Happy Valentine's Day!

via someecards. xoxo

We're so domestic!

Lest you think we just stay at home and make lasagnas and garden all weekend, Jeff and I actually do cool stuff too. Like on Friday night we went to dinner at Buddha's Belly in LA (and saw a famous actor! But I'm no name dropper... okay, okay! It was James Cromwell!) with the handsome Nathan Spoor and then over to Kevin Smith's Smodcastle for their evening Planet Illogica podcast show with an acoustic performance from Shiny Toy Guns, followed by an interview with a REAL LIFE SUPERHERO, and then we closed out the evening with pie at LA's House of Pies. So that was our Friday night.

Now back to gardening. Look what we did today!

We bought some new big fire sticks (they were $29 at Home Depot for this size and $8.99 at the nursery where we bought our lemon tree!), rosemary, and more dusty millers, and transplanted some of the succulents from the backyard, and spread out more mulch that we had to buy at another Home Depot since Mandy and Seth bought out every bag they had at our local one! Check out the baby bump in the window reflection!

Jeff ripped out those big spiky plants we had in front because they were just a mess, and shading all of our succulents so that wasn't good. Neither of us liked them anyways. Good riddance! The fire sticks and rosemary plants should get pretty big to fill in some of the sparse areas.

This planting area is to discourage the mailman from cutting across our lawn to deliver our mail instead of using our clearly demarcated brick walking path. Use the path!!

More fire sticks and a rosemary plant... the fire sticks are called that because they turn yellow to orange to red depending on how much sun they get. Hopefully they'll start to change colors now that those stupid useless plants are gone.

This side is looking a little bare but those dusty millers and rosemary will get bigger and will fill out the space. Eventually we'll put flowers in the boxes too for a little color. 

And just so you're not too impressed with our gardening skills, look at poor Linus. :( He's all yellow! We think it's because he just got way too much water during the storms we had, or because we hadn't fertilized him yet. I bought citrus tree fertilizer and Jeff administered the treatment. We talked to the guy from the nursery that came and planted him for us and he said we're doing things right now. He said the fertilizer should turn him green again. At least he's still producing lovely meyer lemons!

I have no clue what this plant is but I walked by yesterday and noticed it bloomed! So pretty.

Here's a close-up of our red cabbages, I like their purple stalks.

And our chinese cabbages which remind me of Cabbage Patch dolls.

And our rainbow lights swiss chard! The stems on these are so pretty. I can't wait until they get huge and I can start cooking with them.

Garden, check. And just in time for the rains we're about to get...

Happy birthday Seth!

The 8th was Seth's 29th birthday (can't believe he's STILL not in his 30's... geez, catch up already) so this Saturday we celebrated with dinner at our place and our awesome but sadly long distance friends Kelsey and Jake came down to join the party. It was good food, great friends, fun times. Pictures!

I made this almost vegan lasagna and it turned out deelish. *Please note that this picture is before it went in the oven. It looked lovely and melty brown cheesy on top when I took it out. I layered roasted red pepper marinara sauce, lasagna pasta strips, pureed soft tofu (which you can use as a substitute for ricotta cheese- more protein, less fat, same texture!), cooked spinach, parmesan (hence the not quite vegan), pesto sauce, seasoned with a ground pepper blend, and topped with more parmesan. Served with a rosemary asiago foccacia and a balsamic vinaigrette dressed arugula salad and everyone seemed happy!

Jeff was in charge of party decorations so he drew this award winning show cat on the chalkboard.

Mandy was in charge of her husband's birthday cake and she whipped up this beauty from her Barefoot Contessa cookbook. It was SO good. Exactly what a pregnant gal wants at the end of her meal. :) It was a dark chocolate cake with a raspberry filling and buttercream frosting. DECADENT. 

We brought out the cake ceremoniously from the kitchen with the candles lit and realized Seth was in the bathroom taking a leak. So we waited. 

Surprise!! This was the exact face and gesture he was making that one New Year's Eve when he sprayed beer from the mini-keg all over himself. Priceless. I just realized how many RVCA advertisements this blog has. They better start paying me! In fashions...

Thinking of a wish...

I wish for a mini-keg to spray beer all over me again!! Or a pony!

Awesome, right? Sooo tasty. Better than a box mix, which says a lot for me. I really like box mix cakes. 

After dinner we went to our friends Thom and Merrady's place in downtown LB for their Lovefest party. It was such a cool party, they really know how to throw one. There was a craft table so you could make your own valentines (above Jana's head in the photo is Jeff's valentine which looks like it started out as a heart and then got turned upside down to make a pair of boobs with red glitter nipples. That's my hubby!), a huge table filled with candy, drinks, and num-nums, and live music! They have a ton of musician friends and a bunch of instruments so people took turns getting up to sing a love-themed song. It was really great. Jana and Matt did a duet of Bruno Mars' song Grenade. They did an awesome job, I like Jana's voice more than Bruno's, any day. 

And hello, cutest baby outfit EVER. Kelsey and Jake were so sweet to bring us a gift for the little munchkin and I'm dying over it. It's from American Apparel which has a great little kids section full of soft organic cotton mini-hipster fashions. This looks just like an outfit I would wear, and now I'm kind of tempted to go and buy a matching mommy outfit. Obnoxious, right? So FYI to the grandparents, we LOVE A.A. baby clothes. Should you be tempted to buy us any. :) Thanks Kelsey and Jake!! And happy birthday Seth!

Crazy good yoga deal!

This morning's Groupon was the best. $175 for a FULL YEAR of unlimited yoga at a studio several miles away from our house! The Yoga World studio had great reviews on Yelp, and seriously, how often can you get a full year of go whenever you want yoga at a nice studio for only $175?? It's a savings of $775 and a crazy good deal. I love Groupon. They even have a prenatal yoga class! And it'll be awesome for toning back up after the baby ruins my body in five months. If you live in Long Beach and like yoga, you're crazy stupid if you don't jump on this before the deal expires in two days. Buy it here!

It's spring! Wait, was it ever winter?

These trees in front of our house make me so happy. All of these blooms literally sprung up just this week. So pretty!

More blog love

Just a little note that I added some new blogs to the list on the right of blogs I follow obsessively and read and pull inspiration from. In case y'all are bored with your readers and need some new material. :)

18 weeks, 4 days

My worst fears are coming true. This baby is going to be HUGE. This next month is supposed to be a big growth spurt for the baby and my midsection, and it seems to already be happening. Either that or empire waist dresses make you look WAY pregnant. And here I was thinking black was slimming... 

And yes, those are the Swedish Hasbeens clogs on my feet. I couldn't resist!! They were 50% off!! I don't regret them one bit. They are so dang comfortable and I love them and they make me happy. Thank you eBay...

Happy 100th President Reagan.

Jeff's latest painting for a collector that is commissioning a bunch of artists to paint portraits of historical icons. Pretty cool, although I'm fairly sure President Reagan did not own a tie like that...

St. Germain deliciousness

I wouldn't say that I'm missing or craving adult beverages now that I'm cut off thanks to Baby, but maybe just a little bit when I come across gems like this. St. Germain is hands-down my favorite liqueur (made from freshly handpicked elderflower blossoms) and goes so well with so many mixers, alcohols, and foods.

The classic of course is the St. Germain Cocktail which this carafe helps you to make. Markers are inscribed in the glass to show how much St. Germain, champagne, and sparkling water to put in (a rose wine is better than water IMHO). It makes 5 cocktails per batch, or one large one if you're feeling sassy. I like bar paraphernalia, and this carafe and these spoon straws are awesome.

Makes me want to have a party, so I can just stare longingly at my guests enjoying their bubbly treats... I guess that'd be creepy though.

I SUGGEST you go see this show before it's taken down.

Last night's Suggestivism show was SO good. Everything about it was a great art show, not one of those where you walk around the gallery in 20 minutes, see everything, and then want to leave because you don't know anyone and no one is talking about anything but art. We stayed until the bitter end of this one because it was a blast. A lot of our friends came out, new friends were made, there were flowing free drinks (Hansen's Natural soda for Karen and me!), free artisan chocolates, and SO much to look at in the two gallery rooms and the store. Take a gander:

I didn't get great shots of the Mockingbird piano because the room was pretty crowded and they had a ton of professional photographers shooting everything so I'll just grab those pictures later. It was my first time seeing the piano in person too so I was doing a lot of gawking. It's really beautiful.

This piece below was another favorite, done by our friend Greg Simkins. Chunky Bunny soup does not sound appealing, but the painting was awesome.

I'm so happy we got to see Alex and his wife Akiko before they left, we just caught them on their way out. Alex did the piece below (and fun fact, Jeff, as his underpainter, painted the curtains and floor in this painting!) and it's hard to tell from the pictures, but it's gigantic. Like 5x7' or 6x8'. He goes big.

GelaSkins did new iPad and iPhone covers of Jeff's Mockingbird close-up! They were for sale at the show in the Grand Central Store. It was a surprise to all of us, Jeff didn't even know they were making them, and now of course we all want them. Luckily Jeff has got the hook-ups. Don't worry Mom and Dad, one of each will be coming your way to decorate your technology. 

This was another impressive friend piece. Brendan Monroe (whom we stayed with when we were in Stockholm last year) did this gigantic painting. Everyone had to get up close to check it out, as Jan is demonstrating here, because he used gloppy paper towels with paint covering them to build texture in the painting. It was creepy, but impressive.

Eesh... I forgot who did this one. Gorilla in a pink bunny suit though. Pretty great.

This is Nathan (not casual Jesus), the curator of this amazing show, being interviewed in front of his painting. The only thing more impressive than Nathan's beard-growing ability is how this man paints. I've seen a bunch of his paintings but this was the first original in front of me live, and it was so dreamy. I mean just that, it sucks you in and puts you in a floaty dream state as you're staring at it. Or him. He's easy on the eyes too.

We made a new friend last night, Joe Vaux (pronounced Vox- screw the French!). He's hilarious and great and told us stories of his 8 month old baby. He's an artist and has a great piece in the show, but Joe is also a storyboard/revisionist and assistant director on The Family Guy. AWESOME!! That's our favorite show that Jeff and I watch together. When I can make it to 11:00 on weeknights, I join him in his nightly hour-long Family Guy treat. Here is the list of Family Guy shows Joe has worked on. So cool.

And in case you were wondering if Jeff and Joe are wearing one-piece sweatsuits, yes. Yes they are. Planet Illogica sponsored the show and made these One-Z's for all the artists to wear. Jeff tore into his and jumped right in. They don't have back trap doors but they zip up from the crotch for easy access.

Also on the cool fashion front- Jan's wingtips and pegged pants showing off his argyle socks. Might look clownish from this angle, but trust me, it worked with the rest of his look.

Jeff, Tonny (Sorensen, owner of Planet Illogica), and Joe posing in their superhero peejays.

And a lovely little party favor. An edible chocolate box filled with more chocolates from Charles Chocolates! Best... show... EVER.

Suggestivism, tomorrow at Grand Central Art!

Come one, come all! This show is going to be AHHmazing. So many good artists, hubbie included. Jeff's Mockingbird piano will be out on display so that's exciting. Here's the flier and description, hope you all can make it! We'll be eating at Memphis or the Gypsy Den next door around 7ish if you want to do dinner with us first. Come find us!


Main Art Gallery Suggestivism features over fifty contemporary artists whose work is inherently ambiguous, and organic in process. Curator Nathan Spoor believes they follow the ideals of "Suggestivism." The term Suggestivism in art was first used in the late nineteenth century describing the organic process of making art, the loose mark-making, and the ambiguous narrative. Early modern art can be seen as examples of Suggestivism. However, Spoor's contemporary examples begin with the organic process and follow through with ambiguous narratives, but the artwork is tightly rendered, and illustrative.

Conceptually speaking, the term suggestivism refers to the ability of an individual to pursue their purpose with an amplified understanding and sensitivity. The artists involved represent precisely this - a wave of purpose, working within the more fluid aspects of narrative or figurative arenas. Through the mere power of suggestion, the magic is transferred from one to another, engaging the world at large from the most vivid and evocative of visual realms. - Nathan Spoor, Curator


Featured Artists: Esao Andrews, Carrie Ann Baade, Sandow Birk, Michael Brown, Nicoletta Ceccoli, Dave Cooper, Bob Dob, Thomas Doyle, Ron English, Alex Gross, Robert Hardgrave, Naoto Hattori, Femke Hiemstra, Gregory Jacobsen, Audrey Kawasaki, Andy Kehoe, Kris Kuksi, Darren LeGallo, Kris Lewis, Francesco LoCastro, Jason Maloney, Mars-1/Mario Martinez. Chris Mars, Dalek James Marshall, Dan May, Elizabeth McGrath, Jeff McMillan, Tara McPherson, Mia, David Molesky, Brendan Monroe, Scott Musgrove, Nathan Ota, Michael Page, Kevin Peterson, James Roper, Chris Ryniak, Bob Schneider, Todd Schorr, Greg Simkins, Skinner, Jeff Soto, Nathan Spoor, CR Stecyk III, Heidi Taillefer, Joe Vaux, Nicola Verlato, Oliver Vernon, Eric White, Robin Williams, Martin Wittfooth, Chandler Wood, Chet Zar


CSUF Crand Central Art Center
125 N Broadway
Santa Ana, CA 92701

17 weeks 5 days

Bump! This is me trying to stand up straight and not push out my belly to prove I'm pregnant, I swear. I went in for a doctor's appointment yesterday and they did another ultrasound which showed the baby doing the double dream hands dance. Totally my baby. I felt her move around for the first time on Saturday during savasana at the end of yoga which was so weird! Karen was there to properly freak out with me. I've been feeling her off and on this week and it's fun to think of her wiggling around in there. Pretty exciting. :)

LBMA Art Auction XIV- Where Imagination Takes Flight

Here is Jeff's work in progress for the Long Beach Museum of Art's Annual Fundraising Art Auction. This year it will be held on May 22nd, and Jeff's piece is a doozy. He's still tweaking it but says it's about 95% done. It's really gorgeous up close, so many little details! They're also using it for the auction's promotional materials (see the starting sketches in the banner below?) and I think they're going to make greeting card sets from it too. I want it to sell for a million dollars, but I'd also love for it not to sell so we could keep it...

New Farrow & Ball

The new Farrow & Ball paint colors are gorgeous. And I love how they painted these rooms with the ceiling and a foot of the wall painted a different color. I don't know how this would look in a room with normal height ceilings and not these amazing 12 foot tall rooms, but I'm a swoonin'. This color combination would be so awesome for the nursery, I loves it:

And this one is a little moody for a baby's room but the wall color is so perfect. Too bad these beauties are $85-100 a gallon!

New camera!

FedEx brought us a fun little package today... a new camera! A wonderful little surprise gift from my parents. My dad was upgrading his own point-and-shoot and found an awesome deal at Costco on the Casio Exilim EX-S200 and decided to pick us up one too! It's about twice as cool as my Canon p&s, with 14.1 megapixels and a 4 GB memory card which is double what I'm used to. There is also a "makeup mode" that will smooth out all of Jeff's acne (just kidding, I don't think I've ever seen him with a zit. Jerk.) and a YouTube capture mode for making videos with ideal upload settings, so expect a whole bunch more Lily Mae puking videos. Or not.

Here are some test shots of my favorite furry model:

The one above was with no flash, and no iPhoto enhancements. The one below is with the "soft flash" feature and no iPhoto enhancements other than blacking out the devil eyes flashes give LM.

These chairs are her new favorite spot in the house. Until this week, I've never seen her on these chairs that we've had for years. Now she won't get off of them. Even at bedtime! Such a weirdo. Thank God they're wipeable.

This blanket is the only thing that pulls her away from the dining chairs. The waterproof puke cover comes off the couch and the soft white blanket comes out and she's on it like puke on hardwood. Or white on rice. Whatever.

I can't wait to play around more with all these new features and see if my photography skills improve. I'm going to have a pretty important subject to capture in five months so I'm going to need to get my practice on! Thanks again Dad and Mom!!