Home At Last! with Patty Gironda

I just had to post this pretty picture; so pleasing to me.. From a simple digital photograph I am transported across oceans and continents. Popular in both Tuscany and Spain, anchovy-stuffed green olives are enjoyable as a compliment to bruschetta or simple grilled cheese bread or paninni. For me, they are best by themselves with a Chianti or Pinot Noir. For others, these can be an acquired taste! The mention of anchovies can really cause some to shake their heads in disgust or cringe with disapproval. But, I don't let little things stop me from trying to convert "fish haters".   I recently won over my husband . . . "a fish hater" from way back! 

Every day brings us a little bit closer to our projected opening of Casa Bella. Our bathrooms are now outfitted with ample sinks with granite tops that create space for in-room amenities like Honey Soap and Shampoo. Recalling our favorite Tuscan villas and resorts has provided a road map for recreating romantic guestrooms with modern amenities. Creating reading vignettes with ample natural and artificial lighting ensures each guest a cozy custom reading chair or sofa-perfect for enjoying a good book along with a steamy cup of hot chocolate or tea. In the main hall a newly upholstered chair and a half with oversized footstool is the perfect sunny spot to enjoy Patty's collection of design and travel books, cookbooks and decorating magazines. Escape to the massive front tiled porch and reflect on the day's activities before heading out for a fun-filled day exploring our wonderful county.

Guests of Bed and Breakfasts, for the most part, are pretty easy to please. A comfy bed in clean surroundings - a few pretties, here and there, and a hot breakfast with lots of fresh coffee. That's pretty much the formula! This weekend we installed a small coffee nook to satisfy the need for the fresh, hot coffee. We're still waiting on a new countertop but it's easy to imagine the finished space. Spread around the B & B are several one-cup coffee makers; allowings guests to grab a quick cappuccino or hot tea before breakfast or after a late night in Newnan. It's been seven years since we closed The Old Garden Inn. Between learning how to operate a leased-access channel and running a Bed and Breakfast, the work load was a little too heavy. But, as the opening draws near, I find myself becoming more and more excited. Choosing the breakfast menus and adding a few new items is great fun for a "foodie". Imagining the "oohs and ahh's" from ...

      One of the many reasons I enjoy our old house, even though it continues to be too big for two people, is that I occasionally stumble upon old forgotten trinkets. Yesterday, I opened a cabinet under the staircase and enjoyed some of my beautiful keepsakes-artfully displayed for maximum enjoyment. I'm looking forward to cooler weather so that I can make the climb into our 1200 sf of attic space. It's hung with old pictures and strewn with boxes of goodies. Bolts of fabric casually piled in a corner remind me of my decorating days in Atlanta-so long ago! Since I rarely go to the attic it doesn't feel like my space-which makes for a fun afternoon rediscovering box contents and poking through the bolts of pretty fabric. I enjoy the cabinet under the stairs so much that when it's time to wash the contents I take pictures of the arrangement so that each beautiful piece goes back into its rightful place. Over the next few months I'll share the contents of my...

From Blog Uploads The Spring Home Show in Atlanta is taking place in North Atlanta this weekend and I don't think attendees could have ordered a more perfect weekend. Attendance seemed a little light but vendors were enthusiastic and the displays were varied and interesting. Blinds By Noon, an Atlanta Blind and Shutter manufacturer, displayed a trade show video created by my company, Paper Moon Productions! That's right . . . I moonlight! Besides being a passionate foodie and host of my own cable television show Paper Moon Productions produces corporate and trade show videos as well as cable advertising in the Atlanta, West Georgia and Alabama markets. On display at the Home Depot booth, I was tickled to see our work in action and looking quite good . . . if I do say so myself! As editor on the project I find myself eager to move on once a project is completed and while I have the video linked inside my own website, Home At Last, it's not quite the same as seeing it on ...