Luxurious Retreat Tips

pineapple cocktails

Here are a few refreshing, beachy pineapple cocktails to celebrate summer! Garnish with flamingo swizzle sticks, mini paper umbrellas, cute straws with puffy pineapples on them, maraschino cherries, pineapple chunks, lime wedges, orange slices… you get the idea! Have fun with it. My daughter made the drinks pictured above and they are literally just pineapple…

a scenes post

The weather has been unbelievable here in the Midwest. It snowed one day for about a minute and there was no trace of it an hour later. Mostly it’s just been warm, and breezy and completely lovely out there. Sunshowers, no coats, tee shirts in November. Love, love, love. We’ve been “tucking in” the back…

ooey gooey creamy bacony broccoli mac and cheese

Today Jeff surprised me with a big bouquet of flowers for our 18th wedding anniversary! We had an early breakfast at our favorite neighborhood cafe here in Red Wing. We’ve been celebrating all month. So far we’ve enjoyed a lovely day in Stillwater, dinner at Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter, a fun afternoon strolling the streets of…

lavender sugar

I love meeting new facebook friends! I met a lovely lady named Jean this week and I adore her blog. It’s called “For Dragonflies and Me,” and it’s filled with all sorts of yummy recipes and beautiful gardening tips that make my heart sing. I was browsing her posts today and came across one all…

summer pleasures & tea party gardens

The mercury is rising…. time to enjoy our fresh air rooms…. hang lavender scented linens on the clothesline… pack a picnic basket…make a jar of sun tea… take a little summer “staycation”… go to an art fair… read a book at the water park… chase the ice cream truck…take a hammock nap… and just be….…

valentine hutch or tablescape

A Week of Valentine’s Treats ~ Day SIX… Decorating your home for Valentine’s Day! I’m one of those people who realllllly likes Valentine’s Day. Actually, I should say, I puffy heart LOVE it. I look forward to decorating my home with hearts, vintage candy boxes, antique valentines and everything romance as soon as I turn…

six senses saturday

seeing ~THIS movie in the theater today… Daniel Craig is the best bond since Connery, just sayin’… candlelight on our front porch for date night… and bittersweet growing like mad among the climbing rose bushes, pine trees and grapevines out in our back yard. feeling ~ close to completing my latest yarn expedition and eager…

six senses saturday ~ snuggling in

feeling ~ yarn, the warmth of my fireplace and quilts… (find the free dress pattern I used and adapted HERE) seeing ~ kitties napping, a pile of thrift store books waiting to be read tasting ~ soft boiled eggs on buttery garlic toast with my morning tea…one of my absolute favorite breakfasts smelling ~ pumpkin…

a six senses post

seeing :: some of my vintage table linens drying in the breeze on my new clothesline that the hubby installed for me. Thanks hubby! …pickles, sauces, jams, syrups, preserves, baked goods, bison, honey, produce and even some baby goats as we perused the stalls at the Red Wing Farmer’s Market… the gorgeous hanging flower baskets…

a little tea-herb garden

 Welcome Home ~ Simple Tips for Turning Your House into a Luxurious Retreat by ~ Melissa Placzek page 17 I don’t know about you, but I love having fresh herbs for my cooking. One of my favorite ways to use fresh herbs is in tea sandwiches… herbes de Provence mixed with cream cheese makes a…