The Easton Place Blog Has Moved!

You can find me at my new place... 

Hope to see you there!
xoxo
Patti

Doors of Europe

I don't know when my interest in doors began. It feels like it was always there. I started a Pinterest board devoted to doors quite a while ago, but I think my attraction to doors was well established before Pinterest was born.

This summer while traveling in Europe I couldn't help but snap several photos of doors. From the size, to the hardware and the shape, one cannot escape these impressive portals and their grand accessories! Enjoy...

Had to snap at least one stationery shop! Gorgeous iron topper.

Some doors are hard to find because of the ivy.

Look at that gorgeous carved wood lion's head! Amazing.

Wordless Wednesday: Cliffs of Kilkee, Ireland

photo by Easton Place ... Cliffs of Kilkee, Ireland, July 2014

Color Palette: Sunrise/Sunset

On July 1, 2014 at roughly 6:30 in the evening, Matthew and I lifted off from JFK International, on Aer Lingus, and headed to Ireland. Here in the US the sun was still rather high in the sky, but it was preparing for its evening ritual of setting in the west. The interesting thing about flying to Ireland at that time of day, is that the sky doesn't actually become completely dark. So as we were saying goodnight to our sun, heading east toward northern Europe, it was a virtual race to see who would make it to Ireland first... our flight or the sun? It was the sun, of course, who was waiting for us when we landed at Shannon International. But along the way, I captured this photo from my window on the plane. It was a magical sky. I just had to pull a color palette from it. How could I not? I hope you enjoy it.

The wing of the plane is the sweeping black shape on the lower left. Luckily the window was quite clean! 

What I Wore: Walking Around Europe

Lavender in Provence

My husband and I spent a little more than three weeks traveling Europe this summer. It was a wonderful "second honeymoon" if you will. We stayed in Ireland, France, Italy, Austria, (drove through Lichtenstein on our way to) Switzerland and then back to Italy for our flight home. As you can imagine there was a lot of walking. The majority of the time, I wore a cotton skirt, a basic t-shirt and a cardigan tied around my shoulders. But what shoe does one wear to offer comfort and a bit of cute? Tretorn sneakers, of course! Seksti Mesh in oyster gray to be exact. Sneakers and a skirt equals a perfect combination for summer walks on cobblestone sidewalks and paths. Though ballet flats or summer sandals look cute with cotton skirts, they're just not supportive enough for hours (and I mean many hours!) of walking.  These mesh Tretorns were so comfortable, I ordered a second pair, in blue, when I returned from holiday. I think they will go nicely into Autumn when paired with denim or colorful ankle pants. What do you think?

• Rugby Pleated Skirt: Gap
• Ailana Sunglasses: Maui Jim
• Seksti Mesh Sneakers: Tretorn
• French Market Basket Bag: Etsy
• Basic T-shirt: Target
• Sterling Silver Bracelet: CB Stark on Martha's Vineyard (I wear this nearly everyday.)
• Nadia Navy Cardigan: Tory Burch

Check out my "Skirt and Sneakers" board on Pinterest for more cute looks.
Happy Travels!
xoxo
Patti

Why Grain Free? My Personal Story.

I've been toying with the thought of this blog post for almost a year. On one hand, I'm not one to write about "medical issues" or many personal subjects. I tend to write about home decor, hostess gifts and the occasional recipe. On the other hand, I've quite literally stumbled upon something that has changed my life for the better and wonder if this finding might be something others want to know about as well. We've all heard the saying, "If I can help just one other person..." That's where I'm coming from today. I do hope to help others, even if it's only one other.

Personal History...
Without going into full personal history, I will do my best to share the general reason for my drastic change in diet and overall lifestyle. A little over a year ago I went in for a gynecological exam. Although it was a routine check up, I needed to share new pains and symptoms with my doctor. Roughly 8 years ago I had a procedure called a "Endometrial Ablation". It was successful and I'd not had any symptoms for years. Now it seemed I was encountering new symptoms; pain, swelling, irregular bleeding. These are never good symptoms. After additional tests, my doctor suggested I have a partial hysterectomy (I would be keeping my ovaries). He didn't see anything life threatening from the test results, but in his words, "you're not using those parts any longer, so why let them bother you with pain." Sounded simple enough, right? So the operation was set. Pre-op tests were done. I was scheduled to have major body parts removed since I "wasn't using them any longer".

I want to take a moment to be clear about something. When we go into a partnership with a physician I believe it is both parties responsibility to ask questions and come up with solutions to possible problems. This is something that wasn't happening in the partnership between my doctor and myself. I didn't ask questions. He didn't ask many questions. This seemed like a routine removal of body organs. And for that I'm embarrassed with my own lack of initial effort. I'm also frustrated with the lack of options I was offered.

About 10 days before the surgery I was feeling uneasy. I only then decided to do research. Something I should have done well before agreeing to go under the knife (or laser as it was in my case). Upon researching the method that was to be used for my surgery (da Vinci Surgical method), I discovered many possible issues not discussed with me in my consultation. With this I decided to put the surgery on hold, take a deep breath and be a better advocate for my health.

At the same time this was happening, I was also experiencing significant joint pain (knees, shoulders, fingers, ankles, toes, hips). I'm not a teenager any longer, but I'm not ready to order a walker or use a cane! I enjoy tennis 2-3 times per week during much of the year. I hike with my family and take our dog for walks regularly. But all of this joint pain was starting to make being active, not so fun. Maybe I had arthritis, I began to wonder as I downed my 3 motrin (daily). I also had quite a few intestinal issues. Indigestion, bloating, discomfort to name a few.  To top things off, the nodules on my thyroids were feeling larger than ever. My endocrinologist was telling me at one of my biannual visits that my numbers were starting to creep up again and that I might need to increase my medication again... or discuss removing my thyroid. (AGAIN with the removal of parts! Geesh!) Something had to change!! There must be a way to make positive changes in my health without removing things. And I'd really like to not take pain reliever everyday if possible. Too much to ask?

Divine Intervention...
Those who know me well, know I'm a Christian. I'm married to a Jewish man and we're raising our children in the Jewish Faith, but I am a Christian. I really do believe in a G-d and I really do believe in divine intervention. I have no proof. I have no interest in proselytizing. But I have no other way of explaining what has happened in my life other than pointing to my faith. Take it or leave it.
When I have a problem I can't seem to solve, I pray about it. I was facing several health issues and I did what came natural to me... I prayed about it. And the only thought that came to my mind upon saying "amen", was "I need to give up grains". I'm not saying I heard the voice of G-d. It's not like that for me. It was more of an idea that came to me.

Why Grain Free?...
Prior to last August, I was a carb-lover. A grain-filled, sandwich-eating, cereal-crunching, pizza-making Carb-Lover! I can honestly say my daily diet was filled with grains. So when the thought of giving up all grains popped into my head I was confused, to say the least. But since it was the only thing I could come up with upon finishing my prayers, I decided to give it a try. I also decided to research grains, pros/cons, history of etc. I also spoke about it with a friend who I knew had some of the same gynecological issues I was having and I was surprised to hear her response. "My doctor told me to give up grains." What?? Why didn't my doctor tell me to give up grains? Is this a known treatment/option in the medical community??

Grain Free Living...
Within 2-3 weeks of giving up grains (I continued to eat corn chips for a while, but eventually gave that up as well) something amazing started happening. I started feeling good. No, I started feeling great! I noticed the swelling in my abdomen had gone down. My joints were feeling better. I wasn't taking motrin everyday. By 3 months of grain-free living I noticed I was feeling a little tired, so I decided to decrease my thyroid medication. [Note: I do NOT suggest you tinker with your prescription medications. I have other symptoms that help me gauge my current prescription intake as discussed with my doctor.] Again, I was feeling full of energy! I had zero gynecological pains. I repeat: ZERO. Strange bleeding had stopped. As for my joint pain, I realized one morning while walking down the stairs, that I was walking without pain with every step I was taking! Just three months prior, I was needing to take one step at a time, using the banister for significant support with each step. But now, I was just walking down the stairs like it was no big task at all! To go from waking up every morning with incredible pain, suffering to get down stairs, then realizing I'm freely walking down stairs without even a hint of pain? It literally feels like a miracle.
Six months into living without grains, I was in for blood work at my endocrinologists office. I told her I had given up grains and I had also adjusted my medication to every other day. She said, "Good for you! You know, they say grains cause inflammation. It makes sense that your thyroid nodules would shrink. Let's see what the blood work says." My blood work was great! The doctor called later that day to tell me to keep doing what I'm doing!

One Slice of Pizza...
Giving up grains is not easy, I'll be honest. We live in a world that seems to be wrapped in one form of bread or another. I am only human. I give in to temptation like the best of them. But it only took one moment of weakness to help me realize I just cannot go back to eating grains. Months ago I decided to test my theory and new-found eating regime. I was rushing to finish errands after a day of designing and packaging orders. I had to drive one son to rowing, return to the middle school and retrieve the younger son. Take him to tennis then rush back to pick up the first son from rowing. By then it was 7:00 pm and I'd not eaten lunch, let alone dinner. The boys wanted pizza and I'll admit, I DID TOO! So I did it. I ate a slice. It was delicious. Maybe the best tasting pizza I'd had ever.  30 minutes later I started feeling bloated. My stomach looked to be the size of a woman 6 months pregnant. By 9:00 pm my ankles were double in size. I felt terrible. A feeling that lasted about 3 days. Pain in joints, stomach ache, head ache... it was all back in full force. Lesson learned.

But Maybe it's Really Just Gluten I Need to Give Up? ...
I have quite a few friends online who are gluten intolerant. Maybe I, too, was just gluten intolerant! I decided to try some gluten free baked goods one day. Instantly, I was ill. Stomach pain and bloating. Nope! It's not gluten I have a problem with.

One Year Later...
It's been roughly a year since I gave up grains. I'm still pain-free in my joints. I've no gynecological pains nor unexpected bleeding and I take a Motrin when I have a headache or when I've over done it by hiking down the Austrian Alps for 4 hours. (that's another blog post, for another day!) I rarely have indigestion. Things are "regular" (if you know what I mean. sorry, TMI). I sleep better than ever. I rarely have swelling in my ankles; something I use to have daily! As a bonus, I've lost 15 pounds. That's not something I set out to do with this food change, but I do feel happy it happened. 15 pounds over the course of a year isn't drastic, so I'm fairly certain those are excess pounds I'll not see again. I can with all honesty say I'm feeling better than I have in years!

I'm Not a Doctor...
I've not shared my personal story to convince you that grains are evil. I have no reason for that. If I could enjoy eating foods made with grains I would! I'm not here to diagnose anyone or suggest this way of eating is for everyone. I'm a person who has suffered from terrible pain, was faced with major surgery and then found an easier and healthier way of dealing with those problems. If you think you have similar issues, I hope you're talking with your healthcare provider and getting answers you can live with. I am under the care of a physician. If my doctor(s) gave me reason to believe my way of eating was harmful, I would look for alternatives. But my doctor is happy with my results. I'm happy with my results.
There may come a day when I have to have my thyroid removed or have a hysterectomy. But that day isn't today. And it's not in the near future. If I can live pain free and keep all my body parts in exchange for giving up grains, I'll take it!

Thanks for reading. I hope I've struck a chord with at least one person.
Wishing you all health and happiness.
xoxo
Patti

Lemon Curd Mousse... Served Three Ways

My husband and I had a party a few weeks ago. We get together with three other couples every few months. We each take turns hosting and everyone brings a dish. It's a lot of fun! Usually the host couple provides the main dish and appetizers. I prepared slow-cooker BBQ ribs as well as fish tacos. Both were a hit and as I'm typing this, I'm really wishing I had some of each dish! Anyway... I also wanted to make a dessert. At Passover my sister-in-law prepared an amazing lemon curd tart. Instead of the traditional flour-based crust, she used coconut macaroons! Such a brilliant idea. So with that in mind I decided to try my hand at making mini tarts filled with a lemon curd mousse. You can find the recipe for coconut macaroons here.  Of course you can purchase the cookies as well if you're in a hurry, but they're not difficult to make.

Speaking of purchasing ready made, I found a jarred lemon curd at Whole Foods and I'm crazy for it. For this recipe, I chose to use a prepared lemon curd. If you scour Pinterest, I'm sure you can find an easy recipe for homemade lemon curd.

I like both brands, but I find the Thursday Cottage brand to have more flavor.

One thing I almost never buy ready-made: Whipped Cream. Using just a touch of sugar and real Madagascar vanilla is key!
For this recipe, little to no sugar is needed as the curd is quite sweet. Whip until firm.

2 parts whipped cream to 1 part lemon curd

Refrigerate the lemon curd mousse for 30 minutes before serving.

First Option: Fill macaroon cup with mousse and top with berries.

Second option: Top a bowl of berries with a dollop of lemon curd mousse and fresh coconut.

Third Option: Fill a bowl with the lemon curd mousse and top with fresh berries and shredded coconut.

It's an easy dessert to make and ideal for those who are gluten-free! Give it a try. Be warned... You'll want to make it often. It's sooooo delicious!

Cheers!
-Patti

PS. This would be a great dessert to take to a summer party. Easton Place Lemon Recipe Cards would be a lovely hostess gift to accompany them!

Terrarium Inspiration and Planting

One of my favorite retailers is Terrain. They have terrific buyers who fill the shop with gorgeous goods for the home and garden. I'm fortunate enough to live within 20 minutes of a Terrain. This past weekend I decided I'd plant the terrarium again. Technically, the planter belongs to my older son. When he was roughly 10 years old, he asked for a terrarium for his birthday. He enjoyed planting the terrarium for a couple of years, but with age comes other interests and eventually the glass planter found itself in storage.

This beautiful tree fungus (discovered during one of our hikes) inspired me. 

On Saturday I collected the terrarium from storage, cleaned it up, and gave it another go. Terrain has an amazing selection of small terrariums, plants and accessories. Most plants are $5 each and accessories as low as $4, so the investment isn't a large one. I chose a handful of plants, a sweet faux mushroom and a jar of green glass bits. I already had a collection of fresh moss from a hike with my husband last week which completed look. Truth is, I seem to have a "black thumb", but every now and again I try planting something. Wish me luck!

I couldn't resist picking out a mini (faux) mushroom.

Matthew and I found this beautiful moss on our last hike. 

Looks like a scene right from the forest.

Added the dome.

That little yellow flowering plant is clearly the star of the show!

Have a lovely week!
xoxo
-Patti
ps: This is not a sponsored post. I just really like Terrain :)

Martha's Vineyard Wine Fest 2014

I love Martha's Vineyard. I've written a few times about my family's travels to the vineyard, but today's post I'm sharing my recent solo trip to MV! That's right... this wife/mother of 2/small business owner took a lovely trip sans family.

The weekend of May 8-11 found the island filled with visitors welcoming the Spring season, enjoying the Pink & Green Weekend and the Martha's Vineyard Wine Fest(benefiting the Martha's Vineyard Boys and Girls Club). My dear friend, Marnely, author at Cooking with Books, is in charge of the MVWF Social Media/Public Relations, so it was also a chance for the two of us to catch up and enjoy a glass of wine and a few meals together.

I was thrilled when Marnely asked if I would design the insert cards for the "Swag Bags".  These cards listed the websites and twitter accounts for the wine fest donors! Take a look at all the amazing businesses who so generously gave samples (and sometimes full sizes) of their goods.

I arrived Friday around noon, giving me plenty of time to rest up from the long drive and ferry ride before meeting up with Marnely and another friend, Brandy O'Neill of Nutmeg Nanny. The three of us had dinner at Atria. This event was appropriately called "King of Cabernets". The five course meal was paired with five different Cabernets from the following wineries: Frog's Leap Winery, Hewitt Vineyards, Beaulieu Vineyard, Louis Martini, Faust Winery and Trinchero. The meal was prepared by Chef & Atria Owner Christian Thornton.

Saturday morning, breakfast was at The Harbor View Hotel with Marnely, Brandy, and Gina of Running to the Kitchen. Later that afternoon we all met up for the grand tasting where I also got to meet Gianne of Organic Bath Company. Wine after wine samplings, tasty canapés, local artisans and even a little sangria made the event fantastic. So much hard work went into making this festival special. Please be sure to read about the hard-working men and women who made this event a success!

Sunday was my last day on the Vineyard. It began with an amazing brunch at Detente. A trip to MV wouldn't be complete without a little shopping, and a stop for some chocolate from Not Your Sugar Mamas. This was truly one of the nicest visits to the Vineyard. A special thank you to all the people who made the MVWF so enjoyable and a BIG thank you to Marnely Rodriguez-Murray for being such a wonderful hostess and friend.

Cheers!
-Patti

Boys' Bathroom: Before and After

When we started our major remodeling project nearly one year ago, the first thing we addressed on the inside of the house was the boys' bathroom. We didn't change any walls or plumbing locations. We did gut the room completely (including a new window) and start from scratch.
We chose an oversized, soft white subway tile on the walls and shower/tub area and we went with a classic one inch black & white square tile for the floor. The fixtures are polished chrome and polished nickel. The counter tops are honed Carrera marble. You can see the transformation below!

The hardware is from Restoration Hardware. The sconces are from Potter Barn. The plumbing fixtures are by Moen. The medicine cabinets are from Pottery Barn. The bowed shower rod is from Moen. The paint is Wickham Gray by Benjamin Moore. The vanity was custom made.

So, how do you like it? I love it! I still have a little artwork to hang. I'm considering enlarging some vacation photos and have them printed in black & white. That should give it a personal touch. I think I've covered all the details and provided links when I can. If I've missed something, let me know in the comments!

Stay tuned for the Master Bathroom reveal and eventually the kitchen reveal! I still have a little painting left in that room. I have already shown the kitchen on my Instagram account, but I'll be putting together a before/after post here as well.

Cheers,
-Patti