i am a super loyal fan. i grew up in the bay area so my teams have always been the cal bears, the niners, the warriors and the A’s (billy ball!) back before the TV networks determined the times of the games and scheduled them for all different crazy times, the cal game was always saturday at one. fall saturdays were spent cheering for the bears (GRRRR - RAH! GRRRR - RAH!) in the “family section” of the stadium. you didn’t have to sit anywhere particular once you were in so it felt like an extension of high school where we roved around and chatted about the party from the night before. we didn’t have to pay too much attention to the game because the bears were never very good (save a few glorious moments like THE PLAY when we beat stanford - i WAS present for this unbelievable touchdown but didn’t understand what was happening until i heard the cannon go off, indicating that cal had scored.) sundays were frequently spent at candlestick cheering for the niners… they WERE good, so good that they brought home FOUR superbowls under joe montana. he still makes my heart flutter (i seriously considered becoming a flight attendant after i read that he met his wife, jennifer in the air!) we were always dressed properly (blue and gold for cal, red for the niners) except for one unfortunate saturday when my dad mixed up his gear and sported a red niners shirt at the cal game. he had to endure hollers of “TAKE OFF THAT RED SHIRT” (stanford’s color) for the entirety of the game. so fierce was my loyalty that i was stunned when a dear friend of mine decided to attend stanford. never mind that it was and is one of the BEST schools in the country, i just couldn’t wrap my head around how she could cheer for a team whose mascot is a walking tree after a lifetime of growling for the bears. she managed… in fact she LOVED it, but did admit recently that she never felt comfortable wearing any stanford stuff when she was home in berkeley… not even a hat.
Read MoreREPOST: yom kippur, the day of atonement, is coming!
(hank thinking about his transgressions during the year)
* i am reposting my story about yom kippur as it is approaching… l’shana tova! x0x
this week is yom kippur, the day of atonement in the jewish religion. while i never converted, i am raising my children in the faith of their father (with santa and the bunny thrown in) and i have spent more time in temple than i have in any other religious setting. i have hosted loads of seders, rosh hashana dinners and break fasts (i can cook all of the holiday food, except brisket - my brisket is TERRIBLE - so we have roast chicken instead), i know a fair bit of the prayers, or at least the tunes and i have a general understanding of the fundamentals of the religion.
Read Morehappy, happy new year! x0x
(hank sharing his sweet rosh apples)
when we moved to boulder we did not join a temple straight away… first we collected a group of jewish (or half jewish) families that we have been celebrating shabbat, rosh hashana, yom kippur, hanukkah and passover with for over a dozen years. this special group has made us feel grounded and connected and has been such an important aspect of our lives in boulder. also, several people in the circle know how to make a proper, delicious brisket, which is my achilles heel, so my kids have been able to ENJOY that signature dish, rather than dread it.
Read MoreREPOST: fifteen
we moved to amsterdam from san francisco when i was pregnant with my first baby. we stayed there for nearly the first five years of his life and the very beginning of my daughter’s. traveling with babies is not easy… particularly on eleven hour international flights. and then when you arrive there is the horrendous jet lag that kicks in (there’s a NINE hour time difference between california and the netherlands.) so i only brought my children home once a year, but we would stay for at least a month to stabilize and enjoy the visit before heading back. now that we live in colorado we have continued this summer tradition. the kids LOVE their camp in berkeley (kee tov) and i get to spend time with my family and all my growing up friends.
Read Morekristen abbott's "language of leaves"
(one of kristen abbott’s pieces from “the language of leaves”)
seeing something beautiful always gives my heart a lift. on friday my girlfriend, rachel, (a very talented designer with a great eye) took me to the opening of kristen abbott’s solo show “the language of leaves” at the new local annex. kristen uses actual plants to create the organic silhouettes featuring carefully curated foliage on her canvases. the linens and silks are colored via a process using cyanotype that produces hues ranging from indigo to gold. the results are stunning. the show is up for the rest of the month!
Read MoreHAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my darling dad! x0x0x
my project was included in an article on houzz! x0x
my juniper home office project was included in an article on houzz! thank you kyle trautman for throwing my work into the mix. thank you also heather kneirim of HBK photography for the lovely photos. following are additional images of the space. x0x
Read Moretheo's LAST first day of school...
(theo on the first day of kindergarten… obviously he couldn’t read yet as he agreed to wear that shirt)
i am a crier. i cry about happy things, i cry about sad things, i cry when things change, i ALWAYS cry on the first day of school. (i do NOT cry when people get hurt, even my own children… then i laugh, VERY inappropriately, which has caused a fair bit of upset.
Read MoreREPOST: my bay area restaurant tour
(artwork: aaron alvarez)
* i am reposting this story because our summer time in california has come to an end. we ate and ate as much as we could. this summer we were forced to explore new spots because cesar, one of our favorites has closed…i am still SLAYED about that. here are some of our new places:
Read MoreREPOST: plum cake
* i am reposting this story because it includes the recipe for plum cake… a few summers ago the plum tree at our cottage went bananas with fruit. early each morning i went out to harvest (i DO have farming roots) enough to make plum cake. sometimes i gave it to someone, but most days we ate it. they are so DELICOUS! unfortunately, i totally over plum caked lucy and i don’t think she will ever eat one again. that is truly unfortunate. (i also did that to her with scrambled eggs - a big bummer both because i make AMAZING scrambles and because i think they are such a healthy way to breakfast.) today when i popped over to my parents’ house the yummiest smell was wafting around… mom was having her quilt friends over for lunch and had made the coveted cake. i was beside myself so, of course, i stayed for lunch! ENJOY! x0x
Read Moreroad trip with HANK! x0x0x
(hank likes to ride shotgun!)
due to some poor planning on my part i had to interrupt our california holiday with an expedited road trip back to boulder with hank. usually i make this drive over a minimum of three days but prefer to extend it to a week so i can stop in LA and see friends. this time we powered through in TWO DAYS! we were like true truck drivers. i am proud to say i didn’t get lost once and was super vigilant about refilling the tank whenever it was half empty because last year lu and i came uncomfortably close to running out of gas in the middle of nowhere. so logistically, hank and i did quite well, but it was boring as SHIT! we stopped midway in a town called “wells” on the nevada border. there was literally nothing in this town except our hotel, a mcdonalds and two gas stations. so we had dinner from the chevron shop (across the board, everyone has told me i should have had a big mac instead of a gas station sandwich, which is probably true), holed up in our room and left at the crack of dawn. hank was the perfect companion - we didn’t argue about when to stop or what snacks to get or which podcast to listen to… we were always aligned on that stuff (teriyaki beef jerky and “fly on the wall” with dana carvey and david spade interviewing anyone from SNL). i left hank in boulder with first husband and lu and i am safely back in california now. i MISS my sweetie hanky… i felt teary eating a banana alone this morning (we always share) and haven’t been sleeping as well without his soothing, snorey white noise.
Read Morethe barbie dream house is EVERYTHING! x0x
(barbie lives at the end of an incredible cul de sac surrounded by all of her friends)
last weekend i went to see the barbie movie (with my seventeen year old son - it was VERY sweet of him!) and it was just as pink and plastic and campy and delightful as possible. i was beside myself. i would LOVE to work on a project like this. the houses were all open plan (and open walls) with mid century architecture and furnishings. the details were impeccable. it was so much FUN! x0x
Read Morethe power of THE WAVE! x0xx
(the literal QUEEN of the wave!)
when my kids were in elementary school there was a grandma on the “i” street who was almost always sitting in her front window as we drove to school. we started waving to her and after a bit she began waving back. we were beside ourselves. when the pandemic hit and school was closed we incorporated the “i” street into our dog walks (hank wasn’t best pleased about this as we live between the “c” and “d” streets and FIVE blocks is quite a haul for him!) we got so much JOY out of this wave exchange with the little grandma we never formally met, especially in the midst of all the stress and worry of the corona.
my dad has always been a big waver (his is really more of a salute.) he waves at drivers coming toward him or at people who happen to be on his route when walking rosie. he takes that extra beat to connect. three months ago he had a tough fall and was first in the hospital and then in a rehab facility. a lot of the other clients in rehab were non verbal (some were REALLY verbal) so when we took walks through the halls with dad he waved and waved and waved at the people in their rooms. i started waving too. it seems like such a small thing, but then i happened upon an interview where the guest was a scientist who studies the benefits of “weak/casual interactions”… turns out that each of these waves sends a surge of serotonin (the feel good stuff) right through you.
dad is home from rehab now. he likes to sit in the sun on the front porch and WAVE at the various people walking by, raising the serotonin levels of all his neighbors! x0x
one of my backyard designs was featured in a houzz article! x0x
the backyard of my hawthorn project was included in an article on houzz all about properly irrigating your yard. i don’t actually know anything about irrigation but i do love designing pretty outdoor spaces. here is a link to the full article. THANK YOU to writer, marrianne lipanovich for including my project and also to heather knierim of HBK photography for the lovely photo! x0x
HAPPY, HAPPY 4th of JULY! x0x0x
(lucy and me on the fourth of july years ago - lucy is wearing a sweet, smocked flag dress handed down from dear friends)
wishing you all a SAFE, happy fourth of july! x0x0x
stay sweet by chris chandler x0xx
i am so PROUD of my girlfriend, chris chandler, for writing this WONDERFUL book: stay sweet, tales of quirky southern love. it is a collection of charming, hilarious, heartwarming stories from her childhood in georgia that introduces you to a whole cast of delightful characters: her grandmothers, a GREAT grandmother (my favorite!), some grandpas, her parents and lots of aunties and uncles. some of these stories i have heard in our weekly writing group (and i’ve made her tell them over and over), but so many were new and surprising… all of them make you wish you could meet these southern grandmas. CONGRATULATIONS chris on this incredible accomplishment! stay sweet is available here! x00xx
winter park mountain home x0xx
(the cartier chiefess by kelly degnan)
the “beaver den” is a new build set under the james peak mountains along the fraser river in the scenic mountain town of winter park, colorado. this four bedroom family home was designed for relaxation and entertaining in all seasons of the year and easily accommodates lots of guests. the convenient location allows for easy access to skiing in winter and hiking and horseback riding during the milder months.
Read Moremy winter park project is included in the summer issue of 5280 Home! x0x0x
it is so exciting to see this project in print… on the stands now! x0x we had a fantastic team for both the design and build of this home as well as the shoot. THANK YOU to architect scott munn of ma studios,
the builders of bishop built construction, christopher awadalla for kitchen design: sanctuary kitchen design, photographer: kimberly gavin of kimberly gavin photography, photo stylist: natalie warady, super talented artists: sarah kinn, kelly degnan and of course my WONDERFUL clients! x0x0x
Read Moreall the all time dream cars... x0x
throughout my childhood, my dad frequently spoke about his “all time dream car”… i would share it with you but it was an ever shifting parade of beautifully designed automobiles that my dad described with great reverence (also, i can’t remember what they were called, as i am not really a car person, but i can picture them perfectly.)
Read Morethe GEZELLIG episode of ted lasso! x0x
(just LOOK at this city!)
this is the time of year when all of the TV shows are having their season finales and we have to consider how we are going to spend our evenings until they start up again in the fall. like most of the world, one of my favorites is “ted lasso” about the american football coach from kansas who somehow lands a job in london coaching “futbal” for AFC richmond. while there have been many heartwarming episodes over the past three seasons, my most favorite aired in december and detailed when the team had a “friendly” with the dutch ajax team. * SPOILER ALERT if you are behind in your TL viewing!
Read More