days of snow, 2

wishing you a warm christmas.
i'll be working until this evening, putting words and ideas in people's hands. then, a cozy dinner with my best friend and her family and tomorrow, a day full of festivities.
xoxo

days of snow, 1

happy winter solstice

the sun came out for my birthday yesterday, which was just about the best gift i could receive. that, and being with my beloved family and friends. these days are always gray and overcast, with a small break of sun if we're lucky.
december has been full of festivities and they aren't over yet. i'm so grateful for being social, but i could use a little solitude amidst these parties. right now i'm looking forward to a trip to new york for january 1.

the end of the meal at kurtwood farms
i'm hoping for a lot of these warm scenes this weekend. it's my birthday on sunday!

this weekend i will:
make a list of important things i've done in my life
go out to a birthday brunch with my parents
bake and cook and clean
make cocktails
give and receive gifts
listen to a lot of good music
play pictionary
eat a big bowl of pho
sleep in
find some new boots
be with people i love

happy friday!

a few shots from kurtwood farms, while waiting for a scrumptious homestead meal that was fed to a table full of booksellers. more shots from the meal to come tomorrow.
in the meantime, i can't stop thinking about this paris map bag.

one hot night

pratt fine arts center hosted an open house called 'one hot night' and we went to see metal working, glass blowing, bronze casting and more. jon might take a blacksmith class from them.

did you catch this story about indie bookstores on npr today? it's important.
i'm really excited about pomegranate bistro's new cookbook, fried chicken and champagne. it is beautiful. (oh! and also only available through independent businesses. if you are out of state, you can order directly through the company).

december 9

life's been a bit too hectic to get down to the lake by my house recently. i miss it.
right now i'm reading nicole krauss' great house. she has been high up on my favorite authors list for some time now and this new book only secures her position. her novels have so much depth and history and emotion, i can't tear myself away.

december 7

scenes around the house and the 'hood
these shots were all expired kodak gold 200, pushed to 400. i don't think i like the look of it pushed up an iso--a little too bright and saturated.

i can't believe hanukkah is almost over. i've been enjoying the ritual of lighting candles nightly and watching them drip down to nothing. i'll have to continue the ritual with beeswax candles through december. i'm not ready to let go of the light.

happy tuesday

december 2

just a few outtakes from my friend nicole's beautiful home. she's constantly weaving together those scrap-paper mobiles. i want one hanging in my home!

happy december and happy hannukah. we lit the first candles last night and read the latke who couldn't stop screaming. i'm planning a big hanukkah meal/celebration soon. even though i'm not too big on frying food, hanukkah is all about celebrating light and oil, so a lot of food gets fried.

i'll leave you with some recipes i've got on my mind:

chickpea latke 

porcini mushroom latke

autumn apple doughnuts

orange scented jelly doughnuts

those of you in seattle will know that these photos are a bit outdated. the leaves have since been soaked and stomped down by rain and last week's bout of snow (yeah, we had a big snow last week that is now pretty much completely gone).

i can't believe tomorrow is december. don't tell anyone, but i'm sort of dreading gift giving this year. don't get me wrong, i love giving gifts in general, but there is so much pressure to have a gift by a certain day that it takes the fun and magic out of the whole process. i can get pretty consumed by finding the perfect thing for people and i'm not really up for spending a lot of money right now. last year i committed to buying all my gifts from locally owned stores or handmade artists and i am going to stick to that plan this year. i'm sure i will find my inspiration soon...