Changing it up

I'd grown bored with the furniture layout of the living room, or "the fireplace room" as I sometimes call it. Literally years have gone by since I last moved things around. I was ready for a change. So I decided on a facing the couch in front of the fireplace instead of catty-corner to it. I put the Windsor chair by the diamond partial wall divider off the kitchen, and I put the Ethan Allen "Martha Washington" chair by the bay window. Somehow it all made the room look a lot bigger. Funny how objects can trick the eye that way. I always thought the former placement of the couch allowed me to look at the fire in the winter and also out the window to see the snow at the same time, but this new arrangement does pretty much the same thing.





UPDATE: I added one more piece of furniture to this arrangement. I had a little side table just taking up space in the home office upstairs. I decided to put it next to the Windsor chair underneath the standing light because I like sitting in that chair when I read. I needed a place to put a drink. It tucked in nicely underneath the lamp's arm.

Tea Tray

I had a brainstorm yesterday.
I wanted a little tray big enough to hold a mug of tea and a few cookies, also with room to lay down my spoon and the used tea bag after it was wrung out.
I got the idea to make a little wooden one in the shape of a teapot, thinking the oval(ish) shape would be perfect.
I Googled "teapot cutting board" and, voila!, i turned up a couple of cute pictures I could copy.
In no time at all I found a piece of scrap wood, fired up the jigsaw, and had my little tray, and I love it. Corny? Yes. Useful? U betcha!





UPDATE: I found it hard picking up the tray when I had it loaded up with my teatime accoutrement. I had to slide it to the edge of the counter to pick it up which was awkward. So I decided to add a couple of knobs to each side in order to facilitate handling it. They are some old ceramic knobs I had in my jars of odd and ends in the basement. They sort of look like eyeballs, LOL.

Current obsession: Jane Eyre

I was in Barnes & Noble the other day and saw a display of classic books with traditional hardback covers...at great prices.
I've been wanting to read more of the classic books so I decided that now would be a good time to start. "Jane Eyre" was sitting on top and that looked like a good place to start.



What a great book. I've only got a few chapters left but it was a delight to read--and I was fearful that it would be a slog. It's basically a Gothic romance with a strong-willed heroine. The writing is lovely, flowing and flowery without being cumbersome. I can't wait to rent the old Hollywood movie with Joan Fontaine and Orson Welles.

The Christmas Mug

A few years ago I won a Starbucks mug in a Yankee swap at my office. White poinsettias with red berry centers. Now it's become my own little tradition to use it for my morning joe the month leading up to Christmas. Had a nice cup this beautiful morning while perusing the new December issue of Martha Stewart Living in my robe and thermals. Nice :)

Thanksgiving 2017

Since I'm going home to Texas for Christmas, financial reasons kept me in New York for Thanksgiving. I was invited upstate by some friends who have a place in Columbia county and to to Concord, Connecticut by another friend...but it all seemed like so much trouble. I just wanted to spend a quiet holiday here in lovely Sag Harbor. It was a beautiful day; pretty cold, with a high of only 38 degrees, but there were blue skies and bright sun.
Just because I was going to be alone, that didn't mean I was going to miss out on a turkey dinner. NO WAY. I made a scrumptious turkey meatloaf--a Barefoot Contessa classic recipe--

Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Turkey Meatloaf

and had stuffing (yes, StoveTop, but I doctored it up with celery and golden raisins), brown sugar roasted sweet potoatoes, and creamed spinach. Oh, and everybody's favorite: jellied Ocean Spray cranberry sauce!
It was a delicious meal.
And to top it off I decided I couldn't have Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie. I made my favorite, "Silky Pumpkin Pie" from the Foster's Market Cookbook. It's terrific, not too sweet, not too spicy.
This happens to be the first dessert I've made SINCE MAY. How else would I have lost all that weight? But in case you're wondering, I'm only having VERY SMALL SLICES. They'll be so small that pie should last for a week and a half, LOL.

Foster's Market Silky Pumpkin Pie

2017 has been an odd year for me. I hate all the horribleness in the world...but I've had the most restful and stress-free year, despite all the health issues I had to overcome. I'm so blessed, to have a gorgeous apartment on Sutton Place and an adorable cottage in Sag Harbor is truly the life of a very lucky AND THANKFUL person.

Winterizing

With the turn of the seasons it's time to get the house and yard ready for winter. That means pulling in all the throw pillows on the porch furniture and storing them in the basement, also bringing everything closer to the house so it's more protected from the elements, namely snow.





The biggest task is raking all the leaves in the yard. In the month of November the village allows you to sweep all your leaves out onto the street by the curb. They come around and sweep them up into a big truck. I guess it our tax dollars at work. In years past I'd always have my yard guy do the Fall cleanup; sadly, those days are over. It's now up to yours truly. I spent all afternoon today raking an hauling the leaves in the front yard to the street.



I used my wheelbarrow. It was a lot of work. And I still have the backyard to do! Not to mention getting up on a ladder and cleaning the gutters. Boy, owning a house is a lot a work, especially when you're poor. OY.

HoneyCrisp Apples

I was in Schiavoni's the other day, the village grocery store that's lovely but insanely expensive (you're paying for the convenience of not having to drive to the King Kullen in Bridgehampton), and when I was checking out, the friendly checkout lady picked up the regular Red Delicious apples I was buying and said, "Have you ever had a HoneyCrisp apple?" I admitted I had not. "They're delicious! Like taking a bite of Autumn." I made a mental note to try them the next time I made my apple purchase. So a week or so later I'm in the produce section and notice that the HoneyCrisp apples are--I'm not kidding--FOUR NINETY-NINE A POUND. Can you believe that craziness?? I swallowed hard and bought two just for the heck of it, but I was not happy about it. How good could these apples be? Well, truth be told, they were AWESOME. Checkout Lady was right. They really are a taste of Fall in your mouth. A perfect apple experience...crisp, juicy, and delectable. The best apple you'll ever eat, promise. I went online and did some research on why they cost so much. It's because they have a very thin skin and can bruise easily. Picking them is a fragile business and takes much longer than picking the average apple varieties. More worker time plus more careful shipping packaging equals higher price. But they are SO worth it. When I have them on hand I wait all day for my 4:00 apple break so I can take that first luscious bite. Apple Heaven! I highly recommend you try them. They're my current Fall obsession.

HoneyCrisp Apples: DELICOUS

Ivy topiaries

It's gotten cold enough now that I felt I had to bring in all the outside plants form the deck and porch. They consist of ivys on wire topiary forms. I think of them as the poor man's myrtle topiary, which are extremely expensive.
I brought them all into the dining room because it gets the most light throughout the day. It reminds me of a conservatory when they're all around the room, like the room in the old board game 'Clue'. It's nice to have all the greenery in the winter months.