Today is the first day of Spring and I’m just giddy with spring fever! It has been a long grueling winter and nothing feels more like Spring than Tulips!
Did you know tulips are one of the few flowers that keep growing after they are cut? Here are a few tips to keep your tulips looking good for days!
* Re-cut stems running them under cool water as they are cut
* Use cool water in your vase
* Add a shiny copper penny in bottom of vase (copper is a mineral that tulips thrive on)
* replace water every day

Embrace the dancing effect your tulips will have as they continue to grow!
Stop by the showroom this week and pick up a new vase to display your dancing tulips………what a terrific way to celebrate Spring!

I’m considering painting my mudroom a new color, the color of ……………mud!  We’re  enjoying the true signs of spring here in Connecticut today, there’s a light rain failing and the thermometer reads a whopping 50 degrees! With the tease of spring in the air also comes the reality of what is on our doorstep, spring mud!  This pass December our family acquired a new puppy.  Corralling two dogs to dry off before they enter the house is a challenge to say the least, especially one that is just learning the ropes! Needless to say, unless I install a ‘doggie wash’ outside the mudroom door I will be a slave to keeping my mudroom clean this spring.

Ten years ago, I added a mudroom and back porch to the house, complete with cubbies, benches, plentiful closets and beadboard from floor to ceiling for an easy scrub down!  While the beadboard is durable and easy to clean, I painted it Ben Moore’s White Dove,  perfect for a bright and cheerful space ……….but shows every little spatter of mud and dirt and  that has gotta change.

two glazing options

So, what color will hide a multitude of sins and not make me a slave to the mudroom?  Well, I would like to keep the space bright and light, so any ’solid’ paint will show sins.  Instead I am considering glazing the beadboard giving the room an antiqued look as well as a way to hide smudges and an occasional shake out of a muddy dog!

Benjamen Moore has a fun application on their website, Virtual Fan Deck now, keep in mind that it is difficult to really see a color on your computer but this fan deck coupled with Personal Color Viewer gives you the freedom to do some exploring on how your room will look before you start slapping paint on the walls and trim.

As a far as what colors to glaze? Well, just about any color can be used as a base for glazing.  Paint your color of choice on a scrap piece of wood or beadboard and glaze as a test run.  Keep in mind the glaze cuts the intensity of the color, you will most likely find the color you need to start with is not a color you would have ever chosen.  Glazing comes in many different colors, I’ll be choosing one in ‘mud’ family!

Saturday morning as the heavens opened up once again and a mix of rain and sleet fell from the sky, I growled.  I’ve just had enough.  This winter weather is getting old.  I rolled my eyes took the dogs out and started chipping ice and snow from the sidewalk wishing for spring to arrive ….. that moment! I began to dream of escaping to any place that offered sandy beaches, alluring sunsets and soft breezes.  I find it kinda funny how your mind can wander.  As I threw another chunk of ice over my shoulder, only to have in crash back into the sidewalk I was trying clear, I thought of my friend Dina.  Dina enjoys warm sunny walks year round.  Recently as I was complaining once again about the nasty weather with a Facebook posting, she playful told me ‘lighten up’.  Yeah, Dina’s right I need to ‘lighten up’ stop my belly-achen’ and just get on with life, or better yet another design blog!

So, here’s to my friend Dina, I’m ‘lightening up!’…….let’s talk lighting.

As I’ve said time and time again, lighting is one of the most important elements in creating a successful room. Various levels of lighting, mixing task lighting with general lighting and finishing with some accent lighting, are exactly what you need to carefully address a effective design.   Choosing the lighting for you space is and should be fun and exciting.  Maybe even toss aside the old fashion rules we learned about lighting and try something new!

Mix and Match the flanking lamps on either side of your bed or sofa.  If two different lamps are too far outside your comfort zone change out one of the shades.  Check out these examples of mixing lamps………

Over scale the Dining Room Chandelier!

Here’s a good rule of thumb, 3″ for each foot of ceiling height and 12″ less than the width of the dining table.  In other words for a 9′ ceiling with a 42″ table you would use a 27″ high X 30″ wide chandelier.  Now, rules are made to be broken! Add a few inches to the height, consider a long or unique shape.  The chandelier in a dining room can’t be missed when you enter a space it’s hanging right in the middle of the room so have some fun with it! Check out some of my favortites!

Use chandeliers in unexpected places, bathrooms, bedrooms…….. how about a laundry room? Heck if you’ve gotta be doing laundry let’s at least make the best of it! Wouldn’t it be fabulous to fold laundry under this?

Another unexpected placement for lighting is inside a bookcase! Its a great way to splash a little glow into a traditionally dark area.  Use battery operated lamps or drill access through the cabinet to accept a plug.  Likewise add lamps to bathrooms where space allows, remember layering the light contributes to the rooms success!

It’s bitterly cold here in Connecticut today, but the sun is shining……..and my mood has definitely lightened.  I think I’ll search out a great fixture for the living room today, it’s guaranteed to brighten my day!

Since January 1st I have shoveled, swept, brushed, thrown and scooped over five feet of snow.  As I finished digging out from yet another 19″ this morning I began brainstorm about ways I could become inspired and not discouraged, by Mother Natures latest gift.

As I jammed the snow shovel into my seven foot pile of snow, I turned and saw my inspiration.  Life through the eyes of a child, there was my son digging out the snow fort he and my husband (aka my oldest child) had built in the last snow storm.  ”Wow Mom! Isn’t this great? I could like……… live in here!” ………My imagination began to run, how would one design the interior of a snow fort?

Truthfully, this isn’t a unique idea.  The IceHotel in  Jukkasjärvi, Sweeden just north of the Arctic Circle is a design master piece!  Artisans from all over the world, build this 5500 square foot work of art with ice from the Torne River.  Each year this magnificent treasure can only be appreciated in person until March, at which time the warm spring sun slowly converts the hotel from crystals back to running water returning to the Torne River.

Ice is a unique material to sculpt, in my years as an art student I can’t think of any substance or product with the delicacy, yet strength that ice offers.  The artist can use chain saws, water picks, files and hot water.  The ice can be finished  to appear frosty,  for a  strong, solid appearance or polished to a high gloss clear surface giving a fine, fragile facade.

Blocks of ice become everyday items needed to adorn a hotel, chairs, beds, tables and more.  It’s hard to imagine being comfortable in a ice chair, although they might be a touch more appealing with a warm fur throw.  Lighting is a challenge in these ice castles,  ice chandeliers give a completely new meaning to ‘crystal’  These works of art have wire bases and fiber optics running through them, the sparkle gives Swarovski  Crystal some serious competition.  The architectural wonders  arches , ice columns  or barrel vaulted ceilings are created all out of ice, leave visitors in awe, forgetting their frigid zero degree surroundings.  Imagine, something so fascinating that you would actually forget the cold? Maybe we need an ice castle here in Connecticut!

I’ve started turning on my computer each morning, and visiting the countdown calendar to spring.  You can bet your snow shovels I’ll be dancin’ in the streets at the sight of that first crocus!

I won’t be designing a Ice Castle any time soon, although with 5 feet of snow, maybe Joey and I will build a ‘grand’ entrance at the end of  the sidewalk today…..its gotta look better than the  9 foot piles of snow currently there!

The holiday season is here in all its sparkling glory! I will admit, my Christmas spirit has had a dull start this year. I have been dragging my feet decorating the house, avoiding holiday shopping and changing the station when the Carols began to boom out of my car stereo, bottom line…. I was in a funk.  Tuesday night that all changed here in Connecticut, CBS aired Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. My kids are now 18 and 12 years old, and sadly they have lost interest in the Holiday Special. Yet somehow Burl Ives belting out Silver and Gold, never grows old for me. Wednesday morning came, and I was humming the classic as I was making the coffee. By Thursday I was searching for Silver and Gold ideas to share!

Silver and Gold is a beautiful combination, if not a perfect combination. Silver alone can have cold, frosty look, while Gold on its own can become brassy and formal. The blend of the two although is the perfect balance. Additionally Silver and Gold together work beautifully with just about any additional accent color!

Your new Silver and Gold purchases this holiday season shouldn’t be a flash in the pan just for the holiday season!  These ideas are sure to continue to accent your decor for many other occasions!

* Mix Silver, Nickel, Glass, Brass and Gold candlesticks, use various heights. These make a fabulous mantel  decorations and perfect center pieces for the dining table. Use different styles and shapes. The beauty of these  ‘decorations’ they are seasonless……use them year round! You can start out with just a few this season and as  the years tick along add candlesticks as you find them!

* Create Table Runners or Table Squares with the silver and gold theme! Consider using home design fabrics,  some of my favorite lines are Kravet, Schumacher, Duralee, and Fabricut.  These fabric lines will offer unique  patterns, textures and trim options that will surely create  an end result that will dazzle!  Allow your creativity  to shine as you design these table dressings.  If your taste is simple and clean lines are your comfort zone, you  may want to choose a beautiful silk  banded in a complimentary fabric, use a understated cording to separate the two fabrics and your done.  Like a little more ‘Wow’ factor in your table dressing? Run wild with your design!   Use an ‘over the top’ center fabric, something you would only use in small doses, band this with another fun, outrageous fabric and stack up unconventional trims!  Your personality will sparkle!  This runner can be used for New Years Dinner, A Bridal Shower, Anniversary Dinner or a Christening Reception! Not to mention just about any classic dinner party it will be perfect with my china and flatware are silver, gold and white!  No time to create these beauties yourself? Fear not,you can purchase ready made runners and table squares!……….and I know just the showroom to order those from!

*You may have some of these accessories in your home already…….if not, when purchasing  these your Silver and Gold, consider how these will fit into your everyday decor.

• *Create a display of silver and gold frames, for a holiday twist fill them with nostalgic holiday cards and photos.
• *Add a few throw pillows with the silver and gold theme.
• *Use mirrored trays to show off your displays.  You’ll double your dose of silver and gold in the reflections!
• *Fill Silver and Gold bowls with holiday greens
• *Display your holiday cards in a Silver and Gold Box

“Silver & Gold ……….Everyone wishes for Silver & Gold”  Don’t just wish for a little Silver and Gold this holiday season, add it to your holiday decor and watch as ……….. “Silver and gold how they shimmer on ev’ry Christmas night”……….

One can enjoy a wood fire worthily only when he warms his thoughts by it as well as his hands and feet.

~Odell Shepherd

It arrived last weekend. It’s heavy, black, intricately patterned and required a lot of huffing & puffing to install it.  It was met with great resistance on my behalf! It is messy, time consuming and isn’t necessarily fitting into my overall design scheme of the family room.

It is a wood burning stove, something my Prince has wanted since we built our house 11 years ago.   He loves the dry heat and stoking the fire.  I’ll even venture to say he enjoys splitting the logs, a very manly thing to do! It was easy for me to line up the excuses when the kids were young……..’Sweetheart, what if the kids touch the stove?’ or …….’Love, the thermostat is in that room the rest of the house will be freezing!’  He has even had my Dad lecturing me about adding the stove, cost savings etc.

So the time has finally come that the kids are older and three heating zones have been installed in the house, and I’m out of excuses.   As all good wives do, I did my best to embrace my husbands latest addition to our home, it not too bad.  Something I won’t admit to my Prince or my Dad.   There is the savings to be had, one cord of wood equals 150 gallons of oil on average, a difference of approximately $175.00.  Wonder what I can purchase with the newly found cash?  The stove does show the flames in the door so I haven’t lost my love of seeing the roaring fire.   Still most importantly the addition has opened up a new design challenge! Design challenges are something I live for!

We discovered quite quickly with the location of the stove in the family room cooking away at 75 degrees, the dining room dropped to a chilly 60 degrees.  Basically the family room is a ‘dead end’ and air can’t circulate out of the room.  That’s where my design challenge was created!

I needed to come up with a creative, reasonably priced way to add a second opening to the room.  The room (pictured below) has three exterior walls and one interior wall.  Sounds easy enough, add another cased opening……problem…the only remaining wall backs up to the staircase to the second floor.  I toyed with the idea of having the landing also open to the family room.  This of course was quickly ruled out, by the cost and doubly when I realized my future built-ins wouldn’t be able to happen.

So I started flipping through design books, looking for inspiration and came up empty handed.  I riffled through past issues of This Old House, as always I found great projects & homes with great technical guidance but still not the perfect solution.  The stove needed a fresh load of wood, so aside I set my books and magazines and headed out to the porch for a load.  As I stood on the porch I could see inside my husband’s workshop………that’s where my inspiration was found.   I loaded up the stove and headed to the shop.  I picked up moulding pieces, iron brackets and planks of antique chestnut ……… creative juices started flowing! As I moved the chestnut pieces I saw a stack of old shutters and there was my solution!

I found a petite shutter, it was perfect in every way the paint was crazed, it was weather beaten and it was a perfect size.  I paired the shutter with the antique chestnut and began designing a window for the stairwell wall.   This would be perfect!  The shutter would give me the ability to control sound moving up the stair case.  The antique chestnut would be a beautiful sill and with the combinations of mouldings I could create a unique surround for the ‘window’.  Design Challenge solved!

Now, my Prince is also my carpenter for hire.  So the status today is the hole is cut, opening framed and sheetrock repaired.  This week I hope the mouldings go up, walls painted and shutter installed……..I promise to post an update!

It’s 20 degrees outside tonight, brutally cold……but not in the here.   Ashley has taken up residency in front of the stove and is knitting a scarf.  Joe & Joey are curled up watching abc Family and I typing away here on my laptop.  Besides the cost savings and warmth there is another bonus to the wood stove ………….. we’re all together in the family room.  Best bonus ever!

In 2005 I hosted my first Thanksgiving Dinner.  It was a picture perfect day, the kind you only read about in Readers Digest short stories!  A good solid week after Thanksgiving and I was still reminiscing about the day, talking about how fabulous the day was, and smiling with each memory.   I couldn’t let another day go by without jotting down the memories, it has always amazed me how quickly we can forget……..   For a handful of friends and family I shared my memories in a Christmas Letter.  It was such a hit, many asked if a letter was coming the following year, and so the tradition began.  The letters have transformed into showing a different perspective on this holiday season.

So here it is folks, my 2009 Christmas Letter……Merry Christmas!

Laughter on one’s lips is a sign that the person down deep has a pretty good grasp of life.

~Hugh Sidey

Over a decade ago on a brisk November weekend, my Mom cleaned out the master bedroom closet.  She took it upon herself to toss the ‘junk’ that just was not needed anymore.  Trust me; my Dad likes to hold on to his ’stuff’ for a very long time “Ya never know when you might need it” he says.  Well, as instructed my dad took the ‘toss’ pile to the dump.  He was about ready to pitch the bag at the dump when something caught his eye…..a tweedy, ragged, tattered sleeve.  He leaned into the bag curious; he recognized the coloring but could not place what he saw. So he reached in deep and pulled his favorite sweater out of the garbage bag.  He held it up, his eyebrows knitted with confusion, and thought, “Why would she throw this out? It’s a perfectly good sweater!” Now, my Dad has a unique definition of ‘perfectly good’.  The elbows of the sweater were completely blown out, the neck is frayed, tar (yes, tar) is permanently smudged on the front, and  when he did wear it, it sat three inches above his waist! Still, in his mind it was still a ‘perfectly good’ sweater.  He folded the sweater, and placed it in the cab of the truck.  Some men would have returned home with a tongue lashin’ about the sweater, not my Dad instead he saw an opportunity! His eyes danced with mischief as he thought of how he could playfully seek revenge…………

My Dad is a simple man, hence come simple gifts. Dad’s Christmas gifts are almost always practical, except for the year of ‘perfectly good sweater’ disposal.  It was a typical Christmas morning his girls, son-in-laws and granddaughter gathered around the tree, ripping through presents.  Dad seemed particularly excited that morning; he almost resembled a child, keeping one special box tucked under his chair.  When all the gifts were exchanged, my Dad waded thought the sea of torn wrapping paper and boxes, and presented Mom with one last gift.  Mom tore through the wrapping paper to find a ‘Macy’s’ box.  She sat there for a minute stunned at first, then excitedly squealed ‘You went to MACY’S for me?!” Honest to God, I think I saw her eyes well up with tears.  With her face beaming, she jerked the box top off; and pulled back the tissue. Her  glowing face quickly clouded over, as she pulled from the Macy’s box the ‘perfectly good sweater’.  The roar of laughter shook the house; you see Mom had told all of us back in November she finally tossed Dad’s sweater, without him knowing!

My Dad has a great sense of humor. His laugh is contagious, paired with his twinkling eyes and his recently ‘gone white’ beard, he resembles Santa Clause himself.  The year of the ‘perfectly good sweater’ Dad was Santa.  Although, my Mom may argue that it wasn’t the gift she ‘asked’ for, it most indeed was.  Dad gave not only Mom, who by the way did laugh until she cried, but all of us the gift of laughter.

The sweater keeps popping up every few years.  My sister Kimberly received it at her bridal shower, it was in the Yankee Swap pile one year……..At this point I’m not even sure who the last recipient was, but it’s gotta be surfacing soon! Along with the gift of laughter……..

This gift doesn’t come wrapped in a beautiful box, unless of course it’s the ‘perfectly good sweater’. No the gift of laughter is the sweetest when it’s unexpected.  When this gift can be received without inhibitions, then the recipient does have a ‘good grasp on life’.

Will you share the gift of laughter this Christmas season?  You can bet your Santa hat we will.

Warmest Christmas Blessing to All………..and a good Laugh!

~The Davenport Family

At Christmas all roads lead home. ~Marjorie Holmes

Let me paint a picture…………

It’s December 24th, 4pm.  The dinner table is set, delectable aromas float from the kitchen and the tree is filled with twinkling lights.  Guests begin to arrive, hugs and kisses are  intermingle with the pass off of heavenly dishes  and stacks of gifts.  Grandma yells ‘No running!’ as children weave through the crowd with cheeks rosy red, filled with excitement and anticipation.  The snow is beginning to fall, its going to be a white Christmas…….Grandpa laughs and belts out a “I’m dreaming of  a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know…. where the tree tops glisten & children listen……..” just as one of the babes run into his knee.

Then there is this picture on the other side of the world……….

It’s December 25th 4pm, a solider walks the streets of Iraq, his holiday meal was acceptable but not Mama’s roast and potatoes.  He greets a young child with a kind smile and a small gift …….. he misses his own children. His body aches, and his feet are sore.  A sigh,  and with a chuckle he says “Aw, what I’d do to stretch out on the sofa and watch ‘Elf‘ with the kids!”  Back to the base he goes as the sun sets, fully knowing his family is just staring their holiday celebration.  He wonders if his wife is wearing his favorite red sweater, is his Uncle Dave having his annual playful argument with Aunt Sue?  Did his brother ask his girlfriend to marry him? ………….

So many families are missing a loved one this Holiday season.  Two years ago I sat across an empty place setting at the dinner table. I wondered how my Cousin Mike, a Chief in Navy Reserves  was enjoying his holiday meal.  Joe and I did the best we could to make Mike’s three kids and terrific wife have a great holiday. It was the least we could do for Mike, he like many were giving so much……….Still we couldn’t replace him.

There is a very special gift arriving tonight and tomorrow morning here in Connecticut! No Santa won’t be sliding down the chimney with this one, there is no way the recipients will want to wait till Christmas morning.  You see, this gift is the Connecticut National Guard (specifically 250th Engineer Co. & 1st Battalion, 102nd Infantry).  I am proud to share with you that my partner Ed & I, along with Suzi Craig of Fathom, CT Tweet Crawl and the Hartford Restaurant Group raised over $14,000.00 towards the Home for the Holidays effort.  Tomorrow morning we along with many others will welcome these guys and gals home.

Next time you pass a soldier at the mall, grocery store, or walking the streets of your home town ………… stop him or her and thank them for their service.  They give so much, give them the gift of thanks………….

Here’s a touching tribute to our service men & women.  Enjoy! Soldier’s Silent Night

………And through the barnyard gate
We seem to go extremely slow
It is so hard to wait……….

Uuuggghhhh…….holiday travel! It’s that time folks, pack the car, say a prayer and hit the road.  Oh, I feel for anyone who has to travel this week.  When my kids were much younger we had family living a couple hours away, every few years we’d make the trek on Christmas morning to have breakfast with them.  It was torturous some years!  Besides the stress of the holiday itself, I needed to think about prepping for a trip.  There was the midnight pantry hunt for snacks on Christmas Eve, or the sudden realization we didn’t have ‘blankey’ after we were on the road for 2o minutes!  Well, after a few years of complete havoc, Joe and I had the prep and trip down to a science.  Here’s a few fun ideas on how to take the stress out of traveling with your ‘bunchkins’ this holiday season.

For the younger babes……

~Food! Stock pile some great snacks. Goldfish, crackers, raisins, Cheerios (my fav)

~Beverages! In moderation of course, keeping pit stops to a minimum.

~Security blankets or toys!  It’s gonna be ugly if you’re two hours from home with out ‘Thomas Turtle!’

~Puppets, use these for an impromptu puppet show

For the older kids……..

~ABC Game, its a race through the alphabet! Use the first letter of a word, title or licence plate.  You must go in order and a letter can not be reused by another player! First one to ‘Z’ wins!

~Count Santas, Stars, Reindeer………anything to celebrate the season, the person to get to 10 first wins!

~Sing-a-longs….Oh yea! The older kids love this! We mix it up by changing the words.  ’One the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me scalding hot cup of tea!’ You’ll be surprised how creative you can get!

~ Scavenger Hunt, this requires a bit of prep, give each person a list of items to find while driving……Red pick-up truck, Nativity Scene, Cow, Speed Limit 45………you get the idea, mix it up with really crazy stuff and easy stuff!

~Story telling, kinda like mad-libs, this requires a stop watch or a time keeper & a bag of words………one person starts the story, every 30-45 seconds the story teller must stop and some one else fills in the blank with a word drawn from the bag…….then the story teller continues for another alloted time frame…….Don’t think you can pull it off? Buy a book or two of mad libs!

For the Adults

~Strong coffee

~Lots of Patience

~Christmas Spirit

~Sense of Humor!

You probably notice I didn’t list iPods, Gameboys, DVD players…… It’s easy to stick your kids in front of electronics and keep them quite, and yes it does give you a break too. Yet, remember the road trips you took as a kid? It was just you, your family, and the open road.  You survived, your parents survived and you spent time together!  I even bet you have some pretty fond memories of those road trips….wouldn’t it be great to share those with your kids?!

There’s a part of me that misses wild ride each Christmas morning.  Even though it was hectic and hair raising at times to pack up the kids, once we got on the road it was fun!  If your traveling this week, pack up your tolerance, humor and your smiley face and enjoy the ride. Be safe out there!

“The outdoor Christmas lights, green and red and gold and blue and twinkling, remind me that most people are that way all year round”– kind, generous, friendly and with an occasional moment of ecstasy. But Christmas is the only time they dare reveal themselves.”
– Harlan Miller

It’s a family tradition to ‘check out the lights’.  Right after Thanksgiving it begins, the search for great holiday lights.  With the sun setting at 4:30 pm there are a lot of opportunities to search out great light displays.   My son is still young enough that he enjoys the thrill of the hunt, my daughter at 17 believe it or not hardly ever turns down the challenge and I have to say even my husband is a good sport.  It’s pretty typical for me to shout out, “let’s take the scenic route home……there’s gotta be cool lights”

We search out the most outrageous light displays.  Living in a rural area of Connecticut we get to see some really fun  exhibits!  There’s a barn down the street that follows the roof lines with icicle lights, blue and white ……. no rhyme or reason to the layout of colors I think Dave just pulls them out of the storage box and hangs them up, three white strands, one blue, one white, two blue, one white……… Joey loves catching the tractor one town over,  every once in a while theres a bonus, Santa’s sitting on the Tractor!  Ashley’s favorites are the houses that go all out! The more outrageous the more she loves them.  Her idea of a perfect light display usually includes lights framing every window, lit dancing hippos,  inflatable characters, and of course a LED candy cane lights lining the walk way.  Joe usually is drawn to anything he knows I would find tacky, threatening to do the same to our house next year……..he loves to try and get my goat.   Then there’s me, I love the classic holiday decorations, simple spot light on the front door with a beautiful wreath. Sometimes a tree finished off with some white lights……my family finds those houses boring!  I will admit I do enjoy thebright, over the top displays. I appreciate the work, planing and electric bills those homes put forth for our enjoyment.

Each year on Christmas Eve, before we head out to my Aunt Trudy’s for a traditional meatless Polish Christmas Eve celebration, we visit Hubbard Park in Meriden CT.  The display doesn’t change much from one year to the next, although somehow we find something new each year.  Funny I can’t imagine not going there before I dig into my fried fish or perogies.

I’ve been a touch under the weather the last few days, so I’m also behind in some of my last minute shopping! Still as I trek home tonight from shopping for the stocking stuffers, I’ll take the scenic route.  Who knows maybe I’ll find a dancin’ inflatable Tigger……..or Santa in a grass skirt under a palm tree…. No matter what I find, its sure to bring a smile to my face.   Take the time to drive home the scenic route this week and enjoy the sites!