Friday, June 21, 2013

Happy Kitchen

Since we are in the process of moving back into the apartment, I have not been able to cook anything awesome or do any projects that are blogworthy. Here are some little details from my kitchen that make me smile.
 
 










Thursday, June 20, 2013

Here's what I'm reading...

If you are looking for a new book, or are stuck in a reading rut, check out one of these. I loved them and you will too. Trust me, I'm a doctor. Just kidding, but I do work at a library.


Gone Girl
by Gillian Flynn
 
 
 
 
This is THE edge of your seat book. It has been on the best seller list for over a year. That has to mean something, right? Gone Girl is set in small town Missouri, where married former NYC writers Nick and Amy have been forced to move after Nick's parents' heath has failed. Amy is the apple of her parents' eyes and the main character of their hit series of children's books, Amazing Amy. But when Amy goes missing, Nick's world is changed in ways he never knew were possible. The book is always revealing secrets and leaving you aching to know what really happened to Amy.
Written in an interesting format that never leaves you bored, Flynn rotates narrators every other chapter. Between Amy's journal entries and Nick's live narrative, it is a constant battle to choose who is right, who is sane and what can a marriage really do to people?
I have heard rumors that Reese Witherspoon has purchased the rights to the movie version and will be playing Amy. EEEEEKK!
 
 

 
 
 
 
The Obituary Writer
by Ann Hood
 
 
 
This historical fiction is my new favorite. I love melancholy history filled family dramas. (Drowning Ruth is another favorite). Like Gone Girl, each chapter is back and foreth between two narrators. The first is Claire, an early 1960's housewife struggling to find her purpose and the point of her unhappy marriage. Her struggle between what she expects and what is expected from her is an ongoing tug of war. Claire may seem like a normal mother, but she has secrets that she won't even let herself uncover. The second narrator is Vivien, the obituary writer set in 1920. Using her occupation to heal her own wounds caused by death, or the lack there of. These characters are shockingly connected, as revealed late in the book. The whole read will have you guessing which path each woman will take, and leave you understanding death and the power of grief.
 
 
 
I just started reading The Darkling,
 
Other books I suggest:
Drowning Ruth
Between, Georgia
To Kill a Mockingbird (of course)
The Memory Keeper's Daughter
The Lovely Bones
Go Ask Alice
 


Friday, June 14, 2013

Currently at Apartment 9...MOLD

Currently the Ellisons are living in a hotel. 
This is a story of mold. 

I had always heard about black mold and all the problems that came with it on my house shows. Long story short, Jordan and I have been sick with allergies since I moved down here. I just assumed it was the Georgia pollen. If you have lived here, you know the kind I'm talking about. If you didn't have a yellow car before, you do now. Anyway, last Friday night it dawned on me that maybe that leak in the laundry closet was more? We looked and this is what we found..



We learned that our AC is from a million years ago. It was made in America, if that tells you anything.



The wood platform that holds the oldie AC is wet and rotten...


And these little friends are growing on our walls. Yummy.



This can't be good, right?

So the next day we called the property manager and she came by. She took the same pictures we did, and I sent her these and more. She moved us to the hotel. 

That was a week ago.

Our landlord is waiting to get an official mold test back from "their company". We did some tests of our own.

Results at 48 hours:


Results at 72 hours:


We are growing a baby! See the hair? Just kidding, mom. 

So we are still waiting and living the "suite life". I did find a few things in the Target dollar section today:


And Ollie has made a new friend

  
And so has Jordan






Until next time


Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Young House Love (LOVE) and Lighting

Young House Love is my favorite blog. I explained the background in my Fab 4 Decor books earlier. I decided to reach out to Sherry, the wife, responded to a comment I left on her blog. I was so excited!
 
 
 
The couple also have their own line of lighting on www.shadesoflight.com
 

 
 
Personally, I think Shades of Light is too expensive, especially to do your entire home in. But John and Sherry's line is all under $100 and come in so many fun colors.
Here are my favorites:
 





 
 
Here's the link:
 
 
 
 
If you are looking for even cheaper lighting options, I have found some awesome deals on IKEA recently.
 
 
 
 
 
 
ÅRSTID
Wall lamp
$14.99
 
 
ALÄNG
Ceiling lamp, white
$29.99
 
 
IKEA PS MASKROS
Pendant lamp
$89.99
 
 
 
KRISTALLER
Chandelier, 3-armed, silver color, glass
$39.99
 
 
SOLKULLEN
LED pendant lamp
$49.99
 
VANADIN
Pendant lamp, white
$19.99
 

ÅRSTID
Ceiling lamp, white
$39.99
 
 
All of these and more can be found at:


 


Sunday, June 9, 2013

Columbus Market Days




Luckily, Columbus has a kick ass "Farmer's" Market. I put farmer's in quotations because this market has so much more than peaches and tomatoes. Saturdays on Broadway St from 9-12.



Tara browsing the booth that profits third world trade artists. She bought the cutest braided bracelet.


 My favorite stand. The goat cheese lady! She also has goat milk, soap and lotions.



Ollie sharing kisses and tail wags with a new friend.



The new bread stand. Gorgeous olive loafs, crusty french breads and enormous croissants. From scratch. Real butter. Sighhh.


These dish flowers reminded me of my Mamaw. I thought Tara was going to buy a whole bouquet of them. 

 One of the bountiful vegetable stands. I love the galvanized buckets.

 Tara and Ollie being patient with me as I snap pics.

 A sub-par view of the crowd. It does not do it justice.

 Iron Bank Coffee. In an old bank, hence the name. The architecture is so intricate.  

 Cute uptown shops.


The American Wildflower stand. She has some great ideas and does custom pillows




And just a random door. I was intrigued by the parallel architecture of the transom windows and decorative molding below the picture windows.