i got a little too excited about fall and ended up with 1/2 bushel of apples.

Do you ever find yourself too excited about something?  I love fall.  I love the temperature of fall, the smell of fall (this applies less to city living), the feeling of fall, the sound of fall, really...anything having to do with fall, I absolutely adore.  Apple cider?  yes please.  Pumpkins?  you betcha.  Leaves changing color?  did you even have to ask?
I think my love for fall stems from a number of places.
1) I'm a sunburner...so the idea of spending endless summer afternoons in the sun really just brings ideas of aloe and pain to my brain.  aside from refreshing dips in a lake or pool, water-skiing and vacation, I could really do without the season.  fall is way more up my alley.
2) I grew up in an educational setting, so the fall meant the hustle and bustle of our neighbors back in town and our neighborhood coming back to life.
3) My dad is a cross country coach, so my sister, my mom and I spent countless afternoons (or weekend mornings) watching and helping with cross country meets.  I won't lie, feeling like I was a part of this larger XC family was pretty awesome and made me feel kind of cool...
4) A fresh start at school.  New pens/highlighters/pencils, folders, and always a new "back to school outfit" from the grandparents and "back to school shoes", how could you NOT anticipate the fall?!

In any case, this year, once again, I'm a sucker for the fall.  Last weekend we went with some friends an hour north of the city to go apple picking.  We researched places to go and settled on Harvest Moon Farm and Orchard.  We decided on this place because of the prospect of a hay ride, pumpkins along with apples and almost most importantly, cider and donuts.  Let me tell you, we were NOT disappointed.  This is where my level of excitement about fall starts to enter the "too excited about fall" zone.  We left the apple orchard with 1/2 bushel of apples and my feeling as though it weren't enough.  I mean, they give you the bag, you fill it, but how do you quantify that amount of apples when you have no familiar vessel in which to compare?!  We got home and I promptly started filling our largest dish with apples to have "on display"...well...I filled that...and then needed to fill another dish.  I was in over my head.  So, like many (I hope I'm not alone here) I assumed that we would each eat an apple a day (you know, to keep the doctor away) and our excessive supply of apples would dwindle.  nope.  I still have apples coming out my ears.  And lets just say there are only so many apple crisps you can make.  SO, I provide you now with what I chose to do with the remainder (links to recipes included as they are tried and true):

7 apples straight up eaten.
2 apples added to morning smoothies
2 apples added to delicious apple/brie sandwiches
4 apples cooked into this delightful cold weather quinoa go-to recipe.
4 apples incorporated into two mini apple crostata's  - thank you Ina Garten
9 apples blended into squah/apple soup
8 apples mashed into applesauce
1 apple (along with a cup of the fresh applesauce) mixed into muffins

So...how do you like them apples?

Pockets

Pockets.
Pant pocket, jacket pocket, pocket watches, pita pocket, pick pocket, hot pocket.
This morning, as my husband stood grasping the final bits of Squawk Box before heading out to work his hands naturally slipped into his pant pockets and I started to wonder if pockets got their start as a place to put things or a place to warm your hands.  Turns out, pockets were initially bags that hung off your belt as a place to keep your valuables (oh - so - fashionable).  Slowly pockets were integrated into your clothing (for safety reasons - see pick pocket) as bags that hung within your clothing and accessed by slits that you could slip your hands into.  It wasn't until the late 1700's that pockets were actually sewn into clothing.
The modern day pocket is so much more than just a place to put things; they are becoming fashion statements around the globe.  A place for embroidered, or dare I say bedazzled, detail on blue jeans, and a selling point for dresses (come on, who hasn't allowed a pocket to tip the scale on the purchase of a cute summer dress...or heck, a wedding dress!)
However, did you know that putting your hands in your pockets shows signs of dissatisfaction with oneself.  Hands in pockets says that we lack self-confidence and are attempting to avoid a situation.  While my husband must have been avoiding going to work (!), what does this say about those wedding dresses with pockets?!
Body language aside, can you imagine life without pockets?  Definitely a feature that until recently, was under-appreciated (remember those fake pockets that were sewn shut and tiny?! - either you are a pocket or you aren't)
What's in your pocket?

Chalkboard Paint

I apologize for my delay in posting.  In hindsight I have no excuse, however, at the time, dining by design, thesis, moving apartments and preparing for graduation all seemed to have crept up on me at once!  In any case, Dining by Design was a hit, Thesis went well, we have officially settled into the Upper West Side and I am a proud holder of my Master of Fine Arts in Interior Design! Well, there is no better place to start than with one of my favorite aspects of our new apartment: our chalkboard.
I quickly learned upon moving to New York that wall space is precious, so why not make it work for you?  Grocery lists, to-dos, doodles and messages from friends can fill your walls and be quickly wiped clean when you feel like the walls might be caving in.  Our new apartment afforded us with this large span of wall that screamed chalkboard paint*!  So we ran with it, taped off the desired size and painted away (looks great when its rough around the edges too).  Our chalkboard wall is a great conversation starter and something that I imagine will be present in all following Battin residences.  Apply it like any other paint - and then the world is your oyster!

*want your security deposit back?  simply paint over with the desired wall color (white)

Dining by Design

Anne Lindberg: Raume Yellow Installation: 2010

I have been lucky enough to be included on a very exciting design team this spring, building an installation for the DIFFA (Design Industries Foundation Fighting Aids) event, Dining by Design that will open here in New York March 22nd - 26th.  We are still in the process of finalizing our design which I will be sure to share with you at a later date, but it has been a really great so far and I'm meeting some wonderful people in the process.  We present our final design concept to our professional mentor, Clodagh, this Friday.  Stay tuned for updates but for a hint of our inspiration check out Anne Lindberg (a Cranbrook Institute of Arts graduate, nevertheless!!) - her work, pictured here, is phenomenal!