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Archive for the ‘Home’ Category

We were going to spring for a new fireplace insert this year to heat the first floor so we wouldn’t have to move the TV upstairs for the next few months. Turns out that, like so many renovations we attempt to undertake, this one’s going to require a lot more work and money than we had planned on.

Rather than lugging the TV upstairs, however, the husband came home with the
Presto HeatDish Parabolic Electric Space Heater. It is quite simply amazing, putting out enough heat to keep us warm and toasty on the couch. It’s made it onto my list of Favorite Things (it’s kind of like Oprah’s, but with more Apple gadgets and a salad spinner), a list that’s pretty difficult to get on.

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I FINALLY hemmed the IKEA curtains that I’ve owned for nearly five years. I had to, because they were puddling on the spice cabinet that I inherited earlier this summer when my grandmother died. And not puddling in an HGTV kind of way, but more in a slovenly truTV kind of way.

By hemmed, of course, I mean that I ironed on the strip of fusion tape that came with the curtains. I bought red curtains at IKEA. You think I’m going to sew?

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Several years ago, a good friend offered me an old pie safe that belonged to his sister, who had recently died. Honored by his offer, and in dire need of a little extra cabinet space in my humble kitchen, I accepted. This unique piece did kitchen duty for several years until I moved to Huntsville, where I found a home with plenty of cabinet space. The pie safe accepted its new assignment as eccentric bookshelf/knickknack area.

One thing that always bothered me about the pie safe was the drawer on the bottom. It didn’t belong there. It wasn’t made out of the same aged wood, and it was much more stylized than any other part of the cabinetry. It seemed like it was added as an afterthought, perhaps as a replacement for another drawer that had fallen apart.

I bought new drawer pulls for it at Anthropologie a few months ago, but all they did was emphasize its non-belongingness. Another plan was in order.

Yesterday, I finally fixed it. I toured the garage until I found a piece of suitably aged wood (my garage is, indeed, full of surprises) that only needed one cut to fit the drawer opening. After worming my way underneath the pie safe, I secured the board from the back with three beige deck screws (you can’t see them).

Voila! It’s as if the mismatched drawer never existed.

My love of Anthropologie’s cabinet hardware collection was satisfied, as I installed two bright, bubbly pulls on the pie safe doors.

It’s always been a fun piece, but I think I’ve managed to update it without changing its overall character.

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No, Pier 1 Cat, it is NOT fair for something that is so reminiscent of fall to arrive in the CSA box during the hot, hot first week of August. We should be double-checking the marshmallow stocks and finding new ways to dodge trick-or-treaters with this gem on the fireplace mantel.

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I don’t even know what to call this piece of furniture. Spice cabinet? Spice drawers? During its long tenure in my grandmother’s house, it was simply the blue drawers in the hallway; for adults, the holder of telephone books, for kids, the source of puzzles and books, pencils and paper.

I brought it home after my grandmother’s funeral last week, stuffing it into my tiny car along with a few photographs and a handful of handwritten recipes from the bottom kitchen drawer.

I asked for this piece long ago (my grandmother had been assigning artifacts to children and grandchildren alike for nearly three decades), choosing it over the fancier formal china cabinet that resided in the den and didn’t match my personality or decorating style any more than pineapple-topped bedposts.

Seriously, what’s with the pineapple-topped bedposts?

It’s in my office now, slightly cleaner thanks to a brief encounter with Murphy’s Oil Soap, but still bearing evidence of its age. Rather than puzzles and phone books, it holds the essentials of a perpetual graduate student. Mostly, though, it just holds memories, and I’m grateful that my husband maneuvered it into my car with mere inches to spare.

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I found this today behind the giant bathroom mirror I’m replacing. Who wallpapers an entire half bathroom with pastel-striped wallpaper? I don’t care if it WAS the ’80s. The room has a VERY high ceiling and that is a LOT OF STRIPES.

And the renovator who hung a mirror over it instead of taking it down with the rest? Let’s never meet in a dark alley.

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Meet Franz. I bought him for $2 at an estate sale I attended just so I could get a look at the interior of some townhomes in my neighborhood. He looked lonely and in danger of being shipped off to a thrift store with the rest of the unsellables. Franz was hand-sketched in charcoal. He deserved better.

Plus, let’s just admit it, I decorate like a lunatic.

Franz hangs by my desk at home, though he’s not so much inspiration as he is entertainment. I just like him, even though I’m really not sure what sort of animal he is. I’m not even sure how I decided he was German.

I thought of Franz today as I was dropping off a few things at a thrift store, items that were cute and in good shape, but items that I just could not bring myself to love.

I decided a few years ago that open space was my decorating style, and I’ve been decluttering my way to that goal ever since. Gone are the knickknacks that someone else chose for me, the extra set of everyday dishes from my grandmother’s house, the candleholder collection that accumulated after a few people saw me burning candles at a couple of parties.

The things that stay are the things I use and/or simply love. The best part about bringing the rest to a thrift store isn’t the empty space left behind in a closet or on a shelf, but the idea that someone else WILL love these things.

Every item that I give away may become somebody’s Franz. How awesome is that?

My favorite thrift store, by the way, is A New Leash on Life Marketplace at 707 Andrew Jackson Way in Huntsville. It’s a cute little store, filled with a nicer selection than you find in larger thrift stores, and there’s sometimes a couple of adoptable animals there for a visit. A New Leash on Life is a non-profit animal rescue group that houses adoptable animals in approved foster homes.

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When I bought my new ceramic cooktop, I ditched both of my old, stained non-stick skillets. The non-stick surface was beginning to wear off anyway, and I just didn’t trust them not to scratch or crack my delicate new appliance.

My new set of stainless steel pots and pans, however, is anything but non-stick. This has only been a problem for two household favorites: grilled cheese sandwiches and scrambled eggs. The dusty, nearly forgotten George Foreman Grill took care of the grilled cheese dilemma, but my only option for eggs seemed to be cooking them in a big puddle of butter to keep them from sticking. Forget about omelets.

This is where Christy Jordan of SouthernPlate.com comes in. If you eat, you ought to visit this website. Christy can spin a yarn and show you how to make delicious creations at the same time. Pretty soon you’ll know all about her family, vacations and grocery shopping habits.

When she shared a recipe for an Easy Oven Omelet a few weeks ago, I knew I may have found my solution for eggs.

That recipe resulted in the best egg dish I had ever made – it was more or less a souffle. It even won over my husband, who I feared wouldn’t be able to deal with all the onions.

The only problem: It made enough for at least three meals for two people. I ate leftover omelet for lunch twice, which is one time too many, and guiltily tossed the rest.

So I broke out my apron and started customizing. I decided not to cut the recipe in half, opting to quarter it since, frankly, one day of leftover omelet isn’t much tastier than two. Made with mozzarella cheese and roasted red peppers, it was delicious, but my mistake was putting it in a baking dish that was too wide. It came out of the oven not much thicker than a pancake.

The answer came to me yesterday: ramekins. My customized recipe made just enough omelet “batter” for two servings, each in its own cute little serving dish. No leftovers here.

Here’s the basic recipe, but as Christy points out, you can substitute pretty much any cheese or vegetable you like. The only reason I used roasted red peppers is because I had part of a jar left in the fridge from another recipe. A mix of chopped bell pepper and onion is also good.

Shaggerty’s Oven Omelet for Two

(Adapted from SouthernPlate.com’s Easy Oven Omelet)

  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1/8 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup chopped roasted red peppers
  • Spray two ramekins with cooking spray. Beat the eggs in a medium mixing bowl. Add the other ingredients and stir until well combined. Split mixture between two ramekins. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 25-30 minutes, or the omelets are firm and don’t jiggle when you shake them.

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    Several years ago, my grandmother gave me an old rocking chair that I kept meaning to have re-caned. Last year, I decided that it did not go with any part of my decor. Neither was it very smart furniture to have around our two long-tailed tabby cats, constantly underfoot and underchair.

    Turns out that my mom thought she should have had first dibs on the chair anyway. Done deal, right?

    Wrong. Yang, the larger of the underfoot tabbies, claimed the chair as his own not two weeks after Mom claimed it as her own. Cushioned with a Mom-made afghan and a blanket, it’s one of his favorite nesting spots.

    So, the chair complements nothing, needs refinishing, and technically belongs to my mom. It stays, of course, because a 13-year-old, 12-pound cat likes to nap in it.

    Welcome to the Crow Haggerty House of Cats. We’re all mad here.

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    I picked up these note cards at a street market in New York City last year and promptly began neglecting to frame them. Now they’re framed and I have to find a place for them. I’m thinking they’d look great staggered on the wall beside the stairs … more on that when I finally punch three holes in the wall with my fabulous MonkeyHooks.

    The artist is Kristiana Parn, and I simply love her colorful, eclectic work. Head to her website at www.kristianaparn.com to see more of her art; she also has items available in her Etsy shop.

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