what i am loving today ...

my

morning

latte...

this

new cookbook

i picked up

at t.j. maxx

for 3 bucks...

the beautiful
photos it has
inside...


yummy
recipes...

results

of the

new cookbook

that i love

with the pretty pages

and yummy recipes...

if

you have

cookies

as your

main course,

it is called

dinner...

right?

coffee

with a

friend

this morning

to give her

this

special birthday

treat!

boots

with

my

dress...

a

stack

of new

bar mop

towels

for the

kitchen.

also loving :

that my 3 year old marched right into preschool today without crying one tear!

that the sun is out and it is finally warming up!

that i am trying a new recipe for dinner tomorrow night!

what are you loving today???

afternoon tea

i received a small box of Tea Forte from a friend as a hostess gift. i am really just a basic tea bag kind of girl. i really know nothing about tea, and don't pretend too. i like to take 15 minutes in the afternoon, when the wee one (he's 3...not really 'wee' but always will be to me) is napping and ponder over a cup of herbal tea.
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i can tell you, that after trying a couple of these teas, they have become my new favorite.


i am all about packaging and i think the packaging for this tea is adorable. (they even have a really cute heart shaped box for valentines day...check out their site by clicking on the button over on the left of my blog...i know, advertising...but i do LOVE this stuff, you will not be disappointed).
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each tea is wrapped in a little box, and how cute is that little green leaf?! when you remove the box it is still beautiful...

the tea is inside this beautiful silk diffuser. and that cute little green leaf stays on too. i love that it sits in your mug and when you're ready to take it out you just lift it by the green leaf.
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i find myself still enjoying my morning 4 shot espresso latte, but also really looking forward to the quiet of the afternoon having this lovely tea.

dream a little dream

on a frequent visit to the library i found 'celebrating home'. it is a beautiful book, published in 2005, so some of you may have seen this book. upon turning the second page, there it was. a similar home to the home i dream of having some day. it is the river house at cannon falls and it is so beautiful!
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i would love love love to live on a farm and this would be my house...

here is what she would look like in the winter...

it would be on some land that isn't too rural. close enough to the city so that, until i got used to the piece and quiet, i could still venture into town. and it would have a beautiful old barn on the property too. maybe something like this...

or how about this! oh my this makes my heart beat so fast...

i would even settle for this one...

the boys have requested a barn with a zip line, lots of hay bales to climb on and a small enclosed movie theatre. i said yes! (because we are just dreamin' here...)

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and i would like just a few chickens. enough to get some fresh eggs daily.

and for mr. traybella a vineyard. because he loves wine and he's good at making wine, he just doesn't have the time anymore.

some of you are probably saying...don't dream it, do it! and oh how i would love too. but for now the boys are content living on a cul-de-sac smack in the middle of a good neighborhood. good schools, walk to stores, friends all around. and mr. traybella...well he isn't really one who likes to did in the dirt, so those grapes would probably never really get planted. but for me...i'm already there...in my dreams. i can see it, i can feel the fresh country air, oh heck i can even smell the dirty old chicken coop.

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i won't give up on this dream, it's just on stand by for awhile.

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photos credits:

ohiobarns.com

gilstrapbrothers.wordpress.com

pbase.com

johnchandler/image/65214197

flickr.com

laurelulland.com

positive thoughts

in the depth

of winter,

i finally learned

that within me

there lay

an invincible

summer.

- albert calmus

another no school day due to the snow and cold. warm cocoa in hand, slippers on my feet, heat flowing out of the registers, children playing happily together in bare feet (they are always barefooted) reading the morning local paper. reading an article about the homeless and how they survive these cold nights...it made me stop and think...what am i complaining about?!

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agenda for today includes: cleaning out the closets looking for unused sweaters, gloves and blankets for a donation to a local shelter.

snow day activity for the boys: reading about the homeless, and dividing our piggy banks up into save, spend and give.

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because reality is...life is tough for some. i want my boys to know that there are people out there that will sleep in the cold, {ugh, how this breaks my heart and brings tears to my eyes}and that we are so fortunate to have the lifestyle that we do.

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what small thing are you doing today, to make a difference?

four letter words

since i have had children i have been really good at not using four letter words. you know...the bad ones. there was a day that i used to talk like a sailor but not anymore. but every now and then one slips out.

the snow they called for yesterday really did come...right on time in fact. it really was quite beautiful but by late afternoon cabin fever was starting to set in. i thought a party was in order so i made a few phone calls to some neighbors. the requirement for my guest list was that they had to be able to walk over...i didn't want anyone out driving. and that's when the four letter words slipped out...
wine
beer
food
moms
dads
kids
it's always a joy getting together with the neighbors and i love impromptu events. a good time was had by all, and at kiddo bedtime the moms adventured out to a movie theatre to see It's Complicated....cute movie if you haven't seen it.
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another snow day today from school...and perhaps tomorrow as well. most of us in the U.S. are experiencing this cold & snowy weather. i wish i could have all of YOU readers over for an impromptu party!

i'm outa here

there it was on the evening news...the school closings for today. kansas city was hit by a blizzard over the christmas holidays and apparently we're in for it again. it is not snowing yet...but they say it is coming.
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i have on 3 sweaters this morning, leggins and jeans, socks and slippers and am still cold. i have turned the furnace up a notch and am afraid that if i continue to bake yummy things in the oven (just to have some extra heat) that i will not fit into my jeans anymore.
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"i just shot 6 holes in my freezer, i think i have cabin fever...i've gotta go where it's warm!" (jimmy buffett says it best)
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i have left this note for my husband:

dear mr. traybella,

i have taken the kids and headed for the airport... destination: tortola, BVI's. i know you are working hard (to provide heat for our house..) join us when you can. we'll be spending our afternoons here...


or maybe here if C can't keep from throwing the sand...

we'll have dinner here with this breathtaking view.... honey, your dinner is in the fridge..leftover shrimp pasta and i think there was one baguette left.

we'll be lounging in shorts and bare feet here as we play games and read books...

hope to see you soon, otherwise call me when the snow has melted and we'll think about coming home. ;)

photos are from here

four french baguettes

i have a yearning to master the art of baking bread. my great grandma, my grandma and my husbands grandma are (or were) all great bread makers. the more i make, the better i get. these french baguettes, i made last night, turned out lovely if i do say so myself. there is no better smell that bread baking in the oven to warm up your insides. the heat from the oven warmed up our cold kitchen a bit.
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we ate these every morning last summer when we were in paris. simple, yummy, and oh so paris (to me anyway). i sent mr. traybella off to work this morning with a meat and cheese baguette. hopefully when he eats it, he won't only remember having them in paris, but think it was baked with love and that he won't have to leave the office in 4 degrees and buy a lunch.

down under

you might think from the title of this post that it would be about australia. oh how i wish! because i would bet that it is warmer in australia today than the 1 degree we have in kansas city currently. yes, one. they say the high today will be 10. but enough of the weather, let's get on with my photos shall we? i am finally posting photos of our basement remodel.

with the cold temps we have been hunkering down in the basement a lot. we love it down there. there are areas for all of us to enjoy, but mostly we end up at the game table playing a family game.

we do not have many windows in our basement, so natural light is at a minimum. because of that i kept the color (yes, white is a color!) light and it made a huge difference. the basement also resembles the same decor as the upstairs, making the transition feel like you are not in a basement at all. i plan to add some large b&w photos of the boys on that wall shelf. and for those that have been asking: my sectional is from ikea, and yes! i love it. ;)

big huge clock = big huge statement. i debated to put this clock up...it is huge and the ceilings are all of 7 feet and a few inches. but i am so glad that i did. it is a bit unexpected and i like that it is round because everything else seems so square or rectangle.

the boys (and me too!) love the art area. we create here all the time with paper, drawing, legos, playdough, etc. i love the small table that i found years ago at a garage sale.

this view shows the messy kid area in the background. home to a million thomas the train pieces. it also has a closet that holds other toys out of sight. and the game table that we use for family game night.

the bar in its final resting place. we had this made when we lived overseas and shipped it back with us. it had been pushed to the side of the unfinished basement and topped with all kind of things. my husband is thrilled to have it usable again and just in time...for football season.

i found three of these wood signs at a garage sale. they are actually ends from a whisky crate. i bought them with the intention of hanging them on a wall in the bar area. but i really wanted to not fill every wall and one day i thought of this. three bar stools + three wood signs = three pretty cool bar stools. i still need to recover the bar stool seats....i really should finish up that 2009 project list.

the WC. love how this area turned out. an old heavy pedestal sink i found on craigs list makes a big statement in the room. even the plumber said "you didn't get this at home depot". old, heavy and re glazed it was exactly what i wanted for this room.

and still another project ... getting the shower curtain made. we also have an office space downstairs and threw a murphy bed up on the wall. this bathroom will be a guest bathroom when we have guests.

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thanks for visiting today, i hope you enjoyed the tour of our last big project for awhile. that money tree in the backyard needs to grow some more! ;)

good buy

if you live in the kansas city area you should make good juju one of your junkin' stops. it is downtown, just over the 12th street bridge. they are open the first weekend of every month. lots of good finds, different stuff every month and housed in a cool old building.
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i ventured down there early saturday morning, and while sipping on a mimosa (complimentary from good juju) i found this big birdcage.

i have been looking for something like this for awhile. i was glad that it wasn't pink or turquoise and that i did not have to do a thing to it. it is this great galvanized color and it looks great on my dining room table.

i added the bingo cards, for now, because january is a big game playing month for us. the battery operated candle makes the entire cage glow at dusk and looks beautiful.
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i think this piece has lots of potential and am excited to see what other things will find their way into the birdcage. what a good way to start the year... a good buy!

five a day

they say to eat 5 fruits a day.

i am quite sure that banana cake qualifies as a serving of fruit.

does it not?

to be balanced

aaahhh....a new day, a new year, another chance to try and get it all right. my resolution, or i would rather just call it my 'goal' for the new year is to be better balanced. in all aspects of my life. hopefully by being balanced, i will be a better mom, a better wife, just all around better at lots of things. oh, and i also have a goal to not yell at my kids. yep, bet you didn't know that i was a yeller. but i am...not a really bad yeller, just at night when i am tired from the day.
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i hope all of your goals are ones that help you to make a difference. cheers!

please stand by i am having technical difficulties

ugh...how i hate computer problems. i tried to add a 3rd party background to my blog, then decided i didn't want it. when i went back to my original background all of my gadgets moved to the bottom of the page. i can't move them manually, and from what i have researched it must be something within the HTML code. when i go into the codes, i'm clueless!
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I HAVE NO IDEA HOW....BUT I FIXED IT! ;)

the big dig and a happy new year

oh my...i should have asked for ski's from the big man in red. kansas city was hit with a winter blizzard, starting christmas eve. and we woke up on christmas morning....wow was it beautiful! it snowed most of the day and it just added to an already beautiful christmas.

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i have been busy transferring everything over to my new laptop as well as checking out some new blogs. l-a-z-y has been the word of the past few days. staying up late, sleeping in, staying in jammies, playing with all the new toys. i just don't know how we'll make it to school next week.

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we're getting more snow again today, might have to bundle up and go build a snowman with the boys....i said maybe....i am such a wimp when it comes to the cold. we also need to get started on getting the christmas decorations down...ugh.

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so i leave you with a wish for a happy new year, enjoy what ever festivities you partake in to ring in the new year! 2010?? really? where has the time gone?! ;)

have yourself a merry little christmas

wishing all my blog readers a very merry christmas! thank you all for looking, lurking and for all the comments you have left. i read each and every one of them and feel blessed that you follow me and that i can inspire you from the comforts of my very own home.
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christmas forecast for kansas city... snow!
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so hang your stockings and say your prayers cause santa clause comes...tonight!
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merry christmas!!

getting ready for santa

the boys and i spent some time yesterday decorating cookies for santa. if you like lots of sprinkles, then you would love these cookies! it was fun to see them being so careful and calm while they were decorating each cookie. then about 20 minutes after eating some of them things were back to normal around here....loud and crazy....just the way we like it! ;)

love thy neighbor

i am lucky to have a street full of great neighbors. at christmas time i like to take them each something homemade from my kitchen.
this year i made them brown sugar banana coffee cake. white butcher paper tied with red ribbon is all you need to make them look festive. if also wrapped in cellophane, these would have looked like big jumbo pieces of candy! *note to self for next time: think of the cellophane before you get all the ribbons tied on.

i also will include the recipe for them because this is yummy stuff and they will probably want to make a batch for themselves.

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it's not too late to whip up something from you kitchen. you neighbors would love it!

we have a winner

thank you all so much for entering my giveaway. i so wish that all of you could have won.....but ....

63 total comments and the lucky number chosen by random.org was comment #57:

Ann On and On - "just in the saint nick
of time...simple and elegant...beautiful giveaway".

Please send me your snail mail address to traybella@hotmail.com and i will send it on to jamie at
allmodern.com. she will order and ship the pillow to you.

thank you everyone and thank you allmodern.com!

a late night

i was up late thursday night...with 28 men.
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all of them were happy to be hanging out in my kitchen. they all had big smiles on their faces, and little did they know what there fate was for friday.
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on friday, they headed to the second grade christmas party.

i signed up for treats for the school party and all M wanted me to make were gingerbread cookies...with my giant cookie cutter! which required 4 batches of this yummy dough because i could only get 7 XL's out of each batch.
when i asked him if i could use one of my smaller gingerbread cutters, i could tell by the look on his face that he wasn't going to say yes. but i didn't know that when asked he would actually say "it just doesn't have the WOW factor" {ahem} i wonder where he got that??! ;)


so up late i stayed. With each pan out of the oven i added more men to my late night party, and fullfilled my 7 year olds request. when he saw all of the XL cookies in the morning, and a smile as big as these gingerbreads filled his face... it was so worth the lack of sleep. aaahhh, the things we do for our little ones.
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this is a really yummy recipe. no molasses, and has butterscotch pudding in it. i found the recipe here.

gift giving: to YOU

it is that time of year, time for gift giving!
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i was contacted by jamie at allmodern.com to see if i would be interested in a giveaway to my blog readers.
i checked out there site and when i saw that they had modern bedding i knew i was in!
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you see, i am a bit of a sheet snob. i am hooked on high thread count sheets...as in 1000 thread count! i also am always drawn to beautiful bedding and decorative pillows.
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so thanks to allmodern.com i have this giveaway to offer to YOU! i have chosen the Unison Martin Rectangle Pillow in Stone. i fell in love with its simple design, 100% cotton fabric and feather-down insert and the fact that it is made in the USA. i think it would look great on a sofa or on a bed.

if you would like to win this beautiful pillow just simply add a comment to this post. please leave your name and be sure and leave your email in the comments so that i can reach you if you are the winner. if you post this giveaway on your blog, or add yourself as one of my followers, i will enter your name twice!
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once we have a winner, i will get your address and send it to jamie at allmodern.com and she will ship your prize to you.
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winner will be chosen by random.org
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hurry! you have until sunday, december 20th to enter your comment. i will close comments at 8pm cst. (open only to my U.S. and Canadian readers, due to shipping)
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good luck and thank you allmodern.com!

comments closed; see winner announced above. thank you to all that left comments!

day trip

we took a little trip today. in an airplane. "buckle up before you go" C said. we went to paris...for a party. a birthday party where there was a red cake and lots of balloons. "bonjour" C said upon our arrival. the cake was one of the best red cakes i have ever had. oh, and we danced. we danced until we fell on the floor. exhausted from the party we headed back to our airplane. again i heard "buckle up before you go". and we were off.
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hanging out daily with a three year old with a great imagination... priceless! ;)

christmas packages

beautifully wrapped packages are one of my favorite things. i love to give them and i love to get them. i usually match our christmas wrapping with the color scheme of my christmas decorating. this year i went with my favorite craft paper in white and brown, some pretty cream ribbon....nothing too pretty, we do have all boys in this household, and because i have been a little crazy with numbers this year...number name tags.

the numbers correspond with the order of the family. mr. tray bella is #1, i am #2, M is #3 and C is #4. i wrote on the back who each gift was from. these are the family packages that get opened on christmas eve. santa's gifts are wrapped in bright papers and more child like.

if you have a unique way of wrapping your christmas gifts i would love to hear about it!

cookie party

i some how deleted 3 photos from the cookie party, so i am able to only post what was left. another year of beautiful cookies, good friends and good food. thanks to everyone that worked so hard on their yummy cookies! extras were again donated to The Forum assisted living, they were so happy to receive a box full of beautiful cookies.