Outdoor rooms

Elle Decor, July 2007
We've had some gorgeous weather in Seattle over this last week, and it's got me dreaming of spring and summer. One of my favorite things about summer is sitting outside in the evening, maybe eating dinner outside, enjoying a glass of wine, and chatting with friends and family.


BHG.com
Don't these outdoor rooms look like the perfect place for that? I love the feel of both rooms, and would love to have the outdoor space to create a room like this some day.

Spring, continued

I found this photo in the December 2009 issue of Elle Decor magazine, and fell in love with the room.

Though they are partially covered, the two large windows illuminate the room nicely. The shade of green is so lively. The caramel stain on the wood in the room warms it up just a bit. And I love the way the white bed adds a crispness to the room, yet looks cozy at the same time. Wouldn't you love to wake up on a Spring morning in this gorgeous room?!

Spring!

The new Nordstrom catalog graced my mailbox with its presence this week, and I fell in love with this Elliott Lucca handbag. The lovely lilac color just screams spring to me, and the leather looks so butter soft. Gorgeous.


Photo from Nordstrom.com

Up and running

I'm back up and running! Yay! My brother-in-law, bless his heart, spent a bunch of time yesterday and today going through my computer, making sure everything was copied over to my external hard drive, removing everything from the computer, and reinstalling Windows. Thankfully, as far as I can tell, we were able to save everything worth saving. But what a pain in the rear. I *highly* suggest you back up your computer regularly, and be sure that your anti-virus software is up to date. And if you know anyone who creates computer viruses, tell them I'd like to have a word with them. ;)

On a brighter note, I'm sitting here tonight with my husband and a glass of wine, watching the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics. I'm a sucker for this kind of stuff. It gives me goosebumps...the little US flags waving, the patriotism, the Olympic rings. I just love it.

Photo credit http://www.esportslog.com

Oh, did you hear the Canadian anthem being sung? My goodness...that young lady's voice is absolutely amazing. And what an experience to have, singing the national anthem at the Olympics.

I can't wait for the games to be underway!

From the Un-favorite things chronicles...

I know this blog is supposed to be about my 'favorite' things...but sometimes there are days where I have things happen that are definitely NOT favorites. And I want to be able to talk about those too....life isn't always sunshine and roses, and I certainly don't want to give the impression that my life is 'perfect' because it's not. I'm blessed, yes. And I have a lot going for me. But there are days where crappy things happen too.

This isn't a world-ending or life-changing event, by any stretch of the imagination...just a minor (major?) annoyance. My computer has a virus, and it's likely that I'll have to wipe out my entire computer and start new. Starting fresh has it's advantages. But also some disadvantages. Thankfully almost everything is backed up, so I likely won't lose too much. Such a pain in the rear!

Ah well.....to new beginnings, I suppose.

Cheesecake

We went to dinner with Greg's brother and his wife on Friday night, at a new restaurant at The Bravern in Bellvue, called John Howie.

Our personal reviews were mixed...Greg's brother and his wife, who have been to The Metropolitan Grill several times, said it wasn't as good as The Met. Greg enjoyed his dinner, and I loved mine. I had the Jumbo Garlic Scampi, and it was delicious. Perfectly cooked, with a really yummy sauce made of white wine, sweet butter, garlic, and herbs.

But the best part was dessert. We were in a hurry to leave (we were going to the UW basketball game after dinner), but I talked them into sharing a piece of cheesecake. And oh my goodness, was it gooooood. I wish I had brought my camera...it was an individual cake, about 4 inches in diameter, and it was scrumptious. It melted in my mouth like butter....devine.

Here's the closest picture I could find online (John Howie doesn't have photos online, but they do have a website-- http://www.johnhowiesteak.com/). If nothing else, go there for dessert!

And here's a link to the recipe page where the photo is from:
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/mini-cheesecakes-recipe

Fill Her Up

One of my favorite songs is by Sting, and it's called Fill Her Up. There's a lyric in the song that goes like this...
The evening sun is slanting through the pine trees real pretty
It's like I walked into a glade of Heaven, and there's music playin'...

Every time I'm driving along and I see the sun shining through the trees like that, this lyric comes to my head. And, as the title suggests, it fills me up. :)