Touch Ups

Or things I've been meaning to get around to for the past few weeks months...
1)Remove paint from cabinets in the kitchen. Pretty good going here. It took me less than two months to fix this. The embarrassing thing is that they are laminate cabinets so the paint washed off with a sponge.
2)Paint one three inch corner the girl's bath where the vanity top was installed and the glue got on the wall. Time it took to do this minor repair: 8 months
3)Paint 1.5" circle on den wall where the original owners realtor stuck an air-freshner to disguise smell of kitten "accident" on carpet. I pulled it off the wall and a chunk of paint came with it. Time to effect this repair: I'm not sure when I did this but I'm pretty sure it was around the time the shades went up, so maybe two years ago?
I managed to do all of these in less time than it took to blog about them. I am truly ashamed.

Mr Forbes and I agree

On shower heads, that is. On pretty much everything else we are polar opposites. But on shower heads we have common ground. The Grohe Freehander shower was one of the products we chose for the boys' bath renovation last year. It also made the Forbes Luxe-for-Less home improvement list.
I have loved this product since I first stepped into the shower after the renovation. We kept the same plumbing in this bath, changing only the valve, trim and shower head, which kept costs down and the Freehander was, much to the plumber's surprise, really easy to install. The actual price on the street (or the internets) is much cheaper than the one quoted on forbes.com.
Because you can adjust the arm it really works for my 6' 2" husband (no more twisting and bending to get the shampoo out), and I can pull the arm down to get an arc of water over my head. It looks good, it's powerful and if you set it to "massage" it kneads all the knots out of your achey shoulders. What more can a gal ask of a shower head?


The only change I'd make if I had to do the remodel again would be to spring for the Thermostatic Temperature Control Valve, just to ensure the water is at a constant temperature no matter who might decide to clean their teeth while I'm taking an invigorating but warm shower. That would really be luxe!

Looking East

Thunderstorms and downpours meant we were inside for much of yesterday, but when the rain finally cleared out around 4PM there was a phenomenal sunset, so I took the dogs to the beach. The setting sun reflected pink and grey on the calm waters, and the lights were just coming on over at Eaton's Neck and Asharoken. So pretty.


Not quite as cute as Polly, though.


Or Sadie, for that matter.

Mid-century teak and ceramic lamp

Super quick shipping from the seller, my ebay lamps arrived today. I was so excited.


I love the teak top that reminds me of deer antlers without being an overdone design trend. The ceramic base drapes gracefully down to the base. And those little brass ball feet? Too cute. I think it looks fabulous. I just need to go get a hanger and shade.


Unfortunately, despite being wrapped in bubble plastic and being nestled in a ton of polystyrene chips, its partner didn't make the journey unscathed. Poor cracked baby. Apart from filing a claim with FedEx I'm not sure there's anything I can do to fix this. Ceramic isn't self-repairing, is it?

Another Modernist Masterpiece

I started reading The 70s House last night and was excited to discover that it featured another Huntington Bay Modernist house, the work of architect Richard Henderson of Gwathmey-Henderson. Built in 1969 the Loring Mandel House is a long, low-slung concrete structure tucked into the hillside on Bay Ave. This house, which was later owned by the author Alyson Richman, changed hands again last year.


View Larger Map

A simple design, the house was exceptionally well-cared for by its owners. When the house was on the market the realtor put photos on the website and it was remarkable to see how it remained virtually unchanged for almost 40 years. Photographer Sue Barr has captured the essence of the house but I can't find any shots on the internets so you'll just have to buy or borrow a copy of the book or take my word for it. It's a treat for lovers of modern architecture.
Unfortunately, though, there is one paragraph in the article that I can't get out of my head. The author, David Heathcote must be an Brit because he describes Huntington Bay as a "Home Counties type suburb", which makes me want to vomit, put the house on the market and move to the city.

Facing South

Well, it didn't reach 65F, in fact the temperature was much the same as yesterday, but it was still warm enough to walk on the beach.

On the Fourteenth Day of Christmas

Look what Santa Amazon bought me.
Three books on Architecture and Interior Design with a 70s vibe:
Furniture and Interiors of the 1970s
The 70s House
Weekend Utopia
and one for the appetite
Roast Chicken and Other Stories. So far I'm mesmorised by the chapter on brains - cooking and eating them that is.
I'm going to have some happy times with these books. Thanks for the gift, Dad.

Oil Crisis

Shock, disbelief, wailing and gnashing of teeth. That pretty much describes yesterday when the oil company filled my tank. Oh, I knew it was coming. When we moved here in 2004 home heating oil cost $1:35 a gallon and it was predicted it would be over $3 way back last summer. So I had plenty of time to do the math, scream and enter the comfort of denial land. It hasn't helped that our bills have been pretty consistent over the years. Fuel prices went up but we became more economical and installed programmable thermostats, turned the temperature down and shut doors. We also replaced all those single pane windows, so we used less oil. Obviously this trade off had to stop sometime and that would be 01/07/08 when the price per gallon was $3:11. The bill was humongous. A whacking, walloping whole heap of cash is required to pay it.
Faced with the fact that there isn't much room for more energy efficiency, absent a new boiler or a change to gas, what to do? We could just do without heat or hot water, though that's not the way I'd choose to go. It might be 65 F here later today but I'm pretty sure we will need to put the heating on again this winter.
I'm thinking we might have to sell something. A cat, or a kidney or maybe that fabulous credenza.

Winners and losers

I won the lamps but I lost out on a couple of other things I thought might work on the credenza. I was outbid at the last second for a tall metal Paul Evans style mid-century abstract sculpture and a modernist wood sculpture didn't meet its reserve. Bah humbug.

The credenza is home

We had a busy Saturday chez Cool House. Even though Steven had only got back from Europe at 11:30 PM Friday we were up early to fetch the hire van and drive to NJ to pickup the credenza that I won on ebay. We knew we had to be back by lunchtime to let the guys in for the photo shoot so we were really rushing. Which probably accounts for the reason I slid down the back stairs. From top to bottom. On my butt. Bouncing on each step. I have one cheek that is twice the size of the other and completely dark blue and purple. It hurt like hell but it wasn't a life-threatening injury and we had to move so I walked it off. From that morning's experience there are a couple of things I think could do with improvement: the padding on the seats of panel vans and the pavement of the Cross Bronx Expressway.

We had a little trouble finding the pick-up location but the sellers were kind enough to meet us in the carpark of a Burger King with the credenza. I call that truly excellent service, even if it did feel a little like we were doing some shady deal! We drove back very gingerly as the credenza has three original sliding glass doors and got it home intact.


Here it is in its new home in the kitchen and it's even better than I imagined. The long low profile emphasizes the angle of the wall.



My only dilemma is what to put in/on it. Although it seems to be accumulating a fair amount of stuff on top already.


I thought this lamp might work so I bid on that on ebay too.

Doo-wop: a Sopranos connection

Photo courtesy of Jake Gorst

Yesterday the Cool House provided the location for photograph shoot of the doo-wop band Randy and the Rainbows who had a big hit with Denise in 1963. That's the video I posted yesterday. The were rehearsing while photographer Jake Gorst took photos of them in different places around the house. How awesome is that?
Because I'm probably the only person in America that has never watched The Sopranos, I didn't realise that Denise had been on the soundtrack of the final episode. See how much popular culture I've missed out on. Now I must rent the DVDs and watch all seven series so I can see how that bit fits into the whole saga.
But at least I can say I've heard them live. If you get a chance to catch one of their shows, take it - they still sound sweet in 2008.

Doo-wop

What's going on at the The Cool House today? Here's a clue

The best toast in the world.

While measuring for a new ventilation hood (a girl can dream away the ugly) I thought I might check out the built-in toaster in the island. I mean we've been in the house three and a half years and it would be a shame to redo the kitchen before we'd seen if it still works.


I pulled out the integrated chopping board, too.


Popped the bread in the toaster. It's a Toastmaster.


And a couple of minutes later, perfect toast. Much better than I've been making in the Dualit.
Then I discovered why. This is a commercial toaster. I don't know if this is the $500 model but I wouldn't be at all surprised. Everything in this house was top of the range (pun intended) when it was built. I know one thing, though, once you've had real toast you can't go back to the ordinary kind. Spoilt again.

Keeping things in perspective

I'm always interested to see where people have been before they visit the blog. Often they've come via an image - usually a Flickr photo and I always check the link to see which one it was. Today someone in Florida happened upon this photo.
Did it take your breath away too?
It was taken the first day we moved in. That's our Leggero bed with Area duvet and shams (bought at Area's semi-annual sale in NYC) and a $4 Ikea lamp. Everything else is left by the original owner: the green carpet, the walls, and the holes where the baseboard should be.
I was complaining remarking to Steven on New Year's Day that master bedroom looks like a college dorm but good grief I take it back. It looks a zillion times better than this. Those walls, hand-painted, faux-finished orange veined walls, gave me nightmares for the month before I painted over them. The artistic design continued onto the window frames for that "cohesive" look. Unique.
Last year we changed the placement of the bed and this is how that side of the room looks today. It's still unfinished but at least I don't gasp in horror when I see it.

Post Holiday Clean Up

This is the only thing that didn't get vacuumed, dusted or polished today... that's because it's totally perfect as is.

Hoppin' John

We didn't manage to do without food today although we were frugal, and there was no alcohol imbibed. I made the customary New Year's Day dish of rice and beans known as Hoppin' John, although my recipe is anything but traditional.
Disclaimer: This is spicy. We like our food very spicy. You may prefer it without a couple of the *HOT* ingredients.

Hoppin' John
1 can black-eyed peas
Olive oil
1 small red onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
Red pepper flakes
Oregano
Salt and pepper
Dash of Tabasco
Half a spicy chorizo
1-2 cup(s) chicken stock
Rice

In a casserole fry the onion and garlic in oil until soft. Add can of beans. Add herb and spices to taste. Cook five minutes. Add 1 cup chicken stock and Tabasco. You may need more chicken stock depending on taste and how long you let the beans cook.
In a pan gently brown slices of chorizo. Add to beans. Fifteen minutes before you are ready to eat cook rice in a separate pan. Serve beans over rice.
Makes enough for 2-3.
Brilliant for hangovers.

Happy New Year

Tapas
Originally uploaded by modernemama

Tapas 2007

We are giving up food and alcohol for the New Year so here's a photo from the holiday celebrations to remind us what tapas looked like.
Enjoy!

Feeding my addiction

My ebay addiction, that is. I bid, I won. Score.


The credenza is teak, 6' 6" long and was made in Denmark sometime in the 60s or 70s. I think it will be perfect against the long wall in the kitchen. We just have to get it from its present home to ours. Yippee.

Ikea Magic

Even if you hate Ikea (who could hate Ikea?) you have to appreciate the flash inspirational video on their web-site. Keep your finger on your mouse to make it go faster. Enjoy!
And if that's not enough of an end of year's cadeau for you, here's one more on the same theme from the Jonathan Coulton Project.

Rude Awakening

I was woken at 7:59 AM this morning by landscapers. Leaf blowing landscapers. On a Sunday morning. The last Sunday in December for goodness' sake. Why? What is so damn important that they had to remove every leaf on the property while many people were still in dream land? I think it may have something to do with someone being desperate to sell their house.
Full disclosure: I had been up at 4:40 with the cats and had gone back to bed so I may have been a tad more grumpy than normal. But still. I wouldn't normally still be asleep at this time but today I was in the middle of a dream where I was accompanying a famous person who had undergone a face-lift to an auction of antique objets d'art of a questionable nature where I had been given a handwritten children's book of breath-taking beauty by a small boy who asked me to find it a home in a library so all the children could read it. Yes, it was that fast-paced. This dream had it all, drama, pathos, scandal (there was a sub-plot involving the neighbors' affairs and pornography and another involving a second book) and love. In great detail. A whole novel or screenplay and I didn't get to dream it through.
I know I have been guilty of making too much noise too early but at least I can plead ignorance. This past fall, though, all residents received a letter from the Village stating what we may or may not do to our properties and landscaping on Sunday was a definite no-no. I don't care about code violations but I didn't want to experience my own Porlock moment on the last Sunday of 2007.

New Year's Resolutions 2008

Challenged by houseblogs.net to blog our plans for 2008 I present our New Year's Resolutions, aka something else that will cause much guilt and anguish before being completely ignored, at least until December 31 2008.
1)Fix the crazy, scary mind-of-its-own lighting in the den.
2)Figure how to reset the alarm so that it stops flashing CHECK 10, CHECK 12, CHECK 17, ALARM NOT READY, NOT READY, NOT.....READY....!!!!!
3)Gut and remodel the master bath. Make it fabulous, beautiful, awesome, magnificent and unique. Do this for the same price or less than last year's guest bath remodel.
4)Make a decision about the bar/media center in the den AND keep to it.
5)Stick to budget.
And finally here's one we might stick to


6)Find time to enjoy life while renovating.

Beach Condo

This was the view that greeted us when we walked into our friends' apartment in the Hamptons yesterday. Except that the pool was closed it was drizzling and the waves were 10' high. It was still spectacular, and much closer than it seems on this photo.
We'd gone out to have lunch and drive around Amagansett and see other houses designed by the architect responsible for our house, Andrew Geller. It was only when we reached Southampton that I realised I'd left this list behind. Again. It wasn't as big as a disappointment as it might have been, the visibility was so poor we wouldn't have seen much anyway.
So we hung out with our friends, and friends of theirs, had brunch at Babette's and went bowling in East Hampton. A really enjoyable way to spend the Xmas to New Year's void. And not a paint can, hammer or screwdriver in sight. Perfect.

Back to work?

It's almost 2008 and this is the year we have designated to finally GET THE FREAKIN' MASTER BATH DONE. I had to use the blog to find out when was the last time we used the shower in there, and it was August 2006. We've got used to using the other showers, especially the one we renovated last year when we should have been doing ours, the "trial" version.
There have been lots of reasons we put it off: lack of funds; unwillingness to cope with the mess; no inspiration; but going into that bathroom with its cracked shower pan, cracked basin, bare lights and missing medicine cabinet door is so depressing that we are girding ourselves up for a total gut of the bathroom.
The challenges for this will be:
1) I want to spend less money than I had originally budgeted. My reasoning for this is that house prices are falling, and will probably come down some more and I don't want to over-invest in the house, but I still want a modern, sleek bathroom and these tend to be on the pricey side.
2) We still don't know if we can, or want to put a skylight in the room.
3) I have no resources too work with. I lost all my bookmarks, images, links, everything I had stored on my ibook over the past three years when the hard disk died, except for the image below that was on my flickr page.


I'm now thinking that this is too cold for the master. The bathroom as it stands is all white and sterile. and so it feels cut off from the rest of the house, which is warm with lots of wood. I don't want to replace one cold design with another more modern version of the same. On the other hand the shower part of the space has no natural light so I don't want to use such dark tiles it ends up looking like a cave.
That brings me to the lighting problem. We went to look at a house that uses solar tubes but from the outside it looked like three alien spaceships had landed on the roof, so we won't be going down that route. Then we have the possibility of putting a skylight in, but the space above the bathroom is taken up with HVAC pipes and light fittings, and the pitch of the roof is so shallow I'm concerned about water backing up around the skylight when it rains and eventually finding its way through the ceiling. Even if there is enough space, is it worth the risk?
The only thing I'm completely sure of at this moment is that we need to upgrade the lighting a lot. We need better lights and we need more of them. Oh and a quieter fan. Apart from that there's still a lack of inspiration, and motivation, for the remodel. I feel I need a spark to awaken my enthusiasm and set the project in motion.

Xmas Walk

Walking on the beach, 3 pm. 25 December 2007

Full Moon 12/23/2007

Full Moon 12/23/2007
Originally uploaded by modernemama

Warm weather, a freak thunderstorm, fast moving clouds and a full moon = a pretty night photo.

Winter Solstice

Winter Solstice
Originally uploaded by modernemama

Ready to celebrate Saturday December 22 2007

Merry Xmas

Have a Very Warm Xmas and a Fabulous New Year
from
modernemama and Family

Neighborhood changes

There are seven houses on the left hand side as you go from the corner of the road to the Sound. *Three of them are for sale and one is under construction. On the other side of the street there are only four houses but one of these is also for sale. Four houses on the market and five new sets of neighbors - that's called a state of flux.

I hope we don't have to sell our house anytime soon. Apart from the competition, it looks like there is something wrong with this part of the Village when in fact it is gorgeous. I'm biased but I think it's the best part, which is another reason I wouldn't want to leave. But it is disconcerting to find that 1/2 of the properties on a small part of the road are on the market and they aren't moving quickly either. It kind of reminds me of London in the 80s. Not a great feeling.

I don't know why people aren't lining up to live here, it's very quiet, incredibly green, there's the beach and the sunsets are spectacular. And of course the people, those who are left, are very friendly indeed. Come and check it out, I'm sure you'll love it, too.
*second one for sale
*third one, waterfront property

Fragrant

Reaching for deoderant after showering this morning I managed to knock an almost full bottle of Bug Off! insect repellent out of the medicine cabinet.


The reason it was almost full is that it is pretty powerful stuff, best used sparingly. As it was a glass bottle and the floor is tiled the bottle didn't bounce. Immediately the bathroom became a Finnish sauna, with herbal smells of rosemary and citronella. Really strong smells. I had the urge to run out into the snow and beat myself with birch twigs. Luckily there were none handy so I used the towel to mop up the mess and then threw it into the washing machine. Bosch machines may get things clean but they couldn't get the smell out of that towel, and now everything else that was in there smells of rosemary, too.
It's not a bad scent but it's more medicinal than I would choose for the holidays. I'm just wondering how long it will be before it starts to fade.

Powerless

Yesterday the power went out a couple of times. In this house there are always consequences from a power outage and even though we have surge protectors, there's always stuff to fix when it eventually comes back on.
We are pretty much wireless here, at least the computers are wireless and the phones are VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol or telephone via the internets), so if the power is out they don't work. That means if your neighbor phones to ask if you've got power as his just went out, you don't get the message until the power comes back on. Now you can set the phones to transfer the calls to the cellphones, which is very useful IF you have cell phone service in the house. We don't, so without power we are cut off, and we have to reboot the Airport before we can get to the internets again.
Then, while my lovely iMac will automatically save documents when it loses power, Steven's laptop running XP, won't. But it will tell you the file you were working on doesn't exist, or is corrupt or numerous other versions of "I refuse to cooperate with you". When you have to be finished with a very important proposal by the end of the day this will cause much screaming, swearing and kicking of furniture when the power comes back on and you discover the whole weekend's work has apparently disappeared.
Then there's the TV. When the comes back in the volume has been reset, so it sounds like it's being transmitted through a cotton wool muffler. That's an easy fix, though, requiring only that we press the volume button on the cable box to max. And I have to reset the clocks on the appliances: washing machine, oven and microwave, too. All expected, if slightly annoying.
But there is always a kicker. A little something you never imagined would be affected by the outage. A little surprise to deal with. Yesterday it was the alarm system. When the power went out the loudspeaker, the one that scares the entire neighborhood whenever I overheat anything in the kitchen by booming "FIRE, FIRE, VACATE THE PREMISES IMMEDIATELY", started to vibrate like a drum. Of course this is hard-wired, you can't just take out the batteries, and the wires were soldered together. I'm sure this is a very secure system but when the humming and shaking are driving you crazy there's only one solution and it involved a chair, a torch and a pair of wire cutters. A little drastic maybe, but we were desperate.
So today I have to fix the loudspeaker, and I have to work out why the system tells me three of the door sensors have been compromised and the medical emergency button, too.

More Holiday Decorations

It appears that I'm not quite done with the decor for this season. I seem to have a white theme going on this year. Maybe I was inspired by the review of Park Ave Winter and the slideshow of the frosty interior. I found this white glass vase in Marshalls for "chips" and after trying a couple of places for it in the dining room I've placed it here with the white swirly bowl and glass tealight holders in the den.


I think the table still needs something to balance things out. Perhaps a splash of red?


On the kitchen island I placed the old red wood candlesticks we bought at Ikea in Belgium in, I think, 1991. Who said Ikea stuff doesn't last? They still had the white candles in them from the last time we used them (probably 2004). Unfortunately, I don't have any more white candles this size so this might be the last time they are lit.

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.