New Seabury on Cape Cod

 

I have not blogged in so long that I forgot my log in password. Shameful, I know.  Since my last post I/we have been in DC with daughter and SIL for 5 days, then daughter flew home for a week, she and I made a trip to Destin FL to find the perfect place for them to live, and now we are in New Seabury, arrived last Thursday.  Got a sweet email from Preppy 101 this morning, making me realize that I missed the blogging world.

Liz and Dave, hubby and myself spending 10 says here at Tidewatch, overlooking Nantucket Sound. Tidewatch is a condo complex nestled within New Seabury.  I am in love with New Seabury and all it’s little villages, the Popponesset Marketplace, and our favorite of all  Mashpee Commons (it’s got an In the Pink and they were having a 40% off sale!)

Our condo at Tidewatch, view from living room and deck looking onto Nantucket Sound.

Living room

Liz and Dave’s bedroom

Our bedroom

Outside at the Popponnesset Marketplace

We have had a few great days so far including touring around Woods Hole with  Tim and Lynne, The Capt Kidd for lunch, a Woods Hole classic, attending the last RED SOX vs Yankees games with a private tour of Fenway Park prior to the game, too much shopping and golf.  Some of us are enjoying lots of clam chowder, the most amazing  lobster rolls, stuffed quahogs, fried clams, and Ben and Bill’s Chocolate Emporium.   Me?….I’m being so good and sticking to salads. Well, I did taste a few clam strips and  a little lobster and calamari. Does that count?

It’s been rainy, so we are a little laid back. Tomorrow going out to Longmeadow, MA, a very long trip from here, to visit some family. Thursday as the rain moves out we plan to ferry over to Martha’s Vineyard.   Will post our amasing time at Fenway park shortly.

Back to redoing son’s old room

Last June I posted that I was tearing apart son’s room. Little did I know back then that he would move home in December 2009. So the redecorating was but on hold till now.

You can just barely see the hutch and matching desk below. Had these for 33 + years, Pennsylvania House furniture. Rock solid and survived Katrina. Below is after Katrina when I stained them dark.

Here they are when son was in high school, kind of bleachy and pickled.

Well I gave these pieces to son as well as the red and gold Pakistan rug, and all the Ralph Lauren “Charleston” bedding and drapes for his new home in Charleston, SC.

Here’s the chest that replaced the hutch and desk that son took. It’s 66 inches long and 44 inches high and has an abundance of storage. I’m planning to store material and other sewing supplies in it.

It’s unfinished and I have some embellishments that I plan to add. Bun feet, rope molding, etc….

Here’s my inspiration piece from Restoration Hardware:

This is a new mirror that I’m working on. My mirror just starting out:

My dream mirror, the Sauvignon by Susan Kasler:

Got my inspiration now I’ve got to get working.

Becoming Raw or where I have been for so long

Over a month ago, I stumbled upon a RAW blog, Raw on $10 a day. Her recipes and pictures fascinated me and I began reading all the raw blogs listed on her site. I spent hours, days, and weeks devouring all the great information and reasons for going raw. And there are so many amazing before and after stories of people reversing health problems and weight loss just from living a raw lifestyle. When I found this picture on Rawmazing’s blog, along with all her other fabulous recipes, I was hooked.

Rawmazing’s Basil Zucchini wrap with spinach cream dressing:

I decided to try going raw, figured all the fresh organic veggies, fruits, and nuts couldn’t hurt. Certainly saying goodbye to red meat, poultry that has been processed, preservatives, and all those other nasty additives that are put into our food would be a good thing for me. I’ve said goodbye to SAD (Standard American Diet) and have embraced RAW!

It isn’t an instant thing, going raw, but more a process. I still was cooking for son, now that he has left it’s a little easier. Husband agreed to go maybe 50 % raw, he still needs bread, cheese, cereals, shrimp, and occasional meats. Finally most of the SAD foods that were in freezer, refrigerator and pantry are gone. No way would I throw it all out. Now my pantry is stocked with organic young coconut water, organic cold pressed young coconut oil, wheat grass, nutrional yeast flakes, organic Himalayan Goji berries, Agave nectar, raw organic Maca, flax seeds and of course, lots of fruit and veggies. The first 2 weeks were very difficult giving up cheese and bread. A couple of times I just had to have a slice of Ezekiel bread with a veggie spread on it. I was still using some cheese on my salads, and using all the store bought salad dressings. I did not miss meat or chicken at all, even when I still had to prepare it for son and husband. I really had the afternoon headaches, which they say is part of the withdrawal/detox process of going raw.

So it’s been a month now and I am really enjoying this new lifestyle. I have spent a lot of time experimenting with new recipes. I did not want to get bored with just eating raw veggies and salads. That would surely set me on a path to failure. I already had the blender, a juicer, and the food processer, the three must haves. I bought a spiralizer to make zucchini spaghetti. Then the big splurge was the dehydrator. I bought the TSM 5 tray, pretty pricey but again, I knew I needed this to give me lots of crunchy options. I’ve had this for a week and having a ball experimenting with recipes.

Here’s a few of my dishes that I’ve made in the last few days.

Zucchini wrap (dehydrated) with spinach, tomatoes, carrots and Cilantro cream sauce. This sauce was made from soaked cashews, lemon, garlic, and Cilantro. OMG! this was so amazing and delicious. My wrap was thick unlike Rawmazing’s in the first picture above. I don’t have access to young coconuts, so I improvised. The wrap was chewy, moist, yet still held together perfectly. Before rolling:

All rolled up and sliced. Just looking at this picture makes me want one! This is so filling and satisfying, kept me going all day and didn’t need any dinner.

This a dehydrated walnut mushroom burger with red pepper, onions, flax seed. All fresh, all natural. Yesterday I made 15 of these babies, had 1 for dinner, the rest are in the freezer. The good thing about a larger dehydrator is you can make lots, then freeze. On top of the burger is a avocado cream wihch is not a cream at all but 1 avocado, fresh lemon, garlic , and coconut water, all blended to a lovely smooth sauce. This cream keeps for a couple days. I use it instead of mayo on sandwiches for my husband. He loves it. The salad is massaged kale with olive oil and lemon, tomatoes, and walnuts. Never had kale before, I love it. Even made kale chips in the dehydrator for a crunchy snack, they are great and no calories.

Zucchini fettuccini with tomatoes, kale, and marinated mushrooms

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Raw version of the famous broccoli salad that I’ve made for years. No bacon, no mayo, no sugar. Made a “cream sauce” with agave nectar, cashew paste, organic cider vinegar. Husband and son couldn't tell the difference

So this past month is just the very beginning of this raw journey. I must say that in one short month, I feel amazing. I have more energy, my skin looks and feels so different, softer and healthy. I’ve lost 7 lbs without even trying. And I always feel satisfied, tummy wise.

I think I’ve finally cleaned up Bailey hair enough that I can get out all my sewing again. Time to get back to all the unfinished projects.

Saying Goodbye

 

 

To this beautiful girl:

 

 

and my wonderful son. After living here with us since last December, they are now moving to Charleston, SC. It’s bitter sweet.  Bailey, the Lab, was my constant companion while son worked or traveled. Labs are well known to have wonderful personalities, as well as shedding.  Bailey is amazing and so teachable.  James is all packed, got all his furniture and belongings out of storage unit.

 

They left at 6:30 am, husband made they drive with them. He’ll fly home Saturday. They made the trip in about 10 hrs, even pulling a trailer, which they thought would slow them down. Bailey wanting to ride shotgun. Son drove entire trip.

 

Unloading the trailer took no time at all, as opposed to packing it.  I think they repacked it a couple times to get everything in there. Son’s new house has a swimming pool, so Bailey was enjoying taking a refreshing dip while the boys enjoyed a refreshing adult beverage poolside.

I cleaned all day. The bittersweet of them moving? It’s sweet that I can clean Bailey hair up once and for all and get back to sewing white linen. The bitter is that I’ll miss them both. I put away all my sewing when Liz and Dave came home for a week 4rh of July. Decided to just enjoy Bailey, knowing they were moving. 

Hoping to get going on all my stalled projects.

Shabby French Chair, part 4

Remember this French chair makeover from January? It’s giving me fits!

Here’s what she looked like straight from EBay

Shabby French chair, part 1

I was on a roll pulling of the old upholstery, old foam, straw, and springs.

Shabby French Chair, part 2

Painting her was the easy part, although I painted her white, then grey, then creamy white before I was satisfied.

Shabby French Chair, part 3

Above is the first seat piece of linen, ugh! it didn’t work as I made cuts for the arms and back too soon. Ended up being short material. Then I cut a new seat bottom piece, I goofed that one also!

And here is seat piece # 3. It still looks lumpy and bumpy but at least I didn’t cut away too much material so I could tack down along the arms and the back braces. This is the most difficult thing I’ve ever tackled. I have actually reupholstered a love seat…twice. That love seat looked soooo much better then this. Here the last reupholster job on that loveseat just prior to Katrina. I even lined up the big blocks of color! Oh, how I miss all my old furniture. :( And look, in the dinning room….there are the old slip covers from 2004, they were tossed in the trash pile as well. 2 X :( !

Back to the French chair…

Oh my, it’s still ugly, lumpy and bumpy! It may be because of the curvy French lines. Or maybe it’s because I’m so sick and tired with working this little chair!

But no despair here. My original plan was to make a soft and squishy down filled pillow/seat to cover the seat bottom, with cute little sort ruffle/pleats. I’m hoping I can design the down cushion and the pleats to hid all the above mistakes. What do you think? Can I pull it off?

Make sure to check out all these great Friday party links:

White linen slip finished

My last post showed the beginning of the transformation of this chair.

She’s done.

One more white jewel in the living room. My husband thinks I’m cracking up, slip covering everything. Little does he know it’s only just begun! But for now I’d better clean up the threads, linen scraps, linen dust, (Why does linen make so much dust when you cut it?) and get ready for the Memorial Day weekend.

This slip took me a total 20 hours to make. Shellagh at Ticking and Toile was wondering.

More white linen slip covering

Inspired by Shellagh at Ticking and Toile, again. Her beautiful ~Ruffles and Lilacs~ post spoke to me and energized me to create yet another slip cover.

Shellagh’s beautiful white linen slipcover. She’s making a second one. Shellagh asked me to count the hours it is taking me to make mine.

So here is the metamorphosis of another chair. This is the most comfortable chair, beautiful leather but again adds to all the dark elements in the room.

I took a chance and painted the wood white. Even the oyster shell lamp brightens things up.

Then I decided this wonderful chair needs a white linen slip.

So far, I have the chair back and front done. This, chair back and front, took me at least 10 hours. There’s always a goof here or there that has to be ripped out and fixed. Goofs are time consuming.

Hope to finish the seat up in next day or so.

Look how the other white linen slip covered chair brightens up my dark living room. This chair and the other 2 armless chairs are new. I don’t want to paint the wood, as it goes nicely with the silk that they are upholstered in. I don’t want everything white, I still love dark traditional wood.

And white linen looks amazing with dark woods. Hopefully I have a few more things finished in the room and show the results.

Off to help a friend find some new furniture. No sewing today. Have a great Monday!

Joining Metamorphosis Monday and Do It Yourself Day, and DIY Showoff.