Usually when I think of Sundance’s decor items, I envision dancing Hopi figures and cast iron mice. But today a new catalog landed in my mailbox and I am now totally in love with their dining tables matched with modern chairs. The tables have a rustic strength that would make any family gathering special, and the metal bistro chairs are the perfect modern pairing. It’s all rather pricey (over $2000 for the table and nearly $300 for each chair) but since I don’t even have a dining room (yet) I’m merely dreaming anyhow. Lovely! — Angela M.

A recent artlcle on an exhibition at the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center in Santa Rosa, Calif., reminded me of just what a fun spot this is. If you find yourself in Sonoma County, and even if you only have a glancing appreciation of the venerable Peanuts comic strip, it’s worth a visit. Designed by architect C. David Robinson, the museum opened in 2002, the year I paid my first visit. I confess I’m a Peanuts fan, but I was surprised by just how cool the museum is. It’s surprisingly modern. There are Bertoia chairs on the deck. There’s a wonderful labyrinth outside that you wouldn’t know immediately is in the shape of Snoopy’s head, and in the backyard is an actual “kite-eating tree.”

But the inside is really what counts. From the huge wall tiled with Peanuts strips that from a distance form the famous tableau of Lucy, Charlie Brown, and the football, to an actual nursery wall that Schulz painted for his children before Peanuts was even born, to rotating exhibitions featuring the themes in Schulz’s work, the museum is engaging. And it’s small enough that you can see everything even if you only have an hour or two. Once you’re done, walk across the street to enjoy the delightfully tacky/kitschy Redwood Empire Ice Arena (and large gift shop), “Snoopy’s Home Ice,” where Schulz ate two meals a day at the Warm Puppy Cafe. –Mary T.

Many thanks to Tomas N. Romero for the photos.

Almost every day, Isadora gets taken for a long walk in her stroller. She always falls asleep, and sometimes she is still snoozing when we get home, so we’ll gently park her in the bedroom so she can keep on napping. Well, there’s a bit of snow and slush and salt on the ground here, and the other day, the stroller wheels left four nasty stains our sisal rug (which I bought at Pot Barn about ten years ago). Since we’re in constant open house mode these days, I panicked. Our first thoughts — Flip it over! — were quickly thwarted after realizing it had a rubber backing. Luckily, I found these helpful tips over at Good Housekeeping’s website. Though I have no idea what “the manufacturer’s recommended cleaner” may be, we were able to blot out most of the stain with a damp towel and a bit of soap. Please let me know if you have any other tips! — Angela M.

It’s been my experience that the butternut squash sold at my local grocery stores are huge. When I look to purchase the squash for a given recipe, I without a doubt end up with at least twice as much as I need. Since hacking up a 5lb. squash is no easy task, I don’t want any of my hard work to go to waste. I’ll roast the entire thing with a coating of olive oil and some simple seasonings, then use up the tasty bites in recipes throughout the week. Here are a couple of ideas I’ve used in the past. I still have a bunch left from my last roasting and could use some more simple recipe ideas. Any suggestions? –Erica P.

1. Calzones. Stuff a simple pizza dough with the roasted squash, caramelized onions, crumbled goat cheese, bits of veggie sausage and some toasted pine nuts. Just 12 minutes in a hot oven and you’ve got a gourmet take on a pizza parlor favorite.

2. Pasta. Cook up your favorite pasta shape. Drain, reserving some of the pasta water. Quickly saute some greens (spinach, kale, chard, etc.) with a healthy dose of minced garlic and a sprinkling of red pepper flakes. Toss everything together, adding some of the pasta water to moisten, if necessary. Finish the dish with shavings of good Parmesan cheese and a light drizzle of olive oil.

You don’t have to live through a blackout to imagine the need for an old-fashioned telephone. Plus, we’re getting tired of phones that get HOT when we use them — What is going on there? — and miss the satisfying “brrrrrrinnngggg, brrrrrrinnnngggg” from our youth. We came across the vintage 1960s telephones at Russell Johnson Imports the other day (via Daily Candy, where you can get a 25% discount on these babies) and are suddenly craving a real telephone. They’re pricey ($250) but are certainly much more than just a communication device. Also for sale, truly stunning apothecary and seltzer bottles.

I used to ride my bike around NYC. Then one day I was “doored,” and that was that — I was too scared to get back on a bike in city traffic. That’s why I love the idea of the light lane, a concept from the designers at Altitude, Inc. According to the Good magazine blog, “The system projects a virtual bike lane (using lasers!) on the ground around the cyclists, providing drivers with a recognizable boundary they can easily avoid.” That could help prevent some of the thousands upon thousands of bike accidents that happen each year. –Erica P.

We’re not really having a party but we’re definitely celebrating tonight in our own little way. I made some Rachael Ray Tex Mex chili — not as a tribute to Bush but more of a supremely happy good-bye, farewell, back-to-the Lone Star State ya go toast. We’ve got our shredded cheese and cilantro and — oh yes — Fritos handy. A few beers and a night of tv. I know I’ll be weeping now and then, mostly from joy and hope. If you need a dish for tonight, this one is amazingly easy.

Are you celebrating this historic day? Please share so I can live vicariously through you all. Cheers! — Angela M.

KATHLEEN wrote in with this question the other day: If my bowls are marked dishwasher and microwave safe are they also safe to put under the broiler? (I want to use them to make French Onion Soup!)

First off, Thanks Kathleen. Now we are totally craving French onion soup! We think it’s this image from ilmungo that is doing it to us (luckily, she shares a recipe on her flickr page). In response to your question — the answer is no. The broiler will heat your bowls to a a higher degree than both the microwave and dishwasher. There may be a paint or a glaze or something on there that cannot stand high temperatures. Our recommendation is just to find a very simple ceramic or porcelain bowl, that will keep your soup nice warm.

Any other suggestions for Kathleen? Let us know if you agree with our advice!

I think if I spotted this on someone’s wall I wouldn’t immediately know what it was. Maybe seeing the clock as a piece of art is what draws me to this design. The ceramic clock was designed by Chris Koens and is available in both dark and light blue for about $50. The small fluffy feather ticks away at the seconds while the other two mark the minutes and hours. Pick one up at the UK-based site SnowHome. — Erica P.

1. You guys are great bargain hunters. Helping our quest for a mirrored nightstand, Dionna writes: “Pier 1 does still carry the mirrored furniture — I, of course, bought my mirrored nightstands last year at full price. But, they now have them listed for $199 on their website. I LOVE these tables.” Click here to see more affordable suggestions from our readers.

2. Recycling is great, but can take up a lot of room. Sarah P. Says: “I like the concept of having trash and recycling in one tower. This would clear up a lot of room in my kitchen. Only down side is that the trash part looks like it would fill up quickly since it’s not that large. But, very cool none-the-less.” Click here for a space-saving trash container.

3. The battle to win our color-helper giveaway is heating up. Jessica L. wrote: “Oh, I am off to take a picture of my bedroom. You others won’t stand a chance lol once you see the unfortunate sponging experiment gone wrong on my bedroom walls!!” Do you need some help re-coloring a room? Enter our contest now!

4. Speaking of bad colors, you definitely have some wacky decor confessions. Holly wrote in to say: “OMG… My first apartment had TEAL appliances, aptly from the brand ‘Western Holly.’ Well, I had the bright idea to paint the whole kitchen a terra cotta color, which sounded good in theory, but applied to a large kitchen in a semi-gloss paint was…well, do you remember ‘Death Becomes Her’? Well, the airbrushed colors Bruce Willis used on Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn to make them look alive? It looked like that airbrush gun threw up on my walls…” Make your own confession here.

5. As we get ready to watch the historic inauguration tomorrow, one question is pressing on our minds. Daffodil writes: “Is there a reason the Oval Office is always so yellow? I have nothing against yellow — I quite like it myself. But it seems strange that every president keeps it about the same. Is it tradition? Is it superstition? Is it frugality? Is it because making mind-blowingly complicated decisions is somehow easier in a yellow room?” See more about the Oval’s decor here.