About a Blog

I've been blogging for nearly 3 years. And I think it's quite the task to define my blog as I go back over more than 300 posts.

My original intention was to start a blog to showcase my photography. Then I posted photographs with stories. Then it became more personal and I began to tell more stories about my life. I added a playlist and tried to match the songs to the posts.

I think I only did three rants on my blog. One was about my car accident in 2009, one was about things going wrong at the condo I own, and the last one was about Sears because they deserve it.



From reading my blog, you may guess I am a foodie. I will not divulge my approximate weight gain since I started blogging! From my blog you will also discover I am coffee obsessed and enjoy an occasional spot of tea.




Mostly, you will discover that I share my home with my 3 cats, love my family and friends, have quite a sense of humor and can't imagine living anywhere but New England.

Click on the button on the sidebar to visit Sarah at Modern Country Style and read all about the Define Your Blog party.

Talking about a Revolution(ary) Event

A sunshine filled Saturday morning and the first warm temps in a while coupled with a historic reenactment. I am in my element!



This morning I attended the Bedford Polecapping Ceremony and Colonial Parade. All of the parade units assembled on the lawn of a historic church. The groups had time to socialize before the event.



It was a photographer's dream. There was opportunity to get in close to the action and take candids of everyone in their period costumes.



Love the hat and the jacket.



Young children participated too.



I wish you could hear the beautiful sounds from the day. The fifers and drummers just added to the historic feeling of the event.




One last bonnet check before showtime!



Oops, I got caught snapping this photo.



It's not easy to capture the moment a musket fires! I sure wish that car didn't park there.



Smoke from the muskets hung in the air.




This unit is always in step.




The sound of the drum went right through me.




A tricornerd hat was the fashion must have of the day.



Women played a role in the day's activities too.



During the invocation, the reverend mentioned that today's event would be romantic and joyous but the real events were messy, violent, and painful.




The pole is readied for the ceremony.




The climber gets ready. He will climb to the top of the pole and place the knitted red liberty cap he is wearing on the top of the pole.




He begins his ascent.




He must climb quickly.



One must be strong and agile.



The cap is placed atop the pole.



A quick fist pump to his audience.



He moves quickly down the pole....



Only to be met by the Brits who did not appreciate his act of defiance. The audience boos the Brits.



What's this? A British VIP who proceeds to roast the local officials and the crowd.




He was very entertaining and of course he had to mention the narrowly avoided government shutdown which nearly shut down some of the day's historic events at the national parks. Wouldn't that have been ironic?

My Spring Fashion Picks

With warmer temps around the corner, it's time to get out of the winter woolies and into something more figure flattering. Here's what I'm loving right now.

A nice business look from Ann Taylor.



This cool purple jacket is from J Peterman. A nice transition from Winter to Spring.



This gray wrap dress is a traffic stopper. It's from Spiegel. I haven't shopped there in years but I do love their catalog.




This dress is called Sutton Place amd it's by J Peterman. I think it would be flattering on most body types and you can twirl in it!




I would wear this on the weekends. Casual but not sloppy from J Jill.

Guess I'm not into the bright colors of Spring quite yet. It takes time to transition.

So which item would you buy for your wardrobe?

Live Event Painting- A wedding in Newport, Rhode Island

Just thought I would share another one of my sister's live event paintings. For any of you who are new readers, my sister paints at events like weddings and parties.

She paints most of the event as it is happening and then puts the finishing touches on it in her studio. The recipient receives a painting depicting their wedding, party, etc.


This painting portrays the wedding of Serena and Jonathan, a young couple who got married in Newport, Rhode Island last Fall. I took a shot of the entire painting so you can see all the goings on at the reception.



This style of painting is not supposed to be detailed. But as you look at the various sections of the painting you will see many details. Look at the clothing.
the glasses of wine, food on the plates.



I like the blond woman's hair and the man next to her. He was looking down when my sister was painting the guests at that table.



The bride and groom dancing their first dance as husband and wife.



And a man tries to capture the moment with his camera. Nothing escapes my sister's eye or paintbrush!




Even a waitress carrying plates is added to the scene.



One of the bride's sisters and her flowergirl daughters. I love how my sister captured the dress. You can see shadow and light, you can tell the bodice is pleated.




The band is, of course, in the painting.





And a closer look at Serena and Jonathan.



Another one of Serena's sisters and other family members.



A snippet of one of the tables.




A broader view.




And again, the finished product. To learn more or inquire about live event painting for your special event, please email me at chatelaine08@gmail.com .

Bath product addiction

I admit it! I have a bath product obsession.

My favorite and everyday-go-to-product is Philosophy's Amazing Grace shower gel and shampoo. It smells clean yet has a bit of girliness to it. Most days I will reach for this bottle. This fragrance and the other 2 listed below are my personal favorites because their scents are not overwhelming. I think I previously mentioned that I have a bloodhound sense of smell and most fragrances give me a headache.



Occasionally I will treat myself to a bottle of L'Occitane's Green Tea shower gel.
This is another clean scent and I love it.



If I want a little variety I go for Moonlight Path by Bath and Body Works. I layer the shower gel with the body lotion for longer lasting fragrance. This reminds of the Sunshine shower gel Bath and Body used to carry but discontinued many years ago. I loved that fragrance. Moonlight Path is a close second. I even have some wall plug ins with the Moonlight Path scent.

There you have it, my top 3 fragrances. Care to share your faves with me?

Mosaic Monday- Winter, Goodbye to You!

1. Lake Quannapowitt in Wakefield, 2. Drummer, 3. Wakefield , 4. Shelter from the Storm, 5. Downtown Melrose this morning, 6. Midnight Velvet Cake, 7. January 2011 snowstorm , 8. January 2011 snowstorm , 9. January 2011 snowstorm

It's officially Spring, yeah! So where are the warmer temperatures? When I woke up this morning it was 29 degrees outside!

Here's my ode to Winter, goodbye to you! It was a brutal season, the snowiest I can remember in my lifetime. We had ice storms and snowstorms and thundersnow. It cost my little condo association loads of money. About $1000 in snowplowing bills, $400 to have the flat roof shoveled, and another $750 in roof repairs. At least, our roof didn't collapse.

Still, newly fallen snow is one of the most beautiful things in the world! But I've seen enough of that kind of beauty and I am looking forward to the warmth of Spring.


Check out Mosaic Monday at Little Red Schoolhouse and view other participants' mosaics.