Downtown/Lowertown

My dad is doing pretty good, considering the major surgery he’s had.  I spent most of the morning at the hospital after I dropped Isabella off at school. Mom wanted to get out of the hospital for a little while so we went to lunch at a Mexican restaurant near the hospital. It’s a really good one and I used to go there a lot when I lived in the area.

After I took Mom back to the hospital, I had some time to kill before I had to pick Bella up from school, so I went Downtown. The Downtown area is really neat. It’s a river town and the Downtown area is right on the river. There are a lot of antique shops, restaurants, and galleries. About ten years ago there was a movement to renovate some of the houses in what they call Lowertown. Lowertown basically borders the downtown area but it’s more residential except for the galleries and coffee shops. Lowertown started as a revitalization effort. There were a lot of old historic homes that were run down and unoccupied. They sold them to artists at low prices in order for them to be restored and to draw people into the area. It’s beautiful now and I love going down there! I picked up a nice framed print from an antique shop called Courtyard Antiques and then stopped at Kirchhoff’s Bakery for a cappuccino and cookies. It was a really nice day! Bella liked the cookies too!

 Kirchhoff's Bakery

Courtyard Antiques 

My new print

Street view of the Downtown area

XOXO, Candice

{Image 1: flickr.com, Image 2: members.virtualtourist.com, Image 3 &4 by me}

Tweet Pin It Now!

Surgery

My dad had ankle replacement surgery today. I have been at the hospital with my mom all day. It's the first total ankle replacement ever performed in our area, so we were a little nervous about the outcome. He's had a lot of people praying for him so we were sure everything would turn out okay. He was in surgery for four and a half hours (longer than expected) but came through everything just fine. He's back in his room now and is in a lot of pain. I hope it's going to be worth it! 

I hope he has a smooth recovery and this surgery is successful. He's had a lot of trouble with his ankles for years now. He has arthritis in both of them. He played baseball in college and has always been very active. So, it's been tough to watch him have so much difficulty getting around. If this one works, he's going to have the other one replaced next year.

Mom and Dad on the beach in Alabama last year

 

 

 

 

XOXO, Candice

Tweet Pin It Now!

My Dream Home

I thought I would do a post on my “dream” home. This ‘Pink Castle’ in Atlanta was my inspiration. While the entire place is beautiful, I fell in love with the exterior. It’s just magical! Who wouldn’t want to live here? I love the old world charm and faded facade, not to mention the English-style plantings and fountain.

Exterior-This gorgeous faded pink stone is to die for! 

Living Room- A soothing neutral palette with beautiful moldings and a glamorous chandelier. I love the mantel as well.

 

Sitting Room- Again, I love this mantel! This modern, hot pink chair is perfect in this room.

Library- I love everything about this room. I love books of all kinds and I really like the way they’ve styled the black book shelves.

Office-Leopard and anything green are some of my favorite things, so this would be my ideal office.

Kitchen- I really love the way this kitchen is functional but also completely glamorous and rustic at the same time.

Master Bedroom- Love this room! The bed, the mirror, the bench, that map, and those pillows…perfection! I want it all! I think I would definitely have sweet dreams sleeping here.

Master Bath- The perfect soaking tub, and that window is pretty great too. 

Daughter’s Room- I really like this for a young lady’s room. My daughter might not agree, though. She’s more into bright and bold, but this is my dream house, right! :)

Guest Bath- Love the walls. You can’t beat black and white!

Pool- The ideal pool, understated and elegant. I’m loving that fireplace in the pool house, too.

Gardens- I love structured boxwood gardens. One of my life goals is to have a garden like this someday.

 

There you have it, my dream house!

{All images via Pinterest}

XOXO, Candice

Tweet Pin It Now!

Indonesia

One of my brothers lives in Indonesia. I haven’t been there but my parents went to see them last summer. These are some pictures from their visit. My brother and his wife have three beautiful little boys. I’ve never met the baby because he was born in Indonesia. He’ll be one in February. I love all of these pictures and can’t wait to go someday. They are coming back to the US to stay for awhile this year, so it will probably be a year or so before I can go. I can’t wait to see them, though!



A cove on the beach



Indonesian fishing boats

 

My middle nephew, Elliot

 

The shoreline

 

 A shrine

 The baby's sweet little feet on black sand

 Terrace farming

 

Tweet Pin It Now!

Signature Scent

I have worn the same perfume for like 10 years now, Angel by Thierry Mugler.  Once I find something I like, I tend to stick with it.  It’s strong, so it doesn’t take much but I love the way it smells. And I love how everything I wear still smells of it. I think Eva Mendes is the perfect spokesperson for this perfume…it’s a pretty sexy scent and she seems to have that down pat. I wonder if Ryan Gosling likes it?

Tweet Pin It Now!

Gallery Walls

I recently created a gallery wall in our house. I’ve had them in other houses that I’ve lived in but I have never done one here because Jimmy wasn’t too crazy about them. (We’ve only been married  two years and I moved into his house). He’s relaxed quite a bit about me changing everything, so I decided to go for it. Ours is all family pictures. I really like them better when it’s prints and paintings and such mixed in with pictures but I wanted all our family pictures to be together. I wish they were all in black and white as well. I might have to reprint some of them….
Here is a picture of ours, as well as some other gallery walls that I love.

Our Gallery Wall

No. 1

 



No. 2

 



No.3

 



No. 4

 



No.5

 



No. 6

 

 

 

 

{1./The Decorista via Pinterest, 2./Bear Hill Interiors via Pinterest, 3./Fifi Cheek via Pinterest, 4./The Desk of Annie via Pinterest, 5./ Pretty Stuff via Pinterest, 6./Dwelling Room Interiors via Pinterest}

Tweet Pin It Now!

The Biltmore

In the spirit of Downton Abbey, I thought I'd share some of my pictures from the Biltmore in Asheville, North Carolina. It was built by the Vanderbilt’s and was modeled after the great estates in Europe. Every time I watch Downton Abbey, it reminds me of our trip there. The way the place is decorated and how the house is laid out is much like it is on the show. The formality of the rooms as well as the kitchens and staff quarters are very similar. It is very grand and I've never been anywhere remotely like it. I highly recommend it to anyone!

We stayed at a bed & breakfast/ winery in the mountains of North Carolina on our honeymoon in 2010. On our way home, we spent one night in Asheville and spent the day at the Biltmore. It's absolutely beautiful and huge! It's miles from the main road to the actual house. We loved it and had a fun day exploring. (You can’t take pictures inside the house, though). The food is also wonderful! They have several restaurants on the grounds. The one we ate at was really good! The chocolate bread pudding was to-die-for!






 
 


 

Tweet Pin It Now!

Olive Garden Copycat Zuppa Toscana Soup

I've been making this forever. My whole family loves it. I usually serve it with crusty bread and nice salad. Jimmy loves to take the left-overs to work (it's even better the next day)! I modified this recipe from one I found on Food.com. It is lower in fat and calories. I use 2% milk instead of cream. I also use spinach instead of kale and turkey sausage instead of pork sausage.


Ingredients

• 1 pound of turkey sausage
• 3 large red potatoes, skin on
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup bacon bits
• 2 cups chicken broth (I use 2 bouillon cubes in 2 c. of water)
• 1 quart water
• 1 bag of spinach leaves
• 1 cup 2% milk or heavy whipping cream (if you prefer)

Directions

1. Brown sausage in your soup pot (I use a Dutch oven).
2. Transfer to plate; set aside.
3. Add the 2 cups of chicken broth and 1 quart of water to pot and stir.
4. Place onions, potatoes, and garlic in pot.
5. Cook on medium heat until potatoes are done.
6. Add sausage back to pot along with bacon bits.
7. Add salt and pepper to taste.
8. Simmer for another 10-12 minutes.
9. Turn to Low heat and add milk and spinach leaves.
10. Cover to wilt spinach, about 5-7 more minutes.
11. Serve and enjoy!

XOXO, Candice

Tweet Pin It Now!

Eclectic

I tend to lean towards a more eclectic style. I love many different styles, but that is what I always seem to end up with in my own house. I ran across this perfectly eclectic house on Apartment Therapy the other day and just loved it!
Take a look!

 

 

 

 



This mirror is just beautiful! I adore driftwood anything! I have a driftwood starburst mirror that I made with my husband that I love!



I especially loved this gold wishbone!

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XOXO, Candice

 

 

 



Tweet Pin It Now!