five things, february 15 edition

1. I think I promised this recipe earlier this week. I know I keep harping on our breakfasts, but it's where I am right now. I tossed up a picture of Monday's breakfast on Instagram and got a slew of requests both there and on Facebook for the recipe. It looks good, and it really is that good. It's too easy for a recipe, really and if you Google something like egg. baked. avocado, and you'll get a slew of options.

Here's what I did: I took half an avocado and cracked an egg in it. Shredded some cheese on top...I think it was fontina, but it might have been gruyere. Added a couple of turns of the pepper grinder but no salt. (I figured the cheese would add enough salt, but it turns out that was a mistake. I added some salt the next time.) Bake it in a 400º oven for 15 or so minutes (really depends on how runny you want your egg) and then pop it under the broiler to brown the cheese. Also, I put the avocado in the pan I did because I had a suspicion that the egg might run out a bit, and I was right! I love it when I'm right!

Let me know if you make it. I'd love to hear how yours turns out. My friend Laura made it and wasn't a fan, but after we talked, she and I decided that the cheese needs to be pretty flavorful (I've used Manchengo too.) and that even then you should still add salt and pepper. Also, err on the side of under cooking the eggs. Because Neel and Callum both have egg allergies, we tend to overcook eggs here, but I like my eggs soft and you certainly don't want them rubbery! Bake for a few and then pop it under the broiler to get that cheese browned and bubbly!

2. I think I'm beyond excited for Neel and Callum who are finally on their way off to go skiing today. I sent them on their way just moments ago. It was shockingly easy to get my boy up this morning. We worried a little all week, I'll admit, because Callum's cough just wouldn't go away. He lumbered through (even had to scoot out of his social studies class during a presentation because of a coughing fit...we all know how awful that feeling is!). But they're off. Callum absolutely adores skiing, and he and Neel will have wonderful fun together. Hat tip to my husband for spending the day on the slopes and behind the wheel.

3. I think I'm looking forward to my own day too. The meeting and hike I'd planned for the day had to be canceled when I realized that because of our car situation, I'd be city bound. Our poor Mini Cooper, Blanche is like a church lady, and she won't go on the freeway, so I'm stuck near home. So I'm get some cleaning done, both physical and virtual, and hit the grocery store. Fun times. Necessary stuff that'll feel good to get done though. I'm still a little under the weather, so I might sneak in a nap or a movie. Or something. Like a bath.

4. I think I have another true story for you. Yesterday morning, when Neel and I were standing in the kitchen as the coffee brewed we chatted about Valentine's Day. (A bit late, yes, I know.) We got Callum all worked out (because nothing says "Love" like adding another Nerf gun to a 13 year old's arsenal!) and then I said, "Are we doing gifts?" A look of sheer horror crossed my husband's face. Seriously. I reached out and said, "Okay. Good! Let's do something together." Later. It was pretty funny. He was giving a talk at another school that day, and I knew he was booked solid, and I had my own stuff going on. Total flashback to fourteen years ago. Turns out he had ordered flowers for me the day before, and I did have a little something for him too, so we're not total losers. Another true story? Neel always goofs and calls Valentine's Day Thanksgiving. Which I think is entirely appropriate.

5. I think I can't send you on your way without showing you some images from our Valentine's Day sunset.

The sky was a stunning pink as Callum and I made our way home after baseball last night. I had him snapping pictures with his phone as we drove, and it seemed that with every turn we made the sky got impossibly more gorgeous. Our house faces almost due west, and the river view at the end of the block faces that direction as well. Callum and I drove to the end of the street before we turned into home and got out to snap these shots. Oh to have had my real camera and not just my phone! I have never seen the sky in such stunning splendor, and I feel so grateful to have been given the gift of this view yesterday. Even better was to have shared it with my boy.

Happy Valentine's to my funny Valentines {still + life}

True story. Fourteen years ago this week, I was about seven weeks pregnant with Callum. I have no idea what night of the week it was, but I know it was a week night when Neel and I stopped in together to the grocery store (Von's, for my Southern CA darlings!). I was lucky. I never had full-on Kate Middleton-esque morning sickness, just that foreboding feeling of misery and nausea and lethargy for the first part of my pregnancy. As we stood there, silently together, in line with our purchases, I watched idly as someone's steaks, their chocolates, their champagne, and then their roses went down the belt in front of us. Only then did it dawn on me. Valentine's Day!

With a voice born from exhaustion (and a little queasiness), I said to Neel, "I swear, if you did anything for me for Valentine's Day, I might have to kill you."

It was only later that we realized how funny that must have sounded to the people around us.

We roll that way I guess. Sometimes Valentine's Day is all chocolate hearts and big plans, and sometimes it's Thursday dinner at home when Momma has been sick all week. What never changes is that we celebrate the love we share in our family. Even when the moments feel small, that love always feels big. Every day.

So Neel's making his special steak tonight and we'll grill that and have a nice dinner at home. I think that what I've learned over the years is no matter the size of the celebration, the love is what counts. The love is what matters.

And you know what? I love you guys too. Big or small, may all your wildest Valentine's Dreams come true!

house proud, vol. 2 {life}

A mid-century modern, on the water, with a granite wall running from the front path through the house all the way to the back deck? I'm sold. After photographing this gorgeous traditional that my friend Bill designed, we snuck over to get some shots of this quirky, mid-century treat. What a gorgeous home! Bill describes this experience as one where the couple was open to anything he threw at them; they pretty much let him have at it when it came to bringing a tired home back to life. The end result included a granite stairwell and wall, laid out in stunning bricks, that runs from before you reach the front door, through the entire length of the house straight out to the back yard. Built into the wall is a fireplace and three bookshelves, one of which (the middle) rotates to become a door, allowing access into the study. In the 10th photo above, you see the study and a painting hanging in the back of a bookcase. This clever trick gives party goers free range to the bar when socializing.

The wall grounds the house, but all is filled with light and air and views of the water. As Bill explains, the wall and its corresponding stairwell separate the private and public areas of the home. Off a soaring hall, perpendicualr to the granite wall, you find a study and guest rooms, and up the stairwell, perched alone with the finest views of the water, is the master suite.

Outside, the green of the house blends into the landscape while the red trim around the windows adds a vibrant pop of color, drawing the viewer's eye towards the interior of the home.

I think about all the mid-century houses I grew up running in and out of and how I never paid attention. What was wrong with me? Sometimes I think this era can tend toward cold and all sharp angles, but with this house it's been turned into something interesting and fun. Bill describes it as a fun project to work on, and you can tell. It must be a fun house to live in as well.

house proud, vol. 2 {still}

Weekend Recap, February 11 edition

1. Coffee with a friend on a rainy day | 2. In his sights | 3. Unexpected gift | 4. Friday night dinner | 5. Hounds in the sun | 6. Neel made me clean | 7. Cal heads to a Bar Mitzvah (how awesome-sauce are those M&Ms?) | 8. Neel and I head to coffee | 9. And a bathroom showroom | 10. Violet and Lucy supervise shelf repair | 11. Violet and Lucy give up | 12. Cal comes home (still tired) | 13. Bathtime for Momma | 14. Saturday night dinner | 15. Saturday night dessert | 16. - 18. Brunch on Sunday | 19. Photoshoot | 20. Neel does dinner. | 21. Neel's new drill | 22. Violet enjoys the sun | 23. Thea finds a pillow bush | 24. Editing photos of my regal corgi

Moving slow today. We had the last of Callum's conferences this morning and I seem to have caught his cold overnight. Go me. I think I'll take all of the brilliant advice offered on Friday and crawl back under the covers pretty sharpish. I'm feeling the need for some tea and sympathy. All in all we had a good weekend though. Callum is feeling much better, despite a lingering cough, and I got to kick things off with coffee with a dear friend on a rainy Friday. A surprise giftie from my mom totally made my day! She and I had both bemoaned the difficulties of my present hand mixer. It had so much power that it was actually somewhat terrifying to use! This one is apparently a bit easier to manage. We'll try with another batch of muffins but maybe tomorrow. That led me to give away the old mixer in the gigantic clean-out Neel made us do on Saturday (see #6). That room was originally the back bedroom of our house, so when our master addition was built, right before we moved in, it became something of a pass-through room. You have to go through it to get to our bedroom, which makes it great for a nursery (not necessary) or office (that's the ticket!). Since we walk through that room everyday and since those bookshelves are what we see from our bed, it's kind of important that the room is a little pulled together. It looks much better now. 

It was a good cooking weekend. I did a tuna with black bean sauce, roasted asparagus and coconut rice for dinner on Saturday night. We're trying to cook nicer dinners together on Saturdays, but since Callum was still feeling a bit wiped out and he and Neel were in the middle of a Sherlock Holmes marathon, I took over. It's all good. And I'm not always in the mood to do a big brunch, but this Sunday I was, and that was very good. Neel handled dinner Sunday: don't you know? Beer-Butt Chicken! Our fave! My mashed potatoes have been a bit of a fail lately though. This time, I'm blaming the potato.

I think the high point of the weekend for Neel was getting a new drill. His plan for the weekend involved removing part of our back fence, and his current drill wasn't up to the task. And here's the sweet story. Neel comes home from the big box hardware store saying he'd spent more than he'd wanted to (uh, $20 more, but whatevs). He got lots of help, and initially landed on a drill that was under his budget. Then he mournfully turns to the woman who had been helping him and says, "But it's ugly." After she stopped laughing, she had to agree. Ultimately, he bumped up his budget that last little bit and came home with a drill that I swear I saw him hug once or twice out in the yard. I get it. I totally do. When I order this lens in a few weeks, I plan on sleeping with it.

Okay kids. Thanks for bearing with me and being patient. Things are trucking along here. Lurching, actually. I know it hasn't been smooth sailing here at SPL, but I've brought in reinforcements and I see a light at the end of the tunnel. Soon! We'll be back on track. Love you, my ducks. XO