Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Sort-of signs of spring
The sun was out today, and the ice is finally melting away -- leaving pale browns and greens in its place.
This time a year ago, it had been warm for weeks and my daffodils and tulips were already blooming. Not so lucky this year! I'm pretty sure I'm going to miss all my new bulbs when I'm in China for two weeks this month. Sigh... mom will have to take pictures for me.
So, the farmhouse is surrounded by a slow creeping spring, and full of packing piles. And that's about all there is to report. More projects coming when I get home!
xoxo
This time a year ago, it had been warm for weeks and my daffodils and tulips were already blooming. Not so lucky this year! I'm pretty sure I'm going to miss all my new bulbs when I'm in China for two weeks this month. Sigh... mom will have to take pictures for me.
So, the farmhouse is surrounded by a slow creeping spring, and full of packing piles. And that's about all there is to report. More projects coming when I get home!
xoxo
Sunday, March 24, 2013
3 out of 113
Tomorrow, I celebrate three years of owning the LFITBC. It feels like a long time in my little life, but it's only a heartbeat in the life of this old house. That thought humbles me. 113 years is a long time. This house has seen 20 presidents, two world wars, the first female voters, the dawn of the personal computing age, and almost every Minnesota winter recorded by the National Weather Service.
And at the end of another long winter, I'm rejuvenated just by imagining the garden in its spring and summer glory. I make lists of spring cleaning projects and the prospect of cleaning windows is more exciting (sun! warm weather!) than daunting. And cooking in my kitchen brings as much joy as ever.
One thing I couldn't have predicted three years ago was the job change I made 18 months ago, and the amount of travel it has brought. I love it for that -- I get to visit friends all over the country, went to London and Paris last fall, am going to China this spring, and more international travel likely this summer and fall. But it adds a challenging layer to maintaining a house on my own. It has forced me to be much more organized about appointments and chores, and to suck it up and ask for help from friends and family when I can't be here to shovel snow or water the garden. And it does make me more appreciative of the days I get to spend here. It's a blessing and a curse, but mostly a blessing.
So, tomorrow I'll feel a small weight off my shoulders -- the first-time homebuyer's credit required me to live in the house for at least three years, or I'd have to pay back that awesome $8,000. But other than that, it's just another day in the tens of thousands that this house has stood to shelter people from the cold, biting winds of the Minnesota plains. My mom and dad will read this and exclaim, "I can't believe it's been three years!" (hi there, miss you.) I'll hang my head a little when I look at the still-unfinished-trim in the kitchen, and promise to get to it before the fourth anniversary. And I'll look forward to many more dinners with people I love around the dining room table. Come and visit, friends!
xoxo
LG
Monday, February 25, 2013
opinions please: new curtains!
I'm 99% sold on these new curtains for my living room ... what do you think?
Official deets: Ivory/white, semi-sheer, with jute stripes that look like gold from afar. $20/panel from Cost Plus World Market.
Replacing: the ivory floral sheer curtains that came with the house.
I love the idea of stripes in that room, as well as how the curtains fit the white and gold theme in a more neutral way. I'm less than enthused about the mismatching stripes when the curtains are closed (for me, that's 50-75% of the time). But is that enough of a dealbreaker? I haven't found anything else I really love.
Official deets: Ivory/white, semi-sheer, with jute stripes that look like gold from afar. $20/panel from Cost Plus World Market.
Replacing: the ivory floral sheer curtains that came with the house.
I love the idea of stripes in that room, as well as how the curtains fit the white and gold theme in a more neutral way. I'm less than enthused about the mismatching stripes when the curtains are closed (for me, that's 50-75% of the time). But is that enough of a dealbreaker? I haven't found anything else I really love.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
find your prize
Fellow home blogger and college friend Meredith and I visited Hunt & Gather (famous for "find your prize") yesterday ... to celebrate her new house!
I found a new (old) crystal drawer pull for the desk in my dining room, some Valentines's Day cards, and about a hundred other things I sadly couldn't bring home.
I also picked up some pillow forms at JoAnn's for my other new favorite things ... Pillow cases from Zara Home. I found them when I was in Paris for work last November and they've been mocking me from their folded perch on my bedroom chair ever since. It was time to put them to good use, brightening up my living room couch on this icy, snowy weekend.
Prizes found.
I found a new (old) crystal drawer pull for the desk in my dining room, some Valentines's Day cards, and about a hundred other things I sadly couldn't bring home.
I also picked up some pillow forms at JoAnn's for my other new favorite things ... Pillow cases from Zara Home. I found them when I was in Paris for work last November and they've been mocking me from their folded perch on my bedroom chair ever since. It was time to put them to good use, brightening up my living room couch on this icy, snowy weekend.
Prizes found.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
miracle mineral oil
I'm a die-hard fixer of things I love ... boots get re-heeled, shoes get re-soled, scuffed leather gets moisturized and polished. It's no different with the architectural pieces of my house that can't be so easily replaced as a pair of heels.
Take my kitchen cabinets. Custom-built mission-style wood that almost seems to glow from within (thank you, previous owners). And I love them to pieces.
Except for the worn and torn edges near the sink and stove. Most of the staining is from water (near the sink) and dry air (from the oven, and the house in general). Not the most inspiring thing to look at every time I'm at the sink:
But a few minutes with a soft cloth and a bottle of mineral oil, and everything looks as good as new.
I discovered mineral oil a few years ago when I was given a beautiful handmade wooden cutting board as a gift. Someone told me the best way to minimize the appearance of knife cuts on the board would be to treat it with mineral oil (available at stores like Bed Bath & Beyond or your hardware store). It's food-safe and not only works like magic on minor scuffs and scratches but also restores the wood to its original color (without messing up the stain, if there is one).
So if you have a wooden cabinet, desk, chair or cutting board that could use some TLC, there you have it. My secret revealed.
xoxo, LG
Take my kitchen cabinets. Custom-built mission-style wood that almost seems to glow from within (thank you, previous owners). And I love them to pieces.
Except for the worn and torn edges near the sink and stove. Most of the staining is from water (near the sink) and dry air (from the oven, and the house in general). Not the most inspiring thing to look at every time I'm at the sink:
But a few minutes with a soft cloth and a bottle of mineral oil, and everything looks as good as new.
I discovered mineral oil a few years ago when I was given a beautiful handmade wooden cutting board as a gift. Someone told me the best way to minimize the appearance of knife cuts on the board would be to treat it with mineral oil (available at stores like Bed Bath & Beyond or your hardware store). It's food-safe and not only works like magic on minor scuffs and scratches but also restores the wood to its original color (without messing up the stain, if there is one).
So if you have a wooden cabinet, desk, chair or cutting board that could use some TLC, there you have it. My secret revealed.
xoxo, LG
Sunday, January 27, 2013
new recipes and a new year's goal
To set the stage today: I'm sitting at my dining room table, listening to the down-home swinging tunes of A Prairie Home Companion and Lynn Rossetto Casper's soothing voice on The Splendid Table. A cup of Good Earth Tea in my favorite teacup, and cloudy skies predicting (hopefully) snow later today. My kitchen is finally clean, I'm home for an entire weekend and the week ahead, and I'm catching up on all things personal and work-related.
I'm not quite ready to tackle my inbox, which suffered terribly from a personal trip to Atlanta last weekend and a work trip to Kansas City this week. So instead, I'm going to tell you about a few of my favorite new recipes. Not a lot of pictures this post, because I wasn't so much in documentation mode when I was scarfing these down earlier in January. But you can find lots of beautiful photographs on Bon Appetit's website, since that's where they all came from.
For I, Miss Little Farmhouse, valiantly attempted to follow the Food Lover's Two-Week Cleanse a few weeks back. The first week was great; I mostly failed the second week; and my trip to Atlanta definitely threw a wrench in everything. But I discovered some great new staple recipes to add to my repertoire, so it was definitely worth it. For starters:
I'm not quite ready to tackle my inbox, which suffered terribly from a personal trip to Atlanta last weekend and a work trip to Kansas City this week. So instead, I'm going to tell you about a few of my favorite new recipes. Not a lot of pictures this post, because I wasn't so much in documentation mode when I was scarfing these down earlier in January. But you can find lots of beautiful photographs on Bon Appetit's website, since that's where they all came from.
For I, Miss Little Farmhouse, valiantly attempted to follow the Food Lover's Two-Week Cleanse a few weeks back. The first week was great; I mostly failed the second week; and my trip to Atlanta definitely threw a wrench in everything. But I discovered some great new staple recipes to add to my repertoire, so it was definitely worth it. For starters:
New Breakfast Favorites
Citrus Salad with Yogurt and Rosemary (add yogurt and agave nectar/honey to this recipe from day 4)
Snacks
In the Lunch Rotation
Weekend Dinners with Lunch Leftovers
Conveniently, this project also served one of my 2013 goals: to try 30 new recipes. In fact, I tried 12 new recipes in two weeks thanks to the menus and meal plans from BA. So I think I'll blow way past 30 this year! Regardless, I'll try to report back each month with the new recipes I've tried so you can join in the fun.
xoxo
LG
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