Martha

Am I the only one who has panic attacks while looking at things Martha Stewart creates? I have such a love/hate relationship with that woman. Sometimes I'll be on her website or flipping thru one of her magazines and everything is so perfect. And a lot of it is old fashioned and too classic for my tastes, but when it comes to crafts, things for children, party ideas, holiday goodies, etc. she is the bomb. And her recipes are always delicious.

This little cotton candy petticoat was from her show. I want one to wear around while I cook and garden. Haha! I would have killed for this as a girl.

Full days.

I love full days. Even if they're not as fun as the ones spent on getaways. For instance, today I'll be extremely busy around the house + out & about, just getting things back in order after being gone for 4 days (my mother always said coming home from vacation to a dirty house was the worst thing--I agree). Laundry, piles and piles of laundry (these are the times I love our all black wardrobe, no sorting!), watering and tending to my herb/veggie garden, etc.

Ooooh, of which I have failed to list my crops:
*basil- two big pots of it
*rosemary
*lemon thyme
*greek oregano
*parsley
*arugula
*apple mint
*dill
*chives
*peppers
*butterhead lettuce
*cherry tomato plant
*peppermint

I'm extremely excited to soon be able to cook freely with these. They've been in infancy for several weeks but just being gone for 4 days they have grown leaps and bounds.

I'm busy stripping the bed & washing the sheets and duvet cover, catching up on what I've missed online these few days, emailing, tidying up, unpacking (okay... thats done and took like, 10 seconds), weeding thru the veggies in the fridge to prepare some kind of roasted dish tonight, making lists for the weekend of what I need from the farm & making menu plans, going to the local farm & Costco later in the afternoon & preparing for:

KICK ASS TAKE NAMES LEARN GERMAN SUPER FAST FIESTA 2008

I bought this last night on the way out of town in San Luis Obispo. Its language learning time again, folks. Its been becoming increasingly clear that when Philipp & I have children we would like to raise them in a bilingual home. I don't want secrets being told behind my non-speaking German back so: this.means.war.

After learning Russian I've realized how I learn best and thats by absolutely cramming as much words and phrases into my head and then piecing together grammar as I go along. I have a certain knack for knowing how stuff should sound without the hows and whys so I've been searching for the right book to help me and this one seemed to work pretty well for what I am looking for. (More rote learning, less grammar). Also received my old tiny German phrasebook in the mail from P's mother, so that will be handy. Thanks, Eveline!

Cambria.

Philipp and I stole away for a few days up the coast to one of our favourite spots, Cambria. We took many walks/hikes, drove up to Big Sur, ate some incredible food, met wonderful people, caught up with some local friends, went down memory lane from our time living there last year, did some shopping, made a mean home away from home salmon dinner and just enjoyed each other sans internet. Here are a few from the journey:

indulge me.

Quite possibly what the 4 year old me would've designed for myself (read: excuse for daydreaming about imaginary babies' rooms):


All images from Apartment Therapy, except above which is from Cookie.com

...organic modern continued

More rooms exemplifying the style I like.
I especially like the raw wood table and gray sofa. Full home tour here.

A cool room for a child below. From Cookie magazine.


And nice, airy & bright kitchen too.There's something special about this living room, although I'm not so crazy about that zebra print rug.

organic modern

After being internet-less for several weeks after our laptop crashed, I realized just how inspirational the internet is to me, especially in terms of all things art&design. I'm unabashedly addicted to this covet-inducing website call apartment therapy. It features so many cool homes and things that sometimes I have to step away, lest a gimme gimme panic attack ensues.

They do home tours where people with cool ideas and apartments give glimpses inside their everyday lives. I for one have always loved to look inside people's windows from a distance while taking a walk or driving. Nothing creepy, its just really fun & interesting to see what people have done with their spaces or catch the occasional human doing dishes, setting the table or clicking off the tv. When I lived in Ukraine in one of the cookie cutter commie high rises, I would often times find myself sitting on my balcony at night (which sounds luxurious& uber European but really looked liked this):


I could watch from a distance as the indoor lighting illuminated what people were up to. And, no I did not go as so far to invest in a pair of binoculars.

Anyhow, the first picture above is from a house tour Apartment Therapy did which I really liked. You can find it here.

I think the first time I ever truly fell in love with someone's place was the first time I visited Philipp in Switzerland and we had dinner at his mother's. (It happened to be P's birthday and when I really fell for him & immediately loved his family). His mother's husband Johannes is an interior designer/builder/architect/man of great ideas and he created their whole house. Their house and other projects of his really fleshed out what I've always loved but had never seen much of. His site is here, although in German.

The creator of Apartment Therapy also has two books out under the same title. The latter just came out a few days ago and I had the chance to flip thru it at the book store.




While reading his first book, I finally found a term which could describe the style I prefer. I never felt "modern" or "minimalist" quite worked because I don't like how both tend to lack warmth at times. "Organic Modern" is a term he referred to which seems to mesh well with my idea of "home" and "beauty". Its modern, yet brings an element of the natural, organic world inside. This blending of sleek, modern design and metals with woods and natural elements is what I'm all about (and what Johannes creates--which must be why I love his style so much) Only now I have something to call it.

before sunset

Just a few pictures of us goofing off before going for groceries this afternoon. Humor is the best trait. I love my husband.

As promised

Earlier this morning:













Later today:

new hair today

I'm going for a haircut today. Something new & fresh on the horizon...maybe a lot shorter. I've had long hair for awhile now and this tends to be my cycle: Long, long, long CHOP! short. We'll see. Maybe I will be adventurous, maybe I will be sentimental. Pictures to follow.

black is the new black

A new, somewhat frivolous goal of mine is to branch out in colour. Mainly, my wardrobe from top to bottom consists of black. I love black. And it loves me. I love the stark contrast, the simpleness, timelessness, sexiness. When Philipp and I used to work here, the owner always commented on how she knew who's laundry was hanging on the line: all of our clothing was black.

However, colour has been creeping its way into my life more and more. Especially the colour yellow. As of late I've been pretty obsessed with it.

hmmm...let me think about it.

This (photo from birth center in Basel, Switzerland)


Vs. This (stock photos of American hospital)


Why are there so few birthing choices for American women? Why can't women have access to an array of options where they're able to pick the place they feel most comfortable in giving birth?
*Traditional hospital setting
*Hospital setting attended by midwives
*Birth center with cooperative back up support from obstetrician in local hospital
*Home birth attended by a midwife with privileges in local hospital and back up specialists

I'm not sure where I'd feel most comfortable in the future, but I'd at least like to have the choice.

home.

Depending on who's up first:

Coffee is made in this not always so tidy kitchen

Am I the only one?

Am I the only one who sees this?

+
=

This ain't yo mama's Wonder Bread

This was bread I made after receiving a package from Philipp's mother, Eveline. She loves good things like me and so this picture is for her. Note: the time just happens to be 6:00 PM sharp=Philipp's birth time.

eco changes

Because I'm not one for eco-nazism (or any other sort of dogmatism) and I don't think preachiness is the way to convert anyone no matter how passionate or full of truth your cause is, I thought it would be fun to show the ways Philipp and I have decided to green up our everyday lives for the better. I have been learning more and more about the impact standard living has on the environment (not to mention your own health) and ways to lessen our footprint (or should I say, footprints, arrharrr). It has been eye opening as well as inspiring and at times, while focusing on statistics instead of solutions, discouraging. Welcome to our humble abode. We're always learning. We hope you are too.

The first item of business, ladies and gentlemen, are plastics. Plastic makes it possible? For what? Buildup of toxins in the environment, your body and in the alarming rate of overflowing landfills? Its no more plastics for us, whenever possible. I found this cool reusable metal bottle from the website tappening.com


I've also found my dream team of cleaning supplies. Did you know indoor air quality in homes where conventional cleaning products are used creates a toxic cocktail 2-3 times worse than polluted areas outside your home. Regular ole baking soda, vinegar and hydrogen peroxide do wonders and don't turn me into a wheezing, cackling ole hag while bent over the toilet bowl. A few drops of essential oils added into the mix only enlivens the experience. And open those windows!

We're also trying to support more cosmetics that do not include known toxins and carcinogens in their products. Many of the chemicals in our US products have been (or are being legislated to be) banned from Europe. More questions are being raised about so called "safe limits" of noxious chemicals vs. the overall cumulative load on one's body over time. This site provides a wealth of information about the safety of cosmetics and you can even look up products you're currently slathering all over your body for their rated level of toxicity. The government's not doing their job, so its ours to question authority and further challenge it !
We've also went back to drying all our clothes on a rack out in the California sunshine. Its free, so much energy is saved and our clothes smell so nice. Plus it feels really good and old fashioned to be out there hanging clothes on a line/rack.
A passion of mine is baking and cooking. As much as we can afford it, we try to make all of our produce come from a local organic farm. Their stuff is rocking good and I feel its so important to validate the work and craft these small, local organic farms put into tending and cultivating the land instead of raping it. This is the only inheritance we have to hand down. Lets not even discuss how pesticide use on produce is like spraying an apple with Raid, rinsing it off then making a pie out of it.Last, but not least, we come full circle. All the veg, fruit, lovely egg shells, coffee grinds, tea bags, etc. go into this pail which is located under our sink. We transfer it a couple times a week to a growing compost pile we have out back. In a few months, this will be the top soil and nutritional supplement for my growing garden project. Living on the Earth is so much fun, working with it is even more fun!

summer time's got me thinkin...husband's got me a drinkin

First, a shout out to the possibility of upper 70's in weather and not an ounce of velcro armpit humidity like back South.

Sunshine makes me drink this:

While listening to this:


While contemplating selling all of my furniture to fund a return trip to Hawaii. And hunting a new bathing suit. I'm loving this 1940's kickback look from macy's (although not the price tag). No thoughts on if members of the itty bitty titty committee could wear it (of which, I am commander in chief).

Us.

Since its a slow day...


And I've run out of library books...


I may as well add a few...

P&K tee

Why, oh why didn't Philipp and I have these growing up? (We're both little scorpions--November 12th/October 25th)...

a note: aside from this, I think I am making a vow against logo-ing on clothing. Its so annoying.

h&m

14.95? These are pretty much coming home with me. In the red and tangerine.

Basel

My Philipp's hometown, Basel. So lovely. Miss it. Hope we will be moving back to Switzerland in the near future.

Photo by. chop1n from flickr

"yes."

Why I said "yes".
Where I said "yes".

Double Take

This picture of me looks so much like my mother that its eery, in a good way of course. Because, afterall, looking like my mother is a good thing---after four children of her own, I'd say she's holding up like a champ....

Ginger people.

These are pretty much going to be the death of me. But I will die delicious. And with lots of cavities. They should call them Ginger Root Canal Extravaganzas.

Practice baby

Chubby deliciousness! Yummy baby rolls! This is my cousin's first baby girl, Katelyn Grace--our practice baby. Oh, how I miss being in NC and driving to squeeze this little one!

Why I want all girls.

Here lately I spend most of my time daydreaming about the little girls I'd like to have someday soon. This picture reminds me of Halloween costumes my sister and I used to have.

Fairy.Wings.Rock.Out.

If/When I have little girls (Philipp and I are united in this--and we firmly believe if we wish it so his sperm will contain all female swimmers) two names we love are:

*Josephine Grace
*Georgia Mae


Boohoo on choosing names before conception being bad luck!

Here's to a house full of giggly girls!

**This is from Cookie magazine, but I am not sure how to credit it to them properly.

Newness

I have been stealth/closet reading several other people's blogs on family life, green living, design, cooking, etc. and finally decided it was time for my own. Ideally this blog will follow the lives and loves of my husband, Philipp and me for months to come.

Feeling like a move abroad is in the works for the future, it will also be a good way to collect photos, musings and inspirations to share with those far away.

Here's to talking to myself.