count on this

abacus from cb2
LOVE them. over the bed.....
appropriate for the math teacher bf.
appropriate for the decorator whore living inside of me.
thanks mom for the heads up!
xo

let's get this party started!

(yes, that's oatmeal underneath all the flair)

big weekend ahead...
tomorrow i'll be cruising the lb harbor on a boat...in the rain...with about 80 people and two dj's for a big going away party for my friend emily. emily is venturing down under, away from her job in costa mesa, to the office where the aussies play. should be a good one.

sunday:
new guerrilla garden dig with birthday boy, ahem man, scott and crew. if you're around, i highly suggest you come check it out. great fun, cool people, beautifying the city...what could be better.
details:
9am-12pm
7208 Carson St, Lakewood, CA on google maps.
This is the new spot we are going to be planting a guerrilla garden in on Sunday February 28th at 9 AM. It's at the San Gabriel bike trail entrance at Carson st. I think you can park in the Walmart parking area near the gas station and use the foot trail to get to the spot. It's a bit large so we most likely won't get it all planted in one shot. So we'll be coming back at a later date to finish it off. If you have a tool you like to work (dig) with please bring it but if you don't have any don't worry because there will be plenty of tools to go around. All plants will be supplied by SoCal Guerilla Gardening as this is a full sun - no water location. It's right next to the Town Center so maybe we can go out to lunch after we're done.

and maybe, just maybe, get a dog from the pound somewhere between all of this.....
HOLLER!

today's mail

YEAH! classic tune. lp fresh from the UK and sounds fantastic blasted on the stereo.

the rulers of the universe...

WORMS.

red worms in particular. as i wrote in an earlier post, the bf gave me a worm composter for our 1 year anniversary. ah organic love. it resides on our patio and we've been feeding it kitchen scraps, egg shells, coffee grounds and paper bits the past 8 months. my friends, the red wigglers, have been noshing away on this delectable heap and turning it into something new.

i decide to give 'er a stir this weekend and couldn't help but be in awe of what my leftovers had become...black gold otherwise known as worm castings.


not only is this compost great for my plants, it is also one of the ingredients to make seed bombs. and did i mention the worm tea?


my triple decker vermiculture bin has two levels for scraps and worms and a bottom section which collects the "worm tea". ah yes my friends, worm tea. this is the red wigglers pee and it too is another highly nutritious fertilizer. organic, homemade fertilizer right here on my apartment patio.

the bin comes from target and was designed by MIO. i'm not sure if they're still for sale, but if they are, i'd recommend one for sure. even if you're not a big gardener, it's a great way to reduce your contribution to the great heap we call the dump.

store it in style

one of my fav tv cooks is giada de laurentiis aka bobblehead. her cooking style is clean, easy and fresh. i also love her kitchen decor and appliances. i look at them as much as i look at the food she cooks. i've been scoping her flour/sugar storage containers for a long time, trying to figure out where they came from. i've looked EVERYWHERE and nothing came close.

in classic the secret fashion, i envisioned it and it came. it arrived in the form of a big blue and yellow box...ikea.

i was STOKED to see these porcelain and acacia wood babies...and then i saw the price. THE PRICE!

boring, stylel-ess food containers can cost a small fortune....at target.
these: $4.99/ea.
yeah, i almost started screaming. the bf happened to be shopping with me this day so i kept it under control so he wouldn't flea the scene.

thank you sweeden.

day dreamin

i'm a big fan of ian johnson's art and this set of skateboard decks in on my radar....big time. check his website for more.

love his style and subject matter.


another IJ deck set...sf painted ladies

morning glory muffins

i adapted and renamed this from a gourmet magazine recipe (RIP) and think it's the perfect way to start a sunday morning. the smell in the kitchen while these bake is amazing. brew a little coffee, squeeze some fresh orange juice, break out the sunday Times and start the day right.

preheat oven to 350°F and oil muffin tins. i prefer "muffin tops" (the only good kind of muffin top) which are shallow and wide vs. the small and deep most people use.

into a large bowl sift together 2 c. flour, 2 t. baking soda, 2 t. cinnamon, and 1/4 t. salt and whisk in 1 c. brown sugar and 1/4c. white sugar.

coarsely shred enough carrots (i used purple carrots from my farm box) to measure 2 cups and 1/2 c. chopped pecans.

add shredded carrots and pecans to flour mixture with 1/2 c. golden raisins (or regular thompson's if that's what you've got) and 1/4 c. unsweetened coconut and toss well.

In a bowl whisk together 3 eggs, 1 c. vegetable oil, and 2 t. vanilla.

core 1 apple (i used a pink lady, also from my farm basket) and coarsely shred. Stir shredded apple into egg mixture and add to flour mixture, stirring until batter is just combined well.

divide batter among muffin cups, filling them three fourths full, and bake in middle of oven until puffed and a tester comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes.

cool muffins in tins 5 minutes before turning out onto racks to cool completely. muffins keep in an airtight container at room temperature 5 days or can be frozen.

recipe makes 14 muffins

$$ honey.......

liber series headboard with bed frame


modernist sterling brooch


jazz 5x7 print


speaking in color 85x11 print


six faux bois melmac bowls


vintage 1970's chunky lucite lamp...to much skrill for my pocket but very cool. hollywood regency all the way.........

*all of my picks today come from etsy*

irwindale

ah yes, the lovely city of irwindale. for those of you that have no idea where this gem is, just drive to the end of the 605 and hang a right. i was there yesterday for a meeting and in classic me fashion, did a quick swing by the local thrift. this time yelp led me to community thrift store in covina. the reviews were eye catching..."large as a grocery store", "super organized", "something for everyone". we'll see about that.

there was a grip of inventory and it was super organized but i didn't find much. i did a loop around the outer perimeter, checking out the books, lps, home goods and textiles...skipping the center clothing island. no time for that jazz.

here's my "finds":

sweet desk in great condition for only $45 but it was HUGE. no room in my casa or car for this guy. but what a deal.


pour some sugar on me


covina apparently has a large hispanic population which was evident in their lp selection. menudo goes to space.


come sit on my lap little boy....


old skool vs. new skool


this one i actually bought. thought it would go well in my banda corner. i was hoping for some rad ranchero music. it's ranchero but not so much rad. two thumbs up for the cover.


digging this 45 holder that is not only numbered but in primo condition. $2 holler. i've got 45's coming out of my ears so this puts some of them in order vs. the shoebox they've been living in.

i didn't buy much at this spot..just the 45 holder and a couple random lp's (debbie deb, stacey q, marachi and tj banda) but i enjoyed the community thrift. i think it could have potential if you were local and went often. as for me old irwindale, it's going to be awhile til i see you again.

odelay!

ragga ragga

7 years ago the Ragga Muffin Festival brought me to long beach for amazing music and introduced me to someone who convinced me to move to southern california from monterey.

fast forward to 2010 and i'm leaps and bounds from where i was then...in a good way. life is crazy how one small decision you make to go somewhere, talk to someone, see something, can change your life path so drastically.

so this saturday and sunday brings the 29th annual reggae festival to long beach- my home. the bf and i will be there sunday, soaking in all the music, friends, jamaican food and goodness life has brought us.

boot battle cont....

the price has dropped. do i make my move?

AG

nothing but love for alexander girard
1907-1993

is it spring yet?

well in my house it is! i bought these branches last week at trader joes which had tiny buds all over them. i decided to give them a whirl. i put them in vases with water and began the wait. bloom baby bloom! two days ago the process began. i love them them. not only the look, but the SMELL!! i want to know what kind of tree these lovelies came from. divine. if you see them in your local TJ's...pick them up.

keeping the past alive

this christmas cactus is my GREAT grandmother's. for the past 30 or so years it's been living with my grandma in fortuna (humboldt county). she moved into a retirement home about two years ago and i inherited it. how old it actually is...i don't know...but i'm guessing around 50 years old. i'm sure it would have grown larger but the pot prevents it from expanding. i've contemplated transplanting it but i know i'll have to break this beautiful pot to make it happen. i just can't do it.

even thought the plant is full capacity in it's current home, it still manages to bloom and produce these beautiful pink flowers...always around valentine's day. it greets me each day outside my front door and helps to remind me of my past, my future and love.

the power of food

surprise!

i decided to surprise the bf tonight w/ my v-day gift....food. fridays are usually rough for him because it's the end of the work week. teaching and real estate are two difficult jobs to simultaneously perform. sunday, the "real" valentine's day, we'll be guerrilla gardening. a little community service always makes the heart swell.

i love to cook as you can probably tell, so cooking a meal for someone is not only a joy for me but one of my favorite gifts.

on the menu tonight:

*cheese plate*
italian truffle cheese
supreme brie
white stilton with apricots
pink lady apple slices/crackers
MAY DAY! cocktail (we started dating late may)
-chambord
-vodka
-lemonade
...it's DELICIOUS! try this combo.

*dinner*
pork tenderloin with pomegranate sauce.. i'm going to add dried cherries to this to the sauce
creamed onions.. i added fresh thyme to this recipe. a must!
spinach
pinot noir

*dessert*
individual molten lava chocolate cakes w/ raspberry sauce

wa-la!

you turn me on

this clever idea was found @ one of my favorite sites...design sponge. the step by step directions how to make this baby can be found HERE

Die Steifel

so i'm going to europe (england and wales) in less than a month. it's going to be cold. i need a waterproof pair of boots that have style but won't kill my feet. found some used options on the net but not really sure what to do. i don't want to spend a lot since i live in so. cal. and won't wear them often. HELP!

$56


$39


$50


$45


**UPDATE**
i'm on the "hunt" for some hunters....affordable used ones. check this jimmy choo version out ...alligator RUBBER....$420. ha! thanks for the tip NF! i've already got some target pinks but now i've got my eye on the real deal blacks. xx