A Transformation

Remember that 'Secret Project' I posted about like, a gazillion years ago? It took me long enough and is still a work in progress, but I would like to present my first 'flipped' furniture. :) From this avocado green secretary desk from my aunt...

To this! Honeysuckle White with aged finish, metallic blue interiors and Marigold Orange drawers, inspired by some picture in CottageLiving. (Oh, how I love those marigold drawers!)

Wouldn't some Anthropologie knobs just top the whole thing off? If there were only a way that I could concoct my own that were just as nice....

Now onto the bed frame. And no more aging finishes for me...that was sloppy and stinky and not so necessary after all. Hoping that the next project turns out better, I'll take more step-by-step photographs. Wish me luck!

Once Upon A Happy Hanukkah

So many blog posts in my head...so many pictures taken throughout the week. Must say two things: a) SavingDinner's braised red cabbage is oh-s0-good (and easy and colorful and healthy! What could be better?) b) I think my menorah is just about the prettiest thing ever. 

Again therefore Jesus spake unto them, saying, 

I am the light of the world: 

he that followeth me 

shall not walk in the darkness, 

but shall have the light of life.

{John 8:12 ASV}

Can You Spot The Chameleon?

Still out of state. Busy, busy, busy! Another portion of my little nephew's wall has been adorned though, this time the design being entirely original and painted by myself and my talented niece.

Beautiful Blue: Around The House

Perhaps I was too harsh saying "I hate blue." These next few posts are to prove to myself what a really lovely color blue is...

Beautiful blue is the sky, yesterday.

Beautiful blue is the little ship of forget-me-nots on my sidebar. (Over there -->)

Beautiful blue are our bathroom tiles. (Seriously! They're perfect. I could gush on for decades about how bright, cheerful and utterly relaxing these tiles are. In fact, I probably will. Future children, prepare yourselves.)

Beautiful blue is my inkwell from Stonewall Jackson's gift store. Or rather...the gift store that is in his house these days.

Beautiful blue is this bag, waiting on the bed for a rush to the delivery room. (The New Nephew Countdown begins!)


Beautiful blue are these pillowcases.


Beautiful (barely) blue is this flea market chandelier.


REMEMBER - ActuallyLaura's free blog giveaway ends tomorrow!

A Secret Project

Coming together bit by bit. You'll see it soon! Sometime after Mr. Nephew makes his appearance next week.

The Way To A Girl's Heart

(image from mrsblandings)

"The room in which we were expected to sit was a stiffly-furnished, ugly apartment; but that in which we did sit was what Mr. Holbrooks called the counting-house, when he paid his labourers their weekly wages at a great desk near the door. The rest of the pretty sitting-room -- looking into the orchard, and all covered over with dancing tree-shadows -- was filled with books. They lay on the ground, they covered the walls, they strewed the table. He was evidently half ashamed and half proud of his extravagances in this respect. They were all kinds -- poetry and wild weird tales prevailing. He evidently chose his books in accordance with his own tastes, not because such and such were classical or established favorites."

"'Ah!' he said, 'we farmers ought not to have much time for reading; yet somehow one can't help it.'"

- Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell

For another spectacular man's library, read The Cat Who Could Read Backwards by Lilian Jackson Braun. George Bonifield Mountclemens, the art critic, has a den worthy of, well, Mr. Mountclemens. Unearthly comfortable armchairs, culture-cluttered red walls and carpet, a Siamese cat and a kitchen where everything is well-made. 

My New Favorite Recipe Pt. 2

(Heaven. Lemony-spice heaven.)

No, you didn't miss anything with the "Part 1". It was the same recipe and the resulting uncontrollable urge to tell everyone I know about it is part of why this blog is here now!

After our Friday Night Candlelight Dinner of Giada's Chicken in Lemon Cream with Penne from Everyday Pasta... (Mmmmm....was that good! Used the herbes de Provence we got as a treat several weeks ago perfectly. The flavors were amazing and I want to do it again, with less noodles and more veggies. Spinach, maybe) we came inside for tea and muffins. An unusual dessert for us, but it was really fun, I thought. Lights down low...the leaf out of the table, so we were all cozied together.... Quite coffeehouse-ish.

Anyway - Mango Raspberry Lawsuit Muffins are THE BEST muffins in the whole wide world.

This is only my second time making them, but they seem to take all sorts of abuse/substitutions and still emerge decadent, fragrant, light and fluffy. They're like miracle muffins.

I snipped the "liners" out of parchment paper. They look artsy, don't burn (yay! I was worried) and keep everything together quite nicely. First time, flavoring was the titled Mango-Raspberry. Bebe and I had the house to ourselves and wish we had written down the story we wove aloud that afternoon. (She knows that I am blogging about her now, perking up from a sound cuddle.) These are Citrus-Cassis. We just happened to have a lemon and some dried currants in the pantry. I added extra lemon juice, some craisins and a bit of applesauce to balance the moisture. The scent? Oh my. They would have appreciated oatmeal strudel topping, but the walnut is just fine. (French spices, lemons and dried currants, but no oatmeal. Something could be said about this....) Each muffin is garnished with a slice of crystallized ginger. Yum.

(Crystallized ginger by the Ginger People. Oh, how I love those little Ginger People! Did you see them dancing when you first visit the link??)

And now I bid you good night. There are 800 odd words to be written before midnight.