The Domestic Nest Blog

We built a sidewalk! Before we took off for some R & R, we worked to the bone to get this sidewalk completed. Why? Because we had a pesky little flowerbed that we ran into every time we got out of the car. With groceries or dogs in tow, it was impossible to navigate to the front door without shoulder-checking the gutter beside the garage. Some seriously hard work has led to a much more functional and eye-pleasing front yard. Take the jump below for the details of how we did it and how much money we spent.

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July’s nesting goal required digging a huge trench and ordering a dumptruck full of gravel and sand. We’ve been improving the function and aesthetic appeal of our front yard. Our project is almost finished. More details and photos to come.

August’s nesting resolution is to fly the coop! We’re taking a vacation together (to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary!) and we’ll enjoy a break from home improvement for a few weeks. We’re headed for a retreat without TV’s or phones in the serene Ojai Valley. We’ll look to the beautiful natural surroundings for inspiration that will hopefully leave us renewed and give us some ideas for future nesting goals. We’ll let you know what lovely things we find.

Its the height of summertime, and the bar-b-q gets fired up every weekend. As the man of the house, I can’t help but take great pride in assuming most of the grilling responsibilities. Warning:  the following information will probably not pertain to our vegetarian readers.

There is never a bad time to meet your local butcher. With family, friends, and co-workers apt to drop over, valuable information is needed in order to please your most beloved carnivors. Here in our nest, bringing  delicious food to the table starts with quality ingredients.

Quality for us means consulting Peter, our local butcher at Tip Top Meats. In this age of speed and efficiency, there is no substitute for a little face-to-face time with the guy that cut your dinner. Local butchers have a vested interest in getting you high quality meat. Because if they only competed on price the mega-mart would always win. That is not to say you can not get high quality at the mega-mart, but your questions and ultimately your selection is deeply personal (at least for us).

Some things that we like about our local butcher are:

1. They don’t carry anything less than USDA Choice (Yield Grades 1 and 2). When available they carry USDA Prime, which is available more frequently now that many restaurants are out of business.
2. Meat is dry aged at least two days before sale.
3. If they don’t have it, they can order it.
4. If  you only need a single serving, no problem.
5. They can hand-cut whatever type of cut you want, and provide the exact size that you want.
6. If you have questions or want to experiment they can can be your guide.

Bon appétit

The Butcher’s Limerick:

There is a man whose goal is Tip-Top, upon his rock splits many stock

Of course you can see he has solid stock, that is why he needs a lock

This man knows your every query

But best about your quarry

If you waiver he ain’t no fairy, question his butcher block its boss on the block

June’s nesting goal was to lighten up the hearth and rework the brass fireplace cover. There wasn’t anything wrong with our fireplace before. But we think we can better appreciate the stone and bounce a little bit more light around the room now.

Take the jump to see photos of the process and see our (VERY short) source list. This makeover was almost free.

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We needed a lamp, so I headed to the DAV to see if they had any thing that would work. I bought this lamp base there.

When I took it to the shade store, the cashier told me that she thought it was made of plaster and pretty much heinous. That is, until she saw what it was made from. Then she fell in love with it for the same reason I did.

The lamp base was handmade as someone tediously wound corrugated paper around itself to create the form. It had a tag still attached that said it was hand crafted in the USA by a FLUTE craftsman. I’ve tried to research, but can’t find any information about FLUTE. It kind of reminds me of the clever cardboard designs that pop up from time to time like this, this, and THIS.

Anyhow, I’m really happy with how it looks in our home!

A wise man told me…

Butter and love mean the same thing. Try something for me. Gaze deeply into your lover’s eyes and just say, “butter.” They’ll know what you mean.

This brownish colored brown fireplace is in the context of a room painted tan. With brown floors. And brown furniture. This room has a huge east facing window, but really only gets the morning sun. It kind of feels like a cave. Other than putting in skylights, we haven’t been able to come up with a great way to pour some light in here. So, we’re lightening up this important corner.

While we’re not ready to tackle the whole room in June, we’re starting with the fireplace. It’s the natural focal point and one of the first things you see when you enter our house. While I am SO tempted to whitewash the whole shebang, that colored stone is part of the local design vernacular. (Anyone who knows what it is, please raise your hand and comment.) This stone is found elsewhere in our house and all over old buildings in South Oceanside, all built in the 40′s and 50′s. I’d love to see the brass doors replaced, but that may prove to be too pricey. Plus, we’re thinking of holding out until we can afford to convert to gas.

So, we’re painting above the hearth. Not sure if we want to paint it white. Or a neutral color. Maybe we’ll add a pop of color, in a big way. We’ll update you when we decide. I can tell you’re holding your breath.

This recipe was easier and yummier than I expected it to be. The bagels were almost like soft pretzel rolls. They barely lasted a day before they got gobbled up.

before

after

• It’s less expensive
• I only have the buy the amount I need
• Less packaging = less waste
• It brings order to my pantry
• We live walking distance from a market that sells organic items in bulk
• It’s easier to reach in & retrieve items
• I know what I have & I know what needs refilling

before

after

The fabric is a cotton shower curtain from Homegoods. I used 3-M hooks to hang it up & conceal the washer/dryer. Now our space seems much more appropriate for putting out a buffet. The shelves help to keep clutter off the counter, so when it’s laundry time (joy!) I have somewhere to fold clothes. Matty has already started seedlings to transplant into the pots. Soon, we’ll have an herb garden growing on the wall!

For more before/after pics and a source list, click below…

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