Some Fabulous Things

This post really should be called “Some Fabulous Things I Just Discovered That Everyone Knew About 5 Years Ago”, but I thought that was a little long. I am totally late to the game on just about all of these, but I totally don’t care. These may be old news to you, but if they aren’t, you should check them out:

Basil: As in the herb. In our last two Harvest Routes baskets, we received a bunch of basil. I'd always loved the smell of fresh basil, but I don't think I'd ever been completely engulfed by it before. On the way home from picking up our basket, the large bunch of basil made my car smell like happiness and hunger. I'm now thinking about putting sprigs of fresh basil in every room. Is that pizza you're making? No, that's just the basil under the bed.

Thai Food: Yes, I know this sounds a bit like Columbus "discovering" America, but bear with me. Kurt and I just recently discovered Thai food (for ourselves). I don't really know why I'd never tried it before other than the fact that I didn't know of any Thai places in our area. Two years ago, Ploy Siam opened in the shopping center near our house and a few of our friends raved about. So we decided to try it one night and ordered takeout. Not knowing anything about the menu, we took some guesses and ordered. And the food was fabulous. It was fresh, flavorful, just spicy enough (you can tell them how spicy you want your order from 1 pepper to 5 peppers). It wasn't long before we were craving more, so we stopped in one night. The restaurant is absolutely gorgeous. The amount of detail that went into the design of the place is incredible. From the huge skylight detailed in gold leaf to the statue that sits in a reflecting pool. It's refreshing to find a restaurant that put just as much thought into the decor as the food.

Grounds for Sculpture: This state fairground turned sculpture garden in Hamilton, NJ (or "Princeton" as it claims) is definitely worth a trip. Surprisingly enough, I'd never really walked through the grounds. I'd been to Rat's (the AMAZING french restaurant modeled after Ratty's house in The Wind in the Willows) and I'd attended a wedding ceremony at GFS, but I'd never taken the time to walk the grounds and look at the sculptures. If you've ever been in the Hamilton area and have seen random, enormous, odd sculptures placed along highways, you've seen some of the overflow. The 45 or so acres are owned by sculptor, Seward Johnson (of the Johnson & Johnson family) and are filled with contemporary sculptures, some permanent, most temporary. Located in a corporate park and surrounded by warehouses, you'd never guess such a beautiful outdoor museum was placed here. It's a great place to go for a walk on a nice day and enjoy some beautiful and interesting art.

Downton Abbey: Last Sunday, I spent the entire day on my couch in a marathon session of Season 2 of this show. I found Season 1 on Netflix and was hooked after the first 2 episodes. I couldn’t stop thinking about it until a few days later when I finally had the time to watch the rest, in one night (which, if you ask me, is my definition of a great show/book/movie, etc.). If you like period dramas, the English class system, great acting and/or fantastic writing (and really, who doesn’t?), I highly recommend this show. Maggie Smith is in it (Professor McGonagall for all you Harry Potter fans) and that’s about it. It’s one of the things I like most about the show. Besides Maggie Smith (and Bernie from Notting Hill), I don’t know a single actor in it. The story is compelling, scandalous, funny, and heartbreaking all at once. It’s like an hour long emotional roller coaster that I just can’t get enough of. There are a ton of characters and the stories follow not only the noble family, but their servants as well, and there are fabulous plotlines for each character. I was amazed how quickly I became invested in each and every character. And now I'm kicking myself for starting it now since Season 3 won't be available in the US until January. So, in the meantime, I'm watching...

The Big Bang Theory: I can’t tell you how many people have recommended this show to me. I shrugged off each and every one of them, for no reason really. I kept forgetting to DVR it or really wasn’t that interested in starting a new show, or was deeply engrossed in 5 hours of Downton Abbey. I finally decided to order Season 1 on Netflix…and finished the entire 1st disc in one sitting. And then watched it again the next day because disc 2 had yet to arrive. This. Show. Is. Hilarious. Seriously, laugh out loud funny. I love all the characters and their quirks, but Sheldon is by far my favorite. I love the dorkiness of it and the psychologist in me simply bursts with delight every time any character reveals a new neurosis. The humor is smart and sarcastic - my favorite kind. Two thumbs up (although it would be more if I had more thumbs).

Learning to Live With It

Ok, I know I’ve been neglectful, but all that time not spent blogging has been put to good use. And so, I will have some great decor eye candy for you soon. Since we closed on our townhouse on May 18th, Kurt and I, my sister and her boyfriend, and our fathers have been working on it, pouring our blood, sweat and (my) tears into the place to make it ours. Here is a quick listing of what we’ve managed to get done so far:

• Moved the cabinets and soffit from over the peninsula to against the wall to open up the room 
• Installed boxes for 3 pendant lights over the peninsula
• Primed and painted every inch of every room and hallway (including the 20ft. walls in the stairwell) 
• Fixed the leaky faucet in the main bathroom 
• Installed blinds in the living room and master bedroom  
• Updated outlet and switch covers 
• Replaced wood trim on the front windows (all wood trim will be replaced at the end of the month)  
• Replaced carpeting in the 3 bedrooms 
• Trimmed overgrown trees in the backyard  
• Weedwacked the 10 square feet of grass in the backyard  
• Powerwashed the entire house and patio 
• Cleaned gutters  
• Replaced all doorknobs 
• Installed deadbolts on front and back door 

We still have a ton of things to do before we can really relax, but we’re getting there. From spilling 3/4 of a gallon of paint on the carpet to  realizing everything leaves a mark on flat paint, to running out of paint entirely for every room and none of the gallons matching each other, we’ve had some mishaps and are learning valuable lessons the hard way, understanding it’s a process is half the battle. 

As for the decorating, I’m learning to be patient and see the potential in things. There is not a single white wall in our entire house. Kurt and I both grew up with mainly white walls and wanted as much color as we could manage, so we might have gone a little overboard, but the rooms and their colors make us happy. We’re replacing and collecting furniture slowly, which has been the hardest part for me. I want the rooms to be done, but “done” costs money, and with a mortgage hanging over our heads, “done” needs to be slowly achieved. The thing is, since we’re collecting furniture from friends and family, nothing matches in that perfect, eclectic way and everything tells a story. We have a 1950’s era campaign dresser-turned-buffet inherited from my Nonni, a beautiful 300-lb, solid wood headboard and footboard given to us as a housewarming gift from friends who bought them at a yard-sale for $75. Our desk and dining room table were donated from friends, our dresser is another inherited piece from Nonni, and our gorgeous couch and refrigerator were beyond-generous gifts. All of this means that every piece of furniture we own means something to us. Yes, I might paint the desk and the dresser and replace hardware to give them new life, but they’ll never lose their meaning.

While slowly furnishing and decorating our home will save us money and ensure our house is truly that, there is one downside. And that downside is the blank, unadorned walls, the books sitting homeless and unorganized in boxes because we have no bookshelves, the mismatched bathroom because I haven't had the time to paint the vanity, the feeling that no matter how clean the place is, it won't "look" clean because of the various piles of tools and supplies scattered around the house. This has been a struggle for me. I dislike clutter very very much, especially when guests are over. But I'm learning to relax and let it go. They're my friends, they won't judge me because I haven't swept in 3 weeks or because they have no pretty art to look at. They'll get over it and so should I. That being said, I can't promise I won't go back to my neurotic ways once the house is more finished, but for now, I give up. The clutter wins. And I don't/am trying not to care.