fiori garden design

03/05/2012

fiori garden design's cover photo

02/18/2012

10 Curb Appeal Tips From the Pros : HGTV FrontDoor Real Estate

Check out tip #7 on HGTV's "curb appeal" article today!

A good-looking face isn't just memorable -- in real estate, an attractive exterior can make or break a home sale. We asked home professionals for their best tips on creating a sparkling outside that beckons potential buyers inside.

11/20/2011

feelin’ groovy

feelin’ groovy

A 102-foot corkscrew slide. Hallucinatory strobe lights. Psychedelic mushrooms. Something called “Giant Psycho Tank”. Hey Noah, let’s go! Remember our lemons-to-flubber day of a few weeks ago? We tried to go to the New Museum down in the Bowery, only to be told that the museum wa

11/18/2011

favor- “ette” friday: good life gourmet

favor- “ette” friday: good life gourmet

I’d like to share some “take-aways” from a fun event I took part in this week. If you live in the Westchester area you may have already experienced the delicious cooking of Eric Korn of Good Life Gourmet. He hosted a cooking demonstration for some local food bloggers and I was th

11/16/2011

divide and conquer

divide and conquer

It seems that, along with deadheading, dividing perennials is one of those tasks that prove intimidating for many gardeners. Division simply means digging up the plant, splitting it into two or more smaller portions and then returning those sections to the garden (or giving them

11/15/2011

a way to help

a way to help

My friend Meredith, aka The Food Yenta (remember her?) just shared this post. I was busy at the time but something about the way she described it made me want to stop what I was doing and take a look right away. I read, commented and immediately offered to help. As I get ready to

11/14/2011

i brake for squash, part five: apple pumpkin fruit roll-ups

i brake for squash, part five: apple pumpkin fruit roll-ups

This is the last one – pinky swear. Wow – I didn’t realize how many squash recipes I had – I hope you’ve enjoyed them! This one is to-die-for adorable and really good too, if you like the whole fruit-roll-up sort of thing. I do. As I’ve written before (here, for example), I’m not

11/11/2011

favor- “ette” friday: apple chips and food blove

favor- “ette” friday: apple chips and food blove

The parmesan tuiles I did a few Fridays back were such a hit that I decided to share another one-ingredient wonder – apple chips! Noah loves crunch – the boy will take a pretzel or chip over a cupcake or cookie any day (remember these?). So when I saw this recipe on my friend Mer

11/10/2011

just a couple of cupcakes

just a couple of cupcakes

Chelsea was home a few weeks ago and her visit coincided with a cupcake class taught at one of our favorite bakeries, Butter Lane Cupcakes. Remember Butter Lane? I mentioned them in a post I did a while back about East 7th Street in New York City – this is the place that not only

11/08/2011

largesse

largesse

lar·gesse noun lär-ˈjes generous giving : a generous gift This was the kind of day where the pictures truly tell the story better than any words. Chelsea came home for a long weekend and Noah and I were lucky enough to have her join us on our weekly outing. We went up to Storm Ki

11/06/2011

i brake for squash, part four: pumpkin bread

i brake for squash, part four: pumpkin bread

I call this the little bread that could. It looks so simple and unassuming, you could easily pass it by. But don’t. It’s so delicious. Light and moist, somewhere between a cake and a tea bread, lovely at any time of day. Noah, of course, favors it for breakfast and I don’t mind a

11/06/2011

i brake for squash, part three: pumpkin puree and roasted pumpkin seeds

i brake for squash, part three: pumpkin puree and roasted pumpkin seeds

Pumpkins – in my mind they were purchased once a year, for Halloween, carved-to-order and thrown out on November 1st. I would pat myself on the back as I roasted the seeds (how industrious!) and never gave much thought to the rest. And then I made my own pumpkin puree. It was exc

11/04/2011

favor- “ette” friday – corkcicle

favor- “ette” friday – corkcicle

This is one of those items that make you say, “HOW did I not think of this myself?”. I recently switched to white wine, after a long stint of red-only. So of course, I’m faced with the issue of keeping the wine cold while it’s sitting on the table during dinner. I don’t care for

11/02/2011

a year in my garden: october

a year in my garden: october

This is a tale of two gardens. No, wait – this is a tale of three gardens. Yes, this is definitely a tale of three gardens. The first garden is the one I always share with you, month by month. October is the month where I make a last, desperate attempt to correct the mistakes [..

10/29/2011

pretty funny vintage

pretty funny vintage

I wanted to name this post “Brooklyn Schmooklyn”. But, really? I know that I’ve gone on and on (and on) about how much I love Brooklyn, and have shared many of my favorite places with you (and there’s more to come!). But I started to feel badly about neglecting the place I’ve cal

10/28/2011

favor- “ette” friday: look good…feel better

favor- “ette” friday: look good…feel better

“Look Good…Feel Better is a non-medical, brand-neutral public service program that teaches beauty techniques to cancer patients to help them manage the appearance-related side effects of cancer treatment”. In recognition of National Breast Cancer Awareness month, I’d like to shar

10/26/2011

i brake for squash, part two: winter squash soup

i brake for squash, part two: winter squash soup

I typically avoid any recipe that calls for peeling acorn squash. Have you ever tried it? It’s practically impossible – hard, thick skin and all those ridges…………. I came across a recipe years ago for a creamy winter squash soup. It called for an acorn and butternut squash, peeled

10/24/2011

from lemons…………

from lemons…………

we got lemonade flubber. Last week brought one of the most wet and dreary days yet this fall. No matter – Noah and I had the perfect “indoor” Thursday planned. A trip to the New Museum, downtown. It’s one of my favorites and I was looking forward to showing Noah. We made our way

10/21/2011

favor- “ette” friday: multitasker

favor- “ette” friday: multitasker

Between the kids, my business and the general craziness that life brings, I have very little time to think about what I’m going to wear in the morning. And as my day starts before dawn and ends many hours later, chances are that I will find myself in vastly different situations t

10/19/2011

i brake for squash, part one: roasted fall salad

i brake for squash, part one: roasted fall salad

I love winter squash. Acorn, butternut, spaghetti squash, pumpkin, you name it. And this is the time of year for it so I’m in full swing. I realized recently just how many squash recipes I have. So over the coming weeks I’d like to share some of my very favorites - sweet, savory,

10/17/2011

slow down

slow down

This trip was a perfect reminder of why I started my “Thursdays with Noah”. Remember? I was going to “let the day unfold at Noah’s pace”, and “see what would happen if I let him take the lead, spending as much or as little time along the way as he wanted“. Jamaica Bay Wildlife R

10/14/2011

Planting a Beautiful Spring Garden This Fall

it's going to be a great weekend - get out there and plant your spring garden now! this article tells you how and why...........

Thought springtime was the best time to plant? Read on to see why planting in the fall is the way to go.

10/12/2011

special request, part two: spiral sprinkle cookies

special request, part two: spiral sprinkle cookies

These cookies: were the very last things I baked with Chelsea before she went back to school in the fall. They were made in an attempt to ward off all the sad feelings I know we were both having in anticipation of her leaving. I was looking for a recipe that screamed “cheery” a

10/10/2011

special request, part one: meg’s chicken

special request, part one: meg’s chicken

Although I try not to post food photos without the accompanying recipe, 2 pictures recently found their way in – and of course, those would be the 2 that piqued the interest of many of you, to the point that I’ve received several e-mails asking for the recipes for this: and this:

10/07/2011

favor- “ette” friday: bento boxes and blove

favor- “ette” friday: bento boxes and blove

Yes, you read correctly - I wrote “blove”. I’ll get to that shortly. But first, my new favorite thing …………… As I’ve written before, Noah is not the greatest eater. But a few months ago we discovered that meals go a little more smoothly when he has an array of foods in front of hi

10/06/2011

between the blogs

between the blogs

This is for Jenn. Jenn has a son who is a year older than Noah. She is also a teacher, and struggles to make her peace with the time she spends away from her boy and the benefits (salary, time off, etc.) that her profession provides. So when I put up a “Thursday with Noah” post,

10/05/2011

MOMents………..

MOMents………..

I’ve linked up today at My 3 Little Birds – a warm and lovely blog written by a talented mother and writer. Mary Lauren is opening her blog up this month for others to share what she calls ”MOMents”. What are “MOMents”? Well, as she so beautifully writes: MOMents are part reflect

10/03/2011

separation anxiety

separation anxiety

“Separation will be a large part of the curriculum at the beginning of the year. It’s a necessary and important part of a child’s development”. I was going through the pile of papers that invade my house at the beginning of every school year. Amidst the nursery school papers was

09/30/2011

favor- “ette” friday: run for congo women

favor- “ette” friday: run for congo women

Last Saturday I participated in the New York Run for Congo Women. The run was founded by a woman named Lisa Shannon: “In 2005, Lisa Shannon changed her life when she heard Women for Women International Founder and CEO Zainab Salbi speak about the crises facing women in DR Congo i

09/29/2011

modern love

modern love

Last Thursday brought yet more rain – and though I was saving this trip for when the weather got colder, I was just as happy to get up there sooner. Dia Beacon is a contemporary art museum housed in the former Nabisco box printing factory. It was built in 1929 and is considered a

09/26/2011

a year in my garden: september

a year in my garden: september

I was chatting with a colleague last week, who said that he couldn’t wait for fall to come and kill off all the mistakes he made this year. I know just how he feels. September in the garden is definitely a time of reckoning. It’s just a little too soon to start cutting plants bac

09/23/2011

favor- “ette” friday: saipua

favor- “ette” friday: saipua

I love this place. And so will you. Saipua (Finnish for “soap”) has been making beautiful, hand-made soaps and candles since 1999. The soaps are made from the highest quality ingredients – food-grade oils, butters and fresh herbs – and have been a favorite of mine for years. As t

09/21/2011

summer’s over, part four: melon sorbet

summer’s over, part four: melon sorbet

This is officially the last week of summer – and so I thought it was only fitting to end this series with dessert. This sorbet has been a staple in my home for as long as I can remember. It is ridiculously easy, can be done days in advance and is quite forgiving of a [...]

09/19/2011

beach boy

beach boy

I knew exactly where our next “Mommy and Noah” destination would be when Noah pointed to a picture of the ocean in one of his books and said “sand box!”. It was time to go to the beach. I’ve found that most people fall into one of two categories – they’re either beach people or [

09/16/2011

favor- “ette” friday: bag in a bag (and a special offer!)

favor- “ette” friday: bag in a bag (and a special offer!)

Like many of you out there, I have a bit of a bag obsession – always in search of that elusive “perfect one”, and constantly switching bags depending on my outfit, the weather, my mood, etc. I also seem to think that I live a life where all of my essentials can fit into a cute [.