Legendeary colonial city: Antigua, Guatemala

Yesterday's post about Casa Santo Domingo reminded me of the pleasures of visiting the small UNESCO World Heritage site in a little town 45 minutes outside of Guatemala City called Antigua (meaning old or antique in Spanish). Antigua is now home to one of my dearest friends, Maritza (we call her Titi Mari out of love). She wistfully left the corporate grind just last July to explore what life could really be like if you lived it by your own rules, took some unpaved roads and explored what living a "lifestyle" really could be. Now, I am not an envious person (really I am not!) but it still takes my breath away to think about her journey, not just the destination, but her inner journey upon which she is now content to listen to what had been screaming from within for quite some time. She reminds me to never squelch my desires of waking up in a little Spanish village or the smoldering night lights of Madrid...  One day it will happen, it is in my five year plan. Yes, I am the "bohemian planner". LOL!

In the meantime, here are some pictures I took of my trip to Antigua last year as I, along with our dear friend Juliana, dropped off Maritza at the door steps of her new life. It felt more like dropping off our daughter at college and traveling back home to an empty nest. That part was sad.

Thankfully, we have skype and regular visits.



The Antigua "welcome": the Santa Catalina Arch built in the 17th century. The arch was originally intended to connect the Santa Catalina convent to a school, allowing the cloistered nuns to pass from one building to the other without going out on the street - where they could not be seen as women.



El Volcan de Fuego, the "Fire Volcano"

La facade of the old El Carmen church, which spontaneously erupted
into a wonderful mid-afternoon market.

Our hotel during our stay the Palacio de Dona Leonor. This is the courtyard area.
It was amazing to wake up to every morning.

The many rooftops of this ancient city are remarkable. The colors are so vibrant, like no other.  

During our visit we took a day trip to the famous Lago Atitlan. Unfortunately, it was a little foggy when we visited but still wonderful. The town of Panajachel was delightful to explore.

A little sip of cafe from the Filidelphia coffee plantation came with lots of love.

It was market day at the Chichi market.

The many doors of Antigua's colonial past beckoned to take in the centuries old stories. Who lives here? What lies behind these doors? How many families have called this home? Wish I would have knocked and asked... next time.

Weekend at Scott's!

For those of you not familiar with the weekend thrills of the Scott Antique Markets in south Atlanta, I must forewarn you that I believe it to be reason enough to venture to Jonesboro Rd! While not in the most glamorous side of town, the treasures that lie within the 366,000 square feet of the Atlanta Exposition Center elicit eclectic vendors from Kentucky to Paris! Ok, well maybe French enthusiast that call Birmingham, AL home. For example I found these great pans and rustic pots at the

Maison de France Antiques booth.

Aren't they fun? I loved the aged patina of these rustic pans. Of course in my mind I was thinking... can we make paella in these? HA! Then I was reminded of the beautiful bowls filled with rose petals that we found lusciously floating in antique stone pots in a wonderful little oasis called  Casa Santo Domingo hotel in Antigua, Guatemala. This is a place that knows how to make everything look like mother nature came down to personally kiss it and wrap you in magic!

This is a picture I took while visiting Casa Santo Domingo hotel in Antigua, Guatemala. 

Back to Scott's Antique Market.... here I found a little corner in the South end that had a slew of lighting pieces. So fun to rummage through!

This was such a cool and different piece that I wanted to purchase for our guest bedroom, but alas the price tag was too much for Chris to bear. In classic "Martinism" fashion he said: "Isn't that a little pricey for an old rickety dresser that has been painted that crazy color and the handles don't even match". Yep folks, that is who I married. Nothing more to say. Still love him.

On to my dinning room chair obsession. Here we found 200+ year old French provincial chairs. They were beautiful and had such an incredible taupe, grey classic color. The chairs were solid, until my 6.2' husband sat on them and felt "there is no way this is going to hold me!" Hence, the saga for the chair search continued.

Then I stumbled upon this scenic beauty. Seriously, as I browsed through Ann Miller Hopkin's Antiques on Holiday booth I fell in love with her pieces which were so put together and gorgeous (look at that oyster like lamp!) and then look at her! This woman looked like she was a piece of art in her own booth! Effortless beauty... does everyone look like that at the beach?



After walking indoors for about two hours it was time to venture OUTside - yes, Scott's has outdoor booths too. There was anything from patio furniture, to wine barrels, to boxwoods to great cast iron pieces. I tought this was great too - a mascot (not for sale) and TOP SOIL. This place has it all! This sweet little puppy made me think of my precious dear Sydney (below). We miss her so much.

Focus, Focus! Oooohhhh.... what about these chairs? They are french inspired, yet made of indestructible Brazilian oak. BINGO! I think these chairs are it for me. Dear Pascal of Pascal's of Bogart, GA (near Athens) was a super fun artist that in the process of purchasing our chairs gave us great tips for our future travels to his homeland, France. We both agreed that the undiscovered southwest area of France is a hidden destination that lends itself to blissful discoveries.
When can I pack my bags?

More fun things... like all the silver salt and pepper shakers you can ever dream of!

Well, that was some of my fun moments at Scott's last weekend. Needless to say,this is a great way to spend the second weekend of every month!! See you there next time. Till then...











La Cocina de Martin!

Alas, the kitchen renovation is complete! Well, technically Pride Residential Services (our contractors who were awesome!) completed the renovation in late February but I have have been delayed in posting pictures of the project. Life gets in the way sometimes. I hope you will forgive me and enjoy the progress shown in the pictures below!



Our "charming" old kitchen. This picture doesn't even capture the dead space next to the fridge, the oversized pantry that was always awkward and the sheer exhaustion of the kitchen just being stretched to thin. Poor thing was tired....we had to save it! 




Our inspiration for the kitchen design was "Sally Wheat's" kitchen which was posted on Cote de Texas blog site.That grey-blue color (Benjamin Moore's Fieldstone) was so soothing. The marble made my heart race a little faster and the open shelving made the space feel approachable. I fell in instant love with this kitchen. It was the first one I saw myself in...  



So I had to find a way to take Sally Wheat's kicthen and translate it into our space and BUDGET! This is it... OUR kitchen AFTER the renovation! Oooh, that farm house sink still makes my heart skip a beat! We didn't do marble, Chris got scared of the budget and the "patina" unknowns so we went with Ceasar Stone's Misty Carrera instead. While we didn't use BM's Fieldstone, our cabinet maker, Scott of Jackson Cabinetry matched the Fieldstone color and Thomasville's Baltic Bay color to make our own special color for the cabinetry. We were VERY happy with the final result.

I have cooked some fantastic dishes on this stove and do you not love this hood? I looked through so many magazines and finally designed my own for the space. I am so happy with it! I can't believe we didn't have a vent in the kitchen for years! ohhh the progress!

I fell in lust with the floating shelves. They are so European and so practical too.
AND yes, there is a dishwasher on this wall... can you find it?

All my everyday dishes. So easy to access now!

Is it wrong to lust a faucet?

Our first meal in the house required a smooth drink and this beautiful French sauvingon blanc made it all worthwhile!

I even made a yummy lemon cake from Francis Mayes book Under the Tuscan Sun.
This was a big hit! I added a little sour cream to her recipe and I think it made all the difference.

Chris wanted to inaugurate the kitchen with fish (guess he wanted to really use the new vent hood!).
So I made a crab encrusted grouper. It was to die for!

My friend Ann shared her recipe for Swiss Chard, which her 4 year old said was "the best greens ever!"
I had to make the recipe after this endorsement!

Finally, here is a glance at the fridge, pantry (to right) and the wine rack (which I think is my favorite!)

Hope you enjoyed touring my new kitchen. We love it! Every time I walk into my house now I can hardly believe it is ours! After five years of talking about it, dreaming about it, cutting out tons of pictures in magazines I am finally at peace with my kitchen. Let the good FOOD reign queen!