Have you ever reflected on little segments of your life and realized just how much they influenced who you are today? One of the big questions that people will ask of each other this weekend is “where were you on 9/11?”. Everyone has a story. Each one unique and each of us on that day were changed. We hugged our loved one’s a little tighter, perhaps were a little kinder and  together we bonded in our love for our country.

If you have a memory or two tucked away that involves the World Trade Center, chances are you are pondering those as well. On that day, as I watched the first tower fall and then the second, I couldn’t help but reflect back to my days in NYC and an amazing dinner at Windows on the World with two very special people in my life. They, like the Twin Towers are no longer here.

It was a period in my life that was all good. I was a young naive college student studying design at FIT on 27th and 7th. I walked to work at Macy’s and had an amazing roommate and best friend from New Jersey named Lisa. We hung out at Columbia University, Studio 54 and the Underground. We were thin and fabulous. We wore short skirts, stiletto’s and designer clothes. Truth be told, we thought we ruled the world.

My Aunt Jinny,  a gentle soul that never married, called me one day from Cincinnati and asked if she could come visit for a weekend. I almost selfishly said no…are you kidding me? Give up a weekend to entertain my 60 year old aunt? Thankfully, I had some sense and told her I would love for her to visit. Looking back, Lisa and I had some of our best times with Aunt Jinny over the next two years. We would dress her up, give her a make-over, let her sleep in our dorm and take her out on the town as if she was the college student she never was. In return she would bring us skyline from Cincinnati, take us to tons of musicals and gift us with one special memory – dinner at Windows on the World.

It was a magical night. We took hours to get ready and then called a cab to pick us up. As the elevator climbed to the top floor of the tower and the doors opened up, you truly felt as if you were on top of the world. The view was incredible, the bathrooms fabulous and the food delicious. Back then, to us it was about being dressed up and out on the town at an exclusive restaurant that we could never ever have afforded as a college student. Today, I realize it was about being in a magical place that no longer exists with two very special people that meant more to me than words can say and like the World Trade Center… are no longer here. Ginny passed away shortly after the towers fell and unexpectedly, Lisa just a few years ago.

I am emotional. I was inspired to write this after I read a post this morning by Thrify Decor Chick; touched by her photos at Ground Zero. Now my mind is flooded with memories of Jinny and Lisa…I miss them. They made me a better person. Excerpts from a book written by high school friend Andrea Raynor called A Voice that Calls you Home swirl in my mind as I think about that heart wrenching day known simply as 9/11. In her book, Andrea shares her emotional journey including her days at ground zero blessing body parts and later, her battle with breast cancer.

I think of my friend Heath who is getting ready to leave his family to serve yet another year across the world I think of  my friend Cheri’s son Jake, and my children’s friends Jason, Zak and Ashley who are all in the different segments of the US Military. They make me so proud. I just want to wrap my arms around them and all the other brave men and woman who are serving our country and working to keep us safe.

Today, I am reminded how precious life is… How lucky we are to live in this wonderful place called America. In these trying times, in the midst of a struggling economy and financial struggles… we may not agree on politics or religion or even sports teams, but that fateful day on 9/11 reminded us that regardless of our differences, we are united in our love for this  beautiful place on earth called America. Today as I remember, I am especially grateful for that. xo Amy

Update: I am VERY excited that my friend Heath is coming home this month! I will get to see him at a Ohio State Football game this year – can’t wait to welcome him back! Jason left a few months ago for Afghanistan and his wife is expecting their second child. I’m keeping them (and all military personnel/families) in my prayers! Here is an article about my friend Andie (Andrea) that was in USA today recently. xo

Have a decorating question? Ask away!

Yesterday I started Three Tip Thursday, so today I thought…Hey! Why not a Free Advice Friday? I love answering all of your decorating questions so I though this would be a great way to have some fun and answer some pending questions! Addressing decorating questions is actually one of my favorite things to do! Here are some answers to some of your questions…

Valerie asked…

Q: I want to have an arrangement of Greek tiles and plates over the fireplace mantel. Is it okay to have the arrangement be a little wider than the mantel?

A: My initial thought was no, but as always, you have to sit back and think outside the box. The problem is not going wider than the mantel, it’s creating an arrangement that is “heavier” than the mantel. By extending the arrangement outside the width, you automatically are creating a “feeling” that it is heavier than the mantel which then takes the focus off of the area as a whole. BUT, as always, there are not rules to decorating – just rules of thumb. What I would suggest is if you want to go outside the area above the mantel, make sure you “extend” the width of the mantel with something to the left and right that balances it out such as furniture, large vases with arrangements, low bookcases that look built-in, etc… The one thing I would avoid (unless it’s built-in looking bookcases) is putting anything too “hard” next to the already “hard” fireplace. I always prefer alternating hard and soft. When I say soft I mean upholstered furniture, plants, etc.

Shirley asked…

Q: In my living room, I have a large window that is in a recessed area that is 88″ wide x74″ tall. It’s sort of like a bay window, but not curved. I would like to hang drapes on the outside, from floor to ceiling, but the problem is that across the top of the opening, it’s just the ceiling – there is nothing across the opening at the top, if that makes sense. The ceiling goes straight through to the recessed area. So, even if I hang a rod as close as I can to the ceiling, there will be a gap at the ceiling that goes through to the opening – won’t that look weird? Any suggestions?

A: This makes perfect sense Shirley. I actually have the same situation in a guest bedroom that I am working on in my home. You really have two solutions. The first is to locate the rod on the walls to the left and right of the window. The key is to hang the rod as high as you can and to use a drape that will have some material above the rod. Hang it so the top of the drape will almost touch the ceiling. The only issue you have is you really can’t use a support in the middle with a traditional rod, so the rod needs to be extra long so the extender in the middle doesn’t sag. Also, the drapes cannot be too heavy or they will cause it to sag as well. The second option and probably the best one, is to get a ceiling mounted rod – JC Penney and Ikea both sell them. This will allow you to put a support in the middle and will avoid any potential sagging problems.

Example of ceiling mount rod

Carol asked…

Q: My great room has 1 love seat (solid fabric) and 2 occasional chairs(solid fabric). I would like more seating. Do I purchase another loveseat or 2 more chairs and solid or print?

A: This is probably better answered if I could see your floor plan, but generally speaking, here are my thoughts… When planning your seating, there are three considerations. 1) traffic flow, 2)) conversation areas and 3 beauty. Your first consideration is make sure that you know where your main path of traffic will be and to not interfere with that. The second is that you never want to put a single huge seating area around the perimeter of your room. Ideally, you want to create a main seating area with one or perhaps two smaller conversation areas with the same room. The first is perfect for your immediate family or a small gathering.The second and third areas are great for reading, writing in a journal, playing games or  intimate conversations.

I like two loveseat on either side of a fireplace with two chairs that are facing the mantel. I also like a love seat with two chairs across from it. I would avoid a love seat with four chairs in the same conversation area unless you have a really large room and can have additional conversation areas as well – it’s really too many chairs in one place I think, but they could go in a smaller arrangement. Maybe a loveseat and three chairs would work better. I worry about four chairs overpowering the loveseat. Additionally, think of creative ways of adding seating such as ottomans tucked under a side table or in front a hearth or even hung on the wall as I did in my house.

Thirdly, this is where the beauty comes in…as far as solid or print, I’d say add some punch with either a print – floral, plaid or stripe or introduce some nice textures. If you do add chairs with a pattern, make sure to balance it out on your solid upholstery with complimentary pillows or throws!

Good Luck everyone and let me know how your rooms turn out! Amy xo

I was in Florida for eleven days last month working with my business partner GiGi. While there, I’m always guaranteed to come home with great new ideas and below is my is one of my new favorites.

TIP # 1: The office organizer shown below from Wal-Mart sells for $15.54 online (I paid under $9 in the store) and is the PERFECT organizer for my make-up. I’ve always stored my make-up in a cosmetic bag and it drove me nuts to have to dig around to find what I want. Now, I might carry a small cosmetic bag with a few of the items in my purse for the day, but they always go back in this organizer when I get home. GiGi says when she travels, she just wraps it with cellophane and tosses it into her suitcase. I love that, don’t you?

The perfect organizer for my make-up

TIP #2: Another thing that GiGi introduced me to is OdoBan. I have a black knit jacket that I adore, but it had a musty smell to it. I just couldn’t get rid of that smell. Between you and I, I think I left it in the washer too long a while back and its never been the same since. That is until it met OdoBan. I picked some up at Sam’s Club when I got home and added a cup to the final rinse cycle and voila! The smell was gone. This stuff is amazing! Next, I added it to a load with my husband’s t-shirts and socks. This time I just put it in the dispenser for the softener. I Really, really like this product!

Works great on clothing to eliminate odors

TIP #3: When I was in Florida on vacation with my family in July, my favorite dinner was Mahi Mahi Taco’s from The Shrimp Basket.

Fish Taco's from The Shrimp Basket

Basically the taco’s are made with grilled/baked Mahi Mahi, finely shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, onion and shredded cheddar cheese in a small soft tortilla shell. Last night I re-created the recipe and instead of chopped tomatoes my husband used spicy hot Pico De Gallo – he loved it! He even went so far as to say it was his new favorite meal.  You really could use any fish. I used mahi mahi and baked it in a dish with a thin layer of olive oil topped with the fish, a drizzle of lime and a coating of a lemon garlic seasoning. It was very simple. My favorite part of the whole deal though is the sauce. I found several recipes online for “white sauce for fish” and then came up with a version of my own…

I began with 1 cup of grape seed vegenaise (a non-egg mayo-like product sold in the refrigerator section of whole foods – it’s delicious if you don’t want to use mayo). You could also use plain yogurt or sour cream or a mixture of any of the three.

Using a whisk, I stirred in a splash of dill pickle juice (enough to make it thinner).

Then I added a generous squeeze of Gourmet Garden cilantro (tube in refrigerator section of herbs/veggies at Wal-Mart)

Along with a generous squeeze (or two) of Gourmet Garden Chili Pepper (in a tube also). I taste as I go. I like it lightly pink. The darker the pink, the more of a kick it will have.

A few of the Ingredients...

Whisk the ingredients together and it’s the best fish sauce for taco’s ever! I served the taco’s with sweet potato fries and coleslaw. By the way, here’s a fourth tip…my favorite coleslaw is simple stupid, yet delicious. A cup of Marzetti’s slaw dressing (in the refrigerator section) + a one pound bag of shredded cabbage = the best slaw ever. Don’t bother with a fancy schmancy recipe. You can’t beat this. Yum.

Let me know if you try any of these! Have a great day! Amy xo

This was the weekend for planting flowers… we have this ritual each year where Mike and I shop together to pick them out, I plant them in all the boxes, pots and baskets on the deck and Mike will nurture them all summer. I think I get the best end of the deal, don’t you? 

When choosing flowers I like an english garden/wild flower look. I also like to mix up the texture and heights of the plants. I have a mix of sun and shade, so my flowers were chosen accordingly, otherwise I randomly pick flowers that I think compliment each other. Here’s what’s blooming 0n the deck this year…

We came home with three flats of miscellaneous flowers plus a few other things for fillers…

Of course one of my favorite Mother’s Day gifts is going in the garden bed as well! My oldest son Michael gave me this beautiful piece of art

And are these little guys not adorable? They’re my latest HomeGoods find! I do adore that place! 

I’ll post more later… it’s always a work in progress! I’m working on a few bedrooms and will have before and after shots that I’ll show soon, plus there are lots of ongoing organizing around the house as well – I’ve got some great organizing tips to share! Happy Memorial Day weekend! xo Amy

see something new this weekend...

I took a workshop on creativity many years ago and it was one of the best things I’ve ever done. I’m not sure if it’s because it was really fabulous workshop or because it was the first time since starting a family that I stepped out of my mom role and started to re-discover myself. It’s probably a combination of the two. 

One thing we  did over the 12 week workshop was to commit taking a creative date each week. The point was to go somewhere new and explore new experiences. It could be anything really. Shopping a flea market, seeing a play, going to a museum or sitting in a park. The payoff is a couple of hours to yourself to actually be present in the moment and to really “see” new things. This is when your creative mind opens up. A beautiful painting may inspire your next decorating project, a musical may get your soul dancing again and the park may clear your head of the day-to-day things so you can dream a little. 

I know… the house needs cleaning and you have things you need to do, but scrape an hour or two just for you, I promise you won’t regret it!  Tonight I’m going to a fun evening at the Senior Showcase at CCM (The University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music).  The creative energy within those walls is amazing! The next step for some of these kids is Broadway, so it’s going to be pretty special evening. So how about you? Can you find a couple of hours to explore something new? Have fun and let me know what you did! 

I’m baaaaack! After a small break from blogging, I’ve decided it’s time to dive back in! I really did miss you, xo! There are lots of exciting things going on around here. We’re getting ready to launch a new website design with lots of new organizing ideas – even a challenge!  We even have a new instructor in Qatar – how cool is that? In the next few weeks I’ll be able to tell start introducing you to everything that’s new, but in until then I thought I’d share with you a baking project I tackled this weekend and later this week I’m going to tackle some decorating questions!    

Cake pops and cake balls are quite the rage, so I thought they be fun to make for valentine’s day. It seemed like a relatively simple undertaking, yet what started as a fun little project that I thought I’d complete in one evening, ended up taking a few days. Although I had done lots of research before starting, I still struggled a bit and figured I’d save you some time and aggravation by sharing some tips. They really are simply yummy.and most definitely worth making.    

What you will need:    

• Baked Cake (cooled)
• About 1 can  (see tips below)
• Melted chips, melts or bark

My thoughts and tips on the ingredients:    

CAKE: The icing gets mixed with the cooled crumbled cake. The amount of icing really depends on the type of cake that you use. The recipes that I found on-line called for either a can of icing or a box of icing. I found that is sometimes too much.    

I used two types of cake mixes:    

1. Duncan Hines Strawberry - This was really, really moist. It ended up being delicious with Duncan Hines cherry icing and Wilton’s white candy coating, BUT, the first time I made it, used an entire can of icing and the balls were way too soft to dip, even after freezing. Complete fail. Lesson learned: the moister the cake, the less icing you need. In this case, a 3/4 of a can of icing was plenty.

2.  Naturally Nora’s Cheerfully Chocolate and Sunny Yellow - I have been wanting to try Naturally Nora’s cake mixes. I had seen them on a cooking show and then on-line. They’re all natural and said to taste like “made from scratch”. I have to say, I agree… yum. These cakes are heavy, not too sweet,  have a great texture and consequently need a bit more icing to make the balls hold together.      

ICING: The icing is the sweet yummy glue that holds the balls together. I think any kind is okay, but I used Duncan Hine’s Creamy Cherry which went well with the strawberry cake. I also tried Naturally Nora’s Cheerful chocolate Icing  with the chocolate balls which was easy to whip up and extra good.  I used the whole amount since the cake was a bit firmer than the strawberry one.   

Chocolate/Candy Coating:  I researched this the most. You can use any chocolate or candy coating. Chips, melts, bark, etc… there are lots of kinds out there. My microwave is on the blink, so I first tried melting Ghirardelli white chocolate chips in a double boiler which was a complete fail. I couldn’t get it thin enough, I tried adding oil, even milk… In the end, I coated some peanuts and pretzels and was completely done with it by late Friday night. If you look on-line you will find all kinds of recipes and tips for melting chocolate. It will make your head spin.     

By Sunday, I had decided to try Bark or Wilton’s melts and came upon a miracle: Wilton’s melting pot. I L-O-V-E iT! I wouldn’t melt chocolate or candy any other way. I found mine at Wal-Mart for $20.00 and it had me at hello. It’s amazing. I used the melts (haven’t tried the bark yet) and they were delicious. The BEST part about this contraption is it melted the chocolate perfectly and kept it perfect until I was finished, which was an hour + later. No re-heating, no lumps… just perfection.  My son stopped by right in the middle of dipping and although I took a break to get him up some white chicken chili and say hello to him and his adorable puppy earl, by the time I got back to dipping, it was still perfectly melted. Worth every cent.    

Did I mention that I love this thing? NOTE: I actually purchased the Deluxe model for $19.99, not the Pro pictured above which retails for $29.99.

I used the Wilton light cocoa melts and also the white ones

DIRECTIONS:     

• Bake the cake in a 9 x 13 pan and allow it to completely cool.
• Once cooled, trim any edges that are too crusty and discard or eat . Crumble the cake into small pieces.
• Stir in the icing until completely blended with cake making sure not to add too much.
• Form small round balls about the size of a tootsie pop and place each on a cookie sheet. I lined my cookie sheet with wax paper and used one that was narrow enough to slide into my freezer.
• Freeze balls a minimum of 1 hour. After 3 hours, I placed mine in a sealed container and dipped a day later.

freeze the cake balls so they are easier to dip

•  Melt the chocolate until completely smooth. I also read that ANY water will ruin the chocolate, so make sure the pot and utensils are dry. 
• When you’re ready to dip, remove about a dozen balls at a time for dipping. If you take them all out, they’ll start to get soft and be more difficult to dip.
• Dip the balls. I originally was going to make balls and not cake pops with sticks. I tried dipping the balls with a tooth pick and later a fork with the center prongs broken out and didn’t have much success. Finally, I tried 4″ candy sticks (I cut 8″ sticks in half) and they worked great! The key is to dip the stick in the melted candy before placing it in the ball. Note: if you want to do balls, I would suggest using a wire dipping tool, much like the simple ones you used to dip hard boiled eggs into coloring at easter.

Dipping the stick into the melted coating helps to secure it

Place the coated stick 3/4 deep into a frozen ball

Now you can start gently dipping the balls. I used a plastic ice cream scooper to help coat the balls and lightly skim the bottom to remove excess coating.

As you set each ball on wax paper to cool and harden, immediately sprinkle with jimmies, sparkles or nuts if you would like. If you wait more than a few seconds, it will be too hard.

These are triple chocolate balls (chocolate cake, chocolate icing and light cocoa coating) with white round sprinkles

I had some extra chocolate and decided to use it to cover some pretzels that I had. You could do the same with pecans, chips, peanuts, strawberries (dried and at room temperature), etc.

Yum.

 The bottom line really is Yum. Once I worked out a few things, they really were simple to make. You can store them in  a sealed container – no need to refrigerate. I guarantee you they won’t last long. I made sure to give mine all away ASAP… definitely too tempting to have around! Let me know if you try them and if you have any other tips!  Have a great valentine’s day! xo

I took this back in the early 80's from a small plane. Those days you were allowed to fly around Manhattan... I just always expected those two little towers to be there didn't you?

Have you ever reflected on little segments of your life and realized just how much they influenced who you are today? One of the big questions that people will ask of each other this weekend is “where were you on 9/11?”. Everyone has a story. Each one unique and each of us on that day were changed. We hugged our loved one’s a little tighter, perhaps were a little kinder and  together we bonded in our love for our country. 

If you have a memory or two tucked away that involves the World Trade Center, chances are you are pondering those as well. On that day, as I watched the first tower fall and then the second, I couldn’t help but reflect back to my days in NYC and an amazing dinner at Windows on the World with two very special people in my life. They, like the Twin Towers are no longer here. 

It was a period in my life that was all good. I was a young naive college student studying design at FIT on 27th and 7th. I walked to work at Macy’s and had an amazing roommate and best friend from New Jersey named Lisa. We hung out at Columbia University, Studio 54 and the Underground. We were thin and fabulous. We wore short skirts, stiletto’s and designer clothes. Truth be told, we thought we ruled the world. 

Making Memories in NYC... Lisa, me and Jinny

My Aunt Jinny,  a gentle soul that never married, called me one day from Cincinnati and asked if she could come visit for a weekend. I almost selfishly said no…are you kidding me? Give up a weekend to entertain my 60 year old aunt? Thankfully, I had some sense and told her I would love for her to visit. Looking back, Lisa and I had some of our best times with Aunt Jinny over the next two years. We would dress her up, give her a make-over, let her sleep in our dorm and take her out on the town as if she was the college student she never was. In return she would bring us skyline from Cincinnati, take us to tons of musicals and gift us with one special memory – dinner at Windows on the World. 

It was a magical night. We took hours to get ready and then called a cab to pick us up. As the elevator climbed to the top floor of the tower and the doors opened up, you truly felt as if you were on top of the world. The view was incredible, the bathrooms fabulous and the food delicious. Back then, to us it was about being dressed up and out on the town at an exclusive restaurant that we could never ever have afforded as a college student. Today, I realize it was about being in a magical place that no longer exists with two very special people that meant more to me than words can say and like the World Trade Center… are no longer here. Ginny passed away shortly after the towers fell and unexpectedly, Lisa just a few years ago. 

I am emotional. I was inspired to write this after I read a post this morning by Thrify Decor Chick; touched by her photos at Ground Zero. Now my mind is flooded with memories of Jinny and Lisa…I miss them. They made me a better person. Exerpts from a book written by high school friend Andrea Raynor called A Voice that Calls you Home swirl in my mind as I think about that heart wrenching day known simply as 9/11. In her book, Andrea shares her emotional journey including her days at ground zero blessing body parts and later, her battle with breast cancer. 

I think of my friend Heath who is getting ready to leave his family to serve yet another year across the world I think of  my friend Cheri’s son Jake, and my children’s friends Jason, Zak and Ashley who are all in the different segments of the US Military. They make me so proud. I just want to wrap my arms around them and all the other brave men and woman who are serving our country and working to keep us safe. 

Today, I am reminded how precious life is… How lucky we are to live in this wonderful place called America. In these trying times, in the midst of a struggling economy and financial struggles… we may not agree on politics or religion or even sports teams, but that fateful day on 9/11 reminded us that regardless of our differences, we are united in our love for this  beautiful place on earth called America. Today as I remember, I am especially grateful for that. xo Amy

Not just any folding chair....

As you will discover in my post on Monday, I am somewhat obsessed with Ikea. If I wasn’t completely immersed in renovating our website, it could be a problem! By the way, make sure to take one last look at the current website, because in a week or so we are going to throw a party to celebrate a brand new look – yay!

Speaking of parties… I love to have gatherings at my house. Chances are if its Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter or time for a graduation party, we are celebrating it my house. Because of that, one thing that I’m always on the outlook for is a way to add extra seating. I finally got my cocktail area, but I had one blank wall that I was debating on what to do with, when I remembered these amazing wooden fold-up chairs at Ikea with… get this…  a HOLE in the back for hanging on a wall. Genius I tell you, simply genius.

I love that these can be hung on a wall.

These chairs are perfect to grab for guests during a party and look great hanging on the wall. Plus, beside’s that clever hole, there is something else I love about them just as much – they are (hold onto your pants) only $14.99 ea. Gotta love that! I picked up two and because the wall hooks at Ikea were sold out, I bought a pair at Home Depot on my way home that I actually like better. Once I got my tools together, it took me about 10 minutes to anchor the hooks into the drywall and done! The only bad thing was the tag left behind a bit of residue, but goo-off cleaned it right up!

Until I figure out exactly what to do with this corner, I placed an old tree there that I had along with a tiny birds nest... It will do for now. It's always a work in progress!

Make sure to hang the highest chair within an arms reach and leave enough room to lift the chair up to get it off of the hook! As I said this corner is changing... but I do like the picnic basket. It's holding the frisbees for Dolce and Sami. See Dolce at the door? She's driving me nuts and ready to go! Yipee.

Recently, Ashley and I had a baby shower for about 25 people and it was so much fun to reach to the wall and grab an extra chair for a guest. So stylish, yet totally functional; everyone loved them! xoxox Amy

Just another sunset in Cayman...

I’ve gone to the beach for a week each summer since I was a young child and this year was no different. I know I’ve been awfully quiet around here – but it’s been busy behind the scenes and there are lots of good things happening around here. I’ll share more over the next few weeks, but one of the reasons for my absence was our annual family vacation at the end of July. Today I thought I would give you a glimpse into our week!  

I love the fact that some of my children’s favorite childhood memories include family time at the beach. We’ve been to Ft Meyers, Panama City, Myrtle Beach, The Outer Banks, Destin, Perdido Key, Gulf Shores and this year Grand Cayman. Some years we go with just the five of us, others have included girlfriends, boyfriends, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins or friends. One thing is constant – we always go to a beach.  

This year my friend and business partner Margie invited us as her guests for a week at one of her Conch (Konk) Point Villas in Grand Cayman. Also visiting from Jamaica was her nephew David, along with his adorable wife Indi and their beautiful children Seana and Thomas. The following week, Margie’s daughter Lisa (of PickMeYard) and her family visited Cayman. You can read about their fabulous Cayman Bee Adventure here.  

Our family is pretty laid back when it comes to vacation, meaning give us sunny skies, a beach, lots of sunscreen, food, a place to sleep and you can call us happy. Throw in a fishing rod, a cold beverage (cold Red Stripe or Lemon Ginger iced Tea, thank-you very much), a round of tennis, swimming with Stingrays and you got it…it doesn’t get any better than that.  

Note: If your children are in love with someone back home, make sure to throw in the internet and a laptop. Tyler’s girlfriend Jaimie was planning to join us for a few days, but her flight plans didn’t work out and Ashley’s firefighter man Greg was working. Thank God for Skype. I don’t know what we ever did back in the old days without modern-day technology… how did we ever survive? Haha! Sharing a lone laptop caused a bit of drama, but hey, seriously, what family doesn’t have drama? Oh, to be young and in love again…  

Anyway, last year’s vacation was to be a very special one celebrating my parent’s 50^th wedding anniversary, but an act of random violence put my youngest son in the ICU and quickly ended that vacation. The unexpected death of my father-in-law a few days later made it worse. I haven’t written about that time in our lives for a lot of reasons, but here’s a public statement I released about it after it happened and here’s a recent article about my son’s miraculous recovery. Continued prayers are welcome! Needless to say, we were looking forward to a quiet vacation this year and it didn’t disappoint.  

In the spirit of less talk and more visuals, here’s a recap – enjoy!  

Hello Cayman! We made it! Here we are going on 36 hours with no sleep. We almost lost the fishing rods and hit a tiny snafu regarding passports, but hey we are here ... happy to have arrived and loving the steel drums that welcomed us.

Fast forward 20 minutes and vacation was on!

If you wanted to find my husband all you had to do was look towards the beach. Chances were you would find him in his chair with a cigar in hand.

Michael could be found soaking up the rays in his shades.

Ashley of course, after a morning of sun was always ready to shop

Tyler really did try to get a tan. Here he is after a morning run making friends with a neighboring dog.

My intentions were to read Eat, Pray, Love... the truth is I got to page 32. I did get to finish it during the 7 hours of travel time we had on the way home. Looking forward to seeing the movie!

The kids and Mike fell in to a routine of playing a "friendly" round or two of tennis every morning. I usually spent that quiet time straightening up from the day before, but did take a moment one morning to show them my serving skills! There was never a dull moment in tennis: let's just say no one likes to lose. Notice the laptop in the foreground? That is one of the places where Ashley and Tyler Skyped during the week.

Here's Tyler showing Jaimie the beach from his spot at the pool.

Some days you could find Ashley and Margie looking for shells...

You could always count on seeing a friendly Iguana or two...

To the left of our villa was a wall in the sea, perfect for fishing.

Mike paid fifty dollars to bring his rods from home.

We learned from our new friend David that all you really need is a roll of line...

and a good hook.

Didn't catch any fish? No problem... a quick trip to where the local fishing boats come in every night is a great place to get fresh fish for dinner!

Dinner was always delicious and it was fun to dive in learn new things! As you know, I have to lots to learn about cooking and am like a sponge when it comes to trying new things. Just make sure you explain to me exactly what you want me to do... chances are when you tell me to mince something I'm not always exactly sure how to do it, haha! Dinner was often followed by a spirited game or two!

One evening Michael found a friendly crab on the beach and brought him up to visit. And yes, he released him back shortly after I took this photo!

We had lots of new adventures like when Michael and Tyler found a coconut and decided to drink its refeshing juice.

...one day Mike went straight to Hell!

Later we all saw the amazing Art of Guy Harvey.

That same day we drove the length of the Island and stopped to see the famous Blow Hole...

Looks pretty peaceful doesn't it? But, looks are deceiving...

Ashley was the good child and stayed a respectful distance away...

But trouble one and trouble two didn't listen to their mother and Tyler just about went into the blow-hole. He was a bit wet for a while after that!

From a distance it was pretty spectacular.

We stopped at rum point and looked around... it was like a ghost town since the cruise ships had long since sailed.

Down the road, we found a lovely little beach-side restaurant to have dinner. Seana and Thomas had fun on a swing and playing along the shore as we waited for dinner.

One of our favorite adventures was to Stingray City. Everyone told us to go there and we weren't disappointed!

Turns out that Stingray City is a shallow area out in the middle of the ocean. The only way to get there is by boat and it was breathtaking

We set anchor and jumped in to join the fun!

Stingrays were everywhere and the boat next to us was feeding a group of them. The stingrays were loving that and so were we; we were surrounded by them instantly.

They were so happy to see us... they rubbed against legs and this one gave us a great big smile!

Ashley even gave him a big kiss!

Seana hung with me for a while as we made some new friends

Thomas donned his snorkel gear so he could see everything underwater.

Michael of course had to catch his own stingray and our guide said he was hired!

Ashley was brave enough to hold one too...

And of course... Mr. competitive wouldn't leave until he caught and held one too! We had a great time!

Mike and Ashley on the way back...

Yep. Life is good

Ashley wanted to do some Island shopping and I had my first adventure of driving on the left with the steering wheel on the right. I have to say I loved it and was actually pretty good at it... maybe being left-handed helped? No comments about my driving allowed here, Ashley

We made a stop at the local firehouse to get a t-shirt for her firefighter man back home and she talked the first fireman she saw into giving her the shirt of his back - literally. Oh, to be young and adorable again!

Of course a local shopping trip wouldn't have been complete without a stop for a Margarita at Margaritaville. Note: I was driving and had ice tea!

The time flew by and before you knew it, it was time to go home...

Oh Cayman, we will miss you! Thanks to Margie for sharing her little piece of heaven.

Did I seriously just post that many photo’s? Haha! Couldn’t find one to cut! xoxox Amy

It's like having "people"

 There are a couple of brands on the market that I know of including the original EZ Moves, Waxman Super Slides and EZ Sliders. I’ve used each of them and I like them all.   

Lowe's currently has these Super Slides for $9.99.

 

 Wondering how furniture glides work? Check out this video from Bed, Bath and Beyond…   

Click on the photo above to go see a demonstration.

 

 Don’t forget, drawing up a floor plan is the best way plan your arrangement and know it will fit BEFORE you move you move the furniture. To make it even easier, you can find and print free grid paper over at the Assistant Product Group. Don’t know how to draw a floor plan? No problem… you’ll find free instructions as well! Click on this link and look in the right side column under Decorating Tools!   

So that’s my tip for the day. Your back will thank you and family members may even volunteer to help! No promises on the last one – haha! xoxox Amy