IKEA

There's little at IKEA that I need or that will blend in with our decor, yet when I visit a store (here or in Batislava) I want...

Today I craved the craft-paper rolls, and the nifty wooden holder and cutter. I'm imagining disposable table runners. We'd used brown craft paper as a table runner to create our beachy Christmas vignette.

And, I wanted to buy about 12 or 16 of these to make a wall collage.

For years, red was the primary accent color in our decor. It isn't any more. I love red. This collage fits nowhere in our decor. There isn't even wall space for it. I still want to make a collage with these frames. (We're talking about renting a townhouse in Colorado in the future. Maybe then I can use these frames.)

I did, however, buy this...

LE has it hung on the enclosed porch, creating a special space fit for a princess. Fuel for her already well-developed make-believe. She's adept at drawing 2-year old LC into her scenarios.

White Asparagus

 

White asparagus was in-season when we were in Alsace spring of 2012. At lunch in Riquewihr, we sat (closely) next to a remarkably composed Alsatian (German? Swiss?) lady. She savoured each morsel of her white asparagus entrée, and I envied her selection. I mean, she savoured each tiny bite. It was a beautiful thing to behold.

 

Fresh Market had some white asparagus on offer late last week, so CA and I came home from Saturday's farmers' market and made a lunch of poached eggs, white asparagus, and Hollandaise. Excellent!

 

We oven-roasted the asparagus with olive oil, clarified butter, salt + pepper. (I use PW's technique) I don't usually clarify butter, but since I'm following the Whole30 this month, I did take the extra step to eliminate the dairy solids. We also used the clarified butter in the Hollandaise sauce.

 

Technique from here.

 

You Say Lemon, I Say Limone

Quite obviously, I would have loved the Kate Spade show at Fashion Week NYC.

 

 

 

Ah-h-h... Wonder what it costs?

 

Nap? Nope! Didn't need one.

 

Reflections on Life

-source-

 

I was lying around, pondering the problems of the world, and I realized I don't really give a rat's pituti anymore:

 

.. If walking is good for your health, the postman would be immortal.

 

.. A whale swims all day, only eats fish, drinks water, but is still fat.

 

.. A rabbit runs and hops and only lives 15 years, while

 

.. A tortoise doesn't run and does mostly nothing, yet it lives for 150 years.

 

And, you tell me to exercise?? I don't think so.

 

 

Just grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked, the good fortune to remember the ones I do, and the eyesight to tell the difference. Now that I'm older here's what I've discovered:

 

1. I started out with nothing, and I still have most of it.

 

2. My wild oats are mostly enjoyed with prunes and all-bran.

 

3. I finally got my head together, and now my body is falling apart.

 

4. Funny, I don't remember being absent-minded.

 

5. Funny, I don't remember being absent-minded.

 

6. If all is not lost, then where the heck is it?

 

7. It was a whole lot easier to get older, than to get wiser.

 

8. Some days, you're the top dog; some days you're the hydrant.

 

9. I wish the buck really did stop here; I sure could use a few of them.

 

10. Kids in the back seat cause accidents.

 

11. Accidents in the back seat cause kids.

 

12. It's hard to make a comeback when you haven't been anywhere.

 

13. The world only beats a path to your door when you're in the bathroom.

 

14. If God wanted me to touch my toes, he'd have put them on my knees.

 

15. When I'm finally holding all the right cards, everyone wants to play chess.

 

16. It's not hard to meet expenses . . . they're everywhere.

 

17. The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth.

 

18. These days, I spend a lot of time thinking about the hereafter . . . I go somewhere to get something, and then wonder what I'm "here after".

19. Funny, I don't remember being absent-minded.

 

20. HAVE I SENT THIS MESSAGE TO YOU BEFORE..........??????

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dinner from the Farmers' Market

CA bought two lovely New York Strip Steaks at Fresh Market and we grilled our Farmers' Market bounty and steamed the green beans.

Just olive oil with a bit of Herbs de Provence. Baste, roast, turn, baste, roast. Until onions are caramelized.

 

Started with these...

 

Secret ingredient in the green beans: rendered bacon fat. Just one small teaspoon. Worth the calories!