Donna Karan your home...

I could spend hours shopping on the DonnaKaranHome.com website. Dreaming of the various combinations of items that are sold there that I would use in my dream home in my mind. Where changing the color of a room is possible within moments as I browse from screen to screen finding a scheme I like better than the one before.

I've probably redone my dream bedroom in my head hundreds of times, debating which style of bed frame I'd like and which Donna Karan Home bedding design would be "the one."

Even the bathroom of my dreams would have amazing bath accessories with a huge garden tub (with a jacuzzi of course) and a separate stand up shower. It would of course not be the only bathroom, since a dream house would have to include a scenario where there was not just one bathroom for our household.

Window shopping on the internet can be the things dreams are made of....

A little log cabin in the woods...

There are times I dream about getting away from it all, especially times like now when things are a bit stressful. I picture a cabin in the woods, preferably a log cabin, with rustic furniture on a small front porch...Where I would sit and write, finish that book I've been working on for some time. Where I would be completely alone to enjoy nature and solitude...No phones, no internet, though electricity to power my computer would make the book writing easier.

:-)

To shutter or not to shutter

I do really like the look of shutters and that's one thing that we'll eventually have to decide on when we get to that stage of home remodeling. Some of the vinyl shutters are really nice looking and fairly inexpensive. The house probably originally had shutters considering the year it was built, I've been trying to locate plans/photos of the neighborhood from that time period to be able to know for certain.

"Window" shopping...

Now that we have the house, rather than dream of exotic places to escape to, I lay there at night before I fall asleep and I dream about how the house will be when we are done with all of the renovations. I imagine what type of light fixtures it will have, including wondering if I can restore one outdoor one to it's original brillance. I think about how I'm going to decorate though I do know I'm going to return the downstairs to the colors homes were done in 1902 when the home was built.

I imagine what type of lamps I will have, I have my eye on a few, both new and at the Habitat for Humanity store and I've already made some decisions, like where my desk will go. In the dining room, near a window, so I'll actually have my own office space where maybe, just maybe when I'm trying to transcribe City Council meetings at 1:00 a.m. I won't have to turn it up loud to be able to hear it over my husband's snoring...

:-)

A mental escape to Alaska...

Sometimes at night when I can't sleep, I imagine what I would do if money were no object. One of the things on my dream list or as some prefer my "bucket list" is to Travel Alaska more than the few hours I once spent there as a teenager. While I'd love to be able to enjoy Alaska Travel by taking one of the Alaskan Cruises, leaving from the West Coast, avoiding a Titanic experience of course, there are also quite a few places within Alaska itself that I'd love to explore.



Whether you believe global warming is caused by man or nature, our glaciers are disappearing, I'd love to be able to go to Denali Park where some of the glaciers can be seen, including Muldrow which is pictured above. Though of course right now with winter still upon us, thinking about the cold is not is exactly the same type of draw that imagining traveling in Alaska when things here are over 90 degrees...

Is a move to Boston in your future?

Websites and companies that deal with Boston Real Estate catch my eye at times because my husband was actually born in Boston, and he still has some family that live there. It's one of those places that I pay attention to since real estate prices and the market does have an impact on them and at times we talk about leaving here and heading east (or west) with Boston being one of the areas we've discussed.

I'm not sure that our lifestyle will ever reach the point that we would be looking for Boston Luxury Lofts but one can dream and I enjoy looking at the beautiful loft designs. I spent quite a bit of time looking at Strada 234, the views are breathtaking. I've always thought living in a loft in a downtown area would be an amazing experience. Bushari Group Real Estate has a variety of different listings, so if you want to dream about moving to Boston or are actually planning to move to Boston, stop by and see what they have to offer...

Many dream of fashion design...

As a mother with four daughters, each one of them went through a time period where they dreamed of selecting fashion design as a career. While that did not end up being what at least the older three have picked when it came time to go to college, there are a good many reputable schools out there that specialize teaching the necessary skills to work in the fashion design industry.

Despite popular belief, they are not all in New York or California and it is possible to take online classes for those who have this as a dream but do not have a college near by. That's one advantage of the internet is you have easy access to information about these institutions, as well as the many fashion careers that are available. That's something else I don't think many realize is how many different types of career options are out there for someone with a degree in fashion design.

Hilton Head is still on the dream list..

While I'm still very refreshed and relaxed from my last vacation adventure, one of the places on my list of "Places to go before you die" is Hilton Head. My father went there quite often so I've enjoyed for years pictures and the tales of his trips there. Some of which happened before there were so many affordable Hilton Head rental options that exist now.

My father was a golfer, which of course I'm not, unless you count putt putt, so for me the draw is the beauty of the area and wanting to explore the coastline.

When not in tech mode what the word memory does...

Most of the time I am in blogger or tech mode but a little known secret about me is I love musicals, so when I hear or see the word memory I don't automatically think about computer memory. The beginning stanza of the song from Cats comes into my mind. Years ago I was lucky enough to be able to see the Off Broadway production of Cats, that's another memory that I'll never forget.

My husbands "man cave" fantasies...

With my oldest daughter moving, my husband has decided that the basement where her bedroom was will now become his "man cave" where he can put all of his fitness equipment and be able to work out. Right now he uses the garage since it's warmer, prior to that he used the living room. I keep telling him considering we have two other daughters that have moved in and moved out that I wouldn't overly decorate if I were him, yet the dream of the man cave seems to be one he doesn't want to let go of.

Dream home requirements...

While one of my main dream home requirements would be to have more than one bathroom, there are some beautiful walk in bathtubs on the market now that have caught my eye and have been added on my list of "if I had my dream house it has to have this" list. The only downside I can visualize would be cleaning would have to be done in a different manner than I currently do for our traditional bathtub, but it would be worth it and I'm sure I'd figure it out.

Sinks can almost be a work of art...

I've spent quite a bit of time thinking about what my dream home would look like, even down to imaginary room plans in my mind. One thing I do know for certain is if that dream ever became a reality I would select one of the many Kohler sinks that are out there for the several bathrooms this home would have to have. Some of the sinks that Kohler makes use such custom craftsmanship that they do appear to be works of art.

Architecture and Culture of Manchester...

While I consider myself to be very tech savvy and embrace the wonders of the internet one of my passions is history and the lure of historical architecture. Perhaps partly because I am a Roman Catholic, one of my specific interests has been architecture of Catholic Churches and Monasteries. When searching for information on some of these classical churches, there are many in England, one of which immediately come to mind as a place I'd love to visit is in Manchester, England. Manchester Accommodation is easy to locate at a reasonable price and short notice through Cheaperthanhotels which makes this a dream trip that is possible rather than just a mere fantasy trip. The Gorton Monastery would be that one location, which was recently added to the top list of 100 landmarks in the world that should be saved. The other interesting side of Manchester is the modern cultural aspect, it makes an interesting blend between the past and the future.

Given the rich history of England, no stay would be complete without making arrangements to find Edinburgh Hotels since Edinburgh has many historical sites to enjoy and like Manchester, Edinburgh Accommodation can be found for both the last minute traveler or the traveler who likes to plan ahead.

I've been to Reno but not Las Vegas

One of the trips my father and I planned to take that we were not able to do before his death was to head for Las Vegas. When I look at pictures of places like the Venetian hotel it reminds me that this is one of those promises that I'd still like to do. Then be able to raise a toast to my dad from a balcony room...

Just one reason to go to Pigeon Forge

Have you ever stumbled across a photo of a place and knew that you just had to go there? After finding this picture of the Old Mill Restaurant, it made me really want to search for Pigeon Forge vacation rentals. The more pictures I look at from that region the more I realize what a beautiful location it is and it's not that far from where I live in Ohio.

Win a Free Raleigh, NC Getaway

Travel dreams are great but it's even better when you can win a vacation and in this case? It's very easy to enter and win a FREE Raleigh Getaway, the lucky winner will get a great hotel room for two for one night at the Courtyard by Marriott Raleigh Crabtree Valley along with quite a few other prizes including Free VIP admission for two to Rum Runners. If for some reason you aren't the lucky winner there's no better time than right now to take a look at planning a fall weekend or weekday vacation in the Raleigh area.

Besides being able to enjoy the Carolina Ballet's Carmina Burana there is an amazing amount of things to do in the fall, including some really fun events like the North Carolina State fair. I'm an avid history buff so reading about the Mysteries of the Lost Colony exhibition was extremely appealing and this is an exclusive event that for me alone is tempting as a reason to be Raleigh bound.

As a lover of the colors of fall, the leaves change color here in Ohio at a different time than in Raleigh, which means, a properly planned Fall Getaway would give me the chance to enjoy one of my favorite times of year in more than one location.

Berlin or Vienna...or both?

Deep down inside I believe I was destined to be a political junky at an early age. When I think of Berlin, I think of Check Point Charlie and I can hear clearly in my mind just as if it were yesterday..."Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" being stated by Former President Reagan. So for me, the historical aspect would be of importance when looking for Hotels in Berlin in English, or for a selection of several languages a way to seek Hotels in Berlin. My grandmother's side of the family came from Germany, Poland and Austria so the historical side of a visit would be my dream. CheaperThanHotels.com is one of the leading places to go for deals whether they are last minute ones or something planned in advance.

If I were to then start looking for Hotels in Vienna, it would be the mountains that would first lure me. No matter the language of the traveler, it's clear that many others feel the lure of nature when they decide to seek out out Hotels in Vienna. Tops on my list would be a visit to Unicorn Cave to see the prehistoric paintings and to drive into the mountains and look down on the City of Vienna:

Still time to plan a trip to Perth International Arts Festival...

The oldest arts festival in Australia is the Perth International Arts Festival, where each year from February to March there is a huge celebration of different types of art that people travel from all parts of the world to enjoy. This year the Festival takes place from February 8th to March 2nd, and while it may seem you have to plan more in advance to be able to find Hotels in Perth, there are still some great last minute deals available through www.cheaperthanhotels.com.au.

While you are in Australia visiting a festival that since 1953 has drawn hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, it's also easy to plan a jaunt over to Adelaide where it's also easy to find some fantastic specials on Hotels in Adelaide. Or if you are not feeling quite so art inspired, looking at aMelbourne Accommodation might appeal to you. Many of the accommodations through Cheaperthanhotels offer great amenities such as free breakfast, high speed internet and other features you traditionally would expect only from higher priced establishments. Saving while traveling is what smart consumers look for...and I hope you enjoy this photo of Perth at night:

Hot Hotel Hangouts...

Entertaining list of the six hotest hotels to hang out in where it appears people have more fun hanging out than worrying about how soft the beds are. These are all dubbed as luxury hotels so there no Motel6 type gatherings included in the hunt for hot hotels:

G Spa Lounge at the Hotel Gansevoort in New York
Purple Bar at the Sanderson in London
Rose bar at the Delano in Miami
Roof Club at the Gramercy Park Hotel in New York
Redwood Room at the Clift Hotel in San Francisco
The pool at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel

The photos of these locations shared by CNN demonstrate the charm of all six and I'd like to visit a few, especially the pool at the Roosevelt to discover what a Millionaire Mojito tastes like....

Living in the wild, wild west...

My mother in law and her partner are planning on visiting here on their way to Arizona. While they live in Connecticut, they have decided when they retire they want to move out west so part of their trip will involve looking at Phoenix real estate as well as other areas of Arizona. Realistically for us it will be a farther drive than the current one out east but I can understand why they want to escape the seasonal weather.