Being a geek in the most complete sense of the word, I love chemistry. Luckily, I’ve found a way to apply that love that doesn’t result in explosions or monsters: cooking! Specifically, baking is just as much a science as it is an art. So if you’re as geeky as I am, here’s a quick and ultra-simple tip for you kitchen chemists out there: Keep brown sugar from hardening by simply adding a few large marshmallows to the jar. Yep, it really works!
You see, brown sugar is coated in molasses, which makes it nice and soft when it’s fresh. The problem is, over time, the moisture in the molasses evaporates, causing the brown sugar to harden and stick together. The plus side is brown sugar is also very hygroscopic (Science word of the day!), so if you put something with a high moisture content in the jar with the sugar, it keeps all the granules hydrated and pliable!
Obviously, at some point, the marshmallows will lose all of their moisture, so make sure you switch out the hard marshmallows for fresh ones to keep your brown sugar fresh even longer.
Ash mentioned it yesterday, but in case you missed it… We’re up for a 2012 JDR Blogger Award in the Remodeling category! Voting takes just 2 clicks of the mouse (or tap of the finger if on a mobile device, haha), there’s no registration required and we’d really appreciate your vote! The winner gets $500 and a nice shinny award for display. To cast your vote, click here! Oh and did I mention you look absolutely stunning today? ; )
My obsession with notebooks started in 2nd grade with my sticker book collection. It was my pride and joy. Not only did I have the best stickers on the block, but they were categorized and color-coded. Later on, I started categorizing them by brand and finish (Lisa Frank, Disney, Sanrio, Sandylion, glitter, non-glitter, fuzzy, puffy, etc).
Fast-forward 20-some years and I’m still all about keeping things organized, but I’ve traded in my sticker books for what I guess you could call “life books”.
Meet my secret weapon. My can’t-leave-the-house-without-it item. My right hand man, if you will. Well, technically it’s a notebook that’s not-so-jokingly labeled “My Right Hand”. It’s where I keep my “master calendar”, to-do’s, must-do’s, grocery lists, coupons, and other important everyday information. Basically, it’s a conglomeration of everything I need/want to be keeping track of in my head – but safely on paper.
I normally keep it at my desk, where I’m at most of the day, but it’s small enough to throw in my bag when I go out to run errands. I have three other, larger notebooks that I keep in my office: one for finances, one for home maintenance, and one for the blog. I’ll probably end up posting more about those individually later.
Over the years, I’ve had a lot of notebooks to keep me, my thoughts and my to-do’s organized. I’ve spent a lot of time “perfecting” this notebook system, and I’ve finally gotten to the point where it works for me. But before I could get to that point, I had to divide my everyday into five sections…
CALENDAR. In this section I have my “mega calendar” – blog, house, bill reminders, family events, Bentley, birthdays all in one. Like I mentioned earlier, I have three additional (larger) notebooks for the blog, house, and finances. Every month or so, I transfer the important items from those calenders to this one. That may seem a tad redundant, but I like being able to see everything going on around here on one calendar. It keeps me sane.
LISTS. My family literally makes fun of me and my lists. I have a list for everything. I mean everything. At the moment, I have a total of 14 lists going on in this little section. No exaggeration. Aside from everyday to-do lists, I keep track of things I want to buy (furniture pieces – including price and item numbers), things I need to buy (groceries, toiletries, etc), party ideas (at the moment, for my little brother’s high school graduation party), and so on.
COUPONS. In this section, I just have a clear zipper pouch where I keep coupons, as well as a few sheets of paper to keep track of good online coupon codes I may come across. I’m not an avid “coupon-er” but I’m beginning to snip a few here and there if it’s something I think I’ll actually use. In other words, I’m not going to hold on to a coupon for buy one get 8 free Sobe drinks just because it’s a good deal. I’m saying that now, and you watch, this time next year, I’ll be on Extreme Couponing. I hear once you start, it can get pretty addicting!
WELLNESS. Since my unexpected surgery back in December, Greg and I’ve been a lot more health-conscious. Working on it, anyway. Baby steps. Having gone through something that major really puts things into perspective, and we’re working one day at a time to live and be healthier. In light of that, when reorganizing my notebook a little over a month ago, I added a Wellness tab. This is where I log my exercise, water intake (I remember to drink more water if I write it down!), and Weight Watchers points. Yep, WW is our jam. I also have a small zipper pouch where I can stash any healthy recipes I come across.
FUN! As I said earlier, I’m a planner. In the four years Greg and I have been married, we’ve been on four vacations – all to Disney World. Disney World is THE happiest place on Earth, and we both love it. Like love, love. On the other hand, there are a few places within driving distance that I went to when I was a kid, and I’d love to take Greg to someday – all of which would be great long weekend trips. Like Stone Mountain Park, near Atlanta (I went there a few times as a kid and i know Greg will love it! We went to college two and a half hours from there, so I don’t know why we never made it!), The Crayola Factory in Easton, Pennsylvania (being a How It’s Made fan, contrary to what you may thing, this idea isn’t all me. Greg is actually excited about seeing how Crayons are made. And I just like to color.), Hershey Park in Hershey, Pennsylvania (I love the factory tour!), Chincoteague Island in Northern Virginia (last time I was there, a wild horse came right up to the window of the car and tried to take my little brother’s cheese stick! It was awesome.), and the list goes on. In this section, I also keep a list (yes, another list) of antique/thrift stores I want to check out.
If you’re looking to put together a “Right Hand” notebook of your own, here’s my checklist of must-haves (Update: I added links to the exact products I used to make my notebook!):
Personality check. I’m a firm believer is ascetically pleasing organization. It makes the world go around. Make sure you pick out a notebook that really reflects your personality. If you like how it looks, you’ll enjoy using it and be more likely to keep it updated.
I take that back! Especially when it comes to your calendar, make sure you jot down things in pencil (or erasable ink). Around here, things are always changing, so it’s important to make sure everything is easy to edit or erase completely. I’ll get more into my “blog scheduling” when I talk about the blog notebook, but with this calendar (and the blog notebook calendar), I put blog post subjects on removable stickers so I can move them around if I need to.
Safe and sound. It’s nice to have a place to keep all of your online passwords, but if you plan on taking this with you out and about, it may not be the best, most secure place to keep them. If you were to lose or misplace your notebook, all of your important passwords would be in the hands of whoever found it! Even if you’re planning on keeping it in the house, make sure it’s not just laying around out in the open for anybody to see!
Hi, my name is ___. Make sure you have your name and contact information easily visible in the front of your notebook. This way, if you lose it, there’s a better chance it will end up back in your hands.
Keep it simple. If you’re trying hard to make your notebook “perfect”, labeling the sections can be pretty daunting. There are so many things you can keep track of! Don’t worry! Just think about what’s most important to you on a day-to-day basis and go from there. Also, the broader your subjects are, the more likely you are to get good use of them. And, as always, keep it simple.
Do you have a “Right Hand” Notebook too? What tab names do you use? Any tips/tricks to share with the class?
Btw, we’re up for a JDR Blogger Award in the Remodeling category! Voting only takes 2 clicks, there’s no registration required and we’d really appreciate your vote! The winner gets $500 and a spiffy award to display. To cast your vote, click here! Did we mention you look lovely today? ; )
If you haven’t watched Downton Abbey… you are no longer my friend. Kidding! I’ll just be that annoying friend that will continuously ask you if you’ve watched it yet. After the third, “No”, I’ll simply tie you down, pop you some popcorn and make you watch all 12 episodes. Don’t put it past me.
Needless to say, I’m a huge fan of Downton Abbey. And, lucky for me, Greg is too. Well, he’s not as “fangirl-ish” about it as I am (I’d be worried if he was), but he really enjoys watching it. This past season, I even caught him double-checking to make sure the TiVo was going to record it. Twice. Yep, it’s in writing now.
I first heard about the show when my cousin, Danny, recommended it. He has a good track record of recommending good films so I was game. Then… it began. I became a Downton-Abbeyite. I’m not the only one, though. It seems like there’s a lot of Downton fans coming out of the woodwork. Celebrities such as Harrison Ford, Kristen Bell, Ted Danson, Reba McEntier, Tom Hanks, Katy Perry, Mindy Kaling, Martha Stewart, Kristen Chenoweth, and even Prince William and Catherine are all self-proclaimed fans of the show. In 2011, Guinness World Records claimed it to have the “Highest critical review ratings for a TV show”. Now that’s some serious street cred.
For those of you who haven’t seen Downton Abbey, and therefore have no idea what I’m talking about, here’s the general synopsis without giving anything away: Downton Abbey is a television series on PBS that follows the lives of an early 20th century noble family, the Crawleys, and the servants that make their home, Downton Abbey, function. The show starts off on the day the Titanic sank, and we watch their lives–both the “upstairs” and the “downstairs”–begin to change and intermingle.
For this edition of Around the House, we thought it would be fun to explore behind the scenes of the show and the castle that is Downton…
Highclere Castle “plays the part” of Downton Abbey – which is more like a character of the show rather than just a “set”. The castle sits on 1,000 acres in Berkshire, England, and belongs to the Earl and Lady Carnarvon, whose family has owned the property since 1679. The writer behind Downton Abbey, Julian Fellowes, is a longtime friend of the Carnarvons and had the castle in mind as he wrote the show. The castle is used for exterior shots as well as the “upstairs” interior scenes. The servants’ living quarters are filmed on a soundstage because the “downstairs” area has changed so much since the 1920′s.
Let’s talk size. When Lady Carnarvon was asked by the LA Times how many rooms and bedrooms the castle has, she didn’t know! She said their are “probably” 200 or 300 rooms, and 50 to 80 bedrooms. These days, they only use 14 to 15 bedrooms, and the others are used for storage and archives.
With that many rooms, they need a loooooot of help. The house employs around 70 people, whose ages range from 16-years-old to 80-plus. They have a designated electrician, painters, farmers, chefs, office staff, and house staff. Many of the staff members have been there for 25 to 30 years, but one has been there for almost 52 years.
In the way of decor, Highclere Castle is very much like it was in the 1920′s – with the exception of updated lighting and modern items such as heating and telephones. They’ve also updated the servant living quarters and the private living quarters of the current Earl and Lady Carnarvon. I assume they have a television… right?
Notice the two-tiered egg holder in the middle of the table? That’s so neat! The Downton Abbey set designers pay very close attention to detail in making sure everything is reminiscent of the early 19th century. Because of the preserved style of the castle’s interiors, they have only had to make minor changes – like switching out lamps.
Everything from the furniture, artwork, to the wallpaper are dripping with history. For instance, the desk and chair in the Music Room belonged to Napoleon. I’m not 100% sure, but I think it might be the same desk Lord Grantham is sitting at in the photo above. The third Earl of Carnarvon purchased it in 1821 after Napoleon’s death. Both the chair and the desk were with Napoleon when he was exiled to Longwood House on St. Helena.
The gold wallpaper in the Saloon Room is actually 17th century Spanish gold-embossed leather wallpaper. I don’t think Lowe’s carries that.
Queen Elizabeth was a good friend of the seventh Earl of Carnarvon and was a frequent overnight guest of the Castle before his death. In a recent interview, when Lady Carnarvon was asked about it, she replied with a simple “Cannot comment” due to the fact that it’s apparently highly improper to discuss the Queen’s personal life in public.
Back in 2010, Andrew Lloyd Weber offered to buy the castle. It’s rumored that he wanted a “place to hang his art collection”. That must be some art collection. Although the family declined the offer, it’s said that if the house were to go on the market today, it would list at around 150 million pounds – that’s $237,275,000 US dollars.
The Downton crew films an average of 4 months out of the year, but when the cameras stop rolling, Highclere is open to the public for tours and… get ready… you can have your wedding at Downton Abbey Highclere Castle! I know, right?! Style Me Pretty would be all over that one!
No Around the House feature would be complete without a mood board. For this board, I decided to go with a “downstairs” theme. Even though together the pieces may look really rustic and “servant-like”, pair them with a modern setting and you’ve got a piece of Downton without going overboard with a set theme…
So how about you… are you a Downton fan too? Or do I need to get a rope and pop some popcorn? If you are a fan, who’s your favorite character? Do you have a favorite room in Downton Abbey? Share by leaving a comment…
![brownsugarkitchen QUICK TIP: A SPOONFUL OF [BROWN] SUGAR](http://7thhouseontheleft.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/brownsugarkitchen.jpg "brown sugar")
![brownsugarmarshmallows2 QUICK TIP: A SPOONFUL OF [BROWN] SUGAR](http://7thhouseontheleft.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/brownsugarmarshmallows2.jpg "brown sugar marshmallows")
