I like words

At my Christmas party last year a friend said to me, "You like words, huh?" As I looked around the condo I noticed he was right.

There's Eat Drink and Be Merry gracing the dining room wall leading to the hallway.

And keep calm and carry on in the hallway leading to the dining room.  My sister said it is placed well because if I burn dinner I can always look at the poster and remind myself to keep calm.

Over the french doors leading to the living room there is a ski which instructs you to enter with a Christmas heart.

Again in the corner of the dining room more words. Inspired by London.

In the kitchen,  French words on the Steinlein print with the woman and her cats and dogs.

In the living room, the angel is made of newsprint. Lots and lots of words there.

All is calm all is bright above the doorway leading to the dining room.

And even the tray on display above the refrigerator has a menu written on it.

More words on the Chat Noir poster in the hallway, a gift from my friend Pauline.  I love it!

Yeah, I guess I like words.  Do you?

Percy is a TV star!

Percy was featured on the Boston television show Chronicle a week ago today. The TV station posted on their website that they were doing a show about Cats and they wanted viewer photos. I entered a photo of Percy and it was one of over five hundred entries.

I wasn't sure if I would be home the night the show aired so I DVR'd it. At the end of the show, I saw my photo. They picked my shot of Percy!

Percy doesn't seem to be too excited about his TV star status. I really hope he'll be discovered soon. It could be the start of a wonderful modeling career.

Here's the link to the website:

Percy the cool cat - Stoneham,MA, TheBostonChannel's u local Photo - u local, Your Boston Photos & Videos

Love is in the air

So it's Valentine's Day, a day for romance, for chocolates and flowers and mushy cards.  No Valentine for me this year.

But instead of being upset, I am thankful. I started thinking about all the people I have in my life . People who care about me as much as I care about them. It's not romantic love but the love of family and friendship. I am a lucky girl.

So Happy Valentine's Day to all of those special people who are in my life today and every day. I love you all!

Daytripping in Rhode Island

 I took a vacation day on Friday so I had a three day weekend.  This was very exciting to me. I feel like all I've been doing lately is work!

It all started when my friend Pauline sent me an email about the Kirk's Folly jewelry sale in Cranston, Rhode Island. She wanted to know if I wanted to go. Kirk's Folly had not held a warehouse sale in five years! Our friend Lori Lee was invited too.

Lori Lee and I had been to the sale a few times in the past.  We'd go to the sale and then to lunch in Providence.  We always lunched at the Union Station Brewery.

So Pauline, Lori Lee, and I headed to Cranston Friday morning. First, we made a stop at Starbucks and I am so glad we did because it would be a long time until we ate lunch.

Kirk's Folly is known for their jewelry but they also make frames, ornate boxes, candlesticks, clothing, hats, and scarves.

Their items are very unique. They are known for their crystal embellished jewelry. Angels and fairies are common themes in their pins, necklaces, and bracelets.

There's a little box with an angel. Valentine's gifts anyone?

There were more trays of pins than you could count. This sale ran like clockwork.  It was very well staffed. We were greeted at the door and given an angel pin and a plastic bag to put our treasures in. Staffers were available to answer questions and the checkout process was easy.

The clothes were made of the most beautiful fabrics.  I bought a scarf and 2 little capelets.

This is Jennifer Kirk, one of the company's founders. Her brother and sisters are also involved in this family business.  You may recognize Jennifer from her appearances on QVC.

I spoke with Jennifer and asked permission to take photos and blog about the sale.  She said, "Of course".

Another view of the beautiful glass items for sale. As items are sold, they are replaced with fresh merchandise.

This was just one small section of all the necklaces on display. They were arranged by color, all the blues together, then the greens, etc.

I could have used a fascinator for the royal wedding tea I hosted last year.

When we arrived the sale was not too crowded but it became more so the longer we were there.

Don't worry I will show you what I bought in a future post.

After lunch at the Union Station Brewery, we headed to Pastiche, a cafe/bakery located in the historic Federal Hill section of Providence. The reviews for this cafe/bakery were fantastic on the web.

I loved the decor at Pastiche.  There was a fireplace and a mural on the wall. The place is quite small but cozy.

We had coffee and split a vanilla bean cheesecake three ways. The cheesecake was phenomenal and I loved the graham cracker crust.  All of us took desserts home with us too.  I shared my rustic cranberry apple tart with my Dad and sister.  I served it warm with a creme anglaise and it was phenomenal. I will definitely return to Providence and Pastiche. It is only an hour away!

It's February and you know what that means!

Yes, February is the month of love. The month when I'll post anything and everything about love. Crazy love, romantic love, young love. 

If you need your love fix before my next post, please read my February 2011 and 2010 posts. Check out the side bar to the right to access them.

About the kitty love photo, I do not know the actual photographer and I can't remember where I found it. So unfortunately, no photo credit.

Til next time, Chatelaine

Meet the Kits- Molly, Naughty or Nice?

I know I always mention the kitties in my posts but I thought it might be fun for you to get to
know each one of them up close and personal. Today it's 10 year old Molly's turn.

Molly might look like an angel but that's an act.  She can be a little devil at times too. Her vet says she has a beautiful feminine face and I agree she is a real beauty.

I adopted Molly from a Petsmart in Tyngsoboro, MA.  She had been rescued from a trailer park in Hooksett, NH by an organization called Kitty Angels. Her name was Little Martha at the time and she was 6 months old.

Molly was my sole kitty for the first 7 years of her life.  We lived in a one bedroom apartment

with a wonderful screened balcony.  She spent lots of time outdoors on the balcony. It's the one thing I miss about that old fifth floor apartment.

Molly is quite the character.  She does not make much noise and in fact she rarely makes a sound.
Well, she likes to rip up newspaper and paper bags. I think she likes the sound it makes.

Since "the boys" moved in to the condo, Molly has one eye open at all times.

She never knows when she will be under attack. As the boys age, this will be less of a problem. Molly and I are patiently waiting for the juveniles to grow up.

Molly does have a mischievous side. She is the first one to investigate anything new at the condo.
She is a curious cat.

Occasionally she will mix it up with Oscar.  Percy tortures her and she does not want anything

to do with him.

After so much play and investigation, she is ready for her catnap. She takes several naps a day. Unfortunately, the boys have taken over the bed and she never gets a chance day or night to sleep there anymore.  It is quite sad that she has lost her status as the alpha cat. She still seems happy most days but still I feel bad for her.  After all, I am the one who brought the boys into the condo without asking her opinion.

I am still holding out hope that there will be peace in the household in the future.

Stream of Consciousness Blogging

Sometimes I do not have enough thoughts or opinions on a particular subject to create a good blogpost so I don't blog. I've decided to write sort of stream of consciousness just so I can keep in touch with my readers and blog more frequently. So here goes:

Today I had a pleasant surprise when I went to a coffee shop I rarely frequent. The baristas make beautiful designs in their lattes! This is my mocha latte and it was as delicious as it was pretty.Oh yeah, the shop is aptly named Creations.  They're located on Main Street in Wakefield if you are in the neighborhood.

I hate watching political debates. I usually like each candidate a little less after hearing them speak.

My love hate relationship continues with the hard wired smoke detectors in my condo.

I think I need to make my bed less comfortable as I am finding it extremely difficult to get up in the morning. Perhaps the cashmere flannel sheets will have to go. Sniff, sniff!

Most days I think I would rather work with animals instead of people.

I lost a follower, wondering who and why?

I hate to admit it but I watch The Bachelor. And this season's group of women are especially psycho.

I am ecstatic that the Patriots made it to the Super Bowl even though it was an ugly win.

Hope everyone has a great week!