About a week after we moved in I noticed a robin building her nest right outside our dining room window. I'm trying not to bother her...but when she's not around I peek in to see if there are any little blue eggs. None yet...but my fingers are crossed.
You would think that was the most exciting bird related news I have...but it's not. I found a lost parakeet wandering down my street this morning. He walked right up to me and jumped in my hand. I basically dropped all of my plans for the day, brought him home, gave him food and water, and then we took a nap in my bed. He spent the rest of the afternoon on my shoulder while I worked on the house....and he is currently living sans cage in our guest room. We have asked all of our neighbors if they know whose bird it is...but no one does. So, looks like we may have a new member of the family.
We haven't decided what to name him (I keep saying him...but we actually have no idea if it's a boy or a girl). We're considering The Superintendant or Little Admiral. Anyone have any suggestions?
Well...I haven't been that impressed with any of the houses that have come on the market since my last real estate post...but this week these two beauties showed up in my inbox.
The one in the photo above is a circa 1860 three story with a mansard roof and wraparound porch. It has the original pine floors, 9 foot ceilings, a glass sunroom, mature gardens with hydrangeas, roses, and magnolias, and a 4 room suite on the third floor currently used as a studio and darkroom. Pretty awesome...right? Apparently it needs a little TLC...but the listing price is only $214,900! Details are here.
This one is a 19th century farmhouse located on a quiet country road in Accord. It is on over two acres with big, old maples tree, a barn, another large outbuilding perfect for a studio or guest house and a STREAM! It's pricier than the other listing...$299,000...but it has already been updated (the bathroom looks amazing), and seems like it's in great condition. Details are here.
I mean...THIS could be your backyard. Come be my neighbor!
Lord knows I don't need to start collecting ANYTHING else...but vintage Hornsea pottery is SO tempting.
The Hornsea studio line was made in England from the 1950s to the 1980s and was popular there...but unfortunately, it's not that easy to find in the US. If you're willing to pay a pretty penny you can get pieces on ebay and etsy (mostly from overseas)...but the chances of stumbling upon some while thrifting aren't great. Unless, of course, you are lucky enough to live in the UK.
A few weeks ago Tina and I went to the Metropolitan Museum to see Playing with Pictures: The Art of Victorian Photocollage. I had read a few things about it beforehand...and it sounded like it was right up my alley...but seriously?...it turned out to be one of the most inspiring exhibits I've been to in a while!
In the 1860s, the popularity of the carte de visite (affordable tiny paper photos you could have taken and then hand out to whomever you please) started a kind of photocollage craze. Women would cut out these pictures of their friends and family and place them in hand-painted vignettes. What I found surprising about these collages was how thoroughly modern they seemed. They were so wonderfully weird and witty and playful and surreal. Not at all what you would expect from a bunch of aristocratic Victorian ladies! The show ended yesterday...so I decided to do a quick post with a few images from the exhibit for those of you who didn't get to see it.
Auctions are something that I have been interested in getting into for a while now. I've heard that you can find great vintage and antique furniture etc...and if you are lucky you can snag some real bargains.
Justin and I went to the preview last Friday where we got to walk around and take a look at everything that was for sale. We picked a few things that we were interested in - a mid century modern credenza, an antique glass front bookcase, an old work table, a box of quilts and old American flags....and we decided what our max price would be for each item.
The actual auction was on Saturday....and while I was back in NYC with some of my oldest lady friends for a bachelorette party, Justin was there bidding on the items we had chosen the night before. The credenza and the bookcase went for more than we were willing to spend...but we ended up with the work table, the lot of quilts and flags, 10 boxes of books, 3 wooden chairs, and and a tapestry covered armchair. (The books and chairs were a last minute impulse buy that Justin couldn't resist because they were going for SUPER cheap.) All in all we spent under $200 and ended up with some great stuff.
This is one of the items from the box lot - a big, beautiful yo-yo quilt large enough to fit a queen size bed. It's made with the most darling vintage feedsack style fabrics.
Let me apologize for this terrible, blurry photo. It does not do this table justice. It's beautifully weathered and work-worn in person.
I had ripped this recipe out of some magazine a long time ago. Martha Stewart...I think?? But I can't find it on her website. I remember that it had something to do with Blue Hill at Stone Barns....and I believe this is THEIR recipe for mint ice milk.
1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Using a slotted spoon, immediately plunge mint into an ice-water bath. Lift out mint;drain well. Reserve ice-water bath.
2. Bring milk to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add mint. Remove from heat. Let cool slightly.
4. Stir simple syrup and corn syrup into milk-mint mixture. Let stand until cold, stirring occasionally. Refrigerate until very cold, at least 2 hours (or overnight).
5. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to a manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to an airtight container. Freeze at least 1 hour. Before serving, let stand at room temperature to soften slightly.
The recipe makes about two cups. Not THAT much. But I think it is super cute served in small portions. You know... just as a little palate cleanser/mini dessert. I put mine in an espresso cup with a tiny spoon and garnished it with a sprig of mint...and voila!...adorable.
I'm gonna be honest. I'm more of an instant gratification kinda girl...so cooking anything that takes a long time...and requires a lot of waiting...is not usually my jam. And, believe me, while I was making this I kept complaining. I was all: "this is SO much effort for so little"..."are you serious, ANOTHER step??!!"..."I have to wait TWO HOURS now???!!! The last thing I said was: "I'm never making this again". But then I tried it....and I am TOTALLY making it again. It is SO good. Promise.
NOTE: I was super surprised at how green it turned out. I mean...it's GREEN green. I was expecting more of a mint green situation. So, should you decide to make this recipe...here is a fitting musical accompaniment.
We got our first package in the mail! It was from the Historic Landmarks Preservation Commission of Kingston and had all kinds of information about the four designated historic districts and a list of preservation and restoration guidelines for the homes that are within these areas.
Our house is in the Chestnut Street Historic District. It's a small area...only a few blocks long. And it's great because it means that nobody on our street...or the surrounding streets can do anything crazy to their house. Any changes you make have to be consistent with the period and architectural style of your home. That means no vinyl siding, no crazy paint jobs, and most importantly no tearing down beautiful old buildings.
The top photo is the view from our front porch. Our street is a tiny cul-de-sac with only about 6 other houses on it and ours sits at the very end. Here are a few of the other houses:
