Kitty Deschanel | Food, Wine, and Travel Adventures Across the USA

Here are more design ideas from the Summit County Parade of Homes . Enjoy! 1. Windows that go all the way down to the countertop (or countertops/desks/tables that come all the way up to the bottom of the window) look amazing. Stretching the window wall to wall is even better. Update: When building our dream home in the NM mountains, our builder explained that this does cost a bit more, as it requires very specific framing to make sure everything lines up perfectly. 2. Frame square cubbies right into the drywall for a modern bookcase. When we build our dream home next year, I'd like to do something similar but with wood on the bottom of each shelf. Or stone. Or maybe a bright, fun color painted onto the back of each cubby - a different one in each square.  Our poor builder doesn't know what he's gotten himself into. 3. For maximum impact, you need many, MANY pendant lights. 4. Have a little nook/hallway? Don't just leave it plain and boring. A lit...

It's time for the 2021 Fall Ale Fest, now named the Fall Ale Fest and Wing Cook-Off in the Heavenly Village Lake Tahoe.  Event Details: 9/18/21 from 1 pm - 5 pm; admission is $30 per person Lake Tahoe Heavenly Village: Fall Ale Fest and Wing Cook-Off  The inaugural Fall Ale Fest was a rave success.  Heavenly Village  offered something for everyone, including shops and activities for that important time between sampling and driving home.  2019 Review Be sure to check out Part One of this post, Have You Ever Attended a 'Vertical' Progressive Meal? I want to start with a quick story. My husband and I attended a wine festival in the morning and a beer festival in the afternoon. The next day, we were walking down the hallway at our hotel and both spotted something on the floor up ahead. It was a pair of shorts. "Those are your shorts," he said. Yes, they were. I quickly gathered my discarded shorts from the communal space and returned them to our room. I ...

Sexy Nerd and I are home from an impulsive trip to Texas. We brought home a car from Dallas! I'd planned to buy a 2022 Ford Mach-E, then decided to upgrade to a 2022 Jaguar I-Pace. Then I remembered that I'm a cheapskate and bought something much better. Care to guess what I bought? Fully loaded, it's quite an upgrade from my 2013 Chevy Volt , which is a terrific car for a Texas road trip, BTW. (It's totally cheating to guess if we already told you. ) The drive home from Dallas wasn't bad. The weather was really bad - ridiculous Texas winds knocked out power at the Renaissance Dallas Hotel, leaving us without water or elevator service on the 24th floor (!!!), but the drive wasn't bad. (The hotel staff did an excellent job given the circumstances outside their control, BTW. Go Marriott!) This was our first road trip from Dallas, TX to Amarillo, TX and it was fun breaking up the drive with unique stops. There were interesting trinkets to purchase and some of the...

What's the drawer under the oven for? When you started living on your own, did you ever do anything stupid? Like really, really stupid? I did and Sexy Nerd is never going to let me forget it. Geez, I was stupid. Perhaps I'm not the only one though. Let me ask you a question... What is this? (Photo from our 1st home:  https://www.kittydeschanel.com/2017/05/home-interior-decor-photos-kitchen-dining-room.html ) If you answered "I don't know what the heck that is," you'd better read on and learn from my mistake. I have a little disorder known as 'frugalitis'. Some people would insist that I'm just very cheap, but I assure you that it is a serious condition that's completely out of my control. I don't normally spend money on anything frivolous, but I love those little candy bars that used to go on sale for 10/$1. There are a lot to choose from. Kit Kats, Milky Ways, 100 Grands, etc. A few years ago, Hershey changed these to 8/$1...

*There's a list of can't-miss places and DC things to do at the end of this post, including our favorite restaurants. Sexy Nerd and I are home from our annual trip to Washington, DC. (And have been for several weeks, obviously. What a strange time we're living.) It's such a gorgeous, walkable city. I'd love to move there one day, even if only for a year or two. We could get a place near the water in Alexandria or within steps of the zoo. Did you know you can buy a condo at the Watergate? My thinking is that we can splurge on a place above our budget and really live it up while we're there, then just sell it when we move and get our money back. Sexy Nerd says that's not how it works. Isn't it though? I bought a new phone with a top-rated camera just in time - it arrived 1 day before this trip. Behold, the first selfie on my Google Pixel 3a. My previous phone was already outdated when I bought it refurbished in 2014, so this is an exciting u...