3.23.2012

aloha


Well, folks, I'm leaving Oakland with a mean cough, a horse voice, and some achy bones, but I'm hoping that paradise will revive me. Have a wonderful week. Be back soon...

Aloha!

[Image: Smaddy]

3.22.2012

fever

Excuse my absence. A fever and chills and body aches knocked me sideways yesterday. Thankfully J's sister came over and watched Stella so I could retreat to bed and rest. I don't know what I would have done without her. There's nothing worse than feeling like death and trying to entertain a sweet, hyper kid. I'm still on the mend, trying to kick this flu to the curb before we head to Hawaii...

3.16.2012

jen's chocolate chip cookies

My friend Jen and her seriously addictive Chocolate Chip Cookies (Cocoa Nib and Toasted Walnut Cookies Topped with Artisan Sea Salt) are over on Design*Sponge today. I've been the lucky recipient of a few test versions of these beauties. And they are GOOD. Seriously, dangerously good. 

What's also dangerously good? Jen's food photography. Her pictures of food have me drooling over my keyboard. She's a talented one, that Jen.

3.12.2012

lovely weekend

How was your weekend, friends? 

Ours was lovely. My friend Melissa was in town for a post-conference visit and we spent the weekend catching up, drinking tea, talking about books and kids, and sharing some of our favorite Oakland haunts. We ate tacos at Cosecha, browsed through popuphood, enjoyed a girls dinner with Andie at Camino, shopped for books at Diesel (where we met and became friends), relished sorbet from Scream, brunched at Plow in the city, and wandered through Flora Grubb on the way to the airport.

Flora Grubb
Flora Grubb
Sunday brunch at Plow

I would have had more photos to share, only I spent the whole weekend enjoying the company of my friend so much that I forgot to document it. I think that's a sign of a really great weekend...

3.09.2012

on repeat: the rural alberta advantage :: two lovers

Every year my friend Andie compiles an amazing best-of playlist. I've had her mix on repeat for a week straight. "Two Lovers" by The Rural Alberta Advantage made the cut. To my ears, their sound blends Wilco and Neutral Milk Hotel. Love it.
 
I hope your heart's good and strong,
If you find yourself in my arms.




3.08.2012

international women's day

Gloria Steinem by Yale Joel
Happy International Women's Day to all of the strong, creative, brave, curious, compassionate, and loving women I know. 

You are awesome. 
xoxo

keep calm and, you know, carry on

I've never been a big fan of those Keep Calm and Carry On posters. I'm even less a fan of the various iterations (Keep Calm and Buy Shoes? Keep Calm and Eat a Cupcake?). However, I gained a new appreciation for the original World War II-era poster after watching this video. Did you know that the poster was discovered in 2000 by the owner of Barter Books? Which, by the way, is one on the list of the 20 most beautiful bookstores in the world...

Enjoy! 

3.07.2012

simple black one-piece

I'm considering a simple black one-piece for our upcoming Hawaiian vacation. I'm torn between all four pictured below but am currently leaning towards the Jersey Lomellina twist tank

Which one would you pick?
 

Jersey Lomellina twist tank

Tulle underwire tank
Ruched bandeau tank
Tulle draped bandeau tank

lila rice gem hoops

I alternate between my Lila Rice Crescent Hoops and Disc Hoops, both of which I bought at my favorite local consignment shop, Maribel, every day. 
Lila Rice: Crescent Hoops

Lila Rice: Disc Hoops

Lila Rice: Gem Hoops
I'd been coveting the Gem Hoops for months so when I went into Maribel a few weeks ago I had Anne, the owner, special order me a pair. 

And they are amazing. End of story.

on repeat: jessica lea mayfield's trouble

   
[thanks Andie!]

3.06.2012

stella at 15 months

Tiger gets pulled into reading 101 Things I Learned in Architecture School.
Tiger gets pulled into reading 101 Things I Learned in Architecture School
Stella at 15 months is (mostly) all joy. Aside from toddler tantrum moments, complete with flopping on the floor and emphatic wails, which usually revolve around hunger, tiredness, or frustration at not being able to accomplish something, Stella is one sweet, friendly, good-natured kid. 

Stella is effusive with cuddles and kisses; she regularly kisses her friends, hugs her stuffed animals, and kisses animals and babies in books. She is still open to meeting and greeting new people, for the most part. She is increasingly sure of what she wants and where she wants to go; she points and makes a sound if what she wants is out of her reach and she refuses to let anyone guide her in a direction she doesn't want to go. She is also watchful and observant. She has moments of real seriousness, which no doubt she gets from me. Her vocabulary is growing; new words include "ball" and "book."

A few things she's loving right now:
-101 Things I Learned in Architecture School (for whatever reason this book holds her attention for 15-minute stretches, longer than any of her own books, toys, or puzzles)
-Chicken apple sausage
-Waking up and discovering that Dada has come home after a few days away
-Testing boundaries (she loves to unplug my computer and act like she's going to put the power cord in her mouth, she giggles and looks at me expectantly while waiting for my response)
-Pulling everything out of my purse and taking every card, dollar, and scrap of paper out of my wallet
-"Guinea," the stuffed guinea pig that her friends J and M brought her from Switzerland
-Homemade mushroom, spinach, turkey lasagna
-Animal sounds
-Shaking her shoulders and twirling around
-Spinning the dial on the old rotary phone at Subrosa