tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817176332007184812024-03-05T18:02:42.008-05:00Visiting MomusWhat it's really like to live in Rutherford, NJAlexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17927800053968994891noreply@blogger.comBlogger91125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81717633200718481.post-78337114670350783572010-10-19T14:16:00.009-04:002010-10-19T14:39:11.207-04:00Asbury Park<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidkDnb4yVgbNOv8gegaJglvyYCh6NdTAn3wOvDV_Xd11Shs6wHvMJzhahbuvQFUPwobrLfDoN3LQDUyJQw0ViTpI8QzdAiWLA_JmIyTbHg5pF90tFeabHMygaD5x2DKFCUDKOWiaHHCVIZ/s1600/DSC_0032.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidkDnb4yVgbNOv8gegaJglvyYCh6NdTAn3wOvDV_Xd11Shs6wHvMJzhahbuvQFUPwobrLfDoN3LQDUyJQw0ViTpI8QzdAiWLA_JmIyTbHg5pF90tFeabHMygaD5x2DKFCUDKOWiaHHCVIZ/s320/DSC_0032.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529824205206251858" /></a><br />Rutherford is about 1 hour from Asbury Park. It is not the closest NJ shore point, but we chose it for our first fall beach outing. I LOVE the beach in autumn - it's almost deserted, its beautiful, the waves are high, the sand pristine and I can walk along the shore in a sweater and barely worry about a sunburn. As a bonus, most of the NJ shore beaches allow dogs after Oct 1. How could we not?<div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGzzs3q7dCu1JYyONcc2G68zDKal5ps9jn5EAqw-ljkbMROEtGt5mdS1CmtN7G9iJ8nMUnM6CgIK2gzNhEN9ZYOwFw4JrhHZwW0BjM700ygFdNehAa82N788KeOHEwB6qgkGPqgks3K6M7/s1600/DSC_0066.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGzzs3q7dCu1JYyONcc2G68zDKal5ps9jn5EAqw-ljkbMROEtGt5mdS1CmtN7G9iJ8nMUnM6CgIK2gzNhEN9ZYOwFw4JrhHZwW0BjM700ygFdNehAa82N788KeOHEwB6qgkGPqgks3K6M7/s320/DSC_0066.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529824690210237266" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(Brutus' first foray into the waves)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>The Casino is a gorgeous fixture on the boardwalk between Asbury Park and Ocean Grove. It was designed by noted architect Warren Whitney. Even in ruins it is both imposing and beautiful. It is being renovated now, and I can't wait to see the results.</div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAC4RtTP97tlQthkiM2TswoSKIdcJJ2-rKUrfGmWVlUJWVdLsMFjqe-Zr9Qsbtxe-FUWVbS_Salixkaro0g2c28kfk75GRv2wEG98sEXFmtI5E7k_zPeE1-U7Jklu_VjAp36gE0XMHb0fR/s1600/DSC_0002.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAC4RtTP97tlQthkiM2TswoSKIdcJJ2-rKUrfGmWVlUJWVdLsMFjqe-Zr9Qsbtxe-FUWVbS_Salixkaro0g2c28kfk75GRv2wEG98sEXFmtI5E7k_zPeE1-U7Jklu_VjAp36gE0XMHb0fR/s320/DSC_0002.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529825603858985122" /></a><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Times, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Times, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">You can also see some really nice photos on <a href="http://www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com/bigmap/outoftown/newjersey/monmouthcounty/asburypark/casino/index.htm">Bridge and Tunnel Club</a>, for example:</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Times, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><br /></span></span></div></div></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo98iW_kvfdNGWl-i5K5t_Y5RejfzSELXum9tCzQKStFmdaPUf2XsU59m0aMrs9u2SBEa1dpgGTr5kMj7Nghcx2XdNs-XA-m5DXr5tgXkxSsuX5sre9GIROoZwIwUaAW66kzOh1XvyTavl/s1600/08casino.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo98iW_kvfdNGWl-i5K5t_Y5RejfzSELXum9tCzQKStFmdaPUf2XsU59m0aMrs9u2SBEa1dpgGTr5kMj7Nghcx2XdNs-XA-m5DXr5tgXkxSsuX5sre9GIROoZwIwUaAW66kzOh1XvyTavl/s320/08casino.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529828266844210866" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaAXpABpuYZeKHLJWc9V2nVhk6-L3oL31ra-aPpL0AAn9vSIQvioqzSDw3Eb8N6qUjtuZtMX1RE1Wzhgk_gPYxW7rOGV2FEOSPKyN_aDXJlrE9Tvjum067Kz4f551fqxSC1Oywbd5ftnxq/s1600/4209-01-07.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaAXpABpuYZeKHLJWc9V2nVhk6-L3oL31ra-aPpL0AAn9vSIQvioqzSDw3Eb8N6qUjtuZtMX1RE1Wzhgk_gPYxW7rOGV2FEOSPKyN_aDXJlrE9Tvjum067Kz4f551fqxSC1Oywbd5ftnxq/s320/4209-01-07.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529828272409288098" /></a>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17927800053968994891noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81717633200718481.post-87294484584313099342010-10-18T18:11:00.005-04:002010-10-18T18:29:23.578-04:00Foster Puppy, Cash<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKpM6zOTLJ9crvICsmlpw7pc82r_YkHv79OBV2cbYBEip1GWjJZrEFurhvB_mKCL_GYtC6JCjjZDqnyRHDgcsad0S-kGONW5FUvOq4s-1PSW8eSsL3vcwjNB-YBN79D7CaaRMCHjCk4GsQ/s1600/IMG_3228.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKpM6zOTLJ9crvICsmlpw7pc82r_YkHv79OBV2cbYBEip1GWjJZrEFurhvB_mKCL_GYtC6JCjjZDqnyRHDgcsad0S-kGONW5FUvOq4s-1PSW8eSsL3vcwjNB-YBN79D7CaaRMCHjCk4GsQ/s320/IMG_3228.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529516200044596018" /></a><br />I've never thought of myself as a "crazy pet person" but we've just agreed to foster a puppy and, because of his age, my life has to revolve around him for a while. Since puppies are all I seem to be able to discuss right now, here's some info about our little guest:<div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV-a0D3exAVt0HQePEmXFv9iWcNi-1mrghlBRllSjhO3fMoJCckSFfMZnpX-eTfQDIp7qv0lso95y0NsfY6PanuULdrp7al5CDF24eztfvaHLpHx6OWD9kL39S9TrjOa6ls2rE4H8JY-dR/s1600/IMG_3314.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV-a0D3exAVt0HQePEmXFv9iWcNi-1mrghlBRllSjhO3fMoJCckSFfMZnpX-eTfQDIp7qv0lso95y0NsfY6PanuULdrp7al5CDF24eztfvaHLpHx6OWD9kL39S9TrjOa6ls2rE4H8JY-dR/s320/IMG_3314.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529516202509176914" /></a><br /></div><div>Cash is a 13 week old Greyhound-mix puppy. He has an amazingly sweet disposition. He is both playful and gentle. There doesn't seem to be an aggressive bone in his little body and he's not food or toy possessive, ever with our puppy around. He plays nicely and energetically with our Lab/Shepherd mix and is fascinated by the cats but does not chase them. He is obviously smart and whatever he sees another dog do, he knows how to do too. He's learning to "Make" on command. Best of all, he's a little love. His favorite things to do seem to be following me around the house like a mini-shadow and cuddling up on my lap.</div><div><br /></div><div>Its obviously been a hard 13 weeks for this little tyke - he was rescued from a kill shelter in NC just hours before he was to be euthanized. He has a scar on his head and a fore-leg must have been broken at some point and healed oddly. It doesn't keep him from tearing through the house or prancing like a Clydesdale. Before he came to us, we think he'd never touched grass, been outside, or walked on a leash. He's taking to it all famously.</div><div><br /></div><div>He's available for adoption through B.A.R.K. and is attending the adoption days at the Paramus, NJ PetSmart on Saturdays (3:30 - 7) and Wayne, NJ PetSmart on Sundays (1:30 - 5). In case you find him as cute and lovable as I do, here's the <a href="http://members.petfinder.com/~NJ627/NJ627_app.html">adoption form</a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXRyeHBPUrnvtir4yJ11nPqNEnsvG3H5fDQLg28HwxmCyAfikx1-o-U2q3WJXmn5yrlpqno767_7BPZkR6eB0bE_IgspurMcLl7isezXPFkJGXfIqCUfGE4WdfCnQHd6R3goNBXneWiXMJ/s1600/IMG_3208.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXRyeHBPUrnvtir4yJ11nPqNEnsvG3H5fDQLg28HwxmCyAfikx1-o-U2q3WJXmn5yrlpqno767_7BPZkR6eB0bE_IgspurMcLl7isezXPFkJGXfIqCUfGE4WdfCnQHd6R3goNBXneWiXMJ/s320/IMG_3208.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529516189509319346" /></a></div>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17927800053968994891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81717633200718481.post-62831614291304862142010-10-05T20:21:00.002-04:002010-10-05T20:23:32.825-04:00What would you call this, other than wonderful?This photo makes me want to redesign my house.<div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwpJeRYCjC4BSLvKb8BQbEyDHfwTVkRp65XsusbWggICC3OdfiCphHCpTb6Z18LQaWXPL37EdSoW_EG54odcfyBs76pyben9i05e9OeuoEHtN1M5_4UEFQES00YUg_wEZnTm-0nnSJ6z_Q/s1600/EcelecticWSuitcase.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 205px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwpJeRYCjC4BSLvKb8BQbEyDHfwTVkRp65XsusbWggICC3OdfiCphHCpTb6Z18LQaWXPL37EdSoW_EG54odcfyBs76pyben9i05e9OeuoEHtN1M5_4UEFQES00YUg_wEZnTm-0nnSJ6z_Q/s320/EcelecticWSuitcase.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524721952315255298" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Photos from </span><a href="http://www.laurentlaborie.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Laurent Laborie </span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">prop-styling.</span></div></div>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17927800053968994891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81717633200718481.post-24341979953517907612010-10-03T23:42:00.002-04:002010-10-03T23:44:10.565-04:00I could sleep in this roomIn honor of baby Caton, here's a great looking nursery (thanks to <a href="http://www.desiretoinspire.net/">Desire To Inspire</a>)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_8NikchQnG3qGOs1xyM-vzOklEE53p2sIa_Bu-u8ouCEQ9xK52HOMh9Bvw3tpJI4vT7OasUHBxaEMXzWrpMsgxd7HJlb2-n-T28fNUWiOmlxdkUFUE-DwA0HhcrK7HjysdORmi6RGPIe8/s1600/Nursery1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 263px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_8NikchQnG3qGOs1xyM-vzOklEE53p2sIa_Bu-u8ouCEQ9xK52HOMh9Bvw3tpJI4vT7OasUHBxaEMXzWrpMsgxd7HJlb2-n-T28fNUWiOmlxdkUFUE-DwA0HhcrK7HjysdORmi6RGPIe8/s320/Nursery1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524031507168666578" /></a>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17927800053968994891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81717633200718481.post-84782930667661641972010-09-30T14:39:00.003-04:002010-09-30T14:54:19.074-04:00I'm An Honorary Auntie Again!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT5kdATLtvf1zVCKnfVwq-W8bJBn_S9QkNjegV4ksGW8-g1R2Yxxtudx813VHwzaOGvU11IXUxm0Eqrat4EOwXmKrFrZRdwix9AGlOiiEo5OYpvbyVP4wrgHQ90RZtHXPH8jxChRdchLku/s1600/Lion.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 160px; height: 139px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT5kdATLtvf1zVCKnfVwq-W8bJBn_S9QkNjegV4ksGW8-g1R2Yxxtudx813VHwzaOGvU11IXUxm0Eqrat4EOwXmKrFrZRdwix9AGlOiiEo5OYpvbyVP4wrgHQ90RZtHXPH8jxChRdchLku/s320/Lion.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522781787525095762" /></a>My fake-sister (friend who is like my sister) just gave birth to a beautiful big (8lbs, 14oz) baby boy. I'm told he has a gorgeous full red pucker of a mouth, a high forehead like his daddy and huge feet. <div><br /></div><div>Welcome to the world, kid! Seeing as you are 2 full weeks late, its about time and let's not make a habit of it. </div><div><br /></div><div>I can't wait to hold him and give the new mom and dad a big kiss. I can already tell you that he'll be getting <i><a href="http://www.childrensbooksandreviews.com/picture-books-the-lion-and-the-mouse-caldecott-medal-winner/">The Lion and The Mouse</a></i> as a gift from me at some point, because every kid should own it.</div><div><br /></div>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17927800053968994891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81717633200718481.post-21860783071614172422010-09-30T01:10:00.003-04:002010-09-30T01:22:42.772-04:00DC TripMy amazing college friend, Beth, invited me to join her for a weekend in DC and a staged reading of the <i>Tempest</i> with Derek Jacobi at <a href="http://www.strathmore.org/">The Strathmore</a>. As if seeing Derek Jacobi live weren't enough, she told me the Folger Consort was set to perform Matthew Locke's baroque score for the play and counter-tenor David Daniels would sing. My sweetie thinks counter-tenors are super creepy, but I was in like flynn!<div><br /></div><div>Seeing Beth was the best part of the trip, of course, but the reading was wonderful and there were a few very funny moment, such as..</div><div><br /></div><div>Random teen zombies massing across from the Mall:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIEnazqlvgrWGS-BR4NU_V69oddN6trMcI8JFBBqKkXs-x_159mD2EdtfkLZWseo9mJ4hO-z5qwiBhv47ZCgY8rpKsM4b3rMyDwWQtXW5MQcGcZF7C0WS__bRS3YHCzUR0zzOHp2D9rGNh/s1600/IMG_2008.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIEnazqlvgrWGS-BR4NU_V69oddN6trMcI8JFBBqKkXs-x_159mD2EdtfkLZWseo9mJ4hO-z5qwiBhv47ZCgY8rpKsM4b3rMyDwWQtXW5MQcGcZF7C0WS__bRS3YHCzUR0zzOHp2D9rGNh/s320/IMG_2008.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522571522062093042" /></a><br />This huge tourism poster (and its variants) spotted throughout the metro. Yes, the tag line reads, "Where is your West Virginia." Gosh, I hope it is still right there between PA, OH, KY, and VA! I would think a US state going walk about would make the news but not if it is West Virginia, I guess.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKX99IPG9ONRvEqEOv4rVgsqZ0d0utuMZwH1wM1f62Pgpaaam2m92O_rCDbn2J1LYtzy8UesHLuPwI3_nuvHlZsGvVPAdynA_cz2j_WVDeJ-qO7bdyDDLmlf1e7j-bDdCTUe4-waOQPYwa/s1600/IMG_2005.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKX99IPG9ONRvEqEOv4rVgsqZ0d0utuMZwH1wM1f62Pgpaaam2m92O_rCDbn2J1LYtzy8UesHLuPwI3_nuvHlZsGvVPAdynA_cz2j_WVDeJ-qO7bdyDDLmlf1e7j-bDdCTUe4-waOQPYwa/s320/IMG_2005.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522571513638947586" /></a><br />.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17927800053968994891noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81717633200718481.post-6545766016122988532010-09-30T00:51:00.004-04:002010-09-30T01:24:55.254-04:00Tweeting with Frank Delaney<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM9vCaBrDaiZFySEB-RFGKtSYaMwJY9Q3ojbJsOoPyEqF54ftH-Q5hasV5cDvdk6B5_7rypLfBNJWIeLGo5xYcFwrPj2nxE7yfZP-TvAVGkZom_fyj9jQDbw3eP1kglW43BFQRmsU7c2x-/s1600/IMG_1180.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM9vCaBrDaiZFySEB-RFGKtSYaMwJY9Q3ojbJsOoPyEqF54ftH-Q5hasV5cDvdk6B5_7rypLfBNJWIeLGo5xYcFwrPj2nxE7yfZP-TvAVGkZom_fyj9jQDbw3eP1kglW43BFQRmsU7c2x-/s320/IMG_1180.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522565234059210242" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">(Frank Delaney channeling Mark Twain</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">)</span></div><div><br /></div>I don't make a lot of recommendations on this blog, I'm picky and I just don't think that many things are worthwhile, but... I'm addicted to Irish author, Frank Delaney's <a href="http://blog.frankdelaney.com/re-joyce/">podcasts on James Joyce's </a><i><a href="http://blog.frankdelaney.com/re-joyce/">Ulysses</a></i>. He's podcasting 5 minute commentary going through the novel line-by-line and sometimes word-by-word. I told him he's insane, but he just smiled and did it any way. Frank's insight is astute and humorous and his voice is just wonderful.<div><br /></div><div>Earlier in the summer I attended a tweet-fest Frank hosted at a bar in NYC. Ever the gracious host, Frank made the hanging out with him, his marvelous wife, <a href="http://www.meierbrand.com/">Diane Meier</a>, and some of his Twitter followers a blast. (Oh, if you want to follow Frank on Twitter, his handle is <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/FDbytheword">FDbytheword</a>.)<br /><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfRuS6sx9twNjCqiXphbXbgBeyOZPvFcUq1GM10aHbSnK4E6XYgb5YjWv1gfDCtt0S1eN7aSfqiiKMWZcJmlPcnBZSAw-O2rw0NRFMtln5xYUK8enn863CsBg5PfPPxg303LRgouWTtpOu/s1600/IMG_2002.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfRuS6sx9twNjCqiXphbXbgBeyOZPvFcUq1GM10aHbSnK4E6XYgb5YjWv1gfDCtt0S1eN7aSfqiiKMWZcJmlPcnBZSAw-O2rw0NRFMtln5xYUK8enn863CsBg5PfPPxg303LRgouWTtpOu/s320/IMG_2002.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522565242254419026" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">(Bennett, Frank, and a lovely Twitterista)</span></div><div><br />Frank let me tweet for him! Don't worry, he wrote the tweets, I just typed them.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJfgDPjlEtIKVFadyUP0HnonTfRMtluCLUNgCzcyGFrAnC-RTGFhEXi12n-w_q5Lqp0cY2yki0JS0hj_MTmzYng9G2_etJcbuTVIfkv6UE1LspB_eFNYidN600JHa6-yB2A31pS34vJYh8/s1600/IMG_2001.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJfgDPjlEtIKVFadyUP0HnonTfRMtluCLUNgCzcyGFrAnC-RTGFhEXi12n-w_q5Lqp0cY2yki0JS0hj_MTmzYng9G2_etJcbuTVIfkv6UE1LspB_eFNYidN600JHa6-yB2A31pS34vJYh8/s320/IMG_2001.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522565246247724818" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">(Leah and me)</span></div><br /><br /></div></div></div>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17927800053968994891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81717633200718481.post-68901258648842748532010-09-27T16:49:00.004-04:002010-09-29T00:26:58.005-04:00Basement Powder Room - BeforeWe finally redid the basement powder room - YAY! Soon after we moved in, we cleaned and painted it blue then, earlier this year, we put in a new floor. By "we" I mean that my sweetie pulled up the old floor and put in the new oak plywood one. All I had to do was stain it black and add gloss poly.<div><br /></div><div>This is the "before", except that you can see the new black floor and I've already painted the ceiling gloss white. Sorry the pictures aren't better, but the room is soooo tiny, I can barely get a shot of it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyB5Y0jgZPE92r0Ans5v7-K-flMNO3N35bqxULk6dlOZ_j2Y_F9TW6J1O_mrSbJV685q3GNDiBm71D3Yr8OE7EtEPftOfwL2B9moz_4NeMG8ggnQ6ECePCdCNy0GQWbl2FpRgg56z6G0p6/s1600/IMG_1161.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyB5Y0jgZPE92r0Ans5v7-K-flMNO3N35bqxULk6dlOZ_j2Y_F9TW6J1O_mrSbJV685q3GNDiBm71D3Yr8OE7EtEPftOfwL2B9moz_4NeMG8ggnQ6ECePCdCNy0GQWbl2FpRgg56z6G0p6/s320/IMG_1161.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521699385101582546" /></a><br /></div><div>Isn't our Japanese apartment sink (back of the toilet) awesome!?! Clean water for hand washing when you don't have the space for a free-standing sink.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRvJPKgw8DPa4wBXidZkMP73HiKj_4H2Kp5fT4DULnq4cNSY5xvRV_6ENAyReOppe1rgqgOFFJ8rLUiGYlosVQzHdf5KhFSQc7I9KkO1tScQhzsI8Z9ofZ2RPZmvO_PT8uELH77N0JpGwH/s1600/IMG_1158.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRvJPKgw8DPa4wBXidZkMP73HiKj_4H2Kp5fT4DULnq4cNSY5xvRV_6ENAyReOppe1rgqgOFFJ8rLUiGYlosVQzHdf5KhFSQc7I9KkO1tScQhzsI8Z9ofZ2RPZmvO_PT8uELH77N0JpGwH/s320/IMG_1158.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521699373494415890" /></a><br /></div>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17927800053968994891noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81717633200718481.post-77839403723624835232010-09-27T16:28:00.011-04:002010-09-29T00:27:28.516-04:00Memorial Day in P-TownWe spent Memorial Day in Provincetown, MA with some good friends. It was a little chilly but completely beautiful. The first night we drove up and stayed at the Lands End Inn.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhroC-ILju785o9NtpjE8gy6_Tp6jMQPXkS2_Na7sH0zKXyfRpLWBbr4oviBo60x6EAZINBvkIPrt71IU5lVI6w3igoNPmfeF_u8lGjIEkouQI3puzcElOQQcbAOaRM2c8fDCekb6zWk_cl/s1600/IMG_1095.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhroC-ILju785o9NtpjE8gy6_Tp6jMQPXkS2_Na7sH0zKXyfRpLWBbr4oviBo60x6EAZINBvkIPrt71IU5lVI6w3igoNPmfeF_u8lGjIEkouQI3puzcElOQQcbAOaRM2c8fDCekb6zWk_cl/s320/IMG_1095.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521693236892437698" /></a><br />That's me, overlooking the Atlantic ocean. The Inn is at the far end of Cape Cod and has an amazing view.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPOKiaEm3AcLNvWLhCNOspdV3u98H7FTQmKEByZWerAkb-cCSwo307REc3ZxRbRFSHDph4v5WJMdX9kXAJW3YhF4qkvWPnIHvUDMeXt-B06-LebNkyVAAC8SsyKSqfvm383ssIjL81YTJV/s1600/IMG_1099.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPOKiaEm3AcLNvWLhCNOspdV3u98H7FTQmKEByZWerAkb-cCSwo307REc3ZxRbRFSHDph4v5WJMdX9kXAJW3YhF4qkvWPnIHvUDMeXt-B06-LebNkyVAAC8SsyKSqfvm383ssIjL81YTJV/s320/IMG_1099.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522185741451400450" /></a><br />I suppose you'd actually like to see the view...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCtN2N8HE-p3D3kRLvBlQaQJpmruuO9ERjD_uSDOK8DQ4as0bdGI8GSKKig-xet6hlWkNrwRJS4a6mFRkSqbnkn6Um1njs-r6JJoSSdIv5rwsIU1cTp5ML_e7STFnQP2jfJH6jD4a2e3hC/s1600/IMG_1100.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCtN2N8HE-p3D3kRLvBlQaQJpmruuO9ERjD_uSDOK8DQ4as0bdGI8GSKKig-xet6hlWkNrwRJS4a6mFRkSqbnkn6Um1njs-r6JJoSSdIv5rwsIU1cTp5ML_e7STFnQP2jfJH6jD4a2e3hC/s320/IMG_1100.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521693858737800482" /></a>and...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLh_FYEmt1asOEnU6pRoyiezb8awaTQ3UkESFyVyGvExaqc3gkn629B8YjIxgRjmLyiqgGDhgrDWXB6OhN6wYWFVTe9AMpcrt3e_eF3zEz7HzzfZ0C7qI5Uyx22z3Zs0mN5WJESVFraGM1/s1600/IMG_1101.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLh_FYEmt1asOEnU6pRoyiezb8awaTQ3UkESFyVyGvExaqc3gkn629B8YjIxgRjmLyiqgGDhgrDWXB6OhN6wYWFVTe9AMpcrt3e_eF3zEz7HzzfZ0C7qI5Uyx22z3Zs0mN5WJESVFraGM1/s320/IMG_1101.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521694430097089458" /></a><br /><div>They serve a generous breakfast on the terrace (you see I can't pass up my NY Times).<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6bwcJLeZd1WSmyrvl_0MGfpCnCyS5Bv4QSptaiKwQnfnQYU_ezUy77M06VhGACKOH-0-b8pTWlK1vZzExPoBB7-Ywap15Bqxvn89aSi1RiJaeSg3oMOnAydyIOtKk917wKUY9FIwoLbXG/s1600/IMG_1110.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6bwcJLeZd1WSmyrvl_0MGfpCnCyS5Bv4QSptaiKwQnfnQYU_ezUy77M06VhGACKOH-0-b8pTWlK1vZzExPoBB7-Ywap15Bqxvn89aSi1RiJaeSg3oMOnAydyIOtKk917wKUY9FIwoLbXG/s320/IMG_1110.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521694878053839938" /></a><br />Then we moved on to our rental house (this is the garden).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioolzFVcRsarXka7YQYKg5UxeVMkRQ6kgXavxLQBCMxenjFNpNAgSrudgxgMMk-I9FzIzyQyg0F-oEgLYypNC8_mNpGy6l2j982HqLtTi6V63X-ss00opFsU8Npe15SmKVPoBmAUeqX_gx/s1600/IMG_1111.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioolzFVcRsarXka7YQYKg5UxeVMkRQ6kgXavxLQBCMxenjFNpNAgSrudgxgMMk-I9FzIzyQyg0F-oEgLYypNC8_mNpGy6l2j982HqLtTi6V63X-ss00opFsU8Npe15SmKVPoBmAUeqX_gx/s320/IMG_1111.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521695334444804386" /></a><br />There were a lot of parties, dancing and yummy food.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr5H3hTTJSMvqYedLZvQFRGCssv90FlTMHy535O9UpSwVuEPqK40uO4ZQIvsfLGggv3K-EhGyB4HRz8qKVXAUUSSpg5fFuWVYE__dMQ2tGpcqSnAxy4AwqXf99seVAZCrkb_Sbc21sgHHu/s1600/IMG_1134.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr5H3hTTJSMvqYedLZvQFRGCssv90FlTMHy535O9UpSwVuEPqK40uO4ZQIvsfLGggv3K-EhGyB4HRz8qKVXAUUSSpg5fFuWVYE__dMQ2tGpcqSnAxy4AwqXf99seVAZCrkb_Sbc21sgHHu/s320/IMG_1134.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521695338796830770" /></a></div>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17927800053968994891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81717633200718481.post-528084183993474602010-09-27T16:26:00.003-04:002010-09-27T16:27:57.337-04:00Martinis on the Porch<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWyztYnKa4boL9ptvfgr4NmcYF_pxBzSweRstxv_vn1LVWPCDZrbd9l41Hv8eQNvAnfp7AJzVAymj4-y2fb2uE5eTfRbbgn41gW1QjG4j3kiD9BIqRXTeH2kBWPWgtxMqKmUW83FTIIkGv/s1600/IMG_1079.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWyztYnKa4boL9ptvfgr4NmcYF_pxBzSweRstxv_vn1LVWPCDZrbd9l41Hv8eQNvAnfp7AJzVAymj4-y2fb2uE5eTfRbbgn41gW1QjG4j3kiD9BIqRXTeH2kBWPWgtxMqKmUW83FTIIkGv/s320/IMG_1079.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521692542492543602" /></a>We did a lot of work on the house, and when you work hard, you've got to play hard.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17927800053968994891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81717633200718481.post-66821818409625702342010-09-27T16:20:00.003-04:002010-09-27T16:25:27.338-04:00Too pretty to pass upMy college has a lovely tradition called "illumination night." On the Saturday night before graduation, the entire campus is lit with Japanese lanterns, bands play, singing groups sing and the entire campus is overrun with happy people enjoying a beautiful night.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtme2wcqgb9p7VzO9Q1_KF_bFNi6HjITBFuL9JnBB-_64IYNt1GKzm-x_iodMjyUhtWHveGpw68NA6KtlnODy1XPjBDXZtErUajYJEeCsd_GDFr8LBJqXY3b8X4McYIqTD2FzAiqESHEuA/s1600/IMG_1038.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtme2wcqgb9p7VzO9Q1_KF_bFNi6HjITBFuL9JnBB-_64IYNt1GKzm-x_iodMjyUhtWHveGpw68NA6KtlnODy1XPjBDXZtErUajYJEeCsd_GDFr8LBJqXY3b8X4McYIqTD2FzAiqESHEuA/s320/IMG_1038.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521691526542041506" /></a><br /><div>That's the new campus center in the background. Its terrace featured a jazz band this year and couples danced to Standards in the moonlight.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6xkhXnSm3_0VKcpCfRb72J8PneylhuL7cE-rOYacXawnaKbXrRCH8deovBbk7FDKuU7aIwWsFPeeK8-yG0NgnCAouWz28USHluLfz8p1T-YYcUFyWXbsBNPaUaRJrVH5UBMZxdjwJyevZ/s1600/IMG_1039.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6xkhXnSm3_0VKcpCfRb72J8PneylhuL7cE-rOYacXawnaKbXrRCH8deovBbk7FDKuU7aIwWsFPeeK8-yG0NgnCAouWz28USHluLfz8p1T-YYcUFyWXbsBNPaUaRJrVH5UBMZxdjwJyevZ/s320/IMG_1039.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521691931485975186" /></a></div>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17927800053968994891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81717633200718481.post-48636054519888063452010-09-27T16:06:00.003-04:002010-09-27T16:19:04.815-04:0015th College Reunion<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMxlrGvRdhBqSS3p09FlUiwJs-jF1scJw9JN_mL4Z_7fn4swDcdZhU9zfFUJOo51gsn_mbPgPFxdxs_ps4C8qyaczJ6oprcepZe7xj9FLttlT6mXLGGoUzqK36wDuh9firuYOCdp-WytrF/s1600/IMG_1009.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMxlrGvRdhBqSS3p09FlUiwJs-jF1scJw9JN_mL4Z_7fn4swDcdZhU9zfFUJOo51gsn_mbPgPFxdxs_ps4C8qyaczJ6oprcepZe7xj9FLttlT6mXLGGoUzqK36wDuh9firuYOCdp-WytrF/s320/IMG_1009.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521689335422759762" /></a><br /><div>I attended my 15 year (cough, hack, choke) college reunion in May. I stayed in one of the houses (our word for dorms), saw old friends I've not seen since graduation and even had dinner with and got my butt kicked at billiards by my college boyfriend.<div><br /></div><div>I stayed here:</div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbylKx1JsP2gY1w2sT_LtpLrFsEBUzym6PjtaXiIuWeDzEmCIzYdwLLchOyDlph3rSu-Y9dMzMl-4iYbITIsrux3SX9CyI6b6oEWzj9_xZcYVm6PAFXFIHm-i3EjVVqS58KIi3aqAy74xu/s1600/IMG_1006.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbylKx1JsP2gY1w2sT_LtpLrFsEBUzym6PjtaXiIuWeDzEmCIzYdwLLchOyDlph3rSu-Y9dMzMl-4iYbITIsrux3SX9CyI6b6oEWzj9_xZcYVm6PAFXFIHm-i3EjVVqS58KIi3aqAy74xu/s320/IMG_1006.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521689331885151906" /></a><br />Wore these very sensible shoes to march in the ivy day parade and stand on turf for hours:</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3jsbWTZkjpvV-_o_Exk83dYlsFGfcVeCWUk4Zjg8C4G0pei-Guczzi7waLKzJmf6U-L9jhyphenhyphenEqzyHTsi1vDWHlAmIiNiqxP5AVhqGOiQb9sLBp_FzJeX5Wk5FvM6qg4ku85pqWI5sLevuy/s1600/IMG_1023.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3jsbWTZkjpvV-_o_Exk83dYlsFGfcVeCWUk4Zjg8C4G0pei-Guczzi7waLKzJmf6U-L9jhyphenhyphenEqzyHTsi1vDWHlAmIiNiqxP5AVhqGOiQb9sLBp_FzJeX5Wk5FvM6qg4ku85pqWI5sLevuy/s320/IMG_1023.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521689355661924898" /></a><br />And watched the the class of 2010 graduate in teh quad outside my old house (in the background):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJWTTJI8Q9X1vdHp88Nauj3Ry7yGDenfKf4GPUTCmja4tiVhCtxWO5tCRgQRZeZdtFVCWYsb9D_0Alrn3c471Q3WODwbmrCmIi0e4-5xElf82HCgUeMUhWhg0BwkmDTn9YtLObfEjeRvAr/s1600/IMG_1046.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJWTTJI8Q9X1vdHp88Nauj3Ry7yGDenfKf4GPUTCmja4tiVhCtxWO5tCRgQRZeZdtFVCWYsb9D_0Alrn3c471Q3WODwbmrCmIi0e4-5xElf82HCgUeMUhWhg0BwkmDTn9YtLObfEjeRvAr/s320/IMG_1046.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521689360822840066" /></a></div>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17927800053968994891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81717633200718481.post-53632760638656178922010-09-27T15:53:00.004-04:002010-09-27T16:05:58.421-04:00R.I.P. Riley<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2nk3jApjdxETylicvcGgUqjaHZvxfr2f6f_zom9bmI-wnD4wWwH8IMLZe0yUXpjIp4BF55TvC4O8WxekMxU-eyaJYODvggiXwP22OigJxLzBYMTJf-Ug_b5DjtzhtBmFprhKHkExkso2t/s1600/riley+w+joy+of+cooking.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2nk3jApjdxETylicvcGgUqjaHZvxfr2f6f_zom9bmI-wnD4wWwH8IMLZe0yUXpjIp4BF55TvC4O8WxekMxU-eyaJYODvggiXwP22OigJxLzBYMTJf-Ug_b5DjtzhtBmFprhKHkExkso2t/s320/riley+w+joy+of+cooking.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521686683589501842" /></a><br />We had some good moments this summer and one horrible one. Our beloved dog, Riley, was struck and killed by a car late in the summer. She had a terrible and untreatable phobia of thunder/lightning. We tried our best to watch the weather and arrange to be with her over the years. But a freak storm, complete with tornado, blew through our area while we were at a concert one night and she chewed through a door, forcibly removed an a/c unit, jumped out a 2nd story window and was killed several blocks from our house. She was a wonderful dog and we'll miss her greatly. I have to admit that I'm breaking down even writing this.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17927800053968994891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81717633200718481.post-13668887446413785052010-09-27T15:46:00.001-04:002010-09-27T15:47:43.579-04:00Summer's OverI woke up this morning and realized I've not posted all summer. My apologies. A lot has happened and I'll try to catch you up with the highlights (and low points) and post some photos from the summer.Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17927800053968994891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81717633200718481.post-59594566355780091342010-05-12T13:50:00.004-04:002010-05-12T13:57:12.165-04:00Let the sun shine inOn this grey day, I've been thinking of what a changeable spring it has been and some of the amazingly beautiful days we've had already.<div><br /></div><div>The cherry blossoms were about 2 weeks early this year.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhjA9Wz4jWKD6wRzdLfytVd-FBDlkXSmCI3JnXYtqN9PyGTvtak3MGxqMyyt5xTqmvanxXzXmBjUzQlKlTETfYnYZfBRs2NtMiwqADsntBm2V31oSya-D2wZYoa3GXaayB_voBNfVPxKme/s1600/IMG_0829.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhjA9Wz4jWKD6wRzdLfytVd-FBDlkXSmCI3JnXYtqN9PyGTvtak3MGxqMyyt5xTqmvanxXzXmBjUzQlKlTETfYnYZfBRs2NtMiwqADsntBm2V31oSya-D2wZYoa3GXaayB_voBNfVPxKme/s320/IMG_0829.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470443802442567426" /></a><br /></div><div>My street.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9_rKf7J40-7stRg3BaN9sVV62KiIhC7f365irdbdV8wOv6ElRWqALuG_zcZixB1Da99ShDT9W0ZbGkalMioHA-KqqLR4L_mYrAaqZkTI8Vft7_RMeg1e3wVgxLdAi05999BGfFT-jwvzT/s1600/IMG_0828.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9_rKf7J40-7stRg3BaN9sVV62KiIhC7f365irdbdV8wOv6ElRWqALuG_zcZixB1Da99ShDT9W0ZbGkalMioHA-KqqLR4L_mYrAaqZkTI8Vft7_RMeg1e3wVgxLdAi05999BGfFT-jwvzT/s320/IMG_0828.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470443798790580898" /></a><div><br /></div><div>Nice day for riding.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFcMDqw2ETik-xLtSzY2de54UA6LQFZyxtJYJEY1QZ79qKmHJKBaHO0iF42coTXRCw7wj5hntL8kXdv9Jky2GOHczAUeuU_csmUclEczLt0EdKlkKX_Ta9cpACR7eP8aXYVyeNxZG3D1g2/s1600/IMG_0826.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFcMDqw2ETik-xLtSzY2de54UA6LQFZyxtJYJEY1QZ79qKmHJKBaHO0iF42coTXRCw7wj5hntL8kXdv9Jky2GOHczAUeuU_csmUclEczLt0EdKlkKX_Ta9cpACR7eP8aXYVyeNxZG3D1g2/s320/IMG_0826.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470443119896562706" /></a><br /></div><div>Mint juleps on the porch in honor of Derby Day.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaqgmsZpP-9MZ9GlHHL7dRr84MaQTvEynMkLCOhVYp3_3tkwiSmNfUmPfi3Hw8aT23rQZ0n3h1hA2PSGsZG19cPRLHi9EaWUc1Iv4zmW5WvtolzpQoo3FXuTDx_AkXK7WOzYnKAzSGZOjj/s1600/IMG_0944.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaqgmsZpP-9MZ9GlHHL7dRr84MaQTvEynMkLCOhVYp3_3tkwiSmNfUmPfi3Hw8aT23rQZ0n3h1hA2PSGsZG19cPRLHi9EaWUc1Iv4zmW5WvtolzpQoo3FXuTDx_AkXK7WOzYnKAzSGZOjj/s320/IMG_0944.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470443113558520498" /></a><br /></div><div>Looking up from the hammock.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCjA9ngSNiugFKrXpsQRthDKgaxZ5Q-4FfyJgpRllcDmkt4cfiQg2KxIJfrU9J0q4td1TYFDhVa5Huu_l6P7CFXYG1waZmqAxAW_ladwAC0E2SjJcldSobpGtRWLPQCfqIoTXKZ88gnIDz/s1600/IMG_0956.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCjA9ngSNiugFKrXpsQRthDKgaxZ5Q-4FfyJgpRllcDmkt4cfiQg2KxIJfrU9J0q4td1TYFDhVa5Huu_l6P7CFXYG1waZmqAxAW_ladwAC0E2SjJcldSobpGtRWLPQCfqIoTXKZ88gnIDz/s320/IMG_0956.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470443106081562482" /></a><br /></div><div>Cat mint in full effect.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2aj1GD_YOTvLGtgAJJjKJjl0Y4X092DnC0yW4FcYxMvYUSjLWYhHI3ETRtcK3FPE8ZeFOs4ulKBj97KBMD64WPClFUPMKv1Edy4aMyXZGYjOfdoEK7tl-MxKwEEcNiXH25p3hMbD6gNsR/s1600/IMG_0994.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2aj1GD_YOTvLGtgAJJjKJjl0Y4X092DnC0yW4FcYxMvYUSjLWYhHI3ETRtcK3FPE8ZeFOs4ulKBj97KBMD64WPClFUPMKv1Edy4aMyXZGYjOfdoEK7tl-MxKwEEcNiXH25p3hMbD6gNsR/s320/IMG_0994.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470443089306861042" /></a><br /></div><div>Tough life.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE5Fs05PBEQmotS5r2VbDGTU2Mvq_mXh3q3qSvgqNyMGslz12H8gNNgCKU7fzFL_qYdDCxby7Q7W77X2-cBwLJLMYt6nLWHkwEPmGVkysL6bC7Itg3sRVDRpxsHDKFYQy0KTNZNkv25z6B/s1600/IMG_0954.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE5Fs05PBEQmotS5r2VbDGTU2Mvq_mXh3q3qSvgqNyMGslz12H8gNNgCKU7fzFL_qYdDCxby7Q7W77X2-cBwLJLMYt6nLWHkwEPmGVkysL6bC7Itg3sRVDRpxsHDKFYQy0KTNZNkv25z6B/s320/IMG_0954.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470443084325694322" /></a><br /><br /></div></div>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17927800053968994891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81717633200718481.post-14774484318747583412010-04-22T13:01:00.003-04:002010-04-22T13:24:34.122-04:00Happy Earth Day!<div>The farm about which I posted yesterday, <a href="http://www.stonebarnscenter.org/">Stone Barns</a>, is having some wonderful sheep shearing events this Saturday, including <a href="http://www.stonebarnscenter.org/sb_calendar/eventdetail.aspx?EventID=2906">family oriented fiber activitie</a><a href="http://www.stonebarnscenter.org/sb_calendar/eventdetail.aspx?EventID=2906">s</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>If you'd like something a little closer to home (meaning Rutherford) check these out:</div><div><br /></div><div>1. <a href="http://www.abmasfarm.com/">Abma's</a> is a family run farm in Wykoff, NJ. They have a small but well-stocked market (where I buy all my poultry and eggs) and a lovely little petting zoo. Pony ride parties begin May 1! I've written about Abma's before, so I'll keep it brief.</div><div><br /></div><div>2. <a href="http://www.plochsfarm.com/">Ploch's Farm</a> in Clifton, NJ has been around since 1867 and it is where my mom bought all her flowers and Christmas trees when I was a kid. I need to get my butt over there for some advice on what to do with our front lawn flower plot. The big pine tree that was there came out during all the wind last month and I'm at a loss... but that's another post. Along with the greenhouse and flowers, they have a produce market and "country gifts."</div><div><br /></div><div>3. Friends from Rutherford just moved to West Milford, NJ and I took them to <a href="http://www.cowsoutside.com/">Bobolink Dairy</a> in Vernon, NJ a few months ago. Not only is the area gorgeous, but the cheese is to die for. It may be the best cheese I've ever eaten (and I've eaten cheese all over the world!). Everything is 100% grass-fed and raw milk. The bread is pretty awesome too, as is the story - one of the reasons the family moved to "cow country" is that their younger son, Jacob, is autistic and they've found that being on the farm and working with the animals really helps him. You can read the story on their website. Now that I've been there, I'm excited by the prospect for taking one of their<a href="http://shop.cowsoutside.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=231"> cheese and bread making workshops</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17927800053968994891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81717633200718481.post-36563959266392405542010-04-21T15:19:00.006-04:002010-04-21T15:30:03.353-04:00Earth DayIn honor of Earth Day, here are some shots from my favourite farm within an hour's drive of Rutherford: Stone Barns<div><br /></div><div>Tea in the courtyard before hiking out to the barns<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwyFLrLEXxR5cLuw5Huh9rLSrGt3jNh8jBT5B0VlNywrdFXLUMN2bKLb7XWjcNXB1qlxH2vOKpKgdQ_p-crt2_xM_7CAJCGl4l3eJgT38z0mmPB2WQgIk7DV5ovhmk-HV59ieTjrEmgJo4/s1600/IMG_0787.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwyFLrLEXxR5cLuw5Huh9rLSrGt3jNh8jBT5B0VlNywrdFXLUMN2bKLb7XWjcNXB1qlxH2vOKpKgdQ_p-crt2_xM_7CAJCGl4l3eJgT38z0mmPB2WQgIk7DV5ovhmk-HV59ieTjrEmgJo4/s320/IMG_0787.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462674262659174642" /></a>This is Carrot Cake<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgOVwNFUEjgSXfplvADD3cYLnCbL1E2kMAm2tMFdlw8opTRfwj-2QRhpLrgOvmuidpPd4jFt-0gPTG39dHap1QvdFqqAyDDoo7p5xjLhIJogwQvhsyknsA-GPN_iJwDIZO_jgH9pQbTEaK/s1600/IMG_0793.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgOVwNFUEjgSXfplvADD3cYLnCbL1E2kMAm2tMFdlw8opTRfwj-2QRhpLrgOvmuidpPd4jFt-0gPTG39dHap1QvdFqqAyDDoo7p5xjLhIJogwQvhsyknsA-GPN_iJwDIZO_jgH9pQbTEaK/s320/IMG_0793.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462674052437700034" /></a>Carrot Cake and Wall-To-Wall<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh75Qn_EnyUoM0gc3qD2-FPtnSK0JK0i7VkvRZF66DIxBtBKFovbT09Ti0yhBCizusJobv64TFUgJVqhmOfU87_Nb2opGkCiEZNjY2_FurZgHDfjTQRXIMHgDS0Fjw3BUfTiedfiZ_ZHjn0/s1600/IMG_0792.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh75Qn_EnyUoM0gc3qD2-FPtnSK0JK0i7VkvRZF66DIxBtBKFovbT09Ti0yhBCizusJobv64TFUgJVqhmOfU87_Nb2opGkCiEZNjY2_FurZgHDfjTQRXIMHgDS0Fjw3BUfTiedfiZ_ZHjn0/s320/IMG_0792.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462674044582352226" /></a>Stella the Maremma<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9RNC03D6SfvyyRwbMK32bZV9JYVqGoFy_Y9kJk_rfdutBlM1BDMNWeIv6w-oJzznVKHh-fQlYlCtLN4F-5Kpyb418hywAYacwXXzygrXigbv4THmN5WDqJWIMao0Mz0PIJe9wd-WXdQt9/s1600/IMG_0804.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9RNC03D6SfvyyRwbMK32bZV9JYVqGoFy_Y9kJk_rfdutBlM1BDMNWeIv6w-oJzznVKHh-fQlYlCtLN4F-5Kpyb418hywAYacwXXzygrXigbv4THmN5WDqJWIMao0Mz0PIJe9wd-WXdQt9/s320/IMG_0804.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462673858778897042" /></a>Some of the first lambs born this season. Yes, they're wearing little sweaters!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk11TLaDkeYZRT0GnErViG5-qUPM1Mw4L3v7MI4_bk38YXqV7CMMgEN56WGZertuatkaCCC_9BP3eEPxA6MkKJ4SuljPfm8CU4qIgUGqwhi9AxpgkcCxkrFr6wlVIpqDJ20MB_LNG2UZHR/s1600/IMG_0802.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk11TLaDkeYZRT0GnErViG5-qUPM1Mw4L3v7MI4_bk38YXqV7CMMgEN56WGZertuatkaCCC_9BP3eEPxA6MkKJ4SuljPfm8CU4qIgUGqwhi9AxpgkcCxkrFr6wlVIpqDJ20MB_LNG2UZHR/s320/IMG_0802.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462673851731559458" /></a>The brook<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAyIkKg8ftS5NcmI066i3ooWk8pld9ir98iVdHlCo5FDtesGeSUghxu-H7dhvm9XG6Z358iyqnuwn2becd_yPlNsVvIyxj5ZFFdVLSMwgKzEsrNZjBHAXraE8jzi5MBWR7knmF8AOgcJA4/s1600/IMG_0794.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAyIkKg8ftS5NcmI066i3ooWk8pld9ir98iVdHlCo5FDtesGeSUghxu-H7dhvm9XG6Z358iyqnuwn2becd_yPlNsVvIyxj5ZFFdVLSMwgKzEsrNZjBHAXraE8jzi5MBWR7knmF8AOgcJA4/s320/IMG_0794.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462674277902039554" /></a>Courtyard<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLkUhZfKKkOJ4n0FXu2rlutMIuImhtsOEPoRWZauczzdy5QPeZhUoZGoYgq3HainC4qJRPWph_dPWikLWQ5XLyNk0uNuT4kdJ3XAAOJxZIdjJa6_d28fLnD6mAArQMpKMIb9OKS067XUBV/s1600/IMG_0785.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLkUhZfKKkOJ4n0FXu2rlutMIuImhtsOEPoRWZauczzdy5QPeZhUoZGoYgq3HainC4qJRPWph_dPWikLWQ5XLyNk0uNuT4kdJ3XAAOJxZIdjJa6_d28fLnD6mAArQMpKMIb9OKS067XUBV/s320/IMG_0785.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462674272126502418" /></a><br /></div>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17927800053968994891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81717633200718481.post-42366972480713376532010-04-19T14:29:00.003-04:002010-04-19T14:43:57.390-04:00How To Cook Everything iPhone App<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN0Ix-IL1VVIyevJ8wVq-JtmLG0Ymoxik3MZxSfShMg1Jhh6hapgmBewdjDlbHZZOeGkmYnE2aLYl7fiN89CDfSVX45oZbqap93bH9tTTtduARK2-RGxBn2PspdUGu9dSjgnOFz-YJ4PEO/s1600/htce-homescreen.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 160px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN0Ix-IL1VVIyevJ8wVq-JtmLG0Ymoxik3MZxSfShMg1Jhh6hapgmBewdjDlbHZZOeGkmYnE2aLYl7fiN89CDfSVX45oZbqap93bH9tTTtduARK2-RGxBn2PspdUGu9dSjgnOFz-YJ4PEO/s320/htce-homescreen.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461920253147065938" /></a><br />Thank you to Megan at <a href="http://www.notmartha.org/">Not Martha</a> for the heads up on this iPhone app: Culinate has released Mark Bittman's <a href="http://www.culinate.com/app/htce">How To Cook Everything</a> for the iPhone and it is specially priced at $1.99 - A STEAL. I cook out of the HTCE book regularly, at least when I use a cookbook, and love Bittman's <i>Minimalist</i> videos on <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/features/diningandwine/columns/the_minimalist/index.html">The New York Times website</a>.<div><br /></div><div>The app includes full text from HTCE plus a search feature, recipe timer, favorites lists, and shopping lists. I've just downloaded it and I'm looking forward to that last feature because I'm a particularly disorganized about grocery shopping.</div>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17927800053968994891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81717633200718481.post-80532509004193667242010-04-17T12:01:00.002-04:002010-04-19T14:43:03.818-04:00Breakfast Quinoa<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ZZHHlr1q_gPZlTe0oA049BnJ05C1oQdkSYXCjkYRnSiBsq6AbFhM7mvtkWWBfC04gBlLamulL_CrjwmHgvmY1R8m6HjJKfLGcjBYY0hKCqC_Pa0EMFmy7juXDRSrYoNkrMVFuvMbnh7T/s1600/IMG_0446.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ZZHHlr1q_gPZlTe0oA049BnJ05C1oQdkSYXCjkYRnSiBsq6AbFhM7mvtkWWBfC04gBlLamulL_CrjwmHgvmY1R8m6HjJKfLGcjBYY0hKCqC_Pa0EMFmy7juXDRSrYoNkrMVFuvMbnh7T/s320/IMG_0446.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460470472005927218" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">While it is still cool enough to want to eat this, I thought I'd share. I found the article in Martha Stewart Living, from which I usually don't cook, so I was pleased.</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2 cups milk<br />1 cup quinoa, rinsed<br />3 tbs light brown sugar<br />1/8 tsp ground cinnamon<br />1 cup fresh blueberries (I used organic frozen)<br /><br />1. Bring milk to a boil. Add quinoa, and return to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until 3/4 of the milk is absorbed, about 15 min (mine took 20).<br />2. Stir in sugar and cinnamon. Cook covered until almost all the milk has been absorbed, about 8 min (mine took 15).<br />3. Stir in blueberries. (test the quinoa to make sure it's really done first. I skipped this step and ended up with slightly over cooked blueberries)<br />4. Serve with additional milk, sugar and cinnamon, if desired (I did not)</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">.</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />This was in the same issue of the Magazine. Super creepy!<br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgndvG4nKzwexUmBZhspi_FBdrnGEHonc_e4IqDCFgs1Qup4UpNSmceT4J5x-mWMTeBjUOaNudpcH6yGa0SvAkR7D-x2IlRr9EeUkUeYmuKoMDcNP76XH2PC8eedJ1zDQP3xsNPL9cicWdS/s1600/IMG_0445.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgndvG4nKzwexUmBZhspi_FBdrnGEHonc_e4IqDCFgs1Qup4UpNSmceT4J5x-mWMTeBjUOaNudpcH6yGa0SvAkR7D-x2IlRr9EeUkUeYmuKoMDcNP76XH2PC8eedJ1zDQP3xsNPL9cicWdS/s320/IMG_0445.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460470648847063730" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A friend promises me that when she squeezed the bird, milk comes out its beak.</span></span>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17927800053968994891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81717633200718481.post-32875556399626186992010-04-16T10:32:00.001-04:002010-04-19T14:43:23.426-04:00Rutherford Board of Ed Elections<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This Tuesday is the Board of Ed election and School Budget vote. It has been very difficult to find information on the candidates, so here's what I've found:</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Summary:</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-Rutherford receives about 9% of its school budget monies from the state. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-This year</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> $1.8 million, or about 58% of its aid from the state is being cut. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-The current school board put together a budget for next year with a 2.9% increase in school taxes and 26 layoffs.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-The average tax bill would increase $160 with the proposed budget.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-If this budget does not pass, deep cuts that will significantly impact the education in the borough are next.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Candidates:</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">There are 7 candidates running for 3 spots on the Board. They are 3-year terms. One candidate is running for re-election (Kevin McLean) and one sits on the Board by appointment (Richele Scuro) but this is her first election race. The candidates are:</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1. Matthew Gilson - recent Rutherford HS graduate and full-time student at Seton Hall University. He has a lot of fresh ideas and his </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Matt-Gilson-for-Board-of-Education/263351565348"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Facebook page</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> is pretty great.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2. John Grande - small business owner of a bakery/cafe</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">3. Mary Lanni - former teacher and retires Principal of St. Mary's High School</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">4. Kevin McLean - manager in the pharmaceutical industry, parent of Rutherford students. Current Board member.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">5. Richele Scuro - project manager for Liz Claiborne. Current Board member.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">6. Sally Suarez - retired nurse.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">7. Frank Wilson - Industrial engineer who works for UPS. Used to own Clubhouse Cards & Comics in Rutherford. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">You can find out more about the candidate and read Q&A with them in todays</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><a href="http://www.northjersey.com/news/90908214_Candidates_talk_costs__electives__layoffs.html?c=y&page=3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">article</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> on NorthJersey.com or in</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> a similar </span><a href="http://www.leadernewspapers.net/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=12566&new_topic=18"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">article</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> in The Leader. They also ran an </span><a href="http://www.northjersey.com/news/89663412_Twenty-six_layoffs_planned_with_budget.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">article</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> about the planned layoffs and proposed budget.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The proposed </span><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?oimirndmnnj"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">school budget</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> is available for download </span><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?oimirndmnnj"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">here</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17927800053968994891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81717633200718481.post-76175534372518380902010-04-15T16:16:00.002-04:002010-04-15T16:17:05.834-04:00Happy Anniversary!This is the 3rd anniversary of our purchase of the house. We've come a long way. This was the first house we looked at. Then we looked at some more, and more, and more. This one was still the best. We love you, House!Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17927800053968994891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81717633200718481.post-22355019079883616942010-04-15T14:11:00.011-04:002010-04-15T14:31:20.240-04:00Basement Before and AfterLooking through the "before" and "during" shots of the kitchen put me in the mood to revisit our recent basement renovation. We're pretty lucky because the basement is large, has a full sized window and a full door out to the back patio an pool. When we moved in it was painted battleship grey with mustard yellow sponge-paining, had grey speckled wall-to-wall carpet and dank old drop tile ceiling. All in all, it seemed like a dungeon and smelled musty. We cleaned the carpet, repainted aqua (bad choice) and tried to ignore it.<br /><br />After living in the house a couple of years we realized that we used the space more than we'd expected - our desks were there, the washer and dryer were there, we walked through it constantly in the summer to get to the powder room, to bring things down from the kitchen, etc. At least the carpet had to go. And so it did.... revealing 1950's bowling alley tile:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhijxDX4UWTNvYqcAuKWP3iRUp3d_mDRXo-nF5c3jKxDu6TL_ClJjPd8bt2H_n39mKVdYoZxK-lUS4J9HogV6ftU1zQR7OqM1EOMS-VYpxmnWnmxrothH6ptwpKAYHMXTlLm063au2ntp10/s1600/BasementProgress1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhijxDX4UWTNvYqcAuKWP3iRUp3d_mDRXo-nF5c3jKxDu6TL_ClJjPd8bt2H_n39mKVdYoZxK-lUS4J9HogV6ftU1zQR7OqM1EOMS-VYpxmnWnmxrothH6ptwpKAYHMXTlLm063au2ntp10/s320/BasementProgress1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460430725358334498" border="0" /></a><br />Once again, I was on my knees prying up tile (that's a scrap of the nasty carpet under the book shelf on the left).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEJm3Lyv4pU931VqTgxm7jidDMcstbKOVp4ACHYqbuTzS3JDV-52xCqwCDIJ2ZXS92Ea4jNcSErbMu3UzfieSHNwG2Mz47dZo7vSq6XjU4mchy8q_3QO7ULGCOncQm2si5deSwmYskzRvv/s1600/BasementProgress2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEJm3Lyv4pU931VqTgxm7jidDMcstbKOVp4ACHYqbuTzS3JDV-52xCqwCDIJ2ZXS92Ea4jNcSErbMu3UzfieSHNwG2Mz47dZo7vSq6XjU4mchy8q_3QO7ULGCOncQm2si5deSwmYskzRvv/s320/BasementProgress2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460430940054270514" border="0" /></a>Finally, it was gone!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuHywnfhZXPYYk5M1ApdGFblaFZiSj2e4la8ktjtq-Ye4G9eVyx3KRllHAwTPkB4WUsE7VlvDp4QZiXpF7fbFKFfkBb8ulhIhP17zlajw9k-uFI5CDDM2VOUBGeiI97GvDTqGbxoQru87a/s1600/PasementProgress3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuHywnfhZXPYYk5M1ApdGFblaFZiSj2e4la8ktjtq-Ye4G9eVyx3KRllHAwTPkB4WUsE7VlvDp4QZiXpF7fbFKFfkBb8ulhIhP17zlajw9k-uFI5CDDM2VOUBGeiI97GvDTqGbxoQru87a/s320/PasementProgress3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460431431359896034" border="0" /></a>We repainted the walls Ralph Lauren "Studio Cream" RL Number: UL01 from the "Urban Loft" collection (ironic) and selected the new flooring.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhGQF7_r6BNwPLDS2QoKyqfq6dWlw7wO1vM8WNLct_x2uaI0uCzhex3LkA47fl-cMALWOa2iuNMf87fazPEhx4-xxhuJJwn3NLVx04mwobd-KO8D09i86KBrng-CiQBkQUiNAIxpi9etFQ/s1600/BasementProgress4.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhGQF7_r6BNwPLDS2QoKyqfq6dWlw7wO1vM8WNLct_x2uaI0uCzhex3LkA47fl-cMALWOa2iuNMf87fazPEhx4-xxhuJJwn3NLVx04mwobd-KO8D09i86KBrng-CiQBkQUiNAIxpi9etFQ/s320/BasementProgress4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460431774013870130" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBYCWVp3eziQ1TZzsCtMkOOVGIUzf09pxPAV1YdfYQhFSVRQtZB-qne9dY6aLW0-BoQlHh5OOoUZ3yUTER0G6S5kPvpIDGYkxfHvgfT4QPi7cAiWwfUZHyF4yJLDlvqzjDWIDUhvkvwUXv/s1600/BasementProgress5.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBYCWVp3eziQ1TZzsCtMkOOVGIUzf09pxPAV1YdfYQhFSVRQtZB-qne9dY6aLW0-BoQlHh5OOoUZ3yUTER0G6S5kPvpIDGYkxfHvgfT4QPi7cAiWwfUZHyF4yJLDlvqzjDWIDUhvkvwUXv/s320/BasementProgress5.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460432413656546402" border="0" /></a>You can seen the new drop ceiling tiles too. They're a product from <a href="http://www.ceilume.com/">Ceilume</a> that is sound baffled and fire rated. They're also very light so we can easily get to all our water shut off lines and wiring. Et voila:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ-M-oadyWv9T5cV9fwLb3iBhpfXn1Mn0ZgYoQHhfcqNAvBCO6aHQwSfZVAHeFxcEUjUpm2PoPjGw084oIyEWjGX_8TFSjZjm7clIRBntru1-28wiECw25jPzqdq-Rp9rGhfBk6OTbXI7O/s1600/BasementAfter4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ-M-oadyWv9T5cV9fwLb3iBhpfXn1Mn0ZgYoQHhfcqNAvBCO6aHQwSfZVAHeFxcEUjUpm2PoPjGw084oIyEWjGX_8TFSjZjm7clIRBntru1-28wiECw25jPzqdq-Rp9rGhfBk6OTbXI7O/s320/BasementAfter4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460433351446828386" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHjjKG8GubAmBeFiKbLei3ZG_TImoms9ePbO-6vWEBlef8T2hVT78EIjSezq5jLtOlT0-5MKDhO437I5rFRnHqwxkMJ4yM5j5v6y52KV5JLNpHiVlnSvj19ioFG8uDZkwjdmu3BF7ts4eh/s1600/BasementAfter3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHjjKG8GubAmBeFiKbLei3ZG_TImoms9ePbO-6vWEBlef8T2hVT78EIjSezq5jLtOlT0-5MKDhO437I5rFRnHqwxkMJ4yM5j5v6y52KV5JLNpHiVlnSvj19ioFG8uDZkwjdmu3BF7ts4eh/s320/BasementAfter3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460433294208762034" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWGRRvLs8PrrG7AXb4k_xsykL-Klsxh8C1RlnrmctRbXaFduBVWnuBEAIqdEYk-cD0N7wxeIvNH-r7roJpzlecMjn7pvLo2o-8CX8LQCIOb0RkuloQYBc-EYTe0O8yAF-ZOuKuH6ofCTDF/s1600/BasementAfter2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWGRRvLs8PrrG7AXb4k_xsykL-Klsxh8C1RlnrmctRbXaFduBVWnuBEAIqdEYk-cD0N7wxeIvNH-r7roJpzlecMjn7pvLo2o-8CX8LQCIOb0RkuloQYBc-EYTe0O8yAF-ZOuKuH6ofCTDF/s320/BasementAfter2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460433246564357842" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCoWMDzWHSQGGYX7G7UJASQTqRqXZSTrhtok64fbU0kJfLK1WvQBfirjXYzwuMJ67yhbdY_oR-qR9zC5veyXTJvsC15u9jhZTsWL_VxWHsU4brYf3OzGGx-5pjSW-IqMrdqw6gHqyPyMzr/s1600/BasementAfter1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCoWMDzWHSQGGYX7G7UJASQTqRqXZSTrhtok64fbU0kJfLK1WvQBfirjXYzwuMJ67yhbdY_oR-qR9zC5veyXTJvsC15u9jhZTsWL_VxWHsU4brYf3OzGGx-5pjSW-IqMrdqw6gHqyPyMzr/s320/BasementAfter1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460433194732403586" border="0" /></a>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17927800053968994891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81717633200718481.post-30592703170815481362010-04-14T13:20:00.006-04:002010-04-14T13:53:38.782-04:00Kitchen "Before"The nice folks at <a href="http://holyokehome.blogspot.com/">Holyoke Home</a> asked for "before" pictures of the kitchen. I'm amazed I can't really find any that show the whole, original room. We've been working on the kitchen since we moved into the house about 4 years ago (I think I wrote 3 in a comment, but that's wrong). We've been slowly changing out everything but the cabinetry, which I would love to change but it is just not in the budget.<div><br /></div><div>When we moved in, the kitchen was painted forest green to match the green faux marble countertops, had putty colored stick on tile on the floor, white low-end appliances, gold knobs on the cabinets, the trim was painted beige, and to top it all off, there were dark green cellular shades on the windows with swaged fabric and dried flowers on top. This picture will, at least, show you the floor and a corner of the fridge, the countertops, and faux bead board backsplash. It was taken the morning after a big party, to things are a bit of a mess and usually the dog is not that blurry.</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi41r5wJti6BdSJ7FrJcExuXgCnfMiTAdtyafP4glGhmKjnW7BqnxuErHpeXKIewd4xMHM1IsMB3OR6u3AVQbtLXe1a4qcPQ_TU1dLcT7u-_UHJQri7FnECwYW7tCktEVsrJGa07Osr6Lwu/s1600/IMG_1471.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi41r5wJti6BdSJ7FrJcExuXgCnfMiTAdtyafP4glGhmKjnW7BqnxuErHpeXKIewd4xMHM1IsMB3OR6u3AVQbtLXe1a4qcPQ_TU1dLcT7u-_UHJQri7FnECwYW7tCktEVsrJGa07Osr6Lwu/s320/IMG_1471.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460046107590800674" /></a>We repainted (twice) and switched out the window coverings and cabinet knobs immediately. The range was the next to go, since it conked out just before we were expecting 18 people for Thanks Giving dinner (isn't that always the way). We bought the GE Profile 5-burner range with lower oven and convection settings. I LOVE it. I know it is wrong to love your appliances, but the range is super. I'd buy it again and again with the one caveat that I wish it had more than once high BTU burner. Next we gave the refrigerator and dish washer to a friend and replaced them with a Kitchen Aid french door and a Bosch, respectively.<div><br /></div><div>You can see the range, replacement range hood, stainless steel backsplash, and the new floor in this picture.</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOdbDPlzzqYL1uDIEV07Ifm9ULjiLcWQY2fRWfKRrHdlnt0OO9Y2p1SmNFxBP0Oow_MQF9Vdm7jZ4Umx_IeEMUO-eBGxUm7NWNeZ8VxK5SLo6uT_Eb71XP4_df8mi1Iw33Mtyxw2Y7G9iK/s1600/FloorRange.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOdbDPlzzqYL1uDIEV07Ifm9ULjiLcWQY2fRWfKRrHdlnt0OO9Y2p1SmNFxBP0Oow_MQF9Vdm7jZ4Umx_IeEMUO-eBGxUm7NWNeZ8VxK5SLo6uT_Eb71XP4_df8mi1Iw33Mtyxw2Y7G9iK/s320/FloorRange.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460049596855333762" /></a><br />It took me a week on my hands and knees to get up the multiple layers of stick on tile but it was worth it. All the "experts" told us not to put down real slate but we went with it anyway and I'm very happy. It is a breeze to clean, does not show dirt (or dog fur), feels great under foot and only cost $1 per square foot. <div><br /></div><div>Oh, and did you notice that piece of odd trim under the book shelf? That covers up an original window. Why, why, why?<div><br /></div><div>Another low-cost/high-impact change were the cabinet knobs. First we found wonderful drawer pulls that look like twigs and round knobs that had a floral motif. Ultimately, we switched the knobs for square ones that are more "bungalow." </div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3I76BiJNueYuT5Yciq_jL9kCjJod-veHYcxapbFOw99S4qiGvVmcLzkCMq8F2axri3Bigv10hdpKcpHKOaOI4rWxiuCZKhU04JkiwpdL_ICz6UbBjcbBsgN6Jxq9rlfUEv4-YGQ-HgMjS/s1600/Knobs2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3I76BiJNueYuT5Yciq_jL9kCjJod-veHYcxapbFOw99S4qiGvVmcLzkCMq8F2axri3Bigv10hdpKcpHKOaOI4rWxiuCZKhU04JkiwpdL_ICz6UbBjcbBsgN6Jxq9rlfUEv4-YGQ-HgMjS/s320/Knobs2.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460051721295573954" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrRgc8uKzb_Q5VuAAUHyn8wKEzih8rS4rh4shLEpRc0Yzy7qW4yvJudoeVQ3m2ODTOOJgienXdF3LAcAq5TmQoXXdRrm6r6-yKowN3WA8iXIz6U6gpGgSV-i_yX5vPMkWMCtgkPgYVKo9w/s1600/Knobs.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrRgc8uKzb_Q5VuAAUHyn8wKEzih8rS4rh4shLEpRc0Yzy7qW4yvJudoeVQ3m2ODTOOJgienXdF3LAcAq5TmQoXXdRrm6r6-yKowN3WA8iXIz6U6gpGgSV-i_yX5vPMkWMCtgkPgYVKo9w/s320/Knobs.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460051710497052978" /></a><br />Now back to choosing a new backsplash. Remember, suggestions are VERY welcome.</div>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17927800053968994891noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81717633200718481.post-85152038946775421712010-04-13T17:42:00.003-04:002010-04-13T17:50:53.564-04:00Kitchen Counters!I know I promised you an update on the kitchen but I've been mucking around looking for backsplash inspiration and considering sending a plea for help over to my friends at <a href="http://www.BangorBungalow.Blogspot.com">Bangor Bungalow</a>. Without further ado, here's the update.<div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_P0sXSrJtdmxjXdV6h6JUgFnRCkxF6OFs2fryXf6qxsLgdh0GxwyG85PBmLA6Grh2xJt91XzDwD1Gsxx8rp0m4-M6shhP_rwW18-qnz9SGAbqlGLzv3HpoL1iv5GTvGELCSGCyfXyA23B/s1600/IMG_0815.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_P0sXSrJtdmxjXdV6h6JUgFnRCkxF6OFs2fryXf6qxsLgdh0GxwyG85PBmLA6Grh2xJt91XzDwD1Gsxx8rp0m4-M6shhP_rwW18-qnz9SGAbqlGLzv3HpoL1iv5GTvGELCSGCyfXyA23B/s320/IMG_0815.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459741582953451906" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk75nxyAL78IufZPeKlk72Yizr4SHcGGcEsh1uFzmCmLhDwNmEgHoLEzIX7oFASBi3-P5QgDWgCvC6sLSdlpKQhj4mzhXEjmkaG7yTySTYrYMXwpPcx9m0-hCk3hxQH0b-r6Rz92N10-92/s1600/IMG_0814.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk75nxyAL78IufZPeKlk72Yizr4SHcGGcEsh1uFzmCmLhDwNmEgHoLEzIX7oFASBi3-P5QgDWgCvC6sLSdlpKQhj4mzhXEjmkaG7yTySTYrYMXwpPcx9m0-hCk3hxQH0b-r6Rz92N10-92/s320/IMG_0814.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459741575012659330" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBSLb4ZC3ETILQz1OFxt2Eed0kz0fyZV_IFoonaC4tZu9t9kyguN08Z8XATrueItVnuJjFJWcbIVnBrg_OWZkcy7SyDxL01PMpdus9XlJZe9FKhCdXdzdR-tXUoBtRpekmIoSrN45f1K3I/s1600/IMG_0813.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBSLb4ZC3ETILQz1OFxt2Eed0kz0fyZV_IFoonaC4tZu9t9kyguN08Z8XATrueItVnuJjFJWcbIVnBrg_OWZkcy7SyDxL01PMpdus9XlJZe9FKhCdXdzdR-tXUoBtRpekmIoSrN45f1K3I/s320/IMG_0813.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459741566230194130" /></a><br />As you can see, the ugly backsplash (some ca 1955 is still in place), we originally planned to put in slate mosaic tile but now that all the black granite is in, we think it might be too dark. We've been pouring over options but please, PLEASE send any suggestions you have.</div>Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17927800053968994891noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81717633200718481.post-77990442631598044902010-04-12T12:01:00.004-04:002010-04-12T12:05:25.625-04:00Reduce, reuse, recycleAn update: I'm thrilled to report that I just went outside and someone has taken the white enameled cast-iron Kohler sink we put out on the curb (see picture in previous post). It was a nice sink and I hope it will serve someone well.<br /><br />Actually, Rutherford is pretty great for curb picking. All of my friends have found treasures on the street before garbage day. A few years ago, I found a beautiful antique china-cabinet. It had a piece of curved glass missing which M replaced and now good as "new." I've seen similar priced at $2,000 in antique stores!Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17927800053968994891noreply@blogger.com0