Supernatural Botanicals

Whether you want to double your living space, replace a heating system or make simple cosmetic changes, if you love your house’s architectural details then read this book before starting your project. The editor of Old-House Journal teams with an award-winning preservationist for fabulous period residences that have old-world character but still function as family homes. After all, that 60-year-old plumbing has to do more than just look charming. “Richly illustrated with color photos, plans, and drawings”

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 Can it, bottle it, smoke it : and other kitchen projects

“The eagerly anticipated follow-up to Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It offers more ideas for adventurous culinary DIYers to stock the larder with artisan food and drink, kitchen staples, tasty snacks, and gift-worthy eats. Want to make your own Plum Catsup (can it!), Strawberry Black Pepper Soda (bottle it!), and Chipotles in adobo (smoke it!)? Join food writer Karen Solomon in the culinary revolution that has changed the way people think about the boxed and jarred food on the grocery shelf, by trying these recipes and techniques for making homemade jams, relishes, pickles, bagels, popsicles, muesli, chips, pastrami, smoked nuts, sauces, syrups, and much more. Perfect for people who want to eat organic, local, and sustainable without giving up favorites like pretzels and sodas, this book will have weekend warriors whipping up mouthwatering foodstuffs for their pantries –and their friends–in no time”–

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A perfectly kept house is the sign of a misspent life : how to live creatively with collections, clutter, work, kids, pets, art, etc.– and stop worrying about everything being perfectly in its place

June 6, 2011

Carter, Mary Randolph.

New York : Rizzoli International Publications : Distributed by Random House, 2010.

“How to make your house a home filled with comfort, ambience, informality, personality, and a welcoming spirit– while living beautifully with all the things you love”.  For all those who choose to live with the messy things they love, this book shows how to do so creatively, happily, and with considerable style ideas. If you have been influenced by the art- and book-filled house of Vanessa Bell, this unique style book will stimulate you with its creative ideas. This volume explores how real-life tastemakers (photographers, textile designers, fashion designers, writers, artists) integrate their life and interiors to live well with their passions, histories, conveniences, and inconveniences. Combining practical tips with liberating philosophy: “Don’t scrub the soul out of your home”; “Make room for what you love” this volume celebrates living beautifully and happily, not messily. Lavishly illustrated with intimate photographs.

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 Italian cooking : at home with the Culinary Institute of America

June 13, 2011

Scappin, Gianni.

Hoboken, N.J. : Wiley, c2011.

Authentic, amazing Italian cooking made easyThis sumptuously photographed guide to cooking all things Italian in the home kitchen will win over both beginning and experienced cooks with authentic and inventive recipes and step-by-step guidance from the experts at the CIA. Covering a variety of dishes from snacks, pickles, and preserves to pasta, meat, fish, and dessert, Italian Cooking is the perfect primer for fresh and flavorful Italian cuisine. With rustic focaccias, long-simmered soups, and entrÉes with aromatic herbs, these vivid recipes are irresistible. Wine suggestions and mouthwatering photographs accompany the recipes. Includes more than 150 fantastic, approachable Italian recipes Covers chapters on Gli Spuntini (Snacks and Little Bites), I Crudi (Raw Dishes), Le Minestre (Soupe), La Pasta Secca (Dry Pasta), La Sfoglia (Fresh Pasta), I Pesci (Fish), Le Carni (Meat), and more Features tantalizing photos by Francesco Tonelli that illustrate cooking techniques and provide plenty of inspiration for the home cook Italian Cooking offers a grand tour through Italian cuisine, covering regional cuisines, wines, and histories along the way.

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Jamie Durie’s the outdoor room

June 22, 2011

Durie, Jamie.

New York, NY : Harper Design, c2011.

Taking readers behind the first season of the HGTV show “Outdoor Room with Jamie Durie,” this edition reveals the secrets behind Durie’s creations and how his signature methods can help anyone create a beautiful outdoor room, no matter the size of the space.

It didn’t take a recession for smart girls to know that the library is the most valuable free resource on the market!  Go take advantage of your local library for books, DVDs, (workout DVDs are my favorite…especially new releases), magazines, books on tape, etc.  There’s so much to love….and best of all, it’s so recession-friendly.  Free!

Did you know that the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County was voted the busiest library in the nation for four years running?  I’m proud to say, I think I single-handedly have helped improve our numbers!  I adore the library.  Take the whole family, and have a free night out at the library…and get smarter in the process. 

   Have you seen Amazon’s Kindle?  It’s so amazing.  I’m dying for one!   This amazing device lets you download entire books, newspapers, etc., onto this hand held device.   Imagine how great it would be to take on vacation, eliminating the need to carry 15 books with you.   Here’s Amazon’s product overview:

Product Overview

• Revolutionary electronic-paper display provides a sharp, high-resolution screen that looks and reads like real paper.
• Simple to use: no computer, no cables, no syncing.
• Wireless connectivity enables you to shop the Kindle Store directly from your Kindle—whether you’re in the back of a taxi, at the airport, or in bed.
• Buy a book and it is auto-delivered wirelessly in less than one minute.
• More than 190,000 books available, including more than 109 of 112 current New York Times® Best Sellers.
• New York Times® Best Sellers and New Releases $9.99, unless marked otherwise.
• Free book samples. Download and read first chapters for free before you decide to buy.
• Top U.S. newspapers including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post; top magazines including TIME, Atlantic Monthly, and Forbes—all auto-delivered wirelessly.
• Top international newspapers from France, Germany, and Ireland; Le Monde, Frankfurter Allgemeine, and The Irish Times—all auto-delivered wirelessly.
• More than 900 top blogs from the worlds of business, technology, sports, entertainment, and politics, including BoingBoing, Slashdot, TechCrunch, ESPN’s Bill Simmons, The Onion, Michelle Malkin, and The Huffington Post—all updated wirelessly throughout the day.
• Lighter and thinner than a typical paperback; weighs only 10.3 ounces.
• Holds over 200 titles.
• Long battery life. Leave wireless on and recharge approximately every other day. Turn wireless off and read for a week or more before recharging. Fully recharges in 2 hours.
• Unlike WiFi, Kindle utilizes the same high-speed data network (EVDO) as advanced cell phones—so you never have to locate a hotspot.
• No monthly wireless bills, service plans, or commitments—we take care of the wireless delivery so you can simply click, buy, and read.
• Includes free wireless access to the planet’s most exhaustive and up-to-date encyclopedia—Wikipedia.org.
• Email your Word documents and pictures (.JPG, .GIF, .BMP, .PNG) to Kindle for easy on-the-go viewing.
• Included in the box: Kindle wireless reader, Book cover, Power adapter, USB 2.0 cable

How fabulous is that?  If you just consume books, like I do, you’ll love this device.  Now through November 1, 2008, you can receive $50.00 off the price of a Kindle by using Oprah’s code, OPRAHWINFREY when you check out at www.Amazon.com .  How smart is that Jeff Bezos?

    One of my favorite authors, Stephanie Klein, has written a hysterical, yet touching, book called Moose, a memoir of fat camp.  It chronicles her horrific experience dealing with being the “fat kid.”  But the book is mainly about rejection.  Whether or not you can relate to the fat part is one thing, but everyone has dealt with rejection.  In actuality, I’ve never wore larger than a size 7 in my whole life….and that was on the way home from the hospital after delivering an 8.5 pound perfect baby boy.   I wore a size 5 most of my life until the last five years.  I now wear a size 2, and while I’m very proud of that fact, it doesn’t come for free.  I’m not as proud of the actual number, size 2, as I am about the dedication it takes to achieve it.  I have to work my tail off to maintain that.  I’ve found, there are no free rides in life.  But I’ve also found, as I mature, that it’s not all about the number, it’s more about maintaining health and feeling good every day.  For me, this realization didn’t manifest it’s way into my psyche until the age of 34….when I woke up in the morning and my bones were hurting from inactivity.  I grew to love all the collateral benefits of working out shortly thereafter……losing weight, gaining muscle, wearing a smaller size, looking sexier, constant compliments, and skyrocketed libido (yay), etc. 

 I first learned about Stephanie with her first book, Straight Up And Dirty.  This chronicles her young adult life while living in New York.   It has a Sex and the City-vibe to it.  It was a great read.  After reading that book (twice!), I found her wildly popular blog, Greek Tragedy.   The Greek Tragedy comes from yet another rejection….not being picked to be in a sorority. 

 You look at Stephanie now and just can’t imagine she was ever the fat kid or the unpopular kid.  She has scads of appeal, tons of crazy stories and experiences, and is a super talent with both writing and photography.  She’s so fun!  And for the record, she’s a skinny, popular girl now.  She’s more of a Greek Success than a Greek Tragedy! 

You can visit Steph’s blog, as I do weekly, at http://www.stephanieklein.com/