A Great Carbondale Weekend!

We had a wonderful weekend here in the Dale. Grant's parents were in town and we enjoyed a rare Saturday evening out without the little one (we went to the annual CO-OP owners' meeting...I know, I know, wild ones we are), we took them to a few new finds in the area, and they spent some quality time with their grand-daughter. Here are some of our culinary highlights from the weekend:
FRIDAY
Book Group Lunch (I hosted our bi-monthly book swap and lunch): I made a Niçoise salad inspired tuna salad, a tossed salad with roasted beet vinaigrette (my favorite use for leftover cooked beets), and a white bean dip (which was disappointing; I'd used canned white beans since I forgot to cook dried white beans the day before and I forgot the garlic!!—oh well, it wasn't too bad when eaten with garlic-flavored multigrain pita chips from Trader Joe's); two freshly baked baguettes from the CO-OP rounded out the menu along with some fruit and cookies brought by other members of the group.
Grant's Qualitative Research Group Meeting (also at our house; in the evening): Grant made a garlic and goat cheese spread and assembled a date/blue cheese/almond plate (one of my favorite appetizer combinations); we served more of the Niçoise tuna salad; other members of the group brought snacks as well including a bag of "Spicy Thai" Kettle potato chips (which I devoured later that night).
Girls' Night Out at Longbranch: Since we weren't really invited to the Qualitative Research meeting, "us girls" decided to head out for dinner. My mother-in-law ordered the white pizza with artichoke spread and I ordered the veggie fajitas (since they were sold out of their Friday special: falafal); Josey had some red lentil soup and some of the pizza; we all shared a really great (not too sweet) peanut butter cookie to top it off.
SATURDAY
Lunch at Von Jacob Winery (plus a wine tasting, of course): You can't beat these $5 lunches! I had the meatball sandwich and Grant had the German beef sandwich; accompanied by a glass of Cave Creek white wine and a glass of American Chambourcin, respectively. My in-laws both ordered the special of the day: the pork tenderloin sandwich, which, unfortunately, was a little tough and flavorless. The lunches all came with delicious white and purple fingerling potatoes and a side salad.
Another Winery, Another Tasting: We stopped briefly at Rustle Hill Winery on our way back to Carbondale and enjoyed the service of a new employee who hadn't yet perfected her pours (we were served nearly a quarter glass of each wine instead of the usual sip). We tasted one of the best whites I've had from a local winery: the Rustle Hill Seyval Blanc. We purchased a bottle for $15.
The Annual CO-OP Owners' Meeting at the Unitarian Fellowship: This was a potluck dinner and we took more of the Niçoise tuna salad (I made enough to feed an army!) with a sliced baguette; the CO-OP provided a delicious pot of vegetarian chili and some wonderful cornbread to accompany it; and we were treated to a slice of Rick Reeve's (CO-OP board member and owner of the Shawnee Trails store) famous Margarita cheesecake. Before you start thinking that we are incredibly lame for spending our one night out at a meeting, let me just say that there was beer, and wine, and an incredible local band, the Silver Tongue Devils.
SUNDAY
Brunch at Mélange: We'd heard mixed reviews about brunch here, but I was lured back by the thought of their dark roast Italian coffee. We were all happy with our meals, except Josey who snubbed the oatmeal I ordered for her and ate a good amount of my smoked salmon eggs benedict; luckily, I quite liked the oatmeal (toasted Scottish oats, whole oats & wheat berries, served with brown sugar, butter, cream, and raisins). Grant had the "cob smoked ham" eggs benedict, my father-in-law ordered the Créme Brulée French Toast, and my mother-in-law ordered the Shitake Mushroom and Goat Milk Cheddar Omelet. Our service was great and I have but one complaint: for a $9 entrée, I expected more than a teaspoon of the warm spinach side salad. [On a side note: my mother and I had lunch here last weekend and were quite impressed. We shared a delicious shrimp salad sandwich and a decent Cuban sandwich (I found it to be on the greasy side and definitely lacking in the pickle department, but I am notoriously tough on Sandwich Cubanos since my husband makes such wonderful ones). Both sandwiches came with a side of homemade potato chips that were surprisingly good if not completely fresh.]

It's Getting There: Dining Room

Before...
...& After

Despite our Boston friends' continual requests, I was always hesitant to post photographs of our home, yet. I always felt like we were never "done" with a room. Then, I started reading Anna's blog, Door Sixteen, and realized any home will always be a work in progress, and it is fun to document the journey. She and Evan are really talented and have done some amazing things to their home.

Here's a sneak peak at the dining room. Originally, a large bookcase was bolted to the floor to separate the dining room from the front door. It also created this weird tunnel-like entrance. We nixed that immediately, along with the old carpet. We've redone the floors, painted the room, and moved the bookcase to the opposite wall. I also took down the old light fixture and made a new one to fit our budget. I'm a big fan of the Nelson Bubble Lights, but this one (made from lampshades and lighting materials bought at our local hardware store) fit our means a wee bit better.
–Grant

Oh, that Eero Saarinen

Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum via kcmodern

In our fascination with all things modern, we've grown quite smitten with Eero Saarinen's furniture designs. Big favorites are the Womb Chair (1948) and the Executive Chair (1957). The latter was part of Saarinen's innovative use of a fiberglass frame that fits to the body and flexes with its weight. Covered with cloth or leather, it makes for an incredibly comfortable chair. On a much larger scale, his architectural design pursuits included one of the icons of the Midwest, the St. Louis Gateway Arch. Through a post on kcmodern, I saw that the traveling exhibit, Eero saarinen: Shaping the Future, has made its most recent stop at the Mildred Lane Kember Art Museum in St. Louis, MO. The January issue of Metropolis magazine reviewed the exhibit, which is now in St. Louis through April 27th. We cannot wait to go.
—Grant

Kitchen Inspiration

Apartment Therapy

Our kitchen's 80s decor is really due for an update. We want something cool, modern, and affordable. Of course, there is always the Ikea route, but Ikea kitchens sometimes just look like...Ikea kitchens. In our hopes to think of ways we could do most of the renovation ourselves, we've been searching for inspiration via Dwell, Living Etc., and Metropolitan Home. We've gone back and forth between dark and light cabinets and color schemes that scream uber contemporary vs. midcentury kitsch. One element we have already settled on (I think) is cork flooring, and we commited to stainless steel appliances when we had to replace our 1982 diswasher with one from Bosch.

Tonight I came across a picture from Apartment Therapy (AT) that fits the bill. The green in this kitchen borders enough on a midcentury hue and it compliments the clean white ceilings and walls. Bonus: AT provides the brand and name of the paint (Benjamin Moore's low-VOC Aura interiors paint color HC-98, Providence Olive). The light wood cabinets and light stone countertops (probably engineered) give the room an organic and airy feel. This is a design inspiration worth considering.
—Grant

Our Social Networking Strategy or Fishing for Friends

When we moved to Carbondale, my husband knew approximately five people here: the guy who sold us our house, our banker, and a couple of colleagues whom he'd met during his interviewing process. I knew precisely no one. Being pregnant during the job search and subsequent house hunt left me high and dry in Boston while he flew around the country scoping out potential universities, then neighborhoods, then houses. Thanks to photographs and a thorough inspection by my in-laws, I felt comfortable signing the papers to buy our first home sight-unseen.

Grant warned me before we moved that I would have to make a concerted effort to make friends in this new town or risk being perpetually bored and frustrated at home with a new baby. Since I am well aware of my own chronic case of cabin fever, I was eager to get out and about and seduce unsuspecting residents of C-Dale into our fledgling social network.

I expected it to be time-consuming and difficult. I work from home now (amazing what you can do with a cell phone, a high-powered computer, and a fast internet connection) so I don't have a cadre of publishing co-workers to chat it up with. I have a new baby so I don't have the time (nor the need) to attend a gym or yoga studio. I'm not religious so we didn't have the welcome wagon of insta-friends that come with a church/synagogue/mosque membership.

Little did I know, however, that I was already a member of the most well-connected and outgoing group in this town: the association of NEW MOMS who recently moved here and are desperate for adult interaction. I met Susan taking my daughter for a walk (she accosted me on the sidewalk when she saw me pushing a stroller in front of her house); I met Tracy at the farmer's market (acknowledging that we have the same Chariot stroller); I met Karen and Heidi at Baby Talk and Stacy at La Leche League; I met Sheila at a Sufi preschool fundraiser; I met Meg and Brigette at the mom's group Sheila and I co-founded; I met Wendy (through Karen) at Klassics for Kids; I met Terry at Longbranch Coffeehouse (asking how old our daughter is and mentioning that she has a kiddo approximately the same age); I met Bethany at Wiggles 'n' Tunes and Lori and Kathy at Parent Connection. Maria, who lives across the street and is now our daycare provider, I made a point to meet because she has a son the same age as my daughter.

Lucky for us, this town has an amazing variety of groups and activities for families and children. By trying to socialize my daughter, I've socialized myself. Forget the long, arduous task of courting new friends, this has become our social networking strategy: we send our daughter out into the world and see what she brings back. So far, they've all been keepers.

—Amy

Preparing for Spring Planting

The backyard before...

New fence and garden plots

Garden plots - another view

Galvanized tank ready for herbs

The threat of a late frost has almost passed and it is time to get the plots ready for planting. Recently, I took the old fence that once surrounded the rear courtyard and placed it along the back side of the yard t0 designate a new garden area (the before and after pictures will clarify this better than I can). We have two new plots filled with last year's decomposed piles of leaves and lawn clippings (our first attempt at composting), and a new galvanized tank, originally intended for watering livestock, resting in our courtyard ready for herbs. (The tank should help us keep the dog and all of his business out of the basil.) There's a lot to do before April 1. Happy Spring, Everyone!!!
—Grant

Mind the Processed Foods

Neighborhood COOP

Recently, we started to pay a lot more attention to where we get our food and the kinds of food we consume. Admittedly, we are one more convert to the Michael Pollen and Alice Waters way of living. Be it the Omnivore's Dilemma or Slow Food or Food Matters or King Corn, we're sold on the importance of organic, locally grown, non-processed food. And we don't plan on this conscious eating becoming a fad. As a result, we have (finally) become members/owners of our local COOP grocery store and bought a "share" in a recently opened C.S.A. (Community Supported Agriculture) farm, Clear Creek Farm. We're also in the middle of preparing plots in our yard to grow herbs and additional vegetables. We may end up with more boc choy than we know what to do with, but that's what neighbors and friends are for—outlets for "over production." Besides, it will be worth it for our health and the environment.
—Grant

I'm a lumberjack (and I don't need medical attention)!!!

Last weekend, Grandma and Pop-pop were in town to visit their granddaughter. Fortunately, Pop-pop knows a thing or two about felling trees, and the dying specimen in the backyard had been threatening the power lines for too long. A $50 pole chain saw rental (11' fully extended), a regular chain saw, and an overcast Saturday was all it took. (The tree in the left-hand side of the bottom picture is the one we removed.) The only casualty was the phone line (oops). Fortunately, Pop-pop knew how to fix that, too. In the end, we couldn't be more thrilled. No more fallen branches hanging on the power, phone, and cable lines after a big wind storm. Plus, we now have a nice supply of wood for the outdoor fire pit.
—Grant

Downtown Springfield, MO goes Contemporary Modern

Ok, granted, Springfild, MO is not in Southern Illinois, but we do visit family in the area. We also started dating in graduate school at Missouri State, so Springfield--especially its downtown--has a special place in our hearts. Since then, we cannot get enough of its downtown revitalization. Not only are the old buildings getting a new life, many are getting a new contemporary modern lease on life. A good example is the Park Central Branch of the Greene County Library (check out the incredible reading nooks), which is also connected to another well-designed space, The Coffee Ethic. (Also check out this link to view a stop-shot video of them building the coffee shop's innovative bar design.) We took a few pics of the library during a recent visit to give but one example of why the downtown is an inspiring place to visit.
—Grant

THE ATOMIC HOME is coming to Murphysboro! Yeah!!!

When we moved here, we purposely bought and (slowly) began renovating a mid-century modern home. When our friends in Boston saw the exterior of our soon-to-be abode, we heard exclamations like, "Hello, Brady Bunch!" But as the photo I took at the MOMA in New York will attest, we love modern design (not to be confused with Pottery Barn contemporary) . In Southern Illinois, our best bet for all things mid-century was The Future Antique in St. Louis. We later found a closer supplier, The Atomic Home, a few miles down the road in Alto Pass, IL (and later up the road in Benton). Last week, we learned that they have moved the store to Murphysboro, IL. We already peaked in the window of the soon-to-open store and have eyed a few items of interest. It's time to get out the cosmic martini shakers, baby!!!
—Grant

Yes, we have a castle, too.

We were a little surprised (and later quite impressed) to see that our community has an amazing castle for kids to enjoy--free of charge. Rochman Memorial Park was built in the 1990s in memory of Jeremy "Boo" Rochman, a teenager killed in a car accident. I can only imagine the hours I would have spent here as a child. There is a lot of space to let your imagination run wild. The giant dragon is a crowd favorite.
—Grant

Two Hikes: Giant City and Cache River

Although extended backpacking trips in the White Mountains are not as accessible for us as they once were, we have been able to find a few saunters in Southern Illinois. Two recent favorites include Giant City State Park and Cache River State Natural Area. The former was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the New Deal of the 1930s and is part of a network of trails, picnic areas, and--the crowning accomplishment in this area--Giant City Lodge, a cool little stone and timber lodge that serves a mean all-you-can-eat fried chicken dinner on the weekends. Our other favorite trail is in the Cache River preserve. It includes a boardwalk that meanders through wetlands filled with cypress trees. Fortunately, the options for hikes don't end there. We hope to trek through Garden of the Gods and bike the Tunnel Hill Trail this spring, too.
—Grant