I spend far too much time on Pinterest, but it truly is where I find so much inspiration for my design projects, what I wear on a daily basis, what I cook, etc. How did we live without it!? Recently a girl friend pinned the above fabulous outdoor sectional, so I headed over to architect, Cynthia Childs’ site to see more. Beautiful work. All of it. This home in particular takes the cake for me, especially since I’m a sucker for great outdoor spaces! I love the hardscaping material used for the patio and walkways, along with the mix of succulents, ferns, iceberg roses and boxwoods. The concrete and large clam shell fountain is awesome too! I think we may need to recreate this in our own backyard. It’s really different! Head over to the site to see more pics, including the inside of the home. It’s stunning!
It’s dreary.
And gray out.
Bleh.
But it was a good weekend. Hope yours was too!
The boy did quite well for Valentine’s Day. He got me a pretty darn good gift, which I’ll be sharing below. Then we had a very low key meal, sitting in the bar at one of our local haunts. Followed by a night of music with an incredibly talented music artist, that is just BEGGING to make it super big!
The rest of the weekend was spent training for the big event hubby and I have next weekend. God, I am SO freaking out!!! We are doing the Los Alamitos sprint triathlon, Race on the Base . My husband used to do tris way back when and has even done a half Iron Man or some crazy crap like that. I am NOT going to end up doing Iron Mans I can tell you that. This was just one of those items on my life checklist. At the ripe age of 37 I am feeling fitter than ever thanks in major…MAJOR…part to this girl! I actually kinda like my thighs for the first time in my life. That’s big folks! If you are local to the Seal Beach, Long Beach, Los Alamitos area you need to come take a class. Oh, ladies only unfortunately. Sorry fellas.
In any case, I have been in serious like with a few things this month and in an effort to better your life I think you should try some of these out. Even if it’s just the yogurt. Ok, on to the list….
1. Good Lord, seriously I about died when I had my first bite of Australian yogurt when we were there. It blows DOORS off Greek yogurt. Sorry Greeks. Noosa Yogurt (which is actually the name of the city we stayed in while there) is actually inspired by the Mediterranean variety. But they sprinkle pixie dust or something and add all natural fruit purees. It’s freaking delicious and I am heavily addicted now.
2. The Getaway debuted on the Esquire channel back in September of last year. I apparently had my head stuck in the sand or something, because I didn’t know anything about this show which was created by one of my favs Anthony Bourdain. The show features travel- loving celebrities who know some of the World’s greatest cities inside and out. It completely marries two things I love, travel and food. Which is why I’m such a fan of Bourdain, but this series has a fresh, fun feel. And seriously, as if I didn’t already love Seth Meyer!
3. This jacket had me instantly! The Veda Denim Jacket for Madewell is very rock and roll and just the right amount of different from your everyday denim jacket. It totally reminds me of the quintessential biker look we see on patrons of our fav dive bar, Mother’s in Sunset Beach. My boy got me this for Vday. He rocks!
4. I’m addicted to Pinterest just like everyone else I suppose. And I’m constantly looking for inspiration for our backyard remodel, which at this rate is years away still. But in any case, I can do hanging baskets. And I just LOVE the way these look. Now if only I can keep them watered….
5. Anti-gun. Pro-gun. Doesn’t matter. This shirt is funny and I wish I had ordered it in time to wear during the sprint tri! But I may just have to bust it out during my workouts! Oh and this one is pretty funny too.
6. She’s beautiful right? Well she’s not just a pretty face. In fact she’s quite the badass. Conway is her stage name and she is going to be HUGE…I just know it! Kassia Conway (her real name) was the opening act for the show we saw on Friday night and I am SO glad we didn’t miss them. Normally we skate in just before the main act goes on if we don’t know the opener. Read this review and you’ll get a good sense of what she’s like.
And check out this video.
I love her!
Tonight my wonderful husband lined up tickets to see one of our new fav musical artists and we even lucked out with an available sitter! We usually stay home on Vday and I cook a really nice meal, so this is a treat for sure. St. Lucia is a one man band fronted by Brooklyn artist by way of South Africa, Jean-Phillip Grobler. We first saw them live when they opened for another fav band of ours Two Door Cinema Club and I was instantly hooked!
The sound? A little tropical, a little electronic and his vocals sound a bit like George Michael circa Wham! The music is very catchy. And he’s just a doll…he had me at his rolled pants and espadrilles. So here a few favorites that I think you’ll enjoy! I hope you have a wonderful weekend and if you’re celebrating Valentines Day, I hope it is extra sweet!
Weekday mornings are usually a crazy whirlwind. I jump out of bed, after hitting the snooze on my iPhone twice and quickly go through my routine…..
Brush teeth and hair
Turn on kitchen lights and tv news softly (just to wake myself up more)
Run out to kitchen and start coffee
Feed all the pets
Make Ellie’s lunch (If I didn’t already do this the night before)
Start Ellie’s breakfast (More like assemble because she only wants cereal usually)
Go wake her up…throw off her covers, open roman shades, turn on light and then carry…yes carry her highness into the dining room for breakfast.
Then from there it’s a mad dash to clean up, get her dressed and packed up for school, get myself dressed (Thank God for workout clothes!), rush out the door and get her to school on time. If it’s a workout morning I sneak in a yogurt and/or banana before we leave. But it’s the days I have just a little more time to myself after dropping her off that I relish. It’s usually a day that I have lots of office work to get done and no client meetings. Those mornings I like to treat myself to a nicer breakfast. And this one fits the bill perfectly!
Serves 6
(I only used one egg and then adjusted the rest accordingly since I was the only one eating it)
Adapted from Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc at Home
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
6 large eggs
2 bunches pencil thin asparagus
Canola oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
2 cups torn country bread
extra virgin olive oil
aged balsamic vinegar
fleur de sel
Poach eggs. Bring 6-8 inches of water to a boil in a deep saucepan. Prepare an ice bath. Add the vinegar to the boiling water and reduce heat to a simmer. Crack 1 egg into a small cup or ramekin. Using a wooden spoon, stir the water at the edges of the pan twice in a circular motion to get the water moving. Then add the egg to the center and simmer gently 1 1/2 minutes or until white is set but yolk is still runny. With a slotted spoon, transfer egg to ice bath. Skim off any foam that has risen to the top of water and repeat with remaining eggs, one at a time.
Peel or trim asparagus stalks if necessary. Spread asparagus out on a platter or baking sheet and drizzle generously with canola oil (I used olive oil) and season with salt and pepper. Grill asparagus on an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan. I used a cast iron skillet because I was only making it for myself and the skillet was easier to manage. It worked fine. Cook 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side.
With the grill or pan still hot toast some of the torn country bread. This was very easy to do in the cast iron skillet. There was still oil at the bottom, so the large chunks just toasted off of that. Worked great! Takes about 2-3 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a simmer. Lower the cooked, poached eggs into the simmering water for about 30 seconds, just to reheat. Blot on paper towels after. Note..you can cook the asparagus first, then the eggs so that the eggs don’t get cold. This works if you are only making this for one or two people.
Arrange some asparagus on plate, then some prosciutto and croutons. Lay an egg on the asparagus then drizzle all with olive oil and balsamic, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. SO GOOD!
There you have it. Super easy! And it would also be a nice weekend breakfast. Of course the kids probably would want nothing to do with it. Their loss. Oh…and this is also a really nice light dinner. It goes really well with a chilled white wine!
Living in Southern California my entire life, I have grown accustomed to hearing how we should conserve our water and cut back our use. Even when a year seems particularly “rainy” and wet, it seems we just never have quite enough water for the mass amounts of people that live here. This year unfortunately, as those of you who live in the area know, we are in a real bind . We’ve gotten some rain the past week, but given we are so late in the season it is doubtful that we will catch up to the rain needed to meet our needs for the year.
As an avid gardener, the threat of water shortages does not bode well with my soon to be spring time planting! Looking over my sad, winter-barren yard the other day, I started to scheme up some ideas on how to make my yard look nice this spring without the need for lots of water to keep it looking good.
My garden tends to lean towards country English/formal English. I’d probably say it’s more semi-formal English…not that it exists in the gardening world, but that’s close to what it actually is. In any case, I like lots of roses, boxwoods, ferns, hydrangea and gardenias. These aren’t all the best for times of drought. So I’m thinking of repotting all our hanging baskets and pots with succulents and ornamental grasses and replacing some of the water heavy plants (once they inevitably die) with lots of lavender, white shrub roses (which I already have a ton of actually), and herbs.
The goal is to make the yard more Mediterranean feeling for the time being and who knows, maybe I’ll start to like it better! Above our some of the ideas I found for pots, etc. Definitely more of a Napa feeling no? Below are some ideas on what, where and how to plant a drought tolerant yard or patio.
Hedges or Privacy Screens:
{via daves garden}
1. Pacific Wax Myrtle
Great screen or hedge plant. Tolerates wind. Sun to partial shade.
{via sf gate}
2. California Bay Laurel
One of my very favorites! Aromatic with yellow flowers December to May. Can use the leaves for cooking, although it is a bit stronger than regular bay.
{ via this old house}
3. Privet Ligustrum
Another fav! We actually just planted a long hedge of this in our backyard to gain some privacy. Classic look..think Hamptons! Tough as nails and very tolerant of air pollution. Perfect for So Cal unfortunately.
Container Plants and Hanging Baskets:
1. Verbena or Lantana
Hardy and easy to grow. Heat and drought tolerant. Full sun! Makes beautiful, cascading baskets for your patio!
2. Lavender
This can be used in pots for a Napa wine country feel or just grow straight in the ground. Either way looks beautiful and grows so easily! Smells amazing. Use dried flowers in sweater boxes as insect repellant or just to make your home smell wonderful!
(via valeaston}
3. California Poppy
So, so pretty and colorful! These work anywhere…containers, hanging baskets or straight in the ground. Flowers spring to summer. A great place to buy poppies is here!
Grasses:
Often overlooked when selecting plants for the garden, grasses add so much….dramatic backgrounds,
soft edges, interesting foliage colors and textures ranging from spiky to soft and silky. These varieties are very
drought tolerant.
1. Sheep Fescue
2. Deer Grass
3. Purple Needle Grass
4. Giant Wild Rye
Best All Around:
Last but not least, everyone’s favorite plant of the moment, succulents. They seem to come back around every 20 years or so. I remember my mom being big into them when I was just out of high school. Now here we are, exactly 20 years later (my big 20th hs reunion is this year eek! ) and she is all over the succulent trend again. They are great in just about any application….containers, wreaths, wall hangings, hanging baskets, or in the ground. I like to mix these in with other plants like herbs, roses, or citrus trees when doing pots. They give a nice modern edge to a container. The trick is to make sure the soil is very well drained. They don’t like to sit in wet dirt. So, make sure you are mix your regular potting soil with a good amount of gravel mix before dumping into a container. Once you plant the succulent into the mix, it looks nice to top the soil with decorative stones or aquarium gravel. It gives the pot a nice finished look!
I hope I’ve given you some ideas on how to make your yard or patio garden pretty this spring, even during this horrible drought. Please share any other water saving yard ideas and plants with me! I love to learn new gardening tips!
