Yearly Archives: 2012

I had to drive through the BIGGEST storm last night. It was like something out of an apocalypse movie! Living in California all my life, I can count on my fingers the number of thunderstorms I’ve seen. So to actually be next to real lightning…and even a tornado warning on the radio…holy cow. This photo…

We are babysitting the sweetest dog this week. Aysa is a young German Shepherd rescued by my boss. She’s been a very good guest, bearing with the brushing sessions and bows quite nicely.

Filling individual pea pods with herbed cheese is a laborious task that delivers very special results. Sure, you could just dip the peas in the cheese spread and save a lot of time, but parties are about showing your guests how much you like them! Spring Stuffed Peas Serves 2/4 A dozen shelling peas 1/4…

I love Easter! Kicking off the start of spring is so fun and it’s a great chance to spend time with family. I left the city on Friday morning and met Rob at my parent’s house. He had biked solo to SLO during the week, such a feat! That evening, we had a dinner party…

We ate so much delicious food in Carmel last weekend, but one dish stood out far above the rest: the mushroom pizza at La Bicyclette. Thin crust baked in a wood oven, topped with a truffle pesto, chanterelles, parmesan, mache lettuce and lemon. The meyer lemon makes it! There’s a ridiculously easy way to try…

This beach cottage near Lover’s Point Park in Pacific Grove already has plenty of style. Note the model ship in the window, plantation shutters, aged teak chairs and red kayak in the back. If it were mine, I’d continue with this classic American sporty designs. Landon sofa / Olive topiary / Badminton set / Red…

Crazy March caught up with me: I came down with a terrible cold late last week. I was planning to be better by the weekend. No dice! Friday night I was a sad puddle. Saturday, I gathered up enough energy for my hair appointment and then straight back in my pajamas for the rest of…

We just bought our tickets to Mountain Play for the summer! This year, I am determined to win the picnic contest and have finally invested in Mottahdeh tin plates for the occasion. This will be our 5th (?) year at the play and we have it pretty dialed in. Arrive very early, bring plenty of…

I’m having a “de-stress” week for my team at work. Each day, there’s a little relaxation gift or activity as appreciation of their hard work at the start of the year. Yesterday, we had a tea tasting! I took four “relaxing” tea blends and put together a blind tasting. Each cup was labeled with a…

Another season of summer beach house dreaming has started! Pacific Grove was full of tiny, inspiring cottages. Today, let’s imagine decorating a cozy retreat inside of the Point Pinos Lighthouse in Pacific Grove. It’s the oldest continuously-operating lighthouse of the west coast and seems like a perfect place to invite someone over for a glass…