guest post by nate

my first guest post found me obsessed over the desert.
while that fire still burns, i've discovered new inspiration in the country.

i recently created our first treasury list on etsy.

check it out here ---> Country Dweller

the term "country dweller" could simply refer to someone who lives in the country.  at face value, this definition is already appealing to me.  country life is simple and beautiful.  recently i've romanticized the idea of country life because it seems to be void of the distractions a big city provides.  the storms in my brain are plenty active just sitting in an empty room!  all this to say i've enjoyed being in fresno and i feel like it's fulfilled some of the changes i was consciously and subconsciously seeking.

in keeping with tradition, here's a photo featuring some of our recent country influenced tissue wrap...

another interpretation of "country dweller," and my introduction to the term, is as a reference to pagans.  a while back i watched a documentary that brought it to my attention.  historically, people who didn't subscribe to the religion of their town were either forced out or voluntarily fled to their own like-minded communities.  whether or not you can relate to it in the religious sense, i think we all tend to be drawn to those who are similar to us.  similar on the surface...like taste in fashion, food or music.  and deeper, similar in how we think philosophically or politically.  lisa and i have noticed recently that many of our friends tend to be the "black sheep" of their families.  we both have tight knit loving families (they're probably reading this right now!) and to say that we're black sheep doesn't imply a negative connotation.  i think it's actually kinda sweet.  beauty in variety.  we're lucky to have such supportive families.  but what's so special is how we find those friends and acquaintances we can relate to.  sometimes it may just be someone on the internet (that's sorta sad, yet cool that it even exists) who can encourage us and help us grow.  we all just wanna love and be loved.  oh gosh, that's enough.

ok guys, to quote our friend brando's dad "it's been real, its been fun, but it hasn't been real fun"

nate

p.s.  i miss xanga where you could list a "currently listening" album - guess what kind of music i'm into right now? what's that? COUNTRY? shock, horror!

 willie nelson "phases and stages"

to san francisco & back

whenever we visit san francisco, there are a few key restaurants we go to, coffee, we visit haight-ashbury, go to a park, go shopping... so this time around, we decided to find some new places.
my sister got me NYT 36 hours:150 weekends in the US & Canada as a present, it made a great reference!  some suggestions were very tourist heavy, but anyway, it's fun to look thru the book & plan future trips too ;)

as another great present, my in-laws got us tickets to see the walkmen & father john misty. (that was the whole reason for our mid-week roadtrip) both bands were fun to watch.

we found a vegan mexican food restaurant, that was so incredibly delicious! & more coffee spots. also met up with a friend for good veg food too. we happened to be around the corner from where he works.

& not to forget the restaurant, where i tried my first dosa! love this city...
oh & they now have a heath ceramics shop there! of course i can only buy a plate/cup at a time, but hey, it makes the collection all that much special.

ps. i'll take two of these chairs... (at $1300 a pop). lolz. #inmydreams

anyway long story short, this was one of my favorite trips to sf in a long time. can't wait to go back & try more new places. 

thanks for looking around here!

to new york & back

last week we ended up going to NYC for a last minute trip. it was a sort of business trip (i'll spare you the boring details, but two of the six days were mostly devoted to finishing up some work for my (now) old job)
visiting new york was very different from what it felt like living there. first of all, we stayed in the lower east side, which is near everything. (we used to live in bed stuy in brooklyn, which is far from everything).
while on our trip,  i had so much more energy & was in a 10 out of 10 good mood. (lol) i don't remember feeling that way all the time while living there.

while visiting new york, our biggest concerns were, where to get coffee, food, what to see/do, when to meet up with pals, where to get drinks/food...
basically being on a vacation schedule would make anyone be in a 10/10 good mood. we didn't care about it being cold (which it was, only two out of the six days) didn't care when we missed the train, or that the cab fare was expensive. but i don't know, as much as i re-fell in love with the city, i don't feel like i need to move back (unless i have a really good reason to...) anytime soon. i think we will leave it as a place we'll visit at least once a year

in brooklyn, often times people would just put their "junk" on the side of the street. we've found, in the past,  a little dresser and a lamp (which we still have), our friends found an eames chair (!!).  anyway,
this last picture is really cute b/c the little guy found a box of toys. looked like his lucky day, he could barely carry his loot.

ok, well, thanks for looking guys!

next up, a trip to san francisco ;) more on that later.

california winter

resolutions & recipe

f

along with most of you (i'm sure), one of my goals this year is to eat healthier. i know that word is subjective, because eating "healthier" to someone could mean eating at mcdonalds once a week instead of everyday, or to someone else it could mean drinking 5 green juices a week instead of one (& obviously can mean something completely different to someone else too).

so to me, it means adding more whole foods, salads, green juices raw veggies to my daily food. since i like experimenting in the kitchen & coming up with my own takes on different recipes, & currently raw food recipes. here's my take on a raw beet soup!

i call it borcht, b/c i'm from ukraine & ate borcht quite often growning up... but this doesn't really taste too much like it, ha,  i just like having something familiar to compare it to. ( < --some see that as a downfall of raw foods, ie my husband, who thinks people should just call raw food what it is(in this case beet, carrot apple juice with avocado? he he), instead of trying to compare it to "regular" food. but...i think it's nice to compare to "regular" food, because it could help (some) people (like me!) understand the flavors better.)

Raw Borcht

2 servings

juice of : 

4 carrots, 

1 large beet + its greens, 

1 lime/lemon

1 apple

1 garlic clove (or tsp of garlic powder)

1 shallot or 1/4 sweet onion

1 zucchini

1 avocado

water

salt 

juice the veggies & apple. 

add zucchini, shallot, garlic,  juice to the blender. 

blend until it's completely smooth, add a little water if needed. once it is all completely silky smooth, add the avocado, blend until combined & creamy, taste for salt & wa-la! 

you want to add the avocado at the end, so you don't end up with a super foamy soup. 

*if you don't have a juicer, just toss everything into a blender, i bet it'll still taste great, it's just gonna be a little thicker.

i also made a little cashew sour cream, & topped it with cilantro & chives (but dill would have been more authentic! i just didn't have any).

i've seen recipes that add celery & cucumber, so you can definitely experiement with the veggies that go in there, but the combo i did above tasted great!

enjoy.
k. bye guys! 
 

xmas-nye

i mean, i probably don't need to say it, but i will....time flies!

2012 totally flew by.
we keep confusing two years ago, with last year. i thought we spent last NYE at our apt in brooklyn, but that was, actually, two years ago.
anyway, i guess it's a good reminder & inspiration for this year... to just really go for it, and do the things you want & be your best & don't forget to be nice to everyone.

here are snippets of the last couple wks.

xmas pt I

xmas pt II

xmas aftermath

now is all quiet at our house.
rozzy likes to be in the warmth of the sun & keep an eye out for any naughty birds, while we listen to music & work.