hello Monday

basement: plumbing

After today, my washing machine will be draining and venting properly and the new utility sink will be ready to hook up. I will also have a new water spigot outdoors. Mark is replacing the old crappy one that required a pair of pliers to turn the water on and off. It's going to be so easy for me to water my patio plants this summer! All of this plumbing had to be completed before we could frame the wall behind the washer and dryer. If all goes as planned, the framing might actually be finished next weekend.

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Sunday, February 27
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Blu Seminar
Thursday, March 17
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say cheese

Sorry Lottie. Your cheese stealing days are over now that I have this perfect little Danish cheese cutting board and server...with a dog-proof dome!!

I really enjoy buying vintage stuff at Etsy. I've picked up some fabulous things and I've had the pleasure of doing business with some of the nicest people. This cheese board came from the wonderful seller, Winkinpossum. If you are looking for a little something for your kitchen, this is the place to go.


The top two photos are Winkinpossum's as she did a way better job photographing this little jem. I got it yesterday afternoon and had it filled up with cheese just a few hours later. I love it!

five for friday

five things driving me nuts around the house...

1. that green paint. what was I thinking? must paint that room soon!
2. found perfect fireplace tool holder for $14... need black tools.
3. the doorbell that has been exposed like that for 6 years.
4. someday I'll make a window treatment for the back door. someday.
5. photo taken exactly one year ago today. this light is still in the box...waiting.

fence love

salvaged plank fence. designed by Eric Gomez: Valle de Verde

Got the new issue of Sunset magazine on Tuesday and haven't had time to really sit down with it. In a quick flip through, this fence immediately caught my eye. So amazing! I have wanted to build something like this for a long time. I bought our house numbers for this dream project over a year ago and I hope we can get it built this summer.

basement: still framing

After seeing what the people in Christchurch are going through, it's hard to complain about how slow our basement remodel is coming along. We are just about finished with framing the duct work. Mark added foam along the ducts for soundproofing...you know those noisy clanks they can make...ours sounds like a dripping faucet right before the heat kicks on. There is sawdust everywhere. Lottie loves to walk through a big pile and then drag it upstairs. It's impossible to keep up with the vacuuming and swiffering. Mark is making plans to work on the plumbing for the new laundry room this weekend and then we can tackle some electrical issues after that. As you can see, we are still doing laundry in the construction zone. Nothing like dropping a clean wet sock in a pile of sawdust. I hope we reach the ready for drywall stage by the end of March. I really don't care how long it takes at this point. I'm just thankful to have this little house and the opportunity to make it exactly the way we want it to be.

Christchurch, New Zealand

You may have woken to the news of the earthquake that hit New Zealand. This powerful 6.3 magnitude quake rocked Christchurch, NZ, a town that is still recovering from a 7.1 earthquake back in September.

Last year I discovered Christchurch Modern - a site run by modern enthusiast homeowners in Christchurch which is a town full of wonderful modern homes. The ‘Christchurch Style’ or ‘Christchurch School’ are frequently used to describe the modernist architecture movement that exploded in Christchurch in the middle of the last century. The modern Christchurch style was formed by a loose group of architects all using contemporary materials and techniques to create houses that sat comfortably with the strong geography. In construction, concrete blocks replaced timber cladding. Placement on the site was emphatic. Chimneys were tall and assertive. Windows and doors seemed to have been punched through solid masses. The result looked sculptural, abstract and emphatically anchored in the landscape.

Many of these homes are thankfully still around and some are currently being renovated with new home owners embracing the architecture. The photo above is from the Our Christchurch Modern blog... a nice family restoring their home and blogging about their reno. I have been following along since last Spring and was relieved to read that they are all safe and well even though their home has suffered seriously from today's quake. My heart goes out to this family and the entire community.

five for friday

Modernism Week in Palm Springs: February 17 – 27

talking about the weather

February 8th... 2 feet of snow.


February 11th... the temperature is -4 degrees.


February 16th... sunny and in the 40s.


the majority of February... gloomy and windy.


February 17th... the temperature is 56 degrees.

the suburbs are alright

Sometimes the good ones win!

SCENES FROM THE SUBURBS: A SHORT FILM BY SPIKE JONZE


Album Artwork Design by Caroline Robert
Art Direction by Vincent Morisset
Photos by Gabriel Jones

you know what today is

morning sunlight

bird nerd

Here it is, my new peanut feeder... which makes feeder number 5 for the backyard. I'm pretty sure when you hit 5 you're officially a crazy bird lady. So be it. I have always had red breasted nuthatches coming around so it only seemed fair to give them a feeder of their own. I was a little bummed for the first two weeks when the peanut feeder was only attracting squirrels. But then today it happened. I got my first white breasted nuthatch! Today, when it's dismally grey outside with the worst light. My red breasted nuthatches showed up too. So a pretty good day at the new peanut feeder even if it was not a great day to take bird photos.

five for friday

1. Neutra's Kaufmann House styled for a J.Crew catalog photo shoot
2. Six Senses Con Dao Resort and Spa in Vietnam
3. Architect Barbara Bestor's Hollywood Hills home photographed by Katarina Malmstrom Brown
4. gorgeous pool at a home in Spain
5. HOUSE CARQUEIJA - located in Camaçari – Bahia – Brazil

view from my bedroom window

We have a giant lilac bush outside our bedroom window. It has some amazing icicles on it right now. Every morning when I open my curtains I get to see birds hanging out on the other side of the glass. It's a nice way to wake up.