The holidays are such a magical time of year! I used to think that the sparkle and thrill would wear off with age, but I could not have been more wrong. Of course, the season has changed over the years, from the anticipation of Santa coming to my house as a young child, to the feeling of home … [Read more...]
Going Mad for Plaid
Have I mentioned how excited I am that it’s “officially” plaid season? I could blame my obsession with plaid on Brandon’s Scottish heritage, or perhaps it’s my background and admiration for sewing, quilting and weaving where I see the true art that goes into creating the intriguing patterns. … [Read more...]
My Winter Love Letter to Plaid
This is my warm and happy place: snuggled under a plaid throw blanket, a steaming cup of coffee in my hands, winter held at bay outside my cottage doors. In my house, it’s plaid season. Someone asked me once if I was ever going to get over my obsession with plaid. Nope. Plaid is the fabric of … [Read more...]
Inspiration for Thanksgiving and Fall Dinners
There’s the Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving. Beautiful, perfect. Then … there is the Garrity Thanksgiving. Not so beautiful, not so perfect. In fact, after the last friends and relatives wobble out our door after a raucous day of thanks, my home is more fit for a hazmat unit than a photo shoot. I guess … [Read more...]
A Grow-With-Them Room for Boys
I predict that when Tammy and Tyler’s boys are 27, they will still want to live at home with their folks, just so they don’t have to leave their amazing bedroom behind. This welcoming retreat is designed to delight its current inhabitants – 11-year-old Carter and 8-year-old Sawyer – … [Read more...]
Always the Season for Plaid
The nuns must have hated me. It was the ‘70s, and short skirts were in. But, at my Catholic high school, we were required to wear our plaid skirts long. Ever the rebel, I would roll my skirt up at the waist, giving it a shorter hemline … until the nuns caught me. I'm crazy about plaid. You … [Read more...]