Jumping on the Bar Cart Bandwagon

I've done it!  

Because I can do it now.  

Because we are empty nesters with adult children!

(Trying to find the bright side of that...)

I have jumped on the Bar Cart Bandwagon.  

And it's kind of fun!

I have been collecting bar cart ideas on Pinterest. 

You can see them all here.

I like this one

And this one 

And I love this idea to re-use a wardrobe as a bar!

But, alas, I only have a small slip of a space for my bar cart

and a very small "cart"  

so this is where I put it.

It's opposite the island in my new kitchen 

(which you can see here)

I'm hoping the new layout will give us a better traffic pattern when we entertain.

I can set up drinks or a buffet on the island 

and keep the crowd out of the work space.

Well, I can hope...

I added the wreath for the Holidays, but I may keep one there year round.

Here it is before the wreath...

And after...

Mr. Grand likes a little whiskey 

and so I thought I'd make things easier for him.

Still need to add some wine bottles and wine some glasses below  

but I'm a little nervous about our crazy dog 

tearing around the corner to greet our guests 

and crashing into things.

We may be empty nesters, but we still have Burly to think about...

I added these sparkly lights to my Mom's opalescent pitcher, 

one of my favorite things.

And this ice bucket that I scored on ebay...

And these pretty starry glasses.

Everything is very handy now 

and ready for the Holidays!

Cheers!

Happy Thanksgiving!


Linking to:
Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style
Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

Roasted Rosemary Grapes

I just love Pinterest, don't you?

My poor lonely cookbooks.  

Recently, when we remodeled our kitchen, one thing I did not make room for 

was an open shelf for my cook book collection.  

It seems like I rarely even pull a cook book out anymore.

  

Pinterest has become my go to source 

for recipes and entertainment ideas.

While browsing appetizer recipes recently,
I found this one from A Quiet Life Blog 
that looked so intriguing...

Roasted Rosemary Grapes

Don't they look delicious?

I had to try my hand at this.
I made them for some friends last night and they were a hit,
so I wanted to share this with you.
They are very simple and easy to make.

And the taste is just amazing.
Try them, you'll like them!

I'm no food stylist, but here's my version.

And here's how I did it:

Start with regular table grapes. I used red grapes,
but I'm sure you could also use green grapes,
or mix them for more color.

Wash the grapes and pull them off the stems.
Put them in a bowl and toss them with some olive oil
and salt and pepper
and some fresh rosemary sprigs.

Roast them at 400* for 25 minutes until they look roasted and juicy.
I shook the pan once while they were cooking.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

To serve,
Spread some plain goat cheese on a slice of crusty french bread
and top with the roasted grapes.
Yum.

Oh, and a glass of wine goes nicely with this too...

Thanks to A Quiet Life Blog for the idea.

So easy and perfect for a Thanksgiving Appetizer!
Enjoy!

Come follow me on Pinterest.
There's always something fun going on!

Linking to:
Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style
Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

A New Cottage Project!

Big Announcement!

I'm so excited!

You may remember this post about our cottage in Michigan...

Or this one...

or this one...

We have had a blast renovating this cottage over the last several years.  

We have made new friends in our new neighborhood 

and have fallen in love with the area.  

You can see why...

So you can imagine our excitement when

good friends of ours bought the cottage next door to us! 

And the renovations have begun!

Here's what the two cottages looked like about 7 years ago, 

when we first bought ours, and before any renovations.

Ours is the one on the right, and man was it ugly....

It makes the cottage our friends just bought (on the left below) look like a palace!

Fast forward to this fall.

Lots of exciting plans are in the works to make the best use of the space 

and to give it the TLC it deserves.

Unfortunately, it has to get even uglier before it gets better.

Here is the cottage as it looks this week!

Outside work is a priority now- lots to do before the weather gets too wintry.

Back view

Layers of old siding have been removed, making way for clean new siding, 

roofing repairs are being made, and doors and windows are being relocated.

A new deck will be added too- with an extra cute railing design.

Lots of nice trim being added and some old elements restored.

And that's just the beginning! 

I'll share more as things happen.  

It's going to be wonderful!

Stay tuned!

Linking to:
Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style