this little light of mine...

Also from IKEA?  -->

...This cute little lamp was a great purchase last weekend. 10 euro!

I moved a nice floor lamp into my bedroom to have better lighting when I'm reading each night... but that left the living room a bit dark... this little guy shown above helps fix that problem AND makes the area feel cozy.   : )  WIN!

IKEA... "But I don't have a buddy with a pencil..."

The third piece of furniture that I bought at IKEA is the one I was most excited about! I went into IKEA looking for something that I can keep sweaters and clothing in... I wan't sure if it would fit in the bedroom or have to go in the kitchen... I found a great piece that is narrow and tall enough to fit in the bedroom - Hoorah!

...When I opened the directions booklet... I saw the following:

...I have a carpet to work on ...but I don't have a buddy with a pencil to help me build! Uh oh.

I don't want to end up being the sad guy.

Not sure if the job would just be a bit more difficult... or if I would need four hands for the building... I decided to go ahead and see how far I could get with it...

After two hours of building...

and building...

and building...

I DID IT!

I even made the drawers with handles... and they roll along wheels and all. 

I was feeling pr-etty proud... and pr-etty fancy!

I'm really happy with the piece. I've already stocked it with sweaters and things. Each time I walk into the bedroom, I feel happy about it.   : )

IKEA

The orientation committee at school set up for another trip to IKEA for the new teachers that wanted to go again.

My first time to IKEA, about a month and a half ago, I had just moved into my apartment in Opera and was able to find some great things.

This time at IKEA... my focus was mostly: storage!

I came out with a few goodies... but was most excited about 3 big boxes... a bookcase, a metal cabinet, and a wooden cubby-like piece with 4 drawers. Pretty stoked!

My Sunday afternoon was spent building.

(Lenny... as you're reading this, are you thinking back to when I put a huge hole into the lovely wooden cubby-bench that I bought some years ago?! ...I was thinking about that! ...and telling myself I better NOT dare do that again.)

I'm not exactly a professional at building things... but I do have 2 screw drivers and a hammer... and figured that if I went step-by-step and took my time... I could do it!

The whole time I was building, I was wishing that my DAD were here with me! He used to always put together our birthday and Christmas gifts that needed any construction. He's so good at these kinds of things. ...And I kept thinking that it would be nice to be able to do this together. ...In the end... I know that if he were here, he'd have helped me -- even though it would have killed his back! AND... in the end, I'm proud of being able to do all of this on my own.   : )  LOVE YOU, MISS YOU - DAD!

The first two pieces went pretty well:

Shown below are two views of the completed first piece...

The metal cabinet above is in my bathroom now...
perfect size for the spot... and great for storage!

The clear/white plastic container under the sink is no longer there...
and can now hold some clothes instead.   : P

The second piece is a bookcase to match the one already in the living room area...
my goal in buying another one was to stack them!

Mission completed!

(Although... I do hope no one bumps into it.)   : P

Pretty good with the first two pieces...

...Of course, I've saved the toughest one for last! ...Onto the next post...

Saturday Market takeaways

Yesterday morning at the market was another success!

I picked up some gorgonzola con la goccia to bring to a friend's for dinner last night... and it was delicious with the homemade bread they had!

I also picked up the following deliciousness...

homemade honey mustard dressing!

My weekend ventures in the kitchen continued yesterday... I made my own honey mustard dressing!

Some ladies at lunch a couple weeks ago were talking about doing so... and how most people probably have the ingredients for it already. ...I did!

Here's how I made it:

1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup honey
2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
salt, pepper to taste

The lemon juice was a surprise ingredient to me! I didn't realize that would be in honey mustard dressing.

It turned out quite well. I read that it should be able to stay in a closed container in the refrigerator for up to a week. I bought some vegetables at the store yesterday and they're delicious dipped in the dressing!

I also spooned some into a small container to take to school and have with a salad.

: D

HUGE grasshopper

Recently, I looked out onto my balcony and saw this HUGE... thing.

UGH.

Not a pretty thing.

There was a stink bug above it... but really, what IS that big thing?!?!

I posted the picture above to my Facebook wall... and had various responses at thoughts of what this creature might be. A couple friends said a big grasshopper. ...Really?! ...Is that all?! It looks so much... more... EGGHLK.

...But alas, I guess it IS just a grasshopper. A GIANT grasshopper!

The next day... it was still there! Now on top of the balcony railing... I  got a new view...

I guess it does look more like a giant grasshopper now.

It was really weird-looking the first day with it's legs down at its side.

CHILI mmmmmm...!

After making pesto mid-day, I then decided to make chili for dinner. It was the perfect meal with the cooler weather... and I've been enjoying it all week long!

I cheat a bit and use canned chili... I haven't ventured enough to try and really make my own... but I do love my chili, which I began making in Vietnam. This time I switch things up a bit and used chick peas since I didn't have any canned beans... and I love it with the chick peas! I also bought and used curry powder. Mmmmmm...

Oh - and hilariously... I asked at the store if they had canned pumpkin (zucca in Italian)... the man said No, they don't... but he brought me to the fruit/vegetable cooler and asked if I meant... a pumpkin? He pointed to a small, green pumpkin. Well - YES! That IS what I mean! Ha!

I love cooking and baking with canned pumpkin... but haven't thought to try a fresh pumpkin before... maybe it is more healthy, too?! I brought half the little pumpkin home and then looked up how to go about making it into pumpkin puree... I boiled cut pieces with some water... strained the water out... and used my little grinder for the 2nd time! Perrrrrfect.