$15.00 budget

what a week it has been and i woke up knowing it was only thursday, but hoping for friday. this of course being the excuse for lack of posting.

i wanted to wrap up the easter weekend by tuesday, but it is still lingering...candy everywhere and i can't stop eating it.

so, onto the post. with the last minute travel change and invitations sent for east lunch, i had to rally and find some flowers. as usual, no time to run to flower mart or my favorite haunts so off to safeway (right across the street). lets just say the success lies in the greens. lots of greens, little flowers and all for $15.00.

and a few leftover stems for the bathroom.

b-mo's best

in all fairness, b-mo deserves to dress up a couple times a year. he hates being left out and no being in the moment, and in order to fit into this home..he needed something to lift the holiday spirit.

so, donned with a brock street design collaboration (bow tie), he welcomed the easter holiday with open eyes (focused on a treat) and his typical regal posture (we wonder where his real bloodline comes from, something posh i am sure).

hope your holiday shed a little sunshine, lots-o-smiles, and a wee bit of chocolate.....oh, and topped with hope.

easter eats

i should be on a plane over the pacific ocean somewhere right now, heading to shanghai for work, but the last minute cancellation leaves me here at home over the easter holiday. not so bad....now the prep begins for a fast and furious easter dinner planning.

i just might walk down to tartine bakery and get a few sweet treats for post entree pallet cleansers. that is if there is anything left?

if you have not been to tartine in SF, then please call me on your next trip to SF and we will meet there. it will be my treat to you. my favorite bakery in the city, and vying for the spot of favorite bakery in the world.

for me, easter is always that time of year to embrace new hope, new beginnings and take in that gift of fresh air and spring fragrance. i hope this seasons is also a reminder of hope and a fresh start for you...oh and that there is some good food approaching.

images from the selby

simple is, simple does

ok...i'm ready to grab my hammer and get going. this is a project right up my alley, at least that is the perception of this simplicity of the design.

this kind of design aesthetic and thought through layout beckons my youth and what i wish my summer camp accommodations would have been like. but hey, character building is what it is all about: sleeping bags, window's with no glass and bats is what being a kid is about. wouldn't trade it for the world.

back to the photo's. i am particularly drawn to the cabinet with the bench attached. i can imagine a heavy hemp linen, down cushion plopped down on the bench and a fluffy dog napping.

image from the hotel school in maastricht in the netherlands.

gus...i hope you see this post, its your next hillside project :)

women

i am one of those people who has been given the gift of wonderful women in my life. each one crafting and sharing one of their gifts with me in a way that carves very deep valley's in my spirit. the kind of valley's that lead you to being a better person.

maxine's gift was unconditional love. i miss her the most in life and even after 4 years, i find myself pushing "grandma" on the speed dial on my cell phone. i guess we are all the same and come from the same place, as i know those of us who have lost a loved one, feel the same heart break and loss that cannot be described without experience.

as some of you know "brock street" was the name of the street my grandparents home was on and there is a tremendous amount of sentiment in the name and i really wanted to remember her today.

i just have to put some pictures of her up as i couldn't be more proud and want nothing more than to remember her and her kindness, simplicity and open heart. what a lovely lady.

take your coat off

...and stay for a while.

this is the kind of careless ease i strive for with our homes, but it never seems to fall into place so effortlessly. i think i am too "tidy" for that (some say odc)

it looks as though they have spent lots of time at the flea markets...lots of history/memory indeed.

photo's found on hemmahemma

french find found mountain

i'm the one who goes to the french container sale and always walks away with a trunk full of small finds/odds and ends. the big purchases are few are far between, but that is just the way i like to roll.

this little red folding chair is now officially our first piece of indoor outdoor furniture. i bought this chair 3 years ago and it has mostly been in basement storage, but it finally made it out of the dark and into a spot in the sun and lived there all day on saturday. there were several of us vying for the spot in the sun and it served its purpose quite well. i wonder if the original owners ever imagined it this chair would make its way to the US and find a fixer upper project in the mountains. personally, i think a great location for used furniture retirement.

also, i found this old watering can at another french dealer in the city. i'm not generally into watering cans and have been known to buy the big plastic ones as they are quite practical and can hold quite a bit of water. well, this old french can is huge and can hold enough water for a small hot tub. ha.

hope your weekend was as magical as mine. :)

john alden

somewhere in storage, in seattle, sits a box of silhouettes i had collected for at least years before i moved to nyc in 2002, but i have not seen them since i moved. i think i am ready to see them again soon.

i definitely do not need another one, as the inn is full.....but, i couldn't pass this one up. signed by john alden irving, 1956. so madmen as well as one of my best buddies names, alden and his dad (like a second dad to me) name is john alden. so, another $5 is nothing.

found this online. 3x4 inches and i am not going to change a thing. i didn't think i was going to like that frame, but in person it is a real keeper.

my fix has been fixed...

at home any day

favorite thing: eating at home, with food prepared fresh at home. this way we know it is made with love, little processing....and clean. the older and wiser i get, the more i prefer eating at home than going out AND we can listen to public radio to boot (fresh air with terry gross)

spring night at home, going for the the usual wabi-sabi feel. really enjoy eating off the oval iron stone plates...it shakes it up a bit and keeps them in the constant rotation.

disclaimer. not saying i do not enjoy 95% of all dining is SF...i really do and it is not processed food and i believe much is made from love of local foods.

naughty or nice

there are just certain things in life that urge opinionated people to express themselves. this fine lady is one of them.

i have heard: creepy, scary, so serious, matronly and the list goes on and on. for several years i kept her hidden behind other paintings, feeling bad that so many people had such strong reaction toward her. i mean, she was a living breathing woman.

well, her and i had a long talk and decided i would stay true to my "love at first sight" feelings and she was coming out of hiding.

our relationship has only blossomed and i find her to be very protective, kind, wise and a bit stylish if i do say so myself.

oh, we met in 2000 at a seattle auction house.

vitamin d

as i get older, i better understand the "weather" conversations. i used to chuckle when talking to my grandparents on our weekend and mid-week calls as the conversation with them would always lead to weather and food.

guess what....i have slowly introduced the topics into my conversations with my family and friends. i guess it really determines, in some cases, what is happening in our lives. if it is sunny...the majority of us are out and about and plans are plentiful...if it is cold, rainy and blustery..we are usually spending a bit more time indoors than hoped and there is probably a comment on what is in the oven or slow cooking for the weekend and indoor projects, which i welcome too.

i thought i would check on the weather of a few of my favorite cities (i do this several times a week) and here is what i found for sunday..our day of rest:

san francisco: sunny and 60 (today 75 :))
glen ellen (hillside): sunny and 67
nyc: sunny and 54 (take a walk in central park y'all)
seattle: am showers..but a peak of sunshine and 51
san diego: mostly cloudy and 63
boise: mostly sunny and 53
paris: rainy and 56
tulum: sunny and 86

image found on remodelista of a balcony in paris, france. enjoy your weekend.