design inspirations

It's been a while since I posted any updates on what we've been doing around the house. We haven't done much painting, but since the wedding, we've acquired some lovely art and pieces of furniture.

Our block print and quilted pillow from Kauai:



Our new photo from Sabin Gratz (sorry about the glare):


Our new glass table, which I absolutely love:



A new/old chandelier we found at a local consignment shop:

A lovebird print for the master bedroom:


And more to come! Including an amazing peacock painting from Isaac...

retrospect?

I just realized, I never got past 1998. I will finish; I must finish! One of these days... Middlebury, Paris, Arles... and Burlington of course... so much to tell!

in the herb garden

They say you shouldn't plant your garden till after Memorial Day, but we live in Vermont's banana belt for heaven's sake and I just couldn't resist picking up a few things at the garden shop this weekend when it was SO nice outside. I had to extend the garden in order to fit all of the new goodies (rosemary, French tarragon, salvia and pineapple sage—that was Colin's pick) and am quite pleased with the result.

Colin helped me excavate some rocks from the back hill (he worked on the stone border while I worked on the plantings). I even found some forget-me-nots literally growing on top of the gravel in the parking lot. So I transplanted them to a delicious new home in my garden with lots of compost, dirt and pine mulch. And a good dose of water too. There, all pretty now!

two new favorite coffee spots

There are quite a few great places to get a good cuppa coffee in Burlington: the good ol stand-bys are Uncommon Grounds, Speeder & Earls, Muddy Waters, Radio Bean, even Lake Champlain Chocolates serves some really good espresso. They're all worth a try and deserving of our patronage. I love coffee so much and I love all of our coffee shops so much, I like to share the wealth and give them all some love every now and then.

If you really want some special coffee, it's worth it to go a little off the beaten path to find it. There is a wonderful little tea and coffee shop on Center Street right around the corner from Church where the army navy stored used to be called Sapa Tea & Coffee. I'm pretty sure is the only place downtown where you can get Vietnamese-style coffee: a strong brew in a demi-tasse traditionally served with sweetened condensed milk (I like it with half & half). The flavor is nutty, chocolately and smooth. They also serve madeleines (French tea cakes) which are pretty good. And the atmosphere is a welcome low-key get-away from the crazy Saturday bustle of Church Street. I went there for Mother's Day last week when my parents surprised us for tea time. I enjoyed the coffee so much, I brought Colin back today after the farmers' market. Here's my picture of the coffee and then Colin's artsy pics below.

Oh, and our second new favorite place to get coffee? Village Wine and Coffee in Shelburne. They have this cup called the Ultimo, which is a strong brew of espresso with half & half and maple syrup. It's pretty much speed in a cup and it's amazing.

lil update

Mid-May is here and with it more snow and frigid air. I've yet to go out and play in the garden. Will my little herbs survive such fickle weather?

Despite the cold, we had a fun little weekend. Yes we did. Impromptu BBQ with friends. An afternoon with Sapphie. First farmer's market of the summer (HELLO fresh asparagus, spinach, rhubarb and more! Hello spring quiche and rhubarb compote).

Colin found a beautiful chandelier at a local consignment store and bought it on a whim. Installed and wired the thing as soon as we got home. It worked on the first try and looks so beautiful and perfect in our bedroom.

Saturday night met up with the girls—quelle soiree indeedy!

Yours truly had a fun (little) bathroom demo on Sunday morning. And I successfully caulked a bathtub! Why oh why it was never done in the first place is beyond me. But there you have it.

And then my parents surprised me on Mother's Day (shouldn't it be the other way around?). They "popped in" for tea right around tea time. We went to the little place by the daily planet and had some of the best coffee I have ever had in my life. Note to self: I MUST go there again.

Already in to another crazy week at work. They seem to melt all together these days... And trying to keep up with friends/family/reading books/cleaning house/making dinner. Oh yeah and relaxing too!

pics from my iphone

Oh yeah, did I mention I have a cell phone now? Colin got me an iPhone for my 30th birthday. Pretty nifty huh? I told him that going to the AT&T store gave me more anxiety than the actual big 3-0 itself. But once all was said and done, it felt pretty good to be all growed up. So... I'm addicted now. Here are some pics from the last couple of weeks. It's been a weird weather kind of week. We had a snow storm a few days ago. Burlington only picked up an inch or two and it melted in less than a day, but they got a foot at my parents' house in Derby and even more than that at Jay Peak. (Jay even opened back up again for the weekend—Col went there today with Kev and Isaac.) So here are some pics from my iPhone:

Sapphie eating a grilled cheese at Al's French Frys:


Au Lait enjoying the sun:


Sapphie pushing her stroller down Church Street:


Col waiting for lunch before we went hiking at Mt. Philo last Sunday:


Freak snowstorm this week:


Snow in the garden:


Pretty sunset: