Blooming Bungalow

Baking Update

2011-11-22T21:29:00.000-06:00

Oh, it's woefully overdue, is it not? Many apologies.

My camera battery died.

Then we got mice. I don't want to talk about it. Let's just look at yummy desserts.

Tiger tea cakes with dark chocolate ganache. As you might expect, the ganache really takes things to the next level. I made these in a mini-muffin pan since I don't have specialty French baking pans. (Perhaps I will get some on my trip to France next May! Hell yeah! ... What does it say that I'm more excited about shopping at pastry shops and baking supply stores in Paris than I am about shopping for clothes? Hmmm... how times change.)

I've made a variety of cookies, none of which are particularly photogenic. But these chocolate sables are one of the best things that I've ever tasted. The lemon were good, too.

I've also made an apple cake and an amazing dense chocolate cake. All of these recipes (save the apple cake) are from my new Paris Sweets cookbook. I'd highly recommend it to everyone.

More Macarons

2011-09-22T22:46:00.000-05:00

Perhaps I have an addiction to baking, so what? At least it's not crack.

I made two batches of macarons this weekend. I had to use up 6 egg whites leftover from the eclairs last weekend. Obviously.

These are the vanilla with vanilla buttercream.

I also made hazelnut with milk chocolate ganache. Unfortunately, my impatience prevented them from being picturesque (in other words, the ganache ran all over the shells, oops). But they still tasted great.

I ordered a proper macaron cookbook and pastry tips today. I'm so excited to explore more varieties of macarons, and also to have an easier time piping the cookies with a more round and uniform shell. (It's the little things in life....)

(Sorry for the bad picture quality. I'm off to New Orleans in the morning, so I had to snap a picture in the unnatural light. One day, I'll learn how to fix that.)

Pastry Confections

2011-09-18T21:13:00.000-05:00

The past two weekends I have foregone the making of tarts in favor of some pastries. Of course, tarts are often considered "pastry," but I mean straight-up, French, requiring-a-pastry-bag, pastries.

First up, my experiment from last weekend, macarons! My favorite French cookie. It wasn't quite as hard as I thought, although perhaps the stars aligned on my first try because they turned out pretty well.

This weekend, I made eclairs. Vanilla and coffee. I thought about chocolate, but that seemed like a little much.

Yep, those black specks are vanilla beans. Yum.

I preferred the vanilla to the coffee. I had to put a lot of powdered sugar in the espresso to make the frosting, and it got a little too sweet. If it's supposed to be coffee, it seems like it should retain a little of the bitterness of coffee.

The ruins of the day. Yep, eleven eggs. (Although I have six egg whites in the fridge. Perhaps more macarons in the future? I think I might try hazelnut next....)

Garden Results

2011-08-31T21:15:00.000-05:00

Out of four watermelon vines, I got two watermelons. (This pic is from before I cleaned them.)

They are an heirloom variety called "Moon & Stars." Unfortunately, they didn't develop quite the cool rind that I was promised... just a few yellow spots here and there.

In the end, I'm glad that I tried the variety, but I'm going to go back to a smaller variety next year, probably sugar baby. We just don't eat that much watermelon before it becomes juice in the fridge. Plus, I got more fruit with my vine last year, which was a smaller variety.

Another garden update of a sad nature: the squash vine borers must be really hard up because they've attacked my pumpkin vine, and my really big pumpkin got bored into by the little pests. Blerg.

Baking Compulsion

2011-08-30T21:14:00.000-05:00

We had a few people over to share watermelon on Saturday. I told Ben that I wasn't going to cook anything. After all, we had homegrown watermelon. I bought some guacamole (the world's best guacamole from Las Delicias... I'm officially obsessed with it), and we were going to grill some burgers. Simple.

No cooking or baking. No tarts.

But I couldn't help myself.

They were yummy. (Hey, at least I didn't make a tart.)

Kitchen Updates

2011-08-28T17:15:00.001-05:00

We got a new faucet! Oh, what fun. If you'd told me 10 years ago that I would be excited one day about new kitchen faucets, I would have told you that my life at 29 would be far too exciting for such simpleton notions. Ah well.

Before:

After:

Better, no?

Oh, and a "during" picture that Ben will likely make me take down soon...

Reagan didn't understand him laying on the floor, and on Reagan's blanket of all things, so he stuck close by and occasionally whined.

And now... An Ode to a Pot

Not just any pot... a Le Creuset Dutch Oven! The 5 1/2 quart, perfectly sized, PURPLE dutch oven. Be still my heart.

I saw the color first on a blog about a week ago. I've always wanted a Le Creuset dutch oven but didn't want to spend the money on it and didn't know what color to get. (Yes, not knowing what color to choose factored into my decision. Frankly, when you're going to spend $200 on a pot, you better have strong feelings about the color.) But then I saw the purple. It was perfect, unexpected, and it matched my kitchen.

Then yesterday, I spotted the color at the Williams-Sonoma outlet. The saleslady came over and asked if I needed some Le Creuset. "Always," I responded. I told her that if I was going to spend the money though, I wanted to just go for it and get the large dutch oven (I didn't see any of that size out). "Oh, we have two," she responded, "in the purple color." My heartbeat quickened. Could it be? The perfect size in the perfect color?

(Yes, I get dramatic about cookware. So what.)

It is not a stretch to say that I stop by the Williams-Sonoma outlet at least twice a month and spend at least five minutes each time fondling the Le Creuset cookware, and NEVER have I seen the large dutch oven.

"They must be discontinuing this color," she responded, acknowledging that it was uncommon for them to have that size.

Discontinuing the color!?!? But it's the perfect color!

I saw the price and gulped, "$240." (Keep in mind that just two weeks ago, I plunked down a similar amount on sale-priced work clothes at Banana Republic without batting an eye.) But for one piece of cookware? "It's 30% off," she offered, "plus, you get an extra 10% off if you are on our email list." (I'm on the email list.)

I spent about two more minutes thinking about it, and then I noticed the name of the color: "Cassis," the little French town where Ben and I spent a couple leisurely days on the Mediterranean coast on our last vacation (yes, sadly, our last true vacation was in 2007). This was a sign. A sign that the universe finally wanted me to own a Le Creuset Dutch Oven.

Yummy stews and soups coming your way, just in time for fall.

Mom's Garden

2011-08-07T16:09:00.000-05:00

So what difference does five to ten degrees make?

This. (Or so I tell myself.)

My mom's tomato plants are about eight feet tall we think.

My mom is standing on the deck, which is a couple feet off the ground. The tallest limbs are above her head. Crazy. If the birds weren't feasting on so many of the tomatoes, she would have quite a bit more. One of those tomatoes is the Arkansas Traveler that I started from seed. Mine are about half that size. It's just too hot here! (Or so I tell myself.)

She also has a couple raised beds: one has herbs; the other had two-foot tall bush beans that she just finished tearing out.

Oh, who's this? He's keeping an eye on things from the deck.

Garden Update

2011-08-05T09:16:00.001-05:00

Oh, I have been remiss! How could I not give you a garden update? Oh well, maybe it's because I'm patiently waiting for ripe fruit.

The exception, of course, is cherry tomatoes. Getting a couple pints a week out of this mess.

Yes, that's three tomato plants. Picturesque, no? This is what I have to do to find the tomatoes though... search...

Search...

The heat has been bad for the big tomatoes, but great for the eggplant and peppers. I'm guessing that I'll get a huge crop of tomatoes in September again.

Green beans are struggling but have finally put out a bunch of new buds. Here's hoping that I get at least a handful of pole beans this year!

Still have swiss chard. It's hanging around like a champ. It's not growing, but it's not dying either. The weeds are growing of course.

[Obligatory "Don't judge me; it's too freaking hot to weed!" sentence here.]

Seriously though, heat indices of 110 to 120 make it hard out there for a gardener. Yesterday I needed to water and kept waiting and waiting for the temps to go down. At 10pm when the heat index was still 103, I went to bed. I got up at 6am the next day to water in the tepid low 90s.

But back to the garden... the delicate herbs have bolted and the thyme and tarragon have taken over.

I also have the best-smelling, favoritest herb ever!!

This is the first year that I've ever had a lavender plant flower, and it's lovely!

And last, but certainly not least, the sprawling and intermingling watermelon/pumpkin patch. You'd think with all this vine that I'd have pumpkins and watermelons galore, but you would be wrong. I have one pumpkin and two watermelons. C'est tout. But I will gladly enjoy them. Let's take a look.

Pumpkin.

Oh look, a bee friend is enjoying the pumpkin blossom. Hello bee friend!

Click on pic to enlarge and see our bee friend up close.

Watermelon. Oooo, I cannot wait!

[Zucchini plant update: I found out yesterday that cucumber beetles were not the cause of my zucchini plants' demise. Rather, it was the squash vine borer. Here is the post from a gardening blog I read that showed me my error. So cucumber beetles are off my shit list, and squash vine borers have been added. You've been warned squash vine borers!]

Peach Nectarine Tart

2011-07-29T19:59:00.000-05:00

I made this for a pool party this week.

I know before that I said peaches weren't my favorite, I'm sticking by that. However, this tart was quite delicious. I used white peaches this time, which I enjoyed more. The nectarines taste pretty much like peaches to me, especially when baked, so I'm not sure they made much of a difference. I didn't bake the shell as long as I usually do before I filled it (in the interest of full disclosure, it's because I was running late). The softer-than-normal crust melded deliciously with the soft fruit. Yum.

And I love the colors.

Let's see it again.

There weren't any leftovers....

Madeleines

2011-07-24T19:59:00.001-05:00

I finally got a madeleine pan after years of intending to buy one.

This is batch #2.

The first batch that I made were flavored with honey and orange flower water. For the second batch I tried a recipe that called for lemon zest and a little vanilla and almond extracts. Both were good in different ways.

The pan works beautifully. It's Chicago Metallic that I bought on Amazon. I've greased with butter both times, but didn't bother to flour it. The cookies just fall right out. I might tempt fate next time and skip the greasing, just to see what happens.

I'm daring that way.

Peach apricot tart to return this week. Get excited.

Tomatoes, and Peaches, and Carrots

2011-07-15T10:45:00.000-05:00

(Is it just a hat? Or also a garden tool?)

The bungalow events of the past week and a half (or at least those that I felt the need to document in photographs) have revolved around the garden and the kitchen. Mostly making food from the garden, with supplements from the farmers' market, of course.

First up, more tarts! I know you are shocked. I decided to go with tartlets this time, and I am hooked! I took one to my friend Julianna for her birthday, and it received good reviews.

I enjoyed the tartlet as well, but peaches are not my favorite fruit, so the amandine tart is still at the top of my list. (I want so badly to make amandine tartlets, but I must travel this weekend, so perhaps next...) Why would I buy and bake peach tarts if they aren't my favorite? Well, I'm trying to stick with local in-season ingredients, and I love the look and smell of peaches. I'm weird, I guess.

Garden update:

I weeded my carrot bed, which meant that I also harvested my carrots. It was such a mess that I was quite shocked to get this little bunch out of it. I roasted them with a local chicken last weekend, and they were delicious. Perhaps I will grow them again next year after all.

(pics taken at night: I weed in the evening so that I don't die outside in the heat, hence the yellow-ness)

This morning I went out to weed and prune my tomato plants. I didn't intend to harvest so many tomatoes, but they shocked me with their ripeness. (I like to pick them just before they are completely ripe. They ripen on the counter, still taste great, and I don't run the risk of them rotting on the vine, which is just a very sad occasion.)

So I piled the tomatoes in my hat and brought them indoors.

Then washed the ants off of them. (Why are there ants everywhere in my garden!?!? I hate them.)

(Roma, Black Cherry, Yellow Pear)

Happy Independence Day!

2011-07-04T18:40:00.002-05:00

It's been a relaxing, yet productive, holiday weekend around the bungalow. We enjoyed some baseball and fireworks last night, and today I made chouquettes. Think of it as honoring our allies in liberté, after all, the French helped us out with the whole revolutionary war thing.

Yum. I used this recipe. I think they'll be better once I find some pearl sugar. I tried raw sugar as a substitute, but it didn't stay crunchy. They still tasted good, but they could be better. I don't mind trying again.

Some other snapshots from the weekend:

Research on Saturday. These tartlets are from La Baguette, a "French" pastry shop here in Memphis. (I put French in quotations because it's not really all that French. My tartlets blow these out of the water. I wish we had a real French pastry shop here in Memphis. Oh well.)

My first "yellow pear" grape tomato. So cute! (I put yellow pear in quotations because that's it's heirloom name, not because it's not actually a yellow pear.. although it's not actually a yellow pear... Hmmmm....)

Views around the garden:

Green beans are out of control.

Cherokee Purple tomatoes are on their way to ripeness.

Eggplant blossom.

Watermelon vines are out of control. Every time I lament it being so hot in Memphis, I try to remind myself that we're rewarded with watermelons.

Baby pumpkin.

Sunflower seeds are coming in.

The strawberry and herb bed is finally weeded and mulched! It looks so nice.

Strawberries have sent out runners, which will form new plants. I'm so excited for strawberries next year!

Tarts!

2011-06-26T16:41:00.000-05:00

It always seems that when the *good* vegetables start coming in, I start cooking more again (or more elaborately, at least. I generally cook quick, tasty, but not too imaginative meals during the winter). This year is a little different because I've also begun eating local (sustainably and ethically raised) meat. My cooking history is long (and boring), but suffice to say that I love French food, I love cooking French food, and I love eating French food. Naturally, this wonderful farmers' market season, I pulled out my French cookbooks, and got a new one or two. And strangely what struck my fancy? Tarts! Or tartes...

It began with a purchase of blueberries at the farmers' market and a random Wednesday off work.

Then I got a new cookbook, and the chocolate caramel tart struck my fancy. (Oops, we ate half of it before I could take a picture.)

Look at that beautiful crust. The crust recipe was inspired.

So I used it again to make this amandine tart today. Ohmygodsodelicious! My favorite and the easiest thus far.

Now I need to find a recipe for next week....

(The not as picturesque first piece. Why does the first piece always break? Well anyhow. I'm finally trying to learn how to use my camera. I started today, hence the variance in picture quality.)

RIP Zucchini Plants

2011-06-25T13:34:00.002-05:00

It's been a sad week for my garden. Well, not for the entire garden, most of the plants are growing along. But the zucchini met their end this week.

As you may recall, I was down to two zucchini plants because of powdery mildew (damn spring storms). The two remaining plants of the romanesco variety seemed to be doing quite well.

But this week, we went from this.

To this.

*Tear*

I took some close-up photos of the stem damage, which I hoped someone might help me solve the mystery of the dead zucchini plants. I thought it may be a fungus, given the incredibly cold, wet spring we had. But upon closer inspection of the stem, and my recollection of a unique bug that I had seen on the zucchini the week before, I realized the culprit.

The cucumber beetle.

Yes, I have once again been attacked by beetles. While I bested the mexican bean beetle, the cucumber beetle seems to have bested me. These cucumber beetles are quite stealthy.

I only ever saw one, back when the plants were booming, so I thought nothing of it. Random bug, I thought. There's a mistake that I won't make again. The beetles lay their eggs in the soil surrounding the plants and then they hatch and feast on the roots. When I pulled the plants out today, the stems literally went to mush in my (gloved, thank god) hand. And then I saw the little larvae squirming around in the mush. I promptly threw the stem down and informed Ben that he got to dig out the rest of the plants.

It's so sad because I rightly love zucchini and was looking forward to a ratatouille-filled summer with veggies straight from the backyard. Oh well, the zucchini at the farmers market look yummy and cheap.

Lessons for next year: I will direct seed my zucchini after the soil is sufficiently warm and the weather unlikely to be wet. I will use row covers when the plants are young to prevent cucumber beetles from laying eggs. And I will interplant nasturtium to also discourage bad bugs.

Add cucumber beetles to my asshole-bugs-of-the-garden list. Even the sunflowers mourn.

(Ok, no, their heads are just getting heavy (from the loss of their dear friends, the zucchini plants!?!). I need to stake them so they can stay upright and healthy while they develop some tasty sunflower seeds.)

[Update 8/5/2011: a realized yesterday that cucumber beetles were not the cause of my zucchini plants' demise. Rather, it was the squash vine borer. Here is the post from a gardening blog I read that showed me my error. So cucumber beetles are off my shit list, and squash vine borers have been added. You've been warned squash vine borers!]

New Additions

2011-06-14T17:28:00.003-05:00

After celebrating my friend's pending new addition, I took some pictures of the latest new additions to the bungalow!

This table had caught my eye at Target on more than one occasion. I thought it would be a nice size to tuck next to the chair. I love the silhouette. And it fits perfectly in the space.

Although not quite as new, I haven't shared yet, but I got a pot rack. We put it in the best place we could think of in the kitchen. It's not perfect, but it relieved the congestion in the cabinet after I got my new green pots and pans for Christmas. Ikea, of course. (Ignore the dishes, which are clean by the way, by the sink. I didn't wait for magazine-like perfection to take the picture. This is pretty clean in our working kitchen, so I snapped away.)

And can I leave up some of the paper pennant garland? It just works so well with my color scheme.

Another gratuitous shot of my homegrown flowers. I just love them.

Bungalow Baby Shower

2011-06-13T21:06:00.001-05:00

I snapped a few pictures of the bungalow, which was all dressed up for my friend Renee's baby shower this weekend.

Just like the last shower decorations, we went with some colorful paper pennants and poufy garlands.

A simple, but still super cute, diaper cake. I've seen some very elaborate diaper cakes the last few years, but I wanted to keep it more simple and see the actual diapers that made up the cake.

The diaper cake adorned a table full of delicious food.

Along with some flowers from my garden.

Local honey favors.

More flowers in the purple and green color scheme since Renee is keeping the gender a surprise.

Some like it hot

2011-06-12T18:38:00.000-05:00

Remember the watermelon seedling I was worried about?

Not so worried anymore (granted, this is four plants).

It is hot! Highs that feel in the triple digits every-freaking-day. I don't want to weed. I worked up a sweat on Friday simply by picking a few berries and a zucchini. The humidity is oppressive.

However, the plants love the heat. Just ask the watermelons...

Tomatoes...

Sunflowers...

Zucchini...

Kale... (and Reagan's behind... actually Reagan's behind does not like the heat.)

And pole beans have made it to the top!

Speaking of berries, I always think those little berry bowls at the farmers' market are adorable, but not practical. Well, now I know that they could be quite practical. They make you feel that your meager berry harvest is not quite so ridiculously small. Not as true with my regular colander...

Let's try a smaller bowl.

There, that's better.

What a Difference a Week Makes

2011-05-30T18:30:00.000-05:00

So it's been three weeks since I last posted. Oops.

But it's been a week since I've been at home. We just got back today from a whirlwind tour of Minnesota/Iowa, DC, and Nashville. *Exhausted*

I was nervous to leave my garden for a week, unsure of what I would come home to (incidentally, I feel the same way about my desk when I arrive back at work tomorrow...).

And what a difference a week makes! So while it's been three weeks since I last showed you pictures of the baby garden, things hadn't changed much in those first two weeks. But then I came home and the garden has exploded! (And unfortunately, so have the weeds!)

So I'm sharing some quick photos that I snapped this afternoon. I know that I should be weeding rather than typing, but it's insanely hot outside, so I'm waiting for it to cool off and passing the time with a much needed blog update.

The first thing that I noticed was the chard!

Mostly red

Some yellow

A couple white

Then the zucchini! The powdered mildew, for which I ordered some neem oil to treat (before we left, should be here tomorrow), hasn't seemed to slow down the two plants on the top. They are a different variety than the plants on the bottom, which are already producing!

The pole beans! They migrated almost all the way up the poles! In a week! I also released 150 ladybugs into the garden a little over a week ago in an effort to eradicate the mexican bean beetles that had been feasting on the beans. It seems to have worked! Thank goodness because ladybugs ain't cheap.

Bush beans and carrots galore. (And weeds, eek.)

The tomatoes have gotten enormous! I'm trying to train them back into their cages. These are the cherry, grape, and roma tomato plants.

Then my Cherokee Purples that are in desperate need of some cage reinforcements. I'll tackle that tonight along with the weeds.

The sunflowers have grown another foot and the salad greens have gotten huge, shading my poor little pepper plants (see middle photo... if you squint, you can see the pepper seedlings between the rows of lettuce). I anticipate a week full of salads, and much salad gift giving.

Dill!

The watermelon vines are finally starting to get a little bigger. I'm wondering if those yellow spots are supposed to be there? The leaves don't look otherwise sick. The variety is called "Moon and Stars" and produces melons with one large yellow spot (the moon) and many small yellow spots (the stars).

The basil is starting to fill out.

And the herbs are filling in. Who knew watercress was such a creeper!?!

The blackberries are starting to turn lovely colors... (that's bird netting that was a bitch to get on the plant. I may have to try a little harder to cover these before the birds find them).

And for the pretties: Gardenias are blooming and smell wonderful!

And it may be time to bring some hydrangea blossoms indoors to make the house prettier as well.

Garden Lust

2011-05-08T16:21:00.001-05:00

I ran across this amazing "kitchen garden" while looking for pictures of clotheslines. I use quotations around "kitchen garden" because it seems like so much more than that.

Yes, this is a real place.

I could live here.

Clotheslines

2011-05-07T16:04:00.000-05:00

How do we feel about clotheslines? My feelings are mixed.

1. They are often ugly. Although, this picture seems to argue against that proposition.

How idyllic, no? (Country Living)

2. They save energy and money.

3. The sun fades bright colors.

4. It may bring back lovely childhood memories of twirling around our clothesline poles while my mom hung up our clothes to dry.

5. My neighbors may see my underwear.

6. The dried clothes/linens get that lovely, flowery, outdoor-wind-dried smell. (Or I hope so anyway...)

7. Someone may steal my clothes... despite our padlocked gates (I'm a security freak, have I mentioned that?), someone could jump the fence with my favorite jeans...

Obviously, the negative concerns outnumber the positives, but perhaps, nonetheless, the positives outweigh the negatives?

Grow Herbs

2011-05-06T16:45:00.002-05:00

After sharing my garden plans with friends, and talking incessantly about seedlings, weeding, and weather (not because I am concerned that my house might flood, but because I'm concerned that my garden beds may be destroyed), I hear a lot of people say that they just don't have time/room/sun to grow food. Not saying that they are making excuses, but that there are a lot of things that get in the way of having a garden.

But at the very least, you should grow herbs. Herbs can easily be grown in pots that can be moved around for sun and brought inside in the winter. If you live down here in the delta, rosemary, sage, oregano, and parsley are perennials--they go dormant in the winter, but you can still sparingly harvest (or in the case of my rosemary, "abundantly harvest") for winter dishes. This spring, I cut off large handfuls of rosemary to compost, just because it was getting too big! It was probably enough rosemary to bring in $25 at the grocery store.

And that's the other thing, herbs are expensive! They add so much great flavor to dishes, but price per ounce at the grocery store is ridiculous. I had to buy some thyme this winter, and I nearly fell over... $4 is enough to buy two thyme seedlings at the farmer's market! But all it got me at Whole Foods was about 8 sprigs of the herb.

Thus, I have estimated the value of my current rosemary bush at around $120. I should probably keep the gate locked. If the criminals knew how much money lurked in my herb garden, they'd be all over it!

(Note: this picture of the rosemary is deceiving. A side view would note quite the girth on my little plant.)

Baby Garden

2011-05-01T14:58:00.000-05:00

Seedlings abound...

(basil)

Well, I finally settled on eight raised beds and a fenced watermelon patch.

(moving from left to right: first bed: Cherokee Purple tomatoes; second bed: Roma tomato, Black Cherry tomato, Yellow Pear tomato; third bed: carrots and bush beans; brick bed: pole beans; center bed: chard and kale)

(from front to back: first bed: 2 varieties zucchini; planter: borage; second bed: Arkansas Traveler tomatoes, 3 varieties eggplant, 3 varieties bell pepper, lettuce, dill, sunflowers; third bed: 2 varieties watermelon)

(pumpkins)

Lots of work remains, as always. Mulching.

(Oh, and a strawberry patch and herb garden.)

And weeding.

(bush beans to the left, pole beans in the middle, blackberry bush to the right)

When I was inspecting the areas to be weeded, I noticed an unusual weed...

Some context: Last year, late in the season, our watermelon developed a few more fruits, but they didn't have enough summer days left to ripen. Perhaps we waited a little long to clean out the garden... ok, we did wait too long... and the fruits rotted and split open. Just as nature intended...

Watermelon seedling weeds! For comparison, here is a carefully planted seedling, started indoors under grow lights.

Why do I even bother?

Lessons learned: next year, watermelon (and pumpkin and zucchini) seeds go straight in the ground to start. No need to fuss with them indoors.

(Oh, and some herb planters. This one is pretty well-established, and those pansies made it through winter!)

Here's hoping all the baby plants make it through Stormageddon 2011. So far so good.

Living in Memphis

2011-04-14T20:31:00.001-05:00

Last weekend, one of my best friends got married here in Memphis. It was a wonderful celebration, and I was so happy to be a part of it. The wedding honored not just their relationship, and family, and new family, but it also featured some of the best of Memphis: river views, soul music, and delicious food. Neely's Interstate BBQ served up some delicious ribs (which my wonderful friend sourced from a local, ethical pork farm) and other Southern favorites, Cafe Eclectic (our favorite coffee shop and neighborhood restaurant) served their delicious coffee and donuts, and it was topped off by everyone's favorite local cupcakes from Muddy's Bake Shop.

I don't talk much about where the Bungalow is located. It took awhile for Memphis to grow on us. And when I say "awhile," I mean about five years. But we really do love it here now. There is great food, culture, history, and we have more sunny days than Miami! (We won't talk about the July/August heat and humidity though. We like to pretend every year that it won't get that hot, but every year it comes anyway.) As you can see, it's a complicated place. But seriously speaking, I obviously see the underbelly of Memphis every day at work at the DA's office, but I also work with awesome people who truly care about helping the victims of crime and making Memphis a safer place to live.

I'm not sure that we'll live here forever. And the Bungalow is a wonderful first home to own, but likely not our last (after all, I need room for chickens and goats!).

But while we're here, I'm going to enjoy the river views, delicious food, and wonderful friends.

(First picture snapped at the wedding by my mediocre-phone-camera. Second picture snapped at the wedding by my husband's slightly-better-phone-camera.)

West Elm Wants Me to Be Poor

2011-03-30T21:19:00.000-05:00

Have you seen the new West Elm spring catalog? They've stepped up their game. Here's my dream cart.

Let's start with the new outdoor stuff. I know I said no wicker, but I would make an exception for this chair. LOVE.

This rustic bench is lovely.

Beautiful hurricanes and candle holders.

And now let's turn to the kitchen.

Be still my heart. The owl butter dish and measuring cups? Yes, please.

These mugs and bowls are lovely. Reminiscent of some I've seen at Anthropologie, but less dainty (and less expensive).

But given that I spent all my money on the patio, fence, and current furniture, this is what's actually in my cart. Cute, no? (Much cuter than my current citronella candle.)

Party Decorations

2011-03-24T17:11:00.000-05:00

We had a few friends over on Saturday to celebrate a belated St. Patrick's Day. I put together a few basic decorations for the party table.

You definitely need a few tacky, foam shamrocks to litter across the table. Along with some scrapbooking paper, and white and green flowers, I added food cards in orange and green to identify the Irish eats.

Imagine two dueling Shepherd's pies and some fruit brought by friends sitting in the middle of the table.

How do you make veggies festive? Arrange them in a way that mimics the Irish flag. This was probably my favorite thing on the table.

Ok, actually this was my favorite thing on the table.

Muddy's Irish Car Bomb Cake! YUM.

PBU: Patio Before and After

2011-03-20T17:59:00.000-05:00

Well, that implies that the patio is done whereas it's more a work in progress. But let's talk about that later and get to the good stuff. Pictures!

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

On the to do list now are to add a garden bed around the patio (for herbs, berries, and flowers) and to make pillows for the sofa.

Here are the fabric swatches for the pillows. I think they will tie in the color of the side table.

And also tie in the lighter colors of the table and chairs.

Reagan seems to approve.

He approves of the sofa in general though. It's a nice outdoor nap spot. And I like the view as well (notice the new fence that is NOT see-through!).

Outdoor Inspiration

2011-03-16T22:40:00.000-05:00

Reagan and I have been reading a lot of blogs lately. As you can see, he likes to read over my shoulder.

Here are some of the pictures we have found that are inspiring us as we ponder our new outdoor space. (Although, mostly Reagan just wonders why he has lost some of his bathroom space.)

Via Desire to Inspire

Via I-can't-remember, sorry

Via Pottery Barn

Want

2011-03-07T21:46:00.000-06:00

I love this thermometer.

It would complete me... er... complete "me kitchen matey." Ok, bad Friends joke, made worse by the fact that I wouldn't put it in my kitchen.

I would put it on my shed. And it would complete my shed.

Well, that and some window boxes. But that may take the shed from cute to storybook, which may kill Ben. And I want him to enjoy the garden as well.

PBU: Patio Update

2011-03-05T14:16:00.000-06:00

*PBU = Project Backyard Utopia
[I figured that it was time for an acronym, given the ubiquity of backyard posts.]

Are you sick of hearing about the backyard? Sorry. There's nothing going on indoors... except seed starting.

The good news: the patio is in. The non-see-through privacy fence is up.

The bad news: it won't stop raining! How can I enjoy my new backyard amenities in the rain? I can't. Nor can I take pictures to show you.

So I'll update you on the patio furniture! The sofa has been ordered. The grey rectangular table has been ordered. And I managed to find comparable chairs to order as well. They aren't my favorite, but they are similar enough, and they were very cheap.

Thank you, Crate and Barrel outlet...

When I ordered them, each chair was $29, which was pretty cheap. Today, when I went to get the link to share, I noticed they are only $21! (Which means that I could've saved another $50. Oh well.)

I ordered six chairs, and one of their simple pedestal side tables in blue. I thought it will add some color and can work in a variety of places. At this point, I'm happy to take my time in finding other side tables.

And my fabric swatches have arrived! Assuming the sofa cushion's color is a grey-ish blue like it looks in the pictures, I'm going to make some extra throw pillows in these three fabrics.

A few other accessories are on their way. First, the practical:

Stair treads so no one slips on their way down to the patio.

A small citronella candle. Simple and purposeful.

And now the cute, and somewhat practical:

A green wire basket... to house small potted herbs? ... napkins and cutlery for barbecues? I'm sure I'll find a place and use for it. It's too cute not to have a home and purpose.

Rain, rain, go away....

Project Backyard Utopia: Patio Furniture

2011-03-02T21:58:00.002-06:00

This week, I have spent hours combing the interwebs in search for the perfect patio furniture.

"Perfect," remember, means "1. inexpensive, and 2. non-ugly."

I have to mention that I did find some lovely furniture that would qualify as truly perfect if money were not an issue. Perhaps I will do a post on my dream patio in the future, but for now I have plenty to talk about concerning the actual furniture I intend* to buy.

The inspiration: a French country garden with some modern flair

I lost the link for this photo, sorry!

p hoto from design*sponge

In other words, I love the minimalist cafe chairs that remind me of sidewalk cafes in Europe. I wanted a table to go with the chairs with a similar silhouette, nothing too heavy given that our patio and yard are small. The sofa had be similar--nothing chunky and, both Ben and I agreed, nothing wicker.

So without further adieu, the goods:

Sorry for the lackluster picture quality--these are screen shots because the pictures are interactive and wouldn't save to my computer.

The sofa. I found similar styles on numerous websites. I had a near match in my Target shopping cart before I looked at JCPenney. At only $300, this is a STEAL. And I can have it shipped to the store for free. So now I will just have to beg a friend with a truck to go with me to pick it up. :) Any takers? I'll buy you lunch!

The table. Serendipitously, the Ballard Design catalog came in the mail yesterday, and I was very happy to see these cafe tables. I seriously considered the largest round table, but then decided that I like the rectangle better for the space. Do you have to guess which color I picked? Grey, of course.

The chairs and small side tables. JCPenney with another steal at an amazing $70 for the set of two chairs and a table. These are the same style as the Ballard Design, but at about a quarter of the price. I am planning on ordering 3 sets, using two of the tables on either side of the sofa, and then have a small table and chair grouping around the firepit. [SUPER SAD UPDATE: I decided to go ahead and order these since they were on clearance. Unfortunately, they are already sold out. On the hunt now for some affordable alternatives. Perhaps back to Target.]

Here's the likely layout:

We already own the firepit and grill, courtesy of my generous parents. I can't wait to roast a marshmallow and recline on my sofa while enjoying a s'more.

I've already ordered some outdoor fabric swatches for pillows, and possibly to reupholster the sofa. I'll decide on whether to recover the sofa cushions after I see the color of the existing fabric in person. Right now, the color on my computer looks kind of blah.

*All decisions subject to change.

Project Backyard Utopia Underway

2011-02-27T14:00:00.001-06:00

Yesterday was a big day for project backyard utopia.

We built the two new raised beds for the garden. Ok, Ben built the beds, but I worked the dirt, which is also a hard job! We also forked over a big check to a contractor for our new back fence and patio. (It was actually a relatively small check, because the contractor is our friend's father and is giving us an awesome deal on everything.)

Why am I not currently showing you pictures of the new raised beds? Well, see, I have this really warm and cuddly puppy curled up next to me on the couch....

So since I'd like to blog without moving, let's discuss patio furniture. I don't want to put a ton of time and effort into finding patio furniture. While I will enjoy accessorizing the patio, I just want to get the basic furniture bought and set up quickly, so we can start to enjoy it.

The basic pieces that I'm looking for: 1. a small table and four chairs, and 2. a comfortable couch-like piece to put up against the house--basically I want a comfy place to read in the sunshine.

The basic requirements for the furniture: 1. inexpensive, and 2. non-ugly.

But enough talking, let's look at some options.

I like this wood set from West Elm, but it's bigger than we need. It would take up most of the patio (which will be small commensurate with the small yard). Also, the price tag at $720 (for just the table and four chairs) is too high.

Also, from West Elm is this outdoor sectional. With some punchy pillows, ahhh, be still my beating heart. But again, at $950 for the arrangement shown, the price is too high. (And all of these prices are sans shipping, which will likely add at least $100.)

Let's see what's going on at Crate & Barrel. They have numerous options available. Here are a few that caught my eye. Let's start with the pipe dream. This $1000 round wood table would look great with some contrasting chairs. But alas, I couldn't justify the price. I don't even spend that on indoor furniture.

Second, we have this wood/metal set, which I really like. But like the wood set from West Elm, the table is too large. (Too bad it doesn't come with that view though, eh?)

But wait, there's more! They have a smaller "cafe" size.

Adding the wood chairs would start to move it out of my price range. ($150 per chair, really? Yikes.) But I could always try it with a different chair. But would it look weird with these chairs? Or these chairs? I don't know. I'm not convinced it would work.

Here's another affordable option from Crate & Barrel. I think it would look cute on our (soon-to-be) little patio. You could probably squeeze four people here to share some food. It also folds away, so we could store it in the shed in the winter if we wanted. (And how cute would the green chairs be with it?!)

I've looked into the sets at Home Depot, Lowe's, and Target. Everything is so generic-looking. And most of it is either too big for the size of our patio or tiny "bistro" sets. Where is the happy medium? Oh yes, online and expensive.

Too bad we don't have an Ikea. The Tullero would be cheap and looks like it's made for little Scandinavian patios, and I really, really like the Falster collection. It reminds me of the wood/metal collection at Crate and Barrel. Anyone making a trip to Atlanta any time soon?

Another Snowy Evening

2011-02-09T22:19:00.000-06:00

I finally used my cast iron pan.

I admit that it scared me a bit when I first got it. I'd never cooked with cast iron before. But after reading about the scary chemicals in modern nonstick cookware, I ran over to Williams Sonoma Outlet and scooped up a Lodge Cast Iron skillet (made in Tennessee!! Holla!). I also got some special "green" Cuisinart pots and pans for Christmas that have a ceramic coating--no scary chemicals. That gave me another reason to put off attempting to use my cast iron pan. Until this snowy evening... When then this recipe showed up in my blog feed today, I thought, "now THAT'S a reason to christen my cast iron."

A little gooey still--I threw it in the oven for about five more minutes and it baked up nice. If you are inspired to try the recipe, I recommend at least 40 minutes in the oven, if not closer to 45 minutes.

While munching on our cookie, I thought I'd share some inspiration from the internets. Not much has been happening around the bungalow lately--we're too busy hibernating--but these things have caught my eye.

Do I want a teal bathroom? I think this blue-ish green would jive more with the other colors of our house than the grass green bathroom does right now.

And all this cold weather has me lusting after pretty fireplaces. We have a small fireplace, but it's closed, and in the front room that we never use. Maybe one day we'll have it opened up. It certainly would have been nice this frigid winter.

Hope you are staying warm, wherever you may be.

They're Here!

2011-01-22T10:25:00.002-06:00

My first seeds have arrived! (And other goodies, too.)

From Peaceful Valley Farm Supply....

Reagan making sure it's all here....

Packing list:

- SEEDS -- alyssum, beans, borage, chard, dill, eggplant, lettuces, marigold, peppers, sage, strawberries, sunflower, thyme, zucchini

- Grow light

- Seed starting tray and lid

- Pot maker -- for making biodegradeable seed-starting pots from newspaper

If you live in Memphis and would like to donate used newspapers to me, feel free!

- Soil thermometer (in that nondescript, small white box)

- Plant markers

- Small weeding hoe

If you live in Memphis and would like to show me how to use this, feel free!

- Compost (in the brown box below)

- 10 pack of 7' bamboo stakes (not pictured)

After seeing how many seeds I ordered (and knowing that many are still on their way), I will now be going back to the Peaceful Valley website to order another seed starting tray. I do plan to direct sow the beans and greens, so it's not quite as bad as it looks.

Wishing for warmer temperatures....

A Cozy Holiday with Seed Catalogs

2011-01-17T16:30:00.000-06:00

The words "Oh good, they have Winter Density kale in organic pelleted seed!" just came out of my mouth. That's right.

I've been sitting on the couch with the Seeds of Change, Johnny Seeds, and Peaceful Valley seed catalogs for a few hours now, with the websites of each pulled up on my laptop. I don't want to currently admit to the amount of each shopping cart. It's frightening.

Do any of you start seeds with grow lights? I've found a couple affordable models. And has anyone used a hoop house?

Oh my, this is going to be expensive.

But frankly, I spent $3 per bunch (only four leaves!) of swiss chard at Whole Foods on Saturday. A hoop house seems like a worthwhile deposit on future greens.

[In case you were wondering, Peaceful Valley has the best prices.]

Against Boring Lights

2011-01-17T11:57:00.002-06:00

I love this pendant. I want it something fierce.

Wouldn't it look fabulous in here?

But I can't justify the price (even with the discount). And I'm not sure it would work with the placement of our light outlet (ok, outlet is probably not the right word, but you know what I mean....).

On a random personal side note: I have a tummy ache. :( Why? Well.... I have decided to amend my strict vegetarian diet to include local, happy animals. What does "happy" mean? Mostly pasture-raised (some feed to supplement the grazing is ok), no antibiotics, no growth hormones, no other scary medicines, room to move around outside and be happy! I figure that I can include this happy meat about once or twice a month and support local, sustainable, animal-welfare-centered farmers.

So I had some local, happy bacon at breakfast a few days ago. Just two pieces. It tasted awesome, and I felt fine. (I would still trade bacon for chocolate cake any day of the week though.) Unfortunately, the only local, happy animal farms in this area seem to be centered around pigs and cows. So my stupid ass bought a roast.

If there is one thing I've craved the past three years of vegetarianism, it was my mom's pot roast with mashed potatoes and gravy. So I slow-cooked the happy, local roast and loaded up my plate with... well, mashed potatoes mostly. Also, carrots and green beans. And then on the side, I added maybe two ounces of meat. It tasted SO good. Just like mom used to make. Until about an hour later.... and now over 12 hours later... I feel GROSS. UGH. How to people eat this crap? My stomach hates me. Guess Newman Farms (aka the pigs) will get most of my business. I can be a local, happy bacon-eating vegetarian, right? I know several vegetarians that make exceptions for bacon. But I may try again. My mom is looking into organic, pasture-raised chickens from a Franklin area farm for me. She got a turkey from them for Thanksgiving and attested to its goodness.

Not that any of you cared about that information, but you know... it applies to the dining room because it's what I may serve in there. :)

Snowy Bungalow

2011-01-10T16:28:00.000-06:00

Our exteriors are not my favorite feature of the bungalow. Ok, the outside is pretty unimpressive. Unfortunately, I can't show you pictures of our snow day from the inside though.

The screened front porch is one of my favorite things about the bungalow. The inside is cute and homey (and bug free!), but from the outside it looks a little clunky.

Also, I'm not a fan of the beige-y, peach-y, I-can't-decide-what-color-I-am, neutral house paint. I prefer saturated colors: grey (you're shocked to find this out, I know, considering the colors we painted indoors), blue, green, even white. Anything would pretty much be an improvement, but I would love something striking, something bold, something... I don't know... easily describable, at the least. What color would you even call this? "Our house is on the left. It's a one story, [insert color here] house."

But I'm not vain enough to spend money painting my house just because I don't like the color. Well, maybe I'm vain enough, but not rich enough. I have other things I'd rather spend money on... like shoes! No, just kidding,... like vegetable seeds!

And we also need to replace the dead bush this spring. I'm not quite sure what killed it, but half of it died and the other half of it is a little shrimp. Or perhaps it was two shrubs that both under-performed... but that is not at all symmetrical or sensical. Anyway, fixing a dead spot in our unimaginative front landscaping is not really my idea of a fun time, so we'll probably hire someone to help with that. My energy will be spent on project backyard utopia. The front yard can wait it's turn.

Speaking of the backyard, here's me and Reagan enjoying the snow. See that latticed back fence? Don't get too attached. It's being replaced come spring with something a little less... see-through. We want a little more privacy, and I'd also like to be able to leave the grill out without worrying about thievery.

Hope you are enjoying a snow day wherever you are!

Garden Planning

2011-01-08T17:25:00.000-06:00

Seed catalogs are dangerous.

Given that the garden plan is a--pardon the pun--living, breathing document (much like the constitution, har har), seeing the plethora of possibilities in my seed catalogs is problematic. At this point, I would need to add several more beds to accommodate all the yummy veggies and herbs I've coveted from said seed catalogs.

I have looked through Seeds of Change, Burpee, and Johnny's Selected Seeds thus far. More catalogs are on the way.

For example, I have budgeted one watermelon plant. But how do I pick just one variety? There are two pages of watermelon varieties in Johnny's catalog alone! Do I want the standard pink variety? Seedless? What about trying an offbeat orange or yellow variety? The "sorbet swirl" sounds delicious! Being in zone 7b will help narrow down the choices, but not by much. Decisions, decisions!

And that's just watermelon! Imagine the countless varieties of tomatoes, zucchini, squash, peppers, beans... BEANS! There are so many beans! I was going to go with a thin green pole bean, but maybe I want some beans to dry for winter. Perhaps add a bush bean plant or two and then a few pole varieties to dry for later? And should I try soybeans?

And before you know it, our whole yard will be a garden. Not that that's a bad thing, but the dog does need a place to pee....

An Unrelated Before and After

2011-01-04T16:58:00.000-06:00

I would like to call this picture of my living room, a "before" picture. Those pillows are tired. The whole couch is tired. And it's really not a good color for the room. Wouldn't a light grey, linen, clean-lined, modern sofa be brilliant? (Enough adjectives?). But new pillows are a little more in the budget than a new couch.

Here's a new pillow! (Another Christmas Ikea purchase.) So it's kind of an "after" picture of the guest bed.

Close-up. Cute, no?

(Aren't you glad that I cleaned for the shower and took a bunch of pictures? Blogging three days in a row has got to be a record for this blog! You are welcome. But now I'm out of pictures... so...)

Bedroom

2011-01-03T16:36:00.000-06:00

I've never shared pics of our bedroom before. It's still not "done." But while the house was all neat and clean for the shower, I took some pictures. We can call this "before." It's still a little plain looking.

Here is some geography: This picture was taken with our large windows behind me to the left. The door is to the right of the bed. That door on the left goes into the office. We keep it shut most of the time.

The large wardrobes (yes, we have two) house my clothes. Our teensy closet, which is over to the right, is about as wide as the door. So Ben got the closet, and I got two wardrobes. Fitting, right?

The vintage Morroccan wedding blanket, which I took great pains to find and purchase (from Morrocco!) has yet to be hung up over the bed, as intended. (See that big space above the headboard? It goes there.)

So for now, it lays at the end of the bed to jazz it up a bit (sequins!). I want to hang it up correctly, so it will take some time to sew muslin with velcro to the blanket and then to screw a wood board with the opposite velcro to the wall. I spent enough on the blanket that I want to hang it well so it won't get damaged over time.

The small wall hanging to the left matches the colors perfectly. It was a housewarming gift from Becca (the shower-ee yesterday) from her home. I like how extra special it is, knowing that it once "warmed" her house as well.

Here's our dresser, with a painted glass globe that my Dad brought me back from China. We hung a few wedding pictures above the dresser.

The wall color in this picture looks more grey than it is. The first two pictures are a more accurate representation, though it looks a little too "blue" in those pictures. So picture a blue-ish silver somewhere between the two pictures, and you will have it! (One day I'll learn about photo exposure and figure out how to take pictures correctly. Maybe I should add that to my resolutions.)

So what will the after pictures look like? We would like to add a bench underneath the windows. There is plenty of room, and it may make things feel a bit cozier. I would like to add some more interest to the bedding. Not quite sure what to do there. I haven't been struck with the inspiration yet.

Bridal Shower

2011-01-02T19:34:00.001-06:00

I hosted a bridal shower at my house this afternoon for my dear friend Becca. The bungalow looked pretty cute all dressed up. Here are some pics (yes, I remembered to take pictures! Well, I remembered to take pictures of the decorations. During the shower, I forgot. Baby steps, people.)

Poufy garland, more poufs, and some flag garland that I made from scrapbook paper (thanks for the idea, Erika!).

Flowers and some pepparkakor (Swedish ginger cookies, even though it's somewhat of a betrayal of my Norwegian roots). The fact that the napkins match the green flowers was just a lucky coincidence.

Flowers (and my new Ikea pillow! The new pillow is not unique to the shower decor. I just wanted to show it off.)

I love white flowers.

A little flower.

The buffet decked out with some garland.

In all her glory... (I don't think I've ever shown my buffet before. It's built-in. We love it. And it's great for extra storage.)

I really do love the poufs in the kitchen cutout. Would it be ok for me to keep these poufs up all the time?

And maybe some of the garland too?

New Year Resolutions

2011-01-01T13:00:00.000-06:00

It's that time of year again. I enjoy making resolutions. It may be an artificial new start, but I'll take the opportunity. In no particular order...

Resolution #1: Save more money.
Is this on the list every year? I suppose it should be. Spend less, save more.

Resolution #2: Weed more often.
I hate weeding. So I put it off. And then I have to spend an hour pulling massive weeds with enormous root systems. Plus, if I keep my garden "better" (relative term defined by my husband) for the next two years, I get my chickens!

Resolution #3: Prune more often.
See above explanation re: weeding.

Resolution #4: Cook more at home.
Corollary: Eat out less. This goes back to #1. I suppose a more specific plan of action may yield better results. For now, I believe I will stick with the general statement.

Short-term resolution #1: For the month of January, I will not eat any sugar. Ben has jumped on the no-sugar-January bandwagon. Hopefully we can keep each other accountable. I will make two exceptions... the maple syrup in my morning oatmeal (just a bit... makes it edible), and two small squares of 70% dark chocolate for dessert after dinner (to keep me from going insane and eating a whole pie in one sitting).

Here's to a new year, hopefully one with a bigger bank account and less weeds.

Christmas

2010-12-31T17:17:00.000-06:00

I wish I got some better pictures of my tree. I really liked it this year. West Elm supplied many of my tree trimmings at their post-Thanksgiving sale. I supplemented with silver ornaments that I already had and a few from Target. I always love the way light reflects off the silver. Here are the best pics that I could get. I wish our front room got more light.

And here are a couple test pics taken with my new little point and shoot. Reagan in action.

Garden Revisions

2010-12-11T16:29:00.000-06:00

The first round of major revisions to the garden plan is done. I would say that this is probably how the garden will look come spring, but you know I'll decide that I really need to grow potatoes and move everything around to accommodate them.

[Note: I'm not growing potatoes because they scare me... and because our CSA was rich in them last year. Although we're forgoing the CSA this year (and hoping to live off our own garden, as well as support more farmers by shopping the market), I know that local farms have more than enough potatoes for our potato-eating needs.]

Here are the new shots (click on the pictures for more detail). A brief (and hopefully, not-too-boring) explanation of the changes follows.

You'll notice the first major change is the size of the beds. I made the bed by the shed 4x8 rather than two 4x4 beds. If I build the bed a foot or two away from the shed, I can get around all four sides and manage a bed that size. It seems to be a fairly standard size in the garden catalogs (if you want to buy a pre-fab raised bed kit). While the square footage is ultimately the same, I can fit more veggies in a 4x8 bed. (Although I may not be able to get all four zucchini plants in there. Three might be a better fit.)

In addition, I have decided to make the two beds in front of the shed into a single bed sized 3x9 feet. There were going to be two 3x4 beds to match those by the fence. But again, because I can get at the bed from all four sides, it makes more sense to have a bigger bed, and more veggies! [Those grey rectangles are aggregate tire tracks. We assume that the shed occupies the space where an old garage once lived. Whatever the case, they make a nice path between raised beds.]

I also moved some veggies around, given their recommended companion plants. I decided not to put a fourth raised bed by the fence. The fit would be pretty snug. Rather, I plan to try some more fruit in that space. If the strawberries don't do well, I'm going to try a blueberry bush in the fall. I made a note to put straw mulch down. Apparently, it helps keep the slugs off the strawberries.

All for now!

Dining Room Dressed Up

2010-12-01T21:37:00.000-06:00

Remember that big naked wall?

Well, it got dressed.

(Awhile ago actually, but let's pretend that it occurred recently, and I am blogging promptly.)

The wide shot:

The close-up:

It looks vaguely like a painting, but it's actually a cut of Marimekko fabric I bought a couple years ago. I wanted to use the fabric as a wall hanging but didn't have a place in the old house. I think it fits perfectly here, and much to my surprise, the husband agreed. (I worried it was a little too feminine for his tastes.)

At the suggestion of my friend Erika, I bought a big canvas from Michaels, stretched the fabric over the canvas, and attached it with my handy staple gun. (It's actually the first time I've ever used my staple gun. Fun times.)

And speaking of Erika, here is a pic of our front porch in action for Halloween. She, her husband, and new little one came over to help us hand out candy!

If you squint, you can see each of our babies dressed up for halloween. Erika's human baby is minnie mouse. My fur baby is a convict.

Fun times.

Vegetable Garden Planner

2010-11-23T18:46:00.001-06:00

In my blog reading travels, I stumbled upon Mother Earth News, an amazing resource for organic gardening (and other "natural" news). And among the many resources available on their website, I found the coolest program ever (*hyperbole*) in their Vegetable Garden Planner.

I don't want to admit how many hours I've spent playing with this tool. Any attempt at a description of this program will fail to express its awesomeness, but here's a try.

It's basically a tricked-out graph that allows you to draw the outline of your plan (e.g., yard size, raised beds, landscaping), and then add to that plan the vegetables, fruits, and herbs you want to plant. Part of the awesomeness is that the vegetable graphics show the ideal growing space. When you click on each vegetables' info button, you can read basic stats concerning that veggie (or fruit, or herb). After you add the vegetation, the program generates a list showing planting and harvesting times for each plant (based on the location of your garden and frost dates entered at set-up). You can then use your basic plan for succeeding years, and the nifty program will remember to keep your perennials in place! The program is free for 30 days, and $25 bucks a year thereafter. Totally worth the money in my opinion.

Did I forget the part where they email you to remind you of your plant dates? Oh yes, that too.

I have already printed out my plan and made some changes. And then after reading more information in one of my new books (The Backyard Homestead--book report forthcoming), I may make more changes for a better "companion planting" approach. But here are some screen shots of my first draft. (click on the pics to make them bigger, aka readable).

And in more detail...

By the shed:

In front of the shed, by the fence:

By the future patio:

Draft one complete. I foresee a few more drafts in the coming months.

Project Backyard Utopia

2010-11-20T21:21:00.000-06:00

Ben laughed when I told him the name for my backyard dreams. But this spring, dreams become reality, baby. It's year two at the bungalow, and I'm ready for my patio.

The patio, while one of the larger slated expenditures, is not what has seemed to occupy the bulk of my dreaming and scheming time. Rather, I'm already planning my garden.

Next year's vegetable garden will contain only vegetables I like. (Sorry cucumbers. You were a $1.95 experiment and produced way more cucumbers than I could ever care to eat. And yet, even for a $1.95 seedling, 2 square feet of bed space, and no effort on my part after planting the seedling, I still felt guilty putting you in the compost.) No guilty food garbage this year.

To our three inherited beds, I plan to add four more. That's seven beds total (for those of you inept at basic math) at about 3 X 4 feet each. Plus, I have several large containers to fill with herbs. Here's my rough list thus far:

- Spring greens -- arugula, butter lettuce, chard, kale, romaine
- Carrots
- Eggplant

- Garlic

- Green beans

- Green onions

- Leeks
- Peppers -- bell and hot
- Tomatoes
- Watermelon

- Zucchini

- Herbs -- basil, calendula, chives, dill, echinacea, lavender, mint, rosemary, sage, thyme

- Comfrey for fertilizer

It's going to be like a farm! Only not really.

I have thus far consulted The Moosewood Restaurant Kitchen Garden, impulse purchase to get me free shipping from Amazon earlier in the year, and Starter Vegetable Gardens, another impulse purchase earlier this year from Davis Kidd. It looked helpful sitting on the gardening table by the candles.

But why stop there? Why not order a few more?

Trowel & Error: Over 700 Tips, Remedies, and Shortcuts for the Gardener

Because I probably need about 1000 tips, remedies, and shortcuts. So 700 isn't a bad start.

Second Nature: A Gardener's Education by Michael Pollan

To read over the winter to keep me in the gardening spirit.

The Backyard Homestead: Produce all the food you need on just a quarter acre!

Well, we only have a sixth of an acre. But this is really more a book to keep me dreaming about my future quarter acre (or more!) homestead (with chickens! ... and maybe a goat.).

And of course, the Seeds of Change seed catalog.

Any other recommendations?

Blooms around the Bungalow

2010-11-07T22:17:00.000-06:00

Remember me? It's been awhile, I know. But is there a better time to reappear than on our one-year bungalow-buying anniversary?

Ok, one-year and one-week anniversary. Close enough. Halloween is actually our easy-to-remember anniversary. One year and one week ago, we got the keys to the bungalow and started sanding down cabinets. Ben moved the refrigerator to continue sanding, and the water purifier to the ice machine broke off sending water spewing into our kitchen. An abrupt awakening to the joys of home ownership began with an 11pm call to MLGW to turn off the water.

But let's fast forward a bit, to spring! (That's right. We have some catching up to do.)

We (ok, "I") enjoyed planting vegetables in our inherited raised beds this year. Our garden yielded some wonderful greens in the spring. Would you like to see them?

Little baby greens:

Growing up:

Close-up on the kale!

Boston bibb (aka butter lettuce) and a young pepper plant making it's debut (after harvesting a couple heads of lettuce... we're big on the crop rotation).

YUM.

The bungalow's summer vegetable garden yielded herbs, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and my personal favorite, watermelons!

Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of those. But they tasted great!

Now my attention is turned to re-working the raised beds. I learned that they are really just shallow planters because of some black tarp the previous owners put down. I'm a little confused by that, given their otherwise logical choices for the house and yard. Also, those dividers are nice for greens, but not much else. They just got in the way, and thus have been removed, as have the utilitarian pipe/string lattices. They were useful for the cucumbers and green beans (that got decimated by bugs), but are U-G-L-Y. The pretty wood lattices are about $8 at Home Depot, and will be a cheap, yet charming, addition to the garden come spring.

Until then....

Ok, no, I'll try to post before next spring, but probably not on the garden.

Got My Green

2010-02-01T17:36:00.001-06:00

While attempting to take a decent photo of my bathroom, I discovered something. I discovered that it's impossible to take a decent photo of my bathroom. So use your imagination and fill in the walls.

The green is so bright that the it reflects in the white trim. I think that it only works because so much of the bathroom is white.

It is a very cheerful bathroom. And the bright green helps to wake me up in the morning, which is an arduous task indeed.

[Note: I realized this week that the Gilmore Girls' quote on the right sidebar had two typos in it. I really hate typos. So I just wanted to clarify that I copied and pasted the quote from the interwebs, and I do indeed know the difference between "apart" and "a part." In case you were wondering....]

Dining Room

2010-01-27T17:12:00.002-06:00

Here is a picture of our dining room.

Do you see it? (No, not the pile of dishes in the kitchen... which are clean by the way.)

No, this:

The really large, blank wall space above the cutout.

I am not sure what to do with the space. I think a large scale art piece would be nice. I favor too many "small art collages" on my large walls, and I have another one planned for the living room, so it would be nice to have one large piece. Perhaps I might see what I can fashion out of paint and some plywood, like this room that I love.

I will keep you posted. (Yes, I will--I swear! I know, I was woefully overdue for a post.)

p.s. I think I fixed the comments!

Inspiration

2010-01-05T13:26:00.001-06:00

It is FREEZING here and all I want to do these days when I get home is hibernate under multiple blankets with a book and cup of tea. (And yes, I realize that "freezing" is relative--thirteen degrees is not as bad as thirteen below--but I moved back south for a reason!)

So while I am trying to warm up before I take more photos, I wanted to leave you with a picture of this kitchen that I luuuurve.

I love the whole house actually.

Yoga Room

2009-12-26T10:35:00.000-06:00

Well, really it's our unfurnished front room. Until I can find furniture that I want (and can afford), the space works wonderfully for yoga. So for now, I just refer to it as my "yoga room" as if it was so intentional.

We painted the same grey in both the front room and the living room. (I need to take better pictures of our living room, then I will post them.) The grey works well with the purple in the kitchen. Because the house is really open, you can see all these rooms when you walk into the house. I suppose I should take a picture of that.

Here is the room in action. Ignore all the little things I would fix about my downward dog and enjoy the fact that Reagan thinks the blankets are out for his benefit. He also decided to lay on my legs in savasana. I just tried to enjoy the warmth and go with it.

(Sorry for the blurriness. Blame Ben.)

This post is brought to you by Reagan's new snuggie. Thanks to Aunt Anna. Doesn't he look like he is enjoying being warm and yet having his paws free so he can read a book or play a game of backgammon?

Play Time

2009-12-21T20:40:00.000-06:00

I apologize for my delay in blogging. I have been busy finishing up work before my vacation and getting gifts bought and wrapped. Now I have a blissful week-long vacation and have many more pictures to share.

We "had Christmas" (aka opened gifts) with my parents in Nashville this weekend. We just returned home today and my brother arrived to stay briefly with us on his way to Nashville from Dallas. The whole family, Ben's side and my side, will be at our house for Christmas day.

But let's talk about the good stuff, right? The presents! Here are Ben and Andy playing with Ben's new gifts (Wii and MarioKart), and me playing with mine (my new digital SLR).

Needless to say, I should have plenty of time to blog, while they do this.

Although, I have already won a gold medal... so maybe I will go join in....

Guest Room: Before and After

2009-12-07T21:36:00.001-06:00

As promised...

Before--Right after we moved in, with the previous owners' color choice and curtains:

And after:

I wanted something in shades of white. I love the Scandinavian look, especially all-white rooms, but it seems impractical with a dog. I figured that I could at least have one impractical room though. The wall color was supposed to have a slight hue of pink. It looks a little more pink than I like in natural light, but luckily I took these pictures this evening with the incandescent light. (I apologize that they are a little dark. I'm still learning how to use the new camera.)

The guest room also serves as my sewing room. And the apron you see is still for sale!

To update: the housewarming party was fun! I spent yesterday recovering with some yoga and reading. And unfortunately, in my frenzy to get everything prepared, I forgot to take pictures. Sadly typical. I promise to try harder now that I have the blog! More before and after pictures soon!

Housewarming Party (T-minus 1 day)

2009-12-04T14:32:00.001-06:00

The party is tomorrow. Preparations are still underway. I'm happy to report that over half of my previous list is complete. Though it seems we keep getting things *almost* done. For example, *most* of the pictures have been hung, *most* of the office has been unpacked, *some* Christmas decorations have been made, etc. And now I'm adding to the list further:

1. Clean.

2. Bake

3. Buy cheese.

4. Learn how to use my new camera.

Oh yes, I got a new camera for Christmas. Early. What can I say, Amazon's black friday sale was too good to pass up.

I know what you're thinking... so where are the pictures then?

Well, thankfully, the party is forcing me to get the house in order, and then I will be able to take a ton of pictures! Check back in the coming week for some more before-and-after posts.

Until then, I gotta get back to the work that pays for the pretty bungalow....

Housewarming Party (T-minus 4 days)

2009-12-01T14:50:00.000-06:00

If my writing is sparse in the coming days, it is because every waking moment is spent getting the house ready for our party on Saturday. What fool decided to have a housewarming party only three weeks after moving in? Oh, that would be me.

Still on my to-do list:

1. Unpack the office.
We just finished painting on Sunday. I started unpacking, but we have a TON of books. And you know me, I wanted them to be arranged prettily. So, I'm still unpacking books.

2. Hang pictures.
For the most part, every picture has an intended spot (some marked by taped up pieces of newspaper in the correct arrangements), but I just bought the picture hangers that we needed for our plaster walls last night.

3. Launder the guest room bedding and make the bed.
Surprisingly, this is all there is left to do in that room. Hurray!

4. Finish setting up the surround sound in the living room.
This is a Ben job... I'm making him staple the cords to the baseboard so you can't see them. Gotta keep things pretty.

5. Hang curtains in the living room.
Yeah, ok, I'm not doing this, Ben is.

6. Decorate for Christmas.
Because it's a housewarming/holiday party, I suppose I should have some holiday decorations. I did buy a Christmas tree last night at Home Depot. I scored the last prelit 7.5 ft tree AND I talked them down $20 because it didn't have a box. That's right Dad, I negotiated at Home Depot. Be proud.

7. See Twilight again.
Wha-hat? How did that get on there? Don't mock. Everyone needs a mindless interlude sometimes.

(Hmm, did I reference that "t-minus" thing correctly? Well, if I didn't, you can't tell me how stupid I am because my comments aren't working properly. So, HA. Ok, no but seriously, how annoyed am I at blogger? I can't fix it. The internet gods just don't want people to comment on my blog. Well, some people can, so apparently the internet gods are discriminating.

Ok, I'll work on it....)

Cyber Monday Deal

2009-11-30T14:54:00.001-06:00

I absolutely love magazines. I currently have four subscriptions to Real Simple, Body & Soul, Yoga Journal, and Vegetarian Times. I also have an annoying tendency to buy magazines each month (which is ridiculously more expensive than just subscribing). For example, I just picked up a Martha at Costco yesterday.

I used to have subscriptions to Blueprint and Domino--two shelter magazines catered more towards my demographic. Unfortunately, it seems there is no money in that and both folded awhile ago. That doesn't leave a lot of shelter mags that suit my taste. Fortunately, for the price of only one issue--that's right, FIVE BUCKS--one can currently subscribe to House Beautiful via Amazon's cyber Monday deals. House Beautiful tends to be more formal and upscale than my aesthetic, but hey, it's only 5 bucks! And there is certain to be at least five dollars worth of inspiration in a year. You can get Real Simple for $5/year as well, which I would recommend.

I'm off to hunt more deals. Hope you had a fabulous holiday weekend!

Etsy Photography

2009-11-25T08:58:00.001-06:00

While our new house has a lot of windows, there is still a lot of wall space to cover. An affordable and beautiful way to do so, in my opinion, is with photographs. I have about ten pictures taken on my travels that made up a collage on one wall of our old living room. Now that I have a much larger wall to house the collage, I decided to add to those ten with some beautiful photographs from etsy. I have long loved the following etsy shops and am excited that I now have a place to hang and admire their work.

First up, the popular Blissful Images by the lovely Mrs. French (her Bliss blog is also a favorite). I purchased this photograph in a large format to hang above our fireplace. Currently, it's propped up on the fireplace--we have yet to hang anything on the walls--but it looks gorgeous with the gray walls.

Second, I purchased these two photos from IS Photography to add to the collage. Yes, they are of Paris. Cliche? Perhaps. But Paris is my personal happy place, and I like to have things that remind me of it often.

Third, I got something a little different, but still made up of photographs: a Polaroid collage by ethanollie.

I also love the photographs in this shop. I have yet to purchase one from her, mostly because I can't pick just one! However, I think a future purchase is imminent.

Any etsy favorites to share?

Kitchen Before & After

2009-11-23T22:06:00.002-06:00

I've waited long enough. The "after" picture isn't perfect, but you gotta give the people what they want! There will be some finishing touches added at a later date.

But without further adieu, here are the before and after pictures of the kitchen.

To remind you, here is a before shot. This was taken by our appraiser, which explains the poor quality. I didn't take my own before pictures, which was a major oversight, but I just wanted to get started!

Ok, so before:

And after:

One week of sanding, priming, and painting, but it was totally worth it. The kitchen is so much brighter now! And I love the purple, and so does Ben!

(Yes, I took the after pictures while I was cooking dinner. Unfortunately, I didn't have natural light like the appraiser, but I wanted to get the pictures up. That pasta is boiling!)

StyleScope Quiz

2009-11-23T13:05:00.002-06:00

Who doesn't love quizzes? I recently took this quiz created by Deborah Needleman, editor-in-chief of the now defunct Domino magazine, my favorite design magazine to date.

I am not sure how accurate it is because I think this result is a little off. I took it twice though and got the same result both times, so who knows. My result:

Jessica, you are a Bohemian Classic

You have a refined sensibility and bring a sense of history and tradition into your decor. You appreciate how symmetrical arrangements and beautiful, well-crafted pieces create a solid foundation to a room. But you like to shake up this restraint with objects and accessories that express your personality and your love of other cultures. When traveling, you seek out unique objects that reflect what you love, and you use them in a sophisticated way. You want people to feel comfortable in your home, and cozy chairs, ethnic fabrics, unique pieces, and even a little touch of quirk or humor give your house a laid-back, Bohemian flair.

You value creativity. You are stylish and fun loving, and can be an inspiration to others. You have a natural sense of drama, and you know you have to be willing to take risks—whether with colors, finishes, furniture choices, or ideas—for your home to stand out. Your home can be happy and lively and the place all of your friends want to be.

I've never really thought of myself as "Bohemian," though I admit that I would love to be able to pull that style off. The description seems to be what I would want to do, rather than what I usually am able to achieve.

Anyway, take the quiz and see for youself. I'd love to hear your "stylescope" in the comments!

Inspiration

2009-11-22T12:19:00.003-06:00

When we started looking at paint colors for the house, I showed Ben these pictures, some of my favorite pictures, of green kitchens.

I loved how bright and cheery the green looked, but Ben disagreed. I wanted him to think he gets his way, so I threw out an idea for an even more crazy color that I thought he'd hate more than green, and thus agree to the green. Turns out though, he liked the crazy color better.

I then showed him this room, and he agreed. This color pallette has now worked its way into the living areas of the home and I love it! Pictures soon, we are unpacking machines right now.

And keep an eye out for a bright and cheery green in a different room of the house! I still got my green!

Pictures from Domino, before its demise.

Etsy Art: Faire Houre

2009-11-19T13:03:00.000-06:00

As soon as these clocks started making the rounds on the blogs, I knew they would sell quickly. They are both beautiful and affordable! A quick-selling combination.

This gorgeous clock would have been perfect for my kitchen, but sadly it has already sold.

Let's look at it again....

*Sigh* I'd love that lamp, those books, and the chair too actually....

Will definitely keep my eyes on this shop's updates!

Assembly Required

2009-11-18T20:00:00.000-06:00

Or "My Growing Allen Wrench Collection"

Can I just begin by saying that I think the phrase "assembly required" may be up there with some of the scariest phrases of all time, like "I voted for George Bush."

Shoot, I'm not supposed to talk about politics... ok, moving on....

As much time as I have spent unpacking boxes in the last five days, I have spent an equal or greater amount of time assembling furniture.

Thus far I have put together a dining table, four dining chairs, a laundry folding table, a small teak bathroom shelf, four lamps, a clothing rack, and a bedside table. I still have a shelving unit for the pantry, another bedside table, and a bench. With the exception of the dining room table, which I assembled on its arrival to the new house last week (yes, I dragged that 70 pound box up into the house, put the table together, flipped it over, and moved it to the dining room without incident... by myself... I'm pretty proud of that one actually), everything else I have put together in the last five days.

I began with the clothing rack from Ikea, courtesy of my parents who bought it in Phoenix when they lived there. Our house is severly lacking in closet space, so the clothing rack will house our off-season or rarely worn clothing in the attic. I thought it was complex... it took me nearly fifteen minutes to assemble.

Oh, how naive I was. I laugh at my earlier self. Because I next moved on to the Ikea bedside table, bought on a recent trip to Atlanta. A trip I took solely to go to Ikea. Yes, I love Ikea that much. Also, I was in Chattanooga for business, and the four-hour round trip drive to Atlanta seemed completely reasonable.

That damn table took me nearly two hours to assemble. Two hours to put together ONE of the tables. Ben gets to do the other one. It required a DRILL. Seriously? Ikea? A drill? I thought everything could be assembled with an allen wrench? Yep, no. I was wrong. TWO HOURS. On one puny little table. It looks hot though.

In the last four days, I have become sort of an assembly expert. So, I'd like to pass along to you my learned advice: (1) read instructions carefully, (2) check to make sure the pieces are facing the correct way before bolting them together, and (3) power tools are your friend; use them carefully, use them often.

Kitchen Before

2009-11-16T18:30:00.000-06:00

Well, let's get started, shall we? I figure that I should start big. The post on the frustrating nature of Ikea instruction manuals can really wait for another day. We have to start with pictures, right?

Until I get around to unpacking, and thus making my "after" pictures acceptable, I will shower you with some "before" pictures, starting with the kitchen!

This is a shot from the hallway to our back door towards the small dining room and two front living rooms. There are several more cabinets, the range, and oven to the left.

A note on the house's layout and why we liked it:

Many of the old bungalows have similar layouts... the front door opens right into a small living room with a fireplace. Off that front room, either by double glass doors or just a large doorway, is the larger dining room. Moving towards the back door, the kitchen comes next, followed in some houses by a small back room addition. We were considering a couple of bungalows that had such layouts and we kept running up against a common problem: our living room furniture wouldn't fit in the small front room. Some advised that we could "swap" the living and dining rooms, given that the dining rooms are usually bigger and arranged in a fashion that accomodates the larger, more modern furniture. It's hard to remember that in 1922 when our house was built, there weren't large pieces of furniture to be placed around a TV. But I didn't like the idea of my living room separating my dining room and kitchen. Who wants to carry hot bowls of soup long distances? No thanks.

What we liked about our house was the small "breakfast room" that could function as a dining room, thus giving us both the living room and dining room to use as living areas. The downside was that our dining set was too big for the space, but it gave me the excuse I've wanted for awhile to get that white laquered parsons table from West Elm. Don't you love how things work out like that?

We really wanted to purchase a house that fit our way of life, and we don't have fancy dinner parties. Parties that we do have are generally more informal. Most nights, Ben and I don't eat at our dining room table, but on the couch while we watch the news... er... or The Office, you know, whatever. Our wee little dining room will serve us well, and there is still room for a table plus four chairs, and even five if you squeeze. Now we have plenty of room for comfy furniture, and the kitchen still happens to be a good size.

Ah yes, the kitchen. I was writing about that, right? I think the biggest change you will see in the house will be in the kitchen. We spent a week before we moved in sanding and painting and re-tooling the kitchen. Not a major renovation, but a bright, modern facelift to be sure. After pictures coming soon... don't let the suspense kill you.

My New Adventure

2009-11-12T18:30:00.000-06:00

Yes, I started another blog. It's a sickness really. I've had several blogging lives, mostly discussing politics, philosophy, or religion. Lately, these topics seem to lend themselves better to conversation, and not the one-way conversation that I have with my computer screen. Instead of the heavier topics in life, this latest blogging reincarnation will chronicle my continuing obsession with making my new house pretty. Yes, this blog is about pretty things and my appreciation for aesthetically pleasing environments. Oh sure, I might throw in the occasional political or philisophical nugget, but don't be surprised if it's more about the sociological effects of shopping at Walmart v. Target, rather than the religious implications of Buddha v. Jesus.

My husband and I just purchased our first house--a charming, 100-year-old bungalow in an old, diverse, urban neighborhood in Memphis. The house is by no means large, but after our small, cramped rentals, we finally have some breathing room. And with breathing room comes new rooms to furnish, decorate, and renovate. We have various painting, tiling, and prettifying projects slated for the next few months. Thankfully, no major renovations are needed as we don't have the time, money, or inclination to perform them; that was one of the major draws of this house. That, and the windows... the ridiculous number of windows... I envision many posts in the future on the value of natural light... oh, and curtains.

Why now? Well, I have always loved home decor. Until now, I've just read about it, rather than write about it. Perhaps I thought it all a little superficial. But now that I have a fresh canvas, making a home for oneself seems an essential meditative act... contemplating how one wants to live in one's home and what colors, objects, and other sensory experiences one wants surrounding them in their sanctuary.

This blog will also exist to serve the end that seems to be requested of me daily... pictures! You see, Ben and I are all by our lonesome, family-wise, here in Memphis, so this blog will broadcast pictures of our new home throughout the internets to friends and family afar.

Now I just have to start taking some pictures....