A Spring in My Step!

Alright, I'll admit it. I am SICK of winter. I know, I know. I should be ashamed. I posted awhile back about how I could possibly even come to love snow, but truth be told I don't think I'll ever love it.

It's sort of like spinach. You detest it as a child and then as you grow older it becomes bearable. Maybe not likable, but should it find its way into your sandwich or soup it's not entirely unpleasant. And you eat it because it's good for you. Builds character. That's how I feel about winter. Unpleasant, but bearable and it builds character (just ask anyone from Arizona who has tried to drive in a snowstorm).

Spring on the otherhand... Oh sweet spring! I love the first chirping of the chickadees; the smell of soggy, muddy, rain-soaked earth; the way the sun makes it feel so warm even when it's only 50 degrees; the way the trees look when the buds very first come out; I love spring.

You can imagine my utter elation when I went outside yesterday (a beautiful, warm and sunny day) and found little pokes of green here and there, sticking out of the gray-brown soil.

The joy! I grabbed my camera and went utterly shutter-happy. I had over 30 photos that I wanted to share, but I knew I had to cut down. So here are a few of my absolute favorites:



Want to know the best part? It rained today! Which means that by Tuesday (another sunny day!) the buds will have become flowers, the sprouts will have become leaves, and even more green things will have popped up.

I'm so excited!

With Love,
~Brande N.

What VOCs?

Approximately three weeks ago, this is what our Sherry Room looked like:

(Please forgive the terrible photography. The lighting was bad! I couldn't find the right angle! My batteries were almost dead! I hadn't slept in a month! ...Alright, I have no excuse.)

It's a little tough to see in this photograph, but the wallpaper had a very fine, pink floral print on it. (click to enlarge, if you please)


Here is the Sherry Room now:

(Yup, photography is still bad. Told you I didn't have an excuse.)

What a difference! The red is striking, vibrant, lively, and absolutely gorgeous. And you know what else?


That's right, it's totally VOC*** free. In fact, after the paint was applied I asked our painting crew how they liked it. You can't even imagine how excited I was when they said that not only did it go on well, but it dried quickly and it didn't make them loopy at all. Hooray!

The funniest and most memorable thing about this paint (in my opinion) was how instead of the room having that "paint" smell for days afterward, it only had the slightest scent of vinegar for about 24 hours. Vinegar! How odd is that?

So because the paint is good for the environment, worked well, looks great, and didn't stink up the Inn for a month, we'll be using No-VOC paints for all of our paint projects from now on. Hooray!


With Love,
~Brande N.


***As much as I hate to use Wikipedia as a source, in this case it's the best choice because it's the most concise and it's references are pretty reputable. Here are a few more useful links:

About VOCs and Indoor Air Quality - Via Treehugger

About Indoor Air Quality - Via the Environmental Protection Agency

Where to find affordable low or no VOC paint - Via Treehugger

Feel free to Google "Volatile Organic Compounds" if you want to know more.

On Loving Love

This past weekend was spent in a flurry of romance. We hosted two small weddings here at the Inn, and while they were completely exhausting, they were also so much fun.


This is the table I mentioned that we [meaning myself and our excellent housekeeper, Za] decorated using only swirly silvery things and streamers. See the cute little white carnations? Nothing but streamers. No tape, no glue, just paper. Pretty neat, huh?

The wedding cake. This was for the larger of the two ceremonies (only 11 people, the other was just the bride and groom). They were kind enough to share a bit of this cake with Dan and I and it was so very, very good. Wedding cake has a reputation for being dense and flavorless. This was exactly the opposite--fluffy, moist, flavorful. I tried my hardest, but I couldn't stop eating it. I had two pieces. Forgive me, dieting gods, for I have sinned!

Romance! Possibly my favorite thing about being an innkeeper is that I get to be a part of weddings, engagements, elopements, anniversaries, Valentine's Day, and all of those other occasions that involve love. It makes my heart go all a-flutter...


These weddings rings are from the second couple (the elopement). I love how atypical and unique they are. Is that hematite? I'm not sure exactly, but whatever metal it is, it's lovely.

My favorite element of the second ceremony was that the bride performed a song at the end. What could be more romantic than singing for your sweetie? I wish I had been that brave at my wedding!


This weekend was, as I said: exhausting. More than that, though, it was fulfilling and fun. And you know, if you're thinking about doing something special for your beloved, don't hesitate to give us a call! I'd be more than happy--ecstatic even-- to help you plan!

I'm like cupid without the wings or arrows...

With Love,
~Brande N.

This is Why I Make the Pancakes

I am not athletic. Or coordinated. I never have been. In fact, when I was 10 years old, my two-year old little brother could whoop my butt at Super Mario. That's how bad my hand-eye coordination is.

While many of my high-school friends were twirling and tossing banners in Winterguard, teaching the cast of the musical how to tap dance, or playing marimba in state-level band competitions I was reading Shakespeare, doing research papers, and performing in non-musical plays.

(Notice how these are activities that have minimal risk of tripping.)

In the grand scheme of things, I'm perfectly happy so long as I'm coordinated enough to pick up a book, turn a page and type a sentence. I might not be able to kick a soccer ball [without falling] but I can speak in Elizabethan dialect. And for me, that's far more fun that scoring a goal (yup, I'm weird).

On that note: When Dan and I started here it was sort of an accepted fact that I was going to be the cook. After all, I've always been the one to cook during our marriage and I've whipped up some pretty mean recipes, so it only makes sense, right?

It did, until I found out that this is how we make omelets:



If I had done that, the omelet would have landed about two-and-a-half feet to the left of the pan instead of inside it.

That's why he's the egg guy and I'm the pancake girl. We're a great team.

With Love,
~Brande N.

Something Old, Something New

Wow! What a day it's been and it's only 11:30!

Already we've:

-Served a complete breakfast (and might I say that the maple granola recipe Dan and I whipped up is VERY good. I think I'll even post it sometime.)

-Done all the post breakfast clean-up.

-Set a dessert table for 12 (for which we had NO decorations and had to improvise--I'll post pictures tomorrow because it turned out absolutely lovely in spite of our being limited to streamers and silver spiral-twig-things.)

-Taken some candid pictures for the wedding

-And managed to fit eating my own breakfast in there somewhere, too!


There's still a lot left to do today, so I must, go, but I though I'd give the blog-reading world a taste of my day. I'll be back to regular posting soon, I promise.

Have a good one, all!
~Brande N.

PS:How do you like the new layout? I'm still adding a few more things, so keep your eyes open over the next few days!

Please Excuse the Interruption...

Recently I've noticed that the template for this here blog is pretty stinkin' common. In an effort to remedy this situation, I'll be spending the next few days manipulating the images, layout, code, and content to hopefully inject a bit more personality.
So if you come back and everything is upside down, black and white, gaudy, green and written in Greek-- do not fret! 'Tis only temporary, and I'll be back very soon with a spiffy (or at least spiffier) new layout to show off.

Until then, have a great weekend!

With Love,
~Brande N.

Esselon Coffee

After three months of searching and researching and brewing and tasting and testing and stressing we have finally made a decision on coffee. WHEW!


Readers, meet Esselon Cafe. In addition to their homemade hot chocolate, exceptional sandwiches, delicious salads (one of the best house dressings I've ever had), and crazy good desserts, they serve and sell incredible house-roasted coffees. Richard, the owner, is a man with a deep passion for coffee and all of the intricacies of growing, buying, and roasting. In fact, Richard only buys from small (4 hectares or less) family farms and co-ops, and roasts all of his coffees to order.


Before we settled on Esselon, I did some intensive research and practically questioned poor Richard to death. I was so happy when he had all the right answers! The coffee is purchased either directly from the farms or through a community co-op for a price that is at least at but usually above the standard for fair-trade pricing. All of his coffees are locally roasted in the cafe, which is in Hadley, MA--about an hour away. This means less fuel gets used transporting it from roastery to us and therefore this coffee has a pretty itty-bitty carbon footprint.


And did I mention that it's delicious? Really, really delicious. One of my New Years Resolutions is to drink more tea, but it's definitely harder with this coffee hanging around! By summer we hope to have 1-pound bags available in our gift shop as well. I'm a huge fan of edible souvenirs (Dan and I will be grabbing some California Almond Blossom Honey while we're in San Francisco, mmm!) so I thought that would be a good way for our guests to take home a taste of the Inn. Hooray for edible memories!

With Love,
~Brande N.

How to Avoid Travel-Planning Induced Headaches

Last night, while planning more of our trip to San Francisco, I realized that I have not properly prepared you, readers. I've told you about several resources that I swear by, love, and adore. Yet I haven't told you about those that I hate. Abhor even. I've even got one resource that I have a long-standing love-hate relationship with. It's complicated.

So here is a list of resources that I DO NOT recommend. They are headache inducing liars that will build up your hopes and let you down. Or just get you lost on a major highway. More on that in a bit.

1) Yellow/White Pages online
A year or so ago, Dan and I were thinking about visiting the Florida Keys. I started doing research and realized that looking in the phone book for restaurants was a genius idea--why didn't I think of it sooner! I found one restaurant I had never heard of called Buca Di Beppo. Great menu with interesting Italian food, funky/fun atmosphere. Sounded great! So I wrote it down, excited. I later discovered that the Yellow/White Pages have "Sponsored Listings" that come up no matter what city you look up. Even if there isn't one of those restaurants anywhere near your destination. The nearest Buca was actually in Mississippi. Additionally, they don't update their listings to reflect that businesses are closed. In other words, no good.

2) Menuism.com, Allmenus.com
Often out-of-date, inaccurate, and incomplete. If the place you're interested in doesn't have a website, give them a call! This is also a great way to get an idea of the quality of service you'll get at that establishment.

3) CitySearch.com
I've given myself one too many headaches trying to navigate this website. My biggest gripe is that it is so poorly organized. For example:
Pittsfield Clothing Stores - Via Citysearch.com
Notice that an automotive shop in Pittsfield is located next to an independant clothing store in Lenox which is next to a tuxedo shop in Lee. The unfortunate part is that I am aware of this because I know the area. If I was from San Diego or Des Moines I'd be absolutely lost and confused. I'd also like to note that the "Sponsored Lisiting" is coming up under the "Clothing" category, even though it's an auto parts store!

4) Websites with Outdated © Dates
Like this one:
Museums in the Berkshires
If you scroll to the bottom, you'll see that the © is from 2000-2005. Four years is a long time if we're talking small businesses, especially in difficult economic times. Granted, a museum is something that you can usually count on to still be there. But it's good to notice this because it means that the website is not being maintained and, once again, the info might be outdated and/or inaccurate.

5) Google Maps
This is my love/hate relationship. I love you Google Maps. I hate you! I love you. I hate you!
But I've noticed I only hate it when I don't do all the work.
Like on Wednesday night. See, Dan and I went to Albany. We were shopping at Colonie Center and right around dinner time I decided that I would settle for nothing but Ruby Tuesday's.
(Which, FYI, is a secret obsession of mine. I could sing the praises of Ruby Tuesday's all day. I have no idea why I love it so much. I just do. Don't judge me...)
Anyway! The problem was that we were at the wrong mall. We had to drive 3.5 miles away to Crossgates Mall to get there. So I got out my cellphone, and Goog-411'ed the address. It looked super easy; basically just a left out of the mall, hop on Route 5, and then take the exit for the mall a half mile up.
The problem? Route 5 runs east and west. And Google didn't specify which way to go. I tried really hard to visialize the mall in my mind and told Dan to go west. Wrong. We completely missed our exit and literally watched Crossgates Mall pass us as we drove along I-87, heading away from Albany, now 20 miles from the nearest turnaround point, and over 40 miles from home. Ugh! We ended up just going home (we were headed that way anyway, right?) and instead of having a delicious Strawberry Iced-Tea and a Killer Fish Burger for dinner I had leftover pizza.
The lesson? Look at the map!! Have it sent to your phone!! Print it!! Use GPS!! Google is a great resource, but at the end of the day it's still just software and not the all-knowing mythical being that I wish it was.

I hope this helps you out or at least saves you a few headaches. And if you've got any bad resources/horror stories to share, please do! Heaven knows that I love a good horror story!

With Love,
~Brande n.

Innkeeperitis - UPDATED

Over the last few months, as I've progressed through Innkeeping 101, I've learned a lot. Most recently, I had the realization that there are a few things Innkeepers do that I believe very few other people do. At least not normal people.

Examples? Innkeepers find their pockets stuffed with miscellaneous this-and-that at the end of the day. Lint pulled off curtains, a loose thread from a pillowcase, a twig fragment and tiny pebble kicked in from outside. All of it in my pocket. Right now. As we speak.

Why, you ask? Because when we're doing room inspections and there is a lovely, perfectly empty trashcan with a clean liner in it, you better believe I'm not soiling it. I will put a squashed crust of raisin bread in my pocket before I soil a clean wastebasket. And I have.

Worst of all, [with no prior diagnosis of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or any military training] We demand that all things be at a 90 degree angle. The tissue box in relation to the soap dish in relation to the sink in relation to the edge of the counter; all 90 degrees. It's terrible. I find myself straightening Sherry bottles when giving tours. I tell guests that I have "Innkeeper Syndrome".

Yes, it does!

It also bothers me that the pencils are sharpened to different lengths. And the pens are kicked ever so lightly to the right. Ahh!

I really do have Innkeeper Syndrome, don't I?

With [crazy] Love,
~Brande N.

UPDATE:
Today I found myself on my hands and knees, a sparkly pink hair comb in hand, combing the tassels on our rugs into neat, perfectly straight lines. I am officially insane...

Maple-y Breakfast Goodies

Dan and I spent the last few days brainstorming breakfast ideas for Maple Syrup Weekend. We came up with (and taste tested--yum!) the following recipes:

On our Buffet:
-Homemade Maple-Walnut Granola with Dried Apple and Nutmeg
-Maple Pecan Cream Cheese

To Order:
-Buttermilk Pancake with Almonds and Vanilla-Orange Maple Syrup
-Maple-Sweetened Organic Yogurt Parfait with Fresh Apple and Granola (in a wine glass)

In our Guest Pantry:
-Hot Mulled Apple Cider with a touch of Maple

And we will, of course, be serving our full breakfast menu as well. If maple syrup isn't your thing, fear not! We've got plenty of other delicious entrees for you.


There are also some neat events going on in The Berkshires that weekend.

-The Clark Museum in Williamstown, MA will be hosting a space-themed dance party, complete with professional hula-hooping lessons.

-The Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield is hosting a multi-instrumental Celtic music and dance show.

-The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington will be showing the Met Opera's Madame Butterfly in HD.

-And none other than The Harlem Globetrotters will be at the Boys' and Girls' Club in Pittsfield.


You know why I keep falling in love with The Berkshires? Because it's just so darn eclectic! Short of going to a big city, where else would I find all of this with a 40-minute drive? Especially in March!

I must say, this is a good place to be.

With Love,
~Brande N.

I Feel Your Pain, Little Guy...

This is the mug Dan got me for Christmas. When I gave him my Chiristmas list, my demands were as follows:
-Must be handmade
-Prefferably from Etsy
-Must be unique or quirky in some way
-Must be able to hold at least 14oz of liquid
-Must have a lid

All things considered, Dan got me a pretty a awesome mug. But I do need a lid. You see, one of the very first things I learned about being an innkeeper is that you should never expect to have a hot meal or drink between 1pm and 7pm. At least not if you're me. I have the absolute worst luck. I'll make soup and a sandwich or pour a cup of coffee or even just microwave a burrito and invariably, the second I sit down to eat, I'll get a check-in, a walk-in, a complicated 20 minute phone call, or some other crisis. Cold coffee and a a soggy, room-temperature grilled cheese do not a good meal make. Bleh.

So I set out to find a lid. I contacted the potter that made my mug, and she said that it would cost $10 plus shipping to make it and she couldn't guarantee it would fit. Bleh. I contacted another potter to see if he had a better price. Nope. He blatantly refused to do it, stating that it was too difficult.

So I decided to look for a universal lid. Something that I could just throw over my mug to give the coffee another 10 or 15 minutes of life, even if it didn't fit perfectly or match the mug.

And I found it! This fantastic, affordable, quirky website had a silicone (which I believe is a biodegradable material, but am currently researching) lid that was made to fit all mug sizes, was air tight, and was only $4! Yay! After finding that, I decided I might as well grab something else to offset the $6 shipping. I found this great little travel size metal spoon/fork/chopstick set. What a great way to avoid plastic utensils when dining on the road! And it was only $6! What a deal!

I submitted the transaction and waited for my beautiful, ecological, awesome, earth-friendly goodies to come. And I waited. And waited. And waited. Two and a half weeks later, I started to worry that I had been scammed. So I went to the website and hit the FAQ.

Ugh. Turns out that my wonderfully inexpensive, quirky online store was in Hong Kong. And my "beautiful, ecological, awesome, earth-friendly goodies" were being flown to the United States via air mail. I may as well have just poked a hole in the ozone layer myself! Ahh!

A week later, my package arrived:
And of course, it was in a plastic bubble envelope and not a cardboard box. *Sigh*

But there was good news! First of all, the utensil set was/is amazing and has already gotten used several times. And the lid? Fits like a glove. Totally air-tight and keeps my coffee toasty. Best of all, it perfectly reflects the way I felt about this whole messy transaction:
(Yes, that's right, there is a tiny, angry little man on my lid. He's actually the handle. Awesome.)

With Love,
~Brande N.

Maple Syrup Weekend

After growing up, moving out of my parents' house, and living in several different places, I've learned that there are a few things I took for granted growing up in a small, rural town in the northeast. Autumn is a good example. Living next to Lake Ontario, too. And cheap, easy, abundant Maple Syrup, is a big number three.

My uncle, who lived just a couple miles down the road from us, made maple syrup in his garage. Just for fun. And we got it for free. Gallons and gallons of sweet, buttery, delicious syrup. That's how plentiful it was growing up.

It wasn't until I got older that I realized the sweet stuff isn't so abundant or inexpensive in other parts of the world. I stumbled on this webpage recently and was flabbergasted by some of the numbers.

In the spirit of appreciating that which was once unappreciated, I'm going to make known the nifty new package we just finished putting on our website. It's called "Maple Syrup Weekend" and we're going to be doing all kinds of fun things to celebrate this delicious local resource. I'm really excited about that maple candy making demonstration. ...and free samples. I love free samples.

Dan and I are also working on a special breakfast menu for that weekend that highlights maple syrup. Of course there will be yummy buttermilk pancakes and waffles, but we want to get creative. Maybe I'll whip up come pumpkin spice cookies with maple cream cheese frosting for the guest pantry. Maybe some homemade maple granola? I'm getting hungry just thinking about it!

I'll be sure to post the menu when we get it all sorted out. Until then, I have an assignment for you:

-Go grab an eggo waffle (or homemade or all-natural equivalent) out of your freezer.

-And the maple syrup out of your fridge.

-Toast the eggo.

-Now grab a jar of peanut butter out of your pantry.

-Schmear a happy helping of it on your waffle.

-Drizzle (or drench) it with maple syrup. Yes, on top of the PB.

-Enjoy!

True story: When I was in third grade I stayed overnight at my best friend McKenzie's house and her mom made us these waffles for breakfast the next morning. I remember being equal parts appalled, confused, and stunned as I watched her and her brothers gleefully mar those beautiful waffles. After much persuasion I finally (reluctantly) gave them a try. And to this day, it's one of my favorite ways to top waffles.

With Love,
~Brande N.

Silly Goose

Today, I witness something horrific. Tragic. Horrible.

You see, we have a guest coming to the Inn in a few weeks who is eloping (how romantic!). She emailed me asking about locations on site to have her small ceremony, and I instantly though of the balcony in her room, Room 14. I decided to send her an email with a few pictures of the different venues, so I grabbed my camera and started clicking.

After taking all of the pictures downstairs I climbed the staircase, entered Room 14, and immediately felt something was amiss. A steps further into the room, I discovered this:




Death by 60lb antique mirror. Oh, the humanity!

I feel as though I've lost a good friend. RIP.... um... Nameless Goose. You will be missed.


With Love (and silliness[...it's one of those weeks]),
~Brande N.

On Brain Fog

Do you ever have one of those days when your brain goes on strike? Today is one of those days. Earlier I tried to write the number "7" and somehow I managed to write the letter "V". I tried to make a cup of tea and I threw the tea bag in the trash and dropped the paper wrapping in my cup. When ordering my food at Haven (I'm officially an addict) I got all the way up to the counter and completely forgot what I was going to order. Dan had to remind me.

Maybe it's the way the planets are aligned? Perhaps the way I slept? Maybe it's what I had for breakfast?

I'm not sure what it is exactly, but it has utterly zapped my blogger-juice. So today, in place of an refined, inspired, eloquent (Who am I kidding?), post, I will leave you with a very good Berkshire resource and a very bad joke.


First, the resource:

The Berkshire Visitor Bureau
Full of activities, itineraries, events, recommendations, and even nifty things like webisodes and photos. Very handy indeed.


And now for the joke:
Q.) What goes, "Haha! Bonk."?
A.) A man laughing his head off.


With Love,
~Brande N.

And What Do You Suggest?

What is your favorite thing to do on vacation? Visit Museums? Eat Food? Hike? Golf? Watch Theatre? Go Antiquing?

Here is an incredibly simple, but oft overlooked Traveler's Resource:

1) Find one place in the city/town/area you'll be visiting that falls under the category of "Favorite Things to do on Vacation". For example, if you were coming to Lenox and you love museums, the Norman Rockwell Museum would be a perfect example.

2) Call that place.

3) Ask the attendant who answers the phone if he or she has a second. (Sometimes it's hard to guess when the busy hour is.)

4) If they do, explain to them that you are visiting the area on vacation.

5) Ask them what they personally would recommend.

Who knows the area better than a person who lives there? And who is more likely to have similar tastes to you than someone who has chosen to be employed by an attraction of your choosing?

The first time I did this I called a cafe and the barista I spoke with gave me six pages of answers. Six pages! From him we discovered everything from a local monument with a beautiful scenic overlook, to an independent film theatre with free popcorn, to a local Kombucha making facility where we got a free tour and free samples.

In this age of emails and text messages and Blackberrys and Google, it's easy to forget that people are a resource too. Unlike Google, people tell jokes, have opinions, stutter, laugh, and do all of those other endearing things that make people so much cooler than machines. Oh yeah, and the person might actually be there to say "Hi" when you arrive. Can you say the same for Google?

With Love,
~Brande N.