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January 06, 2021

Hey 2021!

January 06, 2021/ Meryl

Friends I’m sure we can all agree - every one of us was more than ready to bid Farewell to 2020 and say Welcome to 2021!

The year started off with me finishing a client space with fresh paint and styling. I was incredibly excited for my business at the start of 2020.

February brought our annual Stratton, VT trip while the family skied I hung out with my BIL - If you ever visit Stratton Village - I recommend the Sushi Bowl at Mulligans and everything at Verde.

Since March 13th (the day we started staying home) we slowly made our way through a list of both small and big projects.

recovered a stool
added additional rugs to the porch.
recovered a chair
started on the basement - the basement is an ongoing project. Both my husband and myself are children of collectors - that coupled with the fact that we don’t store anything in our attic - well you can guess what the process of clearing out has been. We want to create a family room space for our son to hang out with his friends as well as eventually incorporating a bath, strategic storage and laundry facilities - This will not be accomplished overnight - as we approach year 18 of ownership here at the Chalet we are working hard to be good stewards.
organized closets
hooks in the Pantry
redecorated the bath twice - (details in a forthcoming post)
sewed pillow covers
painted the stair-hall to the basement. (still working on that! need to redo the stair treads with paint and add a runner.)
painted the kitchen
new mantel lamp
swapped art
new light fixture in the dining room
new rug in the diningroom
new lampshade for a diningroom lamp
new artwork

I learned how to Face Time with multiple people and I learned how to Zoom.

I think I’ve finally learned how to cook the perfect Pot Roast. I settled on a recipe from Ree Drummond the Pioneer Woman. The boys seem happy with it!

We were blessed to enjoy a relatively normal late spring and summer - with swim club days and two weeks at the beach.

This livingroom redo came my way late summer. I was looking up rugs options for my dear friend and client on our way to the beach. Details in a forthcoming post.

In the fall my son got back to remote learning and just a bit of hockey before it was cancelled. He was able to Trick or Treat - albeit differently. My sister and I had the opportunity to tour the much anticipated Mansion in May - which became Splendor in September and meet an Insta friend Aliya Riaz. My husband rebuilt the side brick walkway, laid rocks, new sod and finished building this amazing structure on our property called The Hut.

In November we took an Autumnal Train Ride in New Hope, PA with family and enjoyed a spectacular dinner at Lambertville Station Restaurant. I also bought a scale - it’s time to get it together regarding my weight and exercise. While both Thanksgiving and Christmas were different we are very blessed with our health, our family and our beautiful home.

i started actively listening to Podcasts. I really enjoy listening to voices. I read or listened to 29 titles in 2020. Reading is a joyful experience I’ve participated in since I was quite young. I oversee a book club at church and I’m the chair of the Literacy Committee at my sons school. I hope I can read more titles this year!

In 2020 I learned what I will and won’t do for others and myself. I learned the term capacity. I learned what I truly crave. I learned what I want for my business. I learned social media can be a place of true connections. I learned how incredibly blessed I am to have a home I treasure and 2020 reaffirmed I’m a homebody.

Happy New Year! Til next time be well!

December 30, 2020

Dazzling Decor!

December 30, 2020/ Meryl

As we close out this holiday season - I was looking through an album I created on Instagram full of ideas for the 2021 Chalet Christmas decor. I hope you find these images inspiring too! Enjoy! Click image for source.

Love the idea of covering a round mirror.

I’m loving this mirror and covering it in this lovely greenery is delightful.

This gorgeous greenery has me thinking about what I could do on the upstairs railing or possibly a swag underneath our stairwell handrail.

More gold accents - I love this look of a nontraditional color.

Nothing works better at making a statement than a large grouping and while I don’t own glass trees - I could use bottle-brush trees.

This deer was brown before paint - it reminds me to think of what it can be.

This glorious ribbon and greenery is lush - I love the use of eucalyptus. I definitely need more ribbon next year.

The pine-cone wreath and a nontraditional ribbon color elevate the space.

The use of a blue and white ceramic planter to anchor the tree is genius!

Focusing on a single bold color is brilliant.

These sweet ornaments made me think - maybe I’ll use my tabletop tree in the upstairs hall cabinet next year with a fun theme.

Another reason why I need a cloche. This is so simple and no dusty ornaments.

This ribboned nutcracker has me thinking of where I might add something similar and finally this table is offering more thoughts for the cabinet in the upstairs hall.

So much originality and inspiration in this images. I hope you saw a thing or two you found delightful and maybe filed way for next year too!

We were blessed to share Christmas Eve with family who are in our circle and though our Christmas Day was quiet with just we three here in the Chalet it was lovely to spend the day in our PJ’s playing games and relaxing. We very much missed spending the day with family but, count ourselves so fortunate that our loved ones are well. I’ve spent most of the last week lounging on the couch reading, watching movies or playing board games when I haven’t been eating delicious treats! So all the way around I feel Christmas 2020 was a success!

I wish you a wonderful New Year!

Thank you for taking your valuable time to be here and be part of the Chaletmomma family I truly appreciate it!

Til next time stay well and Cheers!

Images: Accounts Linked.

December 23, 2020

Shaken or Stirred?

December 23, 2020/ Meryl

This my friends was the cocktail my father always ordered - his drink of choice a Gin Martini with a Twist of Lemon Up. In honor of what would be Jim’s 97th Birthday today - I’m sharing a bit of Martini history and some recipes! Cheers!

Harry Johnson's New and Improved Bartender's Manual (1888) lists a recipe for a “Martini Cocktail” that consisted in part of half a wine glass of Old Tom gin and a half a wine glass of vermouth.

Fill the glass up with ice
2 or 3 dashes of gum syrup
2 or 3 dashes of bitters; (Boker's genuine only)
1 dash of Curaçao
1⁄2 wine glassful [1 fl oz] of Old Tom gin
1⁄2 wine glassful [1 fl oz] of [sweet/Italian] vermouth
Stir up well with a spoon, strain it into a fancy cocktail glass, squeeze a piece of lemon peel on top, and serve.

The Marguerite Cocktail appears in the 1900 edition of Harry Johnson’s New and Improved Bartender’s Manual. This is believed to be a precursor of the Martini - because just a few years later in 1904 the recipe has been altered to a 2:1 mix of Plymouth dry gin and dry vermouth, with a dash of orange bitters.

The first dry martini is linked to Martini di Arma di Taggia a bartender who worked at the Knickerbocker Hotel in New York City. He created a drink made with gin, dry vermouth, sweet vermouth, citrus bitters, orange bitters and garnished with a lemon twist in 1911. The lemon twist is the original martini garnish and olives may have become an option when vodka was introduced as a gin substitute.

GIN MARTINI:

2 1/2 ounces gin
1/2 ounce dry vermouth
Garnish with Lemon or Olives.
To make a Dirty Martini add olives and a bit of the brine from the olive jar.

The GIBSON is a twist on a classic gin martini - with a cocktail onion.

The key to a great martini is to start with quality ingredients - since there are only two - this is not a cocktail where you want to be frugal

Every Gin is different and unique - you may want to alter the ratio of ingredients and/or try a different garnish with different brands.

Also be aware that Vermouth has a short shelf life because it's fortified wine, not a distilled spirit. If your bottle has been open for longer than 3 months, it's time to toss it.

A bunch of newer cocktails have the word martini or the suffix tini in their title. They are named this way because they are served in a martini glass. Most contain vodka and don’t share very much with the original drink.

POMEGRANATE MARTINI:

Ice
2 ounces pomegranate juice
1 ounce vodka
1/2 ounce Triple Sec
1/2 ounce club soda
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
Frozen red grapes
Fill a shaker three-fourths full with ice. Add pomegranate juice, vodka, triple sec, club soda and lemon juice. Cover and shake 10-15 seconds or until condensation forms on outside of shaker. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with red grapes.

COSMOPOLITAN:

Ice
2 ounces vodka
2 ounces cranberry juice
1/2 ounce lime juice
1/2 ounce Triple Sec
Orange zest
Fill a shaker three-fourths full with ice. Add the vodka, juices and Triple Sec. Cover and shake for 10-15 seconds or until condensation forms on outside of shaker. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with orange zest.

ELDERFLOWER MARTINI:

1 ounce St. Germain's elderflower liqueur
1 ounce gin
1/2 ounce dry vermouth
1/2 ounce lime juice
Pour the half-ounce of dry vermouth into a martini glass. Swirl the vermouth around in the glass coating the sides of the glass. Pour out the vermouth - do not use in shaker. Fill a shaker halfway with ice cubes add the St. Germain’s, gin and lime juice. Shake slowly until very cold. Strain the mixture into the vermouth-swirled glass. Garnish with lime peel.

the Martini Spoken Here sign belonged to Dad. — the ***Martini Spoken Here*** sign belonged to Dad.

We enjoyed a wonderful dinner recently at the Black Forest Inn. I snapped a picture of a Black Forest Signature Martini and the Holiday Drink Specials with the five different martinis they offer.

APPLETINI:

Ice
2 ounces vodka
1-1/2 ounces sour apple liqueur
1-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
Green apple slice
Fill a shaker three-fourths full with ice. Add the vodka, apple liqueur and lemon juice. Cover and shake for 10-15 seconds or until condensation forms on outside of shaker. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with apple.

RASPBERRY LEMON DROP MARTINI:

Ice
2 ounces citrus vodka
¾ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
¾ ounce simple syrup
¾ ounce Chambord
Raspberries
Chill a martini glass. Fill a shaker three-fourths full with ice. Add the vodka, lemon juice, simple syrup, and Chambord. Cover and shake for about 10 seconds. Strain into the chilled martini glass. Garnish with fresh raspberries.

CHOCOLATE MARTINI:

Ice
2 ounces vodka
2 ounces creme de cacao or chocolate liqueur
Chocolate truffle
Fill a mixing glass or tumbler three-fourths full with ice. Add vodka and creme de cacao; stir until condensation forms on outside of glass. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with chocolate truffle.

Stirring Versus Shaking

The Various James Bonds with their martinis

There's a lot of debate about whether martinis should be stirred or shaken. Most experts agree to the following rules:

If a martini contains only spirits - such as a classic martini or vodka martini - it should be stirred in a mixing glass with ice for about one minute. The idea is shaking will bruise the spirits.
If a martini contains fruit juices, it needs to be shaken in a cocktail shaker with ice for about 10 seconds to mix the ingredients properly.