Monday, April 30, 2012

My Visit with Martha Stewart

Saturday was the book signing at Costco in Leesburg, VA with Martha.  This was an all day event for us.

We left Cheverly at 9:30 AM and made our way to Leesburg in an hour and a half thanks to the trusty Tom Tom GPS.  I love the Tom Tom.  We used it while we were in California a couple of years ago and it is wonderful.  But we'll talk about Tom Tom another time.

We got to the store around 11:00 AM, picked up our new membership cards and then made our way to the book section.  Steven bought a Martha's Favorite American Food book for himself and one for our friend Bev who sadly was not with us.  Checkout was a breeze.  This store is impeccably run.  Wonderful selection.  Clean, wide aisles and friendly and helpful staff.

We made our way around the building to the line and found our spot around 11:20 AM.  We had a good group at our spot in line.  Everyone very pleasant and looking forward to meeting Martha.

While we were waiting for her, there was lots of hustle and bustle inside the store.  She arrived on-time.


She started signing books right away.



We eagerly awaited our turn.  Finally, there we were.


Here she is signing a stack of books for one of our friends in line.


 

And finally, here is a picture of Martha signing my personal copy of Entertaining II which was released last year.  I brought the book with me hoping that she would sign it for me and she graciously agreed to do so in addition to the signature I received in her most recent book.

It was a wonderful day and I am so glad we got a chance to meet her even if it was for only a few minutes.

My Visit with Martha Stewart

Saturday was the book signing at Costco in Leesburg, VA with Martha.  This was an all day event for us.

We left Cheverly at 9:30 AM and made our way to Leesburg in an hour and a half thanks to the trusty Tom Tom GPS.  I love the Tom Tom.  We used it while we were in California a couple of years ago and it is wonderful.  But we'll talk about Tom Tom another time.

We got to the store around 11:00 AM, picked up our new membership cards and then made our way to the book section.  Steven bought a Martha's Favorite American Food book for himself and one for our friend Bev who sadly was not with us.  Checkout was a breeze.  This store is impeccably run.  Wonderful selection.  Clean, wide aisles and friendly and helpful staff.

We made our way around the building to the line and found our spot around 11:20 AM.  We had a good group at our spot in line.  Everyone very pleasant and looking forward to meeting Martha.

While we were waiting for her, there was lots of hustle and bustle inside the store.  She arrived on-time.


She started signing books right away.



We eagerly awaited our turn.  Finally, there we were.


Here she is signing a stack of books for one of our friends in line.


 

And finally, here is a picture of Martha signing my personal copy of Entertaining II which was released last year.  I brought the book with me hoping that she would sign it for me and she graciously agreed to do so in addition to the signature I received in her most recent book.

It was a wonderful day and I am so glad we got a chance to meet her even if it was for only a few minutes.

Friday, April 27, 2012

A Message from Baxter

It's my Dingo.  Don't even THINK about taking it.

A Message from Baxter

It's my Dingo.  Don't even THINK about taking it.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

A New Centerpiece for the Dining Room Table

I wanted something new for the dining room table.  Something different.  I have grown weary of a bowl of potpourri or cachepot of fresh flowers of the week.  So, I took a chance and bought something very different.  And here it is.


I like it.  The dining room table seats eight and the size of this is proportionate to the table.  I did not know exactly what I wanted to place in it, so I found these candles that are battery operated.  I like this look but I will experiment with some different things before I finally settle on what I think will work best.

And of course you see Martha's new book, Martha's American Food, which was just released today.  I called my local Books-A-Million store yesterday and had them hold their one and only copy at the front counter with my name until I could get there to pick it up today.  She will be visiting the Costco in Leesburg, VA this Saturday from Noon - 2:00 PM.  Guess who will be there, book in hand to meet the venerable Mrs. Stewart.  You guessed it.  Me!  I'm sure with probably thousands of other people.  But it will be a fun event and I'm looking forward to it.

A New Centerpiece for the Dining Room Table

I wanted something new for the dining room table.  Something different.  I have grown weary of a bowl of potpourri or cachepot of fresh flowers of the week.  So, I took a chance and bought something very different.  And here it is.


I like it.  The dining room table seats eight and the size of this is proportionate to the table.  I did not know exactly what I wanted to place in it, so I found these candles that are battery operated.  I like this look but I will experiment with some different things before I finally settle on what I think will work best.

And of course you see Martha's new book, Martha's American Food, which was just released today.  I called my local Books-A-Million store yesterday and had them hold their one and only copy at the front counter with my name until I could get there to pick it up today.  She will be visiting the Costco in Leesburg, VA this Saturday from Noon - 2:00 PM.  Guess who will be there, book in hand to meet the venerable Mrs. Stewart.  You guessed it.  Me!  I'm sure with probably thousands of other people.  But it will be a fun event and I'm looking forward to it.

Quick Dinner or Lunch Prep

Here is an idea that you can put together very quickly that will help with preparing dinner or even lunch.  I put this together this evening in about 5 minutes. Just place some basic salad making items in a plastic container and keep it covered in the refrigerator.  Then, when it's time to put together a side salad for dinner or lunch, you've got everything in one place.

I have placed in here a couple hard-cooked eggs, an avocado, some tomato, onion, cilantro and iceberg lettuce.  The three small plastic containers hold a blend of grated cheeses and some jalapeno rings.  I find that using the small containers for cheeses and such helps with portion control also.  These small containers can be purchased in bulk at Sam's Club.


I use Ziploc containers.  They do a good job of keeping food fresh and they are not expensive.  And they are durable.  Most of my containers have been through the dishwasher numerous times.  Also, if you lose one it's OK because you didn't invest enormous amounts of money in expensive containers.


Quick Dinner or Lunch Prep

Here is an idea that you can put together very quickly that will help with preparing dinner or even lunch.  I put this together this evening in about 5 minutes. Just place some basic salad making items in a plastic container and keep it covered in the refrigerator.  Then, when it's time to put together a side salad for dinner or lunch, you've got everything in one place.

I have placed in here a couple hard-cooked eggs, an avocado, some tomato, onion, cilantro and iceberg lettuce.  The three small plastic containers hold a blend of grated cheeses and some jalapeno rings.  I find that using the small containers for cheeses and such helps with portion control also.  These small containers can be purchased in bulk at Sam's Club.


I use Ziploc containers.  They do a good job of keeping food fresh and they are not expensive.  And they are durable.  Most of my containers have been through the dishwasher numerous times.  Also, if you lose one it's OK because you didn't invest enormous amounts of money in expensive containers.


Monday, April 23, 2012

Deck and Patio upgrades

It will soon be time to open the deck and patio for the outdoor entertaining season.  Sometimes the smallest improvements make all the difference.

This iron bracket hangs over the deck and holds a set of wind chimes as you can see in this picture.  The bracket was not installed correctly.  The bottom screw was never fully fastened to the corner board.  I removed the bracket and drilled the holes a little larger to accommodate the screws.  Then I installed another matching bracket perpendicular to this one on the facing board a little higher.  I bought two matching bronze colored chandeliers that are lit from a center hanging pendant.


I removed the wind chimes and hung the two chandeliers on this corner, as you see below.


Then I did some touch up caulking and painting.  What a nice look.  I like the cantilever installation here rather than placing them both at the same height on the corner.  These chandeliers will be a nice addition to the deck when I have friends over for cocktails once the weather warms up.

NOTE:  These chandeliers are not meant to be left out all the time.  I put two cup hooks in the ceiling of the shed and they reside there until party time.

These chandeliers are from the Colin Cowie collection.

Deck and Patio upgrades

It will soon be time to open the deck and patio for the outdoor entertaining season.  Sometimes the smallest improvements make all the difference.

This iron bracket hangs over the deck and holds a set of wind chimes as you can see in this picture.  The bracket was not installed correctly.  The bottom screw was never fully fastened to the corner board.  I removed the bracket and drilled the holes a little larger to accommodate the screws.  Then I installed another matching bracket perpendicular to this one on the facing board a little higher.  I bought two matching bronze colored chandeliers that are lit from a center hanging pendant.


I removed the wind chimes and hung the two chandeliers on this corner, as you see below.


Then I did some touch up caulking and painting.  What a nice look.  I like the cantilever installation here rather than placing them both at the same height on the corner.  These chandeliers will be a nice addition to the deck when I have friends over for cocktails once the weather warms up.

NOTE:  These chandeliers are not meant to be left out all the time.  I put two cup hooks in the ceiling of the shed and they reside there until party time.

These chandeliers are from the Colin Cowie collection.

Easter Brunch Post, . . . albeit a little Late

Again, for reasons unknown to me, the pictures I took on Easter Sunday just arrived in my inbox.  I might have to contact my cell phone carrier and see what is going on.  Before I do that I think I'll delete some of the pictures currently on my phone.  That might take care of the problem.  All I know is that it should not take a month for pictures to make their way from my cell phone to my inbox.  The cell phone Michael Douglas used in "Wall Street" could do a better job than that!!

On Easter Sunday we gathered with Steven's brother Bob and our good friend Lea for a little Easter brunch at Dewey Street.  Steven runs http://www.our-home-improvements.blogspot.com/ from there.  It was a gorgeous Easter Sunday so we started with bloody marys on the deck.



Then we moved inside to the breakfast counter where Steven was serving belgian waffles and other delights.


A pretty presentation.



The waffles were so incredibly delicious that I could not possibly do them justice with mere words.  The batter was made the night before and then a few final ingredients were added on Sunday just before he started baking them.  They were very light, almost like a Scandanavian Rosette Cookie.  He served a sweet and savory brunch with the waffles being sweet and a hash with poached eggs as the savory.  Everything was scrumptious.  I particularly liked these red plates for the waffles and strawberries.  I'm usually not a fan of colored plates or plates with any sort of design because I think they interfere with the presentation of the food, which to me is as important as the taste of what I am serving.  But in this case, they work.


Finally, I would be remiss if I did not include the picture of the waffle plate with Bob's finger proudly reaching for maybe a bit of whipped cream.  Be careful when you are around blogger's.  Anything and everything is usually be filmed.

Easter Brunch Post, . . . albeit a little Late

Again, for reasons unknown to me, the pictures I took on Easter Sunday just arrived in my inbox.  I might have to contact my cell phone carrier and see what is going on.  Before I do that I think I'll delete some of the pictures currently on my phone.  That might take care of the problem.  All I know is that it should not take a month for pictures to make their way from my cell phone to my inbox.  The cell phone Michael Douglas used in "Wall Street" could do a better job than that!!

On Easter Sunday we gathered with Steven's brother Bob and our good friend Lea for a little Easter brunch at Dewey Street.  Steven runs http://www.our-home-improvements.blogspot.com/ from there.  It was a gorgeous Easter Sunday so we started with bloody marys on the deck.



Then we moved inside to the breakfast counter where Steven was serving belgian waffles and other delights.


A pretty presentation.



The waffles were so incredibly delicious that I could not possibly do them justice with mere words.  The batter was made the night before and then a few final ingredients were added on Sunday just before he started baking them.  They were very light, almost like a Scandanavian Rosette Cookie.  He served a sweet and savory brunch with the waffles being sweet and a hash with poached eggs as the savory.  Everything was scrumptious.  I particularly liked these red plates for the waffles and strawberries.  I'm usually not a fan of colored plates or plates with any sort of design because I think they interfere with the presentation of the food, which to me is as important as the taste of what I am serving.  But in this case, they work.


Finally, I would be remiss if I did not include the picture of the waffle plate with Bob's finger proudly reaching for maybe a bit of whipped cream.  Be careful when you are around blogger's.  Anything and everything is usually be filmed.

My Trip to Orange, Part Deux

You will recall my recent trip to Orange, VA to visit my aunt and to have lunch with my mother and grandmother.  On that trip I used my cell phone to take a few pictures.  When I returned I attempted to download those pictures by sending them to my email address as I have done hundreds of times before.  For reasons still unknown to me, the pictures would not show up in my mailbox.  I decided there were more pressing issues to deal with and moved on.  To my surprise, the pictures showed up in my mailbox all of a sudden.  No explanation.  Just "boom", there they were.  So here are a couple of pictures I will share with you from that visit during the last weekend of March.


A beautiful dogwood tree in full bloom at the entrance to my hotel.  Stunning.  I have a neighbor who has one of these trees in their yard and it is spectacular at this time of year.  I should see about finding one of these to add to the magical forest I am planting at Crest Avenue in the back yard.

 
And here is another shot of the front the the train station located on Main Street with a marker giving some history of the town.  The tall tower on the right in the background is the County Courthouse.  All along Main Street are various antique and specialty shops.  It was a delightful day.

My Trip to Orange, Part Deux

You will recall my recent trip to Orange, VA to visit my aunt and to have lunch with my mother and grandmother.  On that trip I used my cell phone to take a few pictures.  When I returned I attempted to download those pictures by sending them to my email address as I have done hundreds of times before.  For reasons still unknown to me, the pictures would not show up in my mailbox.  I decided there were more pressing issues to deal with and moved on.  To my surprise, the pictures showed up in my mailbox all of a sudden.  No explanation.  Just "boom", there they were.  So here are a couple of pictures I will share with you from that visit during the last weekend of March.


A beautiful dogwood tree in full bloom at the entrance to my hotel.  Stunning.  I have a neighbor who has one of these trees in their yard and it is spectacular at this time of year.  I should see about finding one of these to add to the magical forest I am planting at Crest Avenue in the back yard.

 
And here is another shot of the front the the train station located on Main Street with a marker giving some history of the town.  The tall tower on the right in the background is the County Courthouse.  All along Main Street are various antique and specialty shops.  It was a delightful day.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Tall Fescue

I posted earlier this week about my yard improvements that I've been working on this early spring.  In that post I stated that I used Tall Fescue grass seed from Lowe's.


I thought I would give a little more information on this seed in this post in case anyone is in the process of choosing which seed to use in their yard.  The information below was taken directly from their site and gives a good description of what you can expect from this seed.

___________________________________________________________________________

Most grass seed can't take the heat, but Sta-Green Tall Fescue thrives in it. Specially formulated to prosper in even the harshest summer conditions, this professional-grade turf seed utilizes our exclusive Nitro-Fuze™ technology for healthier, greener grass that requires less watering and fertilizer. With its superior drought and brown patch resistance, not even the dog days of summer can get in the way of the perfect lawn.

Where to Plant
Best in full sun, moderate shade and high-traffic areas

When to Plant
Ideal planting conditions occur in spring and fall

Ideal Planting Temperature
Between 60°F and 80°F

How Much It Covers
New Lawn / Bare Spot Repair: Up to 2,200 square feet
Overseeding: Up to 5,000 square feet

Tall Fescue

I posted earlier this week about my yard improvements that I've been working on this early spring.  In that post I stated that I used Tall Fescue grass seed from Lowe's.


I thought I would give a little more information on this seed in this post in case anyone is in the process of choosing which seed to use in their yard.  The information below was taken directly from their site and gives a good description of what you can expect from this seed.

___________________________________________________________________________

Most grass seed can't take the heat, but Sta-Green Tall Fescue thrives in it. Specially formulated to prosper in even the harshest summer conditions, this professional-grade turf seed utilizes our exclusive Nitro-Fuze™ technology for healthier, greener grass that requires less watering and fertilizer. With its superior drought and brown patch resistance, not even the dog days of summer can get in the way of the perfect lawn.

Where to Plant
Best in full sun, moderate shade and high-traffic areas

When to Plant
Ideal planting conditions occur in spring and fall

Ideal Planting Temperature
Between 60°F and 80°F

How Much It Covers
New Lawn / Bare Spot Repair: Up to 2,200 square feet
Overseeding: Up to 5,000 square feet

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Yard Improvements

For the past several years, I have been letting the ivy slowly make its way across the front yard.  My initial plan was to let it take over this entire section of the front yard from the privet hedge to the dwarf boxwoods and then all the way to the street sidewalk.  As often happens, I have changed my mind.  I wanted to give the yard a more finished, tailored look.  So I decided to divide the yard into two distinct sections; one with ivy and one with tall fescue.

I started by surveilling the yard and deciding how I wanted the line to run between the two sections.  Then it was just a matter of installing the plastic edging.


The area to the left is ivy; to the right will be tall fescue.

This edging is so easy to install.  It has tabs along the entire length.  You simply place it where you want and secure it in place with plastic spikes that are included in the box.  If you are unhappy with your first design and want to make changes, you simply pull up the plastic spikes, reposition the edging, and secure it in place with the spike in your desired new location.  So easy and so much better than the old edging that required you to dig a trench, then set the edging base in the trench and back-fill it with soil or rocks or a combination of both.  The tabs on this new edging are unsightly at first, but once the grass or ground cover grows in, you'll never see them.


Here you can see how I divided the space free-form with gentle curving.  I try never to garden in right angles.  Always free-form.  It gives it a more natural appearance.


And one final view of the large curved area that goes to the town maintained, public sidewalk.


Notice how I curved the edging all the way through the project.  I did not end it perpendicular to the sidewalk.  When this is all grown in it will be a wonderful look with much more character than if I had simply butted the edging right up against the sidewalk.. Also note that I cut the edging on an angle at the end.  Again, this is done primarily for aesthetics.  It looks much nicer - much cleaner - than if I had simply cut it straight across.


Once I got the edging into place, I decided that the Zebra Grass that I got from Valerie when she sold her home in Erie, was out of place.  I wanted it more centered in the new ivy bed.  So I started digging.


The digging was not easy.  We have not had rain for some time so this took awhile.  Plus, the Sweet Gum tree in the background has put out many, many roots over the years.  I would dig, take a break, dig, take a break.  But I finally dug a hole that was large enough to accomodate the root ball.


It was with great struggle that I finally got it moved to its new home, which was probably only about 3 feet from where it was originally.  But that will make all the difference in how this area balances now.  This ornamental grass is about 3 feet in diameter at the base.  In the summer when it is fully opened, it spreads out well over 4 feet; probably closer to 5 feet in diameter.

A word of advice - If you are planning on moving an ornamental grass in your yard of this size, be aware that once they reach this size they are extremely heavy.  I should have hired someone to help me move this or called a friend.



With the grass in place, it was time to finish off the project by adding some nutrients around and on top of the root ball.  This Earthgro Organic Humus and Manure is the best product on the market.  It is many, many times less expensive than some other garden soils.  I purchase this particular brand from the local Wal-Mart garden center.


Once the new grass was in place, there was the issue of filling in the space where it previously resided.  Luckily I had just used the Mantis Tiller to prepare a wildflower bed and I was able to use the earth removed during that process to fill in this hole.  In time the ivy will completely cover this area and you will never know there was anything planted there.


To finish off this project, I needed to seed that part of the yard where I want Tall Fescue.  This well-worn garden seed spreader came in quite handy in getting that down.


I overseeded the area but that certainly will not hurt anything.  The only problem with overseeding is that I'll just have that much more beautiful tall fescue to cut later in the season.


And finally, a picture of the front after all my hard work.  The area we are discussing in this post is just on the other side of the boxwood hedges you see here.  Our next project in the front yard is going to be trimming these hedges.  They are starting to get a little shaggy, so a little time spent on those will bring lots of great visual beauty to the entrance.

Yard Improvements

For the past several years, I have been letting the ivy slowly make its way across the front yard.  My initial plan was to let it take over this entire section of the front yard from the privet hedge to the dwarf boxwoods and then all the way to the street sidewalk.  As often happens, I have changed my mind.  I wanted to give the yard a more finished, tailored look.  So I decided to divide the yard into two distinct sections; one with ivy and one with tall fescue.

I started by surveilling the yard and deciding how I wanted the line to run between the two sections.  Then it was just a matter of installing the plastic edging.


The area to the left is ivy; to the right will be tall fescue.

This edging is so easy to install.  It has tabs along the entire length.  You simply place it where you want and secure it in place with plastic spikes that are included in the box.  If you are unhappy with your first design and want to make changes, you simply pull up the plastic spikes, reposition the edging, and secure it in place with the spike in your desired new location.  So easy and so much better than the old edging that required you to dig a trench, then set the edging base in the trench and back-fill it with soil or rocks or a combination of both.  The tabs on this new edging are unsightly at first, but once the grass or ground cover grows in, you'll never see them.


Here you can see how I divided the space free-form with gentle curving.  I try never to garden in right angles.  Always free-form.  It gives it a more natural appearance.


And one final view of the large curved area that goes to the town maintained, public sidewalk.


Notice how I curved the edging all the way through the project.  I did not end it perpendicular to the sidewalk.  When this is all grown in it will be a wonderful look with much more character than if I had simply butted the edging right up against the sidewalk.. Also note that I cut the edging on an angle at the end.  Again, this is done primarily for aesthetics.  It looks much nicer - much cleaner - than if I had simply cut it straight across.


Once I got the edging into place, I decided that the Zebra Grass that I got from Valerie when she sold her home in Erie, was out of place.  I wanted it more centered in the new ivy bed.  So I started digging.


The digging was not easy.  We have not had rain for some time so this took awhile.  Plus, the Sweet Gum tree in the background has put out many, many roots over the years.  I would dig, take a break, dig, take a break.  But I finally dug a hole that was large enough to accomodate the root ball.


It was with great struggle that I finally got it moved to its new home, which was probably only about 3 feet from where it was originally.  But that will make all the difference in how this area balances now.  This ornamental grass is about 3 feet in diameter at the base.  In the summer when it is fully opened, it spreads out well over 4 feet; probably closer to 5 feet in diameter.

A word of advice - If you are planning on moving an ornamental grass in your yard of this size, be aware that once they reach this size they are extremely heavy.  I should have hired someone to help me move this or called a friend.



With the grass in place, it was time to finish off the project by adding some nutrients around and on top of the root ball.  This Earthgro Organic Humus and Manure is the best product on the market.  It is many, many times less expensive than some other garden soils.  I purchase this particular brand from the local Wal-Mart garden center.


Once the new grass was in place, there was the issue of filling in the space where it previously resided.  Luckily I had just used the Mantis Tiller to prepare a wildflower bed and I was able to use the earth removed during that process to fill in this hole.  In time the ivy will completely cover this area and you will never know there was anything planted there.


To finish off this project, I needed to seed that part of the yard where I want Tall Fescue.  This well-worn garden seed spreader came in quite handy in getting that down.


I overseeded the area but that certainly will not hurt anything.  The only problem with overseeding is that I'll just have that much more beautiful tall fescue to cut later in the season.


And finally, a picture of the front after all my hard work.  The area we are discussing in this post is just on the other side of the boxwood hedges you see here.  Our next project in the front yard is going to be trimming these hedges.  They are starting to get a little shaggy, so a little time spent on those will bring lots of great visual beauty to the entrance.