My husband and I have been living in our house for just over 365 days. Last year, when we moved in, our 1/2 acre of property was already covered in warm-hued leaves; the trees were bare. Because we didn’t have a rake — or very much time — we hired a lawn care company to do a Fall clean-up. They mowed and raked and tidied up our property in just a couple of hours.

This year, I watched in dread as the leaves began falling off the trees. J and I decided that we would play the roles of responsible homeowners and not spend the extra money for somebody else to do our dirty work. When there was an adequate amount of leaves blanketing the lawn, we woke up early on a Sunday and began tackling the front yard. We got a quarter of the way through before we had to abandon our project for other plans. A couple of days later we did another quarter of the front yard. It took a little over an hour, but when we were finished, half of our front lawn was clean.

(image source)

Forty-eight hours later, you couldn’t even tell where we had raked. More leaves had abandoned their branches.

Like most couples, I imagine, my husband and I really only spend quality time together in the evenings and on the weekends. Occasionally I have to work on Sundays, so we don’t always have full weekends together. If we were to rake and clean our entire property, it would take one whole exhausting day, maybe two. In the words of Carrie Bradshaw, I can’t help but wonder: Is it worth it to spend the rare time we have together sweating it out in the yard? Or would our time be better spent if we shelled out the cash for somebody else to rake?

We aren’t rich by any stretch of the imagination. We try to live comfortably within our means. It is extravagant to hire a lawn care service to tend to our yard? Or is it a good use of our time and money? What do you think?

© Elizabeth Anne Designs Living, 2009 | Permalink | Comments | Add to del.icio.us | StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: around the house, gardening, pj

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Thankfully the insurance gods smiled down at you and accepted your claim. Now you have a pocket full of money and a shit ton of options as to what to do with it.

Would you…

A. Create an exact replica of your lost ring? Why?

B. Create an entirely different ring ? Why?

C. Take a combination of choices A and B and create the same setting with a little more flair? Why?

D. Upgrade your center stone in either size, clarity, or shape? Why?

Thoughts?

All images c/o the Art of Platinum.

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Posted in: beautiful things, good things, just for fun, life, mojito maven, newlywed life

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My sweet Jesse, waiting out the morning with me.

A clothesline filled with baby clothing.

A self portrait.

The blur of Jesse as he tackles a leaf.

The leaf survived.

Pigs seems to follow me throughout my life.

Why is it that Jesse is completely uninterested in playing fetch with balls? Only sticks he can decimate will do.

Rumors abound of all the grass dying when the rainy season ends.

A third pot, waiting to be filled with earth and plants.

My recycled water globe.

The buds of lemons waiting to be birthed.

What small details are inspiring you today?

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Posted in: life, photography, rebekah

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The landscape is so serene. You’d never imagine that the hustle and bustle of New York City was only 90 minutes away.

The house above was complete country cottage perfection. You’d die if you saw how really, truly delightful it was. It had amazing 200 year old beams in the ceiling. There were beautiful grounds surrounding the property. It even had a guesthouse! The downside is that Mr. D had to bend over to fit through the doorways. When walking from the master into the living room he cracked his head on the door jam. As wonderful as it is, we can’t live like this - can we?

This Italiante style house was so gracious in proportion. A real handsome jem of a property. It’s location was too far north of the City, we’d have to drive for 20 minutes to hop on train.

Mr. D loved this barn house because of it’s super-low taxes. I didn’t like it because when you enter the bedroom, there was no good place for the bed. Not to mention, it was 30 minutes from the nearest grocery store. Um, no thanks!

The house above was a real charmer -except- it needed to be gutted right down to the studs in the walls. Unfortunately, if we pick a house that needs work we will need to live in it while renovating. A project of this scale would call for renting a home while we renovate = not in the budget!

We searched and searched and finally came across a house we could both be excited about. It’s got a lot going for it - so much potential. Mr. D and I put in an offer and are amidst a set of negotiations. We are both on totally on edge. It’s really difficult to buy real estate without getting “emotional.” I have already envisioned myself making my chicken cacciatore on the stove top! If this deal does not go through, I don’t know what I will do.

When it comes to negotiations, how do you handle the tension between buyer and seller? When you raise your offering price by thousands, the dollar amount on your monthly mortgage nut goes up by something like $30 a month. Your choice is to lose the property or pay $30 extra a month for the next 30 years. I know ideally one wants to buy at the right price but it’s oh so easy to say “I can’t lose this property, it’s only $30!”

Have you jumped onto the real estate ladder? What would you do?

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Posted in: abc dragoo, life

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I’ve always been a Mid-western girl and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. Although you might hear me gripe and complain from approximately November through April (because that is truly how long a bitter Wisconsin winter lasts up here), I would never trade the full four seasons we get for anything. Sure, I’m sure it’s absolutely fabulous to live in a climate that is temperate all year round with sun shining and warm weather. I’m supremely jealous of you if this is your climate but then again, I love the fact that we get the variety of Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall up here. Yes, certain seasons are a little more intense than others but no place is perfect, right? No matter what, I try to make a conscious effort to enjoy the seasons in all of their glory, breathing fresh air and remembering to stop and look around at nature every now and then. It’s pretty amazing sometimes, isn’t it?

The fact that fall is upon us and Christmas season is rapidly approaching made me think about how I’ve owned my d-SLR camera for nearly a whole year now. Which means I’ve diligently taken photos of every season in all of it’s glory. I thought it would be fun to summarize each season into three photos, which epitomize the feeling of the four seasons. So here we go:

WINTER:

SPRING:

SUMMER:

FALL:

Which is your favorite season? What images would you include to fully encompass each season?

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Posted in: julia, outdoor life, photography

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To go to school in one’s Halloween costume was not something that I had ever encountered in England. In fact, costumes were more for school discos or parties rather than school events. I had not even *heard* of trick or treating, let alone experienced it. And as for school Principals who dressed up as Big Bird and then led a school costume parade around the football field, well, let’s just say I was a little surprised.

Fast forward over 20 years, for it is, I realised 21 years since we moved to California {and 20 since the earthquake I was able to write about first hand in a school Geography lesson a decade later back in England} and Halloween is far more widely celebrated in England than ever before. Traditionally, UK autumnal celebrations centre around Bonfire Night/5th November/Guy Fawkes night {which I will tell you all about next week} but in recent years we have celebrated Halloween ourselves as well.

So, on Saturday afternoon I carved our pumpkin (turning the fleshy part into puree which I froze to use as part of the food for our bonfire night party) and hung the decorations I made last year up with some fairy lights in our kitchen window. Turns out paper pumpkins, witches hats and bats illuminated in the window at about 6.30pm declares that you “are open” for trick or treaters. Who knew?!

We live in a rather nice area of North London which is populated in the main by families who own the whole of their Victorian house. We live in a converted house which is becoming a rariety as families buy up all the houses surrounding us. We were visited by plenty of trick or treaters, some tiny, some a little bigger. My favourite was a teeny tiny rotund grey furry spider with lots of little black legs. She accepted a small chocolate bar from me and stared at me for ages, eyes wide. My least favourite was a larger boy in a bin liner cape who on being told that there was no more chocolate left shouted “We have come all this way. You had better give us something” in a very menacing manner, much to the horror of the parent who was accompanying them (he explained to me the child was a friend of his son’s). As he walked back through our front garden he shouted to Husband, visible through the kitchen window, that he “would remember our house & return to mess it up”. He couldn’t have been more than 7 or 8.

My last 2 pieces of chocolate were reserved for my neighbour’s children, for whom I occasionally babysit. They arrived back from their trick or treating expedition and I gave them their chocolate. The eldest was dressed as a mummy with loo roll and masking tape covering him from head to foot. His younger sister only had a white face and looked a bit teary. “She was a ghost” her Mum explained, “but she lost the will to be spooky half way round”.

Trick or treating over, it was time to get ourselves ready for the Halloween party we had been invited to: Count Dracula & His Bride-t0-Be celebrating their engagement. Costumes were mandatory. Now, it is my belief (and memory from our time in the US) that in the US Halloween costumes are simply costumes. Anything goes. In the UK, Halloween costumes seem to be more scary or gruesome. Sadly, I don’t ‘do’ scary or gruesome. I don’t like false blood or horror films, so my options are always limited. Last year, I dressed up as the Corpse Bride. This year, anything bridal was clearly off limits, so I decided to take my inspiration from Heathers. It’s not scary or gruesome, but there are murders.

Husband on the other hand decided to go as Johnny Depp from Sweeney Todd. I spent several hours creating him a cut throat razor out of a wine box, some silver foil and some glue and managed to even make it a case so it could be folded away as it was also hinged. I did his hair and make-up and we found him a suitable outfit including his wedding waistcoat.

Sadly in this photo his face looks more like a vampire from Buffy but it’s the only one we took, so it will have to do.

The party was a great success even if it was hard to tell whether or not we knew anyone. Such was the amount of fake blood swilling round the party someone really could have bled to death without anyone realising. Witches, vampires, pirates, cats, masked men, a pair of bacon & eggs and ‘Derren Brown’ all vied for space in a spider filled back garden & the devil and a dictator were found talking and smoking outside the front door -with the party was still in full swing - when Husband walked me home at 2.30am.

Hope that everyone had a great Halloween weekend.

{all images by me. again, usual apologies for the quality of my BB snaps}

© Elizabeth Anne Designs Living, 2009 | Permalink | Comments | Add to del.icio.us | StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: crafts, holidays, paper, rachel g

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So here I am, leader of the book club, perplexed: How do you organize a book club? How do I get people interested in the book club? How do you chose the book? Etc. Etc.

Literally days after I got the list of the first people initially interested, Brooke Reynolds of the fabulous blog inchmark posted this great guide: Books and Pie. So I drafted an email borrowing some of Brooke’s guidelines and asking the women for feedback and book choices:

1. One book each month. You have to have read or know someone who has read the book before you recommend it. Also, try to pick a book that is easy to find (via Amazon, library, local bookstore, etc.). I suggested that the host chose the book.
2. Meet the same day each month. Our location will probably be each other’s houses, however, this is all TBD and is based on how many spouses are interested, where people live, etc.
3. Discuss the book. The book club leader will come prepared with a few questions on cards. Everyone will take one or two and when they think it is appropriate interject with their question.
4. Keep refreshments low-key. Dessert and beverages.

And I haven’t heard back from a single person. Granted, one of the interested parties is one of my closest girlfriends here, but the other five women haven’t made a peep! I’ve decided I’m going to chose a book, time, location, etc. and send out an Evite with the details. However, now I have to decide on a book. I want something that isn’t a difficult read, but is still interesting and thought-provoking. I personally love novels and/or about family sagas, friendships, and women on the verge.

Here are some of my favorites and possible options (for full descriptions from Books•A•Millions’ website click on the book title). The first four I have read; the last four are ones I’d like to read. I’m hopeful some of the spouses are interested in one of these titles. If all goes well, I want to post a review of the book read every month after the we meet.

The Awakening by Kate Chopin
Love this book, which is actually a short story about a woman and her awakening in the 1800s. This version is dirt cheap ($1.50) and it is short, so maybe book club members will be more likely to read it even though they are busy.

Summer Sisters by Judy Blume
Summer Sisters is my absolute favorite book of all time. I read it in high school and have loved it ever since. I try to read it every summer. I really enjoy stories about friendship, especially those told over a number of years. This is an easy, fun read.

Truth & Beauty by Ann Patchett
This is a heartbreaking story of the author’s real-life friendship with a fellow writer. A tearjerker for sure. I read this while enroute to visit my best friends’ and I sobbed. Once I arrived, I hugged my friends a little tighter.

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
This memoir is about Wall’s tumultuous childhood with nomadic parents.

Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
This novel was written by a Parisian writer about the German occupation. Eventually, she was arrested and sent to a concentration camp; this novel was found 64 years later. I love fiction that takes place during World War II. I’ve read the first few pages of this book and think it sounds great.

A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley
A story about a family with a 1000 acre farm that is about to be left to the daughters’. Some of them want it, some don’t and their father does something terrible, causing a family drama to unravel.

The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs
I’ve heard lots of great things about this book – another one about women and friendship.

The Senator’s Wife by Sue Miller
Sue Miller’s works are well-known, her novel While I Was Gone was one of Oprah’s Book Club selections. This sounds interesting and focuses on a young wife who befriends a cheating senator’s wife.

So I am curious – are any of you in a book club? How do you organize your book club and/or decide on a book? Which of these books would you want to read with a book club? What would initially spark your interest  in a book club?

© Elizabeth Anne Designs Living, 2009 | Permalink | 10 comments | Add to del.icio.us | StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: books and reading, hasel

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It was love at first sight.

You can’t tell from the photo, but there’s a nugget of cream cheese inside each one of these moist, perfectly spiced little guys. I’d love to try this again with my mini muffin pan to make even cuter, smaller muffin babies. This is one of those baked goods that causes involuntary smiling as a side effect of its deliciousness. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Streusel Muffins
Adapted from Annie’s Eats, originally from Bakespace
Printable Recipe
Makes 24 muffins

For the muffins:
3 cups flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
4 eggs
1 ¼ cups vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
2 cups pumpkin puree

For the filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar

For the streusel topping:
½ cup sugar
¼ cup and 1 tsp. flour
4 tbsp. butter, cubed
1 ½ tsp. cinnamon

1. To prepare the filling, combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and whip until smooth. Form into a log on plastic wrap or foil, making sure that the diameter is small enough to fit into the well of a muffin pan. Wrap the log up tightly and freeze until slightly hardened, 1-2 hours.

2. To make the muffins, combine the flour, spices, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. Mix well and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the eggs, vegetable oil, sugar and pumpkin puree. Mix until well combined. Add in the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined.

3. To make the streusel topping, combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Mix together with a pastry blender or two forks until crumbly.

4. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two muffin pans with paper liners or spray generously with nonstick baking spray. Fill each muffin well halfway with batter. Remove the cream cheese log from the freezer and slice into 24 equal slices. Place a slice in each muffin well. Divide the remaining muffin batter evenly among the muffin cups, on top of the cream cheese. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the top of the batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool completely before serving.

© Elizabeth Anne Designs Living, 2009 | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us | StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: amy i, breakfast, cooking and food, recipes

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From early October through April, there is almost always a pot of chicken soup in my fridge. I always start it the same way, with a mirepoix of celery, carrot and onion. The recipe varies dependent upon what veggies and which shape noodles I add into the mix. Sometimes I prepare it without the tomato sauce. This is an incredibly flexible recipe. Sometimes I just call it my “Everything but the kitchen sink chicken soup!”

{source}

Get out your biggest soup pot, your cutting board and all the vegetables in the fridge. I use one large onion, one half a stalk of celery (chopped up it equals about 1 cup) and an equal amount of chopped carrots.

Sauté your mirepoix in 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle generously with sea salt. This will help the veggies release water which will aid in cooking them. Once the onions have become translucent, you’re ready to start adding your other veggies.

I like to add two chopped peppers. Usually I pick a red one and a yellow one to add more color to the soup. Sauté for a few minutes more. Sprinkle with sea salt again. Seasoning with each layer you add to the soup will ensure a well seasoned and flavorful soup.

Once the peppers have softened up, add other veggies such as mushrooms, chopped zucchini, or frozen peas or corn niblets. Sauté until everything seems to be incorporated and warm.

Add 1 Tablespoon of dried Oregeno, 1 Tablespoon dried Basil, and usually I would add almost 1 Tablespoon of crushed red pepper flakes - but of course, you can alter it to taste. Remember, the longer you cook red pepper flakes, the hotter they get! Stir until it looks like the herbs are evenly distributed throughout the veggie mixture.

Stir in 2 Tablespoons of minced garlic. Again, stir until it is incorporated.

Now, add one large can of crushed tomatoes with italian seasonings. Stir until it is distributed throughout the vegetables. Like I said before, if you want to skip the tomato part - it tastes equally as wonderful without it!

Open one box of chicken stock and pour over the mixture. bring to a boil. While the vegetables cook, you’re going to add a half a package of dry noodles. (I usually use whole wheat, but that is a personal choice. Sometimes I use ravioli stuffed with cheese ~yummity-yum!) They are going to absorb a lot of liquid, so you may want to add more stock as needed.

Cut chicken breasts into cubes. Mr. D likes extra chicken in the soup, so I add at least 4 whole chicken breasts or 8 halves. This is completely up to you, it would be completely fine with only half of that amount. Season with salt and pepper and cook in a frying pan with a little chicken stock for about 5 minutes or until it is no longer pink. Place into the soup. Cook about 10 minutes more.

This “Italian” chicken soup is extra tasty with parmesan sprinkled over the top. Enjoy!

P.S. You may want to have extra stock on the side for leftovers. The noodles and vegetables continue to absorb stock as the days pass, so feel free to supplement the leftovers with extra stock.

© Elizabeth Anne Designs Living, 2009 | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us | StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: abc dragoo, cooking and food, dinner, recipes, soup

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If you’ve been wondering where I’ve disappeared to this past month, here’s the answer: I’ve been dealing with a pretty serious issue, one that’s left me basically incapacitated. No, I’m not talking about swine flu. I’m talking about the dreaded Writer’s Block.

Have you ever felt like you’ve lost your creative mojo? It’s like I’ve run out of steam. For a while I was maintaining three blogs. Besides writing for EAD Living, I had my personal blog and my business blog. I thought I could keep my life separated into neat, little compartments, but that’s turned out to be pretty hard to do. And coming up with topics to discuss on a daily basis for three outlets has suddenly become very overwhelming. Despite living an active life, I find myself blanking out on what to write about when staring at the computer screen. Even writing this post has been challenging!

So I ask you, fellow EAD Living bloggers and readers, how do you unlock your creativity? For those of you who write for several outlets, how do you come up with a multitude of ideas every day?

© Elizabeth Anne Designs Living, 2009 | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us | StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: blogging, motivation, pj

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