Kitty Deschanel | Food, Wine, and Travel Adventures Across the USA

A friend recently purchased a new mattress for her son, who is attending college in New York and relies solely on public transportation. I'd recommended Amerisleep to her, which was perfect because it could be shipped directly to his door, but after discussing it, we decided that investing in an Amerisleep twin mattress might not be the best choice. He would be leaving school in less than two years and needed a cheap, temporary solution. We spent some time comparison shopping online. Based on cost alone, our top choice was a Sleep Number bed, which was on sale for $399. My friend said, "Two hundred a year is nothing compared to tuition. Sold!" We'd read some iffy reviews online about Sleep Number mattresses not lasting, an opinion reinforced by their abysmally short warranty, but hoped it would at least make it two years. I helped her navigate the checkout process, entering all of her son's delivery information, and felt confident in our choice. Then, Sleep ...

Quick tip: When writing, how can you remember the difference between "desert" and "dessert"? With "dessert", you go back for seconds! Okay, I'm ready to be serious now. My trip to Washington DC last week was the coldest I've ever been in my life. It was so cold, in fact, that when we were inside the conservatory of the US Botanic Garden and the ice on the roof cracked and slid down the glass, the sound made made me envision what it would be like if the glass and snow suddenly collapsed, trapping me underneath and ending my life. It meant I wouldn't have to go back out in the cold again. It sounded wonderful. Yes, Sexy Nerd thinks I'm nuts. On a more optimistic note, I knew we'd soon be back in sunny Albuquerque, where the winter has been mild and we've even had several days above 60 lately. I think you know where I'm going with this... The view from my bedroom window this morning.  Look how deep the snow on...

We're just a few months away from breaking ground on our dream home...assuming we ever finalize our design!  Update: Construction has finally started - so exciting. Another update: Our dream home is finished and we stayed true to our Rustic Glam design style. Check out our home photos . Rustic Glam Decor Here are the things we know for certain:   Our dream home will be rustic and glam. Glamstic? Rustam? Our dream home will have charming doors leading to a private courtyard. The driveway will be lined with fragrant, drought-tolerant plants. Our dream home will have as much character as we can cram in! Reclaimed wood where the hallway turns the corner? Yes, please. Three of the living room walls will be stone, floor to (very high) ceiling. The fourth wall will be wood, matching the windows. There will be a wall of fire at the edge of our Endless Pool, visible as guests approach our house. In our dream home, all the floors will be brick,...

We've been making great progress on our custom floor plan. It's a bit better than the last one I shared, don't you think? In fact, there's a new feature I really love. Oh yes. Pica and Biscuit are getting their very own room! Almost 25 square feet all to themselves, with direct access to their own, private courtyard. Can you tell we don't have kids? We've nicknamed this the "Puppy Penthouse Room". Pica looks so happy in her new room. Or the "P.P. Room" for short. Kinda perfect, especially for a future puppy, wouldn't you agree?

We've begun the design process for our mountain dream home (we're working with Panorama Homes - if anyone out there has something good or bad to say about them, now is the time to tell us!) and I've been trying to narrow down my thousands of photos into one cohesive house plan. In addition to the photos I've saved to Houzz and Pinterest, there are folders and folders of photos saved to my computer, some from before we even knew we would ever be building a house. It's time to weed out the rejects. I'm deleting the photos that aren't right for our new house, but posting them here first. I'd hate to have deleter's remorse. Sunny yellow laundry room idea Modern, rustic laundry room idea Stackable laundry room idea Hanging space above the washer and dryer would come in handy Country laundry room idea White laundry room idea (Are you starting to understand how overwhelming the design process is for me? I want to build e...

Driving home last night, I noticed a new, scrumptious-looking banner outside my local Del Taco. Turkey Tacos = Healthy (Right?) (Look at all the tomatoes, onions, and lettuce on top. Of course these are healthy, silly!) I remembered that Del Taco had emailed me a coupon to try their new Jennie-O turkey tacos for free. You can get one too via their website . Yay! Waiting my turn in the Del Taco drive-thru, I was thankful that Sexy Nerd wasn't joining me. Heaven help us if he ever discovers there's such a thing as saguaro cactus lights! He would have them inside and outside our house. Sexy Nerd is obsessed with cactus. It's horrible. In addition to my free turkey taco, I decided to order something called a bacon quesadilla, which was less than a dollar. How have I gone more than 30 years without ever trying such a delicious-sounding thing? I would normally dig right into my tasty food and devour it while driving home. Last night, however, I dec...