Kitchen Organizing, Favorite Nightgowns & More – Morning Musings 15

Welcome to Morning Musings once again, a personal post that I share from time to time with a little bit of this and that! The format may change slightly, depending upon what I have to talk about. So grab a cup of coffee ☕️ and join me!

LET’S GET PERSONAL

It’s another long beach weekend for us and the pups. We are thankful to have a house sitter to watch over things, especially the other animals in our abode. There is normally so much traffic down here that it can take an extra hour to get to our beach home, but summertime is slow in South Florida and we love that there are less people and traffic. It’s great to get away and I’m really looking forward to our whole family meeting up here at the end of the month!

WHAT I’M LOVING IN DECOR

The last time we were up at the beach we took a drive out to the outlet mall specifically to head to the Restoration Hardware Outlet (Vero Beach). Since our kitchen renovation at our main home is set to begin sometime this fall, I’ve been on the hunt for a few things. Specifically new counter stools for the island and so far I haven’t settled on anything specific. Nothing grabbed my attention at RH unfortunately, so I’ll keep on the hunt and may end up order THIS COUNTER STOOL on Amazon. What do you think? My husband requests something comfy with an upholstered seat, a back and preferably swivel. This FRENCH STYLE STOOL could also work, but I’m not sure of going in that direction. Super pretty though and a friend has them in her home!

We currently have this pair of Serena & Lily Riviera Counter Stools, but for the new kitchen will need 4 and I’ll be selling this pair. If you’re local and interested…let me know!

I’m considering adding some of THIS GRASSCLOTH WALLPAPER in the kitchen or the walk in pantry. Speaking of the pantry, we are going to DIY the entire thing and it will be a 5’x 5′ room! I’m squirreling away a few things as I find them, like THESE STORAGE CONTAINERS because the ones that I have need replacing. I’ve ordered THIS SET of Ziploc Bag Organizers (so chic!) and THIS FOLDING STEPLADDER that my daughter in San Francisco has in her kitchen. One last thing that I have ordered and received is THIS STORAGE LID ORGANIZER. I’m determined to be extremely well organized in the new kitchen and ordering things before they are no longer available (pandemic supply & demand is still an issue!).

WHAT I’M WEARING

I’m living in these linen/cotton blend pants and it may sound crazy but I have 2 pairs of white at the house and 2 pair at the beach house. That way I know I’ll always have them because you never know when things will be discontinued. Trust me that they are the most comfortable pair of casual slacks that I’ve had in years! It’s so hot and even though we are air conditioned I sleep in cool loose night dresses. I was thrilled to see these long cotton nightgowns back in stock (they were out of stock for a long time!) and just ordered myself a few more. This is what I sleep in every, single summer’s night!

BEAUTY PRODUCTS I’M USING

My hair stylist Tracy is the one who turned me on to Olaplex products and they have really made a difference in my hair! This conditioner is something that I use after every shampoo and this bonding oil is truly incredible for summer shine! Skin care wise, I really stay out of the sun as much as possible these days and when I do go out I wear this sunscreen for the face. BUT, I look tan with this self tanner for the face and I’ve been using it for a couple of years now. It’s great and so natural looking (nothing orange!).

WHAT I’M COOKING & EATING

I generally batch cook and this has become a summer favorite…vegan crab cakes! 😋 Obviously there is no crab in it and the fishy flavor comes from nori. Here’s a quick list of the ingredients to add to your food processor (here’s mine & it’s amazing!) and pulse a few times. Grill until brown and flip to do the other side. I grilled on my indoor grill pan on the stovetop. This makes 5 to 6 patties and they store well in the fridge:

• One can chickpeas (drained & rinsed)
• One can artichoke hearts (drained & rinsed)
• 2 to 3 sheets nori (cut into small pieces with scissors before adding to food processor)
• 1/4 cup mayo (I used vegan)
• 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2 lemon squeezed
• 2 tbs Dijon mustard

WHAT I’M WATCHING

If you’re a fan of Virgin River (Netflix) then you may or may not know that season 4 just came out! It’s a pretty good season and no spoilers from me, but there are cliffhangers! Also, Becoming Elizabeth is a favorite series on Starz…and one to watch if you enjoy period pieces as I do.

WHAT YOU MAY HAVE MISSED

Did you catch this DIY PORCH (OR TREE) BENCH post? Head on over for more on that!

Strawberry/Kiwi Lemonade anyone? I’ve been obsessed with kiwi lately and adding it to my fruit salads. Here you’ll find it in an alcohol free drink along with other drink recipes!

Until next time,