Ma chambre

So I have landed back at home after 3 years of adventure. I spent my winters in Colorado and my summers traveling. Now I am on the quest to finding a "big girl" job. I am coming to terms with the idea that I need to go back to Graduate school...my major was French...need I say more? Whilst I was away my parents moved. As happy as I am for them, I miss quirks about my childhood home. Creaks of the hard wood floors, the way my room was the coldest (now it is the hottest) the view, walking distance from town etc. Seeing whereas I haven’t spent ALL my time job searching (as I should) I have taken the time to turn my space into, well mine. The new place has its advantages: a nice wrap around porch, a creek, my own bathroom (as opposed to it doubling as the guest bath) and more square footage. I think my new room is double the size of the old one.
My bedspread is Croscill’s PONZIO that I love! The bed itself is the only thing of my grandmother’s that I really wanted. The stars above are those paper lanterns without the light kits. I haven’t sorted out curtains yet... the cat likes to sit on the dresser and look out the window, so as much as I like to sit some plants there...well if you have cats you understand.

This painting is called “October” by Tissot. When I was studying in Quebec we went on a trip to Le Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal. I fell in love with this piece! So much so that a very special ex-beau of mine bought this reproduction on canvas for my birthday last year.

The top left is a very unique piece. I bought it off an artist in Bayonne: Erwin Dazelle. He sketches at the tauromachie and he formed this out of an ink blot on the page...he said it just happened naturally. The one below it is the Tour Eiffel cover in snow that I found at Target years ago. The other side is all photos I took. The top two were taken in Savannah. The group of three are of: Bordeaux, Bazouges-sur-le-Loir, and Angoulême. The one of the Tour Eiffel was taken on my first trip to France as an exchange student in High School.


The bookcase is nothing exciting; I refinished it to look like my desk, which is currently serving as my TV stand...and my attempt at art that I’ve yet to hang. I am so thankful to have wonderful parents who welcome me home, wherever it is, after my wanderings. So for anyone reading out there in blog-land...THIS is my sense of style.

La Poste

I am a fan of the handwritten letter. There is something about going to the mailbox and seeing that someone has taken the time to sit down to write you a letter. Yes, I email, facebook and well blogging is a whole other creature...but I love real, tangible mail.

Here is a piece by NPR’s Brian Naylor: Post Office Forced To Rethink Model In Digital Age

Some of the main ideas are closing some branches and reducing delivery days. And as I’m not the authority all I can say is what I know. In France, La Poste is also a bank and offers several services in their locales. One thing they do have is a lovely automated touch screen system. You select your language (they offer all those in the EU) place your mail on the scale, answer a few basic questions, print your stamp and voilà: put it in the out of town slot! Also in the little towns I visited, not only were they closed on the weekends: they closed for lunch – everyday. In England some of their post offices were in the back of a convenience store...so blinkin’ convenient! I’m not sure about the pension and health benefits portion of the equation. I just hope our Postmaster General and Congress can sort it all out...in the meantime, take the time to write a handwritten letter to someone. It will brighten their day as well as save a dying tradition.

Winter Gardening: Forced Blooms - SouthernLiving.com

Winter Gardening: Forced Blooms - Photos - SouthernLiving.com

Photo: Erica George DinesArticle: Kate Karam

This is my inspiration for the day...to clean house! I could sit in that chair with a good book all morning...but alas, things to do...jobs to search for...*sigh* Let's get to work!

Whitman's Bakery...a sad tale of change in ownership

This used to be my favorite place to eat. I used to grab a pastry with my dad before he took me to school at least once a week. Every summer when we had company it was always on the itinerary to show off Whitman's, the best hot dogs I had ever eaten. It was THE place to stop on a rainy afternoon to get a yummy date bar or a fresh cookie.

Not anymore. It looks the same, but that is all. The standards are not as high as they were with the original family and staff that made the "old" Whitman's a treasure. If you wanted something to drink I recommend you go in to see the splendor that once was...but quality and the heart of Whitman's will never be the same. I ate there today and was not impressed. Sadly I think it was my last visit. I do hope it turns around, as it USED to be such a joy.

Trip Advisor's reviews.

Are you feeling the love?

My near & dears will be! Here's what I've accomplished with my recent down time: handmade Valentine cards. I used some of my Grandmother's lace for a few of the cards and bien sûr my Martha Stewart glitters. The card middle-bottom is called quilling or paper filigree. I first heard of it whilst substitute teaching for an art class a few years ago. The instructions were poor, so thanks again to Martha, all the kiddies went home with something to show off. And now so have I.

So here they are...Happy Valentine's Day!

Comfort Food

Sometimes a home cooked meal just makes you feel better.

My grandmother passed away on her birthday, January 31, 2010. It is a bittersweet thing, we will of course miss her... I always pictured her coming with me & my mother to pick out my wedding dress. She had impeccable taste. But she was suffering, so I wouldn't bring her back. I know she is up in heaven having the time of her life.

She was firm believer in eating, it was always: "you eat good now" or "what can I fix ya" even as her health was fading. Her funeral was on Thursday...so yesterday the whole week caught up with us. The sleet and rain just added to our mood. So it was defiantly a time for comfort food.

I decided to make Martha Stewart's Italian Pot Pies. I've made them before and they are easy and hearty. The recipe is from Everyday Food, December 2008. It is the Italian rendition of shepherd's pie.

Prep: 25 minutes
Total: 35 minutes

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, finely chopped
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 pound ground beef sirloin, thawed if frozen
• 2 cups homemade or best-quality store-bought tomato sauce
• 1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan (1 ounce)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 cup whole milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees, with rack in lowest position. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium. Add onion and carrots; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add beef, and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce; bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until meat mixture has thickened, 8 to 10 minutes; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, Parmesan, baking powder, rosemary, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; make a well in center, and add butter and milk. Stir just until dough comes together.
3. Spoon meat mixture into four 8-ounce ramekins; mound dough on top. Place on a large rimmed baking sheet; bake until topping is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in topping comes out clean, 10 to 12 minutes.

Last night I realized I was out of tomato sauce, and with all the snow and slush it was not worth a trip to the store. So I substituted with Prego's traditional italian sauce. It gave it a lot more flavor, so it actually turned out to be a good thing!

By the time dinner was over, bellies full, we felt just that little bit better. And knowing Nan would've been pleased made it even more enjoyable.

These are a few of my favorite things...

My Kozi Neck Wrap has got to be my number one favorite thing right now. I was fortunate enough to receive a gift certificate to the Spa at Biltmore...they treat you like a queen! While you are waiting on your appointment they slip one of these around your shoulders. INSTANT relaxation. I suffered whiplash in a car accident I had some years ago. Should have gone to the Dr. but in being stubborn...let's just say this does wonders on my bad days.

With all the snow and rain we've been getting, another of the moment favorite is my J-41 Adventure On heels. Their romance designs are all cute as can be. I have the "fabulous" design in distressed brown. They are perfect with jeans and guaranteed not to slip, now tripping...well, they don't make you klutz free ;-)

Although I do not have a Valentine this year, I still LOVE Valentine's Day! So I am making cards for my near & dears...and it wouldn't be possible without my Martha Stewart glitters. I got the 18 Piece Gemstone Glitter Set for Christmas. I'll post pictures of the finished products.


My H&M skinny pants are another favorite of mine. I just love the side details!












I am not a fan of wrinkles or ironing. The solution: steaming! I had a bigger floor unit and the heating element finally went bust. So thanks to my loving parents, I got a hand held for Christmas! It is so much more convenient.




I'm a HUGE fan of jewelry...and I am extremely picky. I love unusual pieces: fossils, hand carved details...unique settings. I could go on and on about jewelry! So usually I don't go for catalog jewelry, as most of the time I could make it myself for half the price, but when I saw this little piece I had to have it. From Urban Outfitters...of course it has a french theme: fleur-de-lis, tour eiffel, and even one with the inscription la bonne vie. And it is a good life!

Of course, these are not ALL my favorite things...but just a few for now...