Adapted from a recipe on Cooks.com and a recipe I made at a knife skills class at L’Ecole Culinaire…
4 large tomatoes
1 green bell pepper
1 medium onion
1 clove garlic
1 jalapeno
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1/8 cup lime juice (original called for 1/4 cup – feel free to experiment)
Salt to taste
Finely chop vegetables, garlic, and cilantro and combine in a big bowl. Add salt and mix well. That’s it! DELICIOUS. We’ll see how long it keeps.
There’s been a lot of redecorating and revamping at my house lately. As all homeowners know, the to-do list never really ends. Aside from possibly remodeling my master bathroom, and even less possibly replacing my carpet with laminate flooring (neither of which I will attempt to do myself), here are the home things that are top of my mind lately:
Couches. As long as they’re in good condition, I don’t care whether they’re new or used. But I’m having a hard time finding the right set at a reasonable price. Because I have two cats with claws intact, I need twill or another sturdy fabric. My living room is a light yellow, so I’d prefer blue (the color of my existing couches) because beige or brown might look boring or ungrounded. I like a simple look with low, scalloped arms, and I love piping around the cushions, as in this photo from Rooms-to-Go (which we don’t have in Memphis).
Desk chair. I currently have a large office chair with arms that don’t allow me to scoot up to the desk. It’s uncomfortable for someone my size, not to mention pretty blah and cubicle-looking. I’d like an armless parsons chair and this one would match my Tiger-blue-and-chocolate-brown office perfectly. However, I’ve been shocked by how much parsons chairs cost. This one is over $100.
Something to go over the mantel. I love sunburst mirrors, and this Target offering is the closest I can find to my dream mirror picture that I cut out of InStyle years ago. But it might be too mod for my decidedly non-mod decor. My other idea is a big tin star, like these:
Also, for years I’ve wanted to paint my dark brick fireplace and mantel white, but it’s such a final, non-undoable step that I’m terrified to do it. I have decor commitment issues. My family and many friends are against the idea and I’d rather not hear endless negative words about it if it doesn’t turn out.
Oceany stuff. Being from Florida, I have a lot of shells and I’d like to make a shell box like this one (which I think I saw originally on The Lettered Cottage). I also want to create a new setup for my sand collection – I have little Tupperware containers of sand from most of the beaches I’ve visited. I want to find a bunch of small, uniform message-type bottles (with corks) and arrange them in an old spice rack. I’ll make tags with the place and date and tie them around the bottles. This project would have been done long ago if I could find the right kind of bottles in a decent quantity. The craft stores don’t have what I’m looking for.
What are all of you looking for for your homes?
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Independence Day is my favorite holiday. (My second-favorite is Thanksgiving. Not sure if I should be concerned about preferring the patriotic holidays to the faith-based ones. :P) I’ve thrown many 4th parties. This year, with big changes going on, I didn’t quite feel up to it. But my good friend Caroline convinced me that having the party was more important this year than ever! She was right, and I couldn’t have done it without her and her husband’s help.
The spread!
My flag cake has evolved over the 14 (!) years I’ve been making it. This year’s cake was the simplest ever. I dispensed with some complicated things I’ve tried before, and instead of “frosting” the cake with straight Cool Whip, I made a cream cheese and Cool Whip blend. It was a lot firmer and easier to work with. I considered actual frosting, but the 4th requires Cool Whip in some capacity.
I spent much of Friday cutting, baking and frosting these sugar cookies. I used a recipe from Kelly’s Korner but will try something else next time – the cookies were a little bland for my taste. This was my first attempt at working with royal icing. I used a toothpick because many baking bloggers (prime example: I Am Baker) use them all the time to decorate absolutely perfect cookies. My conclusion: Theirs must be magical toothpicks. IT WAS HARD. Also, I had a blue food coloring fail, which is why the colors are better suited for a baby shower. It was a learning experience!
In addition to the great food, there was great time with friends:
Matt and Caroline
Me and my sister Debra (in prints) with our brother’s girlfriend Stefanie (in red)
My friend Kathy’s younger son James, who is in my running for AMERICA’S NEXT CUTEST BABY. *cartoon hearts*
The sparklers I bought were more smoky than sparkly. That’s the last you’ll see of me, Lakeland fireworks stand!!
The tank worked though. :)
My brother-in-law Lance contemplates a sparkler.
Margarita time!! (My dad made one for me. :))
Oh and on Monday I went to see Eclipse with Kathy. It was the best of the Twilight movies BY FAR. We had planned to shout, “Lord, I need a drink” the first time Jacob ripped his shirt off (inspired by a lady who was in the theater when Kathy saw New Moon), but never got the chance since he kept showing up already shirtless. LOL! There was plenty of great commentary around us, though. I love the audiences at these movies. (Bella: Jacob! Stay! Audience member: Sit! Roll over!)
It was a good weekend, and possibly the best 4th of July party ever. :)
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I’ve been posting monthly book roundups at my more private blog for years. So why not share them here? :)
The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
Recommended (and loaned) to me by my brother-in-law Lance. Like the original fairy tales it pays homage to, this book doesn’t pull punches, and a lot of truly disturbing things happen to David (the child hero) and his friends. I had a hard time slogging through the darkness, but everything really picked up in the last 50-100 pages. I’m generally not a fan of horror, but this book is VERY well-written and probably has a lot more traditional literary references that went right over my head.
My Fair Lazy by Jen Lancaster
Each of Jen Lancaster’s memoirs have a theme – this one is about expanding her cultural horizons after realizing she’s addicted to reality TV. It’s funny, interesting and informative. Weirdly enough, the funniest part for me had nothing to do with culture. It was about her cats becoming so obsessed with a pineapple that she never got to cut it up and eat it. I could totally envision the scene. I’m laughing just thinking about it!
A Circle of Quiet by Madeleine L’Engle
Madeleine L’Engle always has plenty to teach me, and I think this is my favorite of her books so far. It’s sort of a long journal entry about writing, family, community, faith, beauty…all the important things. I underlined something on almost every page. The other Crosswicks Journals are on my wish list now.
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer
After being crazy about Twilight, then backing off from it, I’m starting to enjoy it in small doses again. (I want to see Eclipse this weekend!) This novella was interesting even though we all know what happens to Bree. I read it on the publisher’s website. Say what you will about Stephenie Meyer, the woman can tell a story. I admire her.
Maria by Maria von Trapp
A memoir about Maria’s pre-convent and post-war life – there’s not much about the Sound of Music days, I’m pretty sure that’s another book. I was surprised to learn that Maria got into the Charismatic Catholic movement later in life.
Plan B: What Do You Do When God Doesn’t Show Up The Way You Thought He Would? by Pete Wilson
This book came out at the perfect time for me. It was exactly what I needed to deal with my current disappointing circumstances. It’s encouraging but doesn’t give you platitudes or easy answers. It’ll definitely be a re-read!
Books for June: 6
2010 year to date: 32
If you’re on Goodreads, add me!
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My two cats have always been interested in roaming around in my garage. But until recently, the floor was covered with glass and metal shards and who knew what else, and it was too dangerous and dirty for them. Now, thanks to my dad and brother, the garage is clean and organized with a freshly-washed floor, and the cats are OBSESSED with going in there. This morning, I let them out for a few minutes of playtime, and when I went to check on them, Peach was almost on top of my car. I was worried that she’d fall through the sunroof (which I had left open), so I lifted her down and opened the door for her. She happily explored the whole car and I had to drag her out so I could go to work.
I’ve been trying to get them interested in a laser pointer (which I’d been told was a failproof cat toy), but they watch my hand the whole time instead of the red dot. Chasing a laser? Eh, boring. Hanging out in a Lexus? Yes please. My cats are bizarre.
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