Trades

The Seattle Mariners traded Ichiro to the Yankees yesterday.  A sad day for Seattlites.  We loved him.

And, in other news, it's sunny here today!

On The Road, Again....

Sunset view from my rental apartment in Paris

It's been awhile since my last blog post and I'm sorry for that.  I fear you've been waiting, on the edge of your seats, for my next blog post.  Oh wait.  That's right.  You've been busy.  Out raising your families (husbands included), going on grand adventures in your Airstream trailers, cooking up homemade pastry shells and brown butter rice crispy treats.

It's all good.  I understand.

I've been busy too.

Olives at Paris outdoor market

My busy times these past few months have involved a bit of travel.  Glamorous locations, really.  Los Angeles, Washington DC, Kyoto, Paris and Frankfurt.  I can't complain.

Well, I really shouldn't complain.  But I do complain.  A bit.  I swear it only happens when someone leans back their seat in economy and bumps my knees.  Us tall chicks just don't fit well in the economy seats (does anyone fit, really?).  And don't get me started about my recent trip where the lady behind me put her bare feet up on each one of my arm rests.  I touched smelly, sweaty toes.  I swear.  #disgusting.

The airlines haven't yet recognized me as a frequent traveler.  And it is possible that my life goals include bumping fists with my favorite airline stewards as I head up to first class.  Hmmm, if that is a life goal, it's possible that a yoga retreat in Costa Rica, contemplating my life goals, is in order.  Wait a second....

I should mention that some of the lovely folks on United Airlines do recognize me when I head to Japan.  But we all agree that they are simply relieved to see that I am no longer 8 months pregnant and hauling my very, very large rear end on a 13 hour flight for a week of business trips.  Me too.

In other random but related thoughts, please let me say hello.

You can find more photos of my travels on my Instagram feed.  I'm located @wisteriahouse.  I'm also on Twitter but I'm not going to share my user name.  Twitter has only highlighted the fact that I'm simply not funny.  At all.  But my mind loves data and Twitter is the best at hitting me with short bites of constant data and information.  If you are funny, however, please leave me your Twitter handle in the comment section.  Twitter quips often make me laugh out loud and I would be entirely too grateful for your contribution.

Which leads me to the next statement.  The husband has decreed that one day a week must be technology free in our house.  No phones, no computers, no iPads, no Macs, no Kindle (I really could go on....)  Apparently he thinks that one of us has a bit of a device addiction.

Ah, well, he's probably right.  And I'm terrified of being the person that you read about in scientific studies.  The one who states that they feel like they have so many close friends because they watch Friends episodes on televisions.  Oh, yes folks, such a study has happened with those exact results. Not real friends--just virtual friends.  And you experience the same emotions of friendship with virtual friends that you do with real friends.  I think, in the near term, that's fine.  But I don't think you'll be psyched when you are in your 80's and you need someone to help you to the loo.  The husband reminds me of this all the time.

So, here is to one day of peace and quiet in our household.  To walking to the Farmer's Market, hand-cranking our ice cream maker (we hold beliefs that electric ice cream mixers are wimpy), trying new recipes and relishing our friends and family.

It'll be a shock to the system but I am eager for the technology-ban challenge.  And a bit embarrassed to have to be challenged.  But I've decided to douse any such embarrassment in a bucket of homemade chocolate ice cream.  We made a batch last week and 10 spoons made short work of the bowl in 3 minutes.  3 minutes!  Definitely try this at home.

Off we go...

Cookbook Club

Fresh crab, lime, avocado dip on homemade tortilla crackers

Do you know what happens when it rains for 6-months? In a row?

Bacon, Blue Cheese and Pecan Cookies

You start a cookbook club.

Shiitake Pot Stickers with Sake Sauce

The goal of any good cookbook club is to encourage others to come over, bring their favorite recipe from a selected cookbook, drink lots of wine and Prosecco, and then eat. The intended side effect is that significant food discussions will ensue.

It's bloody brilliant.

Although the idea of a cookbook club isn't novel, my good friend Kelli and I were more than happy to steal the idea and make it our own. We grabbed our mothers, my sister and our network of friends for the first meeting.

The goal of our first meeting was simple. We wanted everyone to have a chance to meet, chat and then slowly, slowly back away if the whole idea of the cookbook club was too overwhelming.

I'm happy to say that all members stayed.

Lettuce Wraps surrounded by Fennel and White Bean Dip and Egg-Dipped Turkey Bites

The theme of this first meeting was "Appetizers." Folks brought either their favorite appetizer or tried a new appetizer recipe. And, after a very lovely cocktail hour (red wine, white wine, Prosecco with raspberries), we all went around the (literal) table and presented some fun tidbits about our appetizer, such as:

• Where the appetizer recipe came from,
• Why you selected this particular recipe,
• What you liked or didn't like about the recipe. Or what you learned.

And, after we discussed, we ate. And ate. And ate some more.

Towards the end of our meeting, my godmother convinced us all to sit on the porch and take a picture. Things like this always sound like a good idea after appetizers and lots of booze.

You may notice my little guy sitting on my lap. He would like you to know that he is the honorary male member of this club.

I had a great time for so many reasons. I met new people who also love cooking. We 'geeked out' talking about ingredients, where we grocery shop, what restaurants we like. How to Tweet Mario Batali. Whether we could get Tom Douglas to come give us a lecture.

Again, brilliant.

Rosemary and Parmesan Madeleines and Smoky Fried Chickpeas

Our next meeting is in two months and the theme is "your favorite recipe from your Grandma." Rumor has it that some folks in the club are busy adopting grandmothers from exotic locales around the world.

Kitchen Must-Haves

I'm a complete sucker for food. I eat it, I collect and read cookbooks and I pour over great food blogs. Smitten Kitchen, Food52, Spoon Fork Bacon, David Lebovitz, House to Haus, 100 Cookbooks (I could get going). And I chat with my mother about food and recipes...every...single...day. Sometimes we actually chat about recipes and cooking, not once, but twice a day.

I'm that obsessed.

What's great about food is the community that accompanies it. I'm sure you would all agree. It's a generous community and I've found that folks are very willing to talk about what works for them in the kitchen. Through my readings, I've found some great tips, as well as amazing products, that I've incorporated into my own home.

1. Crate & Barrel Flour Sack Towels

I believe Gwyneth Paltrow and her Bon Appetit article piqued my curiosity with respect to using flour sack towels. An early morning trip to Crate and Barrel subsequently resulted in a impulse purchase. And by that afternoon, I was fully hooked. These towels are, without question, the best dish towel for the kitchen that I've ever used. They are absorbent. They are big, but can be folded easily into a smaller towel. The consistency of the fabric makes any fold stick. They are white and can be bleached, if needed. And, most importantly, they are classic enough to line a bread bowl.

Purchase these towels.

2. Tip #1: Purchase more than one set of measuring spoons. Tip #2: Unhook your sets of measuring spoons and put them in a small glass near your baking area.

I can't explain to you why, for 30 or so years of my life, I've only owned one set of measuring spoons. It made my baking life unnecessarily difficult. Having to clean or wipe off a measuring spoon a couple of times during a recipe makes zero sense. Especially when they aren't all that expensive. Blame it on my attempts to save money in, absolutely, all the wrong ways.

So buy a second set of measuring spoons. And then unhook the measuring spoons and put them in a small glass (such as shown above) and sit it near your baking station. Mine is near my mixer. Such a small thing, perhaps. But one of the best time savers I've found so far.

Thanks mom.

3. Williams Sonoma Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls

5 bowls for $50. Not entirely cheap. But they are stackable and they fit into the dishwasher. Which, in my opinion, makes them highly efficient on two-fronts and worth the cost.

4. Tip #3: Use superfine cane sugar when baking.

5. Tip #4. Use parchment paper (see that circular round at the bottom of the plan) or Silpat cookie sheet liners. Always. Never again will only part of your bread or cake come out of the pan. Even when you've butter'ed and flour'ed the pan. And the Silpat sheets guarantee perfectly browned bottoms for your cookies.

That's all for now. Any cooking tips that you swear by and would like to share? I'm all ears...

The First Look...

Do you remember being a kid and catching your first glimpse of the tree on Christmas Day? I do. Very clearly. For me, the tree always provided a sense of relief. I had indeed, once again, made it on to Santa's good list. My mother was wrong!

This year, my hope was to capture our boys' first glimpse of the tree. So I got up early, positioned myself behind the tree in an entirely uncomfortable squatting position and waited. And waited. And waited some more.

They finally decided to wake up and head on down the stairs. But I'm not sure what ended up surprising them more. The gifts from Santa or mom hiding behind the tree.

Happy New Year!

Here is to a wonderful 2012. Full of blogging, laughter, wine (ahem), good food, good reading, friends, travel and family.

Master Bedroom

Such great progress being made on the master bedroom. I feel like we are living in this cozy cocoon up in the trees and it's perfect timing with winter hovering just around the corner.

What's new you might ask? The roman shades and drapes. They are gorgeous. Lined with black-out fabric and durable.

More to come... Thanks, as always, to Megs. She's fabulous and fun. I'm really happy we made the decision to work with her. As the boys have grown and our jobs have gotten busier, it's great to be able to work with a designer who 'gets' you and makes good things happen easily and quickly.

More to come!

Apple Farm

Today involved pumpkins, chickens, haunted houses, hay rides, caramel corn, apple cider, hot dogs and apples, apples, apples.

We took the kids and headed north for about an hour or so to the lovely valley of Sedro Woolley. Jack ran around shouting "I'm on a farm! I've never been on a farm before!" Since his life thus far has been a hazy fog of too much life and not enough sleep, I quite frankly couldn't figure out whether his statements were accurate. Regardless, call us the city mice who headed out to the farm.

It was a blast. And I'm spending the evening reading through Martha Stewart's "Seasonal Produce Recipe Guide: Apples." The reason is that we are holding a huge FallFest party at the house next weekend. It's all about a celebration of Fall. Think apple cider, apple cake, apple donuts, pumpkin bread, pumpkin carving and, of course, tons of wine and Applejacks.

Fall rocks.

Melancholy...

I was extremely sad to hear word of Steve Jobs' passing. He was a true visionary. One whose dedication, passion and innovative development and marketing eye made him able to transcend any type of technology/geek boundary that has ever existed. Do you know how rare these types of folks are in the business world? Very.

The Apple Store down by my house was closed today. The windows covered with black chalkboard walls. Crowds of people had gathered and were writing down their memories of Steve with rainbow colored chalk. One sweet entry read: "Your product helped me fall in love by introducing me to my wife."

My thoughts go out to his wife and children. I'm sad that we have lost this amazing mind--someone who was able to take the world and spin it off kilter. Someone who loved to read books and also watch butterflies. The world is just a bit dimmer today...

FallFest 2011

My favorite part about this time of year is that all of our annual family traditions kick into gear. These traditions always, always center around homemade food and drink. For example, we host a Halloween party that centers around my husband's homemade chili and cornbread. Turkey day festivities at our house always include homemade whiskey sours. Quite honestly, the list of parties and celebrations goes on and on throughout the fall and early winter. By January, we are flat out exhausted and interested only in food that is a fruit or vegetable and can be blended or juiced. It's that bad.

This year, in the interest of making our lives even more chaotic and fun, we are adding in FallFest as a new tradition. This will be an event my godparents and their family (who love cooking and drinking as much as we do--thank goodness) and will be dedicated to the art of homemade donuts, cider cocktails, pumpkin carving and applesauce. To prepare for FallFest, the boys and I will be heading to an apple farm the weekend before to pick up hundreds of apples.

To say that I'm seriously jazzed is a complete understatement. And in the interest of preparation, I've created a FallFest list over at Pinterest to record my ideas for the menu. Jump on over if you're interested!

I'm Back...

Bring it Hollywood...

And, really, not much has changed. But for those who might be aimlessly wandering here for the first time, let me get you up to speed on my style by giving you my Top 10 Random Thoughts of the Day:

1. I now know that I like chocolate chip cookies better if they include rolled oats.

2. The Paleo Diet does take off significant amount of weight quickly. So does Pure Barre. Doing both is a magical combination. But one should also note that abruptly taking a pause from both activities results in rapid weight gain. You can take my personal promise on that one.

3. I'm still scared about our continued failure and inability to regulate the financial industry. I know that statement is kind of like throwing a bucket of ice on one's head, but it needs to be said.

4. My youngest son started speaking. "No" is his favorite word but you really don't mind hearing it because it sounds so unbelievably cute.

5. We only had four weeks of summer out here in the Pacific Northwest. And, my oh my, did we live those four weeks. Swimming, traveling, seeing friends, sunning. We went so hard that we collapsed this past weekend, drank beer, made chili and pounded cookies. All while lying on the couch watching football. AAA-RHOOO Fall!

6. That actor from the Big Bang Theory (Jim Parsons) just won an Emmy and I think he's pretty much the most adorable geek ever. LOVE him. All little kids, especially my own, should aspire to be geeks.

7. Missoni? Target? Did they have some kind of sale or something? I kid. Just like every other blogger, I went nuts trying to buy some Missoni goods and got my butt kicked by the Ebay shoppers.

The adorable husband.

8. Amy Poehler at the Emmys was magical. And Melissa McCarthy. And Martha Plimpton. And Edie Falco. And Tina Fey. And Laura Linney. Seriously, all jumping on the stage? I love it when the ladies are HILARIOUS and united. I almost peed my pants I laughed so hard. Wait, I've had two kids, so I kinda did pee my pants.

9. It's raining now and has been raining the last two days. Really, is anyone surprised? I do live in Seattle.

10. I've missed blogging. I've also missed Fall TV. It appears that Zooey Deschanel stole my personality for inspiration on her new TV show New Girl. No, seriously, I kid you not.

Peacock

Aubrey + Lindsay asked if peacock is back. Please let me answer with an emphatic "YES!" I bought these earrings for $20 through someone at work. I think they are extra fabulous. My husband, on the other hand, loves them as much as the bright pink flower pin that I often wear on my jacket and shirts a la EmersonMade.

Speaking of EmersonMade, I purchased the linen jacket above from her website. It's awesome and terribly versatile. A tad on the expensive side but I think it's a classic that can be rocked for a number of years.

Master Bedroom: Sidetables

Aren't they gorgeous? I'm in love. The lamps were a lucky $15 find on Craigs List. And the gorgeous roses were a Valentine's Day gift from the hubbie.

The next step in our renovation is roman shades for all of the windows in a linen fabric similar to the color of the side tables. They will include a blue trim similar to the blue of the walls and in the fabric. The two side windows in the room will also have long drapes that are of the same fabric as the dust skirt/headboard.

After the windows are handled, we will be shopping for carpet for the master bedroom. We want a layering carpet, like seagrass, that we can place my nana's vintage rug over the top. Although I love seagrass--both its look and its stain-resistant properties, I'm a bit nervous about proceeding because our room is bigger than the roll we would be using and we will have to have a seam in the carpet. I've seen some amazing seagrass seams and I've seen some TERRIBLE seams. Regardless, I'm still pondering the direction in which we'll head in this respect.

Photo Session

I take a number of photographs of my boys, but I've never taken the boys to through a formal portrait session. It didn't seem too odd, until my sister-in-law printed out a photo of the boys from the blog and put it up in her house. It didn't look so nice when compared to everyone else's framed pictures.

As a result, the boys were kindly gifted these lovely shirts and a Groupon photo session at our local studio. I begrudgingly took them on a Saturday afternoon. But look what happened! The cutest staged, cheesy photo ever.

We received our bedside tables on Friday! After four years of plant stands acting as bed side tables, I couldn't be more excited. Pictures coming soon.

Master Bedroom (Some Progress)

You may recall my recent whiny post {found here}, where I discussed my desire for a "grown-up" master bedroom. Well, even though whiners typically aren't rewarded for their efforts, I'm happy to report that I've been able to overcome.

We installed a lovely headboard and dust skirt this past weekend. As you will note, the fabric compliments the peacock blue wall color in an oh, so lovely, coordinated way. That's Meg for ya. Brilliant gal.

Next up is the side tables that are on order. The hubbie is literally giddy at the fact that we will actually have bedside tables instead of plant stands. Honestly? Me too.