some things you might like to know about

hey there.

 thanks for the advice on friday regarding my tv cabinet situation.

a lovely readerfriend sent me this cabinet via craigslist..

i wasn't in love or anything.

the wood is nice and the hardware is a+.

but still...just ok.

but then she did a mock-up for me..

and i was like..ok..ok..we're getting there.

and then i was like..what if i put a brass kickplate on the bottom?

and then i saw these on craig..

pretty awesome right?

i need to swing by this place and do some measuring and negotiating.

in any case..i am still into the PS cabinet only i am considering having it sprayed down by an auto body shop in the same paint as the walls.

i am not into the white or the red against my black blue walls.

moving on..

this sconce..

sick of brass?

no me neither but this is a refreshing take and would do well in a number of settings.

this little guy on ebay would work

(as would any number of these or these)

just spray him a matte white and go to town with some black paint and a small paintbrush.

these shield shades are on OKL as we speak and would work nicely. 

also..

i made homemade peanut butter.

and think it's high time you did too.

i was quite surprised at how effortless it was.

not that i should have been but i guess i just never really thought about it.

i used these peanuts..

i think it is REALLY important that you use organic peanuts.

but less important if you use roasted and or salted.

because you can roast and salt them yourself if you need to but you can't turn a non organic peanut into an organic one.

you'll need:

1lb nut of choice

(i used peanuts but aim to try pistachios next)

1/4 tsp of salt

(or if using roasted and salted nuts like i did i only used a pinch of salt (sea salt))

1-4 tbsp vegetable oil 

(i used sunflower. don't use extra virgin olive oil)

food processor

jar or container with tight fitting lid

slow roast your nuts in the oven with the salt if doing so.

then throw the peanuts into the food processor and process until they form a paste.

slowly add the oil until it looks like the peanut butter of your dreams.

peanuts in general don't/probably won't need all the oil..

i'd say i used about 4 teaspoons. 

but totally judge this for yourself. 

now you have delicious homemade peanut butter and you will see how dumb you are for never having done this for yourself or your kids.

now..the jam.

no, i did not make jam bc no matter how easy you say it is it is NOT as easy as peanut butter.

but i did buy some extraordinarily delicious jam..

these ladies told me to (they are also the ladies who told me to make peanut butter).

you can buy the jam here.

i am partial to the apricot.

it is really amazing with the homemade peanut butter and equally amazing on toast with salted butter.

speaking of amazing...

i am growing out my eyebrows.

and when i say "amazing" i am referring to how amazing my restraint to not pluck is.

the above photo is all smoke and mirrors.

i bought this..

which is well worth the 23 bucks.

anastasia brow powder duo in medium brown.

is is helping to get me through the awkward phase on my quest for the brows of my youth

and finally..

i made meringues.

also super easy and STUPID delicious.

i used this recipe. 

i did not pipe them into shapes..i glopped them onto the cookie sheet.

also, do not leave out the salt.

once dried i set them in a bowl, glopped some homemade whipped cream on top and some fresh raspberries on top of that.

dessert.

happy monday.

go make some peanut butter.

progress, kind of. no, definitely progress because i suck at getting shit done.

while we were in england my mother-in-law started painting my living room for me.

she volunteered because she was coming to care for the cats and she's the kind of lady who can't sit still for too long without going crazy.

so she needed "activities".

and since i don't have shuffleboard or bingo, painting it was.

 anyway, i am eternally grateful to her.

there is still a whole lot more to be painted (and many many coats in between) but it's a start and once fiona is back in school (9 days, 22 hours, 31 minutes and 49 seconds) i will finish that MOTHERFUCKER!!!!!

but i still have a bitch of a problem in this room that no amount of shiny new painted walls will fix.. and it's the media storage situation.

situation is an understatement.

it's pathetic.

did you need to see that close up??!?!

i have been searching for the perfect piece of furniture on craigslist and in thrift shops around town for probably over 4 years now.

and the issue has always been everything sucks or is too expensive or too big.

the little nook is only 52", so the piece needs to be around 48-50" for it to not look squished into the space.

i have been throwing various suzanis and fabric remnants over that table and that's been ok but it always looks wonky and i get super tired of the dust and having it cleaned.

also i have never had a proper skirt made bc expensive.

so..

i've been thinking a lot about mr. PS from ikea. 

ps is handsome-ish, simple, clean lined, the right size and 99 dollars.

i wouldn't feel guilty about moving it to the garage to store things if i got sick of it or i hated it.

or do i stick with my current situation of table covered in fabric? but only get a decent skirt made and wait til something fantastic comes along? (WHICH IS EXACTLY NEVER!!)

talk amongst yourselves.

OH..if you subscribed to my blog through google or whatever it was that got axed please try subscribing to my blog via bloglovin.

here.

ok then.

discuss.

thursday things

a few things need mentioning..

#1-

thanks for the kind words about nicolas BB.

he is really doing just fine.

apart from maybe being a little insecure about things.

but he is receiving enormous amounts of love and will continue to until forever.

#2-

have you seen this nursery?

christine over at bijou and boheme turns ordinary into extraordinary.

how awesome is it that this room is sophisticated enough for anybody but soft and soothing for a baby?

bitches need to be takin' notes from this lady.

#3-

i made this for lunch the other day and think that you should too.

it was delicious.

i used udi's GF bread.

btw- i had no trouble finding GF bread in harrogate and in fact..every single brand of GF bread i bought over there FAR EXCEEDED not only my expectations but every single GF bread i have ever tried over here.

and each of the brands i tried was exclusive to the store i bought it in..

i.e. marks and spencer's brand and waitrose's brand.

there were no other options.

it didn't need toasting in order for it to be edible and it wasn't dry or rubbery or cakey or dense or all the usual things gluten free bread tends to be.

not sure what they do to it but i wants it.

and finally..

#4-

tonight i am going to this and will be among some other really cool artists.

if you are an artist of any kind and live in georgia you should come on by for a drink, a smoke, a laugh or a boobie grab.  

see you there?

coming back from vacation is weird

my mind is a bit all over the place (not in a fun way but in a rainman way).

things have happened.

i want to blog about everything all at once.

i'm fixated on eating healthy food bc of the food baby in my uterus belly.

but i'm also bedeviled by cooking indian food (thanks to this series i watched in the UK)

and i'm obviously really into english things.

and then there's my house..

my yard is overgrown with weeds thanks to all the rain georgia got while i was in england.

while inside there are approximately 75 spiders living in corners and 12.5 cockroach carcasses on the floor. 

and the dust is as thick as...thieves?

(i just realized one more thing i need to discuss with you..RHONJ..((head exploding))

 and then there's nicolas.

my 15 year old cat baby.

right before we left for england nicolas got a swipe to his eye by one of the 700 cats we feed.

she got him right in his eyeball and after a few days it looked bad enough to take him to the vet.

i was able to administer antibiotics and pain medication for 3 days before my mother in law and a pet sitter were tag teaming duties.

unfortunately it looked like nothing was helping so

they changed his meds and after a few days the vet said she thought it was getting better.

but then he must have scratched it or rubbed it or..???

long story short..

the eye had to come out.

vet- "his eye appears to be turning inside out..are you having fun in england?"

so now he's doing ok and seems to be SUPER HAPPY we're back.

 

he's adjusting.

he seems out of sorts but still purring and eating and pooping and making biscuits on my bath robe.

the usual. 

minus an eye.

still..it's hard to see my boy of 15 years without his other eye.

i've had thoughts..

like...i wonder where his eyeball is?

did they throw it in the garbage?

i'm pretty sure i might have kept the eyeball.

maybe it's a good thing i wasn't here.

kitchen of the day

this kitchen means business.

i'm back and pregnant

 with a food baby..

i will be delivering a bouncing basket of fish and chips, FiSh AnD CHIPZ, butter, marzipan and sponge mice, and sausage.

being pregnant has my nesting instinct in high gear.

i have bought these books and can only encourage you to do the same...

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