Take a look at the new furniture collection from The Pioneer Woman. It gives vintage looks without the price.

November 29, 2024 •

We all know about The Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond for her best selling cookbooks, and her cooking show and, I am sure if you have been in a Wal Mart lately, you have seen her line of utensils, dishes and other kitchen items. 

I own a few spatulas from her line, but that is about it. 
But, recently she released a new line of furniture 
and it really caught my eye. 

My home is a mixture of collected items and new items, and I love the feel, because it gives me peace. I have my Grandma's writing desk, I also have a dresser of hers, and on the back it shows every payment my Grandpa made on the piece. These pieces of furniture mean the world to mean.

The Pioneer Woman Furniture collection give me this same feeling.

"It really is a blend of my own love of vintage-chic pieces and my husband's love of durable, rustic-ranch items," she recently told Southern Living. "I love for the furniture pieces in our home to look like they aren't necessarily brand new, so when I designed this collection, I made sure to incorporate great texture so they had an heirloom, passed down-down feel to them."

Here are just a few of my  favorites. 
You can see the full collection here.

This spindle bed looks straight from your Grandma's house
Pioneer Woman Harper Queen Spindle Bed

Comfy recliner with faux cowhide
Pioneer Woman Harper Leather Recliner Whiskey & Faux Cowhide


Love the color of this tufted sofa
Pioneer Woman Tufted Sofa Teal

Pioneer Woman Callie Round Dining Table

 

Thanks for stopping by!

Dana 


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Easy French Meringues

July 17, 2024 •

 For years, I have adored these cute French Meringues, but never thought I could make them.
 
They look so delicate!


I used this recipe from Preppy Kitchen and, they turned out perfect!

I colored mine pink

Tips for the perfect meringue

Eggs must be at room temperature-cold eggs tend to reduce merinque volume

Never let any yoke get into the whites

Don't over beat the eggs

And maybe the most important tip is to add the sugar slowly, very slowly!



Love, 
Dana



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Coffee & Conversation

July 12, 2024 •

 Happy Mid Summer!! 

I am a tad behind but, here is the Readers Digest version of things!

Man it has been HOT here in the South, but really everywhere!

 But even though it is hot, I am the weird one who still drinks hot coffee, no matter what the temp outside! 

Are you team cold coffee or hot?

Around here it has been a busy summer so far, we are trying to pack  as much as possible into the time we have before we all head in different directions in mid August.

Ella, Gary & I started playing weekly tennis.

 At first we sucked, but now we suck less & less and really enjoy it!

In May, Ella and I took a fantastic girls trip to NYC and it was amazing. 

This was the first time we had ever spend any time there and we loved every minute of it. 

Here just a few of the hundreds of pictures I snapped.





NYC view from The Hudson River Line

OMG! I ran into Wallace Shawn while walking to dinner!

We met a Rockette after touring Radio City Music Hall

NYC Dana was loving it!


In June, we took our yearly family cruise trip to the Bahamas.
 Taking a cruise is one of our favorite ways to travel. 
We cruised out of Tampa and it was so much fun.
 Allure of the Seas was an amazing ship!


Central Park on Allure of the Seas

Loving our Perfect Day at CoCo Cay!

Here are some items I have been loving around our house!


Coffee Pod Holder

Kitchen Cafe Curtains

Heads up, cafe curtains are coming back in style and I am loving them! I recently removed my blinds from my kitchen and put up cafe curtains. They are shear and allow light thru, but give privacy. 
In my neck of the woods, the only thing that is outside of our windows are Deer.

Acai Refresher Cups





We have enjoyed some lazy days at home inside trying to stay cool, but also loving the long days when we are floating down the 
New River or kayaking on Lake Norman. 

I have eaten my share of watermelon this summer and it is always a refreshing treat! 
Do you salt your watermelon? I think it is a Southern thing!

We have also been cleaning our garage(ugh) and our attic. Whew! It is a dirty chore, but so needed. Having clean organized spaces is my love language. It is amazing the crap we keep! 
I have used Bagster in the past because it is so easy, I throw all my junk in it, schedule pick up and done! 

Sorry so short and sweet! See you next week!

Love, 
Dana







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Simple Pasta Salad

July 10, 2024 •

I love pasta salad! 

The thing about making pasta salad is you can do your own thing.

 This is my version with all my favorites!


 

12 oz Tri Color Rotini Pasta

16 oz Italian Dressing

1/2 Red Onion Diced

1 Small Can Black Olives

1/2 Block of Sharp Cheese cubed

1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese

1 cup of Pepperoni


Love, 

Dana 

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A 1950s Boone, NC Motel is Transformed into Rhode's Motor Lodge

July 8, 2024 • , , ,

I know when you hear motor lodge and it brings up visions of old, dark, scary motels on the side on the road! Not in this case,we visited the newly remodeled and stunningly gorgeous Rhode's Motor Lodge in Boone and WOW!

Let me show you around!

We loved the fire pit after a long day of tubing

Game room/Chill Zone

Fire Pit area during the day

Plenty of room to enjoy a meal from The Canteen-the onsite house bar & restaurant


The whole place got new paint and updated


Bathroom had plenty of space for us

The branded Coleman cooler in your room is a nice touch

Mountain Views

The patio is a great place to grab a drink 



The vibe here is mid century

My favorite part is they kept the old Greene's Motel sign

Rhode's Motor Lodge has 54 perfectly appointed rooms



Rhode's Motor Lodge
Hwy 321
Boone, NC 28607
Ph#828-865-1110

























 


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Gallery Wall and Guest Bath Refresh

December 28, 2023 •

My mind has been on gallery walls lately and if you know me once something is on my brain, well it pretty much stays there until it is reality. I hopped over to Pinterest for some inspiration and ideas. Wow! I am impressed by some of the gallery walls that are out there. Here are just a few that I loved.

House and Home



Gallery Wall
v House of Hawthornes

I am loving the birds on this gallery wall.But, I think I am going for a french country inspired floral look.

I want a collected look with a touch of whimsy.

I shopped my house for floral pictures, scoured thrift stores and antique malls to achieve the look I wanted. 

You can plan a gallery wall by measuring out each picture and having a detailed plan of how things are going to go on the wall. I did not do that, I just started nailing an voila, I am in love.

Along with gallery walls I have been seeing arches and they really make me smile. I want arched door ways so badly, they are beautiful and timeless and would totally look stunning in my house. 

I wanted an arch on the wall so, like I do a lot of things in life, I just wing it and grabbed my pencil and some string and drew on the wall. I painted it the color as the vanity, that I had recently painted and it is so cute. In the future I may cut out flowers to cover the outside of the arch, but for now I am just enjoying it as is.




This is the vanity before I painted it. You can see the gallery wall peaking in the background.



This is the view from our foyer. I love the moody vibe it is giving!
I put a lamp in here and never turn on the overhead light. I am not a fan of over bright lights and the lamp just gives it a calmness.


I only bought three new pictures for this wall. I have some other little things to add to fill in the space but, I am loving it so far.



Here is my version of an arch, I just think it needs something! 
But, until what that something is, it will be fine just being a plan arch. 


Until next time! 

Cheers!
Dana




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Amazing Amazon Finds!

March 17, 2023 •

Don't you just love Amazon? I know my family sure does,
It is easy, fast and they have large selection of 
whatever you are looking for.
I have never been that girl that likes to go to the mall, that sounds like shear torture to me. So, I can shop online and have it on my doorstep in a few days and sometime within a few hours.


These are just a snapshot of a few things we have been loving on Amazon recently.






 Ella recently celebrated her 18th Birthday in style with this adorable sash and crown

This Women's Chiffon Top is cute for Spring. 


I am in love with these Faux Boxwoods. These pictures do not do them justice. I have them on top of planters by my front door and they look so amazing.


Recently, we stayed in a hotel in Charleston, and they had these sleep machines in the room. As soon as we came home we ordered them, I like how you can adjust the volume of the white noise with a simple turn. 


We have 3 cats in our house, need I say more! We had seen this Chom Chom on the gram and finally decided to give it a try. It is life changing if you have pets. 


Ella was accepted to App State, and I am over the moon with excitement and pride. This App State flag is garden size flag and looks amazing in my yard. Show your Mountaineer Pride and pick one up today.


Hope you enjoyed a peek at our Amazon finds and hopefully, you have found something that you would like in your own home. 


Cheers!

Dana




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Homemade Pimento Cheese

March 15, 2023 •

Before we get to the good part, let me tell you a little about pimento cheese.



What is Pimento Cheese?

Pimento cheese is a very popular Southern spread made with shredded cheese, mayo, and pimentos. Here in the South we put it on crackers, use it on sandwiches, and we have also been know to fry into the worlds most delicious little balls as an appetizer. 

What is in Pimento Cheese?

Block Cheese-please for the love of it, don't cheap out and use pre shredded, trust me it ain't the same thing.

Mayo- here in the South we only use one kind, and you know it by heart, Duke's. But really I am sure you can use whatever you have on hand. 

Cream Cheese- this makes your pimento cheese spread like warm butter 

Pimentos-a tiny jar of pimentos, they are found in the grocery aisle with the pickles and relish.

Seasonings- salt & pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic are added to your taste


How to make Pimento Cheese from Scratch

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until they are well combined. I have a mini food processor that I use to grate my cheese. Just cut the block into smaller pieces and give it a few soft pulses.

How to store Pimento Cheese

Store in an airtight container for up to one week.

Ingredients

2 cups shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese

8 oz cream cheese softened

1/2 cup of Duke's mayo

1 (4oz) jar of drained pimento

1/4 tsp of garlic powder, cayenne pepper 

Salt & Pepper to taste

Enjoy!


I love a good pimento cheese sandwich on some fresh white bread, yummy! I grew up eating homemade pimento cheese, my Dad always made it best. 

Enjoy!

Dana
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