my favorite overall interior

I love it all especially the neutral tone walls and colorful art and accents! (the perfect mix of old and new too).

charleston cottage

white, rustic and modern

The following are shared ideas and article-power of white- for a friend. These are for you MS - esp. the white and green bedroom reminds me of yours....

another one

Here is another great example of old and new from Cookie magazine pasadena house. I love the prints in the kitchen seating area, kids rooms. Love it all. My fav. home mags Domino and Cottage Living - are no longer being published so I don't have my monthly inspiration any more. Also, I cannot share some of those ideas online but have them sitting right in front of me(kept the old mags that I cannot part with) too many good things... Darn.

new and old

I have always been drawn towards old or antique furniture, objects, etc. It's in my blood and was around it as a child going antiquing with my mother at a small age. Lots of great memories. But when I married an architect things swayed a bit more modern. I was out of my comfort zone for awhile and learned to appreciate it through him and while working for a interior designer - they both taught me lots about clean lines and the simplicity of forms, which I now love more than anything. So at our house I try to blend the two and sometimes things get out of balance - too much of one look. I quite like it to make a more sparse look feel more homey with an older piece whether it's a vintage lamp, artwork, print, basket for books, table, etc. I came across this mixing old and new article that had some great tips. There is not a right or wrong obviously but putting your personal stamp on what you love in your home - a reflection of you (colors, patterns, materials).

curry

If you like curry at all, you should try this dish cashew curry recipe. I have a fav. food site called 101 cookbooks and have always admired the dishes she posts. I have never taken one on (from this site) quite frankly cause I forget about it but need to remember it big time. But this one is so good and you can use the left over veggies as a side for another meal.

DELISH!

FLIP FLOPS

If I had to pick a favorite shoe ever, this would be it. As as child I never liked to wear shoes so I guess this is the next best thing between your feet and the ground. I picked a few favorite styles and each come in lots of colors. My ultimate favorite is the Reef pair since they have a bit of arch support and you can buy them in two packs. Bang for your buck if you wear them year round like I do. Also, you can pick these up at any local store - J. Crew size and color permitting, and Nordstrom.

classic wedge flip flop
skinny flip flops
reef flip flops
havaianas
slim peacock

Coming out of the fog...

I have been lax on my posts due to some shifts in my children’s growing process and not having the time. Growing pains for all at the Sommers’ house. I have had one too many “Two Rivers” days as I call them – which refers to a local mental facility as I feel I am balancing my fragile state of mental health lately. I say this with humor as I am fine but I think we as mothers all have had those days where you are not sure you are getting through to anyone, let alone yourself.

My husband was out of town while some of these shifts have been occurring and upon his return I made a bee line to a bookstore for some “me time” and to locate some form of reference as a voice of reason. I felt like I was losing grip on what used to be a solid ground and sense of confidence as a parent but as your children age, each stage is different and some take you more off guard than others. This phase has thrown me for a loop. I think I have been in the trenches too long which goes to show how important it is to nurture, protect and preserve your self in the midst. A very tough balancing act and for some it is easier and easier at different phases in your life!

After a couple hours break, I felt like a new shiny penny. I found what probably most of you know about and I did know about and even picked it up one day. It wasn’t really what I needed at the time but LET ME JUST SAY IT WAS JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ordered for me and my family- Parenting with Love & Logic by Foster Cline and Jim Fay. (updated and expanded edition). I sat down with my beverage of choice, Starbuck’s mocha, and read the first few pages – “You had me at hello”…….is all I have to say. I know most of you may even have a copy but I highly recommend it if you don’t. I believe there is one for teens for those with older children. I read a few pages then scanned some more but came a across a sentence which I felt relieved to come across, basically it was never too late to implement their philosophy, whew!

A must have manual and constant companion for all parents!!! Hallelujah!

P.S. Did I mention my sweet husband walked in from his trip carrying a bottle of my favorite wine, an orchid, and lovely bar of soap. Sweet man-o-mine!

super roasted chicken

I had never roasted a chicken before I learned of this recipe-roasted chicken. I guess I was intimidated by the size and time involved but it turned out super and I have made it several times. This dish is perfect for holiday family get togethers or dinner at home during the week - such as tonight for my family. Tip - if you can find a whole chicken with the neck and giblets removed, all the better. You can find locally at 135th Super Target, of all places. One chicken can easily feed a family of four. If you have leftovers, it would be great for one of the recipes also on the site, chicken enchiladas, which I have also made - yum.

best tank top

for layering of course. Never alone - atleast for me - way too revealing of "my stuff" but I have to refresh ever few years cause I wear them year round under tops as sort of my girdle to smooth things out, if you know what I mean. Kind of my clothing security blanket. But I hadn't bought one in maybe two or three years and just recently bought two and were still "my
favorite tank" hence the name.

One stop shop

YES TO ALL.....
square neck tee
bubble tank
pique shift
pique v-neck dress
danielle sandals
athena sandals
boyfriend jacket
sparkle necklace
ripstop pants

skirt and top for all times

I love this seamed circle skirt mainly because you can wear it during the day or at night. Day time with a basic tee and dressier top for evening. I also like this rustled breeze top for the same reason -with jeans as shown on model. May be too flowy to wear the two together but who knows? Busy times around here with spring so my posts my dwindle a bit.

SALE

FYI - I am on a mailing list for various vendors for sales, etc. The GAP is having a big sale on lots of goodies for the whole family and Boden is having a 25% on EVERYTHING for TODAY ONLY. You can't beat some of these deals lately. I have a $20.00 coupon I may need to use for Boden today and really get a great deal. I will let you know when I do get some of these promotions as they come up, it really can make a difference.

A side note with Boden, if you have never ordered before, the quality of the clothes is great and well outlasts two rounds of hand me downs - for the kids. So it is money well spent especially if you have same sex siblings. The sizes run true to size on most. I think the sizing has gotten better over the last couple years especially the children's clothing. Now on the women's clothing, I always order up on the larger end of my size range since things "just fit". Check out the sizing guide if you are in doubt - the sizes are configured over to US sizes and they are great on returns and exchanges. A favorite of mine for myself and my girls.

For coffee and wine lovers

We recently bought these new mugs and wine glasses since we either have a few mismatched or have broken them. For me, drinking coffee out of a huge bowl or trough rather is quite a treat. I now look even more forward to coffee in the morning knowing that I'll be using this. Seems to make it taste better.

The wine glasses are fragile and are made of a very thin glass but we could not resist. Yes, unfortunately we need to have our designated drinks labeled for our coffee drinking and wine drinking, I guess we get that tired. We wouldn't want to confuse the two. Ha.

I should also mention that the coffee mugs have a cute cream and sugar to go along, must buy separately. The wine glasses have a carafe too. All great gift ideas for anyone getting married this spring.

Tried, tested, and approved

Bibimap-I subscribe to this fresh and chock full of goodness magazine, Cookie, and it is geared for parents but has great articles for everyone. This month has a couple really good recipes using eggs. My husband has high cholesterol so I have to use them sparingly but I do think eggs are a great meat and protein alternative. In addition, I am trying to branch out and try ground turkey instead of my go to meat, chicken. So in this recipe, I used ground turkey and I was skeptical at first, but it tasted great and was not at all greasy like beef. This dish comes together quick and although the ingredients sound strange, it some how works and was a home run especially with us grown-ups. I set aside the meat and rice for the girls and did not assemble like ours, as they are extremely picky. If you are a vegetarian you could use tofu or a meat substitute when it calls for turkey, beef, etc. Another tip, I used long grain brown rice and steamed the vegetables. Give it a try, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

flat sandals

I think I got you covered on a large selection of flat sandals. I am not into the current trend of the "gladiator" sandal look so I tried for more simple, basic, not overly embellished, and all under $100.00 -tho one is right under.

gigi flats
dolce vita
shore flat
mystique flat
jala flat
cocobelle flats
journal flat
steph flat
greta 2 flat
gratefully sandal
summer patent sandal
jaya sandal
nita sandal
jeff sandal
cofie sandal
amelia slide
calappa thongs
liquid metal sandals
iced coffee sandal

Top for spring

Tunic - love all the colors - to pair with favorite jeans and sandals. Also, nice earrings in the aquamarine color.

All I have to say is...

d*** this is a cool concept. Go visit www.hautelook.com, I just read about it in the April 2009 Real Simple issue. I accepted the terms of the site which I am not entirely sure to what extent I agreed to but to be on the safe side, I am not going to say anything more about it but move now and see.

just for now

We had the priviledge of visiting this beautiful place, rosemary beach, fl

Food inspriration

I recently met a close friend in Lawrence, KS for lunch with my girls at Milton’s. I ordered the huevos rancheros and it was so good. I took a stab at making something similar at home and it turned out great. Most of the ingredients are items you may have but can easily buy at the store. It’s a meal you can fix anytime of day, filling, and healthy.

Makes 4 tortillas

4 Large eggs -Prepare scrambled eggs according to your liking
4 flour or whole wheat tortillas
1 can of black beans rinsed and drained
1 small can of green chilies drained
½ c. or more bottled salsa
1 ½ c. Monterey jack cheese

My measurements are not exact as I just eyeball what looks enough so add more if you would like more.

Preheat oven to 350. Once you have scrambled the eggs, then I take a spoonful of egg and put on flat tortilla, add a spoonful of black beans, and pour a bit of salsa on top, maybe 1 TBS.

Then I roll up and place fold side down on a greased glass Pyrex cooking pan. Once I have prepared all four tortillas following the steps above, then I sprinkle cheese and spread the green chilies on top. Place pan in the oven for 15 minutes or until the cheese has melted. I served this for dinner the other night with some fresh fruit. A quick and easy meal.

Unruly hair remedy

So I wanted to share some great hair secrets for those with wild, untamable manes. My hair has gotten extra curly, wavy, and frizzy since having children. After trying many,and I do mean many, products I think I have found a great mix and concoction to remedy the bozo hair. Keep in mind, these products are not for those who have fine, thin, tend to be oily, or naturally straight haired. Your hair would be plastered to your head if you used this…..only for those with “the wilds” and lots of it. It’s a lot of work some may say, but I am finally at peace with it so it’s worth it. Also, all this will take around ten minutes.

Okay, so the shampoo and conditioner– I wash my hair every other day and sometimes every third- it truly does make a difference. Then I add to wet hair Moroccan oil-the Holy Grail for bozo frizz tendency hair - about a pea size and rub in my hands and go more to the unruly parts in my hair. Then I add about a dime size of hang straight -rub in hands – add to my hair, blow dry, flat iron, (are you worn out yet?), then finish with gloss. I am offering this advice to you all out there who need the advice. My hair stylist totally gets my hair and thankfully cuts and advises me on what to put on it that will suit it. The Moroccan oil was her latest trick. It’s amazing and has a nice subtle smell.