The charming, idyllic towns along Lake Constance in Germany

Lake Constance is Europe's third largest lake, on the gorgeous Rhine, at the foot of the alps. The lake and it's absolutely adorable towns makes for a gorgeous day trip from Ulm. Actually - I wish we had scheduled more time to explore the towns. You can read about Lake Constance on Wikipedia.

I love half-timbered buildings...

So gorgeous!

As always - thanks to my bf Chris for these gorgeous photos.

Here's that list again of all my posts from our travels that I've posted -

Spain
•Introduction to my European backpacking trip and a list of places we visited
• Galicia - Baiona and Isle de Cies
• Galicia - the coast, some charming vineyards, and Pontevedra
• Santiago de Compostela and gorgeous hidden beaches
• Gorgeous mountain lakes of Picos de Europa
• Stunning mountains - Picos de Europa
• Bilbao and San Sebastian
• Beautiful Barcelona
• The amazing Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona
• Art Nouveau dream house by Gaudi in Barcelona

Italy
• Not to miss - the gorgeous rocky coast of Italy's Cinque Terre
• More from my summer traveling Europe - amazing Rome
• From my summer in Europe - amazing Pompeii
• Turquoise ocean and vineyards on cliffs - the amazingly stunning Amalfi coast
• My Summer in Europe: Pictures from lovely Florence, Italy
• Enchanting Siena
•Venice
•Lake Como, Italy

Switzerland
•Jungfrau region, Switzerland, Part 1
•Jungfrau region, Switzerland, Part 2

Germany
• One of my favorite cities from my European backpacking trips - Ulm, Germany

Learn About Katie's Krops

Katie and the Giant Cabbage

The idea for Katie’s Krops began with a 9 year old girl and a 40 pound cabbage. In 2008 Katie brought home a tiny cabbage seedling home from school as part of the Bonnie Plants 3rd Grade Cabbage Program. She tended to her cabbage and cared for it until it grew to an amazing 40 pounds. 


Knowing her cabbage was special she donated to a soup kitchen where it helped to feed over 275 people. Moved by the experience of seeing how many people could benefit from the donation of fresh produce to soup kitchens, Katie decided to start vegetable gardens and donate the harvest to help feed people in need.


Everyday Health has a new TV series that profiles ordinary people who overcome extraordinary obstacles and who are helping others lead healthier, happier lives.


Episode 5 airs this Saturday, October 1 on local ABC stations, and features Katie Stagliano, an inspirational 13-year-old girl who founded Katie’s Krops, a movement designed to gets kids to grow food and feed the less fortunate in their communities.


Plus, there's surprise guest Ellie Krieger, New York Times bestselling author and registered dietitian. The show is inspiring and feel good for everyone who participates in the fight against hunger.


For more details on the show, recap episodes and other information, check out:

http://www.everydayhealth.com/tv

This courtesy announcement is provided by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel for Everyday Health and Katie's Krops. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

Guest posting today at Party Resources and last day for giveaway!

Good morning......Today I am over at Party Resources, one of my most favorite blogs. Cannot visit blogland every morning without stopping over to see whats cooking over at Kate's fabulous "last word on entertaining" blog,

Party Resources

Today's post is about things I love for fall entertaining.  Please stop by and say hi! Hope you are having a wonderful day and be back tomorrow!

                                             Click on Party Resources header to visit!

In case you missed my normal Thursday post (which normally runs for two days) click here.

THIS IS THE  LAST DAY TO ENTER THE SAFAVIEH DRAWING!! Details below.....

Want to win this gorgeous French side table? LAST DAY TO ENTER IS TODAY! Thanks to......

Safavieh Home 

This stunning painted black French end table with an antiqued wood top is up for grabs!  I cannot think of any room that wouldn't look simply incredible with this wonderful side table!!

So...how to win this amazing giveaway? Simple!Safaviehs Facebook. 

FIRST.......Click here for their website and then here for theirFacebook page. Good luck and thank you Safavieh!

TO BE CLEAR......

 YOU MUST LEAVE A FACEBOOK COMMENT FOR SAFAVIEH TO BE ELIGIBLE. ONLY THOSE WHO LEAVE A COMMENT ON THEIR FACEBOOK PAGE SAYING THEY CAME FROM THE ENCHANTED HOME WILL BE ENTERED IN THE DRAWING.

Wishing you a wonderful Friday!

and bath mats...

Ok, I know I have been talking about all our little Library projects a lot lately, but I am just so excited about all of them.  Coming soon is our bath collection starting with these fabulous bath mats.  I can never find a bath mat I actually like and usually end up with one of the generic fuzzy ones that fall apart after one wash.  I cannot handle how much I love the look of these in my bathroom and they are super durable.  Best of both worlds.  Thoughts?

The Dos and Dont's of Kitchen Decorating

Decorating magazines can be a great source of inspiration, but they can often overlook the basics. The problem is that basics are a big deal to the first-timer decorator. Getting your kitchen perfect is no simple process, and we can’t take anything for granted. So in order to help, we’ve assembled the most essential dos and dont's of kitchen decorating.

Do's

• Invest in a high-quality worktop. It is essential to the aesthetic and for maximizing space.

• Allow for numerous electrical sockets. You can’t have too many unless they’re eyesores.

• Separate the refrigerator from the grill, oven and similar appliances as much as possible.

• Make space for a dishwasher.

• Place base cabinets at least 21” deep.

• Place cabinets above countertops at least 30” high and 12” deep with at least 60” of frontage.

• Make your walkways 42” wide and your passageways at least 36” wide.

• Hire a professional fitter to connect the gas.

• Hire a professional electrician to handle all wiring.

• Hire a professional plumber to set up the water supply, waste disposal and drainage.

Below are some great example of kitchen Do's

via Christopher Peacock

via Kitchenisms

via Pinterest

via Schibsted Forlag

Dont's

• Overestimate cabinetry and cupboards; too much will make the kitchen seem smaller than necessary.

• Go with less than 144” of frontage for small kitchens or 186” for large kitchens (greater than 150 square feet).

• Allow for less than 15” clearance between counter and the bottom of wall cabinets; 18” is best.

• Carpet the kitchen. A kitchen floor will get wet, and it needs to be as hygienic as possible.

• Place a dishwasher farther than 36” away from a sink.

• Hang anything, including cabinets, over an oven or hob.

• Place an oven or hob directly beneath a window.

• Purchase elaborate window coverings. Simple blinds are the best choice.

• Underestimate storage needs. Any kitchen needs a combination of at least six drawers and cupboards.

• Account for less than 12” x 24” for each diner.

• Forget to place a smoke alarm and a fire extinguisher in the kitchen.

This kitchen is a major don't...

via Ugly House Photos

These are some of the major decorating tips to look out for when revamping your kitchen. Happy decorating!

*disclosure: this is a sponsored post

Things I am loving Thursday and house updates!

Good morning, hope everyone is having a good week, hard to believe we are practically in October! Don't know about where you are, but around here, its been raining cats and dogs. Humidity off the charts, NOT a good hair day lately! My hats have been seeing lots of use. My week has been busy and overwhelming. Lots of decisions still being made, and now that we are at last starting to tackle the decorating end, I REALLY feel overwhelmed! There has been non stop work going on over at the house but I don't feel the pictures of this weeks progress will fully reflect that so I am just enclosing less than the usual amount of pictures as well as a few things I am loving this week, next week promises to be a full mega packed post of things as many things are happening next week! We are still aiming to move in by late October, so we are forging ahead fast and furious! Here we go.......
HOUSE UPDATES. Though there has been a lot going on this week, the pictures might not fairly show the progress being made. Come next week however, there are going to be big changes on the horizon. For one the countertops start getting put in, the biggest though is that the limestone..yes that LONG awaited limestone for the front entrance that we have been waiting on for many months is coming!!! Due here on Tuesday and cannot wait! You can be sure I will be snapping away. So this round might appear a little light, I dont' want to bore you with more repetitious pictures so just trying to capture whats new.....

Awaiting counterops coming in next week, and cannot wait to lift the covering on the floor!

Refrigerator/freezer handles...woo hoo!

This is the display cabinet that is between the kitchen and butlers

Breakfast room done!

TV unit above fireplace in family room done!

Vestibule leading from family room to dining room

Beautiful herringbone floors upstairs

Sons vanity done and countertop in place!

New finish for my bathroom cabinetry, think we are almost there, this is whiter, has less yellow

We are still tweaking it.....

Bathroom starting to shape up.....

The reeding detail under the chair rail

A little peek at the stair rail, the only part that's not covered.....

The curved wall detailing is completed, waiting for paint (and not to worry that's a temporary sconce)

TOPIARIES. Long been a fan of them, always have a few in the house and outside by my front door. There is no limit as to what you can do with a topiary....you are only limited by your imagination as you will see here with some most unusual ones. I love green on black, don't you? This first picture is so pretty, of this trio of topiaries on a black metal tray. Here are a few that I found particularly inspiring....

A topiary gazebo? WOW!

The Beatles? Imagine!

The circus has come to town.......

A GREAT BAKING ITEM. A baker I am not, but you hardly have to be a genius to figure out how to make a banana bread or pumpkin bread, and one of these warm out of the oven is pretty hard to beat on a cool crisp fall day. The only thing that could make it any better is to have it look amazingly beautiful and thanks to this nifty and beautiful loaf pan I found from Crate and Barrel of all places, I will oohing and ahhing everyone! I have yet to use it but plan to next week as a trial run and then will make something for the Thanksgiving holidays. Isn't it neat?

DARKER GROUT ON SUBWAYS. Now that I decided I am going with Calacutta Gold subways for the backsplash in kitchen and butlers pantry,  I have been toying with the idea of giving it that old world touch by going darker with the grout. True, light grout gives it a fresh, clean feel which compliments the white marble beautifully but the darker grout gives it a certain presence, makes it feel instantly older and allows it to stand out a little more. I am going to experiment, but wondering what your thoughts are on using a darker grout with a lighter stone or tile? Here are some examples to show you.....

A MUCH ANTICIPATED BOOK COMING OUT. I LOVE Phoebe Howard, her style is very much like my own and I have yet to see a room of hers that I haven't just drooled over. So needless to say, I am SUPER excited about her new book coming out spring of 2012. I will be one of the first to line up to get this book....I just know its going to be chock full of amazing interiors and inspiration.  The cover is the ultimate tease to what I can only guess is one heck of a great design book! Are you a Phoebe fan?

CREATING LITTLE VIGNETTES. Oh how I miss doing this! I must be getting really desperate because my poor little overworked to the bone blue and whites are doing serious overtime! I am constantly changing out with seasonal flowers and greenery. I love them but  cannot wait to unpack all my things so I can start "playing". In the meantime, I played around with the little I do have.....

AN AWESOME GIVEAWAY. Down to the last two days to be eligible for this amazing French table!! Here is the lowdown.....

This giveaway is AMAZING with a capital A! Thanks to the generosity of

Safavieh Home 

It is for a stunning painted black French end table with an antiqued wood top! How beautiful is this? I cannot think of any room that wouldn't look simply incredible with this wonderful side table!!

So...how to win this amazing giveaway? Simple!Safaviehs Facebook. 

FIRST.......Click here for their website and then here for theirFacebook page. Good luck and thank you Safavieh!

TO BE CLEAR......

 YOU MUST LEAVE A FACEBOOK COMMENT FOR SAFAVIEH TO BE ELIGIBLE. ONLY THOSE WHO LEAVE A COMMENT ON THEIR FACEBOOK PAGE SAYING THEY CAME FROM THE ENCHANTED HOME WILL BE ENTERED IN THE DRAWING.

So...how about you? Whats exciting you this week? Would love to know! Don't forget to enter the giveaway from Safavieh by heading to their Facebook page, click here.

Enjoy your day!