the weekend...

finally tried the pasty shack  

happened upon this rad tree with icicle-like formations off the branches 

went to charlie's 1 year birthday party 

something about being at a 1 year old's birthday party and not having a one year old

inspired us to day drink the rest of the day away.. because - we could...

veggie pho

it's nearly impossible to find truly vegetarian pho

so i decided it's time to learn how to make my own...

i used a combination of these three recipes below - taking what i want from each

running with tweezers

the kitchn        

vegetarian times

it turned out pretty good...

although the broth was darker than i like

i think i overloaded on the mushrooms when i was making the broth...

on the brink of summer days...

all photos snatched up from pinterest, my newest online addiction...

paris fashion week - behind the scenes - chloé

image via Matthew Kristall - T Magazine Blog

a scarf worn well

gorgeous

an unexpected dinner date

Last night Eli and I went to our wedding caterers' house for a tasting of the food for our reception.  We had no idea what to expect - I have never been to a tasting of this sort before.  Well, we were blown away.  We arrived at their lovely home and were immediately invited to sit at their dining room table, where place settings awaited us.  We were seated across from each other, with beautiful fresh flowers in between us.  We were on a date.

It's important to note - Eli and I have been so incredibly swamped these days- with crazy schedules that have not allowed for much in the dating (or hanging out much at all) department, so this was a much welcomed surprise.  Going to something that might feel like another wedding planning task - and ending up on a date.

And then ... the food.  Amazing.  They served each dish as a separate course and spent the time explaining the ingredients and walking us through the flavor profiles.  They wanted genuine feedback from us - but all we could offer were a series of 'ooohhs' and 'ahhhhhhs' as we loved everything we tried.  I won't disclose much and I won't share pictures, because I want it to be a surprise.  But I was nearly moved to tears ... it was THAT good.  We feel so lucky to have found this wife + husband team.   Aside from the amazing food, their professionalism, their local and seasonal approach to food, they are genuine, kind, funny, down to earth, rad people.  So pumped!

So we owe them a huge thank you - for providing a platform for us to share a meal that we will eventually be sharing with our nearest and dearest.  

and... they sent us home with the beautiful centerpiece ♥

i like.

hair-spiration

sarah barkawi

mega babe

such good hair

can't pull myself away from the news

image via ...

my heart goes out to all the people + animals in japan and all the people around the world with friends + loved ones in japan.

and to my friends, my former teachers and classmates, and all the the people in bahrain - i hope you remain safe and that peace comes quickly.



xoxo

lil babies

check out our lil seedlings 

pak choi

beets

okra

chard

♥

went to reno for the weekend, and came home to these lil guys doing so well!!

reno was a nice getaway.  celebrated mom's birthday, part deux.

ate black quinoa for the first time at the 4th street bistro, 

the coop sells red quinoa - but i've never seen black quinoa.

i will have to do some research.

d.i.y. - it feels good.

designing . touching . making . creating

all the various bits and pieces for our celebration 

is not only incredibly economical but 

OH SO GRATIFYING !

sometimes i feel just like this ...

 natalie dee

i am the ludicrous gardener

jesse + sophia came over on saturday 

we planted some seeds they had scored at a seed swap

jesse gave me the run down of how to care for them

when expressing how excited i was to see those little darlings sprout up he said, and i quote:

"impatience is beyond ludicrous in a gardener"

cream + gold

ooooh so lovely.

via this is glamorous

happy birthday mom

today is my mama's birthday

she is the most amazing of all the amazing women

if you know her... well, then, you know

she has always encouraged me to be exactly who i am

i am proud to be her daughter 

when i was in the 11th grade, she and i moved back to the united states a year earlier than my dad

we lived alone that year - just the two of us in a cute little house in roseville
it was a challenging year of changes and adjustments for both of us

we've always been close, but something about that year made us oh so much closer

and as you can see, i cannot get enough of these amazing photos of her from back in the day

these old photos of her are my style inspiration
she's a rad lady, beautiful inside and out, an amazing grandmother, an activist for peace and equality, a therapist by day,  ridiculously adorable and arguably the best mama ever
i could gush about her all day long...

and...she puts up a good fight,

she'd say the same about me...

♥

we are taking her to a fancy dinner tonight - because she deserves that and so much more!

love you mama!

can I have one part of my life that isn’t TMZ’d up the butt?

so... there's no denying the major hilarity behind charlie sheen's recent antics and his absurd verbal garbage that really makes no sense at all.  i, personally, found his 20/20 interview hard to watch as i thought he was jerk to the interviewer, was totally uncomfortable, and made no sense... don't get me wrong, i laughed out loud several times, but it was still extremely awkward... it felt like a never-ending SNL skit.

of course, someone captured some of his ridiculous quotes here.

but what i am struggling with the most is the fact that he has a long history of violence against women that seems to have gone unnoticed amongst all his other bs.  i can't wrap my mind around the fact that he even maintained a career in the public eye after all of those charges in the first place.

tracie egan morrissey from jezebel does a good job detailing this issue out here. 

things i miss...

my Q street apartment - where the whole place was all mine

and my kitchen was also my closet.

my dhahran days

this was the 7th grade valentine's day dance

i went with chris norseth

i still have that dress

and still besties with some of those friends...

(look at all those mary-jane docs!!)

clay's random drawings on my old kitchen table

having my whole family under 1 roof

using my electric typewriter...which is currently broken

beach bumming

drinking champassions on the patio of hotel san jose

the natural high you get from an equal rights rally

my kate moss collage from my boarding school dorm room

oh, and that lime green + yellow pop corn comforter

and lime green jansport... dang!

playing mafia for hours in austin

and especially missing these 3 faces...