Ha ha Happy Halloween

{photo from here}

while it's still your birthday month

Here are some photos from Mr. C's birthday celebrations earlier this month.



We've been sort of keeping the party going for most of October. In fact, he just received another present yesterday. Lucky duck.

Topsy Turvy Design

If I had the means, and the wherewithal, I would wear a Topsy Turvy hat for Halloween.

I have been wanting one of these lovelies for some time now. And I think if I'm ever lucky enough to own one, I will wear it for any and all occasions, not just costume balls.

Happy weekend lovelies! I hope you get a chance to play dress up. Will you be donning a costume this Halloween? Whatever will you wear?

{all photos from Topsy Turvy Design's Etsy shop}

plums and other stone fruit

As long as I am waving goodbye to summer and all that it brings to market, I guess it's about time I say farewell to the stone fruits.

I made this fabulous plum galette from a recipe I found in Sunset. I go mad for plums and nectarines especially, and I love to bake with both.

It was beautiful and delicious, with it almond paste filling and tender cream cheese crust.

Black Mission Variety

Another of the summer fruits I am missing are those delicate Black Mission Figs. Someday I'd like to have a tree of these so we can just eat them right from the branches.

As it is, we buy them from the Farmer's Market every chance we get, slice them in half and top with blue cheese and a drizzle of honey. We got the recipe from our friends' summer wedding.

There are no more fresh figs at the markets, but there are some wonderful dried ones. We snacked on ours with brie, rosemary manchego and snappy crackers. It was afternoon snack perfection.

Summer's Heirlooms

The sun is still shining but Autumn is officially here. The produce is changing at the Farmer's Market and I am already missing some of my favorites.



We found just a few heirloom tomatoes, but the basil has all but disappeared.

It looks as though warm nights spent eating tomato salads with basil and mozzarella are over until next year. Good thing I photographed some salad masterpieces before it was too late.

Moody Monday

My grumpiness is melting away as I watch some Flight of the Conchords. Hope this brightens your day too.

Art, Music (and Refreshments)

Tonight is our first high school art show. I'm so excited. There will paintings, drawings and photos on the walls, and music filling the halls.

Happy weekend folks. I hope it's full of inspiration.

{photo from here}

Floor Plan

Years ago my high school art teacher took us to her husbands studio on the Ventura Avenue. It was this inspiring place with ambient light flooding in through high windows. While there, he had us paint with these giant paint brushes to see how it would feel to give up control and really use our gestures to make art.

Now that I'm the high school art teacher, I wanted to try it out from the other side. I tied our paintbrushes to long wooden dowels and told the students to just see what happens. And what happened was amazing. Some brilliant paintings were made that day. Maybe some of them will even appear in our art show this Friday.

long distance hug

On our way back from Wyoming, on our epic summer road trip, Mr. C and I got to spend some time with his wonderful mom. She is an amazing woman with a huge heart and a knack for making smoothies.

She told us some sad news yesterday. It makes me wish that I could give her a warm hug and tell her not to worry, that it will be all right. Hopefully she feels all the positive thoughts I am sending her way. And maybe some of the kisses I blow to the north will land on her cheeks.

cranberries, cornbread, etc.

I've been experimenting with cranberries and cornbread as of late.

Monday I made buttermilk cornbread to go with our vegetarian chili...

... and I threw a few cranberries into this tiny pie plate just for fun.

Tonight, I used our leftovers to make a cranberry cornbread dressing. I think it will be extra tasty with our miniature roasted chicken. Yum and yumm.

Rainy Days and Mondays

I am so enjoying the sprinkles these past few days. What a relief from the late season heat wave.

It also seems fitting that this Monday should be gray and gloomy as I say goodbye to my brother and his band. They are on the road again and off to their next show in Santa Cruz. I miss them already.

{photo from here}

sea treasures

I feel I have some explaining to do about why I have abandoned The Board. There are some very good reasons for my absence, but I just don't feel like talking about it.

I will tell you this though... sometimes when I'm not here, at my computer, I walk on the beach and get my bare feet wet.

When I'm alone, I collect treasure for my sweetheart.

And when I'm with my sweetheart, we collect treasures together. And we can gather twice as much. We were like sea glass pirates last Sunday.

Happy weekend friends. Hope you get to put your toes in the sand.

TOMORROW TONIGHT! Glass Elevator Benefit Show in Ventura

This is my brother's band, Glass Elevator. He's the handsome chap second from the left. This is one of my all time Glass Elevator favorites...

Fresh Air by Glass Elevator

They're on a grand tour of the West Coast called The Glass Elevator Psychic Battle Tour. They're just days away from coming down south and they will be playing an epic all ages benefit concert here in Ventura. Proceeds from the show will go to...

(1) fishermen (and women) who have been hit hard by the Gulf oil spill and...

(2) The Highschool at Moorpark College, an amazing school with amazing students

The show will be at the Center for Spiritual Living in downtown Ventura and it starts at 7p. Presale tickets are available at Buffalo Records for just $10 ($5 for kids) and you can also buy them at the door before the show.

For you Angelinos, they will be playing Saturday night in Santa Monica at The Trip. They'll also be making stops in San Fran, Santa Cruz, Nevada City, Chico and Eugene. Those wild kids will be all over the place.

For more info on The Glass Elevator Psychic Battle Tour, check out their MySpace and FaceBook pages.

faded flowers

Are there are hollyhocks left where you are?

There are a few lonely blossom still clinging onto their stocks here in Ventura.