More domestic bliss

So here's our kitchen, to begin with. This is as clean as it gets. Yes, my washer/dryer is in the kitchen. Very convenient. I can wash dishes and clothes in the same space. Sigh.
Today I was determined to make buttermilk biscuits from scratch. I am missing southern food DESPERATELY and I've decided to just bite the bullet and start making things from scratch. (There is no such thing as Bisquick or anything like that here.) So I made up my list and sought out my items at our local grocery store. During my trip, I noticed that there was a whole lot more space and selection now that Christmas is over. I'm hoping the calmer pace at the grocery store is here to stay until the next major holiday. I even saw fresh cilantro (coriander), and was overjoyed!! Pineapple and mango, too, to satisfy and island cravings!
I picked up the flour and baking powder needed for my biscuits and was hung up on finding some equivalent to Crisco and Baking Soda. You know, Arm and Hammer. The stuff you put in your fridge. Basic baking stuff. Nowhere to be found. I even found something that I think would work as Crisco but no soda. Disappointed, I picked up a box of apple muffins and sulked on back home. . .
where I discovered that I had only olive oil, not the vegetable oil required by the recipe. Totally defeated at this point, I mixed in a little EVOO and called it a day. Don't tell John--let's see if he can taste the difference. . .
I also discovered that I have bought apples on my last three shopping trips and neither John nor I have been eating them. I see this as a good excuse to make some apple dishes. I'll have to find some basic recipes, that's for sure. Oh, and butter does not come in simple sticks here. You have to measure it out. Double sigh.
But enough of my baking disaster. . (the muffins made it out of the oven unburnt, so I feel that's a victory in itself!)
Second picture is looking at the dining room from the kitchen. The doors on the right lead into the living room.
Our dining room is certainly all-purpose. We could eat there (you mean, people eat places other than in front of the TV watching The Simpsons?), we have the "bar" in there, and the "office" is there. It's a pretty huge space.
So the third picture is of our "bar". This would be great for a bachelor pad. At our house, we use it to charge cellphones, hold the stereo, and organize workout equipment.
Fourth pic is our office. The desk was originally in a nook in the kitchen, but there was no outlet there to plug anything in, so we reorganized the dining room. Here's where I do my blogging and spend an inordinate amount of time looking at baby stuff online.

And, finally, here is our storage space under the stairs. Who lurks here? You guessed it, the vacuum. Grr. Just look at it gloating in the corner, planning to trip me up and get tangled in the doorway. Sigh. Sigh.
Next to the vacuum cleaner is our lawnmower. Yeah, that orange thing is for cutting the grass. We're not exactly sure how it works (it's called a hover mower and that scares me) but it lives inside and will probably remain dormant for the rest of the winter. Our grass doesn't exactly grow a whole lot.
So that's about all. I'm going to hop over to my Babies Online site to do some updating over there, so check that out if you get bored. Certainly no one is having to work too hard yet with another long weekend coming up. . .
Well, adios amigos for now!