September Sweets

"C is for Cookie. That's good enough for me."

(Cookie Monster)

September just flew by, didn't it? I got to do a lot of baking though, which I've always enjoyed. Before I moved back to the suburbs 2 months ago, my baking frenzies were mostly confined to holiday weekends or other occasions when I stayed at my parents' house, since I didn't have a working oven in the city. My parents have always known me to bake and have gladly partaken in the results, but now say I should focus on cooking "real food." My father's exact Mr. Miyagi-esque words 1 week ago, after telling me he likes my baked goods: "Now you must master cooking. You have almost mastered making sandwiches." I have been appointed the official household work lunch sandwich-maker.

For now, here are all the details of my September sweets, including links and recipes.

Chewy Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies

I found the food blog Dinner with Julie after Hostess with the Mostess posted a recipe for these Chewy Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies. I love oatmeal cookies, and ripe blueberries are delicious, but I had never baked cookies with fresh fruit before. I've made blueberry pancakes, of course, and blueberry muffins* are one of my staple Dunkin' Donuts snacks, but cookies? I had to try them.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (or so) fresh blueberries

Preparation

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl beat the butter, oil, and brown sugar until creamy; beat in the egg and vanilla. Add the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt and stir untiil almost combined; add the blueberries and stir just until blended. Drop large blobs on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, until set around the edges but still soft in the middle. Makes 1 1/2-2 dozen cookies.

These were so good, and you can almost say they're good for you! I baked them to bring to work for a staff meeting, and they went over very well (as did the banana walnut bread, below). One caveat: Because these cookies are made with fresh blueberries, it is best to consume them quickly or they will get soggy. But they're really yummy so they probably won't sit around long! Try baking them with dried blueberries, too.

*For some reason I'm not a big fan of muffins, and I prefer the taste of reduced-fat versions to the regular ones.

Banana Walnut Bread

As I mentioned, I also brought banana walnut bread to work so that it, along with the chewy blueberry oatmeal cookies, could double as breakfast and treat, since our meetings are in the morning. I used a Gourmet Banana Bread recipe from Epicurious, but adapted it based on the ingredients I had at home. We enjoyed one loaf at work, and my family -- especially my nephew, Peter -- got to enjoy the second loaf over Labor Day weekend, which we spent at a lake house in Pennsylvania.

Ingredients 

• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs at room temperature for 30 minutes
• 2 1/3 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 cups coarsely mashed very ripe bananas (6 large) -- I only had 3 bananas
• 1/4 cup crème fraîche -- I substituted approximately 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups walnuts (4 ounces), toasted and chopped -- I used 2 ounces because I accidentally burned the other 2 ounces

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 2 (9x5x3-inch) metal loaf pans, then dust with flour, knocking out excess. Sift together 3 1/4 cups flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt into a bowl. Beat together eggs and sugar in bowl of electric mixing at medium-high speed until very thick and pale and mixture forms a ribbon when beater is lifted, about 10 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add oil in a slow stream, mixing, then mix in bananas, crème fraîche, and vanilla. Remove bowl from mixer and fold in flour mixture and walnuts gently but thoroughly. Divide batter between 2 loaf pans, spreading evenly, and bake in middle of oven until golden brown and a wooden pick or skewer comes out clean, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Cool loaves in pans on a rack 10 minutes, then turn out onto rack. Turn loaves right side up and cool completely.

I was expecting the bread to come out a little less than banana bread-y since I needed to halve the number of bananas in the recipe, but it tasted plenty banana-y and we definitely did not miss the extra 3 -- good to note if you have a recipe that calls for more bananas than what you may have on hand! Same with the walnuts -- feel free to leave them out, use more or less, or try a different nut. You can also add additional spices like clove, nutmeg, or ginger, and mm, maybe try substituting banana-flavored yogurt for the crème fraîche if you're bananas for bananas. Even though I inadvertently ended up not following the recipe, the result was still delicious so I think that's a testament to the flexibility of this recipe and banana bread in general. And a lighter banana version is good for banana-loving little ones, who you might not want eating too many.

 

Key Lime Pie

My sister Maureen loves key lime pie. I've been to the Florida Keys a couple of times, but she hasn't, and it's one of those things my father likes to jokingly rub in, saying to her, "You've never had real key lime pie made in the Keys, but we have!" (Whenever there is any mention of Key West or key lime pie and my sister is present, he says this without fail.) Since I knew I would be spending Labor Day weekend with her, I decided I would bake a key lime pie at the lake house so that we could all enjoy her favorite dessert, nowhere near the Keys. I used another Gourmet recipe for Key Lime Pie, which was posted on YumSugar, but went the semi-homemade route to avoid having to buy and transport extra ingredients and kitchen supplies.

Ingredients

• Crust -- I used a pre-made graham cracker crust, eliminating the need to bring a pie dish to bake in
• 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs from 9 (2 1/4x4 3/4-inch) crackers
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• Filling
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh or bottled Key lime juice
• Topping
• 3/4 cup chilled heavy cream -- I used store-bought whipped cream, eliminating the need to bring heavy cream and an electric mixer (and so I could eat Reddi-wip straight up!)
• Lime zest, optional for garnish

Preparation

• Make crust: Preheat oven to 350°F. Stir together graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in a bowl with a fork until combined well, then press mixture evenly onto bottom and up side of a 9-inch (4-cup) glass pie plate. Bake crust in middle of oven 10 minutes and cool in pie plate on a rack. Leave oven on.
• Make filling and bake pie: Whisk together condensed milk and yolks in a bowl until combined well. Add juice and whisk until combined well (mixture will thicken slightly). Pour filling into crust and bake in middle of oven 15 minutes. Cool pie completely on rack (filling will set as it cools), then chill, covered, at least 8 hours.
• Make topping: Just before serving, beat cream in a bowl with an electric mixer until it just holds stiff peaks. Serve pie topped with cream and lime zest, if desired.

This was my first key lime pie, and I highly recommend it! It's super simple, even without the shortcuts I took for convenience, and seemingly foolproof. We devoured it after dinner outside by the lake. My sister loved it and immediately asked for the recipe. We all know key lime pie is delicious, but who knew it was so easy to make?

Mug Brownie

Another incredibly easy sweet treat is this Two-Minute Mug Brownie posted in The Family Kitchen blog of the parenting site, Babble. It actually takes me more than 2 minutes, because I don't move that fast, but it's still really quick and only requires a microwave oven. I tried this recipe a couple of times. The first time, I followed it exactly but needed to microwave it a little longer than 1 minute, and then overdid it a bit. The second time, I got a little experimental and added a couple of teaspoons of grape jelly, and microwaved it less than I had the first time.

 

Ingredients 

• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• Pinch of salt -- I added a little more than a pinch, and used freshly ground coarse salt, to have that sweet-and-salty flavor profile
• 2 tablespoons canola or other mild vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons milk, coffee, or water

 

Preparation

• In a heatproof mug or ramekin, stir together the dry ingredients until no lumps remain. Stir in the oil and milk until you have a thick paste. Microwave on high for a minute, checking it after 30 seconds (microwaves vary). It will be done when it's springy on top but still gooey -- like the very best brownie. Eat warm.

Because I had microwaved it too much the first time I tried this recipe, the second time around I wanted it to be very moist, which is why I thought to add grape jelly. I have other flavors of jams and preserves at home, but at the time I felt like the smoothness of a classic grape jelly would be great. The add-in possibilities are really endless: strawberry preserves, raspberries (think molten chocolate raspberry cake), peanut butter, Nutella, marshmallows or even Fluff! When you're baking a whole cake or pie or pot of something, you might not want to get too creative for fear of ruining an entire batch, but when you're only working with a mug-sized dessert, you can try anything and everything. In a weird way, microwaving and eating these brownies makes me feel like I'm in a Betty Crocker Warm Delights commercial. Why does it always have to be a woman at home alone at night, finding comfort in a single-serve microwavable brownie?

Mini Cherry Cornbread Cakes

I wanted to make something cornmeal-based and use dried cherries I picked up at the store, so the first thing I thought of were cherry corn muffins. Unfortunately, I couldn't find my muffin tin; I think I must have left it at my sister's place some time ago. I do have my Nordic Ware Multi-Mini Bundt Cake Pan, so instead, I made small cherry-studded corn cakes, which are about the size of Texas muffins (i.e. huge). I used Ina Garten's Corn Muffins recipe and mixed the dried cherries into the batter.

 

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup medium cornmeal
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk -- I used skim milk because I didn't have whole milk
• 1/2 pound unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 extra-large eggs

Preparation

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, melted butter, and eggs. With the mixer on the lowest speed, pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones and stir until they are just blended. Spoon the batter into the paper liners, filling each one to the top. Bake for 30 minutes, until the tops are crisp and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool slightly and remove from the pan.

Because these weren't muffin-sized, they were truly substantial and I ate these for breakfast for a few days! I didn't want to over-bake them, so I took them out of the oven before the tops were really crisp, and when I ate them in the mornings I would cut, toast, and spread jam all over them. I love the flavor and graininess of cornmeal, and the dried cherries added sweet/tart/chewy.

Crumb-Topped Apple Pie

This time of year, I love going apple picking with family and friends. Last Saturday, I went to Harvest Moon Farm & Orchard in North Salem, NY and just yesterday I went to Demarest Farms in Hillsdale, NJ. I made 2 apple pies with the apples I brought home last weekend. In searching for a simple recipe, I came across CountryLiving magazine's Country Living Fair Apple Pie Contest winners. The recipe I chose to try -- Eyerman Family Bakers' Crumb-Topped Apple Pie -- won 3rd place in the the 2008 contest. Why did I go with 3rd place and not 1st or 2nd? The others have more involved double crusts that call for shortening, and I didn't have any shortening at home. Also, I love crumb toppings and crumbles!

Ingredients

• Crust
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons milk
• Filling -- I used a random variety of apples
• 3-4 Macintosh apples
• 3-4 Granny Smith apples
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon butter cut into small pieces
• Topping
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 stick butter

Preparation

• Make crust: Combine flour, sugar, and salt right in the pie plate and mix with a fork until blended. In a cup, combine vegetable oil and milk and beat with a fork until creamy. Pour over the flour mixture all at once. Mix with a fork until flour mixture in moistened. Pat the dough with your fingers distributing dough up the sides of pie plate and then over the bottom. Dough should have the consistency of oily putty and be easy to spread. Flute edges as desired.
• Make filling: Peel, core, and slice apples thinly into a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon together. Sprinkle sugar mixture and butter pieces over the apples and mix to distribute the two varieties of apples evenly. Pour into prepared crust. Apples can be heaped high, even higher than the pie crust edges.
• Important note from my experience: Once combined with the sugar mixture and butter, the apples release a lot of water! Let the filling sit in a bowl for at least 15-20 minutes and then pour out the excess water before adding the filling to the crust.
• Make topping: Mix sugar and flour together with a fork. Cut into butter with pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles medium-fine crumbs. Sprinkle topping over the apples. This will create a very top-heavy looking pie. Put pie dish on a cookie sheet for better handling.
• Bake pie: Bake assembled pie for 10 minutes in a preheated 450°F oven. Lower temperature to 350°F and continue baking for 45 additional minutes (or until pie is nicely browned on top and juices start to bubble). Cool until slightly warm or room temperature. This pie is best eaten within two day of baking. Keep it loosely wrapped after cooling in room temperature to keep the topping crisp. Serves 8 or more depending on the size of cut pieces.

This pie isn't complicated as far as pies go, and it comes out amazing well! For anyone who went apple picking or just likes apples this time of year, I recommend you try this recipe. My sister and her nanny plan on making it, and my parents are requesting another one now that I have more apples. The most time-consuming part for me was coring, peeling, and slicing the apples, even though I have an apple corer. I did have to bake it longer than the recipe directed, but that probably depends on the oven.

You know you're an ajumma (Korean word for married woman that implies a middle-aged woman) when you can expertly cut fruit.

Puppy Love

"We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare and love we can spare.
And in return, dogs give us their all. It's the best deal man has ever made."
(M. Facklam)

This is a short and sweet dedication to my puppy niece, Emma, a teacup Maltese who will turn 8 years old a few days before this Christmas. Peter, my person nephew, is 2 years old. Below are some pictures of Emmy from a little before through one year after Peter came along, turning her world upside-down and changing her life forever! I know, so dramatic... but true.

Emma

Sitting pretty B.P.

Big sis wants to be strolled like baby bro

Bored while we play with Peter

Big red Christmas bow

At Peter's 1st birthday party

Even though she doesn't get all the attention anymore, I love my Ems.

Adorable baby animals

Say Yes to the Dress?

"Remember brides... A wedding gown is worn once, but photographed forever!"
(Randy Fenoli)

I had a chance encounter with Randy of Say Yes to the Dress fame a few years ago at Kleinfeld Bridal in Manhattan when my friend Angela was trying on wedding dresses. I wish I could tell Randy now that I said "Yes!"... but I haven't had time to order a dress yet. So it works out that for some reason I'm not itching to do so, even though I know it can take several months to arrive and then a couple more for the fittings. And as much as I agree with Randy and do covet a beautiful gown, I'm confident I'll be able to stay well within my budget because the thought of spending more on a big white dress that I will only wear for a few hours of my life does not sit well with me. As my friend says, "The wedding does not make the marriage," which I think is very important to remember since it's easy to lose perspective in wedding planning. 

Wedding Dresses

Right after getting engaged, I bought bridal magazines and clipped pictures of dresses that appealed to me; not necessarily a dress as a whole, but some aspect of it: the neckline, the back, the fit, etc. I pasted collages of photos onto plain white letter paper to serve as inspiration boards. But the truth is, I tried on 3 dresses this summer and I know which one I want. Shh. Hopefully I'll have time to seal the deal within the next couple of months. I don't want to try on more dresses, just like I didn't want to visit more venues. 4 venues -- done. 3 dresses -- will be done. Done and done.

Bridesmaid Dresses

As for bridesmaid dresses, I already tried on several and narrowed down the options on my own, and will allow Maureen, who is my sister and matron of honor, to make the final call. There will no coordinating busy schedules, no potential of having too many cooks in the kitchen, and certainly no attempting to sell the belief, "You could totally wear this again!" Regarding color and length, I knew exactly what I'd choose. Ideally I would love for my bridesmaids to wear the same color and length of dress in different styles to suit their shapes and personalities, but after doing my research I found that it will be more cost-effective to order the same style. The exception is if one of my ladies is expecting at the time of the wedding, which is very likely and would be wonderful!

Flowers

I love flowers, and even named this site after a couple of my favorites! For the bridesmaid bouquets and reception centerpieces, I decided to go with what I'm calling my "mixed berries" palette: varying shades of rich pinks with accents of purple for a feminine yet nuanced look. Ceremony flowers will be simple and tasteful, in paler hues. Off the top of my head, my top wedding flower choices: peonies, ranunculus, orchids, lilies, gardenias, anemones, hydrangea, delphinium, freesia, dahlias, tulips, and of course roses.

 

 

After going through a few initial bridal magazines, I stopped buying more since they are all pretty much the same and have fulfilled their purpose for me. They are definitely helpful if you're looking for ideas and need a place to start, but if you have a fairly clear sense of what you like as I do, they are not really that useful; especially with the abundance of wedding blogs that update multiple times on a daily basis! (Many times I just click "Mark all as read" on my Google Reader because I can't keep up with all the wedding blogs, Perez Hilton, and TMZ.) But I do love Martha Stewart Weddings. My sister still has issues from when she was planning her wedding 9 years ago, and they remain very "good things."

Personally, the hardest part about wedding planning so far has been accepting the fact that as much as we would love to invite every special person in our lives to share in the day, it simply can't be. (Even Kim Kardashian couldn't include everyone she wanted to invite.) Another gentle reminder: "The wedding does not make the marriage." It's only 1 day. I never thought I could elope, but now the idea appeals to me sometimes and seems so utterly romantic. It would never happen though.

Long post... New York is starting to hole in, bracing for Hurricane Irene. I hope she won't be as mean as reports are forecasting.

Chores and Marriage

"We labor to make a house a home, then every time we're expecting visitors,
we rush to turn it back into a house."
(Robert Brault)

Or, an off-color quote by Joan Rivers: "Don't cook. Don't clean. No man will ever make love to a woman because she waxed the linoleum. 'My God, the floor's immaculate. Lie down, you hot bitch.'" Oh, Joan... Gotta love her.

I had a thought-provoking conversation with 2 church friends yesterday, but I'll protect their identities to avoid any domestic strife that could result! Lady A told me, in all seriousness, that before getting married I should draw up a contract to make it clear who would be responsible for what when it comes to domestic duties. She isn't pleased by the fact that she ends up doing most of the housework, but it doesn't help that she says she has a higher standard of cleanliness than her husband and doesn't approve of the way he does things; so she ends up taking care of most things almost by choice, but not quite. Lady B, on the other hand, said that her husband is more organized than she is so she doesn't have the same problem.

I could see disagreements revolving around household chores to be a big and ever-present downer in a relationship, and I'm wondering if any married people do have at least verbal agreements or tacit understandings about these responsibilities. I'm sure premarital counseling touches upon this topic, but it's good to talk about it even before that point.



Image: Poster Revolution

There's a website called LoveToKnow which has a section on cleaning, including a Household Chore List:

Daily

• Dusting
• Sweeping
• Vacuuming
• Washing dishes
• Feeding pets*
• Doing laundry
• Preparing meals
• Cleaning bathrooms

Weekly

• Washing bedding
• Mopping floors
• Watering plants
• Mowing the lawn*
• Weeding the garden*
• Taking out the trash
• Washing the car*

Monthly

• Washing windows
• Bathing pets*
• Cleaning the refrigerator
• Changing air filters on furnace or air conditioner
• Cleaning blinds
• Vacuuming curtains

Yearly

• Shampooing the carpets
• Winterizing the house*
• Cleaning the garage*
• Pruning trees and shrubs*

*Probably not applicable for a while.

That's a long and not even comprehensive list!

Ultimately, marriage is about teamwork and therefore household duties should be shared between spouses. I can see how it would be easy for people to have certain expectations of the other and fall into set roles. But like my father told us, "The key to a successful marriage is lowering your expectations." I told my sister he said that, and she said it's true.

Going to the Chapel

"Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue."

(Old English Rhyme)

I'm wondering: Do people still try to wear or carry old, new, borrowed, and blue things on their wedding day? The only difficulty I might have would be finding something old. Maybe I'll shop around for an inexpensive vintage bracelet.

I've been away from Red Poppy | Pink Peony for a few months. Life and work have been chugging along, but I haven't felt inspired enough to write or report on the usual topics. But now with a wedding to plan -- Sam and I got engaged 1 month ago -- that might be inspiration enough.

Good news: We almost have our date and venue set. They aren't finalized yet, but should be after tonight. And of course we already have our wonderful bridal party!

If you know of any great wedding-related blogs, please share. I follow 100 Layer Cake, Masterpiece Weddings, Style Me Pretty, The Broke-Ass Bride, Wedding Paper Divas Blog, and Weddingbee.

Lastly for now, in other news, I'm leaving the apartment I've lived in for the past 6 years and moving back in with my parents in Westchester by the end of this month. It's not the best, but it's for the best. It's time I moved on from my elderly Peruvian roomie and his neverending legal issues with the landlord. Since I'll be getting married, this living situation will only be temporary.

Spring 2011 Events

"So much to do, so little done, such things to be."
(Elizabeth Taylor)

It's been a very busy season! Aside from work-related events for one of my agencies -- we held a great young professionals cocktail reception on March 9, and then raised a record-breaking $1 million on April 13 -- I've had the pleasure of going places for fun. Below are some highlights.

Made in NYC Trunk Show

Accessory designers at The Marcel at Gramercy's Polar Lounge on Tuesday, March 22, featuring Tina Tang handmade jewelry, Bambina di Cioccolato unique leather goodies, and La China Loca handcrafted headwear.

Tina Tang

Bambina di Cioccolato

La China Loca

Jennifer Chun Preview and Sale

I bought a fantastic dress at Jennifer Chun's Fall 2011 Preview and Sale at the Chelsea Stratus Lounge on Tuesday, March 26, and had a great time with the designer and good friends. I can't wait to wear my dress!

 

Spring designs

Fall 2011 line

National Cherry Blossom Festival

The weather in Washington, DC on Saturday, April 2 was stormy at first, but cleared up beautifully in the afternoon for prime cherry blossom viewing.

The Washington Monument

The Jefferson Memorial

The International Culinary Center Fifth-Floor Loft Launch Party

In the throes of our own event planning, I had to attend a launch party at The International Culinary Center in NYC on Thursday, April 7. The ICC is the larger organization of The French Culinary Institute and The Italian Culinary Academy. It was a fabulous evening, and we will be using this space in October!

 

Fifth-Floor Loft kitchens

Delicious hors d'oeuvres (Image: Neilson Barnard)

Chefs at work (Image: Neilson Barnard)

 

New York International Auto Show

My first time at the annual New York International Auto Show at the Jacob Javits Convention Center was on Saturday, April 23. I went with a couple of friends, and my sister, brother-in-law, and nephew met up with us. I just found out they bought a silver Prius last night!

Dodge Charger from Fast Five

Funky Mini Coopers

Transformers Camaro

 

The Royal Wedding

Alright, so this was one event I did not attend, but I watched the highlights and the royal wedding of Prince William and Princess Catherine, or the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, was so lovely. Prince William looked dashing, Prince Harry is always adorable, and Pippa Middleton is gorgeous as well. (Images: Red Carpet Fashion Awards.)

Bride in Alexander McQueen by Sarah Burton

Reception dress, also by Sarah Burton

Suggested blogs:
I highly recommend Hostess with the Mostess, a fabulous site with inspiring ideas for events, occasions, and entertaining. I also follow 100 Layer Cake (a wedding-related blog, just for fun).

Tidy Up

"The desire for order is the only order in the world."
(Georges Duhamel)

The television show Hoarders absolutely terrifies me. I don't like clutter, tzotchkes, knick-knacks, figurines, or having too many material possessions in general. I romanticize the notion of being able to leave town on a moment's notice without anything weighing me down. I also take comfort in knowing that if I had to evacuate my apartment, all I would really want to take with me would be my phone, my wallet, and Heart To Heart (aka H2H), my old teddy bear.

That being said, I still have plenty of belongings that need to be organized! There are the girlie things, like makeup and accessories; the random little things, that often find their place by the bed; and that old school audio music format, also known as compact discs.

Cosmetics

It's nice having everything all in one place. Sephora offers a variety of styles and colors in their Metro Train Case collection.

Ivory diamond makeup case

Jewelry

I separate my gold and silver in anti-tarnish trays, but necklaces are tricky to keep organized. I recently saw a post on CasaSugar with a great display idea. I borrowed a drill, and despite the nay-saying of some who said I should have a man do it, I was able to buy the correct screws, figure out how to use the drill bits, drill holes, and then screw key racks into the wall, all by myself! I felt very Bob the Builder-y. "Can we build it? Yes, we can!"

Anthropologie key racks

Gold earring case

Bedside

I brought home a spinning organizer from Bed, Bath & Beyond a little while ago. It's great for holding my glasses, some books, a booklight and flashlight (which I never use, but could come in handy), pens, and my mini koala and killer whale.

Rotating metallic faux leather organizer

Music

I know, I'm stuck in the '90s. I still rent movies from Blockbuster, and I don't have iTunes. To keep my CD collection clutter-free, I alphabetized everything in 2 black albums. Lots of musicals, country tunes, and Christmas songs.

CD storage album

Now that I'm somewhat organized, I think it's time for some spring cleaning.