In general white walls make me think of rented apartments. Places where I don’t think I will be there long enough to paint. I love color. The more saturated the better. Today while clicking around I saw the most wonderful white apartment on Emma’s blog. I can see how white is clean and crisp and wonderful when it is deliberate. It isn’t about not having the energy to add color, it is a statement all it’s own. I don’t think I could pull it off, but I can certainly appreciate its beauty. I would say that the thing that really made me look twice at this image is the coffee table. Simple and natural with casters! I love it. The bathroom is also beautiful. Ah one day…

Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can. i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno’t mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! via Swiss Miss

This morning a coworker was telling me about her ride to work and how it seemed that all the people around her were talking about food. Two ladies on the train talking about squash and pumpkin and… well that is where she lost me only because then I started thinking about food, pumpkin in particular. In the US everything we call squash (butternut, acorn, spaghetti, you get the idea) they call pumpkin in New Zealand. This made me think of a particular day when we stopped at Lake Wanaka for lunch and I was cranky as all get out. Just really tired. So tired nothing sounded good to eat and I rejected 3 places before I finally told everyone that I couldn’t be the deciding factor and M was going to have to choose what I was going to eat. Sounds, weird I know. M can pretty much be counted on ordering things that I will like, especially when I can’t even order something I will like. So fully trusting of his decision he proceeded to order me a pumpkin, pesto, ricotta sandwich… what?! No way I am going to like this, no way. When it came out it looked really interesting. Open faced, toasted bread, pesto, acorn pumpkin (or squash) and a little salad. As the first bite was on its way to my mouth, I was still thinking this can’t be good. I was so wrong. It was not just good, it was great. One of the best things I have eaten. To start with, in general food is just better in New Zealand. No additives or preservatives, better ingredients, just better. But this combination was just amazing. Everyone at the table agreed. Even B who was even more sure than I was that there was no way that was going to taste good. I am not sure I will be able to replicate this dish at home, but I am going to have to try.

Today on Apartment Therapy they have an article about sheds and what people are doing when them. I absolutely fell in love with this picture. This is what I want! There are pictures of the inside of the shed and well and while it may not be my taste, it looks warm and cozy and totally doable. The most amazing part is, this shed is a ReadyMade modular shed… the exact type of shed M & I are planning on building this spring. I love the little deck next to it, I love the fire pit, what I love most of all is this is pretty close to what I have been imagining which means I can show this to M and say,”This is what I have been thinking.” Come on spring! I am ready to build something! via link

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This weekend we are going up to the property. We are first going to hit IKEA, get some shelving and some other stuff (because how can you not get other stuff at IKEA) and then we are heading upstate to get some of the clutter in order. It looks like electricity is going to have to wait until spring thaw so we are roughing it a bit. We booked a night at a place with heat and indoor plumbing so that we can work and not have to worry about heading back down the same day. If we can get the house cleaned out then we can finally get it knocked down. I would love to be able to restore it because it seems like such a waste, but it is in terrible shape and really isn’t something that is worth saving.

Now that the holidays have passed and we are getting back into everyday mode I have started looking at cool things again. I love this lamp. Such an interested take on something we see a lot of. The fact that it is adjustable is one of the things I like best about it. When I was in Prague there was a bar that had lamps similar to this over the tables. It was great to be able to adjust the amount of light you were getting. I remember wanting to have a lamp like that of my own.

Last night we said good bye 2007 and hello 2008. I of course said it in my usual way. Asleep. M woke me up at midnight to say happy new year. To be honest while I like all the promise the start of a new year has to offer, I am not so jazzed about the way we tend to say goodbye to the old one. Too much expectation for it to be the best night ever. I would rather spend a quiet evening with people close to me, not screaming to be heard over bass that is too loud and drinking so much that I am sick the next day. Maybe it is because I am getting old…

Ok. It has been too long since I said I would post pictures to go with my NZ posts. I know. But the holiday and recouping from the trip… you aren’t buying it are you. Well guess what. I put them up today. So there. Check them out if you have a moment. You will have to click on the “older posts” link at the bottom. All things do come to those who wait.