Sunday, July 17, 2011

O True Apothecary!

"O true apothecary! Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die."
                                                     ~William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

Apothecary Jars
My title is a bit misleading. I just love Shakespeare.

Apothecaries were precursors to pharmacists. They dispensed herbal and chemical medicines to both doctors and patients. And of course the apothecary played a small but pivotal role in Romeo and Juliet. These men also gave medical advice and kept their herbs and drugs in drug or apothecary jars. It's the jars that interest me.

I've been in love with apothecary jars for a very long time. They always seem to pop up on mantels, counters, shelves and tables in home decor magazines. Designers leave them empty or fill them with everything from pasta and fresh fruit . . .

Pasta
Coffee and Oatmeal
Fruit
 
 to sea shells and plants . . .
Shells and Rocks
Soaps

They also make great decorations for the holidays.
Christmas
Easter
Halloween
To keep clutter and superfluous possessions out of my home and life, I don't allow myself to buy anything unless I have an immediate need for it, a place to display it, or a place to store it if it's a seasonal item. Also, whenever I buy a new article of clothing or pair of shoes, I try (not always successfully) to get rid of an old piece of clothing or pair of shoes to make room for it. Sadly, I don't have a need or place for apothecary jars, no matter how much I may lust after them. But one day when I have a fireplace and mantel, I have every intention of decorating it with apothecary jars.

Sweet dreams,

          Krissy

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Seeing Red

702 South Putnam, Williamston


As I've said before, I probably look at housing listing every single day, usually on Trulia.  I don't know if I'd go as far as to say I fell in love with this 1900 Victorian in Williamston, MI, but I see a lot of potential in the 111 year old house.

First let me say, I love the small river town of Williamston. It's full of great architecture, history and a lot of character. The location was first inhabited by the Chippewa people, who were part of the Saginaw tribe.The used it as a summer village where they planted crops, buried their loved ones, and held gatherings. In 1834 Hiram and Joesph Putnam, two Europeans occupied briefly occupied the land before selling it to the three Williams brothers in 1839. The Putnams got a street named after them. The Williams got the town named after them. Williamston became a popular layover for people traveling between Detroit and Lansing by horse and buggy. It first became incorporated as a village in 1871, then as a city in 1971. Williamston is also where my boyfriend grew up.



Downtown

Downtown
Red Cedar River
All hydrants in town are decorated
Williamston kind of reminds me of the quirky Stars Hollow from the show Gilmore Girls (one of my all time favorite shows). This town in the middle of Michigan holds a Flamingo Festival, a Jubilee, and Dogs Days event that features a dog parade, costume contest and pet psychic.
Flamingo decorations
My boyfriend liked growing up in Williamston and I think it would be a fun place to live. 

Trulia Listing:
"Be a part of history! 1900's home in mint condition. Stunning newer kitchen, archways corner, fabulous yard & plantings. 1900's charmer! Be a part of history! Walking distance to downtown! Immaculate updated home! Beautiful condition! Impressive spacious kitchen with arch top windows, cathedral ceilings, floor to ceiling cabinets, pantry, 1st floor mudroom, laundry room with a charming French door! Large great room, main floor study and fireplace. Three special bedrooms up. Deluxe bath, shower, double van ity, whirlpool tub. Plantation shutters & skylights. Special foyer entry, archway, potting shed. Out of this world cottage garden designed… by a master gardener. Believed to have hardwood floors under almost all rooms. Approximately 1988 new roof, furnace, central air, new hotwater heater & furnace. Most of the home has been reinsullated and lots of the home rebuilt!" 
 
We actually went to look at this house (not an open house, just causally investigating from the sidewalk) and peeked over the fence . . . the backyard is absolutely gorgeous. However, the inside of the house needs a lot of cosmetic work. The owners seem to really love the color red. Red walls, red floors, red curtains. 

Den

Living Room
  The rest of the house isn't (as) red but needs a lot of modern updates.
Kitchen dining area--note the red curtains

Kitchen--note the red toaster
Formal dining room--red carpet and table runner

Bathroom--red towel and rug

Bathroom--red decorative pillows

Bedroom--finally we move from red to blue

Bedroom--A lot of blue
 The house has good bones and it might be fun (and expensive) with all the redecorating. My mind runs wild with ideas.

Sweet dreams,

          Krissy

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Vegetable Garden


Everyone has pretty much finished getting their gardens planted and are watching the first green sprouts poke through the brown earth. I am not one of these people. I don't like digging, hoeing, weeding or getting dirty. At the moment I have a cactus that requires 1 ounce of water a month and a basil plant in a self-watering pot that requires little attention from me. But I love fresh produce and I love to cook. So I do daydream about having a garden. And one day I intend to get over the whole getting dirty thing and have a garden that will cater to my love of eating and cooking.

Though I hate raw tomatoes, I do love just about every tomato product out there, with sun-dried tomatoes on the top of my list. 
I would have to peppers . . .
Lettuce for my salads . . .
Yummy green beans . . .
The only vegetable I'd eat as a kid, carrots . . .
Pumpkins because you've never seen a person get so excited in the produce aisle come autumn . . .
I would also want to grow strawberries, raspberries and blueberries . . .
I also wouldn't mind having a couple fruit trees . . .
Cherry Tree
Apple Tree
And of course an herb garden . . .




I can almost taste all the salads, sauces, stews, pies and jams that would come out of such a garden.
 

Sweet dreams,

          Krissy

Monday, May 16, 2011

The Definition of Debonair

 Everyone wants to be Cary Grant. Even I want to be Cary Grant.
                                 ~Cary Grant



 Cary Grant is the very definition of debonair.


Born  Archibald Leach in Horfield, Bristol on January 18, 1904, Cary Grant first got into performing as a stilt walker, acrobat, mime and juggler in Bob Pender Stage Troupe. The troupe took him to the U.S. in 1920 when he was 16 years old. When the troupe returned to England, he stayed behind to start a stage career. He entered the world of vaudeville working under his birth name. In 1931 he went to Hollywood, working under the name Cary Lockword. Paramount Pictures requested he change his last name. Cary allegedly chose the last name Grant because that would give him the initials similar to Clark Gable and Gary Cooper. From there on he was one his way to becoming a Hollywood legend.




I recently read an interview with Jennifer Grant, Cary Grant's only child, about her book on her father, Good Stuff. After watching Arsenic and Old Lace as a teenager, I became hooked on the tall, dark, and handsome Cary Grant. He could do comedy flawlessly--His Girl Friday, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, and Bringing Up Baby--play a romantic lead unlike any other (past or present)--The Philadelphia Story, An Affair to Remember--and hold his own in Hitchcock movies--Notorious, North by Northwest, and Suspicion. After reading the interview, not only do I want to read Good Stuff but hold a Cary Grant movie Marathon. 


 
Sweet dreams,

          Krissy