Thanksgiving Sides

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is almost here. It seems like I was just at the beach! Nonetheless, it's less than 10 days away and I'm already looking forward to every delicious morsel. We're having a houseful so I'm super excited. The more, the merrier!

I've been thinking for a while about what I could make and the new recipes I want to try this year. I know that the turkey is the main attraction for most people, but for me it is all about the sides. (More mashed potatoes? Yes, please!) I've tried a couple of these recipes in the past, but am eager to test out a few more.

Sweater Weather

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It's that picturesque time of year when I constantly look forward to getting cozy by the fire with a cup of hot chocolate and a good book. And nothing completes the picture better than having an over-sized, comfy sweater to help you feel like you are truly in a cocoon.  With that in mind, here are a few sweaters perfect for the cooler months ahead.

The Redwood Library

Fall Decorating Tips

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Finally!  The season of comfy sweaters, apple cider and bonfires and has arrived!  There are so many things that I love about fall - the perfect weather and changing leaves, apple picking and pumpkin carving, the feeling of coziness throughout the season, and of course, fall decorating.  Luckily, adding some autumn curb appeal doesn’t have to be complicated.  Just a few simple decorations can transform the exterior of a home to make it ready for the season.  Here are a few simple tips on how to add some fall flair to your home.

School Street

Cute Work Bags

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Similar bag available here

Recently my manager, Katy,  was complaining about the fact that there are no cute work bags out there for women.  She said that if anyone wants to start a company, that is what they should focus on.  I feel like I should have acknowledged this fact much earlier than now given that I’m still carrying my Longchamp bag from college to the office every day -- not very professional of me I must say!  I decided to do some digging to find some fashionable computer bagsand it turns out, Katy was right!  If anyone starts creating decent work bags, please let me know.  We definitely need more options out there!

Mirror Mirror on the Wall

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One of the things I love about living in Newport and being a Realtor is getting to go into so many homes that are just filled with historic charm. Every time I walk into a place, I'm either thinking about how I would personally decorate the space, update it, or I'm admiring what previous owners have decided to do. Though Newport is known for it's ornate mansions, many of the houses/condos closer to town can be quite small. I often can't help but draw inspiration from the unique and creative solutions that homeowners have come up with to make the most of their small spaces.  Here are five tricks designers use to help a small space feel larger.

Ahoy Mateys!

Despite living in one of the sailing capitals of the world, I didn't grow up sailing and have very few friends who sail regularly.  With that being said, my friends and I do try to charter a boat at least once a summer for a few hours. Though I had been on my annual seafaring adventure once already this summer, I was thrilled to hear that the manager of my real estate team, Katy, organized an outing on the Aurora.

Tomato Lemon Pasta

Recently I've become quite the Julia Childs...if Julia had a habit of making the same things over and over again. So they say the first step is admitting the problem. I've done that so now I've been trying to find different variations of what I already make (typically pasta, soup, or salad). That's why I was so excited when I found this pasta recipe on Pinterest. I mean, tomato lemon sauce is completely different from marinara, right?! Haha. Not only is it the perfect summer pasta recipe (there are still two weeks left, people!), but it takes less than 20 minutes to make.

Painted Ceilings

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I was always under the impression that anything other than a white ceiling would make a room feel smaller than it really is, but boy was I wrong.  As you can see in these photos, painting the ceiling of a room adds an unexpected design element.  I love how the trompe l'oeil tent ceiling adds glamour and whimsy to the foyer in the above photo.

I'm Baaaaaaaacccckkkk

Soooo, it's been a while.  I apologize for being MIA.  I'd love to tell you that I met a mysterious stranger and we traveled the world for the past year, sipping cocktails on the Thames, watching New Years fireworks in Sydney, traveling Venice by boat....but, that was just between 11 pm and 7 am.  The rest of the time, I was concentrating on growing a business from the ground up.  During the last months of my blog, I began to realize that I was spreading myself too thin between blogging, my job, my friends, etc.  I wasn't able to put 100% into anything and I realized I needed to focus on one thing at a time for a while. So, for the foreseeable future, I decided career first, friends and family second, blog, on hold.