1.17.10

Is it vain that I think the inside of my fridge is attractive? I just L-O-V-E having a full fridge. I like knowing that there are all these possibilities just waiting to be cooked up. True confession: I don't grocery shop with a list. I buy some fruits and veggies and then we have certain staples that we make sure are always on hand: soy milk (although I really need to switch to rice or almond or coconut milk - I'm working on it!), eggs, plain yogurt.

So, what's here?

Top shelf (left to right): Shredded Cabot cheese, herbed goat cheese, New York cheddar, soy milk, pitcher of iced Awake tea (in a pitcher my cousin MADE), orange juice (special treat for Nathan), bowl of apples, leftover baked tofu, leftover brown rice, leftover artichoke hearts, bowl of yeast.

Middle shelf (left to right): Nathan's peppery cream cheese, eggs, a container with parmesan in it, veggie dogs (to make veggie pigs-in-a-blanket for my friend's birthday this weekend), bowl of tomatoes, bowl of Bone Sucking Sauce (we put it on EVERYTHING), Ezekiel bread (oh my word - Best.Bread.Ever.) and a loaf of locally made raisin bread.

Bottom shelf (left to right): Crescent rolls (for aforementioned pigs-in-a-blanket; I don't normally buy those or any product like that, haha), fat-free plain yogurt (waiting to be frozen...mmm), a container of Rachel's yogurt (makes my throat itch, but it's SO yummy and I won't throw it out), arugula, spinach, romaine.

The bottom drawers contain a few bunches of carrots and assorted colors of peppers.

So, what's in your fridge?

1.9.10

I came across this article over at Cheap, Healthy, Good.

Interesting, no?

Do you think Americans are taught we are too stupid to cook? I think we've been taught that we're too busy to cook. Thoughts?

1.2.10

Well, it's a whole new decade, eh? 2009 was awesome and I can't wait to enjoy 2010.

So far, 2010 has been the laziest year of my life. I'm sipped tea, knitted and napped for the past two days. I have not washed or folded laundry or left the house other than to buy groceries one block away. It has been glorious.

I did however finish a knitting project and we've taken in way too much Half-Ton Teen/Dad/Mom shows. WAY too many.

I figure the busyness can ramp up again next week and I'm going to soak in this laziness while I can. Did y'all have a happy new year?

12.24.09

The thing that I most love about music is the ability of melody and song to transport you to another place and time. Music is one of the most inspiring, evocative things in my life. I know that Nathan does not experience music the same way I do, but perhaps you do. It's a mode of transport and it facilitates a lot of deep thinking and feeling to me. Many songs are touchstones for me that perfectly sum up where I was at in a certain place in my life or something I can use to instantly remember in vivid details the circumstances surrounding the song.

Earlier today I listened to a song that I used to constantly have on repeat during the dark days of last winter. I had not listened to this song in a while and immediately remembered sitting on the T with my headphones on, listening to this song and thinking "next year in New York..."

Thankfully, incredibly, "next year in New York" has been more than I could ever ask for or imagine. While I do miss Boston and my friends and family there, I am infinitely thankful to be in New York living the life I now live.

So much in my life has changed over the past few months and I thinks it is always appropriate at Christmas to give thanks and recognize the people in your life that make living it so wonderful.

For Nathan, my best friend, always companion and co-dreamer I give thanks. I truly feel as if anything is bearable if we are together. I love dreaming and planning and scheming with you and I love seeing where God is taking us on this incredible journey. I am so in love with you and our future.

For my lovely co-workers who have stretched me, taught me and grown me this year, I am thankful. You have taught me so much about our industry, but also how to eat mussels and cuff my blazers. For shoe shopping at lunch time and too much sushi, I love you and am grateful for all the ways you make my life more enjoyable.

For Susie, one of those few people who really, really gets me I am grateful. I am blessed to have a few people in my life who I deeply connect with and you are one. Thank you for being on my speed dial, tea parties, too many walks in the rain and standing brunch dates. I love you, bestie.

For Alicia, my new writing partner-in-crime and constant friend, thank you for making my dark days livable and for never abandoning me in scary neighborhoods and for laughing with me in Starbucks more than I ever thought possible. I'm really going to miss you when you flee the east coast.

For my new friends and family at Forefront Church: thank you for accompanying Nathan and me on this journey. I love sharing, laughing and living with you. Your support and friendship have helped facilitate the return of the real Rachel Ann that I feared was gone forever.

And so on this Christmas Eve I want to send out these words of thanks as we look forward to a new year. It's been an incredible year and I continue to marvel at the path God is laying out in front of me. My prayer for the new year is to be worthy of the path and to step up with discipline and courage and to take the time to appreciate all my blessings as I continue to dream big.

Merry Christmas! Here's to many more!

12.20.09

OK, I fell off the face of the earth. I admit it. However, I'm ramping up to start a new {blog} project with a dear friend of mine, so I thought I should start writing here again so that someone will know where to find me in mid-February when I migrate over to that project.

Things have been B-U-S-Y over here in New York City. It snowed last night which is beautiful and I've been making Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls. Work is demanding, but fun; we have FRIENDS and social commitments; we are still busy exploring all this city has to offer.

Tomorrow is Nathan's birthday, but he opened presents last night. I teased him that I think of him as a paper doll because, truly, everything I bought for him was something to wear. A new peacoat, jeans, sweater and messenger bag were under the tree waiting for him. Thankfully, he was excited about all of them.

We're not exchanging Christmas presents because of our late November LARGE purchase (oh yeah, we bought a TELEVISION while I away!), but if we were I would have four things on my Christmas list.

This year, I want:

1. A Canon Rebel. Yup. It's outlandish, but there you have it. We're planning to purchase one before we go to Paris and we've heard only great things.

2. A queen size quilt from Marie Madeline Studios. There is NO WAY I could make one cheaper for $130. Fantastic deal.

3. The oh-so-fabulous Joley tortoiseshell peeptoe heels from J.Crew. Unfortunately, I never bought them because I couldn't swallow that $178.00 price tag and now they are sold out. Whomp whomp. Maybe one day on eBay...

4. Donations to Charity:Water. Many of you can expect this for Christmas this year.

5. Both volumes of the GLEE soundtrack.

So, that's my list. What's yours?

10.24.09

People I know if real life keep bugging me to update here, but I'm just so busy living that it's hard to find the time.

In short, things are fabulous: work, friends, having fun, Miss Marple, Nathan - we're all great.

Right now, Nathan's little brother is visiting so we keep having big family dinners that are oh so fun. I love taking the opportunity when others are in town to cook yummy food that we wouldn't normally take the time to prepare. Tonight, we're having homemade pizza. Inspired by that post, I thought I'd let you know what my fall music mix is.

The Perfect Fall Mix (for cozy evenings, drives and commutes)

Grace is Gone - Dave Matthews Band
True Affection - The Blow
Small House - Brett Mitchell
If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out - Cat Stevens
Farthest Shore - David Wilcox
Mama You've Been On My Mind - Jack Johnson
Daughters - John Mayer
Something About Your Love - Mason Jennings
Crying Ground - Pierce Pettis
Valentwine - The Theater Fire
Gotta Have You - The Weepies
Whatever It Is - Zac Brown Band
Sunshine - Francis Dunnery
Constellations - Jack Johnson
Flesh and Blood - Johnny Cash

9.26.09

Today was almost too awesome to convey, but I'll try.

To begin, the weather is GORGEOUS right now. The leaves are changing a bit, the air is slightly chilly (light cardigan and jeans weather) and the sun is shining. I love fall.

We started the day with breakfast at Alice's Tea Cup on the Upper West Side. While there, I got to eavesdrop on some girls who went to Elon, drink a pot of autumnal darjeeling tea, and eat half of a pumpkin scone and half of a gingerbread apple scone. Awesome.

We left Alice's and walked up Columbus Avenue to the post office so that I could mail my Fall Food Swap package to my partner, Becky. Who should we run into but Jack McBrayer (Kenneth Parcell on 30 Rock). AWESOME. Someone else had us to take his picture with Jack, so I did that and then Jack held the door for us all to go into the post office.

I basically got way too excited over that encounter and he was so chill and unassuming that I didn't even tell him how funny I think he is or how excited we are for the new season. Oh well. Happy Saturday, Jack!

We left the post office and walked across Central Park to The Met. We walked along the route for the New York Road Runners Mile Championship race and that was really cool. We got to see the Seniors division compete and we watched the Women's 20somethings warm up. Those girls were FAST!

We spent a couple hours at The Met (we're members, so we can go whenever) and notably saw a bunch of Roman and Greek ruins and, Nathan's favorite of the day, a pistol cleaver. No, really. We have a picture.

Left The Met, walked back down Central Park for 20ish blocks and hopped on the train to go to SoHo. We were walking to the Gizmodo Gallery to see an installation on digital design. While walking, we passed an independent bookstore that advertised John Krasinski would be holding a reading and discussion session that evening. Whaaaat???

So we hopped over to Gizmodo since it only happens once a year and spent an hour exploring REALLY cool digital design. Check out the site - we saw the mud computer, 3-D Etch-a-Sketch, pancake machine and singing Tesla coils. Nathan played Beatles Rock Band with a bunch of little kids and this awesome moment of community developed when everyone in the room starting singing All You Need Is Love.

So after an hour of that we headed back to the bookstore and were the last people to get seats to hear John. He did several readings from "Brief Interviews with Hideous Men" and then had a Q&A session where, thankfully, everyone asked him about that project and not The Office. He seemed really, really cool and was super chill and funny.

We left there and headed to the West Village for some amazing noodles and then wandered around the Village for a while before settling in at a Starbucks (I promise we tried a few independent places first that were all super crowded) where we laughed and told stories about people in high school and read comedic writing out loud to each other.

We then hopped on a train and listened to a "This American Life" podcast on the way home.

Perfect day? Yes.

9.24.09

Whew. This week has been exhausting, no? I had compiled so many reports in the past two days that it's not even funny. I have worked SO hard and SO long, but I have truly loved it. You know why? Because I work with an amazing team of people and we laugh a lot. My last company was all about "the serious" and everything was an attempted power play of some sort. My company now is still such a refreshing change. It doesn't hurt that I work for a ridiculously successful start-up and that we know that all the work we do contributes to that success, but it is still a cultivated atmosphere of trust and dedication and hard work and fun. I can't get enough. Truly.

The past 10 days have also been a little physically exhausting because I'm started jogging again regularly, but, man oh man, how great is that feeling? You know what I mean?

Unfortunately, all that jogging means that my calves are freakishly large. Nope - not kidding. I measured them and then googled for about an hour one night about calf sizes. As far as I can tell, I have calves about the size of a woman twice my size. No joking. I mean, they are freakishly large.

And, truly, I was really bummed about it for a while because boots are SO CUTE and apparently they are completely unavailable to me. But then I remembered that I can, you know, jog and breathe and stuff. I'm not paralyzed - physically, mentally or emotionally like I was before. Life is good.

(But, really, I'll take boot suggestions if you have them. Haha.)

9.20.09

So, my BFF Sally has posted her 99 favorites to celebrate her upcoming 100th post. I thought I'd list my 99 favorites in the categories she provided.

1. Favorite scary movie: None. I HATE scary movies. HATE them.
   
2. Favorite action movie: The Bourne movies. Pretty much love them.
   
3. Favorite kids' movie: Robin Hood!
   
4. Favorite foreign movie: Amelie (yes, I am cliched)
   
5. Favorite grown-up movie: Um...Hotel Rwanda?
   
6. Favorite comedy: Talladega Nights or Dodge Ball or Super Bad (oh man, my parents must be cringing) or Christopher Guest mockumentaries
   
7. Favorite romantic comedy: Not a comedy, but I love The Notebook
   
8. Favorite movie in general: CAMP!
9. Favorite movie series: Um...the quirky, unaffiliated documentary film?
   
10. Favorite animated movie: Still Robin Hood
    
11. Favorite literary genre: Creative non-fiction
    
12. Favorite children's book: Go to the Doctor, Harry.
    
13. Favorite adolescent book: Catherine Called Birdy
    
14. Favorite grown-up book: Their Eyes Were Watching God
    
15. Book that I bought just so I could have the title on my bookshelf: Can't say that I've ever done this.
    
16. Favorite movie adaptation of a book: I'm really bad about seeing movies. Definitely NOT A Walk to Remember. They butchered that story in the film.
    
17. Favorite author: Oh man...I don't know. Zora Neale Hurston? CS Lewis?
    
18. Book that I'm reading now: Just finished How to Cook a Wolf by MFK Fisher.
    
19. Book that I'd most like to read next: My list is so long. The Devil in the White City has been on my list for a while.
    
20. Book that I wish I had written: I wish I could come across as funny in my writing like David Sedaris. I am flat on paper.
    
21. Favorite grammatical error to catch: I like to translate errors into Latin to fully explain why people are wrong. Don't that count?
22. Favorite marker: Stabilo fine point - gray.
    
23. TV show that I wish I had written: 30 Rock. Or do I just secretly wish I could be a comedy writer AND have a life?
    
24. Favorite tween TV show: The Hills?
    
25. Favorite family TV show: Family Matters or Boy Meets World.
    
26. Favorite scripted TV show: The Office. Or 30 Rock.
    
27. Favorite competitive reality TV show: I would say Project Runway, but I literally haven't seen it in years. Reality TV is hard to watch online.
    
28. Favorite documentary reality TV show: No clue.
    
29. Favorite male TV character: Andy Bernard. Puffy hearts for Andy.
    
30. Favorite female TV character: Kelly Kapoor.
    
31. Most feared TV character: Sylar. I saw this guy on a subway platform who looked JUST LIKE Sylar and I freaked out. A lot.
    
32. Biggest fear in general: Being paralyzed.
    
33. Food I would never eat: Veal.
    
34. Favorite breakfast food: Pumpkin pancakes, soysage (that's for you, Laura), breakfast casseroles, breakfast burritos, bagels and lox. Breakfast is my jam. (Get it? Breakfast? Jam? Haha)
    
35. Favorite meat: Salmon or mussels or scallops.
36. Newest favorite snack: I can't stop eating pumpkin seeds. No, really, can't stop.
    
37. Favorite salty snack: Pretzels! So I don't buy them. Ever.
    
38. Favorite restaurant: Brew and View or Laughing Seed (both in Asheville), though I do love some places here too.
    
39. Best dining experience ever: The hotel we stayed at in Lydia, Greece. Entire meal cooked for the four of us - no one else in the restaurant. Best salad of my life.
    
40. Favorite comfort food: I love homemade pizza. Or pesto. Or sweet potato soup.
    
41. Favorite frozen entree: Kashi Blueberry waffles. I eat them as a meal. They count.
    
42. Dairy product that I miss most: (Sal has recently cut out all dairy. I don't miss any dairy. I'm skipping this question).
    
43. Faux-dairy product that I enjoy most: Chocolate soy milk. TOO delicious.
    
44. Favorite fruit: Blueberries or strawberries.
    
45. Favorite vegetable: Okra. Tomatoes.
    
46. Favorite candy: Really great dark chocolate or Peanut Butter M&Ms.
    
47. Favorite ice cream flavor: Pinkberry! Really a yogurt, but what can you do.
    
48. Favorite cookie: Pumpkin chocolate chip or traditional chocolate chip.
    
49. Favorite errand: Grocery shopping! Especially at a great market with a flexible list.
    
50. Favorite household chore: Cleaning the bathroom. I'm so weird. Definitely NOT folding the laundry.
    
51. Least favorite household chore: Folding the laundry or, even worse, PUTTING IT AWAY.
    
52. Favorite room in the house, decor-wise: Kitchen. It's pinkish.
    
53. Favorite room in the house I grew up in: My bedroom. It was the bonus room and it was awesome.
    
54. Favorite childhood toy: Loved my See 'n Say
    
55. Favorite holiday: I really like Easter. And Christmas.
    
56. Favorite Halloween costume: The SNL skit year. I feel like I can't put the actual name of the skit on my blog. The skit has Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg making gift-giving suggestions. (Again, my parents are cringing). OR Curious George.
    
57. What I'd be for Halloween this year if I had an occasion: Eh. Halloween's not my thing.
    
58. Favorite theme party that I had in college: Country Club house warming. Yes, there was an enforced dress code and salmon appetizers.
    
59. Favorite season: FALL! Hands down. Pumpkins and leaves and apples and cider and briskness without heavy coats. Fantastic!
    
60. Favorite month: October.
61. Favorite day of the week: Sundays.
62. Favorite time of the day: Morning. I love getting ready and commuting with Nathan. And I love smoothies and having all kinds of energy.
    
63. Favorite elementary school teacher: Mrs. Britt (third grade)
    
64. Favorite junior high school teacher: Eh. I sort of hated middle school.
    
65. Favorite high school teacher: Mr. Wajima (Statistics and tennis coach)
    
66. Favorite undegraduate college professor: Merritt Moseley and Dan Pierce.
    
67. Favorite graduate college professor: Again, this is Sal-specific.
    
68. Favorite college class: British history. African-American History since 1865.
    
69. Subject that I'm not good at that I like most: Biology. I'm fascinated by Biology and TERRIBLE at labs. Writing down details is not my thing.
    
70. Favorite musician ever: Oh man...James Taylor? I don't know!
    
71. Favorite musical group ever: The Supremes
72. Favorite duet: Islands in the Stream
    
73. Favorite song ever: Don't Leave Me This Way
    
74. Favorite song to sing: Son of a Preacher Man
    
75. Song that I put on too many CD mixes: The Way I Are
    
76. Song that infallibly makes me happy: Hey, Good Looking
    
77. Song that infallibly makes me sad: Long December
    
78. Song that I sang constantly as a child: Baby Beluga.
    
79. Favorite choreographer: I don't think I have one.
    
80. Favorite showtune: On the Right Track - Pippin
    
81. Favorite texture: Down blankets.
    
82. Least favorite texture: Cat litter.
    
83. Favorite smell: Nathan's morning smell - sort of gross and smelly mixed with leftover deoderant from the day before OR the smell of matches being put out. Mmm.
    
84. Least favorite smell: Urine. Unforts, I smell it ALL THE TIME. Thanks, NYC.
    
85. Favorite item of clothing: Vineyard Vines lazy pants.
    
86. Next item of clothing that I'd like to buy: High-end black ballet flats. I'm taking suggestions on your favorite brands.
    
87. Most anticipated upcoming purchase: A television! Yes, we are joining the ranks of the regular people.
    
88. City in the United States that I'd most like to visit: Seattle.
89. City outside of the United States that I'd most like to visit: Paris or Athens.
    
90. Country that I'd most like to visit: Spain. France again. Somewhere tropical - Fiji, perhaps?
    
91. Favorite super hero: Eh.
92. Favorite super villain: Eh.
93. Super power that I'd most like to have: Being fast and bendy.
    
94. Super power that I would least like to have: Flying.
    
95. Favorite color: Green.
96. Favorite color to wear: Navy.
    
97. Favorite physical attribute that I have: Eye color (they are brown with gold flecks)
    
98. Favorite physical ability that I have: Ability to sleep almost anywhere.
    
99. Physical ability that I wish I had: Holding my breath for long periods of time.
    

9.14.09

We're in the quite the transitional phase over here at our house.

We've finally put the duvet back on the bed after a long, hot stretch of the summer...but the windows are still open.

I have pumpkin scented soap in the bathroom...but tonight for supper we had fresh peaches and zucchini.

I made an arrangement of mini pumpkins for the coffee table...but drank out of my new sand dollar Tervis tumbler from the BFFs while I did it.

I'm aching for fall, but clinging to the last good days of summer. September is the kind of month when you wear a cardigan in the morning and are thankful to remove some layers in the afternoon.

September is all about the transition.

9.8.09

Does anyone else become really disoriented if you nap?

I love napping, but it always makes me somewhat disoriented and paranoid, so I try to avoid it unless I am so, so, so sleepy. I can rest with no problems, but actually going to sleep makes me freak out.

So, yesterday I fell asleep on the plane, fell asleep for a few hours at home, woke up for supper and then fell asleep again and then woke up when Nathan suggested I move to the bed from the couch.

My brain was and still is freaking out. Wish me luck today as I feel like I'm floating through life right now.

9.7.09

And we're back in New York. Charleston was wonderful, not over-booked and relaxing. We made a number of plans each day and always knocked one or two things off the list in the process. It's sort of the accessories rule applied to travel.

It was fantastic to spend time with our best friends in their fancy (to us) house. They have a garbage disposal and carpet and a microwave and all sorts of modern conveniences.

It was also just really great to be with another couple that is at the same point in life that we are. We're all crazy busy and dreaming big dreams and making plans. It was so interesting to have conversations on future stuff like whether or not to immunize our children (we pretty much agree on that point) or what kind of education we would like our kids to experience (that point was, uh, less similar). Isn't it so cool though to grow up and find out your friends' opinions on things you've never had reason to discuss before? I think it's cool.

Anyway, they're fantastic, our weekend was fantastic and Miss Marple seemed glad to see us come home. Good weekend.

9.1.09

Why, hello, September! I've been expecting you with great anticipation.

Today, I...

-woke up chilly underneath a blanket (it's 57 degrees out).

-will wear closed-toe shoes with a Lilly wrap dress.

-will buy my first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the year (and hope that it isn't as sweet as I remember since too sweet things make me gag now).

Today is Tuesday, so only 3 more days to go until we are in Charleston with our BFFs - eating hummus, touring plantations (including the Bigelow TEA plantation!), taking long walks, laughing at each other's stories, having soysage for breakfast and playing word games. It's going to be fabulous!

8.25.09

True story: NYC has cooled considerably in the past few days. So WHY OH WHY did Nathan break down and turn on the A/C tonight when it is not much above 80 degrees outside?

Answer: Because he was cleaning the entire apartment while I was out at an HR Happy Hour.

Good job, Nathan. Way to earn it.

8.24.09

Homemade Pinkberry. Make it now. I promise.

Inspired by my dear friend Lilac, I combined a container of non-fat plain yogurt (the big 32 oz one), 3/4 cup of sugar (although I'll bump that down to 1/2 cup next time) and a teaspoon or so of vanilla (no, I didn't measure it.).

Threw that in my fancy-schmancy KitchenAid mixer ice cream attachment (totally worth the money) and let it whip up and freeze.

Top with frozen blueberries and strawberries and, voila!, homemade Pinkberry without the trip downtown. For those of you in other locales, you can really save on gas since Pinkberry is only available in California, New York and Abu Dabai.

Trust me, you want to make this.

8.23.09

Ah...IKEA. I ventured out to the affordable design superstore today via water taxi (!) and it did not disappoint. I made a few purchases - namely, a pillow that I L-O-V-E. I also fell in love with a gorgeous armchair (see here) and next time someone with a car is heading to IKEA, I'm hoping to go along to purchase this beauty.

When I got home, I caught up on a lot of work (boo for working on weekends) and I just finished, so I'm browsing Apartment Therapy to wind down. I stumbled upon this interesting post about displaying your Le Creuset cookware in your kitchen. Is your cookware on display? Mine is always out. I have a 3 1/2 quart in Caribbean Blue and it so perfectly matches my kitchen that I can't bear to keep it in a cabinet. Also, I use it ALL the time. I have practically given up on all of my other pots.

8.20.09

My to-do list is out of control. I have a massive list at work and a massive list at home and, sometimes, I just want to nap or watch Friends. Is this terrible?

The good news is that I have arrived at the life I always wanted. Yes. I have friends and weekend plans and jaunts to the beach and around town and a husband and a fantastic apartment.

The bad news, I suppose, is that it is still outrageously hot. I know for a lot of you summer is about being hot, but, let me remind you, you have air conditioning and cars with air conditioning. I am crammed into trains with hundreds of other people who are all literally wiping the sweat off of themselves. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, EVERYONE underground is now carrying some piece of fabric to wipe themselves off with. We are all elderly southern gentlemen.

8.17.09

I know you are all on the edge of your seats waiting to see if the heat has done us in it. Good news - we are all still here, but Miss Marple is increasingly lethargic (which, I think, is really saying something considering she is a cat). In fact, tonight has been a remarkably productive evening. My promotion kicked in today at work and I'm loving it - I've been cruising off that burst of energy you get with an exciting change.

Well, I suppose the caffeine I consumed in the form of a chai around 4:00 could have helped too. I'm very into chai from the cafe across my office - Spoon. It is not sweetened, which I think is fabulous. You can add as little or as much sweetener as you would like. I opt for less. My palate for sweet things has been ever-decreasing lately. Also, I would love for my house to look like their storefront restaurant, so recharging my spirit while ordering tea is a nice bonus.

Anyway, like I was saying, tonight was very productive because I managed to come home, clean the kitchen and bathroom, water my neighbor's plants and sort all the laundry before retiring to the bedroom to attempt to fix my iPhone. It is still acting up and it seems like such a petty thing to be upset about that I can't find the energy to care too much. Everything about it is fine except that it won't launch third-party apps since I upgraded my software. Is anyone else having this problem? Has anyone found a way to fix it?

And now I am here dreaming of slipcovers and pillows and fabric stashes. This month's issue of Real Simple has an article about transforming closets into mini-rooms and Nathan saw me reading said article last night. All he said was "Where will we store the towels?" Good point, Nathan - he knew I was dreaming of converting our storage closet into my personal getaway nook. (PS - Don't tell Nathan, but I think I've thought of a place to put the towels).

I think an urge to nest is the first sign of changing seasons. The second sign of impending autumn is pictures of pumpkins and they are scattered about this month's issue of Better Homes & Gardens. Thinking of pumpkins makes the fact that I am contemplating buying these boots seem almost logical even though it is hot as blazes out there. And yes, I can read the price tag on those, but, if you think about it, that's a fairly good price for a staple item that is necessary if you walk miles a day in the cold of winter. And we're just in the thinking stage right now - the trying on and mulling it over stages will come (hopefully when the air cools down a little). Can you imagine putting on a boot right now? I'm about to pass out just considering it!

8.16.09

Besides the sweltering heat that I really think might kill me (I had 3 LITERS of water today by 5:00pm - it is sooooo steamy right now in NYC)*, these things made today indescribably wonderful:

1. Nathan is still home. I can't get over how great it is for him to be back since he was gone for 11 days.

2. Homemade salsa with huge amounts of cilantro.

3. Singing "Come Thou Fount" at church this morning - one of my Top 5 hymns.

4. Watching "Everything is Illuminated" this afternoon. HIGHLY recommend it. Made me miss Eastern Europe.

5. Taking a walk with Nathan this evening to buy fruit juice popsicles. Yummy.

6. Chalking "The Summer Day" by Mary Oliver on our chalkboard. One of my favorite poems.

7. Homemade lemonade: lemon juice, squeeze of agave nectar, water, ice cubes.

8. Reading interior decorating blogs and browsing Flickr for inspiration.

9. My new art from Made by Girl.

10. Having no formal plans until Labor Day!!! This has been an incredible and incredibly exhausting summer.

*And yes, I am from the south and I understand heat, but the city is one giant concrete, smelly, humid cooker and, as a bonus, it is almost as hot here as in NC - 97ish degrees today. Whew!.

8.15.09

Well now, who's a terrible blogger? That would be me, I suppose.

I make no promises about the frequency of posting here. The last month has been a whirlwind and we have one more trip (to Charleston!) before we can call quits on the summer.

I was recently promoted and hopefully (!) I will be able to spend more time at home in the evenings which means more time blogging. My life has been out-of-control busy. I've been working hard and still trying to play harder. I've been eating a lot of black beans, okra and tomatoes and I recently purchased some candles that smell like cilantro because I want that smell to follow me.

Oh yes, we've also had four consecutive weekends of houseguests and Nathan has been out of town for 10 days. In short, life has been BUSY, but loads of fun.

I won't lie though - I'm craving fall. It's getting to be the really hot, long part of summer that makes you dream of pumpkins, cardigans, apple picking and leaves. I have big plans for this fall.

1. Wear this cardigan I recently purchased at J.Crew as much as possible. I love it.

2. Take my apartment in another decorating direction. I'm craving clean backdrops with pastel pops of color. I want to go in the direction of Anthropologie and move away from the Pottery Barn look. It's a good thing I don't have a yard or I would be painting every piece of furniture I own.

3. Spend as much time walking around New York as possible. We're planning to walk from one end of Manhattan to the other one Saturday.

4. Eat pumpkins. Keep investing deeply in relationships. Count my blessings daily.

Hugs and kisses to all of you still out there. I miss writing. I may or may not have ranted over lunch to a co-worker the other day about the lack of writing in my life. I hear there's a place I can flee to in Bahama, NC if I need a writing sabaticcal. That very well might happen.