Coping with the changing seasons

The kittens are getting their first taste of snow. Hermes really can't understand where that stuff came from, and why it's wet and cold on his paws. He's almost stopped going out at all. Such a wimp. Maya is a fearless female and isn't going to let a little whte stuff get in the way of her favorite occupation: rodent control.


This morning the power went out and, as he couldn't use his computer, Steven decided he'd clear a path from the kitchen to the driveway. The kittens hadn't seen anyone shovel snow before and were completely enthralled, watching him intently until he moved out of sight.


And then, as the show was over, they disappeared to find warm spots in my office and have a well deserved nap.

Prank calls

It's been so long since anything odd or unexplained has happened around here that I got used to normal. Hmm, there's nothing like another scientific impossibility to set you right back to nuts, is there?
The weirdness started around 2 AM Saturday morning. The phone rang. It's horrible when the phone rings in the middle of the night, panic sets in even before you've answered it. And even if it's just a drunk dialing the wrong number, it takes ages for the body to calm down enough to go back to sleep.
I picked the phone up and the id reads: STEVEN. And then it stops before I have time to answer it. That's the id of my husband's cellphone, who I now notice isn't in the bed beside me. I thought he'd just gone downstairs to throw the cat out. But why would he be phoning me on his cell? Strange, and what's stranger is that cellphones don't work in this house, or even in the surrounding area.
So I'm thoroughly confused and run downstairs to find Steven with the house phone in his hand and a perplexed look on his face. "I answered the phone", he said, "but there was no-one there and when I checked the caller id, it was my cellphone calling".
I'm very practical, so my first thought was he'd lost his cell and someone had found it and pressed the "Home" button to locate its owner. But, as Steven pointed out, he'd phoned from his car on the way home Friday evening, and he hadn't been anywhere since, and the cell was still in his car. Uh, oh. My next thought was that the car had been stolen.
As Steven made his way to the garage, phone in hand, it rang again. The id was still STEVEN, and when he answered it again no-one was there. Freaky. The car was still in the garage and his phone was in there, not switched off but powered down. He switched it on and attempted to phone the home but, as normal, there was no signal. Then, and this is the weirdest thing of all, as he is standing there with both phones in his hand, the cell idle but not off, the home phone rings a third time: STEVEN. I grabbed the home phone out of his hand, not surprisingly no one was there. Steven switched his cell phone off. We made a hot drink and waited. After twenty minutes or so we decided it was safe to go back to bed, and that was it. No more unexplained calls from a cell phone that was off and doesn't get a signal here. Nothing, except on the call list on the home phone are three calls: 12/15 2:11, 2:14, 2:15 AM.
If ANYONE has any idea why or how this happened, please take a moment to let me know. Put me out of my misery. I'd just about got over the whole mystery automatic light thing (got over but not solved, since I thought I found the source of the problem the lights have come on by themselves a couple of times. But I've learnt that if I turn the exterior lights off first I can control the den lights. And it's all about control, isn't it?) but this phone thing brought a whole new meaning to bizarre phenomena.

And now I can't get the Animal song out of my head.

More holiday joy

Totally unexpected email from our wonderful independent film theatre, Cinema Arts Centre on Friday to tell me I'd won the giveaway of the soundtrack to the movie Atonement. How neat is that?

Eric Carle: author, designer, renovator

From The New York Times via apartment therapy, Eric Carle's gorgeously renovated modern beach house in the Florida Keys. Who knew the author of The Very Hungry Caterpillar was so multi-talented? I love the combination of the warm wood with the sleek concrete and steel. And, of course, the view.
My kind of Florida retreat.

Blogger's Bouquet

It's always lovely to be appreciated and while I look forward to all comments, positive and critical, on my posts, bouquets are definitely preferred over brickbats. But however nice virtual bouquets are, the real thing is so much better.
Imagine my delight then when my neighbor turned up yesterday with this beautiful bouquet. She'd read my post on her whole house renovation and liked what I'd written.
I was quite overwhelmed, first finding out the neighbors have located my blog, and then that they like it enough to come back. That's more than enough for me, but to bring flowers - that's the cherry in the Manhattan.

While I was busy.......

making Stollen someone else, or rather some kitty, was busy too.


Maya got locked in the powder room and had to do something to occupy the time.


Of course now she's tired out.


She's napping with her brother, who for once, was not part of the cat chaos.

Stollen

This afternoon I made Stollen, a non-traditional recipe* without marzipan or glacé cherries, which I hate.


I was going for just one loaf but I could see by the amount of risen dough that this was going to deliver many loaves.


In the end I shaped it into five equal amounts, one to eat now and the rest to be frozen or given away.


I glazed them with lemon icing, which made them shiny, but I think I'll give them another coat when they cool down so that it will look more like snow on top.

*Stollen

1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 sticks butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 pkgs dried yeast
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup candied golden raisins
1/2 cup candied citrus peel
1/2 cup slivered almonds

Frosting:
1 cup sifted confectioner's sugar
I tblsp lemon juice

Heat milk until almost to hot to touch. Add sugar, butter, and salt, and cool to lukewarm. Add 2 whole eggs, and 2 yolks. Mix.
Add to flour and yeast. Mix, knead (I use a mixer with a dough hook) and let rise until doubled in size.
Mix in cardamom, raisins, peel, and almonds. Knead. Cover and let rise again.
When risen, cut into 4 pieces. Roll each into an oval, fold in half lengthwise, butter all over. Put on greased baking sheet, cover, and let rise until doubled.
Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes.
Remove to rack. While still warm mix confectioner's sugar with lemon juice and spread over Stollen.

Not this side of Xmas

I always wondered what $3,000 worth of cushions looked like and now I know. Courtesy of New York's own Maurice Villency these pillows cost between $595 and $275 each. Prices are subject to change.
My only other question is: How is one supposed to sit on that sofa?

Another close encounter

I wrote about this guy/gal scaring me last year but today's encounter was even closer.
I was driving down the road when this thing swooped down from a fir tree on my left side and almost hit the windscreen. It veered off at the last second and flew up to a branch of another tree at eye level. From a couple of feet away those birdies are BIG.
It was only when I past the police station that I realised my mouth was still open.

Never leave a cat candle unattended

A quick run to Ikea Long Island early this morning for tea lights, floating candles and a silver tray to put more candles on resulted in me getting just one of those items. However I did get some more red pillar candles which Hermes has been very interested in. Good thing they weren't lighted.
So far the kittens have been much better than I expected about the Xmas decorations. Hermes did rough up Melchior quite a bit, and the Swedish sleigh was hooked off the dresser and taken for a wild ride. But at least they haven't tried to climb the tree!


Sadie has been trying to pretend the whole Yule thing is a mirage, except for Ginger Cookies, which smell so deliciously of butter and brown sugar and which she is MOST CERTAINLY NOT ALLOWED TO EAT.


I also bought a couple of Lotten throws in Ikea as the red ones on the sofa in the photo have been slept and drooled on by cats and dogs alike and are not something you'd want to cuddle up in on any cold winter's evening. The new throws aren't especially festive looking but they are very soft and cozy, and hopefully they'll be really warm, too.

Green Xmas (with blue tints)

We spent a busy Saturday decorating the house for the holidays.


We got it up just as our first parcels arrived from Amazon Santa.


Although the indoor tree is a cut spruce we bought from the local fire brigade (they deliver it, too!) we went to the nursery and bought a living arborvitae to have by the front door. We can plant it out in the spring. I had to put holly sprigs around the bottom to stop the kittens climbing in and pulling the decorations off.


The garland on the door is holding up well - no needles dropping yet.


I collected some more greenery from the yard and made three arrangements with a red and a white painted birch branch we bought from the nursery.


I added some roses to one of the vases.


Fruit, pinecones and votive candles around the blue spruce branch on the mantel. I don't know how we are going to light the Yule log with all that greenery in the way. We may have to do this instead.


Four white candles in the Swedish Jul ring we used to hang from the ceiling.


The Prussian soldier stands guard over the liquor. Somebody needs to.
We finished around 7 PM, then we went to a holiday party in the Village and saw how talented home owners really do Christmas decor. I have no photos but imagine something like this only more opulent. It was a staggeringly beautiful display and my yuletide decorations cannot hold a ahem candle to it.

How long does it take to memorise your address?

How long have we lived in this house? Almost three and a half years. Forty-two months. Quite a long time. That's why it surprised me on Friday evening when there was a knock on the door and a delivery guy asked "This 250"? No, answered Steven, "This is 265.
He has had two of the numbers transposed since we first looked at this place, and he still can't get it right. His excuse when challenged about his lack of precision? "I'm not good with numbers".
He's a statistician.

You never know who's reading your blog

Last night we were invited to a special Northern versus Southern Hemisphere food and wine duel at one of the best restaurants in Huntington (nay, on the Island) Aix en Provence, during the course of which my neighbor told me he reads this blog.

It's always a stomach- churning moment when you find that someone you know has been reading your words. The first thought that ran through my panicked brain was "Did I write anything scathing about them"? I mean, I only put my true feelings and frustrations into this blog but I try to remain polite and positive. However I have noticed recently that a few of the posts were a little testy in tone. At one point I seriously considered changing it's name from Beach House to Bitch House. But I digress.

At some point during last night's very enjoyable dinner (on the whole we liked the Northern food and the Southern wines the best), my neighbor said I hadn't blogged about his house and I took that as carte blanche to write this piece.
I had wanted to write about my neighbors' renovation for a long time, but I was concerned they wouldn't want their house out on the internets for people from Honolulu to Hajdu-bihar to gawp at. I did once mention it in passing and I asked if they were keeping a blog or video diary of the experience but they weren't. They were too busy living it.


Turning this old cottage and adjoining stables into a stunning home reminiscent of an English country cottage took twice as long as estimated and I'm guessing a whole stable-load more money but it was worth every second and every cent. The outcome is phenomenal and feels completely authentic. It certainly helped that one of the owners is a designer who had the vision to see through the dark and dirt to turn the stables into a huge light and airy living space with a master suite in the hayloft. They needed to be diplomats to deal with the locals constantly asking when they were going to be finished, or why they didn't just knock it down and build a new house on the land.


Now it's complete and truly this renovation should be featured in Architectural Digest. It's more impressive than anything I've seen on HGTV or Ths Old House. I cannot get over the way the two buildings flow seamlessly into each other. I love the way they kept some original windows, and had others replicated. The shingles they found match the originals perfectly. And the kitchen? Everybody who has seen it is madly jealous. It looks like a butler's pantry circa 1920 but it's functional and modern. How do you do light and airy yet keep it cozy? I don't know but she accomplished it, and she incorporated the sliding barn door into the interior too.

Steven has only admiration for the way the non-designer half of the duo coped with the cramped living quarters and cluttered chaos for two years while they were more than doubling the living space. And speaking of chaos I am secure in writing that when one of the neighbors has finished reading this, the other will have turned that Versuvius of boxes and bags full of Xmas decorations into a beautiful representation of an American winter wonderland.

Modern Gingerbread House

I swear if it didn't cost $78 I would so get one of these.
A modern. gingerbread. house. Who'd a thunk it?

Don't forget your breakfast

Happy Dag van de Sint!
Tonight in the Netherlands and tomorrow in Belgium is the time when all good children get their presents fron St Nicholas (Sinterklaas) and bad children get a whip from Black Pete's (Zwarte Piets) switch.
I usually don't start any Xmas shopping, baking (except for Xmas pudding) or decorating (except for the wreath) until we've done Sinterklaas, but as there are no children in the house this year I began early. To celebrate I made some speculaas. You would not believe how good the kitchen smells with the butter, molasses and spices.



I also collected holly, spruce, fir and pinecones and made some decorations for the light posts on the drive.



And finally, a reminder that a hearty breakfast sets you up for the whole day, here for your audio/visual pleasure is DJ Nicky & Ontbijt Piet with a special Sinterklaas version of "Jump de Hele Dag": "Vergeet je Ontbijt Niet" (Don't forget your breakfast) courtesy of Verity in Brussels. You have been warned!

I love duck tape

One of the spotlights over the bar burned out several weeks ago and I've been attempting to get it out ever since. The problem was it was wedged in so tightly there was nowhere to put your my fat fingers and get a grip on it to turn it. Steven tried and pronounced it "impossible".
Last night I was sitting in the den with a glass of Cabernet when I had an "aha" moment. What if I stuck something to the bulb and used that to turn it? What better than duck tape?


The lightbulb was no match for my ingenuity and the tape. Of course I didn't have a new lightbulb of the correct size, but I did have this eco-bulb.


It may not be a look that'll catch on but the long thin shape made it much easier to screw into the socket.


And it will be using a lot less power.

Wowser wallpaper

What do you think of this Fracto wallpaper from Umbra? I love it in rust and want to put it in the foyer.


It's only $39 a roll and we wouldn't need many for this space, it's also super easy to hang, even for the novice. It says so right on the website.


My only concerns are that it might be a little dark and it has to co-ordinate with the rooms that are open to the foyer: the den, dining room and great room, and they all have a lot of crimson accents. And there's the kitchen too, because even though there's a door there, we never close it.

Much happier now

clean desk
Originally uploaded by modernemama

See that desk? See how free of clutter it is? That's because I have now imported all my cds into my iMusic library and filed them away in the media cabinet in the den. Yes. I love a mess-free environment.
I've also mastered how to upload photos from the new iMac to Flickr! (There's a specific designation for media on this OS).
So I can stop complaining about the Leopard Operating System and just enjoy the iMac.
One of the best features is the sound quality of the speakers. Oh, and the volume. These dudes rock. Now I can choose whether to blast music through the speakers in the den, great room and kitchen from the amplifier in the den or to blast it through the house just from the iMac. It really is that powerful.

Détente

It may be my imagination but I've always thought snow makes people nicer - everyone just seems happier when the ground is white. And now some empirical evidence, of the feline variety at least.
Poor Hermes, the colourpoint, has been trying to get Cassis to love him since he arrived. But Cassis is top cat and won't let the other kitties come within a whisker's breadth. Until now.
Maybe it's just protection against the winter chill, but I like to think it's the "snow effect" that's got them to cease hostilities and cuddle up close.

Snow

The first snow of winter. Good thing I spent a few moments yesterday putting out the snow poles. It's too light to plow but the ground is getting pretty frozen now and those things will be difficult to "plant" in a few days. We also put up the exterior tree lights so it looks pretty at night time.

Compromise

In the interests of marital harmony I compromised and allowed Steven to bring the reclining chair and footstool from the den into my office. Now we can both be comfortable while watching Project Runway Canada*. (Un)fortunately there are no cupholders, or a popcorn machine for that matter, so I don't think it qualifies as a true media room.


As moving the recliner left a big dead space in the den I decided to swap the sofas around. It thoroughly confused the dogs.


And now I need to clean the carpets again.


*Project Runway Canada, if you love the US version, you'll adore this. The same but nicer.

The last of the fall color?

It may be the last day of November but we still have a lot of fall color left. Normally the backyard is pretty bare by Thanksgiving but a lot of the big maples still have their yellow leaves. The weather is scheduled to get really cold over the weekend so I'm guessing this is the end of the prettiness for this year.

iMac, so bad it's evil

By far the worst thing that happened last week was the loss of my iBook. The guys at the apple store attempted to revive it but it was a hopeless cause. I did have one night's elation when it looked as though they would be able to get the remaining data off the hard drive but it was not to be. I had managed to rescue all my photos but the documents they retrieved weren't the ones I needed and the hard drive eventually died while transferring the contents of my iTunes library.
This is where it all got interesting. Steven bought me* a new iMac for my birthday and it is a thing of beauty. Huge screen, super fast and gorgeous. But the Leopard OS is driving me nuts.
For a start there is no AppleWorks any longer, you have to purchase iWorks separately. A fact I was not aware of until I tried to write a document and the iMac requested $80 before I put virtual pen to virtual paper. Nice.
Then I wanted to automatically upload the photos I'd taken of the kitchen to Flickr. Flickr and Leopard aren't yet compatible. I'd put that down to teething troubles except that I can't upload photos to Blogger either. Apple would prefer I used .Mac to publish on the web and thats an add-on too. $70 a year for web-hosting. At the moment I have to select the photos I want to use and drop them on the desktop where blogger can see them. Another step I don't need to be doing.
But the most irritating thing is the sync with my iPod. I used to be able to transfer the contents of my iPod to my iTunes Library. Not anymore. The only things I can transfer now are those purchased at the iTunes store. And I do have one song I purchased and one I got for free, neither of which it would kill me to live without. I do, however, have another 1000+ songs that were downloaded elsewhere or imported from cds I no longer have, and those tend to be the ones that get played most frequently. So I won't be "erasing the contents of my iPod and syncing the new iTunes library. I will, however, be waiting for a hack to solve the issue. Or for Santa to buy me a new teeny, tiny iPod nano, in red, so I can play the new cds I got for my birthday at the gym. Which is probably what Mr Jobs wants me to do.
Right now I'm transferring all the songs that didn't make it off the iBook, and that I still have, from cd to computer. So far it's taken all week and I'm about half-way through. Anything to do with decorating the house for the holidays or maintenance on said house will just have to wait.
*Steven has suggested turning my office into a media room so we he can watch movies on the flat screen.

Anyone know where I can bag an Impala?

Yesterday I wrote that this had been a frustrating week. Here's the second thing I could have done without. The table and chairs above came from our previous kitchen, a tiny space but very efficient. We chose the table because it was small - we could sit four at a pinch but it's better when there are just two people eating there. The Impala chairs we fell in love with at the Modernica store in Soho, NY. We each chose our favorite colour (mine's red - that's a surprise, no?) and custom ordered them. The intention was that if we moved to a bigger space we'd buy a larger table and two extra chairs. Well that's not to be. Modernica has closed it's Soho store and are no longer producing the Impala chairs. This is a classic design but I have no idea who has the license to produce them and although I've spent two days looking on the internets there don't seem to be any floating about out there. And I'm not having much luck yet finding a buffet/sideboard/credenza either.

Beaten by the celery soup

It's been a trying week chez modernemama. Granted we got the kitchen painted and it looks awesome and I, inspired by the paint colors, made celery soup. The problem came when I pureed the soup in the KitchenAid Blender.



I switched the thing on, pressed puree, there was a horrible grinding noise and the little plastic teeth that hold the jar on the motor shirred off. I was pretty pissed as I was pureeing already cooked vegetables. I mean I could have passed those through a sieve, it's not as though I was blending ice to make Margueritas. I expected more from that machine. Although I have had it six years past the guarantee so I guess it didn't owe me anything. I did save the jug in case we get a new one, as their accessories aren't cheap, but I'm not sure I'd buy another KitchenAid as I can get a handheld Braun and a Cuisinart jug model for less than the price of my old one. Until then, no breadcrumbs, no garlic and ginger paste for the Rogan Josh, and chunky soup only.

Azalea Blossom

This solitary blossom emerged on the purple azalea on the southern border. An azalea blossom in November is a real bonus, look at the autumn colour on the leaves surrounding it. Pretty.