Well. That was a whirl wind.

Whoa. We're on the victory side of four days of INSANE home improvement, followed by three days of styling and photographing with the very talented folks from Country Living, and finally-- our house is quiet.

It was an exhilarating/miserable/awesome week. It was like we were running our very own reality television show-- how many pillows could my mom make in a day?? How many boulders could my dad unearth from the garden in a week?? How quickly could we re-design my living room? How fast could I re-upholster nine outdoor chairs? And by god! How late is the nearest hardware store open???

And then just like that-- the people from Country Living arrived and whirled through the house-- tweaking this and adjusting that, with buckets and buckets of flowers, and lots of cute tchotchkes. It was fascinating and fun to see our house through someone else's eyes-- the stylist did a bunch of things I'd never even thought of-- brought in colors I'd never imagined and added little accents that made me think, "Of course. Why didn't I think of that??" (Like euro-shams on our master bed... DUH!)

So now there are two bummers. The first: I've got to go out and buy a bunch of euro-shams, and possibly invest in some red linen towels, which won't be cheap. The second: I'm not allowed to publish any of their photos until the piece airs (not until Spring 2016!!!) but I did attempt to recreate a couple of their shots, which I'll post over the next few days. Sadly my styling skills don't compare, nor do my photography talents... But you'll get the gist.

Holy crepe.

For some reason, I always thought making crepes was difficult. And reserved for the french. And maybe making a perfect crepe is and should be. But making a perfectly decent American crepe is easy as pie, and awesome. 

I went for the easiest recipe I could find, Martha Stewart's "Crepes 101" and it came out exactly as promised. We sprinkled it with a little bit of cinnamon-sugar, topped with fresh peaches, and well- surprise, surprise! That was delicious.

DIRECTIONS

1. Sift flour and salt into a large bowl. Whisk together milk and eggs in a medium bowl. Pour milk mixture into flour mixture, whisking to combine. Whisk in butter. Strain mixture into a medium bowl, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or up to 1 day). Batter should be the consistency of heavy cream; add more milk if needed.
2. Heat an 8- or 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat, and brush with butter. Ladle or pour 3 tablespoons batter (for small crepes) or 1/3 cup batter (for large crepes) into pan, turning and tilting skillet to coat bottom evenly with batter. Cook until top of crepe appears set, bottom is firm and golden brown in spots, and center is lifted by pockets of air, about 1 minute.
3. Run a spatula around edge of crepe to loosen. Slip spatula under crepe, and gently flip in one swift gesture. (If it doesn't land quite right, that's okay; use the spatula to unfold or rearrange it.) Cook until bottom is firm and golden brown in spots, about 45 seconds. Transfer to a plate, and cover. (The first one will not be your finest.) Repeat with remaining batter, brushing pan lightly with butter as needed (every 2 or 3 crepes). Serve immediately.

Pretty much perfect.

There are still a million things to do, to fix, to paint, to change, to reupholster, to wallpaper, to move... A porch to build. A bathroom floor to tile. A platter rack to construct. An attic floor to paint. Barns to knock down. Barns to build. A pool to dig. A garden to plant. Deers to fend off. There are plenty of dreams left undone up at the farm, make no mistake. But one thing is already pretty much perfect:

Yep. I'm now the proud owner of this vintage (working!) cow thermometer. I picked it up for like, a dollar, along with the antique rug at that estate sale I hit the last time I was upstate, and as we speak, it's sittin' pretty on our front porch (covering the GFI electrical outlet, no less!) telling me it's hot as balls in New York State. But even as the bearer of bad news, I love it anyway, and I'm hoping you do too. 

So close, you can smell it.

I mean, I wouldn't, but if you wanted to-- you could.

Our attic is so close to being finished, I just can't wait to get back upstate and make those final tweaks. But considering the crazy deadlines we've been working with, things are looking pretty freaking phenomenal up there, and my parents deserve a considerable amount of the cred. Once it was finally paneled and painted, they reassembled the furniture, made the 1,000,000 beds, and did some serious tidying up for our next renters.

Of course there's still some obsessive tweaking I'll have to do before Country Living arrives for the photo-shoot next week:

• I'm debating whether to spray all of the bed frames white, yellow, or maybe sagey-green. Could be cute. Could be too cute.
• I have a major need for new lamp shades up there! I refuse to have farm-loving Americans see my current lamp shade situation captured forever in the pages of Country Living. 
• I've got to move my incredible vintage globe collection to a more prominent location (you didn't even know that existed, did you???)
• ...and then somehow I still have to find time to hang up the ka-jillion landscape paint-by-numbers paintings that my mom has been collecting at my behest.

But all things considered, that room is dang close to finished. 

What does your $150 antique table look like?

Because, hot damn, this is what mine looks like and it's just preposterously beautiful.

Are you like, "Wait. What new coffee table? Where did that come from??" This all started because I found this beautiful antique rug at an estate sale last weekend. And once it was laying in our living room (following three days of airing out in the sun and a severe Capture cleaning), I was like, "Well. That's gorgeous. And man, am I just so over our coffee table." Probably for the same reason I was over my old blog format-- I just think that whole reclaimed wood furniture thing has been so utterly overdone and yet- there I was- surrounded by it! On my blog and in my living room.

So obviously I casually said, "Maybe I'll just peruse Craig's List,  just in case some obvious gem jumps out as me..." And of course, two and a half seconds later, I found this glorious "Antique Irish Pine Table" listed for $150.00. It's a honker-- 36" X 48" -- which made me a bit nervous, but now that it's there----- be still my beating heart, it's perfect. It's exquisitely exquisite. It's just what we were missing all along! 

Craig's List has smiled upon me once again. What a stroke of luck! 

My next project??

You know how most Americans love the endless pasta bowl at Olive Garden? That's how I feel about our bottomless list of home improvements: A little bit gross, but mostly excited. So you can only imagine how pleased I was to discover my next project while wandering around the New York Times Real Estate section this evening!

I'm utterly enamored with that platter rack, and god knows, I've got plenty-a-platters to rack. It will also give me an opportunity to say something just as irritating as the woman interviewed... And I quote: "I had a rack made to store my mismatched platters. I entertain so much, it's just easier to keep them out." (Though in my case, it will sound more like, "John and I cobbled together this weird looking platter rack because I've got so many weird looking platters, I didn't know where to put them...") Either way.

Wouldn't it look just perfect up at the farm?! 

Now the only thing to decide: should we build it in the kitchen or in the pantry????

Even more news...

Guys. Serious question here, and I need some serious answers. I've just changed the background and layout of my blog. (Hopefully you've noticed. If not, see your optometrist immediately.)

I was just feeling a little, well... over the whole salvaged barn wood chic thing. I've got salvaged barn wood (aka falling-down barns) coming outta my eyeballs these days, and I think I'm feeling like things could look a little more bright and airy. Furthermore, the blog has been the same since 2009 (good grief!) Don't you think it's time for a change???

Thoughts? Feedback?

"Don't fix what ain't broken" 

or 

"Breath of fresh air"?? 

In other news...

Well. It's official. I'm turning into the village bicycle. (Everyone's taking a ride...) 

Just as we were prepping the farm for the Country Living shoot, the latest American Farmhouse Magazine hit the stands with a TWELVE PAGE SPREAD of our house. Believe it or not, I still haven't picked up my own copy, but my mom (devoted fan that she is!) grabbed a copy and sent me photos of all TWELVE PAGES.

Did I mention it was twelve pages?? 

Sweet Jesus.

This latest project has been a doozy. I mean seriously.

How long have I been talking about this god-forsaken attic?? 

Literally months. Granted, my work schedule has been a little spotty (...Only on weekends. Except when I'm wallpapering, or hosting a zillion people upstate for a holiday. Or napping. Or gardening. Or taking another nap.) But still-- even with the resounding lack of motivation taken into consideration-- this project has taken FOREVER.

But! My friends! My fans! My family! (Okay, I know it's mostly just my dad reading this blog...) You will be pleased/relieved to hear that the attic renovation is finally coming to a close. We got the last pieces of paneling up on Monday morning and then, in a very un-John-and-Christina move, we hired someone to prime and paint it.

"WHAT?!?!" You cry out in disbelief. The world's tightest purse has been pried open and we have paid someone else to do something we could do ourselves???? Did I have a stroke? Did John get abducted by aliens? Or both????!!? 

Okay. Take a breath. We're all okay. But we're operating on a crazy tight schedule right now. I found out- like yesterday- (alright- maybe last Tuesday?) that Country Living magazine is coming up to the farm to photograph the house for one of their Summer 2016 editions-- which is AWESOME news. However this incredibly exciting mega-miracle happens to be slated for July 29th-31st. And as luck would have it, John's driving out to Los Angeles right now to work on a project with a colleague, and of course our house was already rented from July 18-25th, so basically we had this past weekend to get the entire attic finished and ready for both renters and the Country Living shoot. 

No pressure.  

You wouldn't believe all of the projects that were tackled in the past four days, but my photo situation is a little shabby right now because I was so busy doing projects that I kind of neglected to document them. That's basically grounds for dismal in the blogging world, but you'll just have to forgive this faux-pas because,

MY GOD, PEOPLE. I WAS IN A HURRY. 

Other photo-worthy moments in Country Life...

My mom just came back from a grand tour of the midwest, and acquired, among many other things, a fabulous glass dome filled with butterflies and small birds. (Yep. I said that.)

When she first showed me the photo, I was like, "Hmm. Maybe I'm at capacity for taxidermy. Let's give it the skip." but then I was haunted by it. I'd found just the right place to put it, and was somewhat disconsolate that she'd left it behind.


Lucky for me, she was able to swing back by and pick it up a day later, and now I'm the proud owner of a butterfly-small-bird-dome, which greets me every morning!

What a delight! 

OMG. Love at first light.

We've finally got the Moravian star installed, and I am overwhelmed by its arresting beauty.

It's just preposterous. 

The emotions I feel when I look at this light fixture are the pride and joy typically associated with more important things-- child birth, first steps, college graduation. That's how I feel when I flip the switch on my glorious star fixture, hanging like a personal firework in my bathroom.

Quite possibly the best $30.00 I've ever spent. 

Awesome stuff you get to do upstate...

I know it seems like all we do upstate is work on our house, and periodically eat a lot, but every once in a while, we're allowed to have a little fun too. This past weekend a group of us headed down to the local swimmin' hole for a little swing-and-dunk into the Callicoon Creek. It was totally awesome and reminded me why we have a country house (and what it's like to have a little fun...)

Happy 4th of July!

I know I'm a couple of days late, but we spent so much of the 4th of July weekend cooking, eating, and celebrating, I didn't really have a chance to write about it. I'll fill you in on what we cooked over the next few days, because it was a roaring success of excess and deliciousness. We started out with pulled pork sandwiches with homemade pickled onions. The great thing about this recipe: it's easy to make, and easy to double or triple (depending on the size of your crowd) and you can keep revisiting it all weekend in new formats. After we inhaled this dish on Friday night, I saw a pulled pork hash happen on Saturday morning and I even saw someone put pulled pork on top of their hotdogs on Saturday afternoon! Maybe a little extreme for me, but the point is, if you churn this out, it can feed a crowd for days.

I hope everyone had as much fun as we did-- Happy 4th of July everyone! 

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE PORK

• 1 ½ teaspoons whole coriander seed
• 1 ½ teaspoons whole cumin seed
• 1 ½ teaspoons black peppercorns
• 2 ¼ teaspoons coarse kosher salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons dry mustard powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons chile powder
• 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 3 ½ pounds boneless pork shoulder
•  Hamburger or brioche buns, for serving

FOR THE BARBECUE SAUCE

• 1 ½ cups ketchup
• ¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 2 garlic cloves, minced or grated
• ¼ cup cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons sweet or hot paprika
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
•  Pinch of cayenne
•  Dash of hot sauce, more to taste

PREPARATION

1. Assemble the spice rub for the pork: In a dry, small skillet over medium-low heat, toast coriander, cumin and peppercorns until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, grind toasted spices into a fine powder. Transfer to a bowl and mix with salt, mustard powder, chile powder and sugar.
2. If your roast is tied up, untie it. Massage meat generously with spice rub. If you have time, let meat rest for an hour or two at room temperature, or refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
3. Heat oven to 300 degrees. Place pork in a baking pan and roast for 3 to 4 hours or until meat is pull-apart tender and internal temperature reads 200 degrees on a meat thermometer. Let meat cool for at least 30 minutes before pulling it apart and shredding with your hands or two forks. (This works best when the meat is warm but not hot.)
4. Prepare the barbecue sauce: Combine ingredients in a medium pot. Simmer over medium-low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce has deepened in color. Season with more hot sauce if you like. Add two-thirds of the sauce to meat and toss to coat, adding more sauce as needed. (Any leftover sauce will keep for at least 2 weeks in the refrigerator.)
5. Serve pulled pork with pickled onions, buns and hot sauce on the side, letting people assemble their own sandwiches.

Latest Craig's List bounty!

Not because I didn't have a million other things to do, but I confess-- I devoted a portion of my morning to cruising Brooklyn, picking up all of my latest Craig's List finds.

(Don't worry. I also had a dozen phone meetings via the miracle of blue-tooth. Now that's what I call multi-tasking!)

I had two major scores to collect this morning-- the first: A truly lovely lady ancestor, gold-carved frame and all, which I picked up from an equally lovely Ukrainian lady out near Coney Island for $125.00.



Then I carried on a little farther and stopped near Jones Beach to pick up this exceptional Moravian Star Light Fixture. This beauty is a gen-uine antique, not one of those "Shades Of Light" knock offs, and should definitely have cost me considerably more...

I've got grand plans to hang this gem in our master bathroom, and then move the schoolhouse light that was hanging there (one of a pair we snagged from Freeman's Alley when they were renovating!) up into the attic. I wasn't able to find an antique one of these Moravian Stars with a price online, but even nice reproductions cost a couple hundred dollars, minimum, so the $30.00 I handed over for this seems like one heck of a deal.

The best news: The guy I bought it from was just as happy to get rid of it as I was to acquire it, so jolly bean all around!!