10/10/10

The date is just too cool to let this day go by without thinking about its significance.

It seems that there are often important events that take place on dates that share the same number for month and day. For instance, the Allied invasion of Europe in World War II began on D-Day, 06/06 (in 1944). The Germans signed an armistice with the Allies, bringing an end to World War I, on 11/11 (in 1918). Did you know that the London Eye (formerly called the Millennium Wheel) was put into place on 10/10 (in 1999)? Or that Alaska became the 49th U.S. state on 07/07 (in 1958)?

Much rarer are significant events that take place on dates that share the same number for month, day, and year. Of course, there are only 12 such days per century. But occasionally something big does happen on such a day. Remember the Opening Ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics? Those took place on 08/08/08 (21st century). The Commonwealth of Australia came into being on 01/01/01 (20th century).

I've been thinking that it might be a fun challenge to come up with some kind of goal related to this special day in history. Perhaps there's something I could commit to do between today, 10/10/10, and the next of these dates, which will be 11/11/11. That's 13 months and one day from today. I'm not very good at making (or keeping) New Year's resolutions, but maybe I could make a triple-date resolution.

Nothing to do with my diet or exercise, thank you. I don't really want to talk about that, but if you do, that's okay.

But maybe I'd like to have all the closets in my house cleaned out by 11/11/11. Or maybe I'd like to read a particular version of the Bible all the way through between now and 11/11/11. Or maybe I'd just like to promise that I'll spend a certain amount of time in prayer each day for this time. I'd love to look back at these thirteen months from the vantage point of 11/11/11 and say that I've spent more time with God in those months than ever before in my life.

What do you think? Want to join me on a triple-date journey? Is there something you'd like to accomplish over the next thirteen months, some hope you hold dear, or something you'd like to do to commemorate these days?

The heart of the home: the kitchen

Today I'm going to show you my favorite room in our house. It's a good thing I like my kitchen, because it's where I spend most of my time! Take a little tour with me.

Our kitchen is large, open room which includes a casual eating area and a seating/desk area. Here's a view from one end of the room to the other:

And now, a little closer look, going from end to end. The eating area and seating area:

Our table is from Pottery Barn. It's enormous--11 1/2 feet long! I love being able to have a table big enough to seat lots of people. (A side note about Pottery Barn. I love their things, but they tend to be little pricey. If there's a piece I want, I wait for it to go on sale, and then I purchase it with a Pottery Barn credit card. I pay the credit card off in full the next month--adding interest payments to the purchase price would be horrible. But by using the PB card, I get a reward of 10% of the amount I spent in a Pottery Barn gift certificate.) Beside the table is my mother's dough cabinet, which is one of my most prized possessions.

The stairs to the left of this picture lead down to the "terrace level," also known as the walk-out basement. I like the fact that the stairs are open; it makes this level feel more like a part of the house.

The middle of the room:

The bar is where I usually sit and blog! My favorite thing here is the barstools. They were boring barstools from TJMaxx; I refinished and re-upholstered them, and now I love them. Click here if you want to read about them.

The working kitchen end of the room:

One of my favorite features of this part of the kitchen is the lighted shadowboxes at the top of the cupboards. I use them to display pitchers. You can read more about the pitchers here.

Another of my favorite things is the window treatment. I originally made a faux Roman shade using Thrifty Decor Chick Sarah's tutorial. I love the plantation shutters on the windows of the other end of this room, but I wanted to be able to see out of the window above the sink, plus I wanted a pop of color. Sarah's tutorial is super-easy (and of course, since it's from Sarah, it's fun to read!). That's the red shade you see in the photos above.

This spring I wanted to change the shade, and I came up with an even easier way to make a faux Roman shade. You can see that tutorial here if you like.

You know how they say the kitchen is the heart of the home? Well, my kitchen connects to the back entry, the dining room, the living room, the downstairs, the deck, and the screened porch. It really is like the heart of this house, with accessibility to most of the rest of the living space. It's especially fun for parties, where we usually cover the island with food and the bar with beverages. I'm always amazed at how people just hang out in this room.

I'd love for you to come hang out in my kitchen. I guess this virtual hanging out is the next-best thing! Where do you hang out at your house?

Notes: Cupboards are maple beadboard; granite is Santa Cecilia

Drawer pulls and cabinet knobs are from Restoration Hardware

Appliances are KitchenAid

Wall color is Ruskin Room Green by Sherwin-Williams

**I'm joining these wonderful parties:

Show us your life kitchen party at Kelly's Korner

Heart of the Home Party at Note Songs

Room by Room at Cottage and Vine

My very best side-dish recipe:Baked Apricots

Sometimes in life you happen upon a recipe that's just too good not to share.  Do you know what I mean?  That's what this recipe is.

We had out-of-town company this week.  I made a big dinner Tuesday night that turned out really well, thanks be to God. I served Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin (recipe here). Now I want to share with you the recipe for one of the side dishes I made. Of all the things I ever cook, this is the recipe that is most often requested. This is the side dish to die for. This is one of those recipes that my mother got from a friend who got it from a friend who got it from another friend--you know the kind. Simple but so good you could eat it with a spoon!

Baked Apricots

2 cans apricot halves, drained

1 1/2 cups crushed Ritz crackers

1 stick butter, melted

3/4 cup brown sugar

Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray. Place apricots, cut side up, in bottom of pan.

Mix crushed Ritz crackers, butter, and brown sugar together. Sprinkle mixture on top of apricots.

Bake at 300 degrees 35-40 minutes.

Oh, my word. These are melt-in-your-mouth good. They pair wonderfully with pork and poultry. My husband and sons like to spoon them over vanilla ice cream.

What's your favorite side dish?

Linking to: 

Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.

Thanksgiving Recipe Round-up at Serenity Now

Practice Hospitality party at Southern Fried Gal

Show Us Your Best Side Dish party at Kelly's Korner