I’ve sort of been obsessed with this image from the Style Files. It just looks clean, comfortable, airy, happy and while not totally my style, I’m thinking of what works here and how to infuse my home with this. I think its mixing the cool (as in cold) modern lines with the warm wooden (not modern) table and all the color, both inside and out. Also, I’m lusting for outdoor space, and this looks to have plenty.

I’m back in the library (I’ve decided I’m a really a citizen of the libraries of New York City), but we had a nice weekend, watching Lars and the Real Girl, cooking tasty mac and cheese with wild mushrooms and TRUFFLE oil (so fancy!) and catching up with an old, dear friend in town from Germany.

NB: Lars and the Real Girl made me cry, and I actually don’t remember a movie ever making me cry before. It’s good, better than the storyline makes you think it will be.

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Every issue of Selvedge, the magazine dedicated to textiles, is a treat. Beautiful images, profiles, stories — the magazine is full of inspiration. I just got an email announcing new items in their shop and thought these felt slippers were cozy and perfect antidote to this chilly November, post-thanksgiving evening.

I hope everyone had a lovely holiday — we spent the holiday in Boston which was a nice break with lots of family, good food, and many things to be thankful for! I was unexpectedly without internet access, so I took a bit of a blogging break too.

While I don’t usually blog about food here although I’m a major food lover and cook, I wanted to share one of my favorite recipes, and one I cooked over thanksgiving. It’s a chocolate pear tart (but crustless!) — easy to make, delicious and my new favorite food. I found it in EveryDay Food, Martha Stewart’s cooking “magazine” where I always find a couple of new recipes to try every month. My two tweaks: I use canned pears (gasp! I know! but there are good organic canned pears out there that taste delicious) and raw almonds (I think it makes the tart taste more “tart” like, whatever that means, but if you cook it, you’ll understand).

And, thank you for your comments in the last couple of weeks! I always appreciate them so much and will respond this week. In a preview of coming attractions, I’ll update you on the necklace stands I ordered (one worked and one didn’t!), the massive lot of matchbook which have just arrived today and I have a mini-gift guide in the works!