Weekend Review

It was a busy weekend for us – we had a church meeting on Sunday and celebrated the Super Bowl hoopla with friends on Sunday night.  But somehow I was able to find time to get a few things done.  Here’s how I did:
House:

- Put the hide-a-bed away in the basement (something that should have been done 2 weeks ago!)  *sigh, still NOT done*

- Find a selection of (cheap) hardware for our downstairs bathroom – we need knobs, toilet paper holder, and towel bar.  (Target may be an option, but I’m still hunting)

- Continue researching paint options for our dining room and living room (I found some good options!)

- Research how to make small repairs on plaster walls (anyone have experience?) (I found some stuff online, but the real deal is going to get more serious once we see our kitchen ceiling!)

- Make hummus for lunches next week (In progress…)

- Sweep and mop the kitchen floor (it’s been neglected in my daily chores) Huzzah!  So glad I got this done.

Personal:

- remove batteries and memory card from my camera and package it to send on Monday to Chicago for repair Packed and ready to go – the snowstorm kept me from shipping it yesterday.

- Give myself an at-home facial It was lovely!

- Relax with DH before a crazy week begins! We rented a movie from Red Box and had brownies with ice cream on Saturday night!

Overall, I think I did a good job.  I may not have gotten a lot of my house research done, but I got some other stuff done that was lingering in the back of my mind.  Plus, I’m REALLY glad I got the kitchen floors clean.  They were disgusting!

Best Super Bowl Ads

I watched most of the Super Bowl last night – I’m still a little sad the Colts lost, but excited for Saints fans (it should have been the Vikings! *ahem*)

I’m actually a pretty big football fan, but half of the people I was watching with were just there for the commercials.  So here’s a few of my favorites from the night

Did a google ad really just make me tear up a little?

This one made me laugh out loud

I like that this one gives a sobering account of what is on TV – it’s not all puppies and rainbows.

Hehe! Betty white as a football player getting tackled – genius!

Apparently this references a movie I’ve never seen, but nonetheless, it still was pretty funny.

And the most awkward and hilarious of them all…

Virtual Vacation – Venice

This weeks Virtual Vacation, we’re going to Italy! I’ve never been to Italy, but I’ve always wanted to visit. For some reason, I’ve always been fascinated by Venice. Enjoy a little vacation this weekend – maybe it will distract all of us from this never ending winter!

Exploring the canals and bridges of Venice.

Lunch at an outdoor cafe – sounds lovely!

Perhaps some shopping?

One more romantic gondola ride…

A nice warm sunset…

Ahhhh, that feels better…

Weekend Planning

It’s time for another edition of Weekend Planning!  I neglected to share my plans last week, and frankly, I can’t remember if I actually got anything done.  Whoops.  Hopefully this time around, sharing it with you will help keep me accountable!
House:

- Put the hide-a-bed away in the basement (something that should have been done 2 weeks ago!)

- Find a selection of (cheap) hardware for our downstairs bathroom – we need knobs, toiled paper holder, and towel bar.

- Continue researching paint options for our dining room and living room

- Research how to make small repairs on plaster walls (anyone have experience?)

- Make hummus for lunches next week

- Sweep and mop the kitchen floor (it’s been neglected in my daily chores)

Personal:

- remove batteries and memory card from my camera and package it to send on Monday to Chicago for repair

- Give myself an at-home facial

- Relax with DH before a crazy week begins!

How about you? What are your weekend plans?

Keeping Your House Clean – A Year of Biggies

A few weeks back, I posted about how I try to keep our house tidy by making sure everything has a home.  And then last week, my friend Jill shared about how she keeps her life in order with a home management binder.  An idea I still have’t put into practice, all in good time though, right?

Well, I was thinking about the bigger tasks that are easy to forget – ya know, like getting your oil changed regularly? Or changing your furnace filter?

So I made a list of “the biggies” – things around the house that need to be done annually, and then divided them up by month.  Feel free to make your own list, and then plug them into your calendar so you don’t forget!

You know you want to be like Martha and get your cleaning groove on.

January: Clean medicine cabinets; toss expired meds.

February: Clean all the hard-to-reach places: behind the stove, refrigerator, washer/ dryer, sofas and under beds.

March: Steam-clean carpets.

April: Organize the pantry and kitchen cabinets.

May: Wash windows and screens.

June: Wash duvets, blankets, comforters, spreads, pillows.

July: Clean and organize the garage.  Ditto with the basement.  Toss or donate items you don’t use anymore.

August: Clean out drawers and closets. Donate usable clothing and items to charity.

September: Defrost and clean freezer, refrigerator, stove, oven.

October: Clean your gutters after the leaves fall.

November: Polish silver, wash china, dust inside the china cabinet. (Just in time for the holidays!)

December: Turn mattresses; vacuum upholstered furniture and drapes.

What to Do With a Plate Rail?

We have a plate rail in our dining room.

A photo from our final walk through before purchasing our house.

I consistently struggle with what to do with the plate rail.  Should I put plates on it? Pictures? Nothing?  It goes around the entire room like a skinny stripe at eye level, and while it looks pretty, it makes decorating awkward.   Furniture needs to be just the right height, otherwise it looks incredibly misplaced.

Currently, I have a smattering of odds and ends on the plate rail: some tea cups and saucers around one side of the room, which is way more country than my typical style, and a little collection of photos and a pretty platter on the other side above the piano.

But when I saw this post over at Little Green Notebook, I wondered if it might offer some inspiration:

Picture rails are hung a bit higher (usually near the top of the wall) than plate rails, and then the pictures are hung from the rail.  The picture above shows a slightly lower picture rail, almost the same height as my plate rail!  As soon as I saw it, I thought to myself, “Finally! something that is similar!”

I’m not sure if I would actually hang pictures from our plate rail, but I like the idea of a collection of frames at different heights.

Or, I could hang photos just above the plate rail, like in this photo.  I like how this is very clean and simple, not cluttered or fussy.

Or a more punchy dining room with a similar idea.

I think all of these options are much more interesting than the typical row of plates I’ve seen in plate rail photos online.

To me, these always look like a parade of plates or accessories.  It starts to look tacky and cluttered.

Now that I have a few more ideas and I look back at our dining room, I’m reminded (yet again!) of how much I want to paint that room!  The forrest green makes the room feel like a cave at night, and while the golden yellow is nice and cozy, we have that color in abundance elsewhere in the house.  I think it will end up being something a bit lighter – either an ivory, or a pale gray green/blue.

Question for the crowd: Do you have an architectural features in your home that have stumped you?  The plate rail has always been difficult for me, what about you?

Menu Mondays – Indian Lentils & Cauliflower

I’m bringing back Menu Mondays! This is for two of my friends who said they don’t have good lentil recipes – to which I say, how can that be?!? I used to hate lentils, but that was before I found out how much I loved Indian cooking. The great thing about lentils is that they’re cheap but filling! You can find brown, green, or yellow lentils at most super markets, and if you want to get fancy you can find special daal (that’s lentils) at Asian or international markets in most major cities.

I’ve made this recipe several times. It’s very easy and the ingredients are easy to find, even though it’s Indian. The flavors are subtle, but delicious.  You can easily substitute other vegetables and just adjust the cooking time.  Serve this with hot basmati rice.

Ingredients

1 cup yellow split mung beans (you can substitute yellow lentils, but I prefer the flavor of the mung/moong)

2/3 cup finely chopped onions

1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger root

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/3 teaspoon turmeric

3 medium-sized potatoes (3/4 pound), peeled and quartered

1/2 small cauliflower cut into 1 1/2 inch flowerets (about 2-3 cups)

1 table spoon of salt

For the tadka (which is a fancy glaze at the end):

12 tablespoons of ghee (clarified butter – use light vegetable oil as substitute.  We use about half of the amount)

1 teaspoon cumin seeds (NOT powder)

2-4 green chilies, seeded and minced, or 1/4 -1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons of lemon juice

2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. Pick over, clean and wash beans or lentils.  Use a wire strainer if needed.
2. Put the mung beans in a deep pot, along with chopped onions, ginger, garlic, and 3 cups of water.  Add turmeric, and bring to a boil.  Watch the pot carefully, because the water will foam FAST once it boils.  Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for 15 minutes or until beans/lentils are cooked.  Add extra water if needed.  (I’ve found that it takes closer to 30 mins to get the beans/lentils well cooked)
3. Add potatoes, cauliflower, salt, and 2 more cups of water, and cook for an additional 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the beans are thoroughly cooked.
4. To make the tadka:  Heat the ghee over high heat in a small frying pan.  When it is hot, add the cumin seeds and fry until they turn brown, being careful not to burn the seeds (15 seconds!)  Add green chilies or pepper, and stir.  Immediately pour the contents into the stew.  Add lemon juice and chopped coriander to the stew.  Stir well to mix.  Check for salt, and serve the stew with a bowl of hot basmati rice.

Serves 6 people.

Virtual Vacation – Alaska

An atypical winter vacation – today we’re going to Alaska.  I’ve always wanted to visit and everyone says it is BEAUTIFUL.  Here’s a little virtual vacation for you! Enjoy.

Social Networking Venn Diagram

I saw this yesterday, and it made me laugh.

Does tweetstalk really exist?

How Do You Read A Blog?

Recently, I discovered the wonder of RSS.  I know I’m behind the game a little, but at least I found it! It has been SUCH a timesaver for me.  I enjoy reading blogs and exploring all of the creative things people are doing, the fun stories, and the little helpful tips shared by strangers and friends.  And if I didn’t have RSS, I would (and could!) waste hours upon hours clicking through bookmarks and then clicking on someone else’s bookmarked blogs that they list in their blog and, before you know it, I’m in a black hole of procrastination. Someone help me.

How does RSS work? Honestly, I don’t understand it completely, even though I like to consider myself fairly tech-savvy.  What I do know is that most blogs have a subscription or “feed” you can click on – often the button looks something like this:

It’s like the Target logo cut in quarters.  Or, if you surf the web using Safari, at the very end of the address line, there’s a handy little RSS button that has a similar function.

I haven’t explored much with RSS, but basically, you can start clicking on the RSS icons, and go to a RSS reader of your choice (google has one built in to Gmail) and read your syndicated feeds in ONE place.  You won’t get the full viewing experience since it’s JUST the post content, not all the prettiness of your favorite website.  But, if you’re like me, it saves tons of time clicking through bookmarks and helps me avoid the black hole of endless blog surfing.

I’ve started using RSS and reading blogs on Mail, the email client for Macs.  So I don’t even have to open a browser! And when a new post has gone up, a little number shows up indicating the number of new posts available for reading, just like email.  The news comes to me, instead of me searching for the news, which is BRILLIANT!

So, I’m curious, how do you read blogs? Bookmarks? Google Friend Connect? (I don’t even know how that works!) RSS?  Just curious!

For more on RSS and blogging, go here, here, and here.

Of, if you’re a visual learner, watch this video!