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Our new vacuum sweeper.

Okay, I know, I know … it’s TOTALLY lame to be writing about a VACUUM SWEEPER on this little blog of mine. And I just lost the interest of 85 percent of you by venturing into household appliance land. But Internet peeps, if you even knew what kind of trade-up Nick and I just experienced with this purchase, you might then have some appreciation for why I now feel like opening my door, running out into the middle of our street, and shouting to any neighbor in earshot, “YOU ALL NEED TO COME LOOK AT HOW CLEAN OUR FLOORS ARE NOW!”

See, we have this dog. One that, despite her cuteness, sheds about a pound of hair, oh, I don’t know, EVERY DAY. And our old vacuum? Well, if the government had a clunker program for vacuums, we would have traded it in for the Chevette that it was. Because it had ceased to do the job for a while now. Which is how we found ourselves last Saturday at the local sweeper shop, purchasing the Cadillac of sweepers after listening to a kind and knowledge salesman explain to us all the pros and cons of the vacuums in the store while sweeping up swirls of dog hair and pink dust. (For real, if you saw how much the Dyson sucked at … well, sucking, you’d be surprised!)

This morning, as I cleaned house, I felt like dancing a jig from behind this machine. And suddenly, I was vacuuming things in the house you probably shouldn’t be vacuuming. Counter tops, the bathtub, the inside of my bread drawer, the interior of our refrigerator. If Daisy’s not careful, I might just suck her up next.

Mad Men.

Now, if you’re a friend of mine on Facebook (and if not, well, come on already and make it happen!), you might have seen my status messages as of late reading like love letters to this cable television drama. Hands down, it is the BEST. SHOW. ON. TV. Oh yeah, I just went there. Said it. Took it to the next level. I love it THAT MUCH.

Nick and I are cableless, which translates to us being “When we do watch TV it’s usually on DVD” kind of folks. It also means we have only now caught up with the second season of this brilliant 1960s-era series. This also means I’m now plotting ways to catch the Season 3 premiere on Aug. 16 — scenarios that range from fingers-kept-crossed iTunes carries the episodes OR I hijack the home of a friend with cable or try to seduce the cable man into getting me free cable for 4 months, Betty Draper-style (I KID, I KID on that last one people!). So here’s where I make my “You really need to start watching this program like, yesterday” announcement. Because people, YOU REALLY NEED TO START WATCHING THIS PROGRAM, LIKE YESTERDAY.

If you need further proof of what a cultural mark this show is making (beside its recent truckload of Emmy noms), Jon Hamm and January Jones were just photographed for Vanity Fair by Annie Leibovitz. Yep, Annie has gotten involved and for real, if Annie is photographing these peeps (and SERIOUSLY are they not GORGEOUS photographs?), you know this show’s become a BIG deal.

So if you have any last questions of  “Umm.. do I really have the time to invest in another TV show (or any TV show for that matter)?” The answer is “Yes, yes you do.” MAKE the time for this one. I promise you it is SO worth it. I’ve never seen a TV program of any kind with such beautiful people, impeccable sets or masterful storylines. It’s a flawless program about tremendously flawed characters. Okay, I’m getting off my pop culture soap box now, but before I step down, I have to post this photo and video to bolster my case) (I could never have been a lawyer but I could try my hardest to convince you to watch one — or in this case, an advertising exec — on TV! )

PS - And a closing argument: If you don’t agree after watching that video that Jon Hamm is some of the best eye candy to hit TV since, oh, George Clooney, well, I throw up my hands and ask “What is wrong with you?!”

The Collected Works of T.S. Spivet, a book I just finished by newcomer author Reif Larsen.

I’d had my eye on this one for a few months, having spotted an article in my Vanity Fair about how Larsen (who, I must admit, had me at hello-book-cover-jacket) submitted his debut novel for consideration only to induce a publishers’ war, landing a near 7-figure book deal. Oh yeah, did I mention he’s like, MY AGE?

In a nutshell, the story follows the life of 12-year-old T.S. Spivet, a inquisitive boy on a journey from his family’s Montana ranch to the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. to collect a prestigious award he’s received for his map-making skills. The catch is, the Smithsonian doesn’t know he’s a child and his parents don’t know he’s leaving as T.S. sneaks away to travel to the capital hobo-style by rail car.

The plot is charming and warm (Stephen King describes it as one part Mark Twain, one part Little Miss Sunshine) and there are some true laugh-out loud moments (including an ode to the old game of Oregon Trail that left me doubled over in laughter). The best part of the book? The way Larsen annotated it with T.S.’s work. It’s a book so unique and original, talking about it doesn’t do it justice alone so I had to bring my love for it in pictures to the blog.

If you’re looking for something to read this summer, check it out. And when Oprah makes it a pick for her book club, well, you and I can both say we beat her to it, eh?

Miso soup.

Growing up, I was spoiled with a mother who was a wonderful cook. My childhood was one with few “bologna sandwich” kind of nights because mom could always be counted on to whip up a yummy casserole or meatloaf for the family. But there wasn’t a lot of experimentation in the Koch kitchen. Now that I’m adult, I have fun branching out when it comes to cuisine and exploring aisles of the grocery store that might have made me grimace as a kid (my idea of Chinese food back then was La Choy chop suey with those crunchy canned chow mein noodles on top — ha!).

A while back, my amazing yoga instructor passed off her recipe for miso soup and I knew I wanted to give it a try. And wow… pretty much THE easiest concotion I’ve ever thrown together. Three-fourths cup boiling water, a tablespoon of miso (I bought mine at Meijer but I’d like to branch out and try some from a Japanese market in Indy or online), a handful of scallions and a few chunks of tofu and voila!

For the skeptics: No, it’s not yucky. It tastes a lot like a yummy broth, the kind that would sound good to you on a day you just want to curl up on the couch. No, the tofu isn’t gross either. If you’ve ever experimented with tofu, you know the great thing is that it takes on whatever the dominant taste of your dish is. So in this case, the broth.

For those willing to give it a try: This is a GREAT quick pick-me-up kind of meal (it’s been my lunch for the past week and seriously takes me 5 minutes to make) and it’s LOADED with nutrients. In Japan, about 40 percent of the population eats miso soup for breakfast every morning and those Japanese know a thing or two in the health department. Studies show women who eat soy (which miso is a derivative of) once a week cut their breast cancer risk up to 50 percent. WOW!

And the true culinary test? Nick ate it. So if my husband likes it, well, Internet, that’s saying something.

anything designed by Orla Kiely, especially these cups I got from Target!

Some of you may have seen this designer’s work before. She makes a signature handbag I covet the way most women covet Coach or Chanel. Of course, it’s TOTALLY out of my price range.

Which means stumbling across Kiely’s line of (WAY cheaper) Target goods had me doing a little happy dance in the store’s aisle. I gifted the tumblers to my dear friend Michelle for her birthday but kept the mug. It’s one of my favorites to drink coffee in. As in, some mornings, I’ll open the kitchen cupboard and grin upon spotting it amid the hodgepodge that is my coffee mug collection. Isn’t that strange how something so small and insignificant can give you a little pick-me-up like that? And can I get an “Amen” for how much we love the brilliance that is top-notch designers partnering with Target? Ahhhh…..a trip to Target. Talk about pick-me-ups …..

I promise work will start picking up on the blog soon — I’ve got my first wedding of the season right around the corner! And I actually forgot about the image above but I’ve been making some upgrades to my Lightroom software (can technology just QUIT already with the 2.0s and then the 2.1s followed by the 2.2s?) and I stumbled across this shot I took a few weeks back and decided to blog it. Blogging of course being a giant form of procrastination for other work I need to get done yet this evening ….