A Great Movie

Scott and I watched "The Young Victoria" last weekend and it was wonderful! My husband was not particularly excited about it, but after a few weeks of nagging and convincing, he picked it up.... and loved it.

I loved everything about it too. I'm typically not much of a love story fan, but maybe because it's based on a true life love story, it didn't seem cheesy to me. The acting, storyline, costumes, everything was done well. I don't know how accurate all the little details were, but who cares.

So good.


http://www.theyoungvictoriamovie.com/

PS. I thought Emily Blunt was a singer. I'm so out of touch.

Nigella's Pork Chops Served With Gnocchi and a Mustard Cream Sauce

Nigella Lawson made these delicious looking pork chops on TV the other day and I'm dying to try them. If you try them before I do, let me know what you think!

INGREDIENTS:
2 pork chops, about 1-pound total weight
2 teaspoons infused oil
1/2 cup hard cider (apple juice can be substituted)
1 tablespoon grain mustard
1/3 cup heavy cream
Gnocchi

DIRECTIONS:

"I love the old French favourites, the sorts that evoke not the supercilious waiter and theatrically removed silvered dome of the big name restaurants, but rather the small town bistro, all warm wood and rough red. This is possibly the easiest route to a proper, filling and yet strangely delicate dinner. The pork is cooked for just enough time to take away pinkness but ensure tenderness within, and gloriously scorched without. The mustard, cider and cream add comfort and piquancy. To soak up the gorgeous juices, and to serve as a fantastically quick time potato substitute, I serve up gnocchi alongside. You could always add a little lemony fennel, sliced thinly, or a green salad if you're in the mood.


Cut the fat or rind off the chops, and then bash them briefly but brutally with a rolling pin between 2 pieces of cling film/plastic wrap to make them thinner. Heat the oil in a pan, and then cook the chops over a moderately-high heat for about 5 minutes a side. Remove them to a warmed plate. Pour the cider into the pan, still over the heat, to deglaze the pan. Let it bubble away for a minute or so then add the mustard and stir in the cream. Let the sauce continue cooking for a few minutes before pouring over each plated pork chop. If you're having gnocchi with, make sure you turn them in the pan to absorb any spare juices before adding them to your plates."

UPDATE: Made these on the 2nd of August, and they were fabulous! A couple of changes, double the sauce and add a few splashes of lemon juice with the apple cider, since we're not using "hard cider".... it gives it a little kick.

Good Question

Earlier today, this question on Lorie's blog, "How Many Yards of Fabric do I Need to Reupholster?" took my breath away. I was thrilled to find a very basic tutorial link and diagram. Any sewer knows what a pain it is to try and figure out how much fabric to buy when reupholstering a piece of furniture, especially when the fabric you've fallen in love with is super expensive even on "sale". http://bedifferentactnormal.blogspot.com/

I then followed the link to the tutorial where I found a FABULOUS giveaway. So fabulous in fact, that while I was typing my comment to enter, the comment count went from 350 something to over 440! Crazy.... and yet I'm still hopeful. I really want those pillows.

http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/

I also found a couple of other inspiring blogs and a few projects I may want to tackle at a later date. Of course, I still have a few projects of my own to finish as well! Right now I'm getting ready to cut my own stencils (not the goofy, country kind) and make some simple slipcovers (also not the goofy, country kind) for my dining chairs. If all goes well, I'll post some pictures!

I Love...

SARAH RICHARDSON's SHOW, SARAH's HOUSE!!! Now that LOST is no more, this is my new obsession.

Sarah's house is the second series of hers that I'm completely addicted to. In season 3, she completely re hauled a beautiful old farm house, almost stripping every inch to the lathe, rebuilding, and putting on a charming addition as well. This is the best season so far because of her use of bold colors and the beautiful antiques she was able to incorporate, without looking too stuffy. Here are just a few of the rooms...

Her mudroom is fabulous. She added two closets and a faux antique buffet. I love the pop of red! My only criticism is, I would have put a half bath in one of those closets, even if it meant a smaller space in between. It's always good to have a place to wash up when coming in.

This yellow and white room has totally inspired me to use bright yellow. I'm redoing a bathroom and have decided to do a bright, funky shower curtain. It'll be really cheery against the dark walls.

Her kitchen is so airy and clean looking! Again, her juxtaposition of old and new is perfectly balanced and her pendants are lovely. Ms. Richardson is absolutely the queen of fabulous light fixtures. She loves to rewire vintage pieces, and her choices in this house especially, are flawless.

Pretty boy and girl rooms, and an even prettier hallway would make waking up a joy! It's also so much easier to clean up when things are organized and nice looking. Why???

This is such a charming bathroom, and now that I see this shower curtain again, I may have to just copy! Imitation is the greatest form of flattery, right?!

http://www.hgtv.ca/sarahshouse/default.aspx

Easy Microwave Treat

Cashew Brittle:

Mix 1C sugar with 1/2C white Karo syrup. Microwave for 2 minutes. Remove and stir. Add 1,1/2C cashews. Microwave for 2 minutes. Remove and stir. Add 1T. butter and 1tsp vanilla. Microwave for 1,1/2 minutes. Remove and stir in 1 tsp of baking soda and pour onto a buttered cookie sheet. Cool and break up. This is so delicious and easy! It's a perfect thank you gift or last minute party treat. Try it!

(You may have to adjust the times, depending on your microwave!)

City by the Lake

The weather in Chicago was perfect and the city just glittered against the sun and beautiful blue sky! We enjoyed a boat tour that took us out to Lake Michigan and walked around for a couple of hours, just exploring a bit. If it wasn't for the couple of minutes we lost Spencer, it would have been a perfect day!

We of course had to do the annoying touristy stuff like cruise Michigan Ave and shop a bit... all my idea. There weren't really any shops that you couldn't find in a nice suburban shopping mall, but everything was so much more exciting. Being on the 3rd floor of Crate and Barrel was kind of scary because of the open escalators and the sunglasses at Banana Republic were extra stylish!

The famous Billy Goat Tavern had delicious cheezborgers and cokes... no Pepsi. A customer behind us made the mistake of asking for chips, and was told, "Get them yourself, I'm not your mother!"

I loved learning about the famous buildings and skyscrapers, but was especially excited about the 80's movie references, like Adventures in Babysitting, Ferris Bueller's, The Untouchables, etc. I have to admit though, every time we go to Chicago I think of the movie Candyman and get a little creeped out.... Cabrini-Green, yuck.

Springfield, IL

We spent a day in Springfield, IL with Scott's family and it was lovely. It started out with each of us receiving a free breakfast at Perkins! Scott went up to pay and the gal behind the register said a customer had taken care of the bill. Of course we immediately started looking around to see who would do such a thing. Finally, a sweet older lady admitted she was the one and said, "I've never had a problem with money, just old age!" She also said she likes to see happy families but she likes to see happy teenagers even more. THANK YOU OLIVER!!!
PS. That's Scott's grandmother, not the Perkins lady.

Now, I admit to being somewhat skeptical about visiting the Lincoln museum, but it was fabulous! We couldn't take photos of the actual exhibits, but believe me, it was great! I highly recommend taking your families for a day. Also, the national Korean War museum is going there too, and you know I'm all over that like white on rice!





Spencer worked very hard on his Lincoln Log compound, yes Lincoln Log, and almost freaked out on a kid for almost destroying it with his "meteor". It was a tense couple of seconds.

The Lincoln family: Abraham, Mary Todd, Robert, William and Tad aka "Gangsta T".

Dreams of Retirement

We had a wonderful vacation in Chicago two weeks ago and it got us thinking. Where do we want to end up when it's time to "settle down"? We've often thought of buying land in the country with some chickens and a lovely garden, but now that our kids are getting older, with different interests, we're thinking outside of the box. Rooftop container garden maybe?

One of Scott's uncles is considering moving to a place in the city and it struck a cord. A CITY HOUSE!!! We love the idea and have narrowed it down to a few places... Chicago, Boston, Nashville, and Seattle. Of course this dream includes us having the money to do so when the time comes. It also includes mild winters, but dreams are dreams after all! I'm also a librarian in my dream, working in a really huge library where I can be alone surrounded by people, letting loose my love of organizing and enjoying the quiet. Of course this means I would only be semi-retired. I also imagine Scott hanging around the library, keeping me company and bringing me various ethnic foods for lunch. Ethnic foods don't smell like garlic and fish in my dream either.

OK, here are some of our reasons for this change of heart: 1. A city house/apartment would be easy to rent when we serve a couple's mission.... 2. What a fun place for adult kids to visit... 3. Being able to walk or take public transportation anywhere.... 4. Smaller is easier to take care of, (no more watering the lawn) and... 5. Pretty!!! I love urban style, especially brownstones, although I don't think there are any in Nashville.

Have you guys thought about it? Where do you want to end up?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzxK5e6Jatc&feature=related

ps. All of these pictures are of homes in NYC.

Peonies

All of my peony plants came back this year and I had beautiful, fragrant bouquets that lasted for a couple of weeks!

Peonies are really easy to grow and come in a lovely range of colors. I have all white, but some are double and some are single bloom. That was not on purpose, by the way. The garden store tagged some incorrectly, but all's well that ends well. Maybe next year I'll plant some bright pinks or reds.

I would love to have flowers or greenery in bloom every season in my garden, so I don't spend money on arrangements or wreaths at the store. Someday I'd love to have enough land for a vegetable garden and a flower garden for arrangements! Someday I'd also like to have a personal assistant/massage therapist.

A Rainbow Connection

After the rain died down, this is what appeared outside my kitchen window a few weeks ago. It only lasted a few minutes, but it was the most beautiful rainbow we had ever seen!

I Love My Family

This is mini-me dressed up for "Old People Day" at school. I've wondered at times what I will look like as a senior citizen and now I know. Meet the Korean Golden Girl.

Spencer's favorite birthday present was undoubtedly his new jersey. Grandma and Grandpa are so good... and controversial! Spencer wants to put a flag on our house with Michigan and Michigan State colors that says, "A House Divided". I vetoed the notion but gave him props for being clever.

My dad and the kids were super excited when they found this turtle wandering around his back yard. They immediately grabbed it, and put it in the bathtub to observe for a while. The turtle was not happy and started peeing all over the place, so they set it free. Then they washed their hands for a good 20 minutes.

The last two weeks of the school year were packed with an endless amount of mandatory fun celebrations and recognition days. Towards the end I wanted to scream, "OK I get it, I get it! They're really smart and this year has been a wonderful ride!!!!"

Could I be the worst mom ever?

In the three weeks of summer, we've already had about a gazillion birthday parties and play dates. While I never made any New Year's resolutions, I have committed to be better about getting the kids together with their friends over the break. I have finally come to realize that they don't always want to play with each other.

I just found this photo on my camera. Oliver, taking a picture of himself. he he

Silly husband.

Sophia the hypochondriac. If someone else has an ailment, she suddenly become symptomatic. Scott messed up his back a couple of weeks ago and suddenly Sophie had to ice her back and head as well. I wonder where she gets it from? Is symptomatic even a word?

Suzanne's Lamp Redo

I've always wondered how people customize lamp shades with coordinating fabrics. Well, the extraordinary Suzanne has recently posted a very simple tutorial on her blog, "Just Another Hangup"! She's so creative in her use of inexpensive and used items to create fun new things to decorate with.

http://justanotherhangup.blogspot.com/2010/06/lamp-shade-redo.html