fresno, LA, fresno

it's getting hot in fresno.
but staying cool in LA.

i spent the weekend dog sitting, in LA, for a friend.
i went to the farmer's market, a few favorite stores, but didn't really see any friends. one night, i wanted to hang out, but didn't know who to call. so i just watched iron chef with the dog/friend.
i kinda liked being a loner. getting coffee by myself, eating at a table, by myself. shopping for jars... by myself.  [not in a sad way, but experiencing LA in a new way] i guess i'm just still working out some feelings. do i eventually want to live there? or am i content just being a visitor?

i'm happy to be back home, in fresno. (fresno. still feels so new to say!)
however, looking at these pictures makes me miss the pup.

most boxes are now unpacked (the ones that are not, are out of site)

while in LA, i saw some (very expensive...too expensive) beautiful furniture.

we need (/want):
a dining table, a sofa & a coffee table. (asap.)

can't wait to paint everything...

when i got home, nate made sangria, as a lil welcome home surprise.
it was pretty much delicious.
an exact recipe will be for another day.

(lol, nate mowing the lawn in the blurry background.)
kidos were helping me with a little giveaway photoshoot :) [jewelry giveaway #two this week!]

aside from the sangria, nate also unpacked & hung up all my clothing, in our closet.
i mean... come on!

ok. that's all folks! my little sister is graduating from 'le cordon blue' this thursday, & we are flying tomorrow to surprise her! hope she doesn't read this before we see her! (actually, i kinda hope she does read this!)

surprise inna! :) did you really think we would miss your graduation?



 

my friend kristen, (of tenoversix, my favorite LA shop!) asked me to take some pictures of her & her (chunky, hugable little bear) baby for a refinery29 mother's day post.
b/c they are both so cute, it was easy to get many very very cute pictures of them! :)

in other news,
we moved to FRESNO, ca.
why? you ask.
why not? i say. 
maybe we'll live here a year, maybe twenty years, who knows. all we know now is, we love our new house, and we are only a couple hours away from LA & SF.

we have lots & lots of things to do still (clean, unpack, paint, figure out the flooring, find furniture...etc), but the house is coming together & we're starting to see it shape into our home.

& the kitties are loving life. it's a lot warmer here, so they're doing a lot of lounging around.

 ok. that's all for now folks.
see ya later.

this song has been played at least once (or ten...) times a day, for the last few wks. 

so.... press play & read on ;)

 

nate & i celebrated six years of marraige (such an a-dult word) last wknd. 

we went to napa. can't believe this was our first time, since we've spent most of our marriage in california. oh well! i'm glad there are still things to discover, in good ol' cali. 

we tasted wine, ate bread & warmed olives (& to think, i used to *hate* olives... what was i thinking? actually, this is a prime example of why i encourage people to try the things they think they don't like... b/c one day you might start loving it! i'm still working on celery and mushrooms (ew) )

after a couple days in napa, we ended our vacay, by meeting up with friends at the alemeda flea . 

this is my second favorite flea market. (my first favorite is the long beach flea market.... wonder if they used the same website designer, lmao)

& would you believe we found some of the best indian food at the market? believe it! (they had me at "vegan and vegetarian selection")

our friends cutie pie kids. one of them carries around a little lamb named "Beba," i mean...

i use my iphone for more pics than my regular camera these days.

some end up on instagram (@aglassjar) but most just take up space on my iphone.

so here are a few.

k. bye! off to see my mom! haven't seen her (in person) in over a year!! what the?!

crazy for cacti (guest post by nate!)

over the years we've become obsessed with the desert.
trips to palm springs and joshua tree can change you forever.
i'm guilty of over thinking things (wait, should i delete that?) and going to the desert is like a mind cleanse.
after spending a year in the "concrete jungle" of new york i found myself craving open space.  i'll admit, on several occasions, i even took virtual trips on google maps to some of my favorite california spots.

well, we're back in california, albeit still in transition.
since your regular host has been occupied with work and house hunting (that girl is a real go-getter i tell ya) i've been looking for opportunities to contribute.  she encouraged me to shop for her etsy store, which we now call "our" etsy store.

i recently picked out some tissue for wrapping our orders.
so now, if you purchase something from us you get a little piece of california desert vibes....
reuse it too!

i'll leave you with a sweet cactus t-shirt i recently found on etsy from October18th.

"nobody likes a guest host" - ira glass

it's march, already?!

hello! happy national women's day. (ha ha)
well, actually, it's a pretty big holiday in russia... kinda like valentines here. which reminds me, i should call my mom... 

anyway
 
i've been making granola for the last few wks. experimenting with recipes...actually i don't have patience for real recipes sometimes, & i often find that recipes have way too much sugar/sweetener in them, so as a rule, i only add half the sweetener that a recipes asks for...sue me!
my own, latest,  "recipe" has been my best one i've made, so far. i bought some coconut butter....& it tastes so good! i add about two tablespoons of softened coconut butter & four tablespoons of agave & sprinkle some nutmeg & cinnamon to about two cups of rolled oats & some nuts. this time i also added chopped apple & toasted it all at 325degrees for about 30min or until lightly brown,  it turned out terrific!
(i know it turned out pretty good, b/c my mother in law, who doesn't normally try my "interesting food" had some, and liked it!)

i put some granola into a bowl, then pile on my favorite fruit!
add a little almond (or soy or rice or w/e) milk to it, a dalop or almond butter.....mmm
[also, if you have ever made granola and have any tips, let me know!!]

this is the nut butter & coconut butter i used. wow. rozzy is really selling that coconut butter!! sexy!

nate got this little navajo pattern vintage jacket, we both really love it, so we share it. but just to be clear, it was a present for me...so it's ...mine. :)

here's my little sweet niece, izzy. she is so chunky and soft and smells like a the best baby smell. she's just so loveable. (sorry, very self indulgent here, but hey-- we look cute together :) )

last weekend, we went to the Alemeda flea market, near san fransisco & it was insane! so huge, we walked around for about four hours & didn't even get thru the entire thing. & it's right on the water, with amazing views! nate & i went with our friend leeza, she's awesome.
we're planning on going next month too... what is it about a flea market that is just so fun?
maybe it's b/c you might find that something, but you don't know what it is, until you find it.
(got that cowboy-witchy hat there!) 

ok bye guys.
coop & rozzy are loving their new little beds their momo got them. they look like little berries to me. (the beds look like little berries...kitties look like tiny little cuddly aliens still :) )