So I threw on my swimsuit, and a boatload of sunscreen, and sat out on my porch. No time like the present to get started on a much-needed summer tan!

In my family, no vacation is complete without a whole lot of reading. My book of choice today is this amazing non-fiction account of one family’s struggle as their baby was diagnosed with brain cancer and their fight (against all odds!) to bring him back to total health, which thankfully they were able to do. It’s called “Hope, Faith and Charlie” and it was actually written by one of co-workers! More information on the book (including how to get your own copy) can be found here: http://www.hopefaithandcharlie.com/.

It was also time for me to switch up my nail polish and put another post up on Boston Lacquer. I decided to go with a lime green, Oscar the Grouch-esque shade from OPI, that looked oh so pretty in the sunshine.

When it got too hot I came inside for a popsicle and some House Hunters International. It was a great episode featuring a family with two small kids moving to Paris for the dad’s job. I couldn’t help but fantasize about doing the same one day! In the meantime, I made plans to go to see Midnight in Paris tonight instead.

Of course my ever present companion kept me excellent company throughout the day.

Don’t get my wrong, I LOVE my new job – but everyone needs a vacation now and then, and ours is still a couple of months away. Meanwhile here I am, lamenting the shortness of each weekend because I spend them running around, doing errands, grocery shopping, going to the gym, cooking up huge meals, and preparing for the following week. All the while, a vacation was right there in front of me in my own home, just waiting to be had.

If you can’t make it to the lake or the beach next weekend (or even if you can!), I’d highly recommend ignoring the laundry and the errands (at least for one day) and having a weekendcation right in your own home instead.

This past weekend was all about containers at our house. I’d been longing for a trip to The Container Store for some time now. Have you been to this place? It’s an organizer’s dream! Any sort of item you need to contain? They have the container for it.

The first order of disorganized business was our office closet. This has become the dumping ground for old shopping bags (which I compulsively save), tools, office supplies, games, paint, wrapping paper, you name it. If it doesn’t have a natural home in our house, it winds up in that closet. We even have some boxes in there that we haven’t unpacked from moving!

It’s still a work in progress but I at least got the crafty stuff organized. I got a five drawer elfa system which is a great, easily customizable piece of furniture. The large bottom drawer is for shopping and gift bags and tissue paper, the next drawer up is for paints and brushes, then ribbons, doilies and other random craft items, then papers and stationery, then markers and glue on top.

We also finally got a shoe organizer for our hall closet but I forgot to grab a picture of it and it’s not so exciting anyways. What is exciting (I think) is this nautical striped canvas bag I snagged to store some books next to the hallway couch. I’m glad that this sort of in between, awkward space in our house is finally starting to come together. (Before picture here.)

I’ve been looking for a bathroom shelf for awhile now and just couldn’t bring myself to pay $60 for one at Target. Luckily I found this “shabby chic” shelf (which actually used to be a drawer in a former life and still has the drawer handle to prove it) at a little boutique and voila – instant bathroom shelf.

Finally, some other new-ish decor items that I adore. First, a blue farm chair with painted flowers that now lives in our hallway, bought at the same boutique as the shelf. Then, these wall koi that are perpetually swimming around on our bathroom wall. And finally, a pair of throw pillows for the office with a Shepard Fairey screenprint on them (available here).

It’s amazing how a few little accent items and a bit of organization can make you feel even more settled and cozy in your home. And of course, looking down at this face every day helps a little too.

And just when I was getting ready to blog about looking forward to spring! And flip flops! And no more jackets? We get more snow. Not a lot. Not a lot at all. But enough. You know? Enough to remind me that winter is still here for the next… well, I won’t jinx anything. But AWHILE.

And in the meantime I can’t help but go inwards and be quiet and sort of turn my back to the wind for some time, though not necessarily in a bad way. One of my favorite authors, Anita Diamant (she of Red Tent fame), wrote a great article a few weeks ago in the Boston Globe about the beauty of being quiet and thoughtful, how the cold can draw us closer together, about digging deep and sloughing through because come March the days will be longer, and yes, we have snow, but we don’t have earthquakes or hurricanes or wildfires. I for one love all the seasons and would never want to live somewhere where we only have one or two of them. But at the same time enough is rapidly becoming enough.

Still, I’m trying to embrace my last few weeks of Arctic freeze. I treated myself to a manicure and pedicure today and instead of going light and neutral with my nails, I went uber winter dark (possibly for the last time this season) with Essie’s velvet voyeur (or at least, that’s what it said on the bottle. On essie.com it’s now called “velvet voyage”… hmm.). It looks pretty purply plum in the bottle but once on it’s a devilishly deep hue.

And last night for dinner? A great turkey and apricot meatloaf (easily my favorite meatloaf recipe that I’ve ever made, epicurious how I love thee), roasted baby red potatoes and steamed rainbow swiss chard. Dressed up meat and potatoes? Very me and very winter. ps. I have a shot of the meatloaf (you know I do) but it’s not exactly the most photogenic of foods, delicious though it was! So instead you get the colorful sides.

Also? Yesterday we finally, finally bought a tea kettle! No more boiling water in my smallest pot.

An investment in future cups of tea?

Yeah, it’s definitely still winter.

No more, folks. I’m the proud new owner of an iPhone 4. Yes. Yes yes. And for all my, who needs a fancy phone? stuff I’ve been saying for years, I have to admit: this is pretty freaking sweet. I’m still getting all my apps set up but one of the first things I was eager to explore was the new world of iPhone photography. Have you tuned into this? There’s a whole world of apps out there that help you create super cool photos. I decided to start with Hipstamatic. And holy. effing. bananas. this is fun.

Here are some of my favorite shots so far.

The presents. Specifically, the kitchen presents. Now I know you’re not really allowed to say that. I know it’s not “supposed to be about that,” hence my lengthy preamble there. And it’s totally not. About. That. But hell, if you can’t say it on your blog a year after your wedding, where can you say it? THE PRESENTS ARE NICE. Was that so bad? As long as you’re not getting married solely for the waffle maker (which we didn’t get, by the way) and the dishes, is it so freakin’ wrong to appreciate the occasional wedding gift?

We were lucky in that the wedding allowed us to utterly trick out our kitchen. And when you’ve been working with a sad assemblage of post-college cooking utensils either stolen from your parents’ house or bought for $3 from Ikea, it’s kind of nice to have the luxury of simple things such as: a decent (read: actually sharp) set of knives. A nice (read: more than two) set of pots and pans. Some pretty (read: matching) dishes and glasses. We also got other kitchen bling like an immersion blender, a Breville toaster, and of course, the crown jewel, my stainless steel partner in culinary crime, behold: the KitchenAid Artisan 5-Quart Stand Mixer in silver metallic.

But the thing about having proper kitchen tools is, they force you to bring your A game. They up the ante big time. One can’t very well use their newly minted baking sheets to defrost frozen dinners. Well, one could. I can’t. I’ve gotten way more into planning meals and learning new kitchen tricks since the wedding. I’ve become quite accustomed, one could venture to say addicted even, to my Sunday ritual of picking out my recipes for the week and then making my lengthy grocery list. Which is sometimes color coded.

And like any addiction, my growing cooking prowess is demanding even more kitchen tools to satisfy her cravings. At the moment, I’m dreaming of:

1. A mandoline. A handy little contraption for extra fine, super uniform slicing. Just what a perfectionist needs. I love this little mint-colored one by Benriner.

Benriner Japanese Mandoline Slicer
$20.50

2. A digital thermometer. K this one is pretty basic but I’m tired of the analog one I have! It takes forever for that needle to wind its way around and I don’t always trust its judgment. This is a fancy one like the chefs keep in their coat pockets.

Taylor 9842 Commercial Waterproof Digital Thermometer
$12.98

3. A knife sharpener. For obvious reasons. Proper tools require proper care.

Chef’s Choice 300 Diamond Hone Knife Sharpener, White
$29

4. Wooden spoons. I recently discovered the joy of cooking with wooden spoons. I just find them charming. Do they make food taste better? Why yes, I believe they do. I already have one of these Harold Imports wooden spoons with its cute little France stamp on the handle but I want all the sizes.

Harold Import Wooden Spoon
$5.70

5. A kitchen scale. I learned in my baking class that weighing your measurements is far more accurate than using measuring cups and accuracy is pretty critical in baking. Plus this Polder scale is just pretty. Why yes, I do need to weigh my artichokes, thankyouverymuch.

Polder 11-Pound Stainless-Steel Kitchen Scale
$40.03

6. A cast iron skillet. Things taste better when made in a cast iron skillet. Or so I’ve read. These babies just seem like the real deal. And I love how you can move them from the stovetop right into the oven.

Lodge Logic Pre-Seasoned 15 Inch Cast-Iron Skillet
$34.97

7. A tea kettle. I’ve been drinking a ton of tea lately, which I’m sure will only continue as the days get chillier. Right now, I use my smallest pot to boil water for my tea, which of course works, but a proper kettle would be nice. Besides, tea kettles can be so gorgeous and can really add to the overall look and feel of your kitchen Check out this vintage beauty from Etsy.

Bright Yellow Teakettle
$16

What is your kitchen craving?

Now allow me to rewind for a moment. Specifically the part about the 11 day business trip. To Italy. I didn’t let on much around here but those who know me knew: those 11 days were torturous for me. My mom was so worried about me she was actually paying me to find ways to occupy my time. And by that I mean she helped out with the bus ticket to New York.

I mean I was fine. But I just prefer to have him around. To talk with and cook for and just be with. Let’s face it, he’s not only my husband and my best friend, he’s my main human interaction these days. Don’t get me wrong, Milo’s a great listener, and we had many a long chat over those 11 long days, but eventually you come to miss the nods and the “mhmm”s and the “you’re right, honey”s. Even a grunt would suffice.

I was lonely, in a word, even though I tried to keep a schedule and make plans and run errands. And I would have blogged about it but I had this totally rational, not at ALL paranoid fear that someone crazy person would read that I was home alone and come and kill me in the night. I mean, it does happen… maybe. It could.

And when his trip got pushed back an extra day I won’t say I didn’t have a minor breakdown or five but he’s back now and all is right in the world. We bought today what I considered the last big thing we needed for the office: a chandelier. So finally, very soon, you will see the long awaited unveiling of our office, but for now I leave you with a song. Discovered via bloggie favorite Girls Gone Child, this is my new favorite for when I need grounding and a serious dose of gratefulness.

Grateful that he has a job he likes that gives him opportunities to go to beautiful places like Italy. Grateful that I have a roof over my head and doors that lock for when he’s away. Grateful that there are planes that fly safely and swiftly and bring him back to me.

Okay, I never had that conversation with anyone. But do you know what I mean? As soon as the weather turned nice, the drone of lawnmowers and weedwackers became the ever present soundtrack to our daily lives and the Home Depot garden department practically the neighborhood hangout. We quickly realized that even though we thought our deck was done, we were actually only halfway down that expensive road. One piece of the puzzle was missing, and that piece was flowers.

So one day a couple weeks ago, I headed to Mahoney’s Garden Center over in Allston, which is pretty much the mecca of all things plants and flowers in the Boston area. I found their prices to be slightly better and their selection infinitely better than Home Depot’s, not to mention the friendly staff (and chatty fellow shoppers!) who hooked me up with all sorts of tips for making our deck planters look  nice.

For example, did you know that a good planter has three elements? A hanging element, a height element, and a color element? Because I didn’t. I was just roaming the place, grabbing random things that caught my attention. Little did I know that you actually have to think about things like shade and sun and height and color. I pretty much thought it was plant it, cover it with dirt, water it. Done. NOT!!! (Remember in the 90s how everyone used to obnoxiously say NOT!!! after every sarcastic remark? “Nice shoes… NOT!!!” Yeah…. good times.) (Not.)

Okay, so maybe I spent way too much at Mahoney’s. Maybe I spent as much as our deck furniture and grill combined. But behold…

BEFORE

AFTER

Eh? Eh? Wait, it gets better.

AND I even planted a few seeds of my own. These are my chartruese zinnia that are sprouting up quite nicely. I have to say, I’m pretty proud of the little guys. (And AMAZED at how much cheaper it is to grow your own flowers than to buy them. You just have to plan ahead a bit more.)

So, was it worth the time and money? I think so. Plus, now we’re the envy of all the neighbors. In my head, at least.

I’ll have pictures and stories later but for now I’m facing a 10-hour workday on – eeps! – four hours of sleep. So I’m hoping you’ll excuse my lack of a real post.

Having no ornaments, I strung it up with white lights and a 5-foot strand of gold beads I got at CVS for $1.99. I did invest in a beautiful cream-colored tree quilted tree skirt with gold embroidery. It was $24.99 from TJ Maxx. Sometimes, a gal’s got to splurge.

And I must admit that even without the delicious pine-y smell that real Christmas trees bring, I’m loving having a tree up. Something about it helps the whole place feel home-y. And home-y is exactly how I want to feel right now.

Has the holiday spirit hit your house yet?

Umm, hi. Torture. I don’t even like seafood but I WANT THAT PO-BOY. If I wasn’t already aching for New Orleans before seeing this photo, I sure as hell am now. Especially considering the fact that the Saints are kicking butt and taking names in a major way for the first time ever. And those of you who know me know that I AM NOT A FOOTBALL FAN in the least. But I love New Orleans. And I will always root for it.

So for the first time in my life I am actually taking an interest in football, which certainly delights my giant football fan of a husband to no end. (Except when the team I’m rooting for is beating his team in a painfully close game.) Yesterday I joined him for the first time at his favorite sports bar where he watches all of his games and learned many new things, such as the difference between a punter and a kicker (I was told “a punter punts and a kicker kicks”) and how one can be quick but not fast (as in “He’s quick but he’s not very fast.” Sorry, what? Huh? Actually I don’t know if I’m saying it right even now. Can you be quick but not fast or fast but not quick? IT’S ALL SO CONFUSING.).

Of course we spent the afternoon at the bar noshing on nachos and feasting on french fries, and arrived home too full for my fresh lamb stew, but such is the life of a football fan, I assume. We did get a chance to stop by West Elm after the game to spend some more of the wedding loot on stuff for the house, specifically new pillows for the bed outfitted with these jersey bear/fern shams on sale for $9.97:

Somehow these made our little bed look so much more glam which made my heart feel a little more happy. But I’m still struggling with the fact that we have so much stuff and yet we need so much stuff. How is that possible?

And so ends another weekend.