I wanted to do a post before we left for Jersey, no go. So here’s pre-shore… and a few from this morning. I just had to photograph my growing beauties…

Jersey images in the next couple days…

My old street…

There are some redeeming qualities to eastie.

So it’s about time I go back to work…

Despite what most people think, you can’t just wake up and say “today I want to be a portrait photographer…”

It’s like juggling piranhas…that are on fire…while standing in a canoe going over a waterfall.

Step 462… Logo.

I am soooo lucky to have such amazingly talented friends (who actually do this for a living) to take advantage of…

I’ll be cooking them dinner for years to make up for this… and planting their new garden.

You guys are the best!

My little garden is doing fantastic! I was worried when we left for four days in 97 degree weather.

No casualties…

AND MY RHUBARB IS COMING UP!!!!! I planted them the night before we left… in the dark. Not my ideal plan but sometimes thats how life works out.

Hearty little buggers… Super hot weather followed by two days of down pour… unattended. I’m so proud!

Five crowns; I’ll have it coming out my ears… in 2014. Rhubarb is a lesson in patience.

I love being rooted…

My raspberry bushes have a couple berries on them… The beauty of getting year old plants; instant gratification.

Ya, my salad needs to be thinned. Micro greens for dinner!

My first pepper of the season… Isn’t it beautiful!?

All my tomatoes are growing two inches a day. Rain soaked ground plus a ton of sun; they’ll be up to my belly button by the end of the week.

My tomatoes sucked last year. Bottom end rot is the devil. I’m feeling pretty positive about this year though… I planted them all with a crushed egg shell this go round; I read that helps. It could be total bullshit but thats what gardening’s all about…  Plus they are in the ground not a container, better moisture control. Don’t I sound like I know what I’m talking about? HA!

Photography and gardening are two things I may feel I know… in 30 years.

J’s family wanted to see pictures of the house, so I snapped a few before we left… I’ll share.

Like everything great, a work in progress…

Those bushes are going to a new home far away (when I can find someone to take them). And my raspberry patch will take their place. I think I can get at least 15-20 plants in that spot. And blueberry bushes will take the place of the ones by the stairs. We’re taking all that rock out and putting a better border in as well… Our early spring project. I can’t wait!

(Below) Area by the fence will be all raised beds. White lattice to the chopped off bushes is the rhubarb patch. All the rock will be torn out and new better border rock put in. The bed next to the house will be built up a bit more with new rock. And that ugly driveway will be gone! I don’t think we’ll ever park the car in the garage so I may make more growing space from the end of the rhubarb patch back to the garage once the asphalt is gone. That one is still up in the air…

My plot!

From the stairs to the end of the garage will be raised beds. Blueberry and raspberry bushes will be in their new home in the front of the house. Strawberry patch is to the left of the bbq. Patio/pergola/super stealth workout area will be the width of the yard and from the blueberry bush back to the sunny spot. A couple more raised beds in the back corner sunny spot. Fire pit where the pile of rocks are. Rock wall will be gone and Mary (that white spot behind the chairs) will have a new home somewhere else in the yard…

And ALL grass will be gone!

Sun room aka project/plant room. Michelle and Lola are coming to live with us for a few weeks until their apartment is ready. Everything that’s in this room will go up to the room they’re staying in after they leave. It doesn’t seem like that much stuff but you should see the part that’s not in the picture…

Abnormally large ceiling fan will go to a new home; maybe Andee and Rudy’s new house. Doors are going on the cabinet this afternoon. New couch pillows (when I make them). Orange chair up to my room, (J and I each have a room other than our bedroom, not pictured because they’re still a mess). My room is the one Michelle and Lola will be staying in…New paint and windows. And art!

Dining room: new paint, windows and art…

I’ll be moving my office up to my room and off the kitchen table asap!

Kitchen is pretty much done other than art…

Second bathroom is getting painted as soon as soon as I find the perfect wallpaper for the accent wall. New/old (you know me) mirror and lights.

This area is going to be covered with family pictures. And of course painted. Railing will be all white. Still unsure about the stairs…

The bathroom is the bane of my existence. The toilet/tub/sink already clash with the tile on the floor and in the shower area; (same ugly brown as the floor only smaller) so finding paint to go with both is impossible. The white shower curtain even clashes…. blaaaaaa. The light is beautiful though… The towel rack and tp holder will be gone. Over the sink is a huge vintage oval  mirror, it’s gorgeous but it couldn’t clash more with the tile if they tried… I have no idea, any suggestions? And no my husband wont let me rip out the tile floor and shower…

Paint, new windows, this with the front door,  art… new light?

I’ll photograph the other two bedrooms when they stop looking like we just moved in yesterday…

I just love my little house… Hope you enjoyed the tour.

And have a fantastic Thursday Loves!

Why a picture of onions you ask…? Because I like them.

Caramelized onions have become a must on burgers in our house. And burgers remind me of summer. And that’s what we’re having for dinner…

I’m now going to get off the computer and go outside to work in my yard. I’ll be sticking to the shady side of the house on this 93 degree day for sure…

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SUMMER LOVES!!!!!

I’m getting my hair done this afternoon!!!!! I’m happy to say that working as a hair person for 11 years has not jaded me to the joy of having someone else mess with my head for two hours… Yes folks, cut AND color today…

I’ve been having a hard time lately with the whole concept of eating out. I love going somewhere where I can relax and have someone else do the work. I love love love to cook but sometimes I just need to get out of the house. So my problem lies in the quality of food at 99% of all supposably good restaurants. At home we eat as organic and grass fed as possible; really good quality food is hugely important to both of us. So sitting staring at a menu of ingredients I wouldn’t buy myself gives me anxiety. How can I relax when I’m eating a twenty dollar salad that is full of chemicals?

Why yes, I am the hippie of the family…

So this is my new favorite restaurant… It’s a place I can go and not feel panicky. They get it…

And everyone is happy.

I’m not sure if that’s Robert Smith or a witch. Or a combination of the two…

Sufie Poet demi bowl with their amazing hot sauce. It’ll put a smile on your face…

So it’s the next day… I got my hair done and I’m not horrified. I’m not super impressed either. Color is great, cut is so so (my hair no longer gets pulled out by my camera strap which is good) The hairdresser was dull and said like three words. Boring! I guess the search continues…

What did they feed you, kitty?

My mom used to make salmon patties when I was little. I decided to try. I added a few extra ingredients to make them a little more us…

Salmon Patties…

• one 6oz can of salmon (or fresh)
• handful of chopped spinach
• chopped scallions
• 1/2 cup finely ground bread crumbs
• 1/2 tsp red pepper
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 egg
• pepper to taste
• lemon wedge

Mix all the ingredients together, except the lemon (works easier with your hands).

Form into patties (about three) and throw them in the pan on med/low heat. Don’t quote me on this but I think it takes about five minutes on each side.

Squeeze the lemon over the top when your done… wa la. Lunch!

I also attempted homemade mayo for the first time… Anthony, I thought of you. Happy Birthday one day late…

So here’s my conclusion. Olive oil is too strong tasting or at least I think so. It’s not like you use a few dashes, it’s closer to 3/4 cup per egg so it will set the flavor. I will try again with grapeseed oil next time.

You can double or triple this recipe but keep in mind it doesn’t keep for longer than four days or so.

Mayonnaise…

• 3/4 c oil of your choosing
• 1 egg yolk (not a whole egg)
• 1/2 tsp ground mustard
• juice from 1/2 a lemon (or 1/4 depending on your taste)
• salt and pepper to taste
• red pepper if you choose (and I do)
• stand mixer

You could try this by hand, but keep in mind you will have to whisk for about 30 minutes. That sounds like the opposite of fun.

So, add everything but the oil to your mixer bowl, mix for a few seconds on medium.

After that start adding the oil a tiny drizzle at a time, literally. Make sure the oil is mixed in before you add more. I used a turkey baster for more control. If you add it too fast it will turn into a slimy mess.

When it gets as thick as you want, you’re done! It really does take like 20-30 min, even with a stand mixer.

Oh ya, and it won’t be white. It will be yellow. How could it not since two of the ingredients are egg yolks and dry mustard? Makes me wonder how they make it white…?  Bleach?

My husband (because he is fantastic) told me to go have a day at the spa. So I did.

It was great! Massage, facial, mani/pedi. Great way to spend an afternoon…

I love love love angry weather! Makes me so miss storm chasing…

JCA, I hope these make you smile… Love you tons!

We had a very productive three day weekend… Tons done inside and out.

YAY!!!!! No more sage! The kitchen is one of the few rooms that we can paint now. We (I mean my husband) decided not to paint until we replace the windows, he’s right of course. Do it right once…

The windows in the kitchen and both bathrooms are new though, so we’re starting there…

We prettied the front of the house a bit: planted a few flowers, trimmed the bushes, trimmed the grass, moved rock. I no longer feel like “those neighbors”. We plan on redoing every square inch of our outside space by this time next year. There is certainly no reason to look like white trash until then…

Future home of our new fire pit. Right where my husband knocked the old one down… I love it when he does manly things.

And here is where my rhubarb patch is going to be. I want to squeal every time I think about it! I wish my crowns would get here…

I knocked my African Violet off the bench. Anyone who knows about these plants knows that if you look at them wrong a leaf snaps off. And if it gets knocked off a shelf,  it’s pretty much toast.

I wanted to cry… There has been two plants growing happily in this tiny pot for years; flowering constantly…  So I picked up what was left and replanted them in two pots. It was like separating siamese twins… It made my heart hurt.

Upcycling makes me smile!

Our first bbq meal of the season (we finally got our tanks filled)… It was glorious! And it looked great on my new favorite thrift store find of year…

The first day of summer is on the 20! Plan something outdoorsy to celebrate, or plant something… Or drink a Bloody Mary (outside).

Happy Thursday Loves!

Happy fourth birthday to the sweetest girl in the whole world… You brighten up my life every single day.

Actually, happy birthday to all these guys where ever they are…

I heart garage sales… you never know what you’ll see.

I have been slowly switching to glass in everything I can. My favorite part, it fits in the cup holder in the car (unlike every other water bottle out there). And you can drop it on the tile and it doesn’t shatter. And you can actually take a drink while the car is moving without all the water ending up down your shirt. I have the 16oz, I’m not sure if the 22oz also fits in a cup holder…

I LOVE this lady!!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the pepper and tomato plants and raspberry bushes and blueberry bush and oregano…and most of all for coming out and spending the day in my garden with me… You are the best!

My new (to me) vintage gardening gloves… love! Thank you Style Pyle for having the only vintage gardening gloves in the world.

My husband told me that he read once that there was a natural way to take tarnish off silver, so I googled it. He was right! All you need is a pot, boiling water and baking soda. Reason number 2361 why I love that man…

It worked so fantastic!

Before

After… I had some pieces that were literally black with tarnish and now they’re all bright and shiny.

Now you’ll think twice about passing up that fantastic piece at a flea market because you don’t want to clean it…

I wish this patch was in my yard, I found it on our walk the other day…

I finally got a chance to move all my plants from the apartment to our house. They needed a special trip… there is kinda a lot.

I think I have everything already growing in my yard figured out (thanks to my mother)… These peonies are getting moved in the fall, they happen to be taking up 1/3 of the space in one of the only beds that gets full sun. You’re pretty, but I can’t eat you. I like flowers but only where veggies won’t grow.

I have about 7 mums that I’m slowly digging up and moving into pots. I know I’ve said it before, but I do love mums. I can’t wait to see what color they all are.

We have officially moved out of our apartment…

I find renting to be like dating. You like it in the beginning, could care less about it in the end. But you learn place after place what you do and don’t want in the house you eventually take that leap with.

My house, like my husband… practically perfect. And well worth waiting for…

This ol guy finally got a new pot with wonderful, healthy new soil. He so deserved it. Robert Plant has been in my life since I was 12, longer than most everyone in my life now. How he is still alive, I don’t know. I barely made it out of my teens and twenties alive let alone keeping a plant alive. He returned the favor ten fold. I would have gone to bed one night and never woke up from the carbon monoxide leaking out of my furnace. Between him, (who never looses leaves) loosing almost all his leaves and the sudden headaches, I decided to call the gas company… If it was just the headaches, I would have never called.

I love you Robert Plant! I’m sorry it took me so long to replant you…

Lola came for a weekend sleepover… she is so sweet, even when she’s trying to kill the guy dropping off phone books.

This is our dog door… Not by definition, but it was made to have dogs lay in front of it.

yummmm, muscles…

Happy whatever day it is Loves!!!

We’re not quite all here… or all there. We’re sleeping here and get our mail here. I guess we’re home; It doesn’t yet feel it.

My mind is swimming with all the things I have to do… want to do. Normally I love the release of a blog post but I’m wound a little tight to get any complete thoughts out. Pictures will have to do…

Oh, and a very HAPPY MOTHERS DAY to the queen bee (late (I did call her))… I love you to pieces! And to all the other amazing mothers in my life…

We found a breakfast place… very happy husband.

Moving day…

I will never move again… Ever.

I will sell plasma to pay movers if need be.

Tons of firsts and lasts last week.

Last super in the apartment…

First supper in the house…

We of course broke out the wedding glasses for the occasion.

I heart “dog friendly”.

Have I mentioned lately how much I love flea markets…

I love flea markets.

Nothing brings out that raw emotion an artist was feeling quite like googly eyes…

Ahhh Brian… He bought this for his mom for mothers day. What a good son.

I didn’t buy one piece of pyrex… willpower.

I’m excited for Christmas…

Movie date! I almost forgot those existed.

I can relate…

Happy Thursday Loves!

I got nothing…

I have been working on my house and not much else. Certainly nothing picture worthy. Plus I keep forgetting my camera at my new house.

We decided to refinish the floors upstairs. I’m so happy we did! Only one more week and we’ll be sleeping there!!! Can you tell I’m excited??

I’m so in love with my house…

The finish line… I’m not shitting you, I sanded for daaaaayyyyyys. I couldn’t move, I felt like I was 700 years old.

But It looks amazing! Tune in next time for pictures of the new floor.

Cleaning out a fridge properly is a skill shared by very few in this world… It took me an hour and a half to make her shine.

We have oil heat (yuk, I know) There is a black film on EVERYTHING in the house. And now there is a layer of sawdust on top of that… However, I find it easier to clean when you can see the crap.

Common sight around the apartment… Piles.

This automatically pissed me off, of course. So I figured I’d take a picture of this newspaper with my camera and also my iPhone, to just see.

Ya, so first off I cant seem to keep my flash from going off even when it switched off. I don’t have a picture of the paper with the flash off, they were all blurry because it’s impossible to hand hold this damn thing in anything other than bright sunlight; and then you can’t see what you’re photographing because of sun glare off your screen.

The iPhone camera is ok in emergencies (forgetting your real camera) but it pretty much sucks in 95% of all situations. So there WSJ…

It was pouring rain on my earth day… No garden work:(

I love whole foods… They at least try.

Mmmm, Sangria.

Looks like a twin lens reflex…

Happy May Day Loves!!!! I wish I could leave may baskets on everyone’s door step…

I realized yesterday that I haven’t done a blog in well over two weeks. Usually I am very aware that I’m over due. But April so far has been filled with weekend trips, visitors, beaches, moving, cleaning… Not to mention spring is officially here and the weather has been BEAUTIFUL!  Sitting on a computer never even crossed my mind.

Life has a funny way of happening regardless… 

When last we met I was heading to Chatham for a lazy couple days with my friend/neighbor…

This blog is very Wynn heavy, she’s just so damn spectacular!

MY MOM CAME TO VISIT ME!!! Kinda… She had a conference in Boston and lovingly extended her trip in order to spend time with me.

She’s so fantastic!

We went to the new house and wandered around outside discussing the best places to plant this and that… and deciphering what was already coming up.

We also went up to Newburyport of course…

This guy’s is amazing! His music just makes my old soul smile. I want him to come and play for me while I garden. I lost his card. It’s somewhere and I’ll find it. Moving does cause a lot of misplacing…

They so love each other… 

I heart Modern Millies (yes I may have said that a time or two). I found a perfect little spring dress in there. Now I need to invent an occasion to wear it…

Since I made a vow only to buy items that are from thrift stores, vintage shops, flea markets, upcycled or made by  small businesses that follow a “greener” code; I find I love and appreciate anything I find sooo much more. Plus it eliminates impulse buying…

We went on a duck tour. It was so very Boston…

And to the top of the Prudential…

Glorious lunch by the water…

I love napping in the sunshine…

I have never seen ruffled pansies, I kinda think they’re fantastic!

Phone conversation with my sister…

“What are you doing?” “Walking around a flea market with mother” “Awwwwe seriously, Why don’t you just stab me in the heart!”

We all love love love flea markets, and our mother…

We ran across the street to use the bathroom at walmart and I left my phone sitting on top of the tp holder (I blame my sister) and of course didn’t realize it until four hours later…  A HUGE thank you, thank you, thank you! to whomever turned it in. And thank you for reminding me that good people still exist…

And then we went to church at Saint Cecilia’s… Good thing the ceiling didn’t fall in because it was an amazing one.

One of J’s besties had a short overnight trip to Boston… I love the Leon.

Don’t forget Earth Day on Sunday…

I feel about Earth Day how I feel about Valentines Day. You shouldn’t only spend that one day showing the love…

Happy Tuesday Loves!!!

 

Yep, it’s ours.

I wouldn’t allow myself to get really excited until we signed the papers. Now they’re signed and I’m over the moon!

Let the gardening begin!

Sign Mr. D,  sign like the wind!

Who stores paint in a root cellar, so silly. I will bring you back to your former glory!

A couple more from the first day of spring…

We went for several fantastic walks during our 80 degree heat wave…

My usual; philly roll with regular salmon instead of smoked. Better when eaten outside… (Like most food.)

I stopped in this kitchen/spice store in Salem and met David Bowie (not that one). He has a corner of used cook books, take what you like and drop off what you don’t. Brilliant!

I don’t think we have used actual spaghetti in years. Spaghetti squash is sooo much better! And easy…

Poke a few holes in it and put it in the microwave for 3 minute increments until cooked (turn 1/4 turn every time you check or it will cook more on the bottom). Takes around 10 minutes depending on size. You should be able to dent it on all sides when it’s cooked through. Cut open lengthwise, (you will have to use a towel to hold it because it is blistering hot right out of the microwave) scoop out the seeds and scrape with a fork until all is removed. One four/five lb squash usually feeds two people.

Last rent check! Hopefully forever…

We had a table full of friends over to celebrate…

All those wine bottles are going to be used in an amazing back yard project I came across. More on that in a couple months…

I’m off to the Cape this afternoon with these three lovely ladies. I have never been, I’m kinda excited!

Happy Monday Loves!!! I hope for you that it isn’t a Monday…

 

 

 

How did you spend yours…?

Happy Spring!