Makeover!

Well look who got a makeover... my little blog!

I've had the same design since I began Freckled Citizen, and while I still liked the old look and feel, I felt like change would be good for my little corner of the Internet. I'm especially enamored with my new header. Fun flowers + DC's iconic landmarks... what's not to love?

I'm still tinkering here and there, so let me know if you see something funny somewhere. Three cheers for happy blogging ahead... and a big thanks to Smitten Blog Designs for my new "face"!

Hazel's nursery featured on 100 Layer Cakelet!

Hi friends! I know I've been holding out on showing Miss H's nursery here, and that's because it's being featured on 100 Layer Cakelet today! Head over to their gorgeous blog and check it out, and let me know what you think! We love her cheerful room and all the details that make it special.

Photo Credit: Amanda Young Photography

Once I'm back from vacation next week I'll share more. Enjoy!

Lady-blogging, DC edition.

You know what my goal is for today? To cook dinner. Not cook a great dinner, not try out a new recipe, but to cook anything at all. These days I'm only cooking on the weekends and maybe one night a week. The rest of those nights I come home later than I'd like and try to recover from the day, when my mind does nothing but reel with tomorrow's To Do list. It's not a sustainable way of being, but until I figure out how to un-busy myself from "8 to 5" (oh, those quotations), my goals will remain simple: cooking edible food tonight.

When my life gets cluttered like this, I find so much inspiration in the women who are managing to charm and amuse on their blogs. Bloggers rocking it when I'm unable to do the same are so humbling, in the best way possible. So allow me to raise my glass to three bloggers who are inspiring me online lately. It doesn't hurt that they also happen to be women I admire in real life, gals with whom I've clinked glasses and shared laughs and great food. DC is bursting with fantastic women, truly. As you'll soon see:

Mary

I've been reading Mary's blog The Arugula Files since before we moved to DC - that's how much I like her writing. I think I once even posted a stalker-y "I live in Dallas but hate it here and want to move there and when I do we can be friends" sort of comment. Embarrassing. But how I could I not stalk Mary? She cooks brilliant food that's photographed beautifully, and she writes about it really, really well. Her asides on Arugula Files leave me in stiches (cheesecloth and Beyonce and gracefully acerbic barbs at all things "foodie"). In person, Mary is even more fantastic - and we have a slew of professional interests in common. Too good to be true, right? H Street happy hours have never been more fun.

Mandy

Mandy is one of those adorable pixie girls who is so damn cute you spend the first few minutes you're with her not even hearing what she's saying because your inner monologue is reeling from all the adorable. And then your brain wakes up and you hear the spunky hilarity coming out of her Nashville-accented mouth, and you're smitten. And then you visit her blog Fabric Paper Glue and are blown away by the DIY wonder that is her online hangout, and you realize that this girl has major.crafting.skillz. And although Mandy's idea of a throw-away project might involve a lot more know-how than you possess (ahem), you love seeing her projects in action anyway. Also: "A Fabric & a Font?" Forever yes.

Bettina

Oh, Bettina Dear indeed. Bettina lives in my neighborhood and is fast-becoming one of my favorite things about it. Things we have in common: cats, oysters, drinking, cute dresses, dubious love of many academic degrees, politics. Things we don't have in common: just enough to make our conversations interesting, always. Bettina just started blogging and I adore where she's going with it: food, eye candy, politics... a little bit of everything. Sound familiar? Like I said... we have lots in common. So I really think you'll like her. Also, Bettina is not allowed to move to the suburbs... no matter what she says.

Thank you.

No really... thank you. Your words were amazing and meant more than I can say here.

So pat yourself on the back. Pour yourself another.

Because you rock. Really.

Letterpress via Steel Petal Press

Unread/Snippets

Last night I opened up Google Reader, my sorely neglected portal to the rest of the blogosphere. I currently subscribe to 490 blogs, separated into folders for my sanity. These folders range from Food to News to DC Neighborhoods to Interior Design to Transit Planning. Oh, and then there's "Personal," and that's the folder where you probably reside, if you're reading this and have a blog of your own. My overall Reader count will pop up over 1,000 posts in a single day if I don't open it (I've always viewed Reader's policy to stop counting over 1,000 to be kind), but I normally have certain folders under control. Normally. Only, here's how bad it's gotten: my "Personal" folder, your folder, had 716 unread blog posts in it as of last night. 716. 

So if you're wondering why I haven't commented or chimed in on your stories, both big and small, that's why. I'll get there.

In the meantime:

I cooked this weekend! This is a big deal... my kitchen has been used mostly just for coffee and eggs all month long. But behold, fish tagine and lemon curd tart!

It's awesome having a National League team to root for now. And the stadium a 25-minute walk from my house? Bring. It. On.

I accidentally got sucked into The Voice. Embarrassing.

Aaaaaaand.... that's about it. My life is so crazy, right?

I would ask what's new with you, but I suppose to find that out all I need to do is wade through that Personal Blog folder, don't I?

Butterfly map WINNER!

I'm uber-excited about the winner of my 2nd blogiversary giveaway. She's one of my dearest friends - aren't the folks over at random.org smart?

Drumroll please... the winner of a Bug Under Glass butterfly map is....

KATE!

Yay! Kate, I'll hook you up with Kevin for your map asap... enjoy!!!

Thank you, with butterflies

I forgot my blogiversary this year. It was July, and I was traveling like a madwoman and hosting visitors like a madwoman, and so it slipped through the cracks. But I love celebrating milestones, even if I'm a half-year late. The second year of my blog was very much about the concept of home - what it means to look for one, and what it takes to make one. And so a home-related blogiversary giveaway - however late - seemed a fitting end to a week of house renovation report-backs, where you humored my discussions of paint colors and construction projects.

For my oh-so-belated blogiversary, I'd like to give one Freckled Citizen reader a little something from the (figurative) walls of my dining room, which make me smile daily. I'm referring, of course, to our fantastic butterfly maps, which highlight our respective journeys toward the place we now call home together. 

Top row: North Carolina, New York City, Connecticut

Bottom row: Boston, New Mexico, Dallas

I had a great experience working with Bug Under Glass to develop this collection. Bug Under Glass is run by Kevin Clarke, and is one of the few green-certified insect display businesses in the country. Kevin really loves what he does, and it shows - his proud status as an insect nerd is firmly on display in this recent San Francisco Chronicle article about his business. Nerds doing what they love are among my favorite kinds of people (hellooo, Amtrak poster in the office and streetcar paintings in the dining room!).

From my little home on the web to your actual home, I'd love to give away one of Bug Under Glass' gorgeous U.S. state maps with a native butterfly. Maybe you have a little corner of your home calling out for something special... or maybe someone on your holiday wish list does. Here's how to win:

Freckled Citizen Belated Blogiversary Butterfly Map Giveaway

(how many times can you say that quickly?)

• Leave me a comment telling me which state map you'll have Bug Under Glass make for you, and why. (As always, make sure I have a way to contact you if you're the winner. I say this every time, and every time I get anonymous entries.)
• For a second entry, you can tweet about the giveaway and mention me, @magmaeA. If you do this, leave me another comment telling me that you did so.
• I'll accept entries through next Thursday at midnight and use random.org to select a winner, then announce the winner on Friday, November 19.

Good luck - I hope you're as excited about having a butterfly map on your wall as I am!


The fine print, FCC-style: This is not a sponsored post. I just really like Bug Under Glass. I'm providing this prize with my own money.

MVP Monday?

In the history of my little world, has Monday ever been the best day of the week? Has it ever been the highlight of anyone's week? Mondays are usually, at best, a blur or a slog. At worst, they're a cacophony of horror. But as the week unfolds in front of me in days marked by endless meetings and To Do's, I just might go ahead and call Monday the best day yet.

Our place, Halloween night

I don't know if it was the adorable homemade lobster with giant claws or the pint-size President Obama, but trick-or-treating was good for my soul yesterday. Even the grandma asking for candy made me smile. I'm just going to ride that high, then, and go ahead and call the rest of the week a wash.

That fun house-themed week of blogging I'd planned? Next week instead. When I can breathe again and write a little more coherently.

In the meantime, you have one more day to enter the Oreck giveaway. I'll announce the winner on Thursday.

Monday - who knew?!

Friday I'm in Love

This was sort of a randomly busy week, and I'm happy that the weekend is here to get some stuff done around the house (what else is new??). Let's jump into three fun things, why don't we?

NYT Personality Test

You know those long-winded personality tests that stamp you with letters when you're done? (My dad actually had to wear his Myers Briggs results on a nametag at his job once - if you know my dad, that image is truly hilarious.) At any rate, this personality test is not that kind of personality test. It's graphic and fun. And even though all of us could probably answer multiple boxes for each question, breeze through it anyway and tell me your result! I'm "Culture Curious," by the way... so much more satisfying to say than "ENFP," which is what the other guys rated me. (Hat tip to Sarah for discovering the quiz.)

Feminist Ryan Gosling

I discovered this one a few weeks ago, but haven't stopped giggling since.

Hot Grandma

This photo from a Healthy Is The New Skinny blogger was taken by her grandfather, who put this sign on his wife while she was asleep. It sort of made my day. This blog is great, by the way ... I can think of fewer campaigns I'm more supportive of than boosting young girls' self esteem. I mean... wow.

PS: I know I said I'd be hosting an Oreck giveaway this week, but life got in the way a bit... so next week it is! Get ready... it's a biggie :-)

Friday I'm in Love

Happy Friday, everyone! I'm really getting into the swing of this Nesting-Without-Traveling-Every-Weekend thing. And even though I'm always tempted to race off to visit the ones I love, it's also pretty nice staying at home and getting back to work around here with the "one" I love, ya know? At any rate, some highlights from the week:

Guilty Pleasure TV

I should probably be embarrassed to admit this, but what the heck: I am loving the most deliciously sleazy new show on television. Is anyone else watching Revenge? It's your classic Old Money v. New Money drama, or Family Dynasty v. Everyone Else drama, or Betrayers v. Betrayed drama. It's the Hamptons and hedge funds and popped collars and yachts. It's filmed in NC (shoutout!). It's so bad it's good. And look... you can catch up with the addictive stage-setting pilot and this week's episode online! Don't say I didn't warn you.

30 Alter Egos of Amy Poehler

 Oh, Amy. One of my very favorite Queens of Comedy. This slideshow makes me heart you even more.

Cup of Joe Guide to NYC

The perennially charming Cup of Joe ran a great series on New York this week, which included her favorite hotels, restaurants, shops, bars, and more. My favorite post was on her 10 favorite shops, which left me just itching for a lazy weekend in New York with no plans, and nothing but time and money on my hands. One day, one day!

Have a wonderful weekend, everybody!

It's Friday, Friday, Friday!

I blame my cousins for getting this stuck in my head (hey, at least it's the "Glee" version). At any rate, I'm thrilled that it's Friday. We have a fun weekend ahead filled with friends old and new, and in between all that laughing and catching up, I hope to do more than my share of relaxing.

Here are a few things that caught my eye this week, while I was busy counting down to this (gloriously mild-weathered) weekend:

Backyard Scrabble

Ahhhh! I must have this. Also, I just broke down and traded in my broken-down, double-letter-typoing Droid 2 for an iPhone. Which means... SCRABBLE ON MY PHONE! Not as cool as life-size scrabble on the back patio, but it's something. Via stephmodo.

Welcome New Neighbors cards

I'm pretty sure if any of our neighbors had given us these when we moved in, I'd be eternally charmed. Such a fantastic idea, and easily DIY-able if you wanted to design your own. Via the kitchn.

Google Before You Tweet

This is probably my biggest pet peeve with Twitter. Seriously, you're tweeting a question you could answer for yourself quicker if you just typed the exact same thing into a search engine? Sigh... Letterpress (natch) via i love typography.

Speaking of letterpress... a big hug goes to my friend Nole this week, both for her smarts in taking a week off to welcome her awesome husband back from Iraq properly, and for letting me play on her blog while they reunited. Today's last guest post, by the way, is all about gardening, with lots of pretty stuff to ogle.

Oh So Beautiful Paper: Gardening Paper Love

 Urban Gardening letterpress print from Starshaped Press

Food, on tables and paper

Last night we had my sister-in-law and her (dare I say it... what the heck, she doesn't read this...) boyfriend over for dinner, and we had the best time laughing around our new table. I had a couple of issues of Food and Wine sitting around unopened, and upon finally reading them found myself incredibly inspired by the August issue, which focuses quite a bit on local produce and regional food customs. Here's what we ate (and nope, I was having way too much fun to get out the camera):

• Grilled Swordfish Steaks with Basil-Caper Butter. I was going to make the August issue's lima bean version of this dish, but couldn't find any fresh beans, so this basil-caper preparation subbed in wonderfully. It truly was delicious, and I'm so thankful I now have a huge mound of this butter sitting in my freezer. Fair warning: if you're coming over to dinner any time soon, chances are good you'll be eating this fish.
• Braised Cucumbers with Dill. I'd never served warm cucumbers before, but you can bet I'm on board now. (It also helps that we're dill freaks over here.)
• Israeli Couscous with Arugula Pesto. I went less heavy on the tomatoes to suit T's taste buds and added in some roasted red peppers. Sooo happy that I have leftovers waiting for me for lunch today!
• Grilled Corn with Smoked Salt and Black Pepper. How much do I love smoked salt? Let me count the ways...
• Strawberry and Peach Crisp. My sister-in-law's favorite.

I picked up most of the ingredients for dinner over at Eastern Market, my very-favorite thing about my neighborhood. Speaking of Eastern Market, it serves as the inspiration for today's guest-post over at Oh So Beautiful Paper. I have market and food prints from Seattle, California, Knoxville, and more, so come on over and check them out!

Oh So Beautiful Paper: Local Food Paper Love

Produce notecards from Yee Haw Industries

"Transit," and paper

Today on Oh So Beautiful Paper I'm highlighting all things "transit," from my beloved streetcars to, you know, hot air balloons. Hey, I couldn't resist this nod at one of Albuquerque's premier events!

Oh So Beautiful Paper: Neighborhood Transit Paper Love

But speaking of transit, there's good work news on my end. A new role and some meaty things to tackle. Positive change, all of it.

Simple summer pleasures

I'm keeping things simple this week, breathing in summer. Here's what I'm loving:

Juicy nectarines...

 iced tea made with mint from the garden...

a blooming gardenia bush...

this light-as-air robe from Plum Pretty Sugar...

simple pesto spaghetti with a heap of golden cherry tomatoes...

...and the promise of even more from my basil plant out back.

What are you loving this August?

PS: Today on Oh So Beautiful Paper I'm highlighting gorgeous place-based art, which includes revealing what those weird little paper cut-out squares are all about.

DC here and there

There is no landscaping plan to report to you. We had too much fun with my parents to move beyond brainstorming. And that's perfectly fine. We strolled the 'hood and ate at one of our local faves. We slept in and made the Clinton St. Baking Company's Spanish Scramble for breakfast. We oohed and aahed at the Library of Congress. We sniffed and smiled at the US Botanical Garden. We walked and walked and walked. We stuffed ourselves silly at Art & Soul, where I ate the most perfect flounder in my personal history of eating lots of flounder. We laughed ourselves silly at Who's Your Baghdaddy? Or How I Started the Iraq War, the second time this month I've been entertained over at the Wooly Mammoth (the first was at F#@king Up Everything, a hipster musical with a heart of gold). We visited our friend Mr. Jefferson (there is always time to visit Mr. Jefferson). And life was good. And is.

The Library of Congress is, you know,
just a little bit jaw-droppingly beautiful inside.

While I catch up on some life and work stuff today, you might go and visit my pal Nole's blog, where I'm guest-blogging all week while she and her husband reunite after the close of Andy's six-month deployment. I'm talking paper over there all week long, as seen through the lens of my nerdy interests and consumer confessions. It'll be a fun week.

First up: DC Paper Love, or "How many letterpressed items featuring DC's map and flag can one woman possibly own?"

It's a fitting first post after this city showed my parents such a lovely time this weekend, don't you think?

Why yes, I do own this letterpress DC flag print made up of DC neighborhood names. Go visit the post to learn more!

Friday I'm in Love

One of my favorite things about blogging is getting to meet the fantastic folks behind some of my favorite reads. I know this sounds foreign to non-bloggers, but blogging is sort of like a giant fast-forward button for friendship. Some of my very favorite people on the planet are gals I never would've met if not for our weird world of blogging. In the past month alone, I met three new blog friends in "real life." This week's Friday I'm in Love, then: New blog pals!

 Erin of Olive Our House

 Erin of Olive Our House is a fellow DC resident with a killer sense of humor and a love for renovating her new-to-them old home in Northwest DC. Over drinks at Saint Ex, we commiserated over the high cost of shopping at Room & Board, the high drama that is DC real estate, and the general high-on-lifeness that is the Outer Banks, where we were both married. Get to know Erin (and her husband Sean, an occasional guest on the blog) for lots of wry humor and home decor inspiration. I look forward to lots more Erin time together in town soon (private pilates instruction in exchange for... hmmmm.... can I offer anything here?). You can follow Erin's tweets at @oliveourhouse.

Suzie of SW Suz

Suzie of the self-titled SW Suz was in town for a conference, so I played dirty and tempted her away from work with descriptions of Oyamel's salt air margaritas, which did not disappoint. They're sort of like drinking the ocean, if the ocean was delicious and made you all happy-glowy tingly. Thankfully Suzie agreed with me. She was fresh off another business trip to Albuquerque where I'd hooked her up with dining recommendations, and I was thrilled that she loved my old stomping grounds enough to start planning a return trip for pleasure with her husband. Go ABQ! We spent a lot of time talking about the life choices that prompt big moves to new places, something the two of us know a lot about, and that endless conversation topic that is working with the government. Suzie's fantastic, and tweets at @suzietu.

Lisa of Privilege

Lisa of Privilege was visiting DC with a friend and fit me into her busy sightseeing schedule with a breakfast date at the St. Regis. I've read Lisa for a while now, and am consistently intrigued by her musings on fashion, corporate culture, High Waspiness, and intellectual tradition. We had an absolutely delightful breakfast together, touching on DC's role as both a symbol and a functioning city, family structures and choices, and the shifting winds of politics. Lisa's blog offers a little something for everyone - old family photos and guest posts from her retired professor father are among my favorites. Lisa tweets daily at @AmidPrivilege, where she promotes the #amwearing hashtag and makes me jealous of spring in California.

Are there any new blog friends that you'd like to brag about?

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! 

For Japan With Love

One way to donate.

Many more.

Friday I'm in Love

I'm excited about this weekend... no huge plans, just a weekend in DC at long last, and Oscar weekend at that! I hear it might even be spring-ish, so I'm going to take some long scenic walks, maybe go fox-hunting... until it's time to plant myself on the couch, ogle the red carpet, and cheer on Anne and James, of course. I'm strangely not in the mood to write an Oscar post this year, but go check out my pal Kate's post if you're in the mood for one (and read my comment there to feel my pain about a celebrity near-miss I had last week). On that note, my three picks for the week (which actually are not all this-week finds... it's been one of those weeks). Have a fantastic weekend, folks!

Bangable Dudes in History

Huge props to Lauren for bringing the blog Bangable Dudes in History to my attention. Yep, it's as fantastic as it sounds. Case in point: the above graphic. (Click for a larger size.) See more bangable dudes in history at the blog, and proceed to weep with joy.

Back to the Future

 Props here go to Sarah for spotlighting the amazing project Back to the Future. Oh, how I'd love to set up a series of these portraits with friends and family. I could look at these for hours.

Salvatore Bklyn

Once upon a time, I dated an Italian-American for several years, who always made fun of the way I said "ricotta." Which is to say, I pronounce it without an Italian accent. All these years later, I officially have my response. It's in the form of this couple in Brooklyn who make their own ricotta and sell it to some of New York's most celebrated restaurants - as well as to shoppers at the Brooklyn Flea. They begin this video with a dismissal of ricotta pronunciation snobbery, then tempt you with their smoked ricotta on toast with olive oil, and then have you cheering entrepreneurship. Let them eat riccota!, they might as well shout from their windows. And let them pronounce it however they like!

Blog-to-mouth-to-tummy improvement

So I have recipes here. And unless my blog stats are lying, you all like them. It has occurred to me, however, that these recipes are not always so easy to find. Making food harder... boo. Making food easier... yay!

Today I have a new feature for you on the blog, and it came about the best way possible... from my own frustration trying to quickly access my featured recipes. These moments would usually happen when, say, garlic was starting to burn on the stove and I couldn't remember exactly how much of the next ingredient I needed. "Ahhhh! Where is that damn recipe?!" (cue burned garlic)

Sometimes my mise en place needs work, what can I say?

Up on my nav bar, you'll see a new section titled "Recipes." This is a new page where I've indexed my posts featuring full-length recipes. Two easy clicks, and you can find what you're looking for. For recipes I've mentioned but didn't fully feature, you'll still want to use the Search engine, browse the My Freckled Kitchen tags, or peek into my Delicious folder, where I routinely tag the recipes I'm making that come from online sources. The Delicious folder actually exists for my own kitchen-referencing purposes just as much as it's a blog device.

Please enjoy... and let me know if this is a useful improvement. Actually, it will improve my cooking, so that's probably enough for me. Again with the selfishness.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to prepare the spice rub for Spice Chicken, after quickly referencing the handily indexed recipe... because you know I can never remember the exact amounts of coriander v. cumin I need. And my arms are so sore from Jillian-induced real estate stress relief that I don't even want to lift Gourmet Today. (Ooh, now combining laziness with selfishness!)

Happy cooking, everyone! I wish I could smell what's bubbling in all your kitchens tonight.

Flowers with purpose

Everyone remembers my super-fabulous wedding invitation designer ABCD, right? (Let us pause for a moment to celebrate letterpress.) Amy offered up a flower-arranging tutorial on her blog the other day, and I couldn't wait to try it. I buy flowers almost every week, but I never have any rhyme or reason as to how I arrange them. Some weeks, they look great. Other weeks, a wee bit sad. Having a blueprint for the first time was fun and illuminating. Please excuse the minor holes - by the time I realized I needed more flowers, the market felt really far away. But regardless, for my first try at a "real" arrangement, I'm lovin' it!

You know, as soon as I read Amy's post it occurred to me that I need to take a "class" on flower arranging from the Flower Whisperer herself, my mom. Her arrangements are always amazing, and a real lesson would be fantastic! Do you have an opening for your holiday session, Mom? And perhaps we can blog about it?