Improvise

We had breakfast for dinner tonight.  Yes, this is french toast made with English muffins:

Here's a closer look:

So delicious.  I got the idea from a headline I saw on thekitchn earlier in the day, and it stuck with me since we always have English muffins but almost never have bread for french toast.  Our results were so great, I now want to create mixed-up versions of all kinds of recipes, like french toast using sourdough or grilled cheese on raisin bread.  For me, improvisation in the kitchen normally means disaster; tonight, my reluctance to stop at the grocery store for challah actually worked out.  Have you ever made a great dinner by accident?

IKEA's Floral Finds

I usually don't make impulse purchases, but when I was at IKEA a few days ago picking up this lovely cart for our kitchen, I couldn't help but buy a bunch of items from their new floral, summer line to give as gifts.  Actually, I wanted to buy one of everything to keep for myself but we are already pressed for room in our kitchen.  Anyway, Mother's Day is coming up and who wouldn't want one of these beautiful candy dish-like bowls?

These juice glasses are perfect for brunch, with sweet danishes piled high on top of the matching flowered tray. 

Here are my purchases, nestled in the crease of my backseat on the ride home.  I'm keeping the napkins. xo

It's Happening!

Yes, this weekend we started putting together our Save-the-Dates.  I think they're adorable.  And I love the matching envelope liners, even though they are super time-consuming to insert.  Once I finish getting all of the addresses together and we finally receive the stamp I order from Paper*Source three weeks ago, they'll be ready to go.  This wedding is really happening!

Save the Dates from Minted

Dark-Haired Girl In Search Of: One Comfy Armchair

I think everyone has one favorite spot in their home.  In our last apartment, I liked sitting in the corner right near our kitchen table.  It was only a few nights ago, when I had a project to work on, that I realized I don't have a really comfortable place to sit in our new apartment.  Usually, I'm either camped out on the couch (where I can't balance my laptop) or at the kitchen table on a hard wooden chair (which hurts my back after 25 minutes).  We don't even have a seat at our desk.  Then it dawned on me: we need an armchair.

Now, our space is limited but there is this little area right by our bookcases where I think we can squeeze in a nice, soft, comfy chair, one that would be perfect for reading, or writing, or typing, or possibly watching television.  A seat that makes the apartment feel like home, for real. 

What's your favorite place at home?

P.S. I love this chair (pictured above, courtesy of Pottery Barn)!

Super Sniffer

I don't consider myself to be someone with extraordinary talent but I do have one special skill: I have a killer sense of smell.  I can tell what my grandmother made for dinner while standing on her front porch in the winter (all windows and doors closed).  I can smell the funkiness in the hall of our condo building through two doors (sometimes it smells like fruit loops and vomit).  It's impressive.

More often than not, when I walk into a place, I'm reminded of something else because of the smell, good or bad.   The second floor in my office building reminds me of my great-grandmother's living room (new carpet and strong coffee made in a percolator).  My yogurt's sweet scent this morning made me think of the cereal bars my college cafeteria used to make (think Rice Krispie treat but with Captain Crunch cereal instead).  Sometimes when I'm in New York, the whiffs of street food are reminiscent of my elementary school cafeteria (breaded chicken cutlets and Salisbury steak in steam containers). 

It's like having a built-in sensory memory book. And lately, I find myself thinking about the past more and more, probably because I'm heading further away from my childhood and towards this life-changing thing called marriage.  I love how the simplest thing can bring me back to some of the smaller moments that most people would forget.  Usually, those are the times that are most worth remembering.


P.S. If I could choose to have a real super power, it would be a toss-up between teleporting or mind-reading. But I'd still want to keep my incredible nose. xo

Monumental

Today is April 13th, 2012. Exactly one year from today, Anthony and I, along with all of our friends and family, will be celebrating at our wedding. It's a whole year away, yet it's just a year away. I'm excited and nervous all at once but most importantly, I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with Anthony.  I can only hope he loves me half as much as I love him. 

 

Photo courtesy of Forever Cute tumblr via weheartit

Love All Around

In the past week, three friends (two close college friends and one friend from high school) have gotten engaged. And I know five different people who became parents for the first time just last month. It's so funny how things all seem to happen at the same time.   Love in every form is springing up all around.  It makes me so happy to think about all of these new relationships and the new families being formed.  Most importantly, I love when the people around me are happy.  There's so much to celebrate in the coming year.  xo



Photo courtesy of Cheeseheiress