Corner View - Artist?

Of COURSE I'm an artist!  Look at my "piece of art"... meheheheee (Yes, I laugh at my own jokes, my doctor says it's healthy!)  Oh yeah and I should add, Vito helped with the artistic process.

Here is the full story of how I "killed" the artist in me :)

And here is a doodle.

Theme: Elsa

Hosted by Francesca
Invented by Jane

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What a fiasco of a weekend!

First Jr. takes a nose dive off his bike into... concrete ground.   Blood and all... Twenty minutes later he is fine but I remain traumatized the whole weekend!

Then on top of my child drama, I got to worry about my family in Staten Island as they prepared for Hurricane Sandy.  They're perfectly fine and my dad finally got the credit he deserved for being right in insisting we buy a house with "Elevation A" (on a hill).  Now that I think about it, well duh! Of course you should buy a house that is on higher ground especially on an Island!  Even if the island is part of NYC.

So yes, poor ME and MY ruined weekend.  Yes, I AM the bellybutton of the Universe and the world revolves around me.  :)

But- complaining is not allowed on the Sunny Orangery.  It's totally unproductive.  So instead here is a pretty picture of pink flowers against blue pot right from my back yard.  Pretty no!?

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Early Retirement. Yes please!

My BFF and I were chatting the other day.  (That's right! It's perfectly OK for a grown woman to have a BFF and refer to the BFF as "BFF"...ok???)  So we were talking about how seemingly boring our lives are now.  I told her, I WANT my life "boring".  I love it when everyone is HOME (and preferably sleeping).

my cousin and I somewhere on a rooftop in NYC... the PINK the blond, the tans... says it all. 

Yes it's true, if we're comparing our lives now to when we were 20 something and out every single night, falling in love at least three times per week, staying up till 5am and going to work two hours later....  Though believe it or not back then I remember feeling bored and now I don't.  Now days I have to choose which social interaction to have since I can't really participate in everything, and it's perfectly acceptable (since you know: "... the kid, the kid...").  Yes life is quieter and more relaxed, but boring?  No, I would not call it that - restful is more the right word.

So now when people ask me "So what's going on?  What are you up to?" I proudly say with a smile, "Thank goodness NOTHING, just this and that, walks in the park... home stuff..." and think to myself, I don't "HAVE" to be up to anything anymore, I can watch Jr. grow and pretty much anything I do on top of that is extra bonus points.  So bring on more of the BORING!!!

My BFF said: You're RETIRED at 34???  I said: I like the sound of that! :P  ((now if we could only make it official where there was no 9-5))

(Then I told her to hurry up and have a kid so she can join me in "retirement")
Hurray!

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corner view - spontaneity

wednesday night quick fix!

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Jump around...

Very fun idea for a bridge across the Seine.   But it must be the mom in me because ALL I can think about when looking at the pictures is how dangerous it is.  The American in me is thinking, for how much should this thing be insured, should everyone crossing it be made to sign wavers...  The New Yorker in me is thinking what happens when some idiot decides to knife it.  

via

 And one final question, where is this boy's MOTHER!!????

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Take the plunge!

I'm so lucky I love nasty weather.  The grayer, the rainier the better! It gives me energy.  I would have never guessed that about myself a big sun lover and all I thought living in a rainy country would be so depressing.  Somethings you just have to try to realize you love them. 

I thought scuba diving would feel claustrophobic with the tight suit and all that water on top of you but in fact it feels like flying.

I thought having a child would limit you from discovering new things in the world.  In fact a child makes you rediscover everything in the world in a new way!

Alright enough sappy stuff... Happy Friday!

Homework for the weekend: surprise yourself by doing something brand new, come back and report! 

Disclaimer: sunnyorangery will not be held responsible for pregnancies ;)

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Corner View - Jewelry

When I moved to the Netherlands I took all my mom's rings with me and kinda forgot to mention it to her.  It didn't take her long to figure it out though and was OK with it.  She only had one advice: "Wear them!  Wear them EVERYDAY!  Don't wait for special occasions!".  (Exclamation points are because mom always talked with animation, ALWAYS!).

This ring is my absolute favorite.  It's silver with amethyst stone.  And the story goes, when my mom was 21 and just graduated the Moscow State University, she went out with her classmates to celebrate, and during the evening she went into the fashionable mall and bought herself this ring for what at that time was amount equivalent to a month's stipend (Yes, students got PAID in Russia).

Anyway, every time I wear it, and I do very often, I think of the pretty, slender, brunette long time ago who no doubt giggling and using many exclamations, along with her girlfriends went into the mall and bought herself this little present.  I hope I have a daughter and I can give her this ring and tell her how I took it from my mom when I 'ran off' to the Netherlands with my Prince.  :)

Ring fit for a queen.

Corner View theme by Elsa

Hosted by Francesca
Invented by Jane

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I'm alive!

Dinner was faaaahbulous daaaling!  Everything went smooth, the food was well received and the drinks as well!  So much so that PERSONALLY speaking, it was completely unnecessary for me to have that extra two beers at 2.30am.  That's all I gotta say.  But I did recover... finally... Sunday afternoon.

My friend who was supposed to get set-up was not able to come claiming a flu!  So the blind date did not occur to everyone's dismay as we were hoping for dinner side entertainment... :)  But we will plan a dinner with just four of us later to try again.

Meanwhile it is already Tuesday night and the week is running away quickly...

Oh, and I made WAY too much humus.

Lesson learned for next party: drink less and eat more humus.

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Party Planning for 8

#Menus #Calm #Greece-Turkey


It's Friday!
Tomorrow is the dinner and I haven't exactly started preparing anything except getting some of the groceries last evening.  But I'm very calm.  The more the situation calls for stress the calmer I get.  I like that about myself.  It scares the kaka out of those around me.  (I can say kaka, I'm a mom, it's normal.)   Oh, and good thing I asked if any of the guests had any allergies or food aversions etc... and turns out there will be a VEGETARIAN among us.  She seemed very nonchalant about it saying I didn't have to worry as she'll b fine eating just the sides.  It's clearly her first time to my house.  In my house all dishes served contain "man-gredient", or meat.  (Yes, men can also be vegetarian I'm just grossly stereotyping).

The theme will be "somewhere in between Greece and Turkey..."

Happy Hour  
We're starting at 6.30 pm with cocktails.  To ensure dining success I like to immediately get the guests to an advanced stage of inebriation.

• Welcome Cocktail - Kir Royale
• Cocktail 2 - Tequila...with something
• 32 bites (4 per person)- I was going to make sushi, then... I got real and decided to buy some instead.
• 8 sushi bites
• 8 pempernikle triangles with smoked salmon and sour cream
• 8 cucumber somethings....
• 8 something else....

Fun Dishes
Dishes to have on the table before the starters come out.  The starter's starter?

• Beetroot Hummus (Thanks for the inspiration Tiny Woolf!)
• Chickpea Hummus
• Pita Triangles (to go with all the Hummus overload)
• Black and Green Olives
• Bread aioli and herb butter

Main Course
• Peppers stuffed with wild rice, sausage and apples
• Lamb something... (I have not decided yet)

Side Dishes
• Little Gem, garlic olives and feta salad
• String bean salad

Dessert
• Cheesecake with Fresh Strawberries
• Grapes platter (you know for after dinner when we're reclining on our right side.)



Well, anyway, the picture is slightly less fuzzy... I'm very calm. ;)
And now JUST at this moment it struck me to consult people that know what they're talking about....

A quick search yielded the following advice from Michelle @Browneyedbaker:

What she suggest and what I actually did...

1 }  First choose your main course and work the rest of your menu around that - oops... I planned the cocktails first and worked my way up from that...
2 }  I always like to include a salad with a dinner- check!! Little Gem salad
3 }  Then add a vegetable- String bean salad, yey, so far so good
4 }  Depending on how many people you have, you may want another vegetable side dish- Caprese salad
5 }  Starchy side - Wild rice
6 }  Bread or rolls with butter - bread with aioli and herb butter7 }  Now choose your appetizers. For appetizers, the general rule of thumb is 5 servings per person per hour prior to serving a meal. - good deal! I got 4 bites per person plus humus "fun" plates

Piece of cake!

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Corner View: Notes on a leaf

I'm having a little dinner party for 8 this Saturday.  I'm so excited, I love proper dinner parties!  This one is also special because I'm setting up two of my friends on a blind date!!  Have I mentioned that I LOVE to meddle in other people's love lives?  I'm really bad at it too.  Well, I WAS bad at it but once I realized to go completely against my instincts on matching people I have dramatically improved.  My absolute favorite is throwing (what I feel are) total opposites together and seeing what happens.... ;) 

Uhhhh.... I can't wait! 

Corner view theme by Cole
Hosted by Francesca
Invented by Jane

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you know your son is dutch if...

...there is a Heineken truck part of his logistics routine.

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I've definitely approved this.

Sunshine continued all of Sunday as well.  We went to show our faces around town...

The kid does not sop moving for a second.  I'm not sure what's happening here, I think we're proposing to each other.

Vito's hair matches the foliage... he he he....

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I'm magic!

This morning it was stormy, rainy and grey clouds were congregating like teenagers without a cause.  I gave them a dirty look.  (The clouds not the hypothetical teenagers.)  The clouds dispersed because they knew what was good for them.  Now it's bright and sunny, and Vito is complaining about forgetting to bring his sunglasses.  

No matter what the situation is, I always tell him to just tell his wife if something is not going the way he wants it to go, and I'll fix it.  But I draw the line at sunglasses.  Remembering to bring them will stay his responsibility.   ;) 

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I'm all about clever 'semi-DIY' stuff but this just made me go hmmm......

R U KIDDING me!? 850 Churros!!!?

(found via Messy Nessy Chic)

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Eat the furniture please.

 I saw this in a magazine, snapped a photo to remember to look it up...  How cute!?  A waffle maker with little furniture shapes!  A real "treat" for any home decor obsessed friend.  Or maybe your toddler who needs to play with their food before eating it.

source

Not sure if this is yet available for sale to the "general public" but this is definitely a fun way to surprise your guests with desert or a gift for that hard to shop for person who already has it all.  And now we can finally furnish the gingerbread house of the gingerbread man!

And guess what!?  Tomorrow is FRIDAY!

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Corner View: Street Art

Years ago, while on a girls vacation to Sardegna, we stumbled upon these amazing murals of Muravera.  We  were strolling in the direction of the beach during siesta time in peak sun with the whole town shut down except for a few coffee bars containing old men with their mid day espressos.  Being our giggly early 20s type selves talking about our flirtations with boys the previous evening we were completely surprised and taken aback by these amazing murals.  
Corner view theme by Tania
Hosted by Francesca
Invented by Jane

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Weeknight Dinner: Salmon, Potatoes and Magical Green Beans

At our house weeknight dinners usually take 15 - 25 mins to prepare.  Not because I don't like to cook, or because I'm a jet-setting career woman with a kid and a husband and don't have time.  I'm simply impatient and love instant gratification even more!  Or maybe can't focus on anything for longer then 15 minutes because I start kinda staring into space a little bit... then wandering around the room.... yes! Sort of like someone who is affected by the shifts in the moon's trajectory! Exactly!

Anyway, I like weeknight dinner to be a quick production I call 1, 2, 3 cooking.  Some kind of meat or fish, plus grain or starch, plus vegetable element, and then rotate to exhaustion for endless combinations.

Take yesterday's dinner: 

~Yeah yeah, there is one "over browned potato", I know, I know, everyone still lives.~

Menu: Seared Salmon + Herb Potatoes + Garlicky Green Beans

1. Herb Potatoes - Peel and chop potatoes into cubes (the smaller the cubes the quicker they'll cool) and boil them in slightly salted water for about 8 mins or so, until the potato cubes are easily pierced by a fork.    Drain water well then add the potatoes to heated skilled with 2 tbs of cooking olive oil.  (At this point I take out a portion of potatoes for Jr.)  Add your favorite herbs and spices!  I use oregano, basil, dill and red pepper.  Fry them for a few minutes making sure to turn ALL of them once in a while (or you'll get one that'll get away from you and burn...). 

2. Salmon - pour 1 tbs cooking olive oil in a skillet, warm it up place salmon in and one twist of salt and pepper.  After about 4 mins turn it on the other side for 2-3 more minutes on lowered fire. 

3. Garlicky Green Beans - In my super market I buy a packet of nicely cut green beans so I don't need to chop them up.  Add a little drizzle of cooking olive oil to a small pot.  Add the green beans and let them hang out in there for a minute or so turning them over.  Chop-up 2 cloves of garlic or use a garlic squeezer and add them to the green beans and mix.  Add a quarter cup of water and cover the pot to cook for a few more minutes.  The water will mostly have cooked off and the green beans should be soft yet still crunchy.   Secret Ingredient Alert***  If you like Warcestershire Sauce, throw in a tea spoon of it in.  Or a tiny bit of soy sauce will also do the trick.  

I gave Jr. the green beans without the Warcestershire Sauce, he threw them at me, one by one, and then grabbed the ones (with the sauce) from my plate.  Then he told me he wants to date an exotic dancer... And I had a heart attack...  No, just kidding.  But that's the scenarios I imagine every time he exhibits independent thought.

Vito also liked the dinner and did not announce that he wants to date any exotic dancers... what a relief! 

Happy weeknight cooking!

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I visited the Woonbeurs (Interior Design Expo) Amsterdam this weekend.  It was magic.  I saw absolutely incredible things for the home of really surprising quality and craftsmanship.  It was overwhelming   But of course here at the Sunny Orangery, too much of a good thing is just about right.  It was however alarming to see the number of companies that make and sell throw pillows!  I have counted 35 at least.  Throw pillows everywhere...  Pillows that look like little carpets, pillows with silk flowers on them, pillows with birds on them, with poetry on them and so on and so forth.

I did leave with a feeling that what it all comes down to is having excellent sales people because NO ONE will know or care about your product if you don't strategically stick it under their knows at the right time.

Mexico?

Sexy... This display was done as a luxurious tent in the desert with burning incense and candles.  I just wanted to recline there eating grapes for an hour or six.

I wanted to just take this guy home with me!  Isn't he so "matter of fact" cool, so colorful and ethnic, yet modern too.  When I came home and showed it to Vito, he said it was a good thing I din't take him home.  

Of course that made me want it even more!

Lesson for the day: Kiss a sales person, they're saving your a$$!

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