Weekend Links: Wednesday edition

The high school experience has begun. Drop off was seamless and I only teared up a tiny bit. The band-aid has (finally) been ripped off after a summer spent with this very day sitting squarely in the back of my mind. And so, I'll try and stop waxing about it.

After a quick coffee date with my husband, I came home and set about cleaned the kitchen. I rather loath housework, normally, but this morning I really dug into it. I'm talking about taking everything off the counters and soaking the stove knobs and taking apart the Keurig and cleaning my antique bottle collection. I got all up in our kitchen's business. 

And now I feel settled. (I think I have the lovely smell of this lime + sea salt cleaner, in part, to thank.)

I'm even considering fertilizing my plants later. 

My house should be pristine by Friday.

On a different note, I'm really into the whole weekend links thing. Only, why keep a zillion browser tabs open all week simply so I won't lose track of all the things I want to mention? 

I keep forgetting I can make my own rules. And every time I remember, it's a revelation. 

So, without further ado... 

// "This year's first batch of Honeycrisp apples... 88 cents a pound!" declared Husband during Sunday morning breakfast. The Honeycrisp is hands-down our favorite apple. Only, holy moly are they (usually) expensive. Apparently the high cost of, well, most things in New England wasn't solely to blame. This article explains why the Honeycrisp is the yellow diamond of apples. (P.S. The aforementioned 88 cent Honeycrisps were awesome. So awesome, in fact, they brought a tear to Husband's eye.)

Speaking of fruit (and vegetables), does anyone else have it sitting in various bowls, cluttering up your counter space? You don't want to put bananas with other things and root vegetables don't go with apples, and geez. What a mess. In search of storage solutions, we found this. (We don't have a place to hang the old standby.)

// The other day Bridget mentioned a lotion she is loving. My current favorite is almost gone, so I was on the hunt. She wasn't wrong... I love this stuff and smear it on every night before bed. Also, I will be making Thai Chicken Salad and buying this cookbook. Because she hasn't led me astray yet. 

(Not to be too stalker-ish, but I'm thinking of doing a "Taking Stock" series of my own. I tend to be a little wordy, and I think this could help me practice simplicity. It originated here.)

// It turns out I'm not. In fact, I'm well below average. I thought you should know, which is narcissistic in and of itself. You can take the quiz here.

// I bookmarked this comprehensive guide to the best eats in Portland so I can refer to it regularly.

// I mentioned that I'm learning Lightroom. I'm also trying to figure out the best way to size my photos and create flow on my page. Blog design and marketing is not my bag, but I'm trying to expand my limited knowledge. Reading posts and articles like this one on SEO for bloggers are helping me feel more comfortable. (If you've noticed some wonkiness on the blog as of late, well, that's just me trying to suss things out.)

// This article about writing, and calling yourself a writer, hit home for me.

// I cut my own hair. With fabric shears. Which is a sure sign that brazenness comes with age. It was driving me nuts, and I couldn't decide on a new stylist among the thousands of Yelp reviews, nor did I want to wait for an appointment, so I watched this video and went for it. Honestly, what was the worst that could happen? I botched it and had to see a stylist anyway? 

I'm happy to report it went off without a hitch. It went so well, in fact, I went back and cut more off. And while I don't recommend such recklessness, I have no regrets. For now, I've found hair happiness.

// I was looking for a large plant of some sort when I came across this fiddle leaf fig at Ikea. I had no idea they were the darlings of designers and bloggers everywhere, nor did I have an inkling of just how fastidious they are. Showering with them? Rubbing mayonnaise on the leaves? (The latter is not happening.) 

 What was supposed to be an inexpensive house plant has morphed into a $100 project. The first pot we bought wasn't big enough which prompted the purchase of a larger one, which required some sort of dolly to move it around, and, well, you get the point.

I've since read a million things you must do to keep all the leaves from falling off in protest. The little Ikea sticker simply said "bright light and water"! (Though if you've ever tried to put together one of their bookcases, you know they have a knack for oversimplifying.)

But I've become determined to keep it alive. Because it really is a rather delightful plant. This article has helped me make sense of what I got myself into. (Though my question about separating what seems like two trees has yet to get a clear answer.) 

Few things have summoned this many eye rolls from Husband as this plant and it's persnickety-ness.

Happy Wednesday!