Resource Management

(Poster from WWII)

I wanted to take a second to introduce one of my favorite phrases: Resource Management. While it suggests a passion for forestry or fish hatcheries, I use it in a domestic sense and it's first cousins with Home Economics. (Take a second to really think about that term...Home Economics. Those lame mandatory middle school classes certainly didn't do this important subject any justice, which is a shame, as I think running an efficient home is as hard today as it ever was.)

Anyways, Resource Management. It's all about figuring out a way to use what you have on hand...whether it's for a meal, a home improvement project, or a Halloween costume. Call it Yankee ingenuity, vestiges of the Great Depression, or even a desire to emulate MacGyver, but I also call it fun. I enjoy the puzzle of "how am I going to make this work?" and it's one of the few areas where I actually possess some creative ability. Stay tuned for some of my Resource Management triumphs! (I'll leave out my failures...who wants to hear about that!?)

Molten Chocolate Cakes

I was craving something rich and chocolaty the other day and even though our cupboards were pretty bare, I knew there had to be something I could make using the basics I had on hand (eggs, flour, sugar, etc.) So I took to the interweb, and of course my girl Martha Stewart had this sweet little recipe for me.

I omitted the espresso powder (didn't have any), but threw in a little vanilla extract for kicks. I served them in the ramekins, right out of the oven, with a scoop of french vanilla ice cream.

Gotta say, these were delicious, like a brownie sundae gone gourmet. The combo of the warm chocolate cake, gooey center, and melting ice cream was exactly the fix I needed. I think Steven liked it, too, as his disappeared in about 1 minute flat. :)

Try this recipe for a quick, decadent, homemade treat!

A Vintage Home

Even though we're nowhere near being ready to decorate our house, or maybe because of it, I spend a lot of time fantasizing about home decor...I love imagining what our house will look like, where we'll put some of our favorite items, and what colors we'll choose. My vision is still rather vague, but countless hours spent perusing home decorating magazines, books and blogs have helped me to narrow it down to one basic idea.

And of course, it was the obvious choice, right in front of my face the whole time. This old house, all of the cool stuff we found in it, our love of rummaging through yard sales/antique shops/craigslist...of course we'll go with an eclectic vintage style, hopefully featuring a bunch of yet-to-be-acquired unique finds, and influenced by our love of travel and preference for cozy, welcoming spaces bathed in natural light.

On a related note, I am chomping at the bit to check out the Todd Farm Flea Market in Rowley, MA this year. It's held every Sunday, is HUGE, and supposedly flies under the radar compared to the highly acclaimed Brimfield, MA Antique Show. Can't wait for the season opener in April!

Here are some shots of our current stash of vintage items that will help set the tone for our future decorating schemes...

*vintage Christmas ornaments...

handed down from my grandparents*

*I see this lovely pink glass container on a vanity or dresser*

*this mirror came with the house and dates back to at least the 40's. I intentionally put a steep $85 price tag on it during our yard sale because I really didn't want it to sell!*

*a little polish and this dainty silver-plated pedestal bowl will look great*

*I can't wait to redecorate our office in a way that showcases the vintage banker's chair and desk that Steven found on Craigslist*

*I never wear them, but I love this vintage Eiffel Tower brooch. I'm determined to find a creative way to repurpose it.*

*this teacup is a part of my "Girl Room" vision for the parlor*

*I don't know if it's cut glass or crystal, but I think this wine carafe is really pretty*

Can't wait to go flea market hunting!

The Great Tile Debate

We spent 3 1/2 hours getting tile on Saturday, and not because we selected some obscure specialty tile that's difficult to acquire. It simply took that long to first compare the offerings of Lowe's and Home Depot, then make the call between the 1" hexagon tiles and a similar option, THEN find 40 square feet of tile from the same lot (to avoid color discrepancies). All told, we went to 3 different Lowe's and 1 Home Depot.

For the floor, we selected a soft white "octagon dot" mosaic tile that is very similar to the 1" hexagon tiles we originally wanted, but a better deal. In fact, the hexagon tile in ceramic cost twice as much as the octagon dot in porcelain. I'll gladly trade a subtle visual difference for a higher quality product at 1/2 the price.

Sample image of the octagon dot floor tile (notice the light gray wall grout):

Octagon Dot tile close up:

Small hex tile close up:

Different product, similar overall effect.

We also picked up the wall tile, a 3"x6" white subway tile. And herein lies the debate...

WHITE GROUT...

OR GRAY GROUT???

Steven and I are split on this, so feel free to weigh in. If it affects your decision, we'll be using a light oyster shell gray for the floor. And while you're at it, feel free to tell me that chair rail cap tile is so striking that it's worth the extra cost ($4.75 per tile vs. $1 for a plain cap tile)

I love it, but is it justifiable? (And notice the white wall grout!)

To be continued...

Cocktail Friday: Toasted Almond

Last Friday's cocktail was the Toasted Almond, a mix of vodka, Tia Maria, Disaronno, and cream. I was extra excited about this CF because it was my first chance to break out my new martini glasses (from Santa Steven, who scored high quality Austrian glasses at Christmas Tree Shops, of all places) and my new cocktail shaker.

Right off the bat, Steven insisted that I must have mixed up the ratios...and shortly after giving him a big speech about how "I'm a scientist, I always follow the protocol, bla bla bla", I realized that there was twice as much alcohol in there as there should have been. Oops! Oh, well, an extra dash of cream straightened that right out. :)

Apparently my mixing style closely resembles that of this famous epicure:

Meat CSA

I finally did it.

I’ve been wanting to participate in the Stillman Turkey Farm meat CSA (community supported agriculture) for a couple of years now, but never felt I could justify it. I recently decided to just DO IT, and signed up for the 6 month/half share program, which is 10 pounds of meat per month for 6 months. That 10 pounds can include beef, pork, chicken or lamb, and is roughly 5 lbs. of ground meats or stew cuts, and 5 lbs. of premium cuts. Most importantly, it is local, free-range, hormone-free and conscientiously-raised.

Since I’ve been wanting to do this for quite a while, it was with great anticipation that we drove up to Jamaica Plain on Saturday to pick up our first share. It contained: ham steak, Italian sausage, pork chops, chicken breast, raw bacon, smoked pork butt, and as an extra “bonus“, a bag of pork neck bones (for soup, stock, etc.).

Hmmm, written out like that it sounds like a pretty good haul…but I have to say that my first impression was that it must be a cleanout month for the CSA, since this share was so pork-heavy. And of course, this little frugalista wants to make sure she’s getting a good value. At the end of the day, this meat is costing $7.50 per pound.

Of course, when I refer to value, I’m not just talking about the meat itself. I recognize that part of what we’re paying for is almost political in nature. With our financial support, we’re saying that local agriculture, humane husbandry, and traditional small-scale farming are a good thing and we want it to stick around. Even from my relatively elementary experiences while growing up on a hobby farm (we had nearly every barnyard animal you can think of, except for sheep), I know that what these farmers are doing is not easy. Furthermore, it’s rarely lucrative. So I really appreciate their willingness to live that life, preserve old New England farmland, raise heritage breeds humanely, and make it available to the rest of us. It’s not an occupation that many of us would have the guts to pursue.

Anyways, now comes the fun part…choosing/designing recipes around the meats that we received. I’m actually really excited for this part, and to see what’s in next month’s share…it’s like a grab bag of meat! I’ll keep the updates, recipes, cooking tribulations and triumphs coming…

In the meantime, if you are interested in these sorts of topics, I thought Fast Food Nation and Real Food were great reads…

Fun with Joint Compound

We've been hard at work taping seams, patching fastener divots, and reinforcing corners in the downstairs bath. Here are some recent pics...

(The cement board will need special taping and patching products, so we're doing that separately)

(Steven obviously takes my documentation efforts very seriously.)

Sunday Morning Crepes

For some reason, I tend to forget about crepes unless I'm in a foreign country--probably because that's where I was introduced to the simple yet delectable treat that is the Nutella-filled crepe. But after Paris, I decided it's time to bring the goodness home. And so I made these crepes, filled with Nutella or stroop (a Dutch caramel-like syrup), for a lazy Sunday morning breakfast...

P.S.-After breakfast, we made more progress on the bathroom renovation. We've got one piece of cement board to go, then we'll patch the seams and embark on our first tiling job!

Key Trends

Has anyone else noticed how the vintage skeleton key motif is suddenly everywhere you look?

From home decor, such as these vintage keys from Pottery Barn ($19 for a set of 7)...

or this absurdly priced "key art" from Restoration Hardware ($199)...

to jewelry, such as Tiffany's collection of key pendants...

Oval key pendant, $150

Diamond & Platinum key pendant, $6500

the vintage key is definitely in the spotlight.

I find this particularly interesting, as we have amassed a bin full of vintage keys that were tucked away in our basement. Of course, some of them may match the old locks on the bedroom doors (this is likely, considering the fact that our front door can still be locked by skeleton key), but that still leaves a whole bunch of unmatched keys.

I'd really like to come up with a creative way of using these as a decorative element in the house, but if the creative juices don't flow, I think simply hanging them on the wall a la Pottery Barn would still look pretty neat...

2010 Prospectus

I love making lists, and what better time to make a master list than the New Year? Here's my current vision for 2010:

Home.

*Finish downstairs bath.

*Give the front porch a makeover.

*New windows in the sunroom?

*Rewire the 2nd floor? (Awaiting estimates)

*Continue cosmetic remodel of 1st floor.

*Hopefully get 1 bedroom updated.

*Garden!

Health.

(Do I even need to say it?) You know the drill for this perennial favorite: eat better, exercise, slim down.

Professional.

Take 2 more graduate classes.

Financial.

2009 was the year of financial flux. Between the new job, new house, tax credit, money in, money out, heat & water bills...we're still not sure what a "normal" month is going to look like.

So:

*Figure out our monthly budget.

*Save for travel.

*Save for home improvement.

*Open a Roth IRA.

*Bring lunch from home! (Huge financial and dietary failure of mine)

Travel.

One big trip (current frontrunner: Alaska) with several little trips (VT, ME, NH) sprinkled in.

General.

*Establish a daily routine.

*Explore our new community.

*Do a better job keeping in touch with old friends.

*Keep reading lots of library books.

*Act on my "six month rotation" mentality (I'll explain later.)

Happy New Year!

~LT