Aspiring Artistry

Juicy Juicy

I'm trying out my new KitchenAid juicer attachment and it's so fun!! Actually, it's been hiding in my cabinet for a year or so, but it just made it to my countertop. 

 

I needed fresh lime and orange juices for a pork marinade I'm making. Tonight is Cuban paninis, a fresh orange and avocado salad, and cilantro lime rice. A light and yummy summer dinner with friends to be followed, hopefully, by some hard-core Scrabble playing. 

 I'm wondering now what other fun attachments I should get for my mixer?? 

An addendum: I'm watching 'Secret Life of the American Teenager' while I cook. It's addictive...and I'm still on Season 1.

Mail Call :: Booty Call

It's unprecedented, I tell you!

First, the mail lady arrives this morning at 10:30 - unheard of 'round these parts. My regular carrier is a young man who rarely hits my house before 5:30 p.m., so I'm giving this woman some serious kudos for speed. On the other hand, perhaps I'm normally the end of the route and she started backwards today?

There were five pieces in my delivery today, which is pretty small considering I'm a catalog queen and seemingly a magnet for every piece of junk mail possible. As was the former owner of this house, as well as the umpteen people who lived here over the years when it was a six-unit boarding house (I should do a post on that ... we've got some cool history here), and when it was a duplex occupied by hordes of freshly-graduated co-eds.

Why, might you ask, am I going on and on about the state of the U.S. Postal Service and my mail deliveries?

Because today was a good day. A very. good. day. (Unlike the current character fave around these parts: Alexander and his Terrible. Horrible. No Good. Very Bad. Day.)

I've written in the past about my magazine obsessions, and today was a jackpot.  I'm overcome with excitement as I plan out my evening ahead, which consists of a hot bath and some good reads.

Cookbook Stand Roundup

It's a continuing challenge. There the cookbook lies, a mess among bowls and spatulas, partially covered in ingredients and dirty fingerprints. And it lies flat on the counter, which isn't the easiest view when trying to follow a recipe.

Enter the cookbook stand. Something to prop up your book to reading level, and hopefully something you don't mind leaving out.

There are lots of acrylic or metal frame cookbook stands out there, but suppose you want something remotely attractive sitting out on the counter? 

(1) Super-useful interior storage, for all those scraps that make their way into your recipe files. (2) Easy on the eyes:  cherry-toned and lucite. (3) Can’t decide on a style? This tucks away under cabinet. (4) Traditional iron scrolls (5) Why go rummaging through the drawer to find measuring equivalents? These are right on the side of your stand.

 

Country Air

Ahhhh... to escape the confines of the city and head to the country. No asphalt, no screaming sirens at all hours of the night, no oppressive heat. Just gorgeous views, beautiful surroundings, and relaxation.

My husband was lucky enough to grow up with all of this, so it's always a special treat to show the kids "where daddy lived." 

We'll be heading up again in a few weeks, with friends in tow, and I'm looking forward to sharing this very special place with them, too.

My Continuing White Obsession

I have almost no white in my house, save the washer and dryer, so I'm not sure why I keep snatching up white pieces for my home. Especially faux bois.

When I saw this in a local lifestyle magazine, I sighed. Well, first my hands clenched the pages tightly with excitement, then I sighed when I thought that I'd never be able to have one of my very own.

Until I flipped to the source list in the back, and saw it was carried by a wonderful shop here in my city. Again, though, my heart fell as I realized the magazine was eight months old. As a former home furnishings retailer, I knew the likelihood of it still being in stock was tiny, and perhaps impossible to reorder.

But alas, they had it, I called in my credit card number sight unseen, and grinned from ear to ear. 

With the addition of a few simple orchids, reindeer moss, and this super-cool burlap printed runner/rug, I think it fits in just fine.

But uh oh. Have you checked out the manufacturer website? There is waaay too much to add to this new obsession.

What Would You Do?

My mother brought this to me when visiting last week. She and my father lived for many years in Asia, and purchased this on a trip to China, probably back in the 70s.

My first intention was to make it into a sleek, sleeveless/cap sleeved, straight dress, leaving the frogs up the front (but sewed shut, of course!). 

However, some unfortunate stains dot the front (looks like soy sauce to me), and we can't get them out. It leaves the front pieces unusable for the most part, although I'm sure pieces could be salvaged. 

I'd really like to keep this, and use it in a meaningful sort of way. I grew up surrounded by photographs, artifacts, and books from my parents' time in Southeast Asia, and it really made an impact on me over the years. This certainly isn't a fine piece, but my mother has wonderful memories of it that I would love to honor. 

She told me I could just wear it to lounge around the house, to which I asked "When do I ever get to 'lounge around' these days?"

She wore it "all the time" (thus the soy sauce stains?) when she brought me home from the hospital. Lovely, I thought. You were also 25, were lucky enough to spend a decent amount of time recovering in a lovely hospital setting, living in a third world country, and enjoying the company of a full-time housekeeper. My life doesn't work that way.

I thought about some sort of runner for the dining room - it would match beautifully. Any other thoughts?

WWYD?