next year for the holidays, make it easy and plan a vacation soon after.

Someone remind me that next December- OK?

I had a case of the sniffles & a mild sore throat during Christmas time.  I did a REALLY good job of ignoring it.  I wouldn’t allow myself to be sick because I had so much to do.  So it wasn’t until the hangover of New Year’s day that my cold took the better of me.

I worked from home on Friday, which was wonderful because I could watch the storm outside and snuggle in my jammies while I crunched numbers. I also blasted the soundtrack to Juno which made it a better day.   That night, we drove into the city and spent the evening with my parents eating at Jardiniere in SF.  The meal was fantastic.  So many wonderful flavors…great cheese and wine.  Happy Birthday Mom!

So I woke up Saturday hungover…and sicker.  I should have known better.  You should never drink when you aren’t feeling well to begin with.

Someone else please remind of that too.  Thanks.

So Saturday I slept…watched tv…stayed home most of the day.  But then I was starting to feel like a shut-in—So I invited my neighbor over for a quickie/impromptu late afternoon lunch:

Today (feeling much better, thank you) we went to coffee.  It’s been weeks since we were able to do so.  It was really nice to get outside despite the rain.

I went to the Container Store (favorite place to shop– second to Target) and bought some shelf stackers for my cabinets.

Here’s the before:

Here’s the After:

It all started because I decided to write down some realistic 2008 goals/resolutions today.  Number 3 was to become more organized and get rid of clutter.   Casey wrote on my list “Overcome the urge to make piles”  So—I guess I’m gonna have to learn how to do that.

My mom says I need to learn how to relax—So I’m gonna figure out how that works this year too.

It feels so good to have this cabinet organized.  It was impossible to put things away in such a waste- of- space cabinet.  These are all my fancy dishes & my little collection of special plates for photos, entertaining & such.

I also organized my computer room.  It was sooo full of glitter, wrapping paper scraps and loose ends.  Only took me 4 hours to complete.   Must not let it get that bad again/ever.

Tonight’s dinner was from a recipe in this month’s Everyday Food (Cayenne Rubbed Chicken with Avocado Salsa). It was very light (like they say) and fresh tasting with a perfect spiciness.  I will definitely add it to the rotation.  It’s EXTREMELY simple (which is good).  It seems so ridiculous following the recipe word for word. So I’ll prolly just remember how it tasted and go from there the next time I make it.  I grilled the chicken instead of cooking it in a pan.

The avocado relish does a nice job of balancing the cayenne.  It’s excellent with tortilla chips too.

Anyways…it’s late.  I’m sleepy. It’s time for rest.  Hope you all had a nice weekend.

Wishing you a very Happy Birthday- Melisser! xoxoox

Break out the chocolate fountain next time I come over OK?

This weekend was chilly.

I spent time on my computer with a slice of buttery toast and a cup of coffee.

Yes, it is a Halloween mug. Yes, I know it’s December.

I did some landscaping in the backyard:

The weather kept changing on me:

I soaked in all the beautiful colors of the fallen leaves:

I made a very yummy rustic/savory tart with carrots, sweet potatoes, bacon, goat cheese, red onion, rosemary & butternut squash:

I watched Gilmore Girls with Whitney.  I think we got in 6 or 7 episodes!

I made more mushroom soup.

I drank a lot of coffee.

I got my hair colored.

I went to the library & got some cookbooks to admire.

I did some glittering.

We bought our Christmas tree & did some decorating.

Oh! I finally did the dishes:

Now it’s time to watch some Dexter.  I hope you all had a good weekend too!

on friday night I had a birthday dinner at my house for my favorite neighbor: meat loaf, mashed potatoes, creamed spinach & apple pie (too busy to take pictures!)

we occasionally encountered some misbehaving cats over the weekend:

i baked a loaf of bread & made whoopie pies:

we enjoyed the bread on the patio during an overcast morning:

i bought two new lamps for our bedroom and put existing lamps in the guest room (new lamps not shown):

spent a lot of time in my office/work room:

we went to Pacifica to watch the Red Sox vs. Yankees as well as the Patriots game. We stopped at the beach along the way….

we ate turkey chili & cornbread muffins

-we watched Fargo

-i went for a hike

-i played on the internet (til 3am!)

-i tried clothes on for our trip

-we went shopping for a jacket

-i bought some magazines

-i didn’t sleep as much as i wanted to

Now I’m off to make one of my favorite soups & watch Martha on my TIVO. Happy Monday!

I’m always on the hunt for the perfect bag. I’ve always loved the prints of Orla Kiely. I took this picture on the streets of New York once… but i have yet to find the corresponding bag. Can you imagine this print as a purse with green straps? I can….

I was looking at bunch Orla Kiely bags in person, but was disappointed that the openings did not expand enough :(

BAGS ONCE IN ROTATION:

i love this bag (i even have the same one in a different bird print). BUT it’s SOOO deep that it eats the contents and I can’t find anything. I’ve probably spent more than a half hour of my life looking for my keys in bags like these:

This bag is wonderful (such a delightful bargain from Target!). My only gripe is that dark denim rubs off onto this purse—making it look soooo dirrrrrrty. I’ve hand washed it twice. Not only did it fade this nice print, but the denim stain did not clear up. I don’t normally go for bags with short straps like these, but I fell in love with it and got used to it:

This is the bag I had in December. This is the contents. I love this bag. However, if I do not stuff it to the brim, the bag does not stand up on it’s own. It’s floppy and lacks structure. When I put it under my chair at a restaurant contents just spew out. Not good. This bag works well for gym use.

This is my current bag. I normally go for a lively colored bag because I wear black & white A LOT! I was shopping with a friend and found this at Crossroads in SF. It fufills my requirements…I feel so organized using it. I know where everything is!!! But a few days ago I looked down and the strap was about to break. grrrrr. Too good to be true! In the meantime, I just tied it into a knot and it still works….

Perhaps one day I could post all my purses…..but I’m not sure there’s enough space. I’m also afraid that my husband will find out and commit me.

To be my perfect purse you must:

-have a nice color/pattern (something totally funky/unique/bold)

-have lots of pockets inside & out (a huge plus if I find a pocket in you I didn’t know you had!)

-have an equally cute interior (this is a MUST, no EXCEPTIONS-although I’ve been known to let a few slip)

-have a space for my cellphone (although I will never use the right pocket)

-have comfortable handles/straps (as I will fill you to no end and I need something to support the weight)

-have some type of closure–be it zipper, snap, button…etc. (i feel insecure just letting your insides exposed to everyone)

-be able to hold my camera & a sweater (if not, what’s the point?)

-be OK with the fact that you could be replaced by a better, wonderful, perfect bag

Please only apply if you can meet the above criteria! I will not be suckered into buying you (well, who knows?). Life is just too short to carry around a crappy/less-than bag!

the thought of all the things i have to organize makes me a bit stressed out. Working 9-6 every day doesn’t help either… So when I come home after working in front of a computer all day and all i want to do is collapse. I simply shove the never-ending stacks of paper and piles to sort through way off to the side and hop on the couch and veg-out in front of the tv or computer. So what to do? Where will this energy come from? The energy that will make my life much easier & simpler…. One idea is to make a master list of all the things I ever wanted to do to make things run smoother in my household & knock things out one by one at a reasonable pace. It’s just that initial push in the right direction and with systems in place things will run a lot smoother.

One of the hardest places for me to organize is my kitchen cabinets. When we first move into a *new* place, I immediately go to the kitchen (after cleaning it of course) and unpack all my beloved stuff. The husband finds all the electrical things and starts setting up his home theater…. So after ooohing and awwwing over my cute little dishwares & tiny soy sauce bowls that are in shape of flowers….I finish unpacking the entire kitchen. I live with it for a week and then immediately decide my problem areas and usually fix the most important ones right away. But then, other home stuff distracts me and I find myself 6 months into living in our new house NEEDING to really re-think my set up. I would say that 60% of my kitchen cabinets are used appropriately…but that 40% of cluttered mess hiding behind a one inch of slab of *wood* really bothers me. If I had all the time in the world, I would spend at least 2 days re-arranging everything in my kitchen and organizing my pantry. That would be the day… My goal this week is to start that list…and make a list for TARGET too!

here are just of few parts of my kitchen i enjoy