A Place to Begin

Things have been quiet on the blog lately, and usually that either means that things have been anything but quiet here...or I've been in desperate need of lots of naps and naptime Doctor Who marathons. Lately, it's been the latter.

Seriously, people. When I was this pregnant with E, I was just finishing up work over at Jane Austen's House Museum and preparing to move house. I then spent the next four months painting, hanging curtains, unpacking, and marathon-watching Gilmore Girls, because Autumn. The thought of doing any of that right now makes me want to crawl back to bed and request another round of cinnamon buns. So, for a lack of any original content of any interest, I hereby direct you to some of my favourite parts of the internet from that last few weeks. Enjoy!

This article from the New York Times was really interesting...and definitely triggered my guilt reflex about not eating enough veg.

via, The Old Try

The Old Try is an awesome store with some fantastic prints. Especially for anyone who's from the South (or for some unknown reason wishes they were). Anyhow, I've been coveting these Maryland flag prints for ages and I'm finally scheming to get them and hang them over my couch. At heart, I'm still a Glen Burnie girl.

via, Weck Jars

I love the look of some of the Weck Jars. Especially the juice jars...I'd love having that 1L juice jar to do iced herbal tea and all sorts of other drinks. Plus; we could take it in the car on our many National Trust outings.

via, A Beautiful Mess

A Beautiful Mess has felt just a little too hipster for me lately, but I loved the look of this lavender iced coffee recipe. And, I'm sure it's also possible with any number of coffee substitutes, if you're not a fan of coffee.

via, Young House Love

I wish I had the tools and the patience and the space to build E a toy kitchen. Screw all of this sexist nonsense about it being a girly toy; I'd build him a toy kitchen in a heartbeat. Especially if I could get it looking as cute as this Reader Redesign from YHL.

People, it feels like autumn here now and that is a big effing deal to me! I wore my boots on Sunday; I wore them with stockings! I wore a scarf out to walk E to play group today and didn't get overheated. It's glorious; and I actually have to monitor how long I keep the windows open for fresh air rather than in the hope of tempting a nonexistent breeze through the windows...because it might get too cold! And so, in honour of autumn, I leave you with these fun recipes to try:

via, Spoon Fork Bacon

Spoon Fork Bacon's Kitchen Sink Chili looks awesome. Even this self-proclaimed expert chili cooker might have to give it a try.

Nigella's easy Macaroni Cheese is a staple in this house. Serve it up with some chicken Kievs or sausages and peas and it's perfect cold weather food. (Or, if you're like me, you can just heat it up and eat it on its own for lunch!)

via, Spoon Fork Bacon

Spoon Fork Bacon's Savoury Bread Pudding is another winner. I've made it twice now - once at a family dinner, and once to bring to a friend who was poorly - and I've loved it each time. It's a bit time-consuming, but it's dead simple and makes a great filling meal on its own, or comes up as a tasty side dish in a lovely roast dinner.

via, Love with Recipe

I haven't yet tried this sesame chicken recipe from Love With Recipe, but I'm dying to. It's been ages since I've had proper sesame chicken: both of our last attempts to order in Chinese left me highly unsatisfied with the paltry attempts at sesame chicken that were on offer. If this is a winner, I won't be ordering out any time soon.

Like the song says, 'It's the most wonderful time of the year...'