Favorite Things: Hello Little Home

  Hello, everyone! Welcome to Favorite Things!

My guest blogger today is Ginnie, from Hello Little Home. 

I actually had the good fortune of meeting Ginnie back when she lived in New York City.

If she looks familiar to you, that's because she is one of the co-hosts 

every Friday at our Best of the Weekend link party.

Or, perhaps you've seen her talking about home remedies on the Meredith Vieira Show!

Ginnie's blog is chock-full of DIY projects, recipes, home decor, beauty...and more!

Take it away, Ginnie!

 

Hi, everyone! I'm Ginnie from Hello Little Home, and I'm so excited to be here for this fun series. Thanks for the invitation, Amy! Ever since I got Amy's invite, the song "My Favorite Things" has been running through my head nonstop. With the Sound of Music as my backdrop, I had fun coming up with a list of my favorite things. It was harder than I thought it would be (I have too many), and I'm worried that I missed something ... ha! Here are a few of my favorites in no particular order.

California My husband and I have moved around a lot for his job. We're both from the Midwest originally, although he grew up in Florida. We lived in Chicago when we first got married, but when we had the opportunity, we moved to San Francisco. It took me a while to adjust, but I fell in love with San Francisco and California. From the laid back atmosphere to the amazing food and the endless travel opportunities (Lake Tahoe, Yosemite, wine country, Big Sur, San Diego, and so much more), there's just so much to love! After living in San Francisco for about six years, we moved to NYC for three years, and now we are in Dallas. Although I loved living in New York and miss it daily, California has my heart, and I can't wait to move back someday!

 

A beautiful view of San Francisco's Sunset neighborhood with the Marin Headlands in the distance.

Ice Coffee I've never been a big coffee drinker (I'm all about tea), but somehow while living in NYC, I got hooked on iced coffee. I like to blame it on an awful job combined with a horribly hot and humid summer. That daily iced coffee was what got me through most mornings. Thankfully, that job is simply a bad memory now, but I still love my morning iced coffee come rain, shine, or snowstorm!

Fall The minute the weather cools off, you can find me in a cozy sweater and boots running through the leaves. It's finally starting to cool off here in Dallas (a little), and I couldn't be more excited. I predict lots of hot cocoa in my near future. One of my favorite things about living in New York was spending crisp fall days exploring Central Park. We lived a couple blocks away and whenever I needed a pick me up, I'd go for a walk through the park.

 

Decorating There are few things I enjoy more than moving around furniture, perusing my favorite home decor stores, websites, and magazines, or simply making a few small changes here and there. My love of decorating was actually one of the reasons I started my blog. I had just moved into a tiny NYC apartment and wanted a place share some of tips for living in a small space (along with recipes, crafts, and more). Now that I'm living in Dallas, I have a whole other set of challenges. My apartment is much larger, but I still have all my NYC furniture! It's coming along very slowly, but surely, and I'm enjoying every step of the process. 

 
My tiny NYC living room.

Cooking and Trying New Foods Ever since I was a kid, I've loved cooking and experimenting with recipes. My mom was a wonderful cook, and thankfully, she taught me all the basics. Now that I have a blog, I love sharing my family favorites, as well as new recipes that I create. I also enjoy going out to eat and trying different foods. It's one of my greatest pleasures, and I love returning home to recreate those memorable meals. 

Celebrating my birthday at one of my fave restaurants, Enoteca Maria on Staten Island in NYC. They give you a bottle of Sambuca to enjoy with your espresso!

Wine Give me a glass of wine, and you'll have a very happy lady on your hands! I like everything from crisp whites to powerful reds, although my favorite is probably Sauvignon Blanc. I've always enjoyed wine, but my love for it really started when my husband and I lived in San Francisco. We drove up to Sonoma frequently to visit our favorite wineries and to try new ones, too. I can't think of anything more relaxing than a day spent sampling wines while taking in the beautiful scenery. 

 
 A beautiful winery in Southern California.

Photography I was an art major in college and photography was my favorite subject. This was before digital cameras were so ubiquitous (just writing that makes me feel old!), so I learned using an old-fashioned film camera ... remember those? My dad even built me a darkroom in our basement. These days, you can find me snapping pics wherever I go with my camera phone, and of course, taking photos for my blog (I use my trusy DSLR for that). I feel like I'm still learning, because the still photos I take for my blog (interiors, food, DIY projects, etc.) are so different from photographing people and landscapes. It's a fun challenge trying to improve my skills. 

 
My husband caught me taking photos at Versailles.

Traveling If I could travel full-time, I would. I'm not particular either. I love everything from short afternoon drives through sleepy towns to big trips to more exciting locales. Although I have a soft spot for Mexico, my all-time favorite trip was to Paris. My husband and I rented an apartment in Montmartre and had a wonderful time exploring the city. I loved returning home to "our neighborhood" every night and visting our favorite local places to shop for pastries, cheese, wine, and more. When can I go back? 

 
Walking up a hill in Montmartre toward Sacré-Coeur Basilica.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my favorite things! Thanks again, Amy, for having me! 

Please stop over at Hello Little Home and say hi to Ginnie!

 Favorite Things will be back on Sunday, October 30,

with another guest blogger!