Merry Christmas!

Igloo-icious

Celebrating my first white Christmas.

Cheerful guardian.

Merry Christmas all!

Elephant Seals, Central Coast

Staring us down with those innocent eyes.

Twins!

The pick of the litter.

The chest bump: males begin the dance for dominance.

Open wide!  They make the funniest sound. 

The California Central Coast and Highway One are definitely worth checking out.

The Magic of Pazelle

My friend invited me over

to show me the ways of her

late Italian grandmother.

The secret ingredient.

Magical pazelle, warm from the press.

 Light, flakey, and delicious.
Italian Christmas cookies.
A tradition worth sharing.

Snow Way

 My aunt emailed me these this morning. We are headed for snow! Never a guarantee in the Maryland/DC area. I am feeling extremely giddy/lucky/happy right now. Hooray for snow days ahead.

Cold in California

 

I woke up this morning to glittery frost coating my car. 

I am grateful for the 1990 hot-rod
(show room model at that)
that travels me well.

I am also grateful for a new fuzzy white vest (with pink lining) that A says reminds him of a rabbit. My students said it is more like a polar bear.  I think of these comments as compliments.
 
Winter is Santa Claus and hot chocolate.
Winter is rain, Santa, reindeer, and snow.
Winter is a star on top of the Christmas tree.

 

As written this morning by a posse of sophisticated 5-year-olds. Can you tell I'm proud?

What does winter mean to you?

I am...

Reading…"The Middle Place."  It has a cancer-theme so part of me thought enough already while the other part of me thought the-cover-is-so-appealing and Oprah-Magazine-recommended-it and there-it-is-sitting in-the-library's honorback-pile.  

Keeping…my spirits up. Yoga, great friends, a fun job (kindergarten!), and an easygoing boyfriend all contribute greatly. So much to be grateful for.

Baking… A gigundo Italian squash a neighbor offered me from his garden.  For ratatouille-ala-Emily.  But thinking about baking coffee cake .

Watching…last seen: Friday night double feature of "Shrek the Halls" and "A Charlie Brown Christmas.” Gosh we are wholesome.

Making… Vegan food. And not deliberately.  I find windows to grocery shop ｗhen not headed home therefore avoiding things that require refrigeration (eggs, butter, cheese, yogurt). Guess I have to fatten my man up on olive oil.

Grinning... over the 2 month-old Bulldog puppy I saw at a coffee shop today.  She was a drawing a crowd with her sparkling-pink-collar and roly-poly piglet-like body. Is my new affinity for bulldogs due to my results on an online quiz entitled, What Dog Breed Are You?

Admiring...the white gerbera daisies sitting before me, carefully arranged in an Andrew-made-vase. Flowers= the best $2 I spend at the Farmers Market each week.

Congratulating…Boyfriend for completing his Oral Exams--now an official PHD candidate, Sister for finishing up her part in decorating the Trump Tower in Honolulu, and Cousin for running the 13.1-mile Las Vegas Rock n Roll Half Marathon, to raise funds for a cure for Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis.

What's up in your life readers?  Feel free to comment with a verb from your life.

Jolly Holiday

Last year for the very first time I had a non-Mele-Kalikimaka and celebrated Christmas on the mainland. I bought my first Xmas tree and crafted loads of ornaments at the pottery studio (see gingerbread man above). I made neatloaf and walked to the movie theater on Christmas Day.

This year, the day after Thanksgiving, A and I brought a Noble Fir home. I plopped the base on an upside-down planter and found my shoebox filled with last years hand-made ornaments. It feels like a tradition now. Our house is extra cozy. I even smelled some chimney smoke today (it's what California people do when it drops to 60).

We plan to visit extended family and friends (love my ohana) in the DC area. I spent every other summer there through my adolescence so it has a fond familiar feeling. Cousins' new(ish) babies to see, phenomenal grandparents to soak up, and smells and streets I recognize. At least in the summer version with chlorine-y smell of pools, lightning bugs, and hot-wet-blanket-humidity. This will be my first East Coast winter experience.

Pray for snow!
According to Wikipedia there is a 13% chance for a white Christmas in DC.

Telling Stories With Pictures

Inspired by the artwork of BFF's Hillary and Heidi.

That man is richest whose pleasures are cheapest.  
-Henry David Thoreau

I love blogging. And encouraging others to give it a whirl. I began blogging with trepidation and still don't work to network or gather followers or popularity. My blog has developed into a sort of photo-journal and I've grown more comfortable and freed up with practice. Still, most of my blog crushes are people I adore in real life (see column to the left).

One thing I am most proud of is my friends.  I must have marvelous taste in people because I can't help but be inspired by company I keep and the friends I've collected over the years

Some good friends recently started a blog with this idea:  take a photo everyday, with whatever device is available, and do not share the photos until they are posted. 

Hillary and Heidi are smart and funny. These girls have natural sass, style, and wit. They've both encourage me artistically and now I can get my daily dose and a peak into the simple pleasures and beauty in their worlds.  I am also inspired to be more a more consistent blogger.  I've also been applying my cousin's present-getting-philosophy: favor quantity, not quality. ;-)  

 You can wander over to my favorite new blog at:

http://alotcanhappeninayear.com/

Cuteness Overload

My friend's sweet Yorkie knows he melts hearts.

This California park had a very Oregonian feel to it. In a good way.There is a new nip in the air. I'm finding scarves especially comforting and I now wear my fuggs quite comfortably. Leaves piled on the stoop overnight.  And we bought our tree!  More on that very soon...

Collection of Cookbooks

My love of 1970s cookbooks likely began with my mother's well-loved copy of  Laurel's Kitchen, the Bible of vegetarian cookery. Love those vintage aprons and the cast-iron skillet display (collections to discuss on another day...no Teflon for me, thanks).  My adventures in bargain hunting have also blessed me with favorites like:

 

Check out the author and her dear

chicken friend on the back cover:

Another classic find:

Who is this Joseph you might ask?
Well, he strikes quite the figure on the back cover: 

I sort of agree, Joseph.

I find these wacky illustrations and free hand text pretty charming. 

I see his workshop (30+ years ago) was appropriately
held in good ole Portland, Oregon.

I came across a 15 year old copy of The Martha Stewart Cookbook on the bargain shelf at the library.  While I am fond of Martha, I am even fonder of the previous owner of this cookbook, whose inscriptions and sentiments are found throughout this tome.

Love this book--she is very "special." 

the print is small for me. However this is

a tremendously generous amount of all her recipes.

Long ago I did a lot of entertaining 

always liked it, and loved to cook

We had some wonderful picnics.

 

No wonder she's so successful. She is VERY

particular and discerning, has special "good taste,"

and interesting style. She goes the "extra mile."

She has a secret she adds an unexpected 

SENSIBLE "twist" to foods.  She ups the ante 

so to speak--Like Emeril.

She uses her mind and thoroughly 

investigates  all possibilities--is more often correct.

There is a certain excitement in being the first to crack open a brand new book. Still, though second-hand-finds might mostly be a necessity at this stage in my life, I really do appreciate things with a history. They are often quirky and interesting, not simply mass-marketed for today's audience. Rather than an owner, I become a caretaker for my objects--they were someone's before me and might be someone's after me.

Textures of Thanks

So much to be thankful for.
The colors and textures of this holiday captured me
As I meditated alone in my kitchen.
Savoring moments with beautiful plants
Carefully grown for us to enjoy.

Colors were collected for display:

Prehistoric pink proteas,
Purifying white sage, 

Cheery citrus boughs,
 And golden pomegranate branches 

Dotted with jeweled fruit.

 

Celebrating *true* riches 

With good-hearted people.

So much to be thankful for. 

In November

 

Even after all this time
The sun never says to the earth, 

"You owe me."

Look what happens with
A love like that,
It lights the whole sky. 

~Hafiz, 14th century Persian poet

Happy 50th Birthday Dad

 

You were a young pup when you had me.

We have grown up together in a way.

You showed me the moon and made me egg-sandwiches.

You love music and are a natural performer.

  This maybe why I tend to break out in song and ditties myself.

You love trees.

You work very hard and you do what you love for a living. 
As a plant person you teach me what you know.

East Coast Summers,

California Sailboats,

Molokai/Oahu ferry rides.

Your sense-of-humor and story-telling-gifts make these

adventures part of me.

You are strong and endure.

You remind me to push myself physically and to

use-it-don't-lose-it. 

Cliff jumping, endless walks, and those crater hikes

make me braver and bolder.

You are unabashedly you.

And this helps me be me.

You are my dad.

So, thank you!

Housed for Exhibition

I find something very heartbreaking about this gorilla.
Please don't roar at him and pound on the glass.

This was a kindergarten favorite.

We've been practicing the penguin waddle.

This is a Miss Emily favorite.
Do you recall my well-loved flamingo costume?

Never smile at a crocodile
No, you can't get friendly with a crocodile 
Don't be taken in by his welcome grin
He's imagining how well you'd fit within his skin

I know, he's an alligator.  But I had to quote this for the students.

Gaviota, California

We took a lovely ramble through these fleshy hills.

With friends who love each other.
Makes my heart happy.

Grateful I have strong (apparently long!) healthy legs
that carry me where I want to go.

And grateful for warm friends and warm springs
that help to soak my soreness away.

Kale Tacos

What do you do when the tortillas are moldy or the pitas go stale? 
Check the drawer for some still-crisp kale leaves.

These kale tacos are layered with leftover whole wheat couscous, strips of cold tofu, and avocado slices. A dash of soy sauce and wasabi made it even more flavorful.