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.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
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.
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.
Monday, August 17, 2009
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!
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!
Sunday, August 16, 2009
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!.
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!.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
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.
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.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
7.5.09
Has anyone else completely thrown menu planning out the window lately?
I find it hard to menu plan when every time I walk down the street I'm confronted with some produce I want to eat right then and there.
Is it different when you get to shop at grocery stores? This summer we're down to 1-2 Fresh Direct deliveries a month and I'm supplementing everything else with farmers' markets and fruit kiosks.
Truth be told, we eat the same thing almost every day.
Any yummy recipes bouncing around out there that will make it worth going to the grocery store?
I find it hard to menu plan when every time I walk down the street I'm confronted with some produce I want to eat right then and there.
Is it different when you get to shop at grocery stores? This summer we're down to 1-2 Fresh Direct deliveries a month and I'm supplementing everything else with farmers' markets and fruit kiosks.
Truth be told, we eat the same thing almost every day.
Any yummy recipes bouncing around out there that will make it worth going to the grocery store?
Saturday, July 4, 2009
7.4.09
Yesterday, Nathan and I decided to do our favorite activity--wander around New York. After doing something we NEVER do (go to Times Square) we went to the New York Public Library because it looked like the skies were going to open up and we were going to get soaked.
We meant to duck into the library to just wander some more, but all of the sections were closed expect for one room. We thought that was odd, but we followed the trail of people into the room. Well, what do you think we saw? New York's copy of the Declaration of Independence.
A few years ago, a copy came to our college, and, admittedly, that copy had a better story surrounding it that involved a locked cellar and a wayward antiques dealer, but this was still very cool.
We stood huddled together to read those words again--words that I have read a hundred times as a history major--both in American and British history classes. Words that instantly spring tears to my eyes--"When in the course of human events..."***
To be fair, I do agree with historical scholars who write that our "revolution" did not fit the strict definition and when you know what each separate clause refers to (for instance, "He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures" refers to Congress meeting on the Cambridge-side of the Charles versus the Boston-side, which, even in 1776, is not THAT big of a deal in and of itself), but the specificity of those clauses is not the point of the declaration.
The point is that these brave men and women undertook a glorious experiment that is still going strong today and laid the foundation for putting such principles as "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" into law.
So take some time today to read the full text of the Declaration. It won't take more than 10 minutes, I promise.
***The words of the Declaration and the Constitution have made both of us cry since we were overseas for an extended amount of time. At the end of one very long, very tiring day, Nathan started to read aloud the quotes included on the pages of our passports and we both got a little choked up. One of the greatest things living in Bulgaria taught me was to be proud of America. Everyone in Bulgaria is so proud to be Bulgarian--they taught us.
We meant to duck into the library to just wander some more, but all of the sections were closed expect for one room. We thought that was odd, but we followed the trail of people into the room. Well, what do you think we saw? New York's copy of the Declaration of Independence.
A few years ago, a copy came to our college, and, admittedly, that copy had a better story surrounding it that involved a locked cellar and a wayward antiques dealer, but this was still very cool.
We stood huddled together to read those words again--words that I have read a hundred times as a history major--both in American and British history classes. Words that instantly spring tears to my eyes--"When in the course of human events..."***
To be fair, I do agree with historical scholars who write that our "revolution" did not fit the strict definition and when you know what each separate clause refers to (for instance, "He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures" refers to Congress meeting on the Cambridge-side of the Charles versus the Boston-side, which, even in 1776, is not THAT big of a deal in and of itself), but the specificity of those clauses is not the point of the declaration.
The point is that these brave men and women undertook a glorious experiment that is still going strong today and laid the foundation for putting such principles as "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" into law.
So take some time today to read the full text of the Declaration. It won't take more than 10 minutes, I promise.
***The words of the Declaration and the Constitution have made both of us cry since we were overseas for an extended amount of time. At the end of one very long, very tiring day, Nathan started to read aloud the quotes included on the pages of our passports and we both got a little choked up. One of the greatest things living in Bulgaria taught me was to be proud of America. Everyone in Bulgaria is so proud to be Bulgarian--they taught us.
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