The French Bistro Chair Take Over

It seems like a few short weeks ago (okay maybe really 4 months ago) I started seeing these great french bistro dining chairs in blogland. Then suddenly everyone started selling these babies. I love them but have zero use for them. My question is are they just a trend or do they have the staying power to transition in today's home to "the next look"?

Restoration Hardware On Sale $99.00

Set of 2 from World Market $259.00

Set of 2 from Ballard Designs $299.00

Peir 1 On Sale $99.00

I feel sure there are tons more out there to be found. I have even seen some OLD ones in antique shops. Maybe I get one for an entry way or something.

Won't You Be My Neighbor

It's time again for the segment "Won't You Be My Neighbor". I love the beach and the entire Florida panhandle, so I am all about bringing more people here to vacation and even be my full time neighbors!

This home is new on the market and listed at $459,000 which is located in the subdivision Cypress Breeze Plantation.

{This home features gleaming hardwoods throughout!}

This home is over 2700 square feet and comes with 4 bedrooms and 4 full baths with an attached 2 car garage. This home even features a separate apartment with a fully equipped kitchen. The house is full of charm from its premium finishes down to its coral colored shutters.

The home is located in Cypress Breeze Plantation which is famous throughout Northwest Florida for its 14,400 sq. ft. multi-level swimming pool, with large pool deck, cascading fountains and waterfalls.


One of the best features of this home is its location! Only 1/2 mile from public beaches with restaurants and shopping at the famous Gulf Place within walking distance. Check out more pictures and features of the home and call the agent that will get the deal done for you! Bev Dudley lives by her motto of "if it goes to contract it will close!"

So won't you be my neighbor,

For inquires about this home please contact:

Great Reasons to Live in Florida

There are tons of great reasons to live in the state of Florida. It seems like I discover new reasons all of the time since I became a Floridian. Here are afew reason, in no particular order, that I thought I might sway you to become a Floridian too:

1. The Beach

I mean come on, really? Does the beach really need to be any more obvious of a reason to live in Florida?

2. No Personal State Income Taxes

You know that extra few hundred dollars you see come out of your check each pay period for state income taxes? Floridians have a big fat ZERO there. Imagine if you could keep that money each time, it would seem like you got a big raise wouldn't it?

3. State Tags

Okay if you go to the DMW you literally have a hundred choices of types of speciality plates to choose from and not to mention you get to support a worthy cause each year—for less than what you'd spend on dinner one night. Mine is still on its way as I will be sporting a personalized specialty plate, I'm supporting to save the wild dolphins.

4. Disney Discounts

Yeah the happiest place on earth stays happy with Floridians having the ability to purchase discounted annual passes to their parks. Just by being a Florida resident you get a discount.

5. Being The Most Popular Relative or Friend

Who doesn't feel loved when you look at your calendar and realize you have guests every weekend for the next month or so? We had to beg and plead just to get our parents to visit Cali much less anyone else coming out for a visit there. In Florida everybody wants a mini vacation to get away from their everyday lives. Not to mention we are pretty good hosts.

6. Great Food

If you love food then you have to visit Florida. It has become a melting pot of sorts for Southerns, Northerns, Cajuns, and everyone else to come together to share their best food. A few of our weekly spots in the 30A area are Stinky's Fish Camp, The Donut Hole, Don Pedros, and Smiling Fish Cafe. And don't forget other local favorites like Red Bar and Bud and Alleys.

7. The People

We met more people in the first 4 days in Florida than our entire 4 years in Cali. People here are so welcoming and friendly. It has taken some getting used to having conversations in line at the grocery store or a table across the resturant with total strangers.

The Lair's Club

The Lair's Club (Stinkys, the Old Lake House, whatever you'd like to call it) is a fabulous place to grab breakfast on the western end of 30A. In fact it is so divine you will find the hubs and I in there at least once a weekend. Seriously that good.

I always get the fisherman's breakfast with biscuits and gravy (or you could get it with french toast).

The hubs always gets the fresh blue crab omelet. Yes folks an omelet overstuffed with fresh blue crab and cream cheese.

Needless to say we're card carrying members of the clean plate club there.

Steal verse Lux

Can you tell which of these chairs is a steal and which one is the luxury? Yes I am trying to trick you! One costs as little as $599 and the other tops out at a whopping $2250.

The steal is the lovely grey leather one from West Elm for $599. If anyone has any connections at West Elm, I'll take 2 please! I could really use them in my desperately bare living room. The Williams Sonoma chair is a luxury at the price point of $2250. Yes it is a beautiful chair but I believe the less costly West Elm version will hold up better when dealing with the Great Dane slobber and not to mention our pocketbook.

Thanksgiving Dinner Invitation Freebie

As many of you know I am a graphic designer so I thought I could share my talent with you all today. I have made a template you all can use for your Thanksgiving Dinner party invitations. I realized all too often we think about the meal and the invite can be forgotten.

You can download the template here. I have included a simple MS Word® file you all can update with your info but I also included a blank PDF for those of you looking to get more creative with it. You can use as you wish, just don't republish this file anywhere on the web, you must link back here please.

{Enjoy!}

If you download these please just leave a comment saying hello and drop by for more freebies later!

And don't forget to send them in great envelopes. I prefer to use Paper Source. Choose an A9 envelope in Moss green, at least that would be my choice!

Won't You Be My Neighbor

It's time again for the segment "Won't You Be My Neighbor". I love the beach and the entire Florida panhandle, so I am all about bringing more people here to vacation and even be my full time neighbors!

This home is new on the market and listed at $380,000 which is located in the subdivision Cypress Breeze Plantation.

{Travertine flooring throughout the bottom level!}

This home is over 2100 square feet and comes with 4 bedrooms and 4 full baths with an attached 2 car garage. Let me tell you all that 2 car garages are hard to come by in the 30A area. The home is located in Cypress Breeze Plantation which is famous throughout Northwest Florida for its 14,400 sq. ft. multi-level swimming pool, with large pool deck, cascading fountains and waterfalls.


One of the best features of this home is its location! Only 1/2 mile from public beaches with restaurants and shopping at the famous Gulf Place within walking distance. Check out more pictures and features of the home and call the agent that will get the deal done for you! Bev Dudley lives by her motto of "if it goes to contract it will close!"

So won't you be my neighbor,



For inquires about this home please contact:

Already Thinking Spring

Fall is just arriving here at the beach but I am already making plans for this coming spring!

With our newly fenced yard the hubs and I are starting our plan of making the outdoors an actual living area as well.

I think this fabric would be great for making us some cushions in our seating areas.

And I must have a large table and seating to entertain everyone of course.

When entertaining you should always use the freshest ingredients so I think we shall plant a few citrus trees out back. We're thinking lime, lemon, and blood oranges.

For those sunsets and dinner parties I would love run some of these lights through our pergola.

Steal verses Lux

Last week I did a Steal verses Lux post so I thought maybe I should start doing more as I come across them.

While shopping for my counter stools I came across these from Sundance. Love them. But at $245 each they are way too steep for me.

But look at these from Overstock. A set of runs only $106, so a set of 4 is just over $200. A whole set is less than one from Sundance.

If you are regular reader of my blog you already know I did order these stools from overstock. I did indeed order 4. At first I only ordered two then once they arrived I determined I must have 4. The ones from overstock might be a bit misleading in the pictures. They have a finished silver coat on them that is shiny, not the unfinished galvanized look I originally thought. None the less, they still look great and have already been be put to use.

Planning for Twins

{Stop the presses right there everyone!}

No I am not expecting twins, nor a single for that matter. {Sorry mom but that isn't in the plans right now.} I have a set of twins as a niece and nephew, and what feels like a dozen nieces and nephews to go along with them. With that said I have to dedicate a bedroom to children in our home seeing as how we have so many nieces and nephews, and not to mention almost all of friends have children.

So soon our office renovation will be complete and the temporary office will be gone, thus I'll have that bedroom back to use as an actual bedroom. I am planning on putting a set of twin beds in the room, I'm thinking XL twins for adult usage as well. With the beds facing what I am using as my everyday desk right now.

I am thinking is ivory/white quilts on the beds, with grey sheets or a graphic print, a great rug like this one, a green stool to slide under the desk, accent pillows in fabrics I love like the grey orange fabric and the turquoise here (this would make great drapes too), everything else I am unsure of at this point.

This room will be a challenge for a few reasons:

1. The twins are about to be 10 so they are no longer babies by any means, so nothing cutesy.

2. One is a boy and one is a girl. Not to mention the rest of the mix of children we'll host.

3. I want it to be adult friendly as well so if need be an adult will sleep comfortably in the room.