Something New

Not so much the recipe, but the fact that I am posting at all.  No excuses, but I will take a moment to hang my head in shame.  Now on to business and to summer.

What better to post about on the day before July 4th than a salad recipe?  One of our favorites for the summer months is Tabbouleh.  Coincidentally I made it on Saturday and most importantly I remembered to take a picture.

Tabbouleh
Serves 6-8

1 1/8 cup Bulgur
Instant Vegetable Broth
2 Tomatoes, chopped
1 Cucumber, chopped
1 Red Pepper, chopped
1 Red Onion, chopped
4 sprigs of Fresh Mint, finely chopped
1 bunch of Flat Leaf Parsley, finely chopped
2-4 cloves of Garlic, pressed
1 Lemon, juiced
2 tbsp Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to taste

Add bulgur to 2 1/4 cups of water with instant vegetable broth (to season) and bring to a boil.  Turn off heat and add lid.  It should be done in 10-15 minutes.  Set aside and let cool completely. Add the tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, onion, parsley, mint and garlic to a large bowl.  Whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, salt & pepper in small bowl.  Add the mixture to the remaining ingredients and toss.

Enjoy!  For those celebrating, Happy 4th of July!

2012

January 5th 6th isn't too late for a Happy New Year post, is it?  I desperately needed to update here because I was still wishing everyone a Merry Christmas with my last post.  Here I am and here is 2012.  Happy New Year!  Hope everyone has had a good start.

I have spent the last few days filling in my new calendar and writing down thoughts on the last year and thoughts for the new.  Kind of sounds meditative, but it was really more of an obsession fest about the shoulda, coulda, woulda of everything.  I have calmed down now, some.

Let's talk goals, ok?

• I  am continuing with the More of Less project I started last year.   There was a little break over the holidays, but I did a few mini projects around the house back in November that I never posted about (you know shoulda, coulda...).
• I also want to find a place for everything in the house.  Not so much to end the search for stuff, more to end the piles of "I don't know where else to put it".
• Read more books (Jules at Pancakes & French Fries is helping out with that with the Book Club she is starting).
• Photography - I will learn to use that SLR (that I gave my husband for Christmas 2010).
• I am doing something with that Thonet stool (can't believe I first posted about it in June).  Still pondering yellow, thinking about black (crazy, no?) and am now seriously considering gold.  Gold would be awesome, right?
• Then there is the usual eating better (am on track), exercising (started again last week), blogging more (first post since Christmas so we will see how that goes), going to bed earlier (writing this at 12:17am - sigh).

How about you?

Anyway, I kind of think that 2012 might be good year. 

Craft It Forward - Thank You!

Yesterday I received mail; Craft It Forward mail from Juliette.   The package totally made my day and was so thoughtfully put together.

I loved everything, but these tags are my absolute favorite.  I just love their simplicity.  Now I just have to find a way to show them off, you know subtly.

This card that Juliette included says it all.

I am One

3@12, that is. This is not really how I envisioned my post to be for today.  Over two weeks since my last post, a photo I have previously used, and no real plan on what to write.  Still, I did not want my one year blog birthday to go by without mention and most importantly thank everyone who reads it. A real big thanks to you! 

Not sure what year two will bring, but I am hoping a painted stool, an organized house, better photography and better follow through (see the first three items) will be a part of it.

Strawberry update

Several weeks ago I posted about the strawberries that I received as a gift from Marie.  I am absolutely thrilled about how well they are doing and wanted to share some pictures of their progress.

Here they are making nice green leaves.

 

And here they are making nice runners.

Here they are making flowers....

And here they are making fruit.  YES!  I just know that these will be the best strawberries ever.  They are from Brooklyn.

One Lovely Blog or Ten Things About Me

Roboti (a really cool blog by the way) received an One Lovely Blog award and passed it on to everyone.  I hereby accept  :) and give you 10 11 (see list for explanation) things about me:

1. I am constantly surprised by the fact that more and more people are younger than me.
2. I love popcorn movies (ie. Independence Day, the Bourne movies, Bad Boys, The Italian Job).
3. But I also love chick flicks (ie. Shakespeare in Love, Love Actually, the Holiday).
4. I often find myself in a room and have forgotten why I went there (think it might tie into #1 on my list).
5. Not very many people that I know, know that I blog.
6. I think that asparagus are related to tulips.
7. I think that because once I took a drink from a glass of water standing in the kitchen only to remember that I had tulips standing in it that morning.  Definitely an asparagus taste.
8. One of the things that I miss about the pre-Sam times is being able to have cereal for dinner.
9. A mixed tape by me could include rap, pop, rock, Motown and country.
10. I can get more done in 30 minutes than in three hours.
11. I grew up bilingual with a lot of people that were also bilingual,  so I have a habit of starting sentences in one language and finishing in another or inserting words in whatever language I remember them first.  I actually started writing this post in German.  Really funny because Tesca did the opposite when commenting on my post from yesterday.                                                     

Now you know a little bit more about me and I hope you join in the fun because I am giving everyone reading this an One Lovely Blog/Person Award.  So go on and write a post or comment below with some tidbits about you.

Sam's Room

In today's post Benita @ Chez Larsson asked everyone to share a picture or post of the EXPEDIT shelving units in their home.  You can find ours in Sam's room.

Considering that our home plays a substantial role in this blog I haven't really shared that many pictures of it.  Mainly because I find it really hard to shoot interiors (and gardens).  It took about 20 shots to get this one (thank goodness for the digital age). The angles always seem weird and it is just plain frustrating.    I am hoping to improve and start sharing some more.

Go on over to Benita's to share your pictures and while you are at it link to them in the comments here too.

Stripe Mania!

Last week Holly invited everyone to a virtual Stripe Mania party (in short take picture of yourself in stripes, post & tweet it) and I immediately thought to myself "I want in."  A bit unusual because I can't stand having my picture taken.  Case in point, the profile picture that I have been using is over 3 years old.  Perfect opportunity for a change I would say.

Come on, join the party! 

Seven Things About Me

Several weeks ago Tesca gave me a Stylish Blogger Award. A really lovely gesture and I am way late in writing this post.  She authors the charming Wohnwasbi and was a fellow student in the Blogging Your Way E-course I took earlier this year.   In her blog she shares lovely DIY tutorials, decorating tips and things that inspire her.  Please do drop by when you have a chance.

Part of the award is to give it to others in a chain letter like fashion. As I have never been much of a fan those letters (or e-mails) I will pass on that.  The other part is to share 7 things about me and I thought this would definitely be fun.  So here goes:

1. I write with my left hand, but I throw with my right. 
2. About 4 years ago I learned to Scuba Dive and it has been a passion ever since.  
3. I met my husband in High School and if you would have told either of us back then that we would get married we would hit the floor laughing.
4. I was a Vegetarian for 9 years.  Not really sure why I jumped off the "bandwagon", but maybe one day I will jump back on again.
5. I can see my parents house from my front yard
6. I love NYC!  I lived there for almost 10 years and it was one the best experiences I have had in my life.
7. My greatest accomplishment is my son.  I look at him in awe every single day and can't believe how lucky I am to have him.

Shoe shopping

I have spent hours (seems like days, weeks, months) going through templates to use for this blog. It kind of reminds me of when I intend to go shopping for shoes. The choices are endless, but nothing seems quite right.  The only time I ever find shoes is when I am not actually looking.  So what do I need to "shop" for when I am actually looking for a blog template?