"Streuselkuchen (crumb cake) is a German specialty. Traditionally it is made of a yeast dough covered with a sweet crumb topping referred to as streusel. The main ingredients for the crumbs are sugar, butter and flour, which are mixed at a 1:1:2 ratio.
German Streuselkuchen is usually a flat cake made on a baking tray and cut into oblong pieces. It should be very flat - about one inch - so crumbs make about 50 percent of its height."

Hmmm...my recipe meets some of the criteria. My topping cheats by using Bisquick mix with the butter and sugar. Can't go wrong there!


Without further adieu....

New Jersey Crumb Cake

Cake

1/2 cup margarine or butter

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

3/4 cup milk

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream the butter and sugar. Beat eggs and milk; mix with butter.

In another bowl mix flour and baking powder, then add to

butter mixture. Stir in vanilla. Pour batter into a

greased 13 x 9 pan.

Crumb Topping

1/2 cup margarine or butter

1 cup sugar

2 cups Bisquick or any biscuit mix

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 - 1/2 powdered sugar

Cut butter into sugar, biscuit mix and cinnamon. Sprinkle

over batter in pan. Bake at 350 or 35-40 minutes, or till done.



Top with powdered sugar till cool.

Serves 8-16 depending on how large you cut the squares.

This piece was not hurt in any way while taking the multiple pictures it took to get halfway presentable ones! After spending so much time with it I could not resist so I ate it.

This is a MUST try. I hope you do!

AnnMarie xoxo

I am sharing with these great blog parties:


Share Your Cup Thursday
Home Sweet Home
Best of the Weekend
Anything Goes Pink Saturday
Bouquet of Talent
Table It Link Party
Something To Talk About
Amaze Me Monday
Tasty Tuesday
Roses of Inspiration
BTTCG Blog Party



My Perfect Day

Do you ever wonder about how others spend their day?


I think about people in other countries and wonder what their routine is day to day. Or what their perfect day looks like.

I can sometimes wish for or even envy other's lifestyles but I know that I am where I am supposed to be in life and for now it is taking care of my family and my home.

Being home most of the time doesn't mean that I am idle or doing just the things that I have to, like cleaning and laundry. For me, it means I am doing things that I LOVE and that usually keep me very busy!




My Perfect Day....


....starts with a kiss goodbye from my husband Frank (at 6:15 a.m.!)


....is filled with meow's by two hungry kitties....

....starts with a good number on this....

....a strong cup of Joe....Trader Joe's, that is. I do love a cup of Starbuck's Blonde as a treat now and then, but at $11.99 a pound compared to Trader Joe's $4.99 a pound, guess which one I drink every day? Trader Joe's Dark Roast is excellent too.

....a yummy, healthy breakfast....12 grain toast with peanut butter and sliced bananas, all from Aldi's. We are Jif peanut butter fans in this house but I finally tried Peanut Delight from Aldi's. Absolutely no difference in taste. It just happens to be $2.99 for the same size Jif for $5.29.

....a cha-ching or two on this......my phone is set to cha-ching whenever I get a sale in my Etsy shop!

Then it is off to the computer. I have to renew items in my Etsy shop, list new items, hopefully have an order or two to process and also check my email. Oh, and write a blog post now and then!


A perfect day is when my new computer does not act up or go out because of our local service.


My "office".......my co-worker is usually with me all day.

Some perfect days are grocery shopping days, some are out with girlfriends or errand days and others are thrifting days. Love those the most. Even better to have thrifting days with girlfriends!

....a perfect day is filled with a visit from Chloe and JC......

....or a cookie decorating day with Cassidy....





My perfect day......


....includes baking, one of my passions.  I may try a new recipe or make an old favorite. My son wants dessert every night, but I can't deliver that every day! Occasionally I  bake for our community theatre or some other event. This Ho Ho cake is a favorite.



....starts winding down when my son arrives home from school around 2:30 and my husband arrives home around 4:30.

All of my boxes and filler to ship the items for my Etsy
shop come from the dumpster at Frank's job.

....is anticipating dinner time.....these days I am cooking one healthy meal for me and one manly meal for my husband and son.


Mine....

Beet Salad

Theirs....

......is claiming my spot on the couch for the rest of the evening watching this....

or this.....

My mornings are not my own so I don't do devotions first thing. I do them before bed when the kitties are tucked in for the night and can't crawl all over me and I have some time to myself.


I stay connected by praying and talking to the Lord all day long for whatever is going on that day or for what is going on in others' lives. Most people who pray know that you could spend all day just praying for others!


My perfect day ends getting into this.....

....to relax and start reading my devotions which include Our Daily Bread, The Word for Today, Jesus Calling, Jesus Today and A Grandmother's Prayers. Phillip Mouse is a children's book written by a friend that I am reading before I give it to Cassidy to read.

I received A Grandmothers Prayers, by Kay Swatkowski, from Discovery House, the publishers of Our Daily Bread. I highly recommend it! It is a 60 day devotional with an emphasis on subjects grandmothers can pray for their grandchildren, with each day concluding with a Let Us Pray and Think and Do section with prayers included.


Goodnight for now and wake up to another perfect day in my home sweet home.


What does your perfect day look like?


AnnMarie xoxo




I am linking up with these great blog parties:


Freedom Fridays with all My Bloggy Friends
Home Sweet Home
Share Your Cup
Best of the Weekend
"Anything Goes" Pink Saturday
Link Up Party

Thrifting Heaven

I never thought I'd experience Thrifting Heaven again so soon after my recent trip to Rochester Greenovation....the $5 a box warehouse.

I never thought I'd have two thrifting posts back to back either, not wanting to ever bore you, but I was so taken by this old/new place I had to show you!

I say old/new because I have been here a few times before but this time it was different with a bigger wow factor.

For one, the back storeroom is now open to the public and that is where I took most of the pictures. It was warm, thanks to heaters everywhere, and filled to the brim with PRICED, fabulous items. Nothing annoys me more than to have to ask "how much?"

Look at those fabulous retro hanging lights!



Speaking of prices, it is a little pricey for someone like me who is looking to resell and make a profit. Last time I was there I bought for myself, so the prices weren't too bad. Don't worry, I found some stuff this time too that I really want to keep but I am making myself list them in my Etsy shop! You will see them near the end.

Just like my other favorite warehouse picking place, this building is also a warehouse in an industrial area of the town next to mine so it is closer for me. I only had about an hour before I needed to get home but I managed to get through most of the vendors rooms and that huge storeroom.

 I wanted EVERYTHING!


They had a nice collection of vintage windows....

and look at this fabulous aqua door!

On my way out of the storeroom I stumbled on this box of vintage clocks. Gasp! But at $10+ each, I passed by for now. I need to go back when I have more time and really go through the box. For me. To keep.

This room is just so pretty, I could live in it. The owner decorated it. Actually he does a lot of the buying for the main area of the store. I just realized that I never told you the name of the store. Rustiques. Isn't that perfect? The name makes me want to see what is inside.

I have always wanted a cupboard like this in my kitchen. It will have to be in my next house :-)

Okay, so now that you have seen heaven from a pickers point of view, here is what I got!


There is one booth that I found great things in the last couple of times, so I went there to get serious about buying stuff. I found three of the four items I bought in that one booth. Her prices are great. The owner said she is a sweet, little older lady that likes to find things and sell them at a good price.


I was so excited to see this tartan plaid cooler in her booth. It is The Skotch Kooler from the 50's, USA made. It will be hard for me to part with this one.

Anything aqua catches my eye so I picked up this small wooden Shaker cheesebox because of the color. I am thinking of stenciling something on the top.

It has a fun surprise inside.....

I learned from a seasoned antique collector that white enamelware with cobalt trim is rare and can be pricey. That is why she wouldn't budge on the price of a colander she was selling! I bought it at asking price and it is hanging in my kitchen.


When I saw this large, white enamel pitcher with cobalt trim, I didn't think twice about getting it. Not sure yet whether it is a keeper or a seller.


See how it matches my kitchen?

I found this license plate first and carried it around the whole place. I just love the rusty, worn, industrial look of it. There was a whole bin of these so I will have to go back for more. Along the top it is stamped 67 OKLAHOMA IS OK. Get it?

Available



So I want to end with some pictures of my two kitties that we adopted in September. They were only 2 months old then. Now they are 6 months old and don't really look like kittens anymore! We call them "the children" and like children they grow so fast! At least they won't be graduating and moving out!


Here they are then...

And here they are now....

Cyrus the Black Burmese

Sprite the Calico

They have made themselves at home and we just love them both.


Life is good with kitties in the house!


AnnMarie xoxo


I am linking up with these blog parties:

Share Your Cup Thursday
Vintage Charm
Flea Market Friday
Anything Goes Pink Saturday
Amaze Me Monday
Vintage Bliss Tuesdays Linky Party
Thrifty and Vintage Finds
Table It Link Party
Let's Talk Vintage
Talk of the Town
What's It Wednesday