On the Home Front…

I’m fascinated by the way people live. From a person’s daily routine to their clever storage solutions to the tools they use to rock the daily grind with flair and efficiency. Here are a few of my personal routine favorites: 

• one: The french press is critical to our morning routine.  We love the strong coffee it brews up for us.
• two: We have quite a small galley kitchen where counter space is definitely lacking, so we swapped our bulky, counter top knife stand for a wall-mounted magnetic knife strip and happily reclaimed our coveted work space.
• three: We refer to La Tartine Gourmande Cookbook whenever we’re stuck in a food rut. Her recipes are not only delicious and fresh, they often include unusual ingredients like amaranth flour or saffron, and they inspire us to try something new.
• four: The amazing mandoline helps me thinly slice just about anything like a pro in seconds.
• five: Not only do we use trays for entertaining, but also for corralling books and magazines on our coffee table, as well as for special breakfast-in-bed mornings.
• six: I received this quirky wine opener as a gift several years ago. It’s extremely durable and not to mention a great conversation starter when we have people over.
• seven: This all-purpose lavender scented cleaner is THE cleaner for pretty much every surface in our home. It’s earth friendly and the lavender scent makes cleaning ALMOST enjoyable.
• eight: We put our microplane zester to work on just about a daily basis. From parmesan to citrus zest to chocolate shavings, it’s quite versatile and has easily worked its way into our daily mealtime routine.
• nine: I love the cozy feeling candles add to our space, especially in the winter when it’s freezing outside. Two of my favorite scents  team up in this clean-burning soy candle.
• ten: We are downright horrible at keeping orchids alive, but I love having them around. Even if we can’t keep them alive for very long, they still last longer than a bouquet of flowers. Am I right?
• eleven: These pretty bowls make anything you put in them look instantly better. I use them to hold small jewelry pieces on my vanity.
• twelve: I ordered this robe to wear the morning of my wedding. It’s so comfy, I still throw it on while getting ready in the morning.
• thirteen: This cotton sheet set is soft, easy to care for (bleachable!), and I love the french-inspired ticking stripe.