Lucy's Lounge at Tutti Chic

Waiting For Wisteria....

I'm not a patient person at all. I seem to want things yesterday! LOL! I was looking at shots of the front & back of my home & daydreaming about my beautiful wisteria climbing & literally dripping off of the pergola in the back of the house & the new one we put up in the front last year. Seems as though when the wisteria buds are visible, the warm weather isn't far behind. Lots of people here in New England look for the blooms of the forsythia bushes to mark the beginning of spring & warmer weather but for me it takes just a few weeks longer. It's when I can see the beautiful buds ready to pop on my wisteria.  A dear friend & I used to get in the car & hunt for pretty wisteria in white, lavender & pink every season in a very historical section of providence(the east side.) You could say we were a little obsessed but it was fun & we'd always go for dessert & coffee at our favorite dessert shop Pastiche. (that's when I could eat anything & stay skinny!) Now I'm busy tending to my own gardens & gearing up for garden season with my customers & she is working full time. We have both added beautiful wisteria trees in our own yards so we don't have to go far & we still get together for coffee & dessert all the time! (even though I have to do 45 minutes on the eliptical the day after now! LOL! :)  Have a wonderful Monday! xo

gaga over aga......

 Most of us are really kitchen dwellers yes? We seem to always gravitate towards the kitchen as the focal points in our cozy homes. Being Italian, the kitchen is the center of my world! LOL! I LOVE to eat & I LOVE to feed people! The coffee is always on & whether it's a  visit from family or friends, we most always end up in the kitchen. Have you ever noticed that when you are entertaining that your guests most always crowd into the kitchen & seldom seem to move out unless they are enticed out & into another room? It's hyseterical. This is why my kitchen is so important & the room I most always decorate & re-decorate first. My love affair with stoves started some years ago. 10 years ago the "must have" stove on my list was a wolfe or a viking. Today it's the awesome AGA stove! Since we built our home about 24 years ago & didn't have any of the fancy schmancy appliances in the budget, I settled for double wall ovens & a jennair cooktop complete with pancake griddle & grill. This made me happy for a long time until I really started cooking & appreciating what a fabulous stove could do (not to mention look like in a pretty kitchen) We added granite, painted cabinets, replaced hardwood in the kitchen with Italian limestone & took out the white appliances & added stainless steel. However, because I didn't want to get into a major renovation of the kitchen (always thinking I would save that for my dream home near the water) I never added a viking or my true love "the aga." These ranges in a variety of colors are a thing of beauty! I have a garden customer that owns a bright red one & she doesn't know how she did without it for years. It makes her kitchen cozy & warm & she turns out some wonderful recipes! Here is a description right from the aga site~ Beneath the classic looks of every Aga is a heart of cast iron: the entire cooker is an outstandingly efficient energy store, steadily transferring the heat from its core into its ovens and hotplates. An Aga is always ready to cook instantly and there are no switches and dials because the Aga looks after itself. Thermostatic control maintains consistent temperatures while high levels of insulation within the outer casing and beneath the Hotplate covers ensure that every Aga uses fuel economically. The Aga releases a unique source of gentle, friendly warmth into your kitchen . For me, this may be the ultimate cooking machine. What type of range would you love to have in your kitchen right now? I'd love to hear! Hope your valentines day was a sweet one ~we got together with dear friends & the guys cooked up a fabulous meal for us. There were 4 men scurrying around my kitchen saturday night & the outcome was fabulous! A big thank you to our men  from your grateful & very stuffed women! I swear I won't eat for a week! I'll post some photos when I get them~xo

 

 

 

 

My Very First Valentine....

Yes....I'm a daddy's girl for sure. I've always adored my dad & though I am 52 I will still be, no matter how old I am. You see, he was my very first valentine. I was born when my dad was at college in Boston & it was a long haul for my parents with a small family & dental school ahead. No matter how difficult it got with my mom working full time & my dad working & going to school, I always felt completely loved & doted on. It helped of course that my grandparents were my daycare. :) My dad gradutated from Tufts with two small children & one more on the way & eventually our family became 7. Five kids & two awesome parents. I saw my father put him self through school, start a practice, become a doting, wonderful dad to his kids & be there when tragedy struck  both myself & my sister when we were married & starting our own families. My sister & I both lost husbands at a very young age, one to illness & another to an accident. My dad quietly stepped in as stand in dad for my young daughter & my sisters two very young girls. There were always cards for us on valentines day, birthdays & mothers day for us, sent just from him with a special note for us. When I re-married he stepped aside quietly & let my husband take over with those thoughtful acts.  He is the guy that takes my nieces to the dentist (he retired) & the orthodontist & is always just a phone call away from something my sister needs him to do. He does things quietly & with lots of love. His children adore him & his grandkids & great grandkids do too . He's mellowed a lot  & is putty in his grandchildrens hands. He was a body builder & was quite the imposing site for a patient who was about to have a tooth pulled. (Can you imagine your dentist with 20 inch biceps coming towards you?) He was also just as strict as he was loving & many times my sister & I had our dates peel out of the driveway hastily if we got home even 5 minutes late.! ! LOL!  I always felt completely loved & protected as a child & I still do thanks to him......my first valentine.

Handsome Groom

Paratrooper 

This picture is 15 years old & my kids are grown now, but this is one of my favorite photos of my dad & my kids~All his grandkids adore him. 

 

My dad, my sister & moi~He's our very first valentine & always will be.

Vignettes For Valentines Day....

 I came across these pretty photos that I took a few years back for an article I wrote  & thought I would post them since the most romantic day of the year is fast approaching. They contain some of my favorite treats  for valentines day. Enjoy & have a wonderful Monday! :)

 

The worlds best Hubby, Dad & Grandfather~A favorite photo of me & my valentine