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I stumbled across Matou en Peluche on Etsy last night. Soft charcoal drawings of birds and vintage-style women are perfect to end a very rainy week. This drawing especially, has me ready to pile on the blush and blooms this weekend.

Sandalwood soap is a Chinatown souvenir staple, nice for scenting linen drawers and – actually – very good soap! Margaret brought us a couple bars of Bee & Flower Sandalwood Soap as a housewarming present and we’ve been enjoying it on cold winter mornings ever since.

Here’s a special request from Sarah in Canada: I wonder if you may be able to help me? A friend/colleague has asked me to sing at her upcoming wedding, on 6 February. We live in Canada and I always wear a nice thick black tight with mostly any shoes. My style is traditionally feminine and…

Impatiens are one of the easiest and prettiest plants to grow. Here in temperate California, they grow all year round. My grandmother was always a big fan and usually had a few jars of cuttings rooting. A few pots of white impatiens would be a nice addition to the pink jasmine and potato vine we…

A giant storm has brought downpours and thunder to the city. Every girl downtown is decked out in her best wellies with black tights, dresses and trench coats…including me. My sister gave me a pair of Hunter boots for Christmas this year. I love them! Order one size down for the cutest, kickiest boots for…

There’s something to be said for extremely long novels. All that work to get into the characters pays off when you have another 900+ pages to follow their exploits. All 1,184 pages of “And Ladies of the Club” is one lovely example. I’m about halfway through the first movement of A Dance to the Music…

I do not sew well. The patience required for careful measuring is not something I have. Thankfully, Margaret came over to help with the whole “measure twice, cut once” thing. Between the two of us, we took four old, sunbleached curtains and four Ikea fillers and made a set of lovely velvet pillows for the…

The combination of poor weather and poor health kept us inside most of the weekend. It’s not my favorite thing. Luckily, I adore the new apartment and being “shut-in” feels more like a vacation. On Friday night, Rob and I walked up to North Beach to have dinner with the Taylor family. We arrived just…

PS: Don’t forget that Monday is the Day of Service. It’s not too late to sign up with a local agency to give a few hours of your time. Especially with Haiti Disaster this week, it seems appropriate to give back a little. Last year, Rob and I volunteered with the Parks Service on Alcatraz.…

I’ve been enjoying “nordic muesli” from Ikea for breakfast all week. It’s like granola, but healthier because the oats aren’t doused in sugar and oil. Once we’ve finished our stash, i think I’ll try making it on my own. Just combined rolled oats with a couple kinds of healthy cereal, dried fruits and nuts. Sunset…