Julia Child’s kitchen!
This past month, my husband and I traveled to D.C. for his company’s Christmas party. Since he is a remote employee, he likes taking the opportunity to see his colleagues in person.
As a bonus, we get a day or two of vacation in the middle of the busy season.
This year, we hit the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History as well as a couple of great restaurants.
It was really fun getting a peek inside Julia Child’s kitchen.
I love how she thought about practicality and functionality. That’s how I feel about my kitchen.
It’s a space we work in multiple times a day. It’s not about being a showpiece but a workhorse that places tools in logical ways to make the work of cooking easier!
The only thing I have mixed feelings about is pots and pans hanging on the wall. What say you?
1
In piano teacher world news – co-author of the Piano Safari method Julie Knerr-Hague has stepped way from the business to pursue other interests. Best of luck to her! We’re so fortunate to have all of her contributions to the world of piano pedagogy! (No link. The announcement was in an email.)
2
My friend Christina Whitlock is such a great storyteller. Her “story” podcast episodes are some of my favorites of hers:
Episode #24 – Cheers to the “Stuff” of Holiday Teaching (Beyond Measure Podcast)
3
You’re going to want to bookmark this one! Joy Morin and friends compiled a GIGANTIC list of creative piano recital themes. I’m seriously blown away at the size of the resource!
The Ultimate Guide to Piano Recital Themes: 50+ Creative Ideas for Teachers
4
Drew and I really enjoyed this one-hour special on Netflix, taken in one live shot:
One-Shot with Ed Sheeran Music Project
There is also a fun 10 minute behind the scenes follow up video available on Tudum.
5
Can I just tell you how excited I am to finally be publishing recipes to the Piano Pantry blog? It’s long overdue! Most recently, I shared a delicious snack mix I made for my studio Christmas gifts. I was late publishing it for it to do you any good for this year, but put it in your back pocket for an idea for next year!
It’s also a great snack mix for parties…like New Year’s Eve or the Super Bowl!
It’s seriously so good. In fact, one of my studio moms texted me and said (and I quote, emphasis and all):
“MY HUSBAND AND I ARE OBSESSED WITH YOUR SNACK MIX!! Amy–it was seriously SO GOOD. Son #1 didn’t want his, so gave it to me, and we are having a hard time not stealing son #2’s bag… LOL”
6
There are several items that were big hits this past year from my favorites list. In no particular order, they include:
Wireless Charging Station for Apple Magsafe Charger
Large Capacity Fabric Storage Bags
BIC X-tra Strong Mechanical Pencil (0.9mm)
7
There’s a newish setting on iPhone 16s that will leave your screen on but dimmed all the time rather than blacking out. After 6 months of it, I realized I hated it, so I found a quick tutorial that showed me where the setting is to turn it off.
The funny thing is, now that I went back to the old way, I’m kind of missing it! LOL I don’t know what I want! LOL
8
What It’s Like To Be…A Conductor podcast episode.
9
I’ve been enjoying several different Christmas albums and playlists on Spotify these past few weeks. I lean toward less traditional recordings of holiday music. A few on my “unusual” list:
I also have a couple of playlists of my own (of course! LOL):
