Dewit: Make a Sazerac

It's Super Bowl weekend, and since a) I love the Saints, and b) Eli Manning hails from the great city of New Orleans, we are making a quintessentially NOLA cocktail: the Sazerac. Now, there are many ways to make a Sazzy -- the always reliable Gumbo Pages details several -- but I prefer the confusing and overly-complicated traditional method you see above. (This recipe heavily based on the recipe from GP.)

Come on, when is the next time you get to use two glasses to make one drink? Your six-pack of Miller Lite can't provide that kind of entertainment, people. So, go ahead: get your Rotel dip and chicken wings ready, then class that noise up with a deliciously complex New Orleans cocktail. DEWIT.

Happy Super Bowl! May your favorite team win, and may your Rotel be extra spicy.

PS. Thanks to the brilliant Mrs. Lilien for the Mr./Mrs. glasses, and for the design inspiration!

Bathroom Addition: After

A couple of years ago around this time, we knocked out a wall between adjacent closets and added a bathroom to our one-bathroom house. The renovation was a major project, but one that was worth all the annoyance/dollars/tears, and changed our lives. Here is a quick refresher on the before:

Real pretty.

I have been promising to show y'all the after since that time. I guess two years is long enough, so please accept these pictures I have taken for your enjoyment: 

Facing the sink.

 From just outside the bathroom door.

Stripes! Jars! Colored Pencils! Fun times.

A look inside the shower.

Various Polaroids/Japanese tape/blogger cliches.

From the shower looking out.

I don't know if you can tell from these angles, but the bathroom is kind of tiny. For instance, in the above photo I am standing inside the shower having a relationship with my tripod.

So there it is. I hope you enjoyed it. I sure did, except for the part where I had to crawl under and THROUGH the tripod legs to get to the shutter button.

Sources:

Floor: Generic black penny tile/charcoal grout
Mirror: PB Teen
Sconces: Hudson Valley Lighting
Glass shelf: IKEA
Sink: IKEA
Toilet: Toto
Fixtures: Kohler
Shower curtain: IKEA, then custom sewn and monogrammed
Rug:eBay
Stool: Vintage
Hooks: The Hook Lady
Art: Lot 9 Press, Lisa Congdon, various Chaos

PS. Those of you waiting on rate sheets will have one in your hot little hands in the next day or so. Thank you for your patience!

PPS. Thank you for the nice knee notes. Not only was it neighborly, I guess you could say it was KNEE-ded. (I'll show myself out.)

Crip Tuesday

Benched.

As you may know if you follow me on Twitter, we are training for the NOLA half-marathon again. My knee has been bothering me for the past couple of weeks, and the pain did not abate despite constant ice/elevation/foam rolling/yoga. So, yesterday, I went to the orthopedic doctor. And the doctor was all like, "Oh, hm. Well, it's either something that will get better in a few days, or a tear in your meniscus."

SO, TOTALLY NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT.

Anyway, I am super depressed about it. Y'all probably couldn't tell from my personality, but I am addicted to endorphins. I am also addicted to the strong, powerful, superior feeling that comes from running really fast for a long time. Which I cannot do for at least another week. Which makes me cry. For real, I have been PMS-weepy since I left the doctor's office. Perhaps I should see another kind of doctor for another kind of medicine?

I received a cortisone shot and a prescription for anti-inflammatories, so let's all just cross our fingers (and knees!) that it works. Because if it doesn't, I am burning down the doctor's office and then my own leg.

In happier news, here's a sneak peek at a before and after that I'll be posting later in the week. Hint: a) it's in my house, b) I've been promising it for about a year now, and c) it is real cute.

Upside down monkey!

Places I'll (Probably) Go

Well, well, Internet. It turns out you totally want to have shopping parties with me. So exciting! Here is a handy map visual of the cities you live in. It makes me happy that I can drive my car to most of them, since a) I don't have to check any bags, and b) I can fit at least 100 throw pillows in the back seat. As you can see, California is sort of an outlier, but I am certainly going to go there if I have enough clients to warrant a trip.

I am still collecting data (ugh) and making spreadsheets (gross) and trying to figure out the best way to do this whole shebang, but based on the interest I've received, it is happening. So if you're near any of these places, and would like to work with me both long-distance AND in person, hit me here for more info and a rate sheet.

OK. That's it for now. Yay! And thank you for liking me!

PS. If I have your city in the wrong place on the map, I apologize. What am I, a cartographer?

Friday Over $500: Bathroom Edition

 

We've been saving for our second bathroom renovation -- the last room in our entire house that needs work (!!!) -- and I'm almost ready to start deciding on what things I'll be deciding on. You know. It will look something like this, except not a million dollars. Here we go. (Prices are approximate.)

1. These sunshine delights from Schoolhouse Electric are actually affordable, and super cute. I'd get three, for hanging on either side and in the center of my twin sink/mirror combo. $69 per.

2. I couldn't decide between this and the more modern Duravit double sink, but the Kohler utility sink is just so dang charming. Brockway 36" double sink, $1400.

3. Oh, hey, Waterworks unlacquered brass tub fittings. Come over. Henry Exposed Wall Mounted Tub Filler With Handshower, $2950.

4. Carrara floor tile -- in any shape -- will do just fine. Honed Carrara herringbone tile, $10.95/sq. ft.

5. This is the most ridiculous tub I have ever seen. I want it. Unfortunately, none of us can have it, because it was a German limited edition from Kohler like five years ago. Price: who knows? Something German.

6. If I splurge on anything in the whole (real) bathroom, it will be on a Niche Modern light. Don't argue with me, y'all. It's happening. Oculo Modern pendant light, $550.

7. Nina Campbell's Perroquet wallpaper, which you first saw in Domino in her daughter's hallway. Another thing you can't have, since it's never in stock anywhere. Perroquet wallpaper in black, $150/roll.

8. Yellow Bertoia side chair. The second thing I'd splurge on. Also, can we just establish that I hate the word "splurge"? Because I do. Splurge. Gross. Bertoia side chair, $698.

9. ABC Carpet overdyed rug. Obviously. Price: an obscene number.

10. Perhaps madam desires a pair of antique French gilt mirrors from the 1800s? Of course madam does. Price on application.