Tag Archives: Charles P. Rogers
Bedroom Design: 5 Benches for the Foot of the Bed
Post by Tracy Kaler.
If you have enough clearance in your bedroom, consider placing a bench at the foot of your bed for practical and/or decorative purposes. Benches are not only for sitting, but ideal for removing your shoes after a long day or even laying out an outfit the night before an important meeting.
Benches prove to be one of the most useful and versatile pieces of furniture. These five show different design options when placing a bench in a bedroom.
Unusually practical because it offers space underneath for storage, this bench is perfect for a young person’s bedroom. Tchotchkes such as toys and stuffed animals fit neatly inside the wicker boxes without detracting from the clean lines of the bench. A boxed cushion on top makes for comfy seating.
Tufts and acrylic legs on this bench help complete the look in this somewhat feminine bedroom. Decorative starburst pillows and a pink throw at the foot of the bed add the right amount of texture while the zig zag rug adds pattern. Overall, this space is fresh, interesting, and serene at the same time.
With an upholstered back, this bench strays from the norm, and the chrome arms and legs are unexpected. The scale is just right and the almost monochromatic scheme works to its advantage. More than a spot to throw a handbag or put on your boots, this bench looks fit for sitting too.
An all-white bedroom welcomes this modern yet primitive DIY walnut bench with metal hairpin legs. Probably more aesthetically pleasing than functional as a piece of furniture, this bench finishes the space, in my opinion.
A grey and white scheme might seem boring to those who love color, but there’s no lack of design in this well-though-out room. Two benches hug the foot of the king-size upholstered bed, both of which boast chrome nailhead trim. The pattern in the headboard marries nicely with the legs of the twin benches.
Breakfast in Bed – Cherry Pie Oatmeal
Post by Alison Hein.
I’ve been thinking about Washington state since the Super Bowl last week (one I’m sure Seahawks fans would like to forget). But Washingtonians can still be thankful for the glorious bounty of local food products. If you’ve ever been to colorful Pike Street Market in Seattle you’ll know what I mean – fresh seafood piled artfully on crushed blue ice; reds and purples and greens of giant radishes, eggplants and peppers; and the lovingly grown apples, berries and ruby red cherries.
Many years ago I picked cherries while I was living in eastern Washington. They were so lush and plump, so fun to snap off the branches, a sturdy pop and then the freeing of the fruit. Many were eaten right on the spot, but many more ended up in a heavy cardboard box. I took them home and ate some more. Then I froze some, canned some, dried some, and made cherry jam. Finally, I made the pièce de résistance – bubbling hot, sweet and spiced, lattice work cherry pie.
Later that year, during a sparse winter, I remembered my dried cherries. Why not bring some cheer to my boring oatmeal breakfast? I would add some dried cherries to my rolled grain, some brown sugar and a touch of cinnamon, then let the flavors slowly simmer and meld. Why not have a cherry-pie-like breakfast in bed?
Ingredients
1 cup water
Dash of salt
½ cup rolled oats
¼ cup dried tart cherries
¼ cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Dash of cinnamon
Pat of butter
Preparation
Pour water and salt into a small heavy saucepan. Bring liquid to a slow boil over medium heat. Stir in oats, reduce heat to low, and cook for a minute or two, stirring occasionally. Stir in dried cherries, brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Cover and cook on very low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until oats are soft and mixture is thickened. Spoon oatmeal into a bowl and top with a pat of butter. Serve immediately.
Makes 1 serving.
Bedtime Stories: The Glass Sentence
Post by Mark T. Locker.
The Glass Sentence by S.E. Grove.
A fantastic new series by debut young adult novelist S.E. Grove is taking the world by storm! And for good reason. It’s a totally unique perspective in a world full of magical abilities and/or teen dystopias. One day, in the 1700s, everything freezes. A child mid-leap stays suspended over a pool of water while her friends freeze below while the days and seasons fly by around her. When she lands, time has fragmented. Suddenly, different ages are existing concurrently. Go to the north, and you find an Ice Age world. Travel east, you will find yourself in the Triple Eras, where three distinct eras converge. In this new world, mapmaking becomes a wholly different art. Shadrack Elli is one of the greatest cartologists in the world, mapping not only place but time. When the parents of his niece Sophia disappear on an expedition to the Ice Age era in the north, he takes her under his wing, always seeking and gathering clues to her parents’ whereabouts. But all is not well in the world. Extremists in their home town of Boston want to lock out intruders from other eras and keep their city isolated. If that happens, Sophia may never see her parents again.
When Shadrack is suddenly abducted, it is up to Sophia and a mysterious boy from the Triple Eras to put together the clues left behind to figure out where Shadrack is, and maybe find clues to her parents as well. Armed with a number of mysterious maps, maps of memories etched in glass and on clay, Sophia heads into lands unknown in an exciting and dangerous adventure.
This book is a fantastic start to what promises to be a great, action-packed series, perfect for tweens looking for fresh adventures.
Bedtime Stories: A Pirate’s Quest: For His Family Heirloom Peg Leg
Post by Mark T. Locker.
A Pirate’s Quest: For His Family Heirloom Peg Leg by Laura Sams and Robert Sams. Illustrated by Heiner Hertling.
We don’t read too many picture books anymore. They’re still fun to read but all the ones we have at home have been read to tatters and the boy, now a fully independent reader, gravitates to the comics and graphic novels section now. This book was given to us as a Christmas present. It’s a somewhat silly story (though you wouldn’t guess it from the very artistic illustrations) about a pirate who lost his peg leg, an heirloom handed down from one-legged generation to the next. The pirate hopes to pass it down to a one-legged son or daughter one day. So when he awakes in his boat and finds it missing, he follows the lake to the river, river to the sea, searching for his precious heirloom peg leg.
It’s a fun book to read, though sometimes it rhymes and sometimes it doesn’t, and when it doesn’t, it feels like it should. But the pictures are fun, and there are a bunch of animals hidden that you are supposed to find. (Actually they’re not hidden, you just have to see them.) An entertaining read for 3-6 year-olds. Plus, there is a song you can download from the authors’ website for free!
Breakfast in Bed – Seahawk’s Seattle Crêpes
Post by Alison Hein.
The big Game Day fast approaches. Time to think about Super Bowl breakfast or brunch. This year I chose to go with the Seahawks to honor the lovely and bountiful Evergreen State.
Washington is the source for many fine food products, including many varieties of fruit, grain, and seafood. But the local wild salmon ranks among the best in the world. Add a little smoke to the fish, and you’ve got the perfect partner for a traditional savory Breton crêpe. Earthy, buckwheat flour complements the lush, buttery salmon. Creamy crème fraîche adds a luxurious note, and fresh, green dill brings color and balance.
If you are not accustomed to working with buckwheat (which is no relation to wheat and a great gluten-free option), it may take you awhile to get used to the consistency of the batter. Thick and grainy when first mixed, it tends to separate as it sits. Be sure to stir the batter often as you cook up a batch of crêpes. Even if you’re not expecting a big crowd, go ahead and cook the whole batch. Then, lay each crêpe on a piece of parchment paper, stack them up and slip them into a plastic bag, then freeze them for future use.
Whether you’re rooting for New England or Seattle, I hope you start the day with this lovely, bountiful breakfast in bed.
Ingredients
1¼ cups buckwheat flour
¼ teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus additional for frying
¾ cup milk
1¼ cups water
4 ounces smoked wild salmon
¼ cup crème fraîche (or sour cream)
1 bunch fresh dill
Preparation
Add buckwheat flour and salt to a large bowl. Add eggs, vegetable oil, milk and water and whisk until smooth batter forms. Add additional water for a thinner batter, if you like.
Heat a 10-inch-diameter nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Brush pan with oil. Add ¼ cup of batter to pan, tilting to coat bottom. Cook crêpe until golden on bottom, 30 to 45 seconds, adjusting heat as necessary to prevent burning.
Using a spatula or butter knife, flip crêpe and continue to cook until dark gold, about 1 minute longer. Keep warm, while continuing the process with the remainder of batter.
To serve, delicately roll crêpe into a long cylinder. Place about ¼ of an ounce of smoked salmon on the rolled crêpe, then top with a teaspoon of crème fraîche and a sprig of dill. Repeat with remaining crêpes.
Serve immediately.
Makes 12 – 16 crêpes.
