Before Stone, . . . After Stones

The warm weather this week has brought with it a bit of spring fever.  Time to get out into the garden and start preparing for the season.  I will be hosting a birthday party at the end of May, and there is lots to do to prepare for this event.  I removed the arborvitae in the two planters on the front porch and replaced them with Japanese Sky Pencil Holly.

Japanese Sky Pencil Holly

These are so simple and beautiful.  They will add nice height to the front entrance and give a nice, clean look.  Normally I leave enough room on the top of the soil in any planter to lay down some mulch.  But I wanted to do something different with these planters.

Before Stones

So I decided to add some small stones on top of the soil.

After Stones

A really nice look.  Mulch would look nice in these planters also, but if you are looking for a little different look than the usual mulch layer, give this a try.

Before Stone, . . . After Stones

The warm weather this week has brought with it a bit of spring fever.  Time to get out into the garden and start preparing for the season.  I will be hosting a birthday party at the end of May, and there is lots to do to prepare for this event.  I removed the arborvitae in the two planters on the front porch and replaced them with Japanese Sky Pencil Holly.

Japanese Sky Pencil Holly

These are so simple and beautiful.  They will add nice height to the front entrance and give a nice, clean look.  Normally I leave enough room on the top of the soil in any planter to lay down some mulch.  But I wanted to do something different with these planters.

Before Stones

So I decided to add some small stones on top of the soil.

After Stones

A really nice look.  Mulch would look nice in these planters also, but if you are looking for a little different look than the usual mulch layer, give this a try.

Trees at the Four Seasons

Aren't these trees wonderful!  I love this idea.

These are located at the Four Seasons hotel in Georgetown in Washington, DC.  I just thought I'd post this picture for everyone to enjoy.  Will I consider trying this little bit of magic at Crest Avenue?  Possibly.

Trees at the Four Seasons

Aren't these trees wonderful!  I love this idea.

These are located at the Four Seasons hotel in Georgetown in Washington, DC.  I just thought I'd post this picture for everyone to enjoy.  Will I consider trying this little bit of magic at Crest Avenue?  Possibly.

Well.. Well.. Well

Do you have a window well that you don't know what to do with.  Here's an idea.  Most of the window wells around Crest Avenue exist in  obscurity.  If you didn't know where they were, you wouldn't know where they were.  Most are hidden by shrubbery.  But the one you see below is actually at the foot of the stairs leading from the deck onto the patio.  Actually, the patio is built around this window well.  I've tried different approaches to make this area attractive over the years only to be disappointed with each new idea. This year I decided to try something new.

As you see below, I have one large pot that is already in bloom with hyacinth and heuchera.  I filled the window well area with a bag of pea gravel and placed the large pot a little off-center.  Then I filled in with smaller pots.

A little while later, we have a beautiful grouping of plants which look wonderful and help to liven up an area that has been an eyesore.  The smaller pots contain English Dwarf Boxwood (left), Old Gold Juniper (right of large pot with gold tips), and Little Giant Arborvitae.

These can be kept trimmed and in these pots for years.  Or, you can start them here and then plant them elsewhere in your landscape and fill the pots with other plants of your liking year to year.  Experiment until you get it just as you want it.

Well.. Well.. Well

Do you have a window well that you don't know what to do with.  Here's an idea.  Most of the window wells around Crest Avenue exist in  obscurity.  If you didn't know where they were, you wouldn't know where they were.  Most are hidden by shrubbery.  But the one you see below is actually at the foot of the stairs leading from the deck onto the patio.  Actually, the patio is built around this window well.  I've tried different approaches to make this area attractive over the years only to be disappointed with each new idea. This year I decided to try something new.

As you see below, I have one large pot that is already in bloom with hyacinth and heuchera.  I filled the window well area with a bag of pea gravel and placed the large pot a little off-center.  Then I filled in with smaller pots.

A little while later, we have a beautiful grouping of plants which look wonderful and help to liven up an area that has been an eyesore.  The smaller pots contain English Dwarf Boxwood (left), Old Gold Juniper (right of large pot with gold tips), and Little Giant Arborvitae.

These can be kept trimmed and in these pots for years.  Or, you can start them here and then plant them elsewhere in your landscape and fill the pots with other plants of your liking year to year.  Experiment until you get it just as you want it.

Frittata Primavera

All I can say is "Frittata Primavera."  That's it.  I'll let the picture speak for the rest.

Frittata Primavera

This is the most extraordinary frittata I have ever had.  If you are looking for something that will please you or the family or the bridge group or any group for that matter, then this is the dish.  It is so incredibly easy to make and is truly a taste sensation.  I would serve this at most any function.  It can be served warm or at room temperature, which is always delightful.

Please check out the Food and Recipes page for the recipe.

Frittata Primavera

All I can say is "Frittata Primavera."  That's it.  I'll let the picture speak for the rest.

Frittata Primavera

This is the most extraordinary frittata I have ever had.  If you are looking for something that will please you or the family or the bridge group or any group for that matter, then this is the dish.  It is so incredibly easy to make and is truly a taste sensation.  I would serve this at most any function.  It can be served warm or at room temperature, which is always delightful.

Please check out the Food and Recipes page for the recipe.

Let's Get Ready for Easter!

It's almost here!  "Here comes Peter Cottontail, hoppin' down the bunny trail."  Many of you will remember that familiar refrain from your childhood.  And it's almost time for Peter Cottontail to make his visit.  In preparation, we have started to prepare some of our baskets for the holiday.  This year we are using little moss covered baskets.

The baskets are easily attainable online at http://www.save-on-crafts.com/baskets.html.  All it takes is a little imagination and you can turn a simple basket into a treasure.

Once you get the basket, you can pick up a few goodies from most any place and put together a gift anyone would be elated to receive.

This little basket is so cute.  It's in the shape of a pocketbook

Just a simple chocolate bunny and a philaenopsis orchid and you have a most delightful gift to give.

You see here that I added just a little more candy in the front.

And a final view.  Really a beautiful basket.  And the whole thing can be put together without a lot of time.

We will be posting more Easter ideas in the weeks to follow.

Let's Get Ready for Easter!

It's almost here!  "Here comes Peter Cottontail, hoppin' down the bunny trail."  Many of you will remember that familiar refrain from your childhood.  And it's almost time for Peter Cottontail to make his visit.  In preparation, we have started to prepare some of our baskets for the holiday.  This year we are using little moss covered baskets.

The baskets are easily attainable online at http://www.save-on-crafts.com/baskets.html.  All it takes is a little imagination and you can turn a simple basket into a treasure.

Once you get the basket, you can pick up a few goodies from most any place and put together a gift anyone would be elated to receive.

This little basket is so cute.  It's in the shape of a pocketbook

Just a simple chocolate bunny and a philaenopsis orchid and you have a most delightful gift to give.

You see here that I added just a little more candy in the front.

And a final view.  Really a beautiful basket.  And the whole thing can be put together without a lot of time.

We will be posting more Easter ideas in the weeks to follow.

Souffle, . . . done a different way

I made a crab and cheese souffle yesterday.  It was very good, just different.  "Richer" is how I would describe it.  It was heavier in weight and had less volume than my regular souffle.    Maybe I am a cheese souffle snob, but I like them plain with gruyere and egg whites and a few other ingredients.  This one was a little too heavy for me.  I'm not saying that I would never make it again.  I would just be more inclined to use the recipe I normally use (which is listed here under the Food and Recipes page).

Crab and Cheese Souffle

I have provided the recipe for this souffle under the Food and Recipe page also.  I suggest you try it and then decide for yourself which is more to your liking.

Souffle, . . . done a different way

I made a crab and cheese souffle yesterday.  It was very good, just different.  "Richer" is how I would describe it.  It was heavier in weight and had less volume than my regular souffle.    Maybe I am a cheese souffle snob, but I like them plain with gruyere and egg whites and a few other ingredients.  This one was a little too heavy for me.  I'm not saying that I would never make it again.  I would just be more inclined to use the recipe I normally use (which is listed here under the Food and Recipes page).

Crab and Cheese Souffle

I have provided the recipe for this souffle under the Food and Recipe page also.  I suggest you try it and then decide for yourself which is more to your liking.

Holloway House to the Rescue

During a very heavy rainy period last year, what had been a small leak in the roof of Crest Avenue turned into a much bigger leak.  What ended up happening was a small portion of the ceiling in my office collapsed.  That would have been bad enough on its own.  But it collapsed on top of my desk destroying a lamp and a number of other office furnishings.  Wallboard, insulation from the attic and an enormous amount of water covered the room.  Not a pretty sight.  Luckily I was here when it happened and was able to get the water up rather quickly.  The ensuing clean up took days.

The water, unfortunately, damaged the floor.  The varnish, in places, bubbled up.  I went over it was a steel wool pad and then vacuumed the floors well.  But this is what I was left with.

I decided to apply a new floor finish today to see if I could bring back some of the luster.  I used Holloway House Quick Shine.  I'm sure many of you have seen this advertised on television.  It is very easy to apply.  I used a large sponge, like you would use to wash your car.  I wet it with warm water, wrung out as much of the water as possible, and then applied the Holloway House solution to the floor.  I sprayed the solution directly on the floor and then applied it with the sponge.  You could apply it to the wet sponge and apply it that way too.  Two applications later, this is what the floor looks like.

Not bad for a 60+ year old floor that was in need of refinishing even before the ceiling collapse.  So, just a quick post to let you know that of all the products advertised on television, this one really does work as advertised.

Holloway House to the Rescue

During a very heavy rainy period last year, what had been a small leak in the roof of Crest Avenue turned into a much bigger leak.  What ended up happening was a small portion of the ceiling in my office collapsed.  That would have been bad enough on its own.  But it collapsed on top of my desk destroying a lamp and a number of other office furnishings.  Wallboard, insulation from the attic and an enormous amount of water covered the room.  Not a pretty sight.  Luckily I was here when it happened and was able to get the water up rather quickly.  The ensuing clean up took days.

The water, unfortunately, damaged the floor.  The varnish, in places, bubbled up.  I went over it was a steel wool pad and then vacuumed the floors well.  But this is what I was left with.

I decided to apply a new floor finish today to see if I could bring back some of the luster.  I used Holloway House Quick Shine.  I'm sure many of you have seen this advertised on television.  It is very easy to apply.  I used a large sponge, like you would use to wash your car.  I wet it with warm water, wrung out as much of the water as possible, and then applied the Holloway House solution to the floor.  I sprayed the solution directly on the floor and then applied it with the sponge.  You could apply it to the wet sponge and apply it that way too.  Two applications later, this is what the floor looks like.

Not bad for a 60+ year old floor that was in need of refinishing even before the ceiling collapse.  So, just a quick post to let you know that of all the products advertised on television, this one really does work as advertised.

A Lazy Sunday Morning

It is a beautiful Sunday morning in the nations capital.  Brilliant sunshine.  Spring is just a couple of weeks away.  I have been putting out suet for the non-migrating birds during the winter months.  I have been buying the cakes individually at the local home improvement store.  Yesterday, I found this box of 10 suet cakes at the local Aldi for $7.99.

That comes out to about .80 cents each compared to $1.59 each that I have been paying.  I want the birds to be happy and I want them to be fed.  But if I can achieve their happiness and full tummies at half the price, then that's the route I'll take.

I ventured a little further into the yard and found other signs of spring as you see below.

You see the hyacinth starting to bloom.  I have planted heuchera in this pot also which will flourish once the warm days stay consistent.  We will get a splash of color early in the spring from the hyacinth.  When the blooms are gone, I will cut them back and the pot will overflow with the heuchera for the rest of the season.

I like this idea of planting different things in a single pot.  I have a whiskey barrel also that has different plantings that display at different times.  That has not started to bloom yet.

A Lazy Sunday Morning

It is a beautiful Sunday morning in the nations capital.  Brilliant sunshine.  Spring is just a couple of weeks away.  I have been putting out suet for the non-migrating birds during the winter months.  I have been buying the cakes individually at the local home improvement store.  Yesterday, I found this box of 10 suet cakes at the local Aldi for $7.99.

That comes out to about .80 cents each compared to $1.59 each that I have been paying.  I want the birds to be happy and I want them to be fed.  But if I can achieve their happiness and full tummies at half the price, then that's the route I'll take.

I ventured a little further into the yard and found other signs of spring as you see below.

You see the hyacinth starting to bloom.  I have planted heuchera in this pot also which will flourish once the warm days stay consistent.  We will get a splash of color early in the spring from the hyacinth.  When the blooms are gone, I will cut them back and the pot will overflow with the heuchera for the rest of the season.

I like this idea of planting different things in a single pot.  I have a whiskey barrel also that has different plantings that display at different times.  That has not started to bloom yet.

Books, Books, and more Books

Over the years I have amassed quite a collection of books.  Cookbooks, party planning books, home renovation books, landscaping books, novels - you name it.  I found myself with too many books and not enough space for them all.

A few years ago, I bought these bookcases at IKEA.  They have served, and continue to serve their purpose quite well.  But alas, they have reached their capacity.  Last weekend, while walking through the Marketplace at IKEA, I stumbled upon a room set up with these cabinets but with height extenders on top.  Needless to say this was a "quick intake of breath" moment.  Not more than 30 minutes later I was in Aisle 1, bin 67 filling my cart with all the necessary parts for these extenders.

This morning I have committed to assembling these extenders and getting them in place.

Before Height Extenders

I was never really happy with these wicker baskets sitting on top of the bookcases.  They were helpful for storage, but not very pretty.  But, you do what you do until you can do better.  And today, we have done better.

And After

What a nice clean, uncluttered look.  The wicker baskets will still serve as storage bins, just in a different way and in a different place.  I'm thinking they need to be a different color too.  Maybe brown. Maybe gray.  Maybe some brown and some gray.  We will talk about that later.

All things considered, I'm glad I installed the extenders.  I now have a nice clean look and as you can see it offers plenty of extra storage for books and other "tools of the trade."

During this project I found some books from my childhood.  Here is a Whitman cloth book with a copyright of 1959, the year I was born.

And a Random House Mother Goose book that I received January 24, 1964.

Mother Goose Cover

Mother Goose Inside Front Cover

A productive day!

Books, Books, and more Books

Over the years I have amassed quite a collection of books.  Cookbooks, party planning books, home renovation books, landscaping books, novels - you name it.  I found myself with too many books and not enough space for them all.

A few years ago, I bought these bookcases at IKEA.  They have served, and continue to serve their purpose quite well.  But alas, they have reached their capacity.  Last weekend, while walking through the Marketplace at IKEA, I stumbled upon a room set up with these cabinets but with height extenders on top.  Needless to say this was a "quick intake of breath" moment.  Not more than 30 minutes later I was in Aisle 1, bin 67 filling my cart with all the necessary parts for these extenders.

This morning I have committed to assembling these extenders and getting them in place.

Before Height Extenders

I was never really happy with these wicker baskets sitting on top of the bookcases.  They were helpful for storage, but not very pretty.  But, you do what you do until you can do better.  And today, we have done better.

And After

What a nice clean, uncluttered look.  The wicker baskets will still serve as storage bins, just in a different way and in a different place.  I'm thinking they need to be a different color too.  Maybe brown. Maybe gray.  Maybe some brown and some gray.  We will talk about that later.

All things considered, I'm glad I installed the extenders.  I now have a nice clean look and as you can see it offers plenty of extra storage for books and other "tools of the trade."

During this project I found some books from my childhood.  Here is a Whitman cloth book with a copyright of 1959, the year I was born.

And a Random House Mother Goose book that I received January 24, 1964.

Mother Goose Cover

Mother Goose Inside Front Cover

A productive day!

Baxter Doesn't like Peapod

Somebody was a little taken aback this morning when he found Peapod boxes that were not there yesterday.

There was a lot of barking to announce that these boxes showed up without his knowledge.  We got a grocery delivery yesterday from Peapod.  The boxes set in the rain for a little while before I got to them, as you can see in this picture.  But the contents were dry.  Peapod started using these wax coated boxes a few years ago in lieu of the plastic bins that used in the beginning.  These new waxed boxes are much easier to handle and are better for the environment.  I think the jury is still out for Baxter though.  He didn't seem very happy to have these around this morning.

Baxter Doesn't like Peapod

Somebody was a little taken aback this morning when he found Peapod boxes that were not there yesterday.

There was a lot of barking to announce that these boxes showed up without his knowledge.  We got a grocery delivery yesterday from Peapod.  The boxes set in the rain for a little while before I got to them, as you can see in this picture.  But the contents were dry.  Peapod started using these wax coated boxes a few years ago in lieu of the plastic bins that used in the beginning.  These new waxed boxes are much easier to handle and are better for the environment.  I think the jury is still out for Baxter though.  He didn't seem very happy to have these around this morning.

An Interesting Article on Richard Mervis from the NYSD

3.2.12: Richard Mervis New York Social Diary

An Interesting Article on Richard Mervis from the NYSD

3.2.12: Richard Mervis New York Social Diary