House Spouse

There is lots to tell and write about, but this day week month is so busy. So, I’ll tell you about things in pictures, quickly, before I run off to do the next thing on my list (which is shower, a courtesy to my friends and classmates)!

Sprouts!

(L to R: A single sprout on Sunday; the same pot on Tuesday.)

I’ve had it in my mind to take photos of my window garden every day to document the progress. We noticed our first unfurled sprout on Sunday morning (and a few more just barely pushing through the soil). Yesterday was a hectic day, as all my Mondays are. I left for a full day of classes at 7:30 a.m. and didn’t return until 8:30 p.m. (stuffed full of greasy, cheesy enchiladas en mole eaten in Pilsen where we looked at an apartment). Exhausted with still more work to do before going to bed, I forgot to check on the garden. This morning there were sprouts everywhere! It was so appropriate, too, because yesterday really did feel like the first day of spring weather. It was a wet and balmy day in the high 50s.

The Summer Baby Cardigan

I finished the finishing on this wee sweater for Will and Jackie’s new baby girl, Grace Olivia. It’s my first sweater. I used Knit Picks‘ Cotton Shine Worsted in Terra Cotta.

Earth Hour Chicago

Andrew and I enjoyed a game of old-fashioned Scrabble in the dark (well, by candle light) on Saturday night. We had the lights out for Earth Hour. Our apartment was so quiet without the hum of lights, radio or television.

Recipes

I have some new recipes to share: Roasted potatoes with shallots and Smart Bacon, pizza from scratch with chicken sausage and peppers, and I’m sure some other ones I can’t think of right now, so be on the look out. (Why don’t I just post them now? Well, I’d like to include some photos, and Flickr and me are kind of in a tiff right now. Flickr hates my food photos and won’t let me upload them from my old cranky laptop. I’m too lazy busy to move to the desktop computer.)

Weight Watchers

Not to brag or anything, but I’ve lost 9 pounds this month. 9 pounds!

We had to know “the thaw” wouldn’t last. It’s not even April, after all. Yesterday was the first day of spring. Today it is snowing (and sticking!).

Yesterday, the weather was so sunny and pleasant (in a Chicagoan’s terms, that is). Today, we can’t see the sky amidst all the gray and snow. This is depressing, even for a Chicagoan accustomed to the most schizophrenic of seasons.

So I planted things: cilantro, lavender, mint, chives, and basil. And despite that the newly-filled pots are looking out onto a snow-covered, eyesore of an empty lot, I feel a lot better. I think Lizzy is into the new window garden, too.

At the top of my feed reader are my subscriptions to Apartment Therapy-Chicago, Design Sponge, Bluelines, DominoMag and Ready Made. I love to fawn over pretty interiors and functional small spaces. My own space is anything but! This living room of ours is an endless project for me. Maybe it’s the length of the room or our abundance of Ikea furnishings. I just can’t get it right! My interior design skills are lacking big time. The space never seems to work for us! It’s where I spend the majority of my day, either in the creaky arm chair reading for class or at the desk Andrew and I share, typing up papers. We’ve done plenty of purges and we clean the floors, dust and pick up regularly. Now we just need to figure out how to arrange this space to make it a place I love to be in! I’m using “we” and “I” interchangeably, because it’s really me who has the problem with this room, not Andrew.

Anyhow, I did make some progress with our couch. I love this couch. It’s the most comfortable, functional couch in the world. It’s a perfect place to nap, for overnight guests to sleep, and a gathering of friends to sit. It’s really ugly and dingy, though. The upholstery is ripping on the arm and because it’s cream colored, it is really showing its age. Here are the latest Before and After pics:

I removed the throw that was covering the couch and recovered the pillows with pillow cases I sewed with Amy Butler fabrics. I think it looks pretty good and is a nice focal point to really work around for the rest of the room. However, all that dingy-ness is exposed. I know I’ll get it recovered (professionally), but I’m trying to decide on an inexpensive way to do that. My sewing skills are lacking, so constructing my own slip cover is out of the question. Also, what color should I recover it with? For some reason, turquoise keeps coming to mind.

I need some advice.