inspiration on our bookshelf.

Artists' Studios by M.J. Long



Vera by Susan Seid, Jen Renzi and The Vera Company


Undecorate by Christiane Lemieux

today.

quiet. perfect.

how to green a schoolyard. step 1*

tear out acres of asphalt.  ACRES!  you can do this by hand with a committed and crazy group of friends and neighbors or you can contract someone else to do it.  or you can - as we did - do a combination of both.





it is extremely satisfying!



*in all honesty this is more like step 101.

but i am tired of the money raising and hoop jumping and placating and bureaucratic mumbo-jumbo that got us here.  along with that went some really wonderful brainstorming sessions.  community building.  and the kind of work that makes you smile so much your face hurts.  it has been a wonderful learning experience in ways i never imagined.  and have i mentioned how this couldn't have happened without my amazing neighbors and how much i love them?   yes you have heard it before...

but i like beginnings.  so i like the idea of starting again.  at 1.

more (lots more) to come.

field trip

visited this inspiring garden at micheltorena elementary school on saturday. so amazing to have witnessed its transformation from parking lot to garden in a few short months - and to have worked alongside this amazing community. apples and cucumbers grow along sunset blvd.

we break ground on our own school garden this week. it has been such a process. i have learned so very much. i can not wait to see that first piece of asphalt carted away!

(thinking about community and neighborhoods - found this great image - and installed it in the kitchen this weekend.)

(thinking about community and neighborhoods and the devastation in japan.  we edit the media very carefully in this house.  but we have been watching this unfold.  thoughts and prayers.  inspiration from ruth reichl via molly:  "So eat a good breakfast. Be grateful for what you’ve got. Enjoy the sunshine while you've got it.  Then go out and save the world. ")

we live here.

we've been looking for quite some time for a work to hang in the kitchen. i had originally planned to enlarge a photograph - but this is a very sunny corner - and the cost of an enlargement coupled with the inevitable fading that would take place, put that idea to rest. when i saw this poster (also available as a screenprint) i knew we had found a perfect fit. (and the price couldn't be beat!) d put together a frame, and we sprung for UV plexi. we will see how it lasts.

the girls love finding home on it. i love that it includes all these neighborhoods that i have recently discovered (after living here 12 years!).

ork posters has a whole series around this concept. fun stuff.

my plan to paint the kitchen myself has also been waylaid. april.

hanging this on our puttied and unpainted wall might be putting the cart before the horse, but we couldn't resist.

"Eating 'Green' - Family Style"

We hope you will come out this Thursday, March 10 at 6:30 for a fun-filled yummy evening with our farm friends! Calvert's Community Supported Agriculture program - Join the Farm! - will be at school to share tips for family-friendly healthy meals! Kids welcome - there will be a class just for them! You do not need to be a CSA subscriber to participate in this event!

Presented by our CSA :: Join the Farm
Thursday, March 10, 6:30 - 7:30 pm

Join the Farm Registered Dietitian Alise Echele, and Join the Farm Educator, Erynn Smith will facilitate two simultaneous classes, one for adults and one for children. Both interactive sessions will explore benefits of eating local and organic, balanced nutrition in harmony with the environment, and demonstrate how to select and prepare family-friendly foods that will nourish our bodies, and our community. The classes, which engage all five senses, will include taste testing for the kids and an opportunity for the adults to win a box of farm-fresh organic produce from Join the Farm!

We hope to see you there!

To learn more about Calvert's CSA program, visit www.jointhefarm.com

signs of spring

it is certainly in the air.

the weekend was full. "family" in town. homemade lemonade. a neighborhood-style baby shower. tennis. quercus agrifolia. soccer. and the perfect weather for a trip to the park.

best.

friends like family.







we miss you already. xo

one day

time is flying. a little too quickly.
but excited dear friends will be visiting this week.
chick-a-dee is laying again.
passing on a ton of stuff. feels so good.
imagining plans for my sewing machine.
and determined to knit a pair of socks.
enjoyed some sun between clouds.

impromptu field trip

the sun came out. and off we went.

travel town

two unrelated things that made me happy this week.

downtown los angeles.


tulips on my table.


have a wonderful three-day weekend.

we will be celebrating with a walk in the rain and a trip to the dentist.

xo

my dad.

it has been 9 years today since he passed away. every day i think of him. he taught me the value of community. and the importance of family. and the grace of unconditional love.

i miss you dad.

Penne with Roasted Butternut Squash, Pancetta and Sage

We were very luck to reap some of the benefits of fellow CSA member Jen's participation in Charcutepalooza. The pancetta we received is out of this world. (And I am rationing it carefully to stretch it out as long as I can!)

Tonight the mix of sweet squash and salty pancetta was perfect.

from Martha Stewart:

Serves 4.

1 medium (about 2 1/4 pounds) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
1/4 cup olive oil
Coarse salt
3/4 pound penne pasta
3 ounces pancetta, sliced 1/4 inch thick and finely chopped
2 shallots, thinly sliced crosswise
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
10 fresh sage leaves, coarsely chopped or torn
1/2 cup finely grated pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for serving
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place butternut squash on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil; season with salt. Transfer to oven and roast until squash is browned and tender, about 15 minutes.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Generously salt water and return to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, according to package directions. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Set pasta and reserved cooking liquid aside.
Meanwhile, heat remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add pancetta and cook until just crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Add shallots, crushed red pepper, and sage. Cook until shallots are soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add penne and squash and toss gently, adding reserved pasta cooking liquid as necessary to moisten.

Add cheese and black pepper and cook, tossing gently, until pasta and squash are heated through. Serve immediately with more grated cheese, if desired.

new love

like I needed another reason to be on-line.

Pinterest



i must say it is a great way to "collect" all that inspiration out there. and really, i have been much better at staying off the computer. ahem. really d.

this weekend

friends' birthday celebration at pacific park

i can't take february in socal for granted.

:::::

thanks for indulging me.
different times. same place. through our week.

a taste of spring.

and a great weekend ahead. enjoy!

::::

:::

an exercise ::