Zingermans Roadhouse

Local beers, pimento cheese dip, and Ancho Beef Chili Cheddar Fries! Yum!!!!!




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Wedding Details

We recently got the pictures back from Kat Foley from our wedding.  They are FANTASTIC!  This picture makes me smile as I love my wedding shoes so much!!!

I also adored my bouquet of dahlia's from a local farmer (aka The Dahlia Man @ A2 Farmer's Market) and put together by a friend.  We included rosemary in the bouquet for rememberance of my beloved sister, Robyn.  IMY Robyn!

A visit with Santa

I took Gibson and Lola to Green Pawz, our go-to pet store in Ann Arbor, over the weekend to see Santa.  My mom and her dog, Kaleigh, met us there too.  The dogs dug Santa and I loved that our donation to pose helps FIDO the organization where we adopted Gibson almost 1 year ago. 

Gibson's with Santa



Kaleigh with Santa



Snow!

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The Story of a Dollar in Ann Arbor

Starring my friend, since kindergarten, Sam!

I'm dreaming of....

A new front porch for LaNa!  It's at the top of our wish list!!  I saw this porch makeover on Young House Love and have porch envy!

Gotta have it!

Honestly, I can see this at LaNa!  While we're running out of wall space, I know we could make this fit somewhere in the kitchen!!!  I found this print via Fine Artichoke - Original Art for Hungry Walls.


Michigan - 12.5" x 19"
Silkscreen on recycled French paper
Edition of 100 - $30
Check out John Holcomb’s website here:
www.shorthandedstudio.com/

Be sure to check out John's other U.S. States in his "United Plates of America" series!

Clever idea for dog and cat beds!

And, if you're in my area, they sell this product line at Green Pawz!

Michigan Etsy Seller

Most of you know that I adore Etsy!  LOVE LOVE LOVE it! 

A good friends sister-in-law sells star urchins in her shop on Etsy called kissa design.  The star urchins, sometimes known as porcupine balls, are based off of traditional Polish folk art and can be used for holiday decor, tree toppers, a modern accent in your home, or even as wedding decorations.  I just love them and am thinking about some for my holiday tree! 



So fresh and crisp - love them!!




This leopard print tree topper makes me smile!



All images are property of kissa designs.

Adding this to my Christmas list!

for ME cause I'm diggin' it!!



A great little pillow by lovecalifornia on Etsy.  Other states available too!

Gotta love...

Fresh sheets, new down comforter, and a heated mattress pad. We will sleep tight tonight - even Gibson is enjoying it!


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Trip to the Finger Lakes

I just back from a trip to the Finger Lake region in New York.  It was beautiful!  A fun road trip with my mom, wine tasting with family and friends, and beautiful scenery = fantastic!  Here are some pics from the journey and links to some of my favorite wineries we visited.


Shaw Vineyard - incredible wine!  I loved each one I tasted including the whites which is a big deal considering I lean towards reds every time.  Great atmosphere, laid back, and they frown on tour buses which I think makes the tasting experience more personal. 
J.R. Dill Winery - new winery on the lake owned and operated by a 27-year old!  How jealous I am!!!  Good wines too!
Penguin Bay Winery - loved the bubbly!
Rasta Ranch Vineyards - decent wine, LOVED the ambiance!  Felt like I was back on Haight Street!


My mom en route to wine country!

 

Beautiful sunset along a New York highway

 

Our cabin overlooking Seneca Lake, NY.

A little dark, but at our first winery of the day and very excited!



Beautiful fall colors



We stopped "wining" long enough to enjoy the tastes at the Finger Lakes Distillery.



A lovely merlot from Shaw Vineyard - one of my fave stops along the trail. 
Note: the lamp at the side was scored at an antique shop in Angelica, NY...a super cute village we discovered on the way home. 

Another kind of FALL at LaNa!

To our surprise, part of our tree decided to FALL last night in the strong winds!  We were extremely thankful that it didn't hit the car!!

Fall at LaNa



Porch before

Porch after

Random collections - love it!

Cookies for a Cure!

A friend and Art for the Cure of Cystic Fibrosis committee member's son has started Cookies for a Cure to raise funds towards finding a cure for cystic fibrosis. 

Kudos go out to this grade schooler for his interest and dedication to help this cause.  We salute Dru and support him in his mission to raise $700 by selling cookies at all Michigan football games (on Main at Pauline).   

If you aren't in our area, but would still like to support the cause, please visit his fundraising site at www.cff.org/GiftReg/DruCampbell.   

A great article is currently available with more information on Dru's mission.  In addition to his cookie stand, Dru is one of our beloved Kids for the Cure artists at our annual art auction. 

Yeah Dru!!

RECYCLEBANK - love it!

We are having fun with our new single stream recycling process!  I recycle EVERYTHING!  James is so glad he doesn't have to sort through it all anymore putting paper in one bin and all else in the other.  Besides, now I can recycle even MORE since we can toss in a larger range of items.  Plus, we accumulate points based on weight for our recycling efforts.  Last week was the first live week and we have points already!  We'll look forward to spending those at participating, local businesses in the future. 

If you don't have this system in your area, check out Recyclebank's site to see what steps you can take to try and get it in your neighborhood!

Stay tuned for much more!

P.S. to my friends and family that don't recycle (don't worry, I won't name names...or would I???), let me know if you want to strike a deal where you gather your items and I come pick them up.  I'm always trying to make it easy for others to be green!! xo

My little Navester....

I am so sad to post that my best little buddy passed away last evening after a short illness. Navin (named afterTiger Stadium in Detroit in 1912) passed away suddenly and we miss him so very much. I will always remember and appreciate his friendship as he has been by my side for almost 13-years.

Navin, you are now in Heaven with my little Robyn who will continue to love you as you watch over me.

IMY...XOXOXOXOXO



Navin - on our wedding day - 9.4.10
Photo Credit: Kat Foley Photography



We're married!

Me and my hubby!  Loving the newlywed life!

For more on our wedding, please visit our wedding blog.

New Design Mag!

I saw this posting on Design * Sponge today and had to share!  So exciting to hear that a new design mag in PRINT will be coming soon!!  Looking forward to Anthology!

The wallpaper look without the hassle!

I saw an article on Rollerwall - The Unwallpaper Company and thought BRILLIANT!

Many times I have thought of papering one wall, stair risers, etc. but haven't wanted to deal with the hassle.  Rollerwall looks like wallpaper, but is actually a painting technique that is dummy proof!  And, when you're tired of the look, just paint over it!  No peeling paper, steaming, concocting crazy solutions of hot water and fabric softner to get off glue.  Easy, easy! 

I'm actually loving the grazing deer motif!  Nice!!

My inspiration for "Dinners in the Drive" at LaNa!

The Tasty Life 008 - Outstanding In The Field from Stephanie Izard on Vimeo.

My FAVE place in A2!

My Business: Treasure Mart

Fun Craigslist find in A2 area!

This art deco Glass Door Hutch is beautiful!  And, a fab price of $80!  Reminds me of the one I bought and LOVE!!

love the drawer!

ahhh...summer!

This summer is moving so quickly!  I've been busy planning the wedding and with work and need to just step back and enjoy what summer is left.  Deep breath...relax...enjoy!

Photo taken with Hipstamatic for iPhone

Summer Fun!

Remember the...

bushes that my Dad and I cut away exposing only the stumps?  I just checked the blog to see when that project took place and it was almost 2 years ago!!!!  Yikes! 

I say this because today the stumps are finally being removed - FINALLY!  It took me a while to get this project 100% completed, but we're almost there!

A little dirt to cover up the large holes and we're ready for some landscaping!!

Photos to come...

All about Gwenyth!

Lately, I can't get enough of GOOP - Gwenyth Paltrow's Web site.

Today I stumbled upon a video recipe with her making Bibimbop which is one of my FAVES!!!  Enjoy!

Cookin' with Gwenyth!

So, Gwenyth Paltrow is in the kitchen cooking and posting her videos on YouTube. I stumbled upon the video below on Cut out + Keep and thought it was too yummy and easy not to share! Mexican for dinner tonight?! Yummy!

Jefferson Market & Cakery!

One of my faves!  I grew up going to this when it was called "Johnny's Market."  I think their candy selection contributed to all the fillings in my mouth!!!

Mary at Jefferson Market & Cakery is awesome to work with...food is yummy...and, for you locals, they're open on Sunday's for brunch now!!

#51 is now #52 and doing well!

You may remember the baby blue jay that Lo and I rescued a couple weeks ago...

I was feeling a little blue myself today and thought "I've got to check on #51!" 

After we dropped #51 off, they realized they had two birds that were tagged with that number, so "our" bird is now fondly referred to as #52. 

Turns out he is doing well and the incredible volunteers at the Bird Center of Washtenaw County were kind enough to put him on the phone to chirp!! 

He is doing well, getting strong, and doing things that would have been taught by his parents in nature all on his own.  Seems blue jay's are known for being able to adapt well in captivity. 

Will, volunteer extrordinnaire, was excited to share that another baby blue jay was being treated and after a week of meds will be placed with #52 so that they don't have to grow up alone!!  How sweet!!!

I will be going one day next week to visit and will definitely report back again...

Cheers to #52 whose report of good health and well being has made my day!

My May...

..took Gibson on his first boat ride (photo below)...he was a champ and resisted the urge to jump into the lake!

...attended my niece's graduation from pre-k...I'm so proud!

...started a new home improvement project on front porch and shutters...more to come...

...honored our Veterans by attending a local Memorial Day parade

...went into overdrive for plans for Art for the Cure of Cystic Fibrosis - June 19 in Ann Arbor!!

...went for drinks to see Sex in the City with girlfriends.  Drinks were good, company was excellent, movie was just so so. ;-)

SFGirlByBay - love her style!

I've been following Victoria's blog - SFGirlByBay for some time.  Here is a tour of her place in San Francisco (where I loved living for 8 years!)...enjoy!

They make it look so easy!

Channeling Martha

I saw this tip posted on Martha Stewart's Web site and thought it was pretty clever! 

I'm always trying to figure a way to keep labels fresh and dry in the garden...mainly because I can never remember what plant is what!

I did a lot of planting at LaNa this past weekend of vegetables and flowers and am hoping I kept my seed packets to try this at home tonight!

Baby Blue Jay #51

Bird Center of Washtenaw County

logo from BCWC

On Saturday, Lola and I rescued a baby blue jay that had fallen out of one of the pine trees at LaNa.  The parents weren't far away and were, obviously, very upset.  The bird was still a nestling and in order to survive needed to be with its parents OR a rescue center. 

Baby birds need to eat every 30 minutes, and while the parents seemed to be feeding it on the ground, it was in danger of coming into contact with a dog, cat, raccoon, etc.  We needed to get it off the ground and with the help of a bird volunteer in our area, we created a nest out of a hanging pot and leaves that the bird happily snuggled into.  Unfortunately, the mother was also tending to other birds in the nest and we feared our little one wouldn't make it through the night because of the falling temperatures and that hadn't yet developed feathers. 

We called the Bird Center of Washtenaw County and were thrilled that they could take "him" in.  This center is incredible and the volunteers went out of their way to show us their setup and share information with Lola.  Our bird was tagged #51 and put in a "nest" of his own where he will be rehabilitated.  The baby birds were all on one table in individual nests where they are fed every 30 minutes from dusk until dawn by volunteers.  Whew - who knew?!?! 

The setup also included tables with birds that were learning to fly and take care of themselves for the "real" world. 

Just incredible!  THANK YOU to the Bird Center of Washtenaw County for helping our little guy and all the others that are injured, orphaned, needing some extra assistance, or have survived a HIGH fall from a pine tree like #51. 

The best is that we are welcome to check-in on his well being and to also visit.  Yeah!

#51

spring cleaning of lana...

spring cleaning in both the house and on the blog!  i've updated the site to make it a little "cleaner" looking.  hope you like! 

TGIF!  enjoy your weekend!!  xo

my april...

...celebrated my niece's 5th birthday!

...booked a caterer and photographer for the BIG day!

...went to visit my brother-in-law in DC for Easter!

...finished basement sitting area...photos to come!

...attended a kindergarten open house and potluck dinner for my niece at my old gradeschool! 

...enjoyed a wonderful spring evening for drinks and snacks at Arbor Brewing!

photo credit: LaNa

kitchen update!

the cupboard doors are off...the cupboard contents are out (and all over our living room!!!)...a new light fixture is in...and painting will begin tonight!  i am hoping to have some during and after shots for you this weekend!!

until then, enjoy this spring picture taken on the Mall in DC...

Photo credit: LaNa

t.g.i.f.

Photo credit: LaNa

kitchen makeover has begun!

After a quick lead paint test (none = yeah!!), we are ready to move forward with a mini facelift for the kitchen.  The cupboards look like they may be the original to LaNa built in 1948.  They had YEARS of paint on them and on the hinges.  When I moved in, I figured I would add to the paint as did everyone else...not wise, but it was quick and easy.  However, that one last coat of paint did the cupboards in and they haven't closed shut for 2 years!  It looks like a movie scene where the cupboards are swung open by the resident spirits!

My Dad has asked to take care of them many times, but I assumed there would be lead paint somewhere in the layers.  So, I've just lived with it...until now!

The kitchen is a bit dark for me, love the color, but it is feeling gloomy.  The itch to brighten it up finally got me to pick-up a lead test at Lowes.  SUPER EASY and SUPER CHEAP!  And, to my dismay, no lead showed in the layers tested. 

Hence, the makeover begins!

Here are some photos as we took down cabinet doors.  All the dark green (tornado watch it is called) will be replaced with a clean, crisp white.  Dad has already scraped doors down to the original primer and sanded all the grooves so that they will close properly when reinstalled.

He was also able to use a heat gun to get the paint off the hinges, so we won't have to worry about buying new and can continue with my love of reuse!!!

The painting will begin this weekend!