After a long silence

Well hello abandoned blog and two readers. Some photos to catch you up. Banjo is big:

Our Thanksgiving table:

The Craigslist chair I bought ages ago - with restained legs (never trying that again by myself!) and new upholstery (goodbye weird pineapples).

Our den at Christmas:

Our new painting by Abby Kasonik (Untitled Time Out #5):

Having a baby- he's due in March. Who knows when (or if) I'll post again! xoxo

Cinco De Mayo

We celebrated. Did you?

It's Everyone's Birthday!

Some iphone pix of the 4th in Santa Cruz...

Home(made) for the Holidays - Part 2

I knit this scarf for my boyfriend.  Originally, it was flat after steaming but has since curled back up as stockinette is inclined to do.

The very same boyfriend mentioned above helped me wrap a bridal shower gift.  He is a big proponent of crease-and-fold.  Photos of the gift will be posted after the shower tomorrow!

A few friends and I decided to spend a calm New Years Eve together.  We raided the grocery store for Blue Point and Kumamoto oysters, a gorgeous tuna steak, and accompaniments. Having forgotten to purchase oyster shuckers, we used whatever blunt instruments we could find: a screwdriver, butter knives, etc.  They all were opened and eaten with a mignonette sauce.  Afterwards we devoured this salad:

We had a green onion-lemon rice, soy sauce seared tuna, and more champagne than you could shake a stick at.  The overall price tag was a fraction of what we would have spent out on the town, and part of the evenings fun was communally preparing the meal.  We topped it off with Liars Dice and mimosas/walnut french toast the next morning.... great way to bring in 2009!

Home(made) for the Holidays - Part 1

One of my delightful friends gave me some homemade vanilla extract for Christmas... and the motivation to make it myself.  After some web browsing, I found these comprehensive instructions and dove in.  If you choose to try this, I recommend looking at the apothecary section of Whole Foods to buy the Madagascar beans in bulk.  Otherwise you might end up purchasing each bean individually which can be costly.

Above, I have split the beans in half and scraped out the caviar.  Below, the beans are in the jars and awaiting vodka.

 Once completed, I tied pretty ribbons around the lids.  A perfect little gift!

Rental Woes

Although living in a rental affords me the flexibility to move and try out new jobs and cities, renting does have its downsides.  Recently I've been visiting with friends who own their places and I have been reminded of my two main I-wish-I-didn't-have-a-landlord grievances. Number One:  I'm increasingly unhappy living with white walls.  I frequently consider how I would repaint my rooms and every so often take out a swatch and dream.  And sometimes I see outside inspiration I wish I could use.  Example: When watching Doubt the other day, I was completely taken with David Gropman's production design.  In particular I loved the green he used in the principal's office:It would look fabulous with my black/white/red color scheme in the den.  Sigh, I'll have to keep dreaming for now.  Even if I was allowed to paint, I'd really rather not deal with laboring over painting and repainting a temporary residence.  Second woe-is-me-I-can't-own-in-this-overpriced-city complaint:  I can't have pets!  Although I would much rather have a dog, I've been enjoying hanging out with my new friend Walter in Virginia: 

He was very interested in the computer cursor.  Now he is curled up asleep, and I might be able to knit without him attacking my yarn. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve.  I'm looking forward to meeting up with my brother, returning the rental car, and beginning the family festivities.  Hope you are too!

Preparing for New Years

Although champagne flutes are today's standard glassware for bubbly, I really prefer these gold rimmed antiques.  I gave a set to friends as an engagement gift:

Whether you are drinking brut or prosecco, wouldn't you love to sip out of these sophisticated glasses?  Added bonus: not only are they classy, but the wide mouth makes them easier to hand wash.  

The weather cleared up here today, but sadly I left the camera at home.  Sigh.  Perchance more farm pictures tomorrow.

Great Gifts

My sweet, sweet friend (and go-to garden guru) sent me a Christmas package containing adorable gardening tools: shears and a hand shovel!  Isn't this pattern pretty?  

Used the shears right away to harvest the rest of my basil's leaves.  Made a delicious pesto for dinner and wished my friend had been here to eat with me!

Dreaming of a white Christmas

It is still raining near Stanford, so when I received a video greeting from UVa today, I was instantly envious.  

I feel it in my fingers... I feel it in my toes...

Nothing better to beat the chill than to spend time with good friends.  Got out of the rain and went to a lovely dinner party this evening.  The menu included a cheese plate, fresh veggie salad with lemon-garlic vinaigrette, fennel and onion encrusted pork loin, squash-arugula risotto, garlic green beans, multiple bottles of wine, and brownies.  All of the cooking and laughing steamed up the kitchen windows, and we couldn't resist drawing in the condensation:

The candle centerpiece:

Hotel Presidente outdid me with their Christmas tree:  

It was a great mid-December gathering, and now it is time to sleep off the meal!  

Ferry Market

As promised, here are photos from the San Francisco market.  Luckily the rain didn't really start until today.

Blue Bottle drip coffee: perfect to wake and warm you.

I neglected to snap a photo of the lavender booth, but I did buy a beautiful and fragrant dried bouquet.  Have the perfect vase for it back home.  Drooled over the fruit, but left with only a baguette and some cheese.  

We caught these Santas using public transpo (maybe the reindeer union is on strike).  I believe they were headed to the SF Santa Bar Crawl.  A few hours later, I'm sure some of them were missing their hats, coats, or pants... 

Thwarted by Thanksgiving

Sorry for the lack of posts.  Resuming my duties today!

Recent Procrastinations:

- finding and decorating a Christmas tree (see below)

- touring little brother around Los Angeles with pit stop at the Polo Lounge and Santa Monica pier

- trip to Coronado

- drinks at the Edison downtown

Future Procrastinations:

- booking holiday travel

- cleaning out closet

- organizing receipts

- mailing Christmas cards

- buying presents

Pushed my writing deadline to Friday.  Procrastinating will have to wait....  

A little goes a long way...

Besides the sky turning dark at 5pm, this wreath is one of the few indicators of the upcoming Holiday Season.   Living in Southern California, I sometimes need a reminder about what time of year it is! 

Hoping to convince my Thanksgiving guests to help decorate the apartment for Christmas.