still too many cookbooks

Remember this post from more than a year ago, where I discussed my many cookbooks?

(see teaser photo below)

I really need to purge some of these cookbooks! They are taking up space, and I just don't use them all! I use some, but not all.

So, want one? I'm more than happy to send you one or two, if you are interested, because it would be better than them sitting here and growing dust!

Yes? No? Maybe so?

CSN again!

I need some new lights for my apartment, how about you? I have a small lamp next to my bed, but I'd like a new one. CSN asked me to do a product review, so look out for it in the coming weeks! I don't know yet what I will be reviewing, as there are soooo many products to choose from!



Have you been to look at the CSN stores? Go have a look!

happy Saturday!

Yesterday on my way home from work, I stopped and bought myself some flowers from the man with the flower stand outside my building. I walk by him every day and always think that I should stop, and finally my co-worker and I decided to stop and treat ourselves!

I love having fresh flowers in my apartment; they smell so pretty and make things much more bright and cheerful, wouldn't you agree?

Here they are, in my little kitchen-


They are sitting on my little kitchen cart, next to the fridge, along with my toaster, a spider plant, some cookbooks and other things. Oh, that huge note pad? My grocery list! What looks like a huge salt shaker? It's a vanilla candle! Two bottles of wine- a sweet desert wine and a chocolate wine from Steve's parents. The blue vase behind the flowers is filled to the brim with wine corks! Lots of photos and postcards and such decorating the side of the fridge too! If you look closely, on the top left, you can see a photo of a little girl in a pink tutu- that is Majlinda, my Albanian baby, standing in front of the kitchen table that I helped their family to buy!


Just a close up view of the flowers...



Maybe I should post more photos of my little kitchen? As small as it is, I really do love it. It may be small and not have much room to work with, it's really adorable.

What does your kitchen look like?

one lump or two?

Is this not the most adorable lamp you've ever seen in your life?

It's from anthropologie, one of my favorites. I'm so in love with that store. If I was a wealthy girl, my entire wardrobe and apartment would come from there, but sadly, I am not. I do, however, have Christmas and birthday money that has yet to be spent, AND anthro sent me a birthday card with a 15% off coupon! It came with this adorable candle-on-a-string necklace that I should have worn for birthday festivities, but sadly, I forgot. Next year?

So, maybe this lamp should be mine? Yes? No? I shouldn't spend so much on a lamp?

one of those days

I am exhausted. I was up until after 2am last night because my upstairs neighbor was blaring her tv. I am so sick of this, I've complained about it and nothing seems to happen. I left a note on her mailbox this morning on my way out, but I was late to work in the process (mainly because it took so long to fall asleep, not because I was leaving the note!). Ugh, I despise rude people, and this girl sure isn't very considerate. The rain isn't helping my mood either.

Funny related story. Last week, I came home and found my Glamour magazine in my mailbox. I skimmed it that night. The next day, I came home to find another Glamour in my mailbox. I looked at the label, it was addressed to me. I looked at the label from the one that arrived the day before, and it belongs to my upstairs neighbor. Ooops. I was going to bring her mine with a note on it, apologizing, but since she's so loud and obnoxious, I don't think I will. No Michelle Obama as Woman of the Year for her. Ha! That's my attempt at revenge :)

Hope you had a nice day off yesterday. I called my favorite vet last night, my best friend. She spent a year in Kuwait and her husband in Iraq back in 2003 and 2004. Funny, because when she was in Kuwait, I was in Poland. I'd write her letters and used her military address, of course, whatever it was, APO AE, etc. I'd take these letters to the Polish post office and had the hardest time trying to mail them...since they didn't list a country destination, the postal clerk could never figure out where they went! In my terrible Polish, I tried to explain that it was a military address, but they never got it. I finally began writing USA at the bottom, and it worked. It always amused me that the letters would come back here to the States before crossing the Atlantic again!

The other night, I went to a volunteer info session for different opportunities here in DC. I was sent a calendar of possibilities, and it seems nearly endless. I was thrilled to see that there is a horse rescue league nearby, so I may try to volunteer there once a month. It's a bit far, so Steve would need to drive me. I used to ride, and have been really missing it lately, so I think this might be a great opportunity. I don't know if they'd let me work the horses, it might just be grooming them and such, but still, just being around them again would really be wonderful. There are many other volunteer needs, of course, such as working in food kitchens or reading to children, or playing with puppies at adoption fairs (!!!), so I really want to try a few different things, to see what I like best.

This Saturday, I am going to a sewing lounge, put on by DC Threads, which seems pretty neat. There will be people there to help with the projects that you are working on, which is great, because I need someone to show me how to bind my quilts! I've read tutorials and watched online, but I think I need to see it in real life, because my bindings aren't coming out too well! It is all free too, which is really nice. I am looking forward to it, and hopefully, will come home with a finished project!

In other exciting news, I discovered a Christmas Tree Shop not too far away, in Hagerstown, MD, which was thrilling. I love that store, and if you don't have one near you, you are missing out! I found pens with my name on it, which was so exciting. I rarely find things with my name on it, so I usually buy them when I do!

How are things with you?

trimming the fat

My parents came down to visit for a few days last weekend. They didn't stay with me, as my apartment is tiny; they stayed at a B&B over by the National Zoo. They had to check out before noon, but their flight wasn't until around dinnertime, so they metroed over to my place to leave their bags here while we were out. They had been to my apartment before, but it had been a while and my mother was horrified when stepping through the door.

I have a bit of clutter. One might call this a packrat, but I am not sure it's the same exactly. It isn't as though I have an excess of things, it is more like an excess of room to keep my things. I live in a studio/efficiency. I don't know the square footage, but it isn't much. It's fine for just me and my bamboo plant, but two people here wouldn't work. Even a corgi wouldn't work too well (hence the reason that I still don't have one).

I really need to do something about the clutter. I guess I hadn't realized it, since I live here every day and don't see it the way my mother did, stepping in for the first time in a while. My sewing table now takes up a large spot, which is pretty much the middle of the floor. It is actually blocking a bookshelf, though the shelf is also blocked by piles of books on the floor, because the bookshelf is full. In front of the radiator, there is another huge pile of books. I have three bookshelves; one tall and two short, all of which are full. There are piles of books everywhere else.

I need to go through my life and decide what I actually need to keep. Books can be donated to the library and clothes can go to Salvation Army. Let's be honest; I don't wear all of them or the shoes! I may get rid of the ugly blue love seat that I acquired from the girl who lived here before me. I don't need all of these things, I really don't.

I don't have people over, with the exception of Steve, because, honestly? I am embarrassed by my apartment. The building itself has certainly seen better days and my apartment just doesn't have the space. The love seat is usually piled with magazines, Vera Bradley bags and random pieces of mail that I decided not to open that day. There is really nowhere to sit, other than my bed. I don't have a kitchen table, because the galley kitchen is too small!

It's a cute little place, and it does have some nice features (large windows that face the front of the building, two closets with built-in shelves and a large built-in cabinet in the kitchen), I just need to figure out how to work it to my best advantage.

Do you live in a small space? How do you decorate it, to make the most of it?

succulents

Look what I just bought from My Vintage Addiction's etsy shop!

Is this not the cutest thing you've ever seen? I recently bought a few succulents at a local florist, but sadly, they didn't seem to like living in my kitchen. I decided to try again, and found some on etsy from one seller, and bought two, but then found this second shop and bought this lovely set of four small plants. I ordered it Friday and it arrived yesterday, coming to DC from California! It was packaged so well, she sent organic dirt and even labeled which dirt went into which container!

Succulents are nice, because they are so low maintence; you just water them once a week or so. I think they are a cousin to a cactus, but I could be wrong. I love them though, they are just the cutest. I have them in my little apartment next to my bamboo plant, just next to the window, so I hope they are happy there.

Check out her shop, if you are looking for a new plant :)

lemony fresh!

Is it weird that I really want a Meyer lemon tree?

I mean really....how cute would this be in my little kitchen?

Are there any crazy/silly things that you want for your kitchen?

home sweet home?

Saturday morning was typical- sleep in a bit, put away clean dishes that had dried overnight, tidy up apartment, etc. Suddenly, it occured to me that June 1 marked four years of my living in my apartment. That somehow was the strangest thought to me (partly because that means that July 4 is FIVE years that I've lived in DC!). 

First of all, when I moved into this apartment, I certainly didn't expect that I'd stay here for four years. It's small- it's an efficiency/studio (what is the difference, seriously?). When you walk in the door, there is one large (ha) room. On the left is a small closet and on the right is a large walk-in closet. On the same wall as the walk-in, is the bathroom, and just after the bathroom is another very small room that I call the nook. It's not large enough to be terribly useful; but that is where my dresser lives. On the left wall is the kitchen, but it's a galley kitchen- you walk through a doorway to get there. The apartment faces the front of the building and I have four large windows, which is very nice, as they let in a lot of light and I face the street, including a bus stop and a small park and jungle gym. The apartment has hardwood floors, crown molding around the doorways and a built-in cabinet in the kitchen. Inside, it's a cute little apartment, but the outside begs to differ. 

It's an older building and needs a lot of work, but of course, management doesn't do anything to keep up with it. To be honest, I am embarrassed to have people here, because I find it so horrendous looking. Plus, there is the issue that I've mentioned before, about the raise in crime in the area. Awesome. 

I'm sure you're thinking "hmmm Lexilooo, why not move into the house that your boyfriend bought last fall and live with him?" I know, I think it too. For a long, long time, I thought that is was best (for me personally, not in general) to wait until marriage to live together. Honestly though? I didn't think that four years later, I'd still be living in my little apartment, sans sparkle on that all important finger. Moving in here, we'd been together for not quite a year, so it wasn't even a thought in my mind to live with him. I figured we'd see where the relationship went. Here it is, seemingly the same (not exactly, but you know what I mean). Four years ago, when I told him that I wanted to wait until marriage, he seemed fine with it. Now, when my mind may have changed a bit and maybe I want to live with him, he seems to think it's better to wait. For what? I don't know. I feel like my life has become one big waiting game and I don't like it. 

So what to do? Do I look for a new apartment, a bigger one, where I could have a puppy and a sewing machine and people over for wine and cheese? Or, do I stay where I am now and continue to wait for something better, with le boy?

make it stop

Okay, so I recently wrote two posts about crime in my hypothetical backyard. Well, it happened yet again. This time, in my building. Yes, you read that correctly. In my building.

Saturday afternoon, Steve picked me up, as we were going to the movies. Coming out of the front door of my building, there was a note taped to the door written by a resident of the building. She wrote that she was robbed Friday night. In the building. IN THE ELEVATOR!

Of all scary and creepy things that could happen, this girl was robbed in the elevator of the building she and many others live in. I don't know details, I don't know what time it was, etc, but that shouldn't matter, should it?

I am more than a little freaked out about this.

oh happy morning?

So remember this post, not too long ago at all, about the armed robbery on my block? Well, just now, I received the following text alert from DC Police Alerts...



SHOOTING

SHOOTING//847 HOURS//____ block of ______Ave NE//LOF B/M/WEARING GRY & BLK JACKET//DARK PANTS//L/S GOING U ___ ST NE//ALSO WEARING SKULL CAP ARMED WITH A HAND GUN//SUSP ALSO HAD BLK SKI MASK DO NOT TAKE ACTION CALL 911 W/EVENT #Sent by DC Police Alert to e-mail, pagers, cell phones....powered by Cooper Notification RSAN


This was three blocks from my apartment.

Maybe I should seriously consider moving? Those of you in DC, what neighborhood are you in? Do you love it? Can I be your neighbor?

let's get this party started

I have loud upstairs neighbors. This is nothing new; they’ve been loud for a long time, but I think it really drove me nuts when they decided to have a party last night from 11pm-1am, complete with loud, pounding music that made my walls vibrate. I could hear several people up there, talking loudly and laughing. Now, I live in a studio and the apartment above me is the same size. I know that when even one person is over, it’s a bit ridiculous, because of the small size, so I can’t imagine how they had so many. Does this person upstairs not have a bed??? I called and left a message at the rental office (yes, at 11:45pm) and called again this morning and spoke to someone, asking them to please ask this person to be considerate of their neighbors. I wasn’t about to walk up there last night and knock on the door. What if the masked gunman lives there?

Was this wrong of me, to call and complain like that? Like I said, this noise factor has been going on for quite some time and this is the first time I’ve said something about it. I don’t think I am being too sensitive about it, as it was a Tuesday and midnight. There are older people in my building, that I am sure don’t appreciate it either. What would you have done?

moving right along

So last night I left my office at 5:15, as usual. I had to go to the MLK Library at Chinatown to return a few books and get a few more. So from there, I redlined to Union Station and took the bus home from there. When I walked up to my building, I saw two police cars to the left of the building with the lights flashing. I didn't think too much of it. I walked up to the front door of the building and saw a police officer standing there, on his walkie talkie. I would have asked him what was happening, but he was walkieing. So, inside I went. I checked my mail, went upstairs, took off my coat, etc. I turned on my laptop and once I checked my email, I found the following message from the DC Alert System-

Police Alert-ROBBERY HOLD UP GUN____ BLOCK OF ____ ST NE. LOF B/M SKI MASK BLACK JACKET SHORT HAIR CUT DO NOT TAKE ACTION CALL 911 W/EVENT #i2009146061Sent by DC Police Alert to e-mail, pagers, cell phones....powered by Cooper Notification RSAN


There was an armed robbery on my block!!! I live on Capitol Hill!!! Yes, I know this can happen anywhere, I am not so naive to think that anywhere is immune, but really? In the nearly five years I've been in DC and almost four in this apartment, I have never, ever had a problem or seen something happen.

Maybe it's time to move?

don't call me Martha

Martha Stewart I am not.

I'm not the most organized person out there, which is no surprise, judging by the looks of my apartment, which, obviously, you can't see at the moment!

I do, however, love to cook. I don't as often as I'd like, due to the extremly small size of my kitchen! Despite that, I have a lot of cookbooks. Like, more then 150, in all seriousness. I have this kitchen hutch that my microwave sits on and the top part is shelves. It's full. I also have them on the kitchen cart next to the fridge, and then more on top of the fridge.

I have a lot of cookbooks. Remind me sometime to post a picture.

I do also have a few recipe boxes, where I copy down recipes onto cute cards and organize them according to food type (breads, appetizer, poultry, etc).

Even though I have enough cookbooks where I could probably cook a different recipe every night for the next five years without repeating, I buy cooking magazines. I subscribe to Racheal Ray, Bon Appetite and Food and Wine, and many months, I buy a few more, including Olive, a British cooking magazine that I picked up at Heathrow last year and now spend $10 a month for the imported copy at Barnes and Noble.

As you can imagine, these magazines are piling up. I'm debating what to do with them. I obviously can't keep them all, not at this rate.

What would you do? Rip out the recipes you like and organize them into some sort of binder? Copy the recipes you like onto cute recipe cards for aforementioned recipe boxes?

How do you organize your recipes?

dilemma!

Okay, so on Tuesday, I mentioned that I had to clean out my cabinets because pest control was coming through my building to spray for mice. Ugh, yes.

When I got home from work, I found a note from the fumigator (is that a word?) saying that he had partially sprayed, but not completely, because I hadn't emptied one of my cabinets. The cabinet I didn't clear out is one I rarely use. There are about four things in there. The reason I don't use it is because it's at the base of this built-into-the wall cabinet, and the door sticks, and it nearly impossible to open, so its not worth the struggle. Apparently it needed to be sprayed too though.

I left my cabinets empty, assuming they'd return on Wednesday to finish the job. I was wrong. I got home from work last night and nothing had been touched. Booo. I just called the management office and the fumigator only comes on Tuesdays. So he'll be back next week. He wants to spray again, since he missed parts.

So the question is. Do I put everything back in the cabinets until Monday and then remove it again? Or, keep the cabinets empty, saving myself the task of putting away-emptying-putting away again?

What would you do?

too many groceries?

One day last week, I came home and found a note on my door. It was from the management office of my building, letting me know that they'd be entering apartments on my floor beginning today. Apparently there has been a mouse problem (eww, I know), so they are planning to come into every apartment and look for and then seal off the places where the mice are entering (I totally wrote mouses there, without thinking about it!).

The note asked us to be sure that kitchen cabinets are empty. Right.

I live in a Capitol Hill efficiency. I have a galley kitchen. I don't even have a kitchen table, because there is no room for one! I have exactly two cabinets above the sink, and then a built in shelf thingie across from it where my dishes live.

Last night when I got home, I began to clean out the cabinets. While doing so, I decided it would be a good idea to throw away food that may be past its sell/use by date.

I threw away about 1/3 of my food! Seriously! Apparently I buy food and then don't use it, which I knew, but I didn't think I was that bad! Sure, sometimes I will have a brilliant idea to make a new recipe, so I buy the needed ingredients and then lose interest by the time I get home (haha), but I found a box of pasta, that was unopened, but the date on the box was November 2004! I didn't even live in this apartment in 2004! That means that when I moved in there in June 2005, I took expired food with me from my old house up by CUA!

I felt awful; I had to throw away unopened boxes of pasta, cake and brownie mixes, several canned goods. Normally I would have just donated them to a local soup kitchen or the like, but some of them were so old, I didn't think they'd take them!

Am I an awful person?

What is the oldest thing you've found in your cabinet?