ABC's with Mary Ann: Classic Casual Home

Are you ready for another installment of ABC's?  I'm so elated to have Mary Ann from Classic Casual Home here today.  We have become friends through this crazy world of blogging and have had the opportunity to chat on the phone.  I swear, I could talk to her for hours on end.  She is fabulous!!!

Thank you so much for inviting me over, Marianne.   I love your design aesthetic and genuineness...

I know your readers feel the same way about you as I do.  You are awesome!

Let me sing my ABC's....

Age:  Fifty five (but you wouldn't know it by my maturity level).

Best vacation: Banyon Tree Resort, Phuket, Thailand

  

Talk about exotic luxury!  We had a two bedroom villa (our kids were with us) where you just stepped 

out of our bedroom into our private pool.  Everyday, they stocked the kitchen with fruits 

we had never seen before.  There was a private outdoor shower, too.

Every night, candles were lit around our pool.

One night, we a catered barbecued dinner poolside...and it was amazing.

This was the nearby beach, where later in the day the young beach attendants would play soccer with our son (he was 8 years old and brought his soccer ball with him everywhere)...they all had fun...and we had fun watching them and sipping cold fruit cocktails as the sun set.

Chores you hate:  paying bills

Dogs or Cats:

Dogs who enjoy a cold one.  

Essential Part of your day:  Exercise, either the steps at the beach with friends or a mountain hike.

...and that first cappuccino from my Nespresso machine.  Do you have one?  They are great!

Favorite flower: The roses that are growing in my yard right now are amazing.  I picked each rose bush based on their scent.

Greatest film:  Basically any Will Ferrell, Steve Martin or Ben Stiller movie after a holiday dinner with my family. 

Height:  5'1" (but I still make my much taller children bend down to place their heads on my shoulder for a hug).

Instrument you have played:  Piano, poorly.

Job you would love to have:  Ice cream scooper at Baskin Robbins.  My cousin, Patricia, did this in high school and I was envious.  She got to drink all the left overs in the milk shake blender.

Kids:  Alexandra and Thomas.  They are coming home soon for my husband's birthday and I'm excited to see them!

Live:  In Mammoth Lakes (hiking photo above) and on Lido Isle in Newport Beach, California...blissfully.

Mom's Name:  Louise (on the right, cute, huh?).  

She lives in San Diego with my sister, Teresa on the left and with Ginger and Gus.  I helped them decorate their home and I want to feature it...but most of the time when I go there I just chill and don't get any good photos.

Nickname:  Maresy, (do you get called this Marianne?)

Overnight hospital stays:  I had breast cancer when I was just 38 years old.  That was 17 years ago and I feel great.  Remember to do a monthly self exam...that's how I found it.  I was also in the hospital for my two babies.

Pet peeve:  Uncourteous (discourteous? which is it?) people.  Like that couple in the crowded Costco who cut in line in front of me...COME ON, REALLY!

Quote:   "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful." 
~ William Morris 

Right handed

Siblings: Reneé, Jim, Joe, John and Teresa...I love them all.

Time you wake up:  3 am, start unproductive thinking, count from 100 backwards, then sleep until about 7 am.  Hormones, they'll getcha.

University attended:  Santa Clara University

Vegetables you dislike: beets...you either like them or you don't.  Which are you?

What makes you run late:  reading ...

X-rays: teeth, mammograms, airport

Yummy food you make:  pancakes with with Canadian syrup, I warm it in the little pitcher.

Zoo animal:  giraffes...the world's tallest mammal.  

Source:  fcusd.org

Thanks for having me over to say my ABC's, Marianne.  

Stop by my place anytime...for a virtual cappuccino and a pancake.

classic • casual • home

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Thank you so much, Mary Ann.  Where do I even begin...  I wish I was on your dream vacation right now!  Oh, how I need some sunshine and down time.  I could really use one of your cappuccino's and a pancake, too!  YUM.  And, yes people, please get your mammograms and do self checks!  My mother also has breast cancer at the age of 37.  It's so important to take good care of yourself, so make an appointment today!

ABC's of Luciane: Home Bunch

The lovely Luciane from Home Bunch is here today sharing her ABC's with us.  You can always find beautiful design inspiration on her blog and she always seems to find homes we have never seen before. Love that!  She recently had her third baby, Matthew, and I don't know how she does it all.   Luciane, take it away... 

Age: Does it need to be the first question? Can't we get to know each other a little better first? Let's see if you're good with Math: 458X9+58-800-4000+620+30=? Are you tired yet?    

        

Best Vacation: The first time my husband and I went to Victoria, BC. We're dating and that's the place I found out I was in love with him.

    

Chore you hate: Clean showers! It's beyond hate! I swear every time that if I win the lottery I will never, ever scrub any shower ever again! I say lottery, because that guarantees I will have extra help every day for the rest of my life.

        

Dogs or cats? I love animals and I had a dog and a cat when I was a child. So, both.  

Essential part of your day: I used to love my breakfast. That was the time to just relax, read my favorite magazine and savour my coffee. But having a baby and a blog has changed it a little and now, my very favorite part of the day is when I'm showering and analyzing my day, making plans and dreaming. Do you guys do that during the shower too?    

Favorite flower: I love white tulips!

        

Greatest film: Have you seen "The Smurfs"? I just watched it with my kids and I laughed so much! "Gargamel" had some really funny moments! But when it comes to "greatest" film I have to say "The Notebook". It made me cry like a baby and touched my heart. I love that movie, the story is beautiful and the actors were great. Although I'm more into comedy lately. I want to laugh and have fun!  

 Height: Let's put it in a "sweet" way, I'm petite.

      

Instrument you play or have played: I tried to play guitar once and you can imagine how pathetic that was. In another words, I don't play any instrument.  

Job you'd like to have: I'm so happy to be what I am at this moment. I used to be an elementary teacher in Brazil and I had such a wonderful time teaching, but I'm doing what I love right now, which is designing and blogging.  

 
 Kids: We have three kids: Sean, Ashley and our baby, Matthew.

        

 Live: Canada

      

Mom's name: I have two: Edith (my super mom) and my grandmother, Maria.

Nickname: It's not really a nickname, but my close friends and family call me "Lu", short for "Luciane".  

Overnight hospital stays: Only to give birth!

Pet peeve: rude people in general. I can't stand people that mistreat others, and I have zero tolerance for people that disrespect the elder.


Quote: Enjoy yourself -- it's later than you think. Socrates

Right or left handed: Right. Siblings: I have an older sister, Cynthia. She's also my best friend.  

Time you wake up: Did I mention I have a baby? He's my alarm clock, it's all up to him! But never later than 8 am _ unfortunately. You have no idea how much I miss my teenager years when I slept until noon during the weekends. Good times!

University attended: It was in Brazil.

     

Vegetables you dislike: I can't think of any I don't like, mind you I don't love any neither, but I've learned to eat them. Thanks, mom!

What makes you run late: my blog! I'm always checking things here and there and when I see, I'm late! 

X-rays: Avoid them! It's insane how often doctors ask for it lately, especially for kids. They can't cough and they're asking for X-rays to see if they're having pneumonia. It happened a couple of times with me here. Insane!

Yummy food you make: I can make a really good lamb (with red wine sauce) and a Dark Chocolate Charlotte cake. But I must say that my husband is the cook around here.

    

Zoo animal: I love lions. They always look so lazy, just there, under the sun... waiting for their big piece of meat at the end of the day. Oh, life!

   

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See, what did I tell you... Luciane is fabulous!!  Thank you again for being my guest today.  Loved having you here and learning more about you!  xo

ABC's of Karen: Only Things I Love

Karen from Only Things I Love is my guest today sharing her ABC's with us.  I adore her blog filled with updates to her beautiful apartment in NYC and her weekend home.  She just added some gorgeous grasscloth to her guest room.  Did you see it?  Stunning!!!  I am dying to add some to my own home.  I seriously laughed so hard at some of her answers.  Gotta love a good sense of humor!

Age:  I have been claiming to be 29 for almost a handful of years.  Cryptic enough for everyone? 

Best vacation: My Honeymoon.  Never before or since have I so needed a vacation.  We also went to the absolutely gorgeous One & Only Palmilla.  Honorable mention has to go to Capri - it's just so beautiful there. 

Chore you hate: Ironing.  I was born without the ironing gene.  It takes me four times as long as anyone else.

Dogs or cats: Dogs. Ellie and Humphrey.  They are the best.  

Essential part of your day: Dinner with my husband. It doesn't matter if it's warmed up leftovers or something more fancy, I love to sit down and talk about our days. Oh, and Diet Pepsi.  Lots and lots of Diet Pepsi   

Favorite flower: Nothing says Summer to me like Hydrangea. 

Greatest film: I'm outing myself as a little bit of a geek here -- Star Trek (2009).  I'm not saying it is the best film ever made, but I have watched it dozens and dozens of times.  

Height: 5'3''

Instrument you play or have played: I played the Clarinet for about a week in grade school.  I was horrible.  

Job you'd love to have: I would love to own a small home furnishings store.  Alternatively, any job where I would be given free shoes -- this one may just be a fantasy!

Kids: Only furry ones (for now).

Live: New York City and a little place on the Eastern End of Long Island (that I blog about incessantly). 

Mom's name: Meg 

Nickname: Inspector McCrough.  This is a weird one, it marries my love of trench coats and a mispronunciation of my impossible to pronounce maiden name.  

Overnight hospital stays: None, thank goodness!

Pet peeve: Bad drivers. Approximately 90% of the screaming I have done in my life is in the car at other random (but untalented) motorists.    

Quote: Luck favors the prepared - Edna Mode from The Incredibles (a variation on a Louis Pasteur quote).  

via Pixar

Right or left handed: Right.

Siblings: Two younger brothers (twins).  Here we are looking a little worse for the wear:

Time you wake up: Fairly early. Between 5 and 7 most days.   

University attended: Villanova Law School.  Yes, for a few years at least, I was a miserable lawyer.

Vegetables you dislike: Celery, what is the point? 

What makes you run late: Only other people.  I am always on time.  

X-rays: None.

Yummy food you make: Barefoot Contessa Herbed-Baked Eggs.  Easy and delicious.  

Zoo Animal: Giraffes. They are so sweet.

Sharon Montrose Baby Giraffe  ............................................................................................................................................................................................... Karen, you know I am right there with you on the drivers!  HUGE pet peeve of mine, too!  I can relate with you on so many levels from chore you hate, two dogs, what makes you run late, celery, Ina's baked eggs and the list goes on!  I cannot wait to finally meet you in NYC next month!  Thanks again for being my lovely guest today!

ABC's of Elizabeth: The Mustard Ceiling

I am thrilled to have Elizabeth from The Mustard Ceiling as my guest today.  She has many, many talents from interior design, custom blog and graphic design, DIY and so much more!  She recently announced that she and her husband, plus two darling dogs, are making another move out of state.  I can't wait to see what she comes up with for her new house!

Hi Style for Living Readers! My name is Elizabeth and I blog over at The Mustard Ceiling. Marianne asked me to stop by today to participate in her fun ABC's series. Let's get started, shall we?

Age: 31

Best vacation: This is a tough one! It is a toss up between our honeymoon in 2008 and our cruise in February, 2012.

For our honeymoon, we spent two weeks in Europe. Four days in Rome and 10 days on a cruise traveling the coasts of Italy, Greece and Turkey. It was all incredible. I absolutely fell in love with Rome and would love to live there some day.

In February this year, we took a 7 day cruise through the Western Caribbean and it was awesome too. Completely different than Europe. This vacation was focused more on adventure. My favorite experience was ATVing through the jungle in Cozumel, Mexico. I told Alfred that it beat any of the excursion's we went on in Europe :). I love mountain biking and ATVing was a lot like mountain biking....only faster.

Chore you hate: Laundry. Fortunately, Alfred doesn't mind doing it so he has taken over the task.

Dogs or cats: Dogs

Essential part of your day: My morning coffee. I cannot do anything until I start sipping on that first cup in the AM.

Favorite flower: Tulips

Greatest film: Sweet Home Alabama

Height: 5'3"

Instrument you play or have played: I briefly played the Clarinet in 6th grade and took a few lessons on the guitar in high school. I lost interest in both very quickly.

Job you'd love to have: writer for a shelter magazine or an interior photographer

Kids: Nope, just our pups, Jack (8 year old lab/great pyrenees mix) and Gracie (2.5 year old golden retriever)

Live: in Clovis, NM for a few more months. We're moving to Rapid City, SD this summer!

Mom's name: Sharon Kay

Nickname: Liba. My older brother gave me that nickname when I was younger. He is the only one that calls me that, but to this day he still does.

Overnight hospital stays: I've been lucky....not one (I hope I didn't just jinx myself)

Pet peeve: Dirty dishes in the sink and crumbs on the counters. Those two things are like nails on the chalkboard to me.

Quote:

Paper Art Originals

Right or left handed: Right

Siblings: I have an older brother, Chris and and younger brother, Adam. I am the only girl and I love it.

Time you wake up: 6:30

University attended: University of Charleston, a small liberal arts college in Charleston, WV

Vegetables you dislike: Eggplant. I really wish I liked it, I love the color!

Crate and Barrel

What makes you run late: Getting sucked at the computer, trying to get one more thing accomplished for the blog or on a design project before I run out the door.

X-rays: None that I can think of at the moment.

Yummy food you make: Chicken Chilaquiles from Martha Stewart. It is so easy and has a lot of flavor. I throw it in the crock pot in the AM and 8 hours later...voila, it's dinnertime.

Martha Stewart

Zoo Animal: The zebra. How can you not love an animal covered in black and white, with stripes all over :).

vi.sualize.us

Thank you Marianne for having me today! I had so much fun putting this post together for your readers.

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A big 'Thank You' to Elizabeth for being my guest today!  Love that you have 2 dogs, they are adorable and look like they'd be good to snuggle up with!  I also played the clarinet, only for a few years, I think I might actually still have it somewhere in my house!  I think we all get sucked into the computer most days.  So hard to break away, isn't' it!?

ABC's of Teresa: Splendid Sass

The lovely Teresa from Splendid Sass is my guest today for another round of my ABC series.  I hope you're all having as much fun learning about fellow bloggers as I am.  Teresa was one of my very first followers and blog friends and she always posts the most beautiful things.  Not only is Teresa incredibly nice, she is very smart, too! Love that!

Age: I'm not certain.  I started counting backwards a few years ago!

Best vacation: Acapulco, Mexico.

Chore you hate: dusting

Dogs or cats: Dogs.  I love my precious Shih Tzu, Lady!

Essential part of your day: The first couple of hours while drinking coffee and blogging.  After that, busy, busy!  This is my food for thought time.

Favorite flower: Peonies.  Each petal falls perfectly.

Greatest film: Gone With the Wind.

Height: A short 5” 3’

Instrument you play or have played:  I am not musically inclined.  I did learn how to play a recorder in college.

Job you'd love to have: I love what I am doing now.  I almost feel guilty at times, but quickly get over it.

Kids: A son and a daughter.  Doesn’t get any better than this!

Live: Between Montgomery, Alabama, and Seagrove Beach.

Mom's name: Bonnie Jean.

Nickname: I don’t have a nickname.

Overnight hospital stays: When I gave birth to my son and daughter, which are the two highlights of my life!

Pet peeve:  Procrastinators and half done tasks.

Quote: “When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything you gave me". Erma Bombeck

Right or left handed: Right

Siblings: Two sisters.

Time you wake up: 6:00 AM

University attended: Auburn University, Montgomery.

Vegetables you dislike: Can’t think of any.

What makes you run late: Illness, my children's or mine.

X-rays: I had my ankle x-rayed when I twisted it on the tennis court.

Yummy food you make: I love to cook, and my favorite is homemade pizza.

Zoo Animal: Monkeys.  They are so funny.

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Thank you so much, Teresa!  Lady is such an adorable dog.  As you know, I adore the little pups, and my two keep me on my toes!  Since we have snow falling as I type this, a trip to Mexico sounds divine.  I have never been, but I have a feeling they make a great margarita!  xo