Outdoor Fireplaces

We are getting closer to our closing date on our new home.  So, I am doing some more researching and dreaming about what I would like to do to the small backyard.

We are thinking about having a fireplace off the back patio.  If you have been following for a while now, you will recognize the fireplace/courtyard in the picture below.  It is from one of our homes about 5 years ago.

See the fireplace behind the table and chairs?  I can't find a better picture of it.

At our last house, we had a fire pit.  Here is a picture of it.

Anyway, for this house I think we will have a fireplace very similar to the one in the first picture, above, because the cost is something we feel comfortable with.  But if the sky was the limit, look at a couple of these beauties!  They are all from Houzz.com

Contemporary Patio design by San Francisco Architect Simpson Design Group Architects

Traditional Landscape design by Portland Landscape Architect beautiful bones and purple stones

Mediterranean Landscape design by Orange County Landscape Architect AMS Landscape Design Studios, Inc.

Do you have an outdoor fireplace or fire pit?  

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are you getting excited...

...for the Union?  

We sure are!  Here's a little sneak peek at how things are going over there!

Stay tuned for updates!

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A perfect fall day with Jennifer of Belclaire House!

Good Tuesday morning to you! Here today for another installment of " A perfect fall day" with one of my favorite bloggers, one who infuses a fun playful sense of humor with a healthy dose of self deprecation that is so endearing, and her fair share of fabulous taste! She keeps me going back for more. Besides how can I not feel a bond with her since we both share an insane love for all things blue and white:)

Stylish Jennifer just moved into her dream home (big congrats on that) and is settling in as we speak...my heart goes out to her, I know full well how utterly exhausting it is to move but Jennifer I assure you it is  worth every sore muscle, every aching muscle, every hour of stress and super sore feet every package of cookies and bags of chips eaten out of stress! I was so happy to get her take on a perfect fall day, one that she is probably wishing she could take right about now:) This day spoke to me on many counts.....we could be great fall friends! If you are not a visitor already of Belclaire House, please stop over to visit, I assure you that you will most definitely make it a regular habit. Enough of me, lets join Jennifer on her perfect fall day.......

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One word that comes to mind when I think of fall……Football! (I'm a huge Missouri Tigers fan)

One of the most wonderful things about fall is.......the crisp air, something about it energizes me 

(okay fine, the fall TV lineup is pretty wonderful, too) 

My favorite fall color is………

hmmmm,  even though fall is my favorite season, I'm not a huge fan of traditional fall colors in my home (like reds, oranges, burgundies and browns, although I love them on the trees outside).  I guess it's more about texture and layers for me in the fall - more blankets and pillows and heavier fabrics as I prepare for winter (but still in my blue and white color scheme).  This fall I predict I use a lot of navy, dark green and blush colors.

Perfect spot for a book and a pumpkin spice latte via the now book

On a perfect fall day, I would wake up at ………10 a.m.  (okay that's never going to happen) ... 9ish?

To the sound of…………bacon sizzling and my husband, Kip, telling our two-year-old, Edward, to please hush because "it's very important not to wake up Mommy because she works so hard all week to entertain you and prepare three perfect meals each day all while looking beautiful and skinny."

me Donna Reed

The view from my window looks something like this………We usually cannot keep up with the pace of the falling leaves much to my son Edward's delight.

The ideal fall weather could be described this way.........Sunny and not too cold.  Light sweater weather, if you will. 

My ideal morning activity would be………I'd always rather be sleeping, but if that's not an option than taking a walk around the neighborhood. 

This is a fall outfit you might see me in………

via Snubnose

At least that's what I look like in my head when I have on leggings and a sweater with my hair in a ponytail.  I'm sure I've never looked that chic.

A favorite product (beauty or otherwise) I like to use as the weather gets nippier…………My slow cooker! At least twice a week! 

For a fall breakfast I would indulge in………Extra coffee.  I never eat breakfast.  I know, it's bad. 

My favorite daytime activity in the fall is…………playing outside with my 2 year-old, going to a pumpkin patch or baking some yummy pumpkin treat 

Here's whats on my plate for lunch.......Probably Crock-pot leftovers from the night before or my Grandma's Casserole, which is basically goulash.  I love to make a big casserole for lunch and then eat it for the next three days. 

Around 3pm you might find me…………………Getting out of the house for a walk because Edward and the dog are driving me crazy.  They love it and I find it soothing.  It's sort of the last thing I do before I'm ready to pass the baton to my husband when he gets home.  Here's a photo from my favorite stretch of my walk

An afternoon "pick me up" snack might just be........Cracker Barrel White Cheddar Cheese and Triscuits, or, let's be honest, another cup of coffee.

For dinner you might find this cooking on the stove...............Spaghetti, my ultimate comfort food. 

The perfect way to end a perfect fall day would be………………A glass of red wine, my new favorite is Patz & Hall 2010 Jenkins Ranch, and a good TV show to watch while I snuggle on the couch with my husband. We love a good TV show, quality programming like The Bachelor.  

  Awesome Jennifer! Anyone who considers red wine, spaghetti and  the guilty pleasure of reality TV part of their perfect day is an instant friend of mine:)  Love it, thanks for injecting your fun spirit and light hearted humor....makes you  so real and like so much fun, my kind of girl!  And how cute is little Edward, cutest pumpkin in the patch! Thanks for letting us all tag along on your perfect fall day and I am going to have to try Patz and Hall in your honor of course! Be sure to pop over to Belclaire House where beautiful things are always happening, click here. Thank you all for stopping in and wishing you a perfect fall day too!

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Balcony Autumn Tea

                                                                         Welcome!

                                   I am glad you stopped by as I am enjoying tea on the balcony today so I can enjoy the Autumn colors. The leaves are starting to fall now so it won't be much longer until the trees are bare.

                       

    My tea today is Tetley Warmth cinnamon spice-nice for an Autumn day.

                                  My dessert is sticky date pudding with whipped cream and cinnamon. I usually make it with toffee sauce which I love but whipped cream is good on it also.If you would like my recipe just click here.

              I love this Wild Rose chintz tea set by Skye McGhie. It says autumn to me.

 It will soon be too cold for my afternoon tea outdoors but don't worry I can still enjoy my afternoon tea by the fireside.

I am joining Rose Chintz Cottage for Tea Time Tuesday and A Delightsome Life for a Return to Loveliness

Thank you for your visit!

Carolyn

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How to Make Sage Butter

There are a couple of ways to make sage butter. One is actually a melted sage butter (brown) sauce that's pretty delicious with chicken (we'll get to that before Thanksgiving). The other is a flavored butter you can use as an ingredient in cooking or to serve on a buffet or at the table. It will keep for weeks in the fridge and for months in the freezer. (Yes, you can freezer butter without it

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lookin' good

We can't help ourselves when we go to the apparel mart.  There is just too much good stuff and we come home so excited about absolutely everything we've ordered.  Mary has such amazing taste and knows how to put it all together perfectly.  If you need a personal shopper, she's your gal.  We seem to have shipments coming in almost everyday of fabulous new lines we have picked up (as well as our old favorites!).  So, come in and get some new, awesome and unique items and let us help you spruce up your wardrobe with those key pieces that you will love forever!

One of the newest lines we are super excited about is the denim line Mother.  It is an awesome line and is getting rave reviews everywhere!  There's a great skinny pair called The Looker and a skinny flare called The Runway.  They have already hit the shelves and are sure to go fast!

In addition to Mother, we always have our favorite, AG Jeans in stock!  We currently have lots of styles and colors of both Mother and AG coming soon!

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Which would you choose?

Good Monday morning to you  and how was your weekend? Hope wonderful. I must say with the glorious changing of the leaves around here I am sure to grab my camera whenever I am headed out,, as at every turn there is something I want to capture on film. The foliage is about a week  from peaking and is looking so spectacular. That coupled with the cooler less humid weather is really making for some delightful days. Perfect walking days. How about you? Are you enjoying the foliage? Today my Which would you choose is slightly different, its more of a Who would you choose? Imagine this.......you are going to have lunch with a famous somebody. Two hours, your choice of restaurant and you get to chew their ear off the entire time, nothing is off limits...you can ask them anything, talk about anything, you are in charge!! Two full hours spent with someone who piques your interest. Fun? I think so. So, I have gathered an interesting assortment of personalities representing culture, politics, Hollywood, religion, the literary world,  a little bit of everything. I kept both of our current presidents out of the mix and have included several who are now deceased but their legacy and our fascination lives on thus why they are included here......I am really looking forward to seeing who is going to be the busiest lunch companion! Try to narrow it down to to just one......here we go!CHOICE 1

Audrey Hepburn

CHOICE 2

Bill Clinton

CHOICE 3

Albert Einstein

CHOICE 4

Princess Diana

CHOICE 5

Steven Spielberg

CHOICE 6

Meryl Streep

CHOICE 7

Mark Twain

CHOICE 8

Marilyn Monroe

CHOICE 9

Thomas Jefferson

CHOICE 10Ernest Hemingway

CHOICE 11

Maya Angelou

CHOICE 12

Coco Chanel

CHOICE 13

Prince Charles (and he promised  "the boys" will join you for coffee and dessert)

CHOICE 14

Mother Teresa

CHOICE 15

Leonardo Da Vinci

CHOICE 16

Bill Gates

OK...for me, seriously I could close my eyes and point to any one of these fascinating personalities and be over the moon to be lunching with them! Oh we would have so much to say...or at least I know I would have a lot to say and ask. Each and everyone of these people totally fascinates me for one reason or another......and what about you? Who could you see sitting down with at your favorite watering hole and kicking back with? And why? What do you want to ask them?  I am so curious to know who gets to be top dog in this grouping. For those of you thinking humm....wish she would have thrown a little more glamour or fun into the mix, fear not.....a glamorous/Hollywood version soon to come:)Thanks for stopping in and hope you have a wonderful Monday and start to the week!

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