Peeking inside the closet

One of the nice things about our new house are the closets. We even have two of them in the master bedroom! Still working on paring down my stuff - but hopefully it can stay organized!

And yes, I am nuts - those are my shoes in boxes with labels.

Updates at the homestead!

Craigslist dining table plus chairs - I purchased them separately, but they go together pretty well. I recovered the chairs in tan faux leather. It looks and feels pretty real and will hopefully be easy to clean.

I also got two sisal rugs - one for under the couch and one for under the table. I think it may be too small for under the table. I may switch it out with the rug in the bedroom - although it may too big! 

And the sewing machine is out because I have been sewing some curtains...stay tuned.

Spring cleaning...the eBay way

Between TD moving to Boston, the two us moving our stuff here and putting it in storage, and finally moving into the new house, we have given away a TON of stuff. Mostly we have taken stuff to Goodwill or Salvation Army.

But I had several things that I had been dragging around, not using, but that were "nice" or at least worth something. A suit from J Crew (thought I would need it for interviews), several things from Anthropologie (purchased on sale and never really worn), my 35mm SLR camera. Etc Etc!

On a whim last weekend I gathered up all this stuff, took photos and listed 20 things on eBay. I have been pretty stoked that things are actually selling!! There are 3 more days on my auction, but so far I have made over $150 dollars. The process does take a lot of time, so this won't become a regular thing for me (and there's not much left to get rid of - unless I start in on TD's stuff). But I would highly recommend using eBay if you have some nice stuff that you are looking to get rid of.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

mmm, been making my Mom's cookies - they are delicious! The recipe makes 3-4 dozen. I usually bake 1 dozen at a time - they are always best fresh out of the oven.

Roasted broccoli

Totally delicious - If you do it on the stovetop it uses less energy.

I roasted mine at 425 for about 20 minutes. Next time I will do higher heat for a shorter time.

 No need to cut off the stems - they're just as tasty.

 Loving the non stick roasting pan that was a wedding present.

Yum! Served with sweet potato wedges and teriyaki chicken.

Menu monday

So happy to have found Ward's Grocery store - reminds me a tiny bit of the Davis Food Co-op, but not nearly as big. There are some wonky things about it and it can be crowded. However, the produce is AWESOME and that is the most important thing.

HUGE bag of collards for $3 and local, non homogenized milk. I will be attempting to preserve these collards following this method.

Yay for bulk spices and pantry staples.

I can't get enough of delicious red grapefruit....mmm!

So what's on the menu this week?

Monday: Teriyaki Tofu with roasted broccoli and sweet potatoes

Tuesday: White chicken chili made without sour cream

Wednesday: Potato soup

Thursday: Broccolli and red pepper fritatta

Friday - Sunday: leftovers!

Dining table!

Picked up a Craigslist table this morning. Happily I got it into the house by myself without breaking it or me! It has two large leaves so the total length is 9 ft. I also hung curtains last night - happily the curtain hardware was already installed - all I had to do was order drapery hooks. The living room is starting to look complete - need some rugs and to finish the bookcase.

 The curtains that hung in my parents living room for 25 years (and that were made by my mom!) are looking good in the front window. The length is perfect - although anything would be an improvement over the rusty miniblinds!

Long time no post!

We had an awesome holiday with friends and family in Austin and then rung in the new year unpacking and getting the house set up. Happily the house looks much more inviting with furniture and books! We still need a few major pieces of furniture - currently the sun room is completely empty, and the only thing in the master bedroom is a dresser. We also are missing a dining table. We defiantely had too much stuff for our 525 sq ft. Boston apartment, but obviously don't have enough for a three bedroom house. Big things we are missing include master bedroom furniture, a dining table and couches for the sunroom.

But! I am scouring craigslist - so hopefully I'll be able to share some photos of a furnished place soon.

I also gave my first lecture last week and give my second one today. I only have 4 students, but still its a bit nervewracking. The class a fancy digital white board which I can't use for the life of me - there is a 5 inch gap from where I put the marker and where the writing actually appears. Need to figure that out as there is no other option in that room unless I bring in my own tablet.

Also, finally moved into my new office!