pumpkin wreath

There's a tutorial for this pumpkin wreath here.

Un Croque-Monsieur

It's been a goal of mine for awhile to learn French. Why French? you might ask. Because, I tried to take a French course in college and it absolutely kicked me smack dab in the seat of my pants (metaphoricaly, of course). I couldn't get the pronunciation, and the structure made my head spin. It stands out as a personal hurdle I'd love to overcome someday.

However, my schedule isn't allowing for much second-language-learning these days, so for now I am sticking with the most basic vocabulary words you learn in French (tourist) language books:

Je vais prendre un croque-monsieur, s'il vous plait.

Or,

I'll have an open-faced grilled ham and cheese, please.

And I assure you, you'll want to have one too.

We tried the Epicurious version this weekend. It is company worthy-- and those are words I never thought I'd say about a ham sandwich.

Before sharing, I have to say my Southern upbringing leads me to refer to the exquisite topping as "gravy," but it is nonetheless a nutmeg-scented, saucy foreign delight. So here you go, straight from Epicurious and me to you!

And if you happen to be my mother reading this, don't leave the nutmeg out. It is the perfect spice to make this ham sandwich stand far above and beyond all others.

Un Croque-Monsieur

For the "Gravy"
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1 bay leaf

For the Sandwich:
4 slices firm white sandwich bread
4 ounces thinly sliced Black Forest ham
4 ounces sliced Gruyère cheese (I used smoked Gouda)
1 tablespoon melted butter
1/4 cup grated Gruyère cheese
2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives (I added my chives to the gravy)
print a shopping list for this recipe

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and stir 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk. Add nutmeg and bay leaf. Increase heat to medium-high and boil until sauce thickens, whisking constantly, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat broiler. Place 2 bread slices on work surface. Top each with half of ham and sliced Gruyère. Top with remaining bread. Heat heavy large skillet over low heat. Brush sandwiches with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Add to skillet and cook until deep golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to small baking sheet. Spoon sauce, then grated cheese over sandwiches. Broil until cheese begins to brown, about 2 minutes.

Recipe link here.

Follow the link for a printer-friendly version!

save those coffee tins!

And by Fall you can fill your porch with these beauties! That is, if you drink as much coffee as we do. If you have more restraint and less caffeine dependence than the two humans living in my house, aim for spring. Or ask your neighbors to send over their empty coffee tins! Or fill your winter nights with them if you live somewhere that doesn't freeze all winter... ah, the possibilities are vast and endless, yes?

I am thinking they would serve an aesthetic as well as practical purpose with citronella candles.

Find the tutuorial here and the author here.

be careful what you wish for...

Do you ever beg and plead for something for a really long time,

then finally get it,

look at it sitting on the floor of your very own home,

and say,

"Darnit! Now I actually have to figure out how to do something with this!"

(I often wonder if men experience this when they finally get the fancy power tools they've been pining over. Not that they would ever admit it if they did, just like I will never admit to Husband that I have not the slightest notion where I should make the first cut or stitch on this lovely new cloth.)

So, now that I have 9 yards of this fabric, which I love, I have to figure out how to:

a.) sew a nicely fitting slipcover for this chair and ottoman or

b.) reupholster this chair and ottoman or

c.) perform a hybrid reupholster/tailored slipcover operation on this chair and ottoman

I'll be letting you know how this little project is going soon...

(Any suggestions, books, videos, tools, inspiration or seamstresses are welcome.)

our weekend and the dining room

I like to write little stories for children in my spare time. Most of them are for my student lessons, but some are stories that I "plan" to illustrate and send to publishers (one day, like most things). One story in particular I have been working on intermittently for almost two years. I've begun the pencil sketches, and Husband has been playing with watercolors on my copies of my sketches.

He's quite good.

It's a strange but fun spousal activity. Just call us Jan and Stan Berenstain! We plan to spend quite a few weekends this summer collaborating on this little project, so you'll be seeing more on the progress in future posts.

In other news, for the first time ever we've hung curtains. I've talked about hanging curtains in every house we've rented and this time we actually did it.

Don't they make a big difference in the room? And I love the white and wood tones together. It seems so rustically formal, and thus so casually elegant. (Though a professional interior designer might cringe at the simplicity!)

So, this is the dining room of our latest house. I do wish the curtains completely touched the floor, but ah well (a professional interior designer would certainly cringe at that little blip!). I'll get them perfect when they're not so irritatingly temporary.

the shower

There was candlelight with the photos of the Bride and Groom's engagement photo shoot,

There were lots of shells,

black pebbles, and signs made from old wood since the theme was "Vintage Maine."

I made these using plastic wine glasses, hot glue, and seashells the morning of the party. They matched the plates.

We used the top of the invitation as part of this centerpiece.

(I didn't remember to take pictures of everything until all the guests had arrived. So, between people milling around and the dim lighting, I don't feel like I got very good pictures. Ah, me circumstances!)

We borrowed an old carnival popcorn machine from my parents,

And it was a hit. The carnival elements fit well with the vintage theme and their "beach carnival" engagement pictures.

Simple touches were added here and there,

like limes floating in vases of sun-colored gerber daisies,

Lots of green,

In many forms,

And the sweets table,

which the bride

loved.

It was raining and chilly the day of the party, so we decorated the garage for more sitting area. This is what we did with the tool rack on the garage wall,

Using photos I took on my first trip to Maine and one of the pieces of old wood.

And we couldn't resist floating a lobster in the hot tub!

The bride and groom got lots of gifts from their registry,

And some they didn't register for!

I think it was a success.

fabric samples and funny friday

I ordered samples of all of these fabrics yesterday:

Lots of projects are in my head, including curtains, pillows, and maybe even attempting to sew a slipcover for a chair and ottoman this summer.

Any thoughts on these fabrics?

Now, for the funnies:

I took this photo on my last trip to Greenville, SC. I was tired and grumpy from unsuccessful househunting and being badgered by Realtors, so I decided to stop by Starbuck's for a bottle of water and some chocolate covered espresso beans. I sat outside in the sun and noticed this on the table where I was sitting:

Speaking of smoking, did you hear that a study has shown that smoking lowers the risk of Parkinson's disease? Of course, they weren't saying people should smoke, but they do hope to discover why cigarettes lower the PD risk and put that information to beneficial use. Article here.

Be back Tuesday with a report on the wedding shower!

in process...

The wedding shower for this couple is Saturday!

We used this image from the couple's engagement photo shoot as inspiration for a vintage, east coast theme.

And just so you know, my dining room has looked like this since yesterday afternoon. Husband came home from work and asked why there were "Lupines" strewn everywhere :)

Just to give you a peak:

More to come! Not sure if more will come before or after the shower, but more WILL come.

Back to work on my "Lupines"...