It’s almost too nice to use as a dishtowel. Why not frame it?

Wanna buy it? Buy it here and other neat stuff!  Image from The Heated via AT.

Today, I feel cozy, fuzzy, feelings of home.

This arrived today. I realize more and more that ‘small’ is a relative word but regardless, I’m all for a well-edited spaces— a well-edited life.

Here’s my latest project. It’s still a work in progress (notice the uneven curtain rods!). I’m working from home so we rearranged our dining room to accommodate a workspace for me. Like I said, this is version 1.0.

What I’ve done so far:

• I replaced the old bookcase with one that wraps around the corner to hold more books and use the space better.
• Raised the curtain rod(s). This will make the room seem taller. Only one has been done so far because David finally had to (I’ve been asking (begging) him to do them for awhile now.
• Table cloth and rug to tie the room together. The tablecloth is Dwellstudio for Target Blossom and the rug is a clearance find.
• Room Divider. I chose Ikea’s Expedit as a room divider. I really like this one because it clearly breaks the room apart but it doesn’t cut off the flow. This divider works so well too because I need the extra surface area and the cubbies.

What’s Next:

• Organize cubbies. I’m thinking of getting the baskets for Expedit Not sure.
• Switch out art work. Current wall art is from previous formal dining room setting.
• Eventually, I want a desk that will go with the area. Right now, we’re making most of what we have and it works.
• Paint the room. Not sure what color yet.
• Hardwood floors.

No matter where I go I always seem to make my way into a kitchen store.

My number 1 favorite here in Madison? The Kitchen Gallery on Willy St. We got our beloved Fondue set from this store. I love the people (and the dog) that work here. With it being a specialty store, their items seem to be carefully and thoughtfully selected. I love everything in that store! I haven’t found a place in Madison that sell authentic Raclette and Fondue sets and they have both. I also love that it is right next to Lazy Jane’s.

My number 2 favorite: Tellus Mater on State St. Bigger and having more knick knacks. I love it. I especially like their Japanese tea cups.

Here are my two recent purchases that are so useful!!!

Bought from Tellus Mater: A tea kettle scale collector! I was so happy when I discovered this. Especially helpful here in Madison with our hard water.

Bought from The Kitchen Gallery: Knife Sharpener. The guy at the store raved about it and it’s proven. This little guy works amazing. It’s the best we’ve had.

At our wedding, we had bonsai trees at our reception tables so we decided to get a bonsai tree on our first year anniversary. It died a few months later so we bought another. That died too so we bought another. Even under the best bonsai teacher (a Japanese bonsai master from Chicago) we didn’t learn a thing. We decided we would take a break from our beloved bonsais.

I won’t tell you how many other plants I’ve killed (unintentionally!), my fire pit herb planter was probably my only success. This year it will be so different because I am being helped (rescued) by my friends Lindsey and Tiffany. They are helping me plant a veggie garden. Our plan is to start me with easy to grow and ‘prolific’ veggies so that I would be ENCOURAGED to continue on.

Lindsey left me her seed magazines to choose from. The Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds Magazine is the most beautiful seed book I’ve ever seen. It’s also got some really inspiring, thought-provoking quotes! I love it!

Beautiful pictures

I’m going to remember this quote forever

Two of my favorite seed magazines.

I’m getting Chinese Noodle Beans, Chantey Red Core Carrots (great for juicing!) and some squash. We’re also hitting the Madison Farmers Market for some of the things we’ll grow like tomatoes and herbs. I’ll post more on the progress throughout the summer/fall. Here’s to a new me: Sarah the girl with a green thumb!

Often, I will request a book from the library first to see if I really want to own a certain book.

Here’s what I’ll be reading soon.

Hopefully things will be normal next week. See you then!

What to do on a cold snow ‘first day of Spring’? Ogling at Urban Outfitters sale.

zebra rug on sale for $59.99 (was $148)

Woody Printed Rug – $59.99 (was $68.oo)

I love this curtain. Also available in white and yellow. I would take it in any of those colors.

Waterfall Ruffle Curtain – $68.00

Chloe Gauze Curtain – $9.99

I’m not sure if you’ve also used their ‘walk’ to a destination option, but that has saved us a lot in walking around San Francisco! And we’ve used the public transit option too! Ah.. technology. I love thee.

image via Google

Fast forward to New Year’s 2010, I made a bold New Year’s Resolution to make most our meals at home (90%). And yes, I’ve been sticking to it. It has been a very rewarding process. Lately, I’ve been on a noodle kick. I’ve been experimenting with different sauces and different noodle combinations. Soba, udon, rice stick noodles, thick rice noodles, you name it– I’ve tried it.

One of the easiest (albeit a lot of chopping), and tastiest is Vietnamese Pho Noodles. Confession: I hardly use measurements. I’ll try my best to be exact. Here is my version of Pho.

Serving Size: 8 people

Ingredients:

for the soup:

rice noodles (ban pho)

4 carrots (I like it chopped julienne style)

1 medium yellow onion

3 or 4 whole star anise

8 whole cloves

half a bulb of garlic (or as much garlic as you want, sliced vertically)

ginger (sliced in 1 inch vertical chunks, about 6-8 vertical pieces)

2-3 boxes of chicken broth (or beef if you want. I basically filled my stock pot 3/4 of the way, added about 2-4 cups of water)

2-3 chicken breasts (if you’re a fan of chicken with bones use that, it will be tastier, you can use beef marrow too)

fish sauce to taste

Accompaniments:

Thai Basil

Mint

Bean sprouts

Green onions

lime wedges

cilantro

celery (optional)

hoisin sauce (i made my own but the store bought ones are great too)

Sriracha (or Thai chili sauce)

Chicken strips or Flank steak strips (if you are doing Beef Pho)

Directions:

1. Fill stock pot with the broth and water and have stove on med high heat.

2. In a tea infuser (I used a tea ball) or loose leaf tea bags (used this too), put ginger, garlic, star anise and cloves. I used about 3 tea bags. Drop these in the stock pot. I didn’t wait till the broth was hot, I just dropped it in. Add the onions, carrots and chicken breasts or beef marrow (if using)

3. When pot is boiling turn the heat low. The idea is to let the spices sit and heat to barely simmer the pot but keep it hot. I left the soup to sit for 1 hour, maximum of 1.5 hours, until I was satisfied with the taste. Add fish sauce to bring out flavors. The trick is to keep the soup hot until time to serve. About 30 minutes into seeping time, check on the chicken. If its cooked, take it out and pull or cut into strips to serve as accompaniment.

4. While soup is cooking, chop the accompaniments. I had fun putting this together. It’s so beautiful!

Guests may add hoisin sauce or sriracha and whatever other accompaniments they want. I personally like my Pho as it is.

If you want a bigger meal, you can serve egg rolls, spring rolls, crab rangoons, rice, egg fooyong with your Pho.

And in honor of tonight, here’s advice for a happy marriage:

1. Be kind to each other. Do not underestimate the power of kindness. It is unfair to be unkind to the easiest target of your bad day- your partner.

2. Wear your love for each other on your sleeves. Even in public, show your devotion to each other. Sometimes, even in jest, sarcastic remarks and put-downs extinguishes love and romance.

3. And speaking of romance. Kindle and rekindle romance. I think Little Brown Pen (via A Cup of Jo) said it best:

Think play, not romance.
Forget flowers, dinner and candles, and instead play a video game, have a water-gun battle or play in a photo booth (or with Photobooth if you have a Mac!).

Have fun! Create traditions! Have inside jokes.

5. And lastly… a quote I found the other day:

A happy marriage is the union of two good forgivers. – Ruth Bell Graham

me and my man