RheMod

A little more on that pink paint.

2014-01-13T12:30:00.000-05:00

If you recall, this is where we began. Terrible wallpaper. Tons of it.

Psssssst...you're not fooling anyone!

Poor me. So very naive.

Embarrassingly, this was the result of my attempts to remove the dining room wallpaper by myself. This was the first room we tackled, and then we gave up. After a while, it took on a sort of charm, and whenever we talked about getting it fixed once and for all, family members said we should keep it. But no, the destructo-chic had to go. If you recall, we eventually hired a contractor to come and repair the walls in the dining room, mudroom, powder room, hall and foyer, and the master bedroom. I can't believe we had so much wallpaper. I swear, I've blocked out the bad memories at this point.

So yeah, this was my mess. You can see here where I attempted to patch some of the tears, mostly to see how the plaster would take.

And then, suddenly, it looked like this. It was such an amazing transformation, and it happened so quickly. I went to work, and when I came home, this is what I found. One day of professional work. Note to self, pay someone to do this crap right away. Do not attempt!

And the finished room. In order to save a little money, I opted to paint myself. Our contractor prepped and primed the walls so they were 100% ready to be painted. I convinced Dave to let me paint it pink. I told him he just had to trust me, and that since I was painting it myself anyway, I should get to pick the color. So, pink it is. The color is Benjamin Moore Rosemist, a pale pink with a hint of purple in it. It is really lovely, and not overwhelmingly pink at all.

I pulled the color from the fabric I bought for the curtains (below). I still need to put this together, it is next on my list, seriously. I have black cotton duck for the header, and Sea of Tears, from Tula Pink, for the drapes themselves. The panels will just be decorative. The vellum roller shade is still in place if we ever want total privacy (from the deer?) in that room.

Tula Pink - Parisville Collection, Sea of Tears, in Dusk
bought on fabric.com, my go-to for fabric.

Maybe I will work on this tonight. Blog accountability! I just need my sewing machine, and my trusty staple gun to recover the header, which you can see in the first picture at the top of this post. That little ruffle is stitched on FOR LIFE, so I'll be cutting it off as close to the base as I can, and then putting on a layer of batting to cover any remnants.

Target Threshold is killing it.

2014-01-09T23:52:00.000-05:00

Target's Threshold line just keeps getting better and better. I find myself wishing I had an empty house I needed to fill up. Where were you four years ago?!? This collection of furniture and home accessories is fresh and fun, yet full of timeless pieces. Here are a few of my current favorites...

Round Metal Honeycomb Accent Table, Gold - $80

Tufted Ottoman, Pink and Gold - $70

Iron Wire Table - $60

Carved Wood Mirror - $40

Wood and Brass Finish Bar Cart - $130

Wood and Metal Accent Table - $50 (on clearance!)

Double Gourd Lamp Base - $30

Tray Top Table - $70

Campaign Desk - $150

Fretwork Accent Table - $90

The collection begins.

2014-01-02T15:25:00.000-05:00

A's chair collection is off to a great start. Even before she was born she had her first Eames chair, a molded plastic armchair rocker, or RAR. I refused to buy one of those hideous gliders, and well, I found pretty much everything else out there to be terrible. Especially for some of the prices. I refuse to buy a hideous glider, but I especially refuse to spend $700 on one. Nope, nope, nope.

I decided on the Aqua Sky color, and I ordered from Hive.com. (they offered free shipping)

It was a lot smaller than I expected once it arrived and was unwrapped, but it fits perfectly in her room.

The second piece in her collection is a child size replica of the Eames LCW, which I purchased from

Little Nest.com. As soon as I saw this, I was smitten.

The "Woody" from LittleNest.com

I mean, come on now with this cuteness. It came unassembled and took me about 5 minutes to put together. It is often out of stock (it currently is unavailable), but after some patient waiting and watching I managed to get one on a major sale. I still consider it a splurge, because I spend $60 on a decorative chair for a baby, but I would do it again in a heartbeat. It sits in her playroom and she climbs up and sits on it all the time. The base is wide enough that I don't need to worry (too much) about her tipping it over.

Next up on my list:

The "Mini Bert"
A mini version of the Bertoia wire chair, 2 for $178, also available on LittleNest.com

Lou Lou Ghost chair

Renovation: The Family Room

2013-12-27T14:59:00.003-05:00

Part of our recent renovation included replacing the floors in the family room, which were the same as what used to be in the kitchen. It's hard to see in the photos, but the wood was buckling in several places. There were also such deep grooves between the boards that we've been battling little sticks of polyurethane coming out for years. That and just generally looking dated, it was time to replace the floor.

We also decided to remove the redundant sliding glass door, which we never once used in our nearly four years here. We only started using it during the kitchen reno, to let the dogs in and out. It was drafty and is always blocked by furniture anyway. I say redundant because there is a sliding glass door off the kitchen just a few feet away. So silly.

The Family Room - Before

The Family Room - Before
We never used this slider until a few weeks before it was taken out.

We decided to go with a pre-finished solid hardwood floor, for a few reasons. One was the price. We were able to get a wider plank (we chose 4") for a more reasonable cost than a traditionally installed hardwood floor would have been. It was also faster to install, and there was no mess or chemicals.

Ooooh! Shiny new floors!

A mid-painting view of the new double-hung window that replaced the door. (And a bonus shot of our most recent foster, Spanky Jones)

It is so much cozier in this room now. I was always hesitant to paint this room because it gets such nice light, especially in the morning, but the primer white was getting old, and dirty. I picked a pale shade, Benjamin Moore's Olympic Mountains. It was quite a challenge to paint off-white over white. But after a solid second coat, it all turned out nice and even. Between the windows, fireplace, doorways and pass-through, there isn't a ton of wall space, so I managed to make one can of paint work. I thought I was going to have to make a last minute run to Home Depot, but I pulled it off. It's a big room, and I painted it all by myself. Then I celebrated with some much deserved bubbly.

I also finally hung the curtains I bought over a year ago. In my head they were a lot darker, but when I got them out I was surprised to find they were nearly the same color as the new wall paint. Once I clear out the Christmas crap, I'll update with a final photo.

The Bambina

2013-10-11T16:15:00.000-04:00

She takes up all of our free time (and most of our sleep), but we wouldn't have it any other way. She graced our presence two weeks and one day early, on the day of one of my best friend's weddings. (I was really looking forward to that wedding, dammit. I fully plan on guilting her with this later in life) Anyway, she is sweet and beautiful and perfect in every way. We got really lucky with this one.

Coming back!

2013-10-11T16:01:00.002-04:00

and with big news! I've been a little busy lately, as you can see by my total lack of posts since last summer, but the blog is back in business. We're smack dab in the middle of a renovation project that has currently overtaken our whole house. In just a few weeks it will be complete, and it's going to feel like we're living in a brand new home. Right now the final touches are being put on the kitchen, and from there our contractors will move to the family room to work on a window/door replacement and will then tear up and replace the existing hardwoods.

All of this was spurred by the worsening condition of the kitchen and family room floors. The hardwood was splitting and bowing, making it difficult to walk on, and impossible to put a crawling baby on. Did I mention we had a baby? The bambina is almost one, and we really needed to take steps to make sure she could get around safely. Where the kitchen was concerned, if the floor was coming up, then everything was coming out. Crooked tiles, brass trim counter tops (oh yes, brass trim), over sized soffits...all of it. Pictures of the final product to come soon!

While that has been going on, we've also been working on making over the powder room and creating a playroom in one of the spare bedrooms. I'm hoping to get the playroom wrapped up this weekend, with a little sewing help from my mom.

More to come! I promise!

Sneak peek!

2012-07-25T22:40:00.001-04:00

The dining room is painted! The dining room is painted! (Ahem, update here!)

And yes, it's pink. I love it. I keep going in there just to check it out. I thought we'd be stuck with the distressed drywall forever. I'm so happy with how it looks. More to come on that soon!

I hate to say it...

2012-05-28T22:58:00.000-04:00

but I was disappointed in the Domino issue. It really saddens me to say this, but it is true.

After seeing a friend on Facebook had picked up a copy, I went on the search for mine. It was not at my local grocery store, so I headed to Barnes and Noble. I had to dig through the stands to find the last two copies, or what I assumed were the last two copies, because everyone was rushing out to scoop this up, right? The cashier at checkout was intrigued by the magazine, so I told her how great it used to be and what a big deal this issue was, and also that I'd taken the only ones they had. Sorry, chica, these are mine!

When I got home I made a cup of tea and made myself comfortable on the loveseat. Being about 10 weeks pregnant at the time I'd become used to allowing myself lazy evenings on the couch. Anyway, there I sat. I was almost scared to open the cover. Scared to be disappointed. What if it wasn't fabulous?? And so I dug in. I read the whole thing cover to cover. If I had never seen the magazine before, I would have thought it was great. But I have poured through every issue, repeatedly, and this mash up quasi Domino didn't really do it for me. There was nothing new. It read like a homework assignment left until the last minute, and then smashed together from old content. As I read in another review, it was "repackaged", which is a perfect description. I think they could have done a better job.

Another issue is slated to come out this fall. My hope is they'll put a little more effort into freshening this one up, instead of just completely recycling from old issues. I'll be there to buy that issue too, but maybe just one copy this time.

Countdown.

2012-05-28T22:28:00.000-04:00

One week from today marks the start of the wallpaper removal. I'm not sure I'm quite ready for the quick transformation our home is about to take. I need to get some artwork and photos ready to get up on all these freshly painted walls we're going to have.

This also means I only have one week to pick a paint color for the bedroom. No pressure, right? I'm sweating this one even more than normal since we'll be paying someone else to do the painting. I need to make sure we love this color. At least I have it narrowed down to blue, now to just pick a shade.

I'm thinking this will call for a mini makeover of the bedroom so I'll be searching for new curtains and curtain rods too. I've already printed dozens of wedding photos so we can plaster those in frames around the bedroom. We are obsessed with our wedding photos and can't wait to get them up on the wall.

Sometimes, dreams really do come true.

2012-04-01T19:26:00.004-04:00

At least, they sort of do. Domino magazine will be making a brief comeback this month in the form of Domino's Quick Fixes, a single edition stacked with inexpensive spruce ups and DIY home projects. I will be checking newsstands regularly until I get my copy (or two).

Look what I found searching for old Domino covers! I'm not sure how I feel about those chalky neutrals, but I do spy a chubby little Boston in that photo.

Is it possible?

2012-04-01T18:17:00.003-04:00

Could it be true? This might be, gulp, wait for it, the end of the wallpaper. We are finally taking charge. We have a few people coming over this week to give us estimates on wallpaper removal for the hallway and our bedroom, and repairs to the dining room and guest bath. I can't even imagine what it will be like to see nice, clean paint on those walls instead of this hideous wallpaper everywhere. It's going to feel like a brand new house again.

In case you forgot just what we're dealing with here.

I know what I'm going to be dreaming of tonight...

ETA: I just realized this means I'll have to decide on a wall color for the bedroom. Eek! We already have paint for the hallway (gray), but I've been having a hard time deciding on what to do for our bedroom. Now I know I want some soothing shade of pale blue, but narrowing that down? Oye! Time to break out the fan deck and my piles of magazines and paint chips.

Where did my painting weather go?!?

2012-03-31T19:26:00.002-04:00

Now of course I knew that 80 degrees in March was too good to be true. That doesn't mean I can't miss it when it's gone. I was all prepped and ready for three painting projects, but now it's gone cold again. It snowed today! I hope everything that is blooming can survive this little cold patch.

Meet Oscar.

2012-03-21T14:00:00.000-04:00

Oscar is our newest foster. He's been with us about six weeks now and is currently taking applications for his new forever family. Oscar was found as a stray before he was pulled into rescue. He needed to be neutered and brought up to date on all of this vaccines, but all of that has been taken care of. He is a wonderful dog and will make a great family pet. Half Beagle, half Boston Terrier, he is an absolute sweetheart. How about those ears?!

Trash picked.

2012-03-20T19:55:00.008-04:00

Remember this little stool? Soon after buying it I decided that it would be better off as part of a pair. My intention would be to put the pair in front of the dining room window, assuming the dining room is ever finished, to hold most of my houseplants. The dining room gets great light through the huge picture window, so I'd love to make a mini botanical garden in that room. The height of the stool is perfect for in front of the window.

I thought it would take me a while to track one down, but I got lucky on a trip back from the store recently. Driving down a fairly busy street I spotted a little twin stool on the side of the road. I got myself turned around and quickly scooped it up. It was dusty and dirty and in need of repair, but hey, it was free! It still had a moving company sticker on it, so I imagine that maybe the caning was damaged in transit and it was relegated to the basement until it was time to be tossed. Or maybe it was already broken and just didn't make the cut in the new house. Either way, score one for me.

The stools aren't 100% identical, but they are close enough for me. My plan is to paint them both, either black or cream, put a piece of glass on top and then top them off with the plants. Since I'm going to put glass and plants on top anyway, I'm not too worried about fixing the broken caning. I may try to glue the ends back into place, but at this point in time, I won't be replacing it.

I'm taking off Thursday and Friday this week to work on some projects around the house, including these. I'm so excited to have all this warm, sunny spray painting weather so early in the year. My front yard is going to be a little furniture factory the next few days. Wish me luck!

I almost passed this up.

2012-01-15T22:40:00.010-05:00

This antique dressing table is another lucky hand-me-down from my aunt and uncle. Beautifully hand painted by my aunt, it had lived in their guest bedroom for as long as I could remember. Actually, it shared a room with the full size bed that we are now so happy to have in our guest bedroom. Clearly, my aunt and uncle were ready for a change, and luckily for us, were ready to give up these great treasures.

I was going to pass on this dressing table, as the faux finish was not really my style. My sister encouraged me to give it another thought, and my aunt reassured me that I'd of course be free to do with it whatever I wanted, no guilt, no worries. And with that green light, I moved quickly (before I changed my mind).

I knew I wanted to use a cool aqua to pair with the gray walls in the small guest bedroom. I picked a color, and at the last minute changed my mind to go one shade darker, and I'm so glad I did. I used Benjamin Moore's Oceanfront, and the color is exactly what I wanted. I used a paint with a built in primer, to make sure I got even coverage over the existing faux paint finish.

I still have to finish painting the knobs and put them back on. I dressed it up with a few accessories, including this Boston Terrier piggy bank from Urban Outfitters and a stack of books we picked up at a local antique store. It also makes a great place for the latest addition to my vintage hat collection.

Greenery.

2012-01-09T23:08:00.001-05:00

I'm really enjoying these little miniature shrubberies I found on clearance at the grocery store after Christmas. The pots they came in were cheap felt, made to look like Christmas stockings, so I quickly covered that up with a bit of craft paper and some twine. Best part is, they smell like lemon. Here's hoping I can keep them alive awhile!

I'm mobile!

2012-01-02T21:37:00.002-05:00

Blogging from my shiny new iPhone. Who, by the way, does not like it if you don't capitalize the "p". I'm not at all sad to have given up my crappy old Blackberry, and I'm looking forward to using this fantastic new phone to be able to upload pictures straight to Blogger.

Shop Local Saturday.

2011-11-27T20:54:00.010-05:00

I did my part, did you? While my stop last Saturday wasn't exactly local to me, it definitely counts as a local business. It just happens that it was two hours away from my home. I spent Saturday morning driving a rescued Boston Terrier to meet her new foster mom. On the way to our designated meeting spot, I saw a sign for an antique store a little up the road. After I saw Madge on her way, I headed for the store.

It was a combination craft and antique store, and I supported both. In the craft section of the store I found a few reproduction iron work pieces. Reproductions don't bother me, as long as they are well made, and of course, well priced.

The sailboat key hook was $7 and the reproduction wall hook was $10. The key hook will be easy enough to find a spot for. I'm not quite sure about the latter, but I'm sure we'll figure something out.

As for the antiques, I waded through booth after booth of random crap. There were some interesting things, but nothing that really struck my fancy, except this...

I picked up this little cane top bench for $20. It's a pretty common piece, and I'm hoping I can find a twin to it at some point in the future. It's been painted and distressed, which is not really my style, but it is in otherwise good shape. Once I decide where it's going to live, I'll give it a nice clean coat of paint. The caning on this also matches the chairs we bought over the summer at another antique store.

I intended on making another Shop Local stop, at our favorite cupcake shop, but errands got in the way. I'll find another day to support them ;)

I almost forgot! This is Madge! I picked her up from City Animal Services on Wednesday and she spent a few days with us. Poor little lady was picked up as a stray, and due to her old age was scheduled to be put down. She's now settling in to her permanent foster home. Good luck Madge! We'll be thinking of you!

Don't try this at home.

2011-11-27T19:12:00.012-05:00

Mostly because, I don't really know what I'm doing. I'm just faking it, and I think I got lucky with this one. My aunt and uncle brought this old table to us on Thanksgiving. After a long useful life, it had been relegated to the barn for the last few years. When my aunt learned we were looking for a table for our eat-in kitchen, she gladly offered this old gal up. I love the style, and the grain of the beautiful beech, but it had seen better days.

Being that our garage is already full of pressure treated timbers, leaf blowers, miscellaneous chairs, a fire pit, etc, I needed to get this out of there asap. Also, I absolutely detest the little table we had in the kitchen, so I was plenty motivated to get this one done.

There was no shellac, polyurethane or any other coating on the table, so I started to clean it with steel wool and some denatured alcohol. My brother in law told me about the successes he'd had using it on old furniture, and so I'd picked up a can a little while ago.

I was lucky that it was another warm day here, so I was able to work outside in the garage. I wore gloves to protect my hands from the alcohol and worked in small sections. As I worked across, I scrubbed gently with the steel wool and sloughed off the dirty residue. Then wiped everything clean with a damp rag and warm water. When it was dry I took my orbital sander to the top, using 220 grit sandpaper.

I'm pretty happy with how well it cleaned up. The watermark you can see here is the only spot still visible. Not bad considering how it started out. To finish it off, I ran to Home Depot to pick up a can of Minwax Finishing Wax. It went on easily, and buffed to a nice sheen. I almost went with Tung Oil, but was afraid an oil might highlight any leftover imperfections. I'm glad I went with the wax. It came out exactly as I'd hoped.

This is the table we had in the kitchen. I hate it, but it served a purpose. We don't eat here ever, but still needed a little something in the space. This little oak table just looked so cheap, it drove me crazy.

And after, with the new table in place...

Maybe approves!

Oh hell to the No.

2011-10-26T21:58:00.003-04:00

We have bees. More specifically, yellow jackets. What started as one, quickly grew to two, to five, to twenty. And then I called the exterminator. After a dose or two of some very unhealthy and not-so-earth-friendly poisons, most of them were dead. I say most, because it can take anywhere from 3-7 days for the nest to die. The most fun part is that as the nest dies, the queens come out, and the queens are enormous. shudders

I have learned way too much about yellow jackets this week, by the way. Aside from the lack of sleep from being so paranoid, this whole fiasco has had me praying for a frost, which would help kill these things off for good.

I'm giving it until Saturday to go back into the master bathroom, which is where they've been coming in. I have a feeling I'm still going to be looking over my shoulder for a while in there.

Out of chaos...

2011-10-15T22:15:00.009-04:00

It was a cold rainy day here yesterday. Strangely sunny and windy at the same time. The oak leaves are falling now, reminding us how quickly the seasons change on us, and that snow (yes, snow) will be here before we know it. We're coming up on two years in the house. Unbeknownst to us at the time, but the day we closed on the house, was the same day our sweet little Maybe was born. She's sitting next to me now, all knotted up with Rulloff, and I can't tell which one of them is snoring louder.

Anyway...coming up on two years here, and of course we still have a zillion projects to finish, but we're also still getting organized. Today was paper day. Sorting and sifting through piles of old mail, file folders and general mess that needs to be dealt with. I hate mail. It just keeps coming, and 75% of it goes straight into the recycling bin. Mostly because it seems the former owners of this house never forwarded their mail.

This little area is in the corner of the kitchen. Rulloff's crate sits underneath, and the counter is generally a catch-all for mail, keys and miscellaneous junk. The bulletin board I installed last summer is not really functional as it falls off the hook if you touch it, and we'll pin things up but never go back for them. It also doesn't help solve the issue of the mail.

I found these wall hanging files, which are also magnetic and chalk friendly, at Target for $4.98. They've been working well so far.

I repurposed a few photo frame magnets as reminders for the dog's heartworm and flea treatments. Business cards and gift certificates sit in the tray for quick access. I'm pretty pleased with this quick little revamp.

Make mine Missoni.

2011-09-30T00:02:00.000-04:00

This is probably the 8,700th blog post about Missoni for Target, and I am way late to the party blogging about this, but I feel that being that my love for Missoni is so long-standing that it makes this still relevant. I bought my first Missoni scarf about 12 years ago in Paris. I was 20, and being 20, I was kinda broke, but I saved up to spend the $75 on this scarf. Ok, do the math, I'm totally dating myself. My roommate, one of my very best friends to this day, saved along with me for this purchase. I think it was a Saturday, and we ventured over to the Left Bank to go to the Missoni store.

Now the Google search I just did shows a big shiny Missoni store on Rue St. Honore (Right Bank), which must be "new", and by new I mean in the last 1o years. Laura, correct me if I'm wrong, but this was a small-ish store on the Left Bank, yes?

So with a wallet full of francs, I made my selection. A modest piece, mostly blue and black, with a bit of bronze and a row of black sequins for a little flash. I wore it daily, as you do with scarves in Paris. Come to think of it, I wore it for months with my Helmut Lang jacket and Barbara Bui loafers, maybe I wasn't as broke as I remember.

Anyway, I was long in love with Missoni at that point. When show season came around I would relish just going to the Missoni showroom in Milan for castings. If that casting took two hours, I did not care. I would sit happily in those surroundings. I never did their show, probably because I wasn't a brunette, but I'd never hold that against them.

When I heard Missoni was producing a line with Target, I was thrilled. When I learned it would be introduced while we were on our honeymoon, I was nervous. Part of me wanted to believe I could come home and happily shop away with a full selection of the line. As it grew closer, I knew there was no chance. People were already amping up about it. People who probably had no idea what or who Missoni was two months before. Margherita who? Missoni what?

Then the line was released. Everything was sold out online. EVERYTHING. I was in a hotel lobby in beautiful San Sebastian, Spain, with shitty wireless internet, and there wasn't a damn thing available. As an eternal optimist, I was flabbergasted. My sister wrote to me about the nightmare in New York City, celebrities (who can afford regular Missoni prices, mind you) were sending out assistants into the insanity that was every Target store on Tuesday, September 13th. It was a week later before I could make it back home and to a Target store. I chose to go to one of the crappier suburbs first. Maybe they don't know about Missoni there? Everything that was left was on one shelf, right by the front door. Mostly it was bras and some kids leggings. Nothing in any sizes of anyone I know or love. I left brokenhearted. Two days later I went to my Target and had slightly better luck. I found an adorable knit romper for my beautiful niece, who is five months old. Along with that I found a hat and mittens, of an indiscriminate size, that I'm sure will fit Miss HM (my niece) sometime in the next two years.

I had accepted that this would be all I would find, despite many articles claiming Target would do another release. I was not holding my breath for that. And then I got a call, and a text. A photo from my younger sister of a rack full of Missoni at her local Target, with the caption, CALL ME! She found a treasure trove of leftovers, and was ready to hook me up! She scored me a few makeup and travel toiletry bags, along with a few picture frames. This was just today, so I haven't gotten anything yet, but I am VERY excited. I'll be sure to share my treasures with you.

Our best production yet.

2011-09-29T18:36:00.012-04:00

We've been busy. Not so much around the house, but more in a we got married and then went on a two week honeymoon to Spain! Yay, us! Now that is what I call being productive.

It was a perfect little day. We got dressed for an 11am appointment at City Hall. Dave realized he couldn't find the bow tie to his tux and was just about to dash off to the mall when I remembered I'd bought a black satin tie for him for Christmas, but I'd stashed it in the closet and then forgotten about it when Christmas rolled around last year. Me (rifling through his tie rack)"What happened to that black tie I got you for Christmas last year?" Dave, "What black tie?" Doh! I dug around in my hanging closet organizer and found it still in its hiding place.

Our photographer arrived and we hurried off downtown. After a brief but very lovely ceremony we drove to our photo location, a former private residence with amazing gardens. As you can see, our photographer is amazing!

After our photo shoot we headed off to the local pub for snacks and a few cocktails, then home for a nap before dinner. Photo shoots are hard work, and we were pooped from a day in the sun. We got back into our dressy clothes and went to our favorite restaurant for dinner. It was a lovely day, and we got to do it exactly like we wanted to.

I was going to stop here, but you know I had to get some pictures of Maybe and Rulloff in here. I bought them both flowers for the occasion, a corsage for Maybe, and a boutonniere for Ru. Rulloff barely made it 5' from the car before he'd lost his flower. Good thing he already comes dressed in his "tux". Maybe kept hers on like a good little Maid of Honor.

Drink this.

2011-07-31T14:19:00.005-04:00

We love us some Bobby Flay around here. Dave has an official man crush, and while I don't exactly share his sentiments of, "oh, he is a beautiful man", I will say, the man can cook. Last weekend, in the midst of a record heat wave, we remembered a recipe from one of Bobby's books...

Watermelon Martinis

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
5 cups watermelon, seeds removed
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/4 cups vodka
2 ounces melon liqueur, optional
8 lemon twists, for garnish

Directions:

Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan and cook until the sugar has completely dissolved. Let cool.

In a food processor, puree the watermelon flesh. Add a little of the sugar syrup to sweeten, to taste. Pour the pureed watermelon into 2 empty ice cube trays and freeze for at least 4 hours.

In a blender combine the frozen watermelon cubes, more simple syrup, to taste, lemon juice and vodka, melon liqueur and blend until smooth. Pour into 8 frozen martini glasses and garnish with a lemon twist.

YUM. As we were cutting and pureeing the watermelon, Dave had the genius idea to try adding some fresh basil to the mix. Oh. My. God. Extra Yum. It was so good we've taken to having virgin versions of the watermelon and basil cocktail with breakfast. Instead of freezing the watermelon each time, we just toss chopped watermelon, a few leaves of basil and ice cubes into the blender. Much faster, and oh so refreshing.

Enjoy!

Hold me back.

2011-07-12T23:00:00.010-04:00

Phase II of the retaining walls is *finished. I'm giving that finished a little asterisk because we still need to put the bricks in the treads of the stairs, but the major work is done. I can't believe how long it took, and how much wood we used. The stairs are huge!

The final phase will include two additional walls behind the low wall in the foreground. One low wall will run parallel to the existing wall, creating a (hopefully) protected bed for plants. Another wall will run perpendicular to that, creating a 90 degree angle, and raising up the far end of the upper lawn. Those sections should be easy to make, once the digging and leveling is done. After working on the stairs a few nice, straight walls will be a cinch.

I'm going to hold off on planting too much in the new beds created by the retaining walls. The sand is terrible for the plants. I'll have to mix in a good amount of potting soil, mulch, compost, etc to get some decent dirt going in there. Between the sand and two rambunctious dogs, my ferns, hostas and astilbe are having a rough time hanging on. I am however, determined to have a lush garden back there.

I was pleased to have a few daylilies bloom this year. Last year I had a whole heap of lilies grow up, but nothing even close to flowering.

I wanted to share my pots of annuals. Coleus was hard to come by this spring, so I opted for a different look.