Family + Design + Life
It’s the little things, a quiet morning with a cup of coffee. Tom is at dropoff with the girls and I get a moment at the house all to myself! Soon Baby “B” will be here and life will look a whole lot different. Breathe.
Paint: Benjamin Moore Decorators White
Pendants: west elm
Vintage Bamboo Tables: The Woven Home (I painted after purchase)
Long story short we had to tear up the flooring in 1/2 the house due to a horrible install so we did a little revamp of the girl’s room. New porcelain tile, fresh paint, and dismantled the bunks! I repurposed the top bunks and wallpapered the foot and headboards. I think the end result is adorable! Fresh and clean!
Paint: Benjamin Moore Pure White
I think I nailed it with this one! The perfect poolside/sun-is-shining beverage! The amounts listed below will make one mocktail, you could easily make 2 by doubling the recipe. I put all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with a cup of ice and had a salted-rimmed glass ready to go! Another option is to pour cocktails over ice which is just as nice.
What you’ll need:
3 oz Orange Juice
1.5 oz Pineapple Juice
2 oz Coconut Water
.5 oz Maple Syrup
tbsp Coconut Cream
3 oz Ritual Non-Alcoholic Tequila
1 cup of Ice
Salt for rim
A form of therapy for me is early mornings on Casey Key shark tooth hunting. The surroundings may have a lot to do with it; from the aqua color of the gulf to the perfect little shells, and pelicans diving for a fresh catch, and of course the dolphins I find great solitude and peace in these moments. This paint palette comes from my most recent outing on the key. I plopped myself down on the sand and just looked around at all the natural tones surrounding me and thought how glorious is nature! I hope these colors inspire you!
All paint selections are Benjamin Moore.
Tastes like the real deal!
I’m down for a delicious cocktail, but being pregnant means a mocktail! The sad truth was every time I’ve ordered a mocktail at a restaurant it has been beyond horrible. I thought this could not be that hard…so with help from my loving husband, we succeeded in making a delicious mocktail! It also didn’t hurt that we handpicked our grapefruit from a local grove here in Sarasota!
What you’ll need for 2 mocktails:
1 1/2 oz per glass of Ritual Zero Proof Tequila Alternative
4 oz per glass of freshly squeezed grapefruit – store-bought no added sugar grapefruit juice will work as well.
1 Lime (cut into 1/4 wedges)
TBS simple syrup per glass
2 crushed cups of ice (1 cup per glass)
good salt (you could kick it up a notch by adding chipotle to the salt)
First, lime the edge of the glasses then coat the lime-juiced rim in salt, and squeeze what remains of those 2 wedges of lime into the glasses. Add a cup of crushed ice per glass. Pour Ritual Tequila and grapefruit juice over ice. Finally, add the simple syrup and one more wedge of fresh lime to each glass. Stir and enjoy!
Sarasota Living is a whole lot better with this restaurant in town! All I can say is Tumeric Fried Chicken Sandwich! Of course, there are other delicious eats on the menu including the sweet corn hummus, fried brussel sprouts, and house salad (the dressing is amazing). The vibe is super chill and there’s a cute area for kids to play!
Just go!
So happy Bread Bandits are here in Sarasota! There’s nothing better than the perfect croissant, sourdough baguet, or delicious quiche! Hadley and Maisie give the chocolate chip cookies 2 thumbs up!
So if you’re in town or on one of the keys make it a point to stop!
We returned from Summer Vacation with a little souvenir! Let us call it a BIG surprise…shocking! Four Palms is getting a 5th palm, baby boy is arriving in Spring 2024. I’m not going to lie when I say Tom and I were happy and content with our two girls and had no plans of adding to our family, but the Universe had other plans. After 2 months of horrible morning sickness and anxiety, I have faith that everything will be OK.
With the new addition comes new challenges with our current space. Moving is non-negotiable as we love our neighborhood. Adding space is the only logical way forward. Tom works from home so a dedicated office is a must, along with a 4th bedroom. we’re in the very beginning phases of this new design adventure and I can’t wait to bring you along with us!
Design Consulting is my absolute favorite! It can be as simple as taking a tired home to the next level via paint, flooring, and lighting all very simple projects one can tackle on your own or with a little help.
The new black and white marble floor is timeless and our paint selection is for a deep foresty green. I pushing for clients to paint walls and trim the same color! Let’s see if they go for it!
Progress!
With our life-changing news of baby #3, we decided to stay home this Christmas just the 4 of us and enjoy a quiet time together. The house was cozy, and we ate a lot! I baked for weeks leading up to the big day mostly cookies (and I’m by no means a baker) total sugar cravings! The kids have enjoyed my slight sugar addiction, especially frozen cocoa!
We visited some of our favorite spots like Palma Coffee, Florence & the Spice Boys, and Wild Child (St. Pete) over break. Along with trying some new places like Tzeva located in Art Ovation and PigFish at Calusa Brewing their Fish Sandwich only served on Wednesday was out of this world paired with a side of malt vinegar and sea salt potatoes! If you follow me on Instagram you know my love for food and lots of stories of it!
So all in all though Christmas Vacation in Florida looked very different than our loud, crazy days back in NJ we made the best of this year and Facetime helps!
