It’s tax day. I’m in denial. In fact, I mailed in our $$$ on Monday, because I cannot bear to think of the lines at the post office today. What can you say about April 15th, other than “glad it’s over”? So instead, let’s talk magazines.
On Friday morning, I spent almost an hour at my local Barnes & Noble with a big stack of mags, doing triage. (What must be bought? What was eh and could be flipped through and returned to the racks?) I ended up purchasing House Beautiful, as well as Martha’s latest “good things” issue, even though I realize it will make me even more neurotic than usual. It’s all about choosing the greenest items for your home, from coffee to canned goods to lightbulbs. And let’s take the section on canned goods as an example. For years, I’ve been blissfully unaware of the dangers lurking in canned foods. Chances are you’re also not too concerned. But now, thanks to Martha, I’ve been alerted to the dangers of BPA, which is in the epoxy resin that coats the interior of the can.
Do I really need to know this?
I mean, I already have the reputation of being someone who operates at DefCon Ten, and that was before I knew about any of this. Seriously. As someone who becomes convinced (if only for a moment) that she has the illness of the month, (i.e. if it’s May, I’m hyper alert for skin cancer), this may be hurting more than helping.
You may be asking yourself, well then why, silly girl, did you buy this? I was sucked in by the nifty little feature about green do-it-yourself cleaners. And truth be told, the pretty package got me as well.
While I was busy at triage, R brought this nifty little totebag over to show me. It brought a smile to my face. I am wondering 1. who thought this up and 2. who will buy it and take it home.
See you tomorrow. I am giddy with anticipation for tomorrow. It’s rumored to hit 70, which will be the first time since, oh, October! Please be true!
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Another weekend is behind us. No soccer (the fields are too wet to play on), but we had plenty of errands to keep us occupied. On Saturday, we had to run a sample door (and countertops) to the kitchen designer, and then picked up lunch, before we made the hour drive back home, with a quick stop for some shopping at Sephora (My latest purchase was not hall-of-fame material. In fact, it was useless. Back it went.) and JCrew (shorts and swimsuit shopping for the boys. I’m hopeful we’ll need them warm weather clothes someday). It was a rainy, cold day.
Sunday morning was sunny, but cold. Perfect for baking the easiest breakfast recipe I’ve seen yet. The May issue of Real Simple has a “fake it” recipe for chocolate croissants. So simple: buy a tube of 8 crescent rolls, put 10 chocolate chips in each before rolling up, and bake for 12-14 minutes at 375. Confession: I used 12 chocolate chips! If 10 was good, 12 had to be better, right? They were awesome! Even my husband, who does not have the bakery problem that I suffer from, ate them. All 8 were gone within minutes. We’re having these again next Sunday, for sure. (If I can hold out that long.)
More on magazines tomorrow. See you then.
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Rain, rain, go away (but I am glad you’re not snow). Hey, Mother Nature, how about some regular old spring weather? I’m ready.
On with the Five:
- Red-Shafted Flicker
- Splash
- settings
- Neighbourhood Watch
- Entrance to spring
Hope your weekend is warm and sunny. When you’re finished, send it our way.
See you Monday.
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I finished In Treatment on Wednesday. What a great show that was, complete with satisfying ending, and totally worth the $15 HBO monthly fee. By the end, I noticed my mindset evolving into therapist mode. I caught myself analyzing my thoughts, and wondering what Gabriel Byrne would have to say. In addition, I sobbed during Sophie’s last session. She absolutely was my favorite patient. I had to watch that episode twice: the first, for me. The second time, to show my husband how great it was. I think he liked it, too.
Now, it’s time to get back to the things I put on hold while I slogged through the On Demand menu. Like decorating the house. My son’s room got a jump start over the weekend with his new bookcase (pictured above). Prior to this, at the end of his bed was a gorgeous blue wooden toy chest, handmade by his grandfather. It was perfect when he was younger, and held all sorts of bounty: legos, Star Wars figures, and pretty much anything that was laying around at bedtime. Lately, though, it held little to nothing, while piles of books started to accumulate around his bedroom (I wonder who he takes after!) Next up? (Other than the kitchen remodel lurking in the not-too-distant future?) Window treatments for his bedroom. The current models are faded and slowly falling apart. After that, I need to select a paint color for our bedroom. Any suggestions?
Back tomorrow with the Five.
Update: Today’s NYTimes Home & Garden section is all about kitchens. And while I’ve already committed to cabinetry, that will not stop me from reading about Christopher Peacock, and dreaming ….
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Oh, do I love to anticipate. Weekly, it’s the new magazines arriving on stands. What’s new? Which cover speaks to me? What article do I have to read? Where is my subscriber copy? (the downside to anticipation) Sometimes, it’s as simple as planning a dinner out on Saturday night, or a movie finally making it to theatres. Often, thanks to Amazon’s shopping cart, it’s books. I “add to cart”, knowing it could be months until the release date. Better to keep the list there than in my head. Two books I’m eagerly (avidly? crazily?) anticipating are:
- Martha Stewart’s Cooking School Does this seem tailor made for me or what???? It taps into my fears that I am an inadequate cook by promising to teach me technique, and then promises the full Martha Stewart beautifully produced with lots of gorgeous photos format. I am so in, and by the release date, our kitchen remodel will be complete and ready to go. When is that release date? Oh, the book comes out on October 21. That’s right. Our trees are still bare, no tulips have peeked out to greet us, the robins just got here, and I’m anticipating fall.
- Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics If I flunk out of cooking school, I know that Ina Garten’s got me covered the next week with a book that I’m sure to love. I’ve watched enough of her Food Network shows to believe that I can make almost anything she’s featured, but that it would taste even better if I could run around the Hamptons first to pick up the ingredients, and some pretty flowers, too, while I’m there. Release date? October 28. (yikes – that’s almost Halloween)
You may be wondering at this point what the photo has to do with anticipation. It’s simple: I picked up this lovely mini decanter (for lack of a more proper and descriptive word) at Arcanum in Savannah. My plan? To use it to serve simple syrup for iced tea. Release date? Hopefully, iced tea weather will hit very soon …..
See you tomorrow.
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