In my quest to make my apartment just the way I want it (considering the limited budget of a graduate student, and the fact that you can only do so much with a graduate student apartment that one cannot paint or change fixtures in), I've gotten a few new things. The couches have to stay, because, well, they're comfy, and "some" changes don't equal several thousand dollars. Instead, I've settled for curtains, pillows, possibly a new rug, new kitchen appliances and canisters, and a new breakfast table. A new coffee table may also happen, if I see one I like.

My interior design skills are questionable. I know what I want when I see it, but I can't describe what I want. I will never be super country or super modern, and I don't believe in decorations that are not functional, with the exception of artwork. I started looking for a new table quite some time ago, and wasn't happy with any of the options. And then I saw this.

It's mohogany, stained, and finished. It is dark, but not too dark. It is the perfect size, and it is classic and beautiful. I fell in love with the stand - I know it's not everyone's taste, but it's classic American, and very "Jackie O's vacation home." I love it, and it comes a week from today. Me being the scientist that I am, I spent weeks researching types of wood, their stability and durability, and I think mohogany floats the boat. Hopefully it doesn't scratch badly.

I like having things in my apartment that are very me. Not that were free, that I strongly dislike, or I inherited from an old roommate. They're something that I fell in love with, and I made the decision to add to my home. Here's to redecorating.

Today's poll: What is your favorite piece of furniture in your house?

I was in Bloomingdale's Home yesterday with my good friend Courtney, and we meandered over to the sale section. Every now and then, the home store has fantastic sales, and it's possible to score some amazing deals. They had oodles of All-Clad on sale, but I wisely stayed away from that table. What they DID have on sale, and I had been wanting to buy for quite some time, were the oval Le Creusets. I have several sizes of the round dutch ovens, and they're great for making sauces, chicken dishes, chile verde, you name it. They evenly distribute heat and really do keep flavors in and intensify them (and no, it's not just a marketing gimmick). So what did I discover was 60% off, with an additional 10% off for being the last one with no box? This lovely 5 quart oval in the same blue as my other Le Creuset family. Is it not the perfect size in which to roast a chicken?

What's your favorite roast chicken recipe?

Randoms

I have homework to do, Helen!

The rules:

* link to the person that tagged you
* post the rules on your blog
* share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself
* tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs
* let each random person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog
Here it goes.

1. I was obsessed with gardening and plants as a child. I'm actually quite surprised that I didn't become a plant biologist or a landscaper-to-the-stars (maybe it's because plant biologists make even less than cell biologists . . .). I begged my mom to buy me gardening books, and tried to make bonsai trees (some even worked). Some of my best childhood memories are in the garden with my mom. To this day, I correct narrators on HGTV when they mistakenly call something a perrenial, or an Iceberg rose a Hybrid Tea (it's a floribunda, people).

2. I often look like I'm biting my nails. I'm not - I have never bitten my nails. I bite the skin on the sides of them (I know, icky).

3. If I hear a song I like, I go absolutely nuts until I find out who it is by. I will save lyrics on my phone to google them, run to a computer to check the radio's website, you name it, I will do it. On the plus side, I have discovered many great bands this way, such as the Stereophonics when I was 14 (they are still my favorite band).

4. I collect Crane stationery, and am very OCD about writing thank you notes. I hold grudges against those who do not send them. If I pick out a wedding present for you, the least I expect in return is a two-line note saying that you got your serving platter you registered for. People who thank on AIM need to be put down.
* Note: I have been to 4 weddings in the past year. I have gotten one thank you note. You can logically deduce how I feel about this.

5. Caffeine really does not affect me. I like it, and it keeps me perky, but not Katie Couric perky. I can have a triple shot latte, and take a nap afterwards. In other words, it keeps me awake, but doesn't keep me from falling asleep. I am the polar opposite of the boy (we shall call him disenchanted grad student), who has a Coke at noon and is poking me to watch a movie with him at 3 am.

6. My most treasured posession is a stuffed monkey. My parents gave it to me for my first Christmas, when I was two months old, and I slept with it every night (and took it on every trip I ever went on). To this day, it is the only stuffed animal in my room, and likely will never leave. Very few people know its name, but I named it when I was a year or two old, and its moniker is rather apt. Do you know?

I really don't know who else I can tag :( The only people I know with blogs already did this ::tear::

The Iron Curtain? Steph vs Ikea?

I have this odd love affair with Ikea. While it provides college students, young professionals, and budget-conscious adults with cute home furnishings without breaking the bank, it is often hard to replicate the look you see in the store. How many of you wander around the gorgeous "rooms" and assure yourself that your pad will be just as swanky? And how many of you look bewildered at your beige particleboard table and wonder why it looks so damn, well, Ikea?

My current issue is with the curtains. While fabulous and floaty in store, rendering lightness and softness to the in-store display, they were frustrating and sweat-inducing in graduate student housing. What the heck gives with fabric one must cut themselves, adhere tape, iron down the tape, and hack off approximately two feet (by eye) before hanging? I won't even go into why they include screws, but not the right ones, or my issues with the cordless drill (although this is not the fault of Ikea). Sigh. My downstairs is now fully curtained, and I am fully exhausted.