comfort: domesticity has to include beauty

A couple summers back, I toured the Lincoln Boyhood Memorial in Indiana, a state we had to drive through in order to get back to Kentucky even though we had flown into Louisville. Meral bought me this souvenir mug, and given that it’s election season, I love sipping coffee from it. And yeah the last presidential campaign on it is Obama, which is why I watched the Democratic National Convention tonight because I'm so hopeful for November.

My wooden cutting boards were looking dry and tired, and I remembered this food-safe oil under my sink. I oiled my boards and let them soak overnight before wiping off the excess in the morning (there was none).

They look so much better. I always remember to oil my cast iron pans but sometimes neglect my wood cooking tools. Wooden spoons and spatulas are next. Easy sheet pan dinners like this potato, squash and chicken thighs will rotate regularly on the menu this winter.

And I made my way to Sausalito yesterday morning to exchange my old dinnerware for new dinner plates and bread and butter plates.                

I thought I was gonna choose the aqua and brown, but the opaque white glaze coordinates well with my handmade white and dark brown plates.  

And because Victoria cleaned our house today, I've put out clean linens in the kitchen and am eager to nest and settle into domesticity this fall and winter. And so I’m adhering to John Ruskin’s advice to surround myself with things that are not only functional, but also aesthetically pleasing.