pinterest

via Pinterest

I use Pinterest A LOT. It is essential for both the blog and my design business and frankly, I can't really imagine what I would do without it. Pinterest provides a platform for sharing images and information unlike another outlet there. It is global, instant and intuitive and whether you are looking for recipe inspiration, fall fashion or a doggie halloween costume it has something for everyone. For me, it has become my visual diary and a means for self reflection. It is where I collect design inspiration and how I learn about what resonates with me (things that are white, bleached wood, a modern farm vernacular etc.). If I am lacking inspiration for the blog often the first thing I do is browse my "boards" or if I am struggling with a client's floor plan I might look at images of rooms I have pinned to try and dissect why they seem to work so well. On a more personal note, I enjoy unexpectedly coming across images that just make me smile or laugh. Like this one. 

via Animals Gallery

Key to my Pinterest use is following a diverse set of "pinners". This exposes me to a wide range of interests and images and creates a constant stream of new sources of inspiration. The "pinners" I follow generally fall into one of these four categories:
1. Friends and Family
2. Fellow Bloggers
3. Publications or Companies 
4. Randoms
I am constantly adding new pinners to the list but have a few that are my go to so I thought I would share so that you all can be inspired as well.

Megan Gilger - The Fresh Exchange Blog
Megan is a pinner of all things beautiful. With over 21,000 pins and boards that range from "get in my closet please" to "printing", she has a wonderful variety of images to get inspiration from. One of my favorite boards of hers is called "adventure". I also highly recommend her blog The Fresh Exchange. 

Janet Sherman -  Buckleberry Kids
Janet is one of my random but great finds. She pins a lot (37,581 pins as of today) with the majority of her boards falling into what I would call the "lifestyle" category. I especially like her "garden and outdoor" board.

Beth Kirby - Local Milk
 Beth is the creator of the gorgeous blog - Local Milk. Local Milk is food blog but more importantly is about "finding joy & inspiration in the mundane".  Beth's pins all have a similar feel in that they are romantic and ethereal. She has so many boards that it is hard for me to choose just one to recommend. 

Lonny Magazine
Lonny's pinterest account provides a quick and simple way to look through all of the amazing rooms that they have featured in their magazine. For people who like interior design this is a must follow. 

Oh and course you should follow me! 

slow cookers

This past weekend while Jeff was trying to make soup our slow cooker died. It might have died a while back as I remember a brisket in recent history that just did not work out. But either way we are in the market for a new one and would like to make our purchase soon as in our household fall is the start of slow cooker season.  

By some happy coincidence, Alexa Hotz of REMODELISTA did a post about the best slow cookers this week. Hotz referred to Consumer Reports in figuring out the key criteria in evaluating slow cookers.
1. Electronic controls - programmable over manuel and with a warming feature
2. Locking lid - to make transportation easy and safe - ours did not have this and it seems like a nice thing to have
3. Oven safe - another way of reheating which I would think is probably faster - again something that would be nice to have
4. Stovetop safe - mostly for prep work this would be a great feature as it would eliminate the need for extra pots and pans i.e. less dishes

Hotz named these 10 slow cookers as the best ones on the market.  Listed most expensive to least expensive.

This All Clad 7 quart deluxe slow cooker with cast aluminum insert from Williams-Sonoma has all of the consumer reports key criteria except the locking lid. It also is only oven safe up to 400 degrees. Reviewers gave it high scores and mentioned largely how much they like the stovetop safe feature as well as the fact that the insert is much lighter than conventional ceramic ones. It retails for $249.95.

 Cuisinart's Multicooker goes above and beyond typically slow cooker functions in that it can sear, saute, roast, steam and slow cook all in one pot. Other feature's include a warming function for up to 24 hours and a reversible roasting/steaming rack. Reviewers seem happy with the product although one commented that the non stick surface was failing. The Multicooker can be found at Williams-Sonoma for $199.95.

Breville's Fast Slow Cooker  has the ability to take the "slow" out of slow cooker. With both pressure and slow cook settings as well as preprogrammed settings like saute/sear, slow cook high, slow cook low, pressure cook high - low, steam and warm there is no shortage of cook type capabilities. The Breville can be found at Bed, Bath and Beyond for $179.99.

For a smaller option, the All-Clad's 4 quart slow cooker with ceramic insert is preferred. It has a programmable control panel and auto-warm feature. I think this one would be better suited for sides than a full slow cooker meal. It can be found at Williams-Sonoma for $149.95.

Number five on the list is Breville Slow Cooker with Easy Sear also from Williams-Sonoma. This one has all the recommended criteria minus the locking lid as well as a dual heating setting that automatically shifts the temperature from low to high after two hours of cook time. In addition, it has a removable cord for easy storing. It retails for $129.95.

From Crate and Barrel, the Cuisinart 6.5 quart digital slow cooker has a sleeker design with a brushed stainless-steel housing and handles. It also has a retractable cord which could be nice but seems sort of unnecessary to me. It is priced at $99.95. 

The Frigidaire Professional 7 quart programmable slow cooker from Home Depot has 6 presets - buffet, soup, low, medium, high and warm. It also can be set for a specific time and auto warming. It does not seem to be oven or stovetop safe nor does it have a locking lid. 

The Hamilton Beach Set-and-Forget 6 quart slow cooker available at Best Buy comes with a temperature probe for cooking at precise temperatures and a locking lid. The insert is safe to use in the microwave and oven but not on the stove. It retails for $54.99.

Numbers 7 through 10 are manual and do not come with the other recommended features so I am not going to go into detail about them. If you are curious or are looking for a less expensive option check out the REMODELISTA post to learn more.  

the end of summer gardening

This past weekend I did some much needed gardening. I pulled out our cucumber and bean plants and planted two kale plants and four lettuces. This marked the end of our summer gardening and the beginning of our fall planting so I thought I would do a preview of how things ended up.

Cucumber:  
The cucumber plant did amazingly well. It started producing at the beginning of August and continued up until the end of the month at which point it died in just a matter of a few days. I am not sure if this is "normal" but I am going to assume it is since it was done bearing fruit. All and all we probably got 30 cucumbers. Next year, I plan to give the plant more room to grow (most vertically - the bird net got in its way this year) and plant it away from the other plants as it blocked out sun from surrounding plants.

Cherry Tomato:
Our cherry tomato plant has had its biggest yield just this past week. My friend told me that they tend to explode with ripe fruit and that is exactly what happened. I think we will have roughly two more weeks of picking and maybe total a pound of tomatoes. Next year, I will give the plant more space to grow (it got huge!) and will also probably plant some other varieties as it would be nice to have tomatoes for slicing. 

Green Beans: 
These were a complete failure. We planted six and they produced absolutely no beans. My guess is that they didn't get enough sun. I don't think I will be planting any next year.

Green Pepper: 
Our green pepper plant has been a bit of a mystery. It has looked healthy all summer and has grown to about two feet tall but it just hasn't produced. We got maybe three small peppers from it and it still has a few buds on it but I am not sure what really happened. I might try these again next year but perhaps a different variety.

Strawberries:
Our four strawberry plants are alive and waiting to be transplanted. They never really yielded but I think thats because I got them in the ground too late and we had a relatively cool and very wet early summer. Hopefully, they will make it through the winter and produce for next year. 

Basil: 
The basil did ok - not great. I think it was too wet early on and then I didn't water it enough as it got hotter. In the middle of July, it started to get almost wood like at which point I basically just let it die. Next year, I am going to keep a closer eye on it and plant more than just one.

Dill: 
The dill plant did well. I let it flower and seed which kills the plant (I didn't know this). Then I dried the leaves and seeds so know we have our own dried dill. Next year, I will plant more and let some flower and others not. 

Parsley and Chives: 
I sort of forgot about these two. I planted them in a leftover container and placed it on the front porch. I don't think they got enough sun or water so while they didn't die until just recently they also didn't really grow. Next year, I plan on having a designated herb garden and plan on being more attentive.

Lavender and Sage:
These two got nibbled on by a furry creature (or bird) twice so they never really grew. However, both are still alive and slowly getting bigger. Again, next year I will hopefully have a designated herb garden and will not be so neglectful. 

So all and all I am going to say my first season as a gardener was a success. I enjoyed the process, learned a lot and got to eat fresh vegetables from my own garden. Next year, I would like to expand the garden and have maybe a 10' x 20' plot and use our 3' x 5' container just for herbs. I have no idea if we will have the space, resources or time for this but I am hoping we will. I also would like to start my plants from seed (all organic, non-GMO) and use my own compost. In the meantime, I will be nurturing my kale and lettuce plants and will keep you all posted with how my cold season harvest progresses.