the New Orleans cocktail

Because my parents couldn't be at our engagement party in person, my dad sent an emissary (my sister) and his version of the classic New Orleans sazerac (his beverage of choice). He actually sent these bottles, glasses, and note in the mail from New Orleans to California. Although we missed having my parents there, it was really fun to have such colorful New Orleans representation.

party favor

At the engagement party on Saturday, the Mount's decorated with blue hydrangeas of various hues. I love these flowers! Then on Sunday, Mrs. Mount encouraged me to take a plant home with me. I knew just where to put it, as a plant had died months ago and its spiny self was still buried in the dirt. I promptly dug it out and added better soil (and fertilizer).
The plant waiting as its new home is prepared.
It was totally root bound in its little pot - no longer a problem!
Voila! Now if I can just keep it alive like the roses. The only thing that may cause trouble is the fact that I am pretty sure the irrigation in this area is broken (thus the dead plant predecessor). A pretty easy thing that I keep forgetting to check.
By the way, I learned something new about blue hydrangeas. In order to maintain their blue color, the soil must be amended with aluminum sulfate. Otherwise, they will slowly start to turn pink over the years. Learn something new everyday. Now if I can just keep them alive for a few years...

thank you!

This past weekend the Mount's threw us an engagement party at their home. Saturday was the PERFECT day too - a warm California evening! My sister even flew in from New York for the occasion. The backyard was set up with lovely tablecloths and flowers.

We even had another New Orleans native Helen Lancaster (my dad's friend Billy's sister) on hand to teach us how to properly dance to Cajun music (wedding prep). She taught us the jig, two step, shuffle, and the waltz. My California friends now know more about Cajun dancing than the locals I think! Here she is in the brown top teaching us how to do a jig. I can't say dancing comes naturally - I had to think a lot about it!

Although my parents couldn't be there, my dad sent both my sister and his infamous sazerac mix (shipped in the mail) for the occasion. Not surprisingly, they were gone super fast!
It was a wonderful night! Thanks so much to the future in-laws for throwing such a great party for us! More details to come this week. :)

habitat

I volunteered for Habitat for Humanity in Redwood City with engineering alumni over a year ago and it is fun to see that they are still using the photos (so far they have appeared in a newsletter and on the website). They told us to wear cardinal shirts, although I remember that not very many people did (thus the photos of us in red appearing everywhere). It was a great day!

tight night

I was flipping through the new W magazine (is it already October?) and stumbled upon this image in a feature called "Art and Commerce." I think it is a really cool photo - I especially loved the tights (Pierre Mantoux Hosiery).

W Magazine October 2009

Which got me thinking about these Gerbe polka dot tights I like (that are everywhere this season).

Bazaar August 2009

Which got me thinking about the two-tone Chanel tights I loved last season. Chanel Fall/Winter 2008/2009

Now if only I could figure out a way to wear some of these...

Paolo

My bike Paolo has a long lost brother!

Photo snapped by Erik at the Cali ave. farmer's market. I have never seen another Guerciotti bike before (let alone one just like mine)! Mine was my brother's bike in high school, he got it in the classifieds in the late 90s (although the bike was likely manufactured in the mid 80s).

Bridget and Scott

Maureen's sister Bridget got married a few weeks ago. Check out the incredible photos by photographer Kevin Swan. Maureen has the same photographer for her wedding next year - I can't wait to see what Kevin will do for Maureen and Dan. Maureen and her identical twin sister Bridget have got to be the most photogenic people!

photo from kevinswan.com

Update: to see more check out this site

Nuru episode 6

Check it out! Jake and his teams are up to great things in Africa.

Update: here is the site to watch the video if the above version is cut off

carbon offset kiosk in SFO

The SFO airport and 3Degrees have teamed up to put kiosks in the airport that will allow passengers to offset the emissions that result from their travel. I am very curious to see how this program goes. I wonder if the average passenger will be interested in (or understand) this service. A metric tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent appears to run about $12.25 according to the article - which here is a one-way trip between SFO and Boston. What does this buy you might ask?

"Climate Passport contributions fund the Garcia River Forest, a reforestation project in Mendocino County where redwood and Douglas fir trees are being added to a forest that had been heavily logged. They also go to the SFCarbon Fund, which is steering the money to Dogpatch Biofuels, a bio-diesel fueling station in southeastern San Francisco." - SF Gate

Would you considering offsetting your personal travel? Why or why not?

the aching charm of rosson crow

Sometimes I see art and I can't stop thinking about it. I want to see it. That is how I feel when I look at the work of Texas-born artist Rosson Crow. Her works are huge, lush historical interiors devoid of people - haunting and completely captivating.

Rosson Crow, "Buck Owens Trophy Room", 2007, Oil, enamel, and acrylic on canvas, 90 x 132 inches

"Those places we no longer see, perhaps will never see again but still remember, have acquired an aching charm; they return to us with the melancholy of ghosts."

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kimberly-brooks/a-night-at-the-palomino-w_b_93987.html

- Victor Hugo, Les Miserables

The Huffington Post uses the above quote to describe the feeling created by the work of artist Rosson Crow.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kimberly-brooks/a-night-at-the-palomino-w_b_93987.html

Rosson Crow, "Five Minutes Late and Two Bucks Short at the Cha Cha", 2007, Oil, enamel, spray paint, and acrylic on canvas, 90 x 132 inches

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kimberly-brooks/a-night-at-the-palomino-w_b_93987.html

She should show at the De Young in San Francisco. I am sure of it. 100%.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kimberly-brooks/a-night-at-the-palomino-w_b_93987.html

revisiting rugs

Our bedroom is painted down pour from Behr (see swatch below). The trim in the room is painted white and the floors are a sort of medium blonde wood. As winter is fast approaching, I would love to find an affordable patterned rug to put in the room.

What do you think about these two from Surya (thanks Rachael for the suggestion). I like the rug below (Everest 3111) but think it might be too much blue given that the walls are a very similar color.

I also like this one (Everest 3101), and think it could look great with the bits of dark red.

What do you think? Have I found something to compete with the beautiful Oscar rug (at the unattainable price of $4k)? That Oscar rug in our bedroom with billowing plain white silk curtains (similar to these from the blog Velvet & Linen) would be to die for...

image from Velvet & Linen

seasonal snack of choice

Black Mission figs +
Laughing Cow light swiss cheese wedges + Stacy's pita chips =
heaven on Earth.

cecilia is breakin my heart

My niece is such a cutey!

Ross + Abby

Ross and Abby were married over the weekend and are now relaxing in Greece on their honeymoon. Congratulations!

They had beautiful succulents on all the tables, and Abby's bouquet is to the right in the above photo. I love flowers!

little B turns 21!!

Today is my sweet little sister's birthday! She turns 21 years old. Even though we are the better part of a decade apart in age, we are very close. I didn't even know how to start this post because I have too many funny and cute photos of Bridget (I usually have the opposite problem)! She is all the way out in NYC, so I will surround myself with some of my favorite B pictures from the last year or so.

escaping from Alcatraz... modeling skills in action

Auntie B - helping Cecilia make a gingerbread house

the now infamous bleeding lamb cakes

shopping for wedding dresses in SF

trying to touch my face

biking to the farmer's market

portrait!

roof of the Omni in New Orleans

Little B with our sweet memaw (note that her favorite doll peanut butter is in the photo)

Bridget I hope that you have a wonderful birthday! I can't wait to see you in a few weeks. Although we have gone to bars together many times, I am looking forward to our first legal visit together (although in Louisiana you can enter the bar at 18)...

p.s. It is also my coworker Joe's birthday - have a good one!

9.11.01

Last Friday was the 8th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks. It is one of those events that is indelibly marked in my mind. On Friday I got to thinking about where I was when I learned of the events unfolding.

September 11, 2001 was a Tuesday morning and I was a sophomore at University of Maryland sharing a room with Megan (the only class I had on Tuesdays that semester was 2 hours of step aerobics). It was around 9am when Megan woke me up to ask if I minded if she turned on our 13" tv - that a plane had hit the World Trade Center in NYC. Remembering the story of a plane hitting the Empire State Building in the fog, I figured it was some wayward private pilot lost or in trouble. We quickly realized that this wasn't the case. As we watched, a second plane hit a building, and then news of a plane hitting the Pentagon soon followed.

The University of Maryland is only miles outside DC, and many of its students were from MD, DE, NJ, and NY - so many students were immediately effected. Maryland canceled classes for Wednesday and later held a memorial service. At this service, they encouraged students to pick up a rock with 9/11 written in gold marker. I keep this rock on my desk at home, and over the weekend took its photo.

I have been to NYC many times since then (my sister lives there now), but my first ever trip to NYC was actually after 9.11. I went to see Conan O'Brian with a friend in April of 2002 and while we were there we made a visit to the World Trade Center site viewing platform. The entire event had a surreal quality to it - seeing the ashes of such a tragic event. My heart goes out to the families.

flowers for Friday

This has felt like a really long week. Flowers always make me feel good.

Flower inspiration

tent door at night

Tent Door at Night

Georgia O'Keeffe (1913)

I saw this painting in an article about Georgia O'Keeffe in the September issue of Vogue and I really like it.

momma ++

Happy Birthday Mom! Here are some of my favorite mom photos from the past year to celebrate the day!

My momma and her grandbaby

My mom and her handmade (from scratch) Christmas masterpiece - the buche de noel

Taking it easy last Thanksgiving - Tommy took care of the turkey and Mallory the sides and dessert...all mom had to do last year was relax!

Hope you have a relaxing and wonderful birthday!

the world through a lens

This photo was taken of the President and First Lady at the Youth Inaugural Ball in January. When I happened upon this photo recently, and I thought what an interesting reflection of culture and technology. Everyone is watching with two sets of eyes. I wonder which set is paying more attention? Which set will define their memory of the event? I am genuinely curious as someone who takes a lot of photographs and is always hungry for more.

welcome home

Alison is officially back from a long stint in China! She moved there late last year to work in the IDEO Shanghai office. While she was gone she kept a blog documenting her experience (which was complicated when China blocked access to blogger).

Now that she is back, what was first up on the agenda? A new car! Unfortunately for her Ford Explorer - it had been uninsured and in storage while she was gone, making it ineligible for the Cash for Clunkers program. This weekend, she bought a mini cooper! It is so cute and seems very Alison.

Alison - wonderful to have you back in the bay area! Now I just have to convince you and Eli to become our neighbors...

Academic Earth

Some of the top universities in the country have gotten together to post videos of their classes online - making their content available to the entire world. I don't know where I will find the time, but I want to watch some of the Stanford Design School videos. Thought it was site worth sharing.

http://www.academicearth.org/

lime and lemon posset

We have about a thousand meyer lemons on our tree and we are always looking for interesting things to do with them. My coworker Kevin just sent this recipe for Lime and Lemon Posset with rave reviews. I plan to give it a try soon. Too bad I didn't know about it before my fiance had his wisdom teeth out - this would have been a sweet treat for him.

photo from epicurious

"I made this the other night. Ridiculously simple, and ridiculously good. The texture is amazing; I didn't think it would work so well."

joe ++

Happy Birthday Joe!

The best birthdays are on Fridays because then you have the entire weekend to celebrate!

i heart ikat

I started off disliking ikat print (pronounced "ee'-kat" apparently). However, it has slowly grown on me. It started with an upholstered bench from Target I saw on the blog beachbungalo8.

Then it was the Santiago Oscar de la Renta rug for Elson & Co.

Now it is a full blown obsession...

Now it is this fabric from decorativethings.com ($20/yd)

Or this playful Oscar de la Renta Ikat dress:

And this ikat inspired ottoman from Target (the Khandra ottoman for $299)

And this Madeline Weinrib carpet I posted last weekend shown here from Domino magazine (Photo by Annie Schlechter, Domino, Nov. 2008). Seeing it in a room, I think that this rug is too blue for our bedroom - I would like something darker like the Oscar rug above. Although, I ordered a free 1 ft by 1 ft sample from Madeline Weinrib just to see if it would work.

So what is ikat? Traditional ikat fabrics are made when the thread is died before it is woven - the jagged colored patterns emerge upon weaving. According to wikipedia they are the oldest known patterned textile and come from cultures as diverse as southeast Asia, central Asia, and South America.

So is it still trendy if it is also ancient? Is everything ancient new again?