Give Away: THREE Pairs of Shoes from Sole Society!

Here's a fun weekend give away! <a href="https://www.solesociety.com/?utm_source=Influencer&utm_medium=blogger&utm_campaign=little_green_notebook" target="_blank">Sole Society</a> is a great new members-only designer shoe site, where new designs are released every single day. Most shoes are just $49.95 with free shipping and free, no-hassle returns.<br /><br />These flats have been my go-to date night shoes. They are incredibly comfortable and I get compliments every time I wear them! They're all business up front and party in back with blue snakeskin (see #13 below).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/IMG_6929.jpg" /></div><br />Here are some of my other favorites.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/SOLESOCIETY.jpg" /></div><br />For a chance to win <i>three</i> pairs of shoes from Sole Society, go to <a href="https://www.solesociety.com/?utm_source=Influencer&utm_medium=blogger&utm_campaign=little_green_notebook" target="_blank">www.solesociety.com</a> and register to be a member (it's quick, I promise) and find your favorites. Then just leave a comment here. Contest ends next Saturday at midnight. Good luck! xx<br /><br />PS For $15 off your first purchase, use the code LGN15. Expires September 30th (US only).

Give Away: THREE Pairs of Shoes from Sole Society!

Here's a fun weekend give away!  Sole Society is a great new members-only designer shoe site, where new designs are released every sing...

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Serenity Now

Oh boy! Things are starting to look good around here! The painters/workers left for good yesterday and some mad unpacking happened. I feel bad for the recycling and trash pick up guys. There's about a million garbage bags and boxes and rolls of old carpeting waiting for them. :/ But the house is suddenly feeling bigger and brighter and more clean! A great feeling after living in a box cave for two weeks.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/IMG_2931.jpg" /></div><br />Monday I'll start sharing more befores of the new house. The projects have started and I feel better about sharing the ugly before shots when I know at least some progress photos are not too far behind.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/IMG_2925.jpg" /></div><br />Aren't this pictures from our loft shoot peaceful? I'm missing that settled, content feeling that happens when your home is clean and decently decorated. While I'm ripping out disgusting old carpet on the garden level in between coats of paint on the kitchen cabinet frames, I'll be thinking of the serenity that's hopefully headed my way soon. :)<br /><br />Happy weekend!<br /><br /><i>(Photos of our old dining room by <a href="http://www.nicolefranzen.com/" target="_blank">Nicole Franzen</a>. Styling by <a href="http://www.kendrasmoot.com/" target="_blank">Kendra Smoot</a> - who says sunflowers are making a comeback! Love these black ones she used. And how cool are the figs?)</i>

Serenity Now

Oh boy! Things are starting to look good around here! The painters/workers left for good yesterday and some mad unpacking happened. I feel b...

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Dreaming of My Garden

<script src="http://thirdparty.fmpub.net/placement/519197?fleur_de_sel=[timestamp]" type="text/javascript"></script> <i style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;">Brought to you by the <a href="http://r1.fmpub.net/?r=http%3A%2F%2Fad.doubleclick.net%2Fclk%3B260623694%3B84863638%3Bx&k4=4624&k5=519197" target="_blank">Brita Bottle For Kids</a>. <a href="http://r1.fmpub.net/?r=http%3A%2F%2Fad.doubleclick.net%2Fclk%3B260623694%3B84863638%3Bx&k4=4624&k5=519197" target="_blank">Learn more</a>.</i><br /><br />Claire and Evie have always been easy eaters, but Grace was picky from the get-go. We've worked with her to the point where we can usually talk her into at least <i>trying</i> everything we put in front of her, but that happened not without effort!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/2IMG_5080.jpg" /><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/IMG_5083.jpg" /></div><br />This last year her class study at school was all about foods. For more than half of the year they took a weekly mini field trip just a couple stops down on the train to Battery Park. There is an Urban Garden in the park that overlooks the Statue of Liberty and the kids worked there for a few hours each trip. I started to notice over the year that Grace was getting more curious about veggies that she normally had zero interest in (basically anything green).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/IMG_5412.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/IMG_5411.jpg" /></div><br />I started bringing Gracie and Claire with me to the farmers market in Union Square and I would let them pick the produce and sometimes cheeses. It was seriously amazing - if they helped me buy it, they would almost always be willing to eat it for dinner. It was like they were more invested in the meal. Also, it was just fun to have some alone time with my big girls each week.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/IMG_5424.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/IMG_5415.jpg" /></div><br />Now that we're in Brooklyn, all I can think about is getting some raised garden beds in <a href="http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2012/05/yard-advice-please.html" target="_blank">our little yard</a>. I'm imagining planning the plots with the girls and letting them chose what we plant. Over the weekend I started moving the old flagstone pavers and relaying them in a better pattern. The plan is for the beds to go along the back wall, which gets a range of different light in the twenty-foot stretch. I can't wait to get this ready for next spring! Hopefully by this time next year we will be enjoying the fruits of our labor.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/2IMG_6656.jpg" /></div><br />In the meantime, Grace has asked to take a cooking class as one of her after school activities. She loves to help me out when I cook or bake and I think it can only help her get more interested in trying new foods. I feel like if I can get her to eat swiss chard or kale without flinching, my work is done :) We're getting there!<br /><br />Do you have picky eaters? What do you do to get your kids to try new foods? I'm also trying to get my kids to enjoy drinking water more. They usually don't mind drinking their water, but only after asking for juice (and getting turned down). :)  Ah, the joys of the battle!

Dreaming of My Garden

Brought to you by the Brita Bottle For Kids . Learn more . Claire and Evie have always been easy eaters, but Grace was picky from the get...

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A Direction for the Kitchen

I'm not usually someone whose feathers get easily ruffled, but I'll admit that I've been a little flustered this week. Unpacking has been slow since the painters are <i>still</i> here. I feel like I live in a cave made of cardboard and superfluous sofas. Also work has been crazy, so when I do have a minute to start a project, I mostly sit here and stare wide-eyed at the chaos that is this new home. Where to even begin?<br /><br />We're getting there though. I made a project timeline, and that is helping me feel like I have a little bit more control over the situation. The first focus will be on the backyard and the kitchen. These are probably the two spaces that need the most time and money, so I guess those are good places to start.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/IMG_6260.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/IMG_6279.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/IMG_6429.jpg" /></div><br />The kitchen is minuscule. We had a tiny kitchen in Cambridge, but this kitchen makes that one feel palatial. To make the space more usable, we're adding a huge wall of cabinets in the dining room (which is just around the corner) to store dishes, pots and pans, and even some pantry items. So the kitchen itself will be mostly just a cooking and washing dishes space. I can work with it.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/IMG_6276.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>The original plan was to replace the oak cabinet doors with new shaker style mdf doors. I found some online for about $30 a door, unpainted. Not bad, but it was still going to be around $600, so now the plan is to just trim out and paint the old doors myself. I saw a video tutorial online for how to fill heavy graining and I ordered the products to do that. And yesterday I pulled off all the cabinet doors, so we're on our way.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/Blog-Isabella-Favaro-AyA-Kitchens-Baths-Reno-bar-sink-stickley-IMG_4552.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/Blog-Isabella-Favaro-AyA-Kitchens-Baths-Reno-bookcase-stickley-IMG_4551.jpg" /></div><br />As far as colors go, my love affair with Farrow and Ball paint and colors continues. Inspired by <a href="http://houseandhome.com/blogs/author/10385266">this gorgeous kitchen</a>, I'm going with a dark charcoal (Down Pipe) with brass pulls.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/Blog-Isabella-Favaro-AyA-Kitchens-Baths-Reno-kitchenaltshot-stickley-IMG_4547.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/fisher-paykel-range-stickley-IMG_4553.jpg" /></div><br />I really liked the look of the longer, more square bin pulls in this kitchen and thought something similar could work in mine. Thanks to <a href="https://twitter.com/jennykomenda">twitter friends</a> who alerted me to the price drop on these Martha Stewart pulls. They are less than $2 a pop, which is completely unbeatable, especially for unlacquered brass pulls.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/IMG_6710.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I think they'll be perfect on the dark gray cabinets too.</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/fbdownpipe100026.jpg" /></div><br />Today I'm starting to paint the cabinet interiors and frames. Hopefully the grain filler comes tomorrow so that I can get these cabinets up and running this week! Then on to other kitchen projects: a new floor treatment, backsplash, shelving, appliances, lighting, sink/faucet, countertops... <i>yikes!</i>

A Direction for the Kitchen

I'm not usually someone whose feathers get easily ruffled, but I'll admit that I've been a little flustered this week. Unpacking...

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Kohler Contest

<br /><i>Here's a message written by one of LGN's sponsors, Kohler. Thanks for supporting the great companies that help me run LGN. :) Enter Kohler's Tresham sweepstakes for a chance to win over $10,000 in prizes <a href="http://r1.fmpub.net/?r=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FKohler%3Fsk%3Dapp_177881569007234&k4=4617&k5=499485">HERE</a>. </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;"> </span><br /><br /><b>New Kohler Contest Celebrates Traditional Americana and Modern Sensibility</b><br /><br />For many people – especially those in the design field – an inviting abode can spark creativity. That’s why Kohler, renowned for its bold kitchen and bath fixtures, is showcasing its classic designs on <a href="http://r1.fmpub.net/?r=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FKohler%3Fsk%3Dapp_177881569007234&k4=4616&k5=499485">Facebook</a> and offering a chance to win an amazing price package centered around travel, design, and free products.<br /><br /><a href="http://r1.fmpub.net/?r=http%3A%2F%2Fpinterest.com%2Fsource%2Fkohler.com%2F&k4=4618&k5=499485">Kohler’s Tresham collection</a> offers a classic design with a hint of contemporary sleekness. It has the feel of blending the past with the present, hence the inspiration for this contest. (See for yourself on <a href="http://pinterest.com/source/kohler.com/">Pinterest</a>, but don’t blame us if you lose an hour re-pinning!)<br /><br />The details: Just enter your contact information on <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1539157007">Kohler’s Facebook</a> <a href="http://r1.fmpub.net/?r=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FKohler%3Fsk%3Dapp_177881569007234&k4=4616&k5=499485">page</a> to automatically earn a chance to win. The first prize is a trip for two to New York City to attendInside Design with VIP access and priority seating, a custom gift bag, and $500 worth of bath accessories from Traditional Home, Kohler products, and more. Second prize is an all-expenses-paid trip for two to the AD Oasis in Miami, and $500 worth of bath accessories from Martha Stewart.<br /><br />View the complete collection <a href="http://www.kohler.com/tresham/">now</a>.<br />

Kohler Contest

Here's a message written by one of LGN's sponsors, Kohler. Thanks for supporting the great companies that help me run LGN. :) Enter ...

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