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

Spring Blooms!

It is a rainy morning in Washington.  We are expecting up to an inch of rain by the time this system moves out of the area.  I took this picture this morning of an ornamental pear tree that is in bloom at Washington Harbour.

Blooming Pear Tree

I got a couple more shots of these trees during lunch.  Really beautiful

I don't think I've ever seen these trees in bloom on the last day of February.  Spring is a mere 22 days away.  I cannot wait.  Next Saturday (March 10) before bedtime, we "spring ahead" which is always a welcome time.  I'll gladly lose an hour of sleep to have more light in the evening.  Oh happy day!!

Spring Blooms!

It is a rainy morning in Washington.  We are expecting up to an inch of rain by the time this system moves out of the area.  I took this picture this morning of an ornamental pear tree that is in bloom at Washington Harbour.

Blooming Pear Tree

I got a couple more shots of these trees during lunch.  Really beautiful

I don't think I've ever seen these trees in bloom on the last day of February.  Spring is a mere 22 days away.  I cannot wait.  Next Saturday (March 10) before bedtime, we "spring ahead" which is always a welcome time.  I'll gladly lose an hour of sleep to have more light in the evening.  Oh happy day!!

Anybody for Cheese Souffle?

When we got back from the party at Bob's I threw together a cheese souffle which I had started preparing before we left.

Fresh from the Oven

It turned out perfectly.  Check out the Food and Recipe page for the recipe.  This recipe is extremely easy to make.  I have one word for how this turned out.  DEE-licious!!

Anybody for Cheese Souffle?

When we got back from the party at Bob's I threw together a cheese souffle which I had started preparing before we left.

Fresh from the Oven

It turned out perfectly.  Check out the Food and Recipe page for the recipe.  This recipe is extremely easy to make.  I have one word for how this turned out.  DEE-licious!!

Party at Bob's

Bob had a gathering at his house last night.  Just an impromptu gathering of the group for a glass of wine, martini, beer; whatever your pleasure.  We took an apple brown betty.

I have to be honest and admit I did not make this.  We were shopping at IKEA yesterday morning and picked this up from their grocery corner, which by the way is spectacular.  This wasn't all we pick up there, but more on that later.

This was one of those deals where time is getting away from you, so you pick up something delicious and then jazz it up before you show up at the party.  Arranging the slices on this plate and giving it a generous sprinkling of powdered sugar just upped the presentation.  Much nicer than showing up with whatever you have chosen to bring still in the wrapper from the store.

Party at Bob's

Bob had a gathering at his house last night.  Just an impromptu gathering of the group for a glass of wine, martini, beer; whatever your pleasure.  We took an apple brown betty.

I have to be honest and admit I did not make this.  We were shopping at IKEA yesterday morning and picked this up from their grocery corner, which by the way is spectacular.  This wasn't all we pick up there, but more on that later.

This was one of those deals where time is getting away from you, so you pick up something delicious and then jazz it up before you show up at the party.  Arranging the slices on this plate and giving it a generous sprinkling of powdered sugar just upped the presentation.  Much nicer than showing up with whatever you have chosen to bring still in the wrapper from the store.

Winter Beauty

There are plants that not only bring beauty and appeal to the landscape during the warm months of the year, but also bring their own unique look during the cold, winter months.  Such is the case with asparagus fern.  Ferns are not cold hardy, so you must bring them inside for the winter.  Even then, with humidity levels usually very low, it is difficult to keep them going until spring.  As in years past, I leave the asparagus fern in pots and hanging baskets, as you see here, so that they can be enjoyed until spring arrives.

I find this as beautiful to look at as when the fern was newly planted.  It's like the trees in the wintertime.  How interesting it is to see them bare of their foilage, exposing the bones of the tree.

You see here that I have two of these hanging baskets and I left the asparagus ferns in both of them.  The same goes for any of the ornamental grasses you may have in your landscape.  When they turn brown from the winter cold, they bring a whole new look.  I would much rather see these ferns during the winter months than to come home to two empty baskets or to have taken down the baskets all together for the season.

Winter Beauty

There are plants that not only bring beauty and appeal to the landscape during the warm months of the year, but also bring their own unique look during the cold, winter months.  Such is the case with asparagus fern.  Ferns are not cold hardy, so you must bring them inside for the winter.  Even then, with humidity levels usually very low, it is difficult to keep them going until spring.  As in years past, I leave the asparagus fern in pots and hanging baskets, as you see here, so that they can be enjoyed until spring arrives.

I find this as beautiful to look at as when the fern was newly planted.  It's like the trees in the wintertime.  How interesting it is to see them bare of their foilage, exposing the bones of the tree.

You see here that I have two of these hanging baskets and I left the asparagus ferns in both of them.  The same goes for any of the ornamental grasses you may have in your landscape.  When they turn brown from the winter cold, they bring a whole new look.  I would much rather see these ferns during the winter months than to come home to two empty baskets or to have taken down the baskets all together for the season.

Bob's Birthday

I was invited to a birthday celebration on Sunday evening for my friend Bob.  What to do for Bob?  What does Bob want?  Don't know.  What does Bob need?  Nothing.  Hmmmm.  What can I do for Bob.  Let's see.  Bob likes to grill/barbecue/cook outside.  Spring is just around the corner.  I bet Bob could use some things for the grill.  I think I'll go to Lowe's and see if they have their grills and accessories out for the season and stop by the grocery and pick up some marinades and glazes and various things he could use when the weather warms up.

So that's what I did.  I was thinking how am I going to wrap all of this.  I found this really neat box at Lowe's.  I put a new grill lighter, Liquid Smoke bottles, Texas Pete, a couple Smokey Joe's marinades, a couple Jack Daniel's Marinade bags, a container of Old Bay and some spice rubs in there with some raffia in the bottom to keep it all from rolling around and tied it up with some ribbon I picked up somewhere many moons ago.  And voila!!  The perfect package and the perfect gift from Bob.

Now I'm just waiting for an invitation when the weather breaks.  He usually sends a message saying something like "dinner on the patio at Bob's.  Bring your favorite picnic food."  My favorite picnic food is a pitcher of apple martinis (which are Bob's favorite too).  I've already got the apple martini mix, so as far as I'm concerned, we are ready for spring to arrive.

Bob's Birthday

I was invited to a birthday celebration on Sunday evening for my friend Bob.  What to do for Bob?  What does Bob want?  Don't know.  What does Bob need?  Nothing.  Hmmmm.  What can I do for Bob.  Let's see.  Bob likes to grill/barbecue/cook outside.  Spring is just around the corner.  I bet Bob could use some things for the grill.  I think I'll go to Lowe's and see if they have their grills and accessories out for the season and stop by the grocery and pick up some marinades and glazes and various things he could use when the weather warms up.

So that's what I did.  I was thinking how am I going to wrap all of this.  I found this really neat box at Lowe's.  I put a new grill lighter, Liquid Smoke bottles, Texas Pete, a couple Smokey Joe's marinades, a couple Jack Daniel's Marinade bags, a container of Old Bay and some spice rubs in there with some raffia in the bottom to keep it all from rolling around and tied it up with some ribbon I picked up somewhere many moons ago.  And voila!!  The perfect package and the perfect gift from Bob.

Now I'm just waiting for an invitation when the weather breaks.  He usually sends a message saying something like "dinner on the patio at Bob's.  Bring your favorite picnic food."  My favorite picnic food is a pitcher of apple martinis (which are Bob's favorite too).  I've already got the apple martini mix, so as far as I'm concerned, we are ready for spring to arrive.

Our visit to Eastern Market in D.C.

We spent some time at Eastern Market yesterday morning.  This is one place you definitely do not want to miss if you are visiting Washington or if you are a resident.

Eastern Market is Washington's oldest continually operated fresh food public market. It is located in the heart of historic Capitol Hill and is DC's destination for fresh food, community events, and on weekends, local farmfresh produce and handmade arts and crafts.


A stroll though the maze of vendors that line the sidewalks is a feast for the eyes.  Take a look.

Upon entering the marketing you see the end result of many creative minds in the displays of their craft.

A little further down, we started seeing all of this wonderful, fresh produce.

An endless array of most anything you could possibly want.  And very reasonably priced.

As you can see, we were not the only people there.  A bustling crowd.  And this was rather early in the morning.  We dropped Baxter off at the spa, which is right around the corner, at 8:30.  So this picture was taken around 9:00 AM and you can see that people were already out and ready to start their day at the Market.

You really had to be there to enjoy this floral display.  Simply magnificent.

A walk down the main aisle continued to produce more of what the Market is so well known for and that is their extensive collections of fresh food and bakery items.  This meat case was by far the best I've seen anywhere in DC and surrounding suburbs.

Rotisserie chickens that looked positively delicious.

Freshly made breads of most any description.  We bought a Farmhouse loaf that will be used to make garlic bread this evening with homemade lasagna.  Yes, I am making lasagna this evening.  More on that later.

Lunch was a chicken crepe from one of the vendor stands just outside the main building.  I simply cannot describe how delicious this was.  Each order is made fresh as you watch the guys expertly prepare the crepe and then add the toppings of your choice.  This was the "Winner Winner Chicken" crepe.  I highly recommend it.

And last, but certainly not least, was the artist I stopped and talked to.  I absolutely love these paintings.  He had a large display.  I didn't want to offend him by taking too many pictures, but you can get the idea from this photo of his work.  If you are interested in more information on his work, you can visit http://www.kesslerart.com/.  I was so impressed with these.  I did not make a purchase from him yesterday, but I will definitely be going back.  I need to check out where I might have space for at least one of his prints.

So that was our trip to Eastern Market.  Time well spent visiting some of  the most creative minds in the area.  Check it out sometime.

Our visit to Eastern Market in D.C.

We spent some time at Eastern Market yesterday morning.  This is one place you definitely do not want to miss if you are visiting Washington or if you are a resident.

Eastern Market is Washington's oldest continually operated fresh food public market. It is located in the heart of historic Capitol Hill and is DC's destination for fresh food, community events, and on weekends, local farmfresh produce and handmade arts and crafts.


A stroll though the maze of vendors that line the sidewalks is a feast for the eyes.  Take a look.

Upon entering the marketing you see the end result of many creative minds in the displays of their craft.

A little further down, we started seeing all of this wonderful, fresh produce.

An endless array of most anything you could possibly want.  And very reasonably priced.

As you can see, we were not the only people there.  A bustling crowd.  And this was rather early in the morning.  We dropped Baxter off at the spa, which is right around the corner, at 8:30.  So this picture was taken around 9:00 AM and you can see that people were already out and ready to start their day at the Market.

You really had to be there to enjoy this floral display.  Simply magnificent.

A walk down the main aisle continued to produce more of what the Market is so well known for and that is their extensive collections of fresh food and bakery items.  This meat case was by far the best I've seen anywhere in DC and surrounding suburbs.

Rotisserie chickens that looked positively delicious.

Freshly made breads of most any description.  We bought a Farmhouse loaf that will be used to make garlic bread this evening with homemade lasagna.  Yes, I am making lasagna this evening.  More on that later.

Lunch was a chicken crepe from one of the vendor stands just outside the main building.  I simply cannot describe how delicious this was.  Each order is made fresh as you watch the guys expertly prepare the crepe and then add the toppings of your choice.  This was the "Winner Winner Chicken" crepe.  I highly recommend it.

And last, but certainly not least, was the artist I stopped and talked to.  I absolutely love these paintings.  He had a large display.  I didn't want to offend him by taking too many pictures, but you can get the idea from this photo of his work.  If you are interested in more information on his work, you can visit http://www.kesslerart.com/.  I was so impressed with these.  I did not make a purchase from him yesterday, but I will definitely be going back.  I need to check out where I might have space for at least one of his prints.

So that was our trip to Eastern Market.  Time well spent visiting some of  the most creative minds in the area.  Check it out sometime.