How much is your kitchen worth? This week we found another treasure amidst the trash! A BialettiMukka Express cappuccino maker! Yes! I’ve switched to decaf, but the aroma still wakes me up and makes me just feel good. Bialetti sells them for $89, but we only dished out $3.95 for ours! We also found a Scene it? Harry Potter 2nd Edition game set, so you can imagine how we spent our evening!
I love a Friday night baseball game! Can you believe we are wearing sweaters and rain jackets in late July? I love Colorado!
Above: Joseph, Jon, and Jeff. Below: A pretzel for Kari (with Funacho from Cincinnati), me eating the wonderful pretzel and cheese, Seth’s big dog. It’s all about the food, baby!
Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava is working on designs for DIA’s south terminal makeover, including a FasTracks train station, a Westin hotel and a rail bridge over Pena Boulevard.
Today I’m thinking about Apple and how much she loved Ireland! I can’t recall a time when she wasn’t speaking fondly of the landscape or the people… well, maybe when she remembered the cuisine circa 1980. I don’t blame her, but now there is a brilliant renaissance in Irish food! What are your favorite things from or about Ireland? You can tell, I love Avoca!
I’m enjoying my Earl Green tea. I have recently acquired an antique tea tin from Jacksons of Piccadilly, in which I keep my tea freshly waiting for me every morning and afternoon. I love the thrift store because A. I can drop off the unwanted, clearing my flat for future finds, B. my undesirables become new treasures for someone else, C. it is the ultimate form of recycling, D. it is easy on my wallet!
What are some good finds you have come upon at the thrift store? Anything that should be featured on Antiques Roadshow? Memories from childhood? Your favorite coffee mug?
This weekend we celebrated 2 birthdays – Irish Dance style! Happy birthday Rob, who turned a White Trash 40, and Chaia, who turned a great number of 8! Yesterday, after getting off a long shift of work at J.Crew, as I was sitting under the trees in the Geltser’s back yard enjoying the cool summer night breeze, I realized that I’m pretty lucky to have friends and “family” in Denver after 4 years of living here. I say “family” because my Irish dance school has taken on this family of it’s own, which makes it something so special. Just like any family, it has it’s ups and downs, but no matter what, we are all there for each other in times of joy and challenge. It was such a fun weekend and I’m sad to see it go by so quickly! Below are photos of Rob’s “What Trash Bash” and above, Chaia’s 8th birthday party, where everyone had a turn on the dance floor! You can see more photos on MY FLICKR SITE.
I don’t know what’s on your list for a hot lazy summer afternoon, but I’m taking it easy while I can. I don’t own these pretty Penguin Classics, but I’d love to sit in the garden and tuck into Cranford (one of my favorite Brit classics!) or Little Women, which reminds me of my dear sister-like cousins! Did you watch Freaks and Geeks when it was on TV? I’m revisiting this classic with some of my new favorite actors – hello James Franco!
Joseph has decided to make his own limoncello with the extra lemons hanging around the house. I’m looking forward to an ice cold cocktail in our courtyard before the summer ends. I can close my eyes and pretend I’m sitting under a lemon tree in Italy!
Summer is a great time to slow down, skip e-emails, and write a personal letter. Who was the last person you got a letter from? Have you sent an old friend a little hello via snail mail? Now is the perfect time to pick up some cool stamps at the post office and remember the good old days of hand-written salutations.
I love the moment when Joseph comes home from work swinging two large bags of fresh fruit and veg through the door. This week in our house we have lemons and nectarines. Although the best way to eat fruit is right off the branch, I like to enjoy my summer fruit in various ways. Sometimes it is simple, like berries with cream. If we want really decadent complicated desserts, we’ll just hop over to Jaren’s house!
Tonight I’m making nectarine cupcakes! They turned out perfectly! The only catch is that I got the recipe from Living August Issue, and it isn’t posted on the web yet. Like Jaren, I too am obsessed with culinary websites like Oh Joy Eats, Mark Bittman, Bon Appetit, Gourmet, and our favorite, Smitten Kitchen! You can read some of SK’s nectarine recipes here! Happy baking!
I feel that summer has officially made itself known by scorching our cosmopolitan concrete jungle. With temperatures exceeding 100*, Denverites just want to kick back and enjoy the splendours of living close to the cool mountains. I’ve been too busy to enjoy the luxury of Aspen or Breck, so I’ve been playing it cool in the city.
Here we are outside the Rio – a Crew tradition! As Alexandra (far left) would say, “Any night we start at the Rio is a good night.”
And many margaritas later at Pat’s – a hot hot hot dance floor! Pictured: Alexandra and Natalie
I’m loving these images from LIFE of vintage* European beaches. I’m mad for surf and sand today consider our high temp of 101* – you scorch me, man! I dig the classy style of the Euro bathing beauties and the effortlessness of the hot sun and the lapping waves.
If you want to search outside the wanderlust in you, there are plenty of interesting photos galleries, including newly released pictures of The King of CoolSteve McQueen. If you ask me, that sounds like a good way to spend a Tuesday night.
*take some time to sift through the entire “vintage” collection, including Italy, Greece, England, Scandinavia, and Croatia.
I’m enjoying summer a little too much. Over the past week I let myself have too much fun and today I’m paying for it. I have caught a summer cold and I feel like the pits. But I had to face the public in order to buy tissues, my favorite tea, and cold Rx from the store. It reminds me of this post by Rifle, Under the Weather with Style. There’s nothing wrong with trying to look your best when your sick, but you want to feel comfy too. So I’ve put together my own version of Under the Weather with Style…
Hup Holland Hup! A tough loss for the Dutch, but they put up a good fight! Congrats to the Spanish on their first World Cup victory.
We had another fun World Cup afternoon with new Dutch friends, Barry and Neil, and our soccer buddies, Alexandra, Seth, Mark, and Katrien! Today I learned that the Dutch know how to party and are the best-dressed fans out there! Joepie!
