snapshot: love/hate

I have a love/hate relationship with duvets and duvet covers.  In the winter, when the nighttime thermostat is turned down to the low 60s, I love it.  But when I'm trying to wrestle the actual duvet into its freshly-washed decorative cover, well...  I've also come to realize that the hate part is directly proportional to the number of black cats owned.

After writing yesterday's post, I got a motivated bug in me and went to the grocery store, made vegan butterscotch pudding (fail), baked vegan biscuits (win), changed the bed linens (see above), and other assorted productive tasks.  Oh, and I burned a scented candle and blasted Miranda Lambert (my current obsession).  So thank you, sporadic blogging venue, for giving me a kick in the rear and getting me going again.

winter weekend

I've just started reading a book about mushrooms and am not ashamed to admit it.  I promise not to bore you with factoids about mushrooms and mushroom hunting and mushroom identification, but let me say that fungi is pretty interesting.  And prolific.  And I'll leave it at that.

With a now-functioning oven (a 15-minute repair by a trained professional), I celebrated by baking jelly donut cupcakes from Veganomicon.  Kudos to any vegan recipe that recommends you actually bypass the healthy, organic version of raspberry jam in favor of the sugar-laden, artificially-flavored kind.  Usually vegan recipes can get a bit crunchy-granola (even for me), so I'm liking Isa and her recipes more and more.

We had a bit of thunder snow on Saturday night, but it let up in time for us to attend an early Valentine's house tour of early-20th century homes in Richmond.  Talk about some historic house eye candy!  The ticket also included appetizers from local restaurants at each house and a wine tasting from the offerings of Cooper Vineyards in Louisa, Virginia.  Although I couldn't eat most of the offerings, I did like my wine.  We even stopped by one of the featured restaurants for dinner afterwards (The Empress), where I enjoyed a vegetarian version of a Caesar salad with grilled romaine and a vegan seitan dish with greens (don't worry - the beau balanced out the scales of meat-eating).

Did everyone enjoy their winter weekends?

totally into

Things I'm totally into right now:

~ Wearing my hot pink quilted vest over everything.  Even when inside the office.  Or at home.  Normally I wear it just for running (since it has an iPod holder and key pocket), but I've been really cold lately and find that keeping my core warm makes all the difference.  Plus, I look good in pink.

~ True Blood.  We've just started season two and although I have to roll my eyes at some of the "romance," it really is a fun and exciting show.  Just enough blood.  Maybe not enough sex.  But that's just me.

~ The new gallon-sized zipper bags that just arrived from Love for Earth (see Kara's etsy store).  I got a small snack size as a free gift when I ordered napkins and produce bags last year and loved it for using in my lunchbag to pack carrot sticks or cookies or crackers.  Now, two gallon-sized in lime green (with turquoise zipper) and bright yellow (with hot pink zipper).  No more buying plastic zip bags for me - I had just used the last in the box, and although I do wash and reuse, I knew the last couple in circulation wouldn't last forever.  These are easy to clean and they're cute to boot.

~Knee socks.  Not just for boots, I wear these to work as often as I can (see keeping warm, above).  I need more.  I'd like a funky polka dot pair to add to the stripes and argyle already in circulation.

Work has been a bit crazed this week with meetings for a new building project and filmings in some of our historic structures and answering all sorts of public inquiries and working on a major talk I have coming up in mid-February.   This weekend, normally when I look forward to a little calm, promises to be just as busy with a special tour at the museum and the biweekly visit to my grandmother's.  I think a trip to Trader Joe's might be in order though, and perhaps a stop at Ikea.  I've pinned a rug (the Millinge square black & white checked rug) that I'd love to see in person and maybe use in the office (which is still much in need of some attention)...

Eeek!

Brrrrr...chilly weather is settling in for the weekend and I am wishing that I actually took the time on my day off to unpack my winter clothing and put away my summer.  Yes, I have too many clothes if they have to hang in seasonal shifts.  I am well aware of that.  But that doesn't change the fact that my tank tops and cute summer skirts won't keep me warm this weekend.  So I'm layering scarfs and hoping for the best.

Met up with a girlfriend last night for dinner in downtown Fredericksburg and was really pleased to see that Halloween decorations were on display in more than one storefront.  Wittingham always has the best (most creative and well-executed) decorations at Christmas, but must admit that I'd never noticed Halloween before.  Props to them and some of their neighbors for getting into the spirit.  Now I just need to carve that pumpkin that my mother brought me as a gift this week.  Then I'll be one step closer to having actually decorated/prepared for the holiday myself.  Candy purchasing might also be a good step.  If I don't want my house egged, that is.

And in other (obsessive) news, I have succumbed to Pinterest.  Took the plunge.  Haven't started pinning yet, but we'll see how it goes...eeek!  Now that's scary.

details

Missed the farmers' market CSA bag this weekend, but still have some fresh veggies on hand (and more that I picked up) to tide me over until Saturday.  Arugula salad with over easy eggs and balsamic vinegar dressing fit the bill one night.  A quick dinner of whole wheat pasta, fresh peas, lemon-flavored olive oil another evening.  Nothing fancy.  Nothing with a recipe.

We had a little bit of rain recently and the grass shot up in response.  Mowing the lawn brings such a sense of satisfaction, doesn't it?  To look out over a freshly-shorn lawn is much like looking at a newly-vacuumed carpet.  Makes me happy.  Don't judge.

However, the lack of rain has also meant that the snap peas I planted a while back have withered and died.  I have hopes for the herbs and lettuce, but we'll see.  I'm trying to not get too invested in the edible garden this summer since I will be gone for over one month and won't be able to tend to it.  Makes me a little sad.

Slowly making my way through Jane Eyre (the Penguin hardcover with Coralie Bickford-Smith cover, of course).  Reading it for the first time since college (gasp!), I am finding myself enjoying the details of the story and language.  Finding little quotes that I read aloud just for the pleasure of their imagery. Next up on the purchase list:  either Tess of the D'Urbervilles (love!) or Wuthering Heights.  Can't decide...

crush

Slowly but surely I am eating my way through this week's CSA bag.  My friend L. is handily coming over for dinner tonight to assist in this endeavor.  I'm part way through the red pepper sauce and spinach noodles and have a distinct feeling that they will be completely gone after tonight's meal.  I did cheat and give away the cucumbers to my coworker Abby.  Not a cucumber fan, and this way they don't go to waste (or to compost!).  Next up:  fava beans.

Possibly inspired by my upcoming trip to England, I've been really getting into Brit girls, music-wise.  Kate Nash is my newest crush.  She and I spend a good 30 minutes together every morning as I run/walk to her kooky, catchy songs.  The one about a crazy crush is my favorite.

Lettuce and iPhones

 I've finally started some summertime seeds.  Woefully behind.  So behind in fact, that the lettuce that I left to bolt and self seed last year has actually appeared and made some real progress already.  Hopefully my little seedlings of beets, lettuce (more of the red spotted), snap peas, basil, and poppies (not to eat, but to look pretty) will catch up soon.  I just used an inexpensive Burpee bamboo/natural seed tray kit that I picked up at Tar-jay.  Convenience is key when you are a procrastinator like me.

My father and I were just having a discussion the other day about how I am such a procrastinator and have always been.  I explained that this trait continues into my adult life because I've never failed to make something happen at the last minute, so what is the point of not doing what comes natural?  Now that I've sent that thought out into the universe I know it will come back to bite me.

Yesterday I took a half day off work and took care of two projects that I kept putting off (after my father threatened and then followed through on calling me at 7AM to remind me).  First, I got my passport application turned in for my England trip this summer.  The post office lady assured me I had plenty of time.  Whew.  Then I took my car to get an oil change (okay, a third thing on my list there), and took the hour appointment time to walk over to the phone store to get myself into the 21st century.  I've now upgraded my cell phone to an *gasp* iPhone.  Really.  When I turned in my cute pink bar phone to the girl for donation she actually laughed.  And then tried to make me feel better by commenting on how good a condition it was in.  Oh, and wouldn't you know that I got the last $49 iPhone they had in the store.  Score.  Another Whew.

Of course when the numbers were transferred between phones I lost all numbers except JKL in my address book.  So, if I like you and you like me and you want me to call you (and your name isn't Janet, Krissy, Laura, etc.), please send me a text, etc. with your number.  Otherwise, the phone store girl and I decided that it was fate and that this was a good clean break - out with old numbers that mean nothing to modern me.  A fresh start.

Today is a little chilly and I'm headed into work today, so will need to search out my cute Boden pink linen coat to throw on.  I'm thinking black pants, white shirt, pink coat, and some funky earrings. 

Have become addicted (and I mean addicted) to Friday Night Lights via Netflix streaming.  Oh my.  Started Season 2 last night and have a feeling a marathon will be happening this evening.  Friday Night Lights on a Saturday - I know - I live on the edge.

happy, part 1

When I arrived home from my recent trip, I was so excited to find that the forsythia that I stuck in the new vase had blossomed while I was gone. What a pleasant homecoming. I am a springtime baby and forsythia has always been a favorite of mine. Such cheery yellow flowers to greet you when you walk in the door.

I have a quote from Edith Wharton (torn out of an issue of Real Simple) posted on the bedroom mirror and I've been reading it every morning to put me in the right mindset for the day:

"In spite of illness, in spite even of the archenemy sorrow, one can remain alive long past the usual date of disintegration if one is unafraid of change, insatiable in intellectual curiosity, interested in big things, and happy in small ways."

growing: orchid

A cold, but sunny, winter's day. Perfect for catching up on magazines and watching the first episode of Downton Abbey for the third time. I'm working during the day, but plan on having a nice lazy evening bundled up on the couch.

I brought an orchid home as a table favor from my friend Cathy's after-wedding-brunch last May. Knowing that orchids are temperamental and exotic, I didn't expect it to live past its summertime bloom. I placed it on a cabinet in front of the window in the office/guest room (indirect, bright light) and watered about once a week. And around the holidays I started to notice something. Some green budding. And then this discovery this morning.

Tonight for dinner, a take on this recipe but with arugula, my current winter obsession...

new year

Happy new year everyone. We enjoyed a lovely, warm (well, 50 degrees or so) new year's weekend, but now the weather is back to cold and blustery. Brrr...

The house is still a mess, but the Christmas decorations are slowly getting packed away and order is returning. Things I'm loving in the new year:

1. The anticipation of an orchid about to bloom. I've hardly paid attention to it and hate to jinx it, but had to share my excitement.
2. Lip Junkie lip gloss in jilted. Pop of color and tingle of peppermint. Plus, cruelty-free/vegan.
3. Arugula.
4. Organizational supplies at Target. This time of year is second only to back-to-school for eye candy at Target - bins and binders and organizing supplies galore. I partook of the festivities by purchasing small flat boxes (for my overwhelming supply of ribbon rolls) and one large bin (for excess Christmas decor). In lime green, of course.
5. Seventh Generation fabric softener sheets that you can add to the compost pile.
6. The first seed catalogue to arrive in the mail. Making me dream of English peas and warm dirt.

Simple joys. But those are the best kind sometimes. Off to snuggle under the duvet...

bright blue

We had a white Christmas around these parts, but the snow is largely melted away and I'm longing already for springtime. I seem to be a bit impatient when it comes to winter. Definitely not meant for cold climes. I treated myself to a little shopping spree online and finally purchased the bright blue egg crate that just screams springtime from Anthropologie that I've been wanting for months. Perfect way to control my ever-growing collection of rings on my dresser top.

acorn caps

Today is the first day in a while that has felt like fall here in coastal Virginia. For a while the sugar maple in front of the house has been turning to bright yellow and orange and shedding its leaves. Big piles are forming in the front yard and the leaves dance in the wind, terrorizing Colette (my black cat - definitely a Halloween spirit). Every once in a while I'll bring in a fresh maple leaf and she goes crazy, tossing and chasing it.

In the spirit of the season, I collected some acorns and gathered them in a glass bowl on the coffee table beside a grouping of small gourds and such. My mind is now churning with recipes for butternut squash and sweet potatoes. Oh how I love the arrival of fall...

seeing red

I spent much of the Labor Day holiday in the yard - weeding, trimming, scheming. Also enjoyed some vegan pancakes and many episodes of Veronica Mars. Gotta love a day off without big plans.

A trip home to celebrate my parents' anniversary resulted in shopping (not a surprise). New garden clogs, gardening gloves, plant markers, and a purple mum to be exact. Thanks for the treats Mom & Dad! I've been wearing my new red garden clogs pretty much constantly when I'm puttering about the house and yard. So comfy and waterproof and a fun color to boot. I even went to Borders with them on my feet. That might be taking it a bit too far.

Next up? A little tweaking in the bedroom. A trip to Home Goods resulted in some cute new pillows for the bed. I'm just catching up on my summer magazines and spotted this on the cover of the July/August House Beautiful. Hoping a one-day bedroom makeover might be in my future.

green beans, green toes

My neighbor's car alarm has been going off every five minutes since 6:45am. Good thing I was awake already. The windows are thrown open to let in this delicious cool morning air. Damp and humid, but with a chill that holds just the smallest promise of fall weather.

I've been obsessed with green lately. And I'm not just talking about veggies (although those are pretty fantastic right now). On a recent road trip to visit friends Theresa and Mommy, Esq. we got our nails done. My pedicure choice was this one: a bright kelly green that incidentally matches two pairs of flip-flops and a cardigan sweater that I purchased recently. I told you, I'm obsessed with green.

Although it's not green, I'm also pretty excited about the artichoke tealight holder that I picked up at Anthropologie last month.

obsession: dish towels

There are a few things that I'm a little obsessed with. One of them, I've come to realize, is dish towels. Interesting, colorful dishtowels to be precise. Like this great mushroom towel from Crate & Barrel which came in a set with lettuce and tomato versions too. No plain white flour sack towels for me.

I have a whole cupboard of them. Taking up precious storage space in my tiny kitchen.

The method to my madness is to roll dish rags up in them, so they are ready to go whenever I switch out a set. Of course I never have more than one set at work at a time and I do laundry pretty frequently. Why then do I have close to two dozen sets (and more in storage)?

vacation and a new favorite snack

I was on vacation for a week and have been struggling a bit with getting back into the groove. For my vacation week, my mother came to visit. First with my father, then with her friend Melissa, and then just the two of us for about five days. And we didn't kill each other or anything!

In addition to lots of coffee in the morning and wine in the evening, we did a little bit of shopping (Anthropologie!), a little spa-ing (pedicures!), and some cooking too. A new favorite recipe that we finally tried:

Oven-Roasted Chickpeas (inspired by this The Kitchn recipe)

1 15 ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
Salt and assorted spices

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Dry the chickpeas well with a kitchen towel, rubbing off the skins if possible. Pour onto a rimmed baking sheet that has been coated with cooking spray. Spray the chickpeas and sprinkle with spices (I recently used sea salt and nutritional yeast to add a cheesy taste, but you can use any spices - cumin, garlic salt, etc.). Bake for 30-40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until toasted and crunchy.

Cool and eat immediately or store in an airtight container. But I warn you, these won't last long!

Finds: a new shower curtain

Living in a rental property has its unique challenges. Issues mainly arise when the decorating choices are dictated by permanent features that can't been hidden by a coat of paint or a throw rug. In the bathroom of my little rental house I'd been ignoring the one big problem - a line of cobalt blue tile in the shower. When I moved in, I threw up my Martha Stewart yellow floral print shower curtain and called it a day. My parents had tried to help with the coordination by finding and installing for me a cobalt blue tension rod to hold the shower curtain, but the combination had always bothered me just a tad.

Walking through Target recently I stumbled accidentally upon a perfect solution (on sale!) and snatched it up on a whim. Yellow (to match the towels) + cobalt blue (to match the tile) + lime green (one of my decorating favorites) = happy bathroom. Plus, I love the Moroccan feel of the design in comparison to the wimpy floral in there before. Brings a different level of energy to the room.

Only problem now is that I feel that the lines of pattern aren't straight. I'm constantly adjusting the shower curtain to make it look right. Think I might have to pull out my level this weekend and get to the source of that obsession. But all in all, I'm very pleased with how much impact one little (inexpensive, impermanent) change made...

summer sunning

We've had 100-degree sunshiney weather this week. In the summer months being a pale-skinned girl has its challenges. When I was younger I would try to tan but instead would burn and peel, revealing a little bit of color underneath that I relished like it was a deep bronze. Then came tanning beds with my friends in high school, which I'm glad to say I only did a handful of times. Luckily in college good options in self-tanning lotions came up and I jumped on that bandwagon, only to look a little orange and worse than pale.

So I learned to embrace my paleness. Right in time to pay for my sins. I have a standing date with a dermatologist and seem to have at least one questionable mole removed every year since.

I think my little Gracie has inherited my issue. She has grown a dot on the tip of her nose. Our vet may need to recommend a little kitty sunscreen or something for Gracie's window ledge sunning sessions.

Enjoy the sun everyone (but wear sunscreen - my current cruelty-free favorite is Alba Hawaiian Green Tea with 45 SPF).

looking forward

It is June 25 and I'm already looking forward to the July 4 weekend. July 5 especially as it is a holiday off of work and I officially have nothing to do. Very exciting. I'm beginning to think I have a bit of a split personality: on one hand I like being around people and I talk to random strangers in the grocery store line or at the doctor's office, but there are other days where I just want to not talk to people at all. Just the way it is I guess, so July 5 will be my official 'not talking to anyone at all' holiday. Just a warning.

In other news, the broccoli is going bonkers in the garden, and I've harvested a couple more zucchini too. The wheels are turning in my mind for some recipe experimenting this weekend. I'm thinking I need to also make a summertime favorite: Corn and Basil Tart. I have three ears of corn from my CSA bag in the fridge and a bunch of basil growing in the garden. With my vegan experiment going on, not sure how it will work, but I'll give it a try anyway.

on my mind: a new rug

The living room needs a new rug. The sisal one has succumbed to wear spots in front of the couch, discolorations where cat messes have been cleaned up, and just overall fraying on the binding. I could get creative and spray-paint the whole thing as I've seen on some DIY sites. But instead I'm using it as an excuse to buy a new rug. A colorful rug to match the bright pink walls and lime green pillows. Something to brighten the space, but also hide dirt.

What better to buy than a fun cotton rug from the lovely Dash and Albert (through Layla Grace)? They come in great colorways and patterns that I love. Too many, in fact, so I need your opinion:

Right now I'm leaning toward "Stone Soup" for its wide stripes and mix of colors. What do you all think? Go for it with all pink like "Taffy" (who can resist it with that puppy in the pic!) or play it a bit safer with "Tortola"? Please help me decide!