Suburban Homestead

Exploring the Island of Hvar, Croatia

We did quite a few walking tours while on our trip this past week, and I’m not ashamed to admit it! We learned so much more than I could have hoped to download from a book, plus we always took a break with our guide for coffee, sat down and chatted about more personal things. It is in those moments when you truly get insights into the people and places you are visiting. Our best guide, Jana, was from the island of Hvar, and she walked us all through town, explaining the rich history of what is today a very popular destination spot.

Later in the day we met up with Jana a second time and she drove us around the island to see Hvar’s incredible countryside which today stands only as a reminder of the agrarian community that used to thrive here. For centuries, from the hilltops on down to the water, the farming of olive trees, fig trees, almond trees, grapes, lavender and seasonal gardens took place in this rocky but rich soil. Because the hills are slopped, previous generations terraced all this land for their growing needs and when you stand on a hillside today, and look all around you at this endless system of low rock walls, it’s just amazing to think back on what this island would have looked like through the centuries while in full production.

The most exciting thing for me (other than eating wild figs along the roadside!) was to learn that the generations of Hvar's famers never had a system of irrigation in place and that all the grapes, figs and olives only got water during the rainy months, and survived through the hot summers. So interesting!

The farmers of this land began leaving their family's businesses after returning home from the Second World War, opting for an *easier* life in town. Soon thereafter, the newly formed Yugoslavian government gave the island's people pine trees to plant along the hillsides. Eventually these pines took over and the stone barriers were hidden from view and all but forgotten. Then, twelve years ago, a great fire engulfed the countryside, burned down all the pines and left what we see today. Our tour guide said she was not even aware of this history on her island before it was revealed to her in the ashes. Today, bushes are making their way back and it’s believed that in another ten years or so and the agricultural ruins of Hvar will once again be buried from plain sight.

I found it so fascinating to stand there and to look at this endless stretch of what was once bustling farmland. The youth of today in Croatia are not interested in the hard life of farming - and who can blame them - it’s been in the their blood for generations! Then you look at us – those that didn’t have to farm growing up – and suddenly the whole idea of being a farmer is romantic again! ;)

The Doors + Windows of Hvar

Dinner in Croatia

I wanted to share some images of a simple but incredibly delicious meal we shared together when we first arrived in Croatia. It was a tiny spot in Lovran, a small coastal town in Istria, called Wine Bar Loza. The area is known for its wines and truffles, however this night, we shared a plate of mixed cheeses and cured meats, a basket of *grandma's bread*, and a side of salted cod pate. To call any Croatian meal *locally harvested* or *sustainable* would be redundant, I gather. I get the feeling that it goes without saying - when you sit down at a restaurant in this part of the world, your food did not travel far to get to your table. I hope you can both see and taste this with these photos taken while dining beneath a walnut tree, listening to church bells chiming and savoring the local traditions.

Hunting for Truffles in Croatia

This is an incredibly special time for us as we take a week to celebrate ten years of marriage and three wonderful kids -- only, we didn't take the kids along on the celebration. ;)

Today, the two of us ventured down quiet, winding country roads, lined with massive family gardens of pumpkins, squash, corn and fruit trees, to partake in a bit of truffle gastronomy.  It all began at the Karlić family house, where the mother, Radmila, prepared us an incredible lunch of all things truffle.

There was salami with truffles, cheese with truffles, cream cheese on bread, olive oil and honey - all with truffles. And after the first course, we were treated to a look at all the truffles that would be added to our second course omlette!

After lunch, Radmila's son Evan walked us past a small vineyard, and down to the forest below where his grandfather began the family's tradition of truffle hunting in 1966. There were no promises that we'd find anything...

...and yet their sweet pooch found three! It was such a cool experience and one that I know we could only have had here.

Click here to learn more about the Karlić family business.

Rustic Modern Clubhouse Remodel

Last month, I went back to Denver to install my first clubhouse and leasing office. This project was SO MUCH fun! Heavily driven by a tight budget and time-line, the late 1970's architecture of this large scale apartment complex spoke to me -- and when it did, it told me to not deny it its right to be a little funky. The exterior's mansard roofs, *glory days* rock facades and retro globe lighting fixtures could not be denied. With a tenant base of mostly young families, I suggested we just have fun with what we were given and not try to make it look like something its not.

While new siding and paint is being applied to the exterior (pictures on that later), it still has a fun vibe with some of its original details. I wanted to bring some of that same flavor to the interior spaces when remodeling both the clubhouse and the leasing office.  The complex is also ideally located on the outskirts of Denver, between parkland, farms and other apartment buildings, so bringing in the whole *rustic* vibe was just another no-brainer.

Here it is today:

I missed getting a good shot of the built-in bookshelf and media center I designed, but here is a detail shot. Made from reclaimed wood, we stained this a walnut color and painted the wall behind it to offer a bit more contrast for all the colorful books. This apartment complex is located in an incredible school district and the property just comes to life with kids once school lets out. I wanted to give these kids a place to come and flip through picture books that would give them windows to other areas of our world. I filled the shelves with books on travel, good eating, animal life and American pop culture.

The *before* shot above shows the original kitchen, equipped with a refrigerator, oven, sink and microwave. Because those big appliances rarely got used, I suggested we downsize the kitchen to just a counter area for coffee with a small refrigerator.

I love this little stool with its quilted detail on top. I found them on Overstock for about $80 each. There is one at each end of the table.

You can *kinda* see the built-in above and to the left.

I also redid the leasing office, which is right off the clubhouse. I couldn't get any great pics of it though because there was still a lot of cords and files out when I left. Hopefully on my next visit I can get some better pics of it.

Summer Vacation Wrap-up

If everything had gone along as *planned*, I would have broken up our adventures at our friend's Northern California cabin into subjects such as The Food We Ate, The Wildlife We Saw, Spoosy's Magical Garden, etc. But I did not plan well, not at all. I did not post for almost two weeks and now instead, I'm just going to post one big collection of photos as colorful and scrambled as the thoughts that run through my mind this time of year. Here is to the end of summer and to the beginning of my favorite season!

We found this big guy hopping around Spoosy's squash blossoms. Nothing says wonderful childhood moment better than a little man's dirty hands wrapped around a giant toad.

Did someone say squash?! One day's harvest from Spoosy Moose's incredible vegetable garden. We made pesto gnocchi for lunch, and then stuffed the leftovers into blossoms which we fried for dinner that night. I also fried up zucchini and corn cakes with cheddar cheese. We ate fresh kale chips every day.

Spoosy contemplates her garden in the early morning while a young man enjoys reading one of his birthday gifts.

Like I said, Spoosy is just about as four-wheel drive as a grandmother can be. After she caught this salamander for the kids, she swam a half-mile up river where we met her (in the boat). There she taught the kids how to look for salmon underwater.

Spoosy's Garden

We are having an apple kind of day today. For breakfast we enjoyed rolled oats topped with the last of 2011's apple butter, and today I'm making a 2012 batch while preparing for friends to come over tonight to can apple sauce. It seems like the right time to pick up where we left off and post about Spoosy Moose's fruits and vegetables at her summer cabin.

It's been two weeks now since we returned home from our two week RV trip. The kids are back in school, twelve loads of laundry have brought us back to a state of *normal*, and I'm slowly chipping away at getting the house organized since our move in May.

But I want to step back a few and wrap up the last four days of our summer vacation, spent at Spoosy's homestead way up north. It all just seems like a dream at this point.

Here is a shot I snapped from the cabin porch looking at the big kid stringing his line before going out to catch his mama a salmon in the river. (Little Miss daydreams on a swing, beneath a walnut tree.)

Mr. Noodle dons some Davy Crockett attire before heading out into the orchard.

Fallen walnuts rest on top of the kitchen's half door.

Center stage in the bear-proof orchard of mixed summer fruit is a fallen apple tree that still puts out a hug production.

Spoosy told us to help ourselves to all the (organic) fruit we wanted and so we loaded up a box for home. Then we all chipped in and helped her clean the orchard of fallen fruit that could not be used.

The raspberry patch in the upper garden where more vegetables used to be grown for the endless friends and family that visited the homestead through the decades.

I LOVED this feature of the lower garden. The large space was fenced, and around it a wide path was maintained by cutting back the endless blackberry bushes and creating a sort of *wall o' berries* that make harvesting easy and painless!

For as long as I have been hearing about Spoosy's cabin, I have been making pies that never quite live up to DH's memories of hers. This summer I finally got to enjoy the legend first hand - and it did not disappoint!

A Friend's Rustic Family Cabin

For as long as Daddy and I have been an item, I have been hearing stories about time spent at his best friend's family cabin. This week, I finally (FINALLY!) got to see it for myself. Driving for six hours to get there, I was beginning to think nothing could be worth this brutality, but as soon as we turned off the main road and began making our way down the five mile long driveway to its remote location, my tune changed and I turned to Daddy and said "I take it back. If this driveway is all I ever know about the cabin, the drive was worth it!"

That long stretch of driveway took us in and out of woods dense with Redwoods and Alders. Ferns came down the hill to the roadside and met with wild foxglove. Blackberry bushes dominated and clearly served as shrines to black bears, who left their big piles of "blessings" all along the gravel road. I was in heaven!

And then we arrived at the rustic two bedroom cabin on the river - one family's tradition for three generations and counting.

We quickly learned that the cabin accepted electricity only two years ago, but still doesn't have a landline. Even still, there is only one outlet that I could see, one working bulb in the kitchen and the rest of the time it's preferred that everyone operate by candlelight and in a electronics-free environment.  If music is to be enjoyed, it must be played by the guests.

We were welcomed by said best friend's mother, a sort of second mom to Daddy and a self-proclaimed "extra grandma" to our kids. She has got to be the world's No.1 Four-Wheel-Drive Grandma - swimming upstream several times a day just because, playing with small kids until the cows come home, baking fruit pies all day long for her spawnings to enjoy. She's just amazing and we love her for all these reasons and more. In intimate circles, she is known affectionately as the Spoosy Moose.

Spoosy's cabin is an honest to goodness homestead of Little House on the Prairie proportions. There was an enormous garden (HUGE!), an orchard bursting with pears, walnuts, apples, peaches, figs and persimmons, not to mention a river full of trout, steelhead, and salmon.

The house is lovingly filled with decades of family memories and collections of objects that told stories of days gone by.

Our time at Spoosy's second home was all I had been promised it would be. In fact we stretched our planned three nights and two days to four nights and four days - it was that special! So much more to come on this magical place, just as soon as I get control over all this dirty laundry.

Confusion Hill, CA

Our drive up Hwy 101, with a stop at Confusion Hill, actually took place about five days ago. In fact, we are actually back home today after four days days at our friends magical family cabin in Northern California. So much to share about those incredible days. Until then, I'll share these pictures of our drive up, which I love - bright colors and kitch nestled in the Redwood Trees - summertime, summertime, summertime!

A Look Inside Our RV

There are two kinds of parents in this world: Those that “really, really, really want to” take their family on an RV trip, and those that do not. And it seems to me that each marriage is typically a union of one of each.

Which makes us weird, I suppose.

In the weeks building up to our current two week RV road-trip-palooza, I had a lot of inquires of very curious people wanting to know all about our plans, what brought us to this decision and how we were going to pull it all off. This typically went on while their spouse danced about in the background, waving their hands at me, using their right arm in a sort of slicing motion across their neck like – “Don’t go there. Do NOT give him/her any ideas! We are not going on an RV road trip with our feral children!!!”

If I’d written this post in the first 24 hours of our launch (and believe me I tried), I would have wanted to convince you that you did in fact NEED to take your family RVing. But today I’m pushing reset and would instead prefer to sell it to you as just a fun idea that you *might* want to consider in your future. Here are some of the pros and cons of RVing with small kids:

The PROS of RVing with Small Kids:

1. Your kids will have the time of their lives!!! And honestly, this is a big PRO that can NOT be discounted. When we first departed, Little Miss looked out the window, pinched herself and whispered, “Am I dreaming?” I have no doubt they will take away beautiful life-long memories of these two weeks.

2. You can eat well. With a refrigerator, freezer, microwave, oven and stove-top, there is no excuse for eating anything but great food.

3. No schlepping bags in and out of hotels, unpacking and repacking. Everything is right here and there is plenty of storage. Our RV even has a slide-out that gives us an extra two feet of room while parked.

4. You get to experience an RV park (This can be seen as a PRO and/or CON - see CONS #1) and there can be lots to do at RV parks for kids. Right now mine are fishing for bass at a man-made lake in a KOA park on the outskirts of the wine country.

5. No bathroom stops, easy access to lunch while on the move, and if you’re sleepy while barreling down the highway, you just head towards the back and crap out on a mattress.

The CONS of RVing with Small Kids:

1. You have to stay in RV parks (see PROS #3) and you never know who you are going to be sleeping next to, what they like to talk about around the campfire, how they treat their kids or what time they choose to go to bed. It’s a crap shoot and you get all kinds.

2. You have to clean up the RV at least once a day, sometimes two, and in that respect, it’s just like home. The places one takes an RV to are notoriously dusty, State and National parks being the worst. It’s what camping and RVing are all about – just get used to the idea.

3. Sleeping conditions are not much more comfortable than tent sleeping. While we sleep indoors and on a mattress I still wake up longing for a massage.

One more thing to point out is renting an RV appears neither cheaper nor more expensive than renting a hotel room. It’s just different. But different is good for me so I’m super happy we did it as we continue to have so much fun…just not sure we need to do it every summer. ;)

Funky Retro Mountain Home for Sale

I have to share these pictures. They are of a house I viewed today while up here in the Sierra Foothills. It's a house I spotted for sale in an incredible location, with a unique architectural style. I thought of my friends, a couple of DIY's, who have a passion for such styling. I looked up the price with them in mind and was shocked to see how low it was. I shot my friends the link...they got excited. Next thing I knew, I was walking through the house with an agent, snapping lots of photos to send back home.

**WARNING - these pictures are rated N, for naughty.

Striking Gold in California

We said "goodbye" to three incredible days in the Yosemite Valley on Tuesday, after taking in lunch on the outside patio of the Ahwahnee Hotel (a real treat!). Heading out of the park, and up North through the Gold Country, we made a quick stop to cool off at an old-fashioned sweet shop in Jamestown.  I have such great memories of antiquing in Jamestown through the years with my grandma when she was still alive. I had hoped to run through my long-standing favorite shop, The Emporium, but we arrived two minutes after they closed and so I just steamed up the front window instead.

We spent Tuesday night at our first honest-to-goodness RV park. Angels Camp RV and Camping Resort was clean and simple with some highlights that included fruiting grape vines, fig trees and even a pet emu! It certainly wasn't Yosemite, but we didn't mind too much because for the first time in three days, we had full hook-ups! Some RVs seemed to call this place *home*.

We had all of Wednesday to make our way up to Sly Park Resort where we were meeting family for our annual summer campout. We got off to a late start but decided to visit a cute town we knew of - Murphys. That's our beast parked along the adorable tree lined main street.

We stuffed ourselves silly at Alchemy where we indulged on fish tacos, burgers, garlic bread and gourmet bubble gum soda.

She's never really done well in restaurants. ;)

After lunch, Daddy stayed back to trouble-shoot some *issues* with the RV while the kids and I walked the dreamy main strip, admiring waterways, window shopping and looking for something sweet to eat.

Rubber chicken themed goods at Twisted Oak.

Oh yes we did!!!

We were SO lucky to discover Lila & Sage - winner of The Cupcake Wars! Here Little Miss stands in front of the case with her new rubber chicken.

Chocolate Peanut Butter, Strawberry Shortcake and Vanilla with Raspberry - all award winning!

Our last stop of the day was California Caverns - which we loved! We were able to escape the 100+ degree weather for an hour by heading underground into the limestone cavern where the temperature is always a consistant 53.

Yosemite Glamping

Did someone say *glamping*? 

Welcome to our third Yosemite summer vacation! We decided to really take the fun up a notch this year and splurge on an RV. *Someone* was *supposed to be* potty trained and so it seemed like a great idea. (Refrigerated food and the occasional hot shower was nothing to throw rocks at either.)

Yosemite was great, as always. Every year it's all very predictable - the perfect weather, the tolerable crowds, the selection of activities. This year though, water levels were very, very low due to low rains this past winter. Yosemite Falls was completely dry (although it usually runs out in late August anyway), and all the rivers down to a trickle. Mirror Lake, our favorite spot, was more like a desert this time. :(  If we don't get more rain this winter, we will likely take a break from Yosemite next summer as those water activities are always the highlights of the trip.

I didn't do the best job capturing the magic of the valley I'm now realizing, as I look back on three days of photos, but these are some little highlights of our time:

I have to laugh at all the fuss I made over the suggested list of items the RV rental company provided. 'Pizza stones', 'butcher knives' and 'curling irons' were some of the items I scoffed at, but the iGrill?! Oh yeah, we definitely need that out in the wild!

Here was a typical breakfast for us: English muffins toasted on the skillet, buttered and jammed (blackberries just canned this week!), peaches and blueberries. We would then wash it all down with a long family bike ride through "Nature's Great Cathedral".

Little Miss on her new DeeLITE bike with her new helmet. The whole get-up cracks me up.

Mr. Noodle refuses to acknowledge the potty but was a superstar on his balance bike. The kid is going to graduate to peddles before he's even out of diapers.

I've always been a die-hard romantic for stories of The Mother Road - so I had to try this stuff.

Little Miss trying to get close to a deer.

I'd say she nailed it.

Our view of Half Dome from a little shady spot along the river where we swam and snacked.

OK - I'm probably going to go to hell for this next shot, or at least have to face interrogation by CPS, but let's be fair here - this is not nearly as bad as smearing your child's head with honey so that you can get a cute shot with a bear, now is it?

I know, I KNOW! Don't feed the animals!!! But really, these animals were so brazen, something tells me they've had a life of tourists feeding them long before we ever rolled our 26-foot mobile home into the valley. I wasn't going to kill her dream of a tea party with woodland animals.

OK - another naughty parenting moment - camping with iPads. But really - who's parent would not have used one of these in our day had we been more wired in the 70's. No more guilt here because while they were doing this at 8 o'clock...

...we were outside doing this. :)

A big thanks goes out to Galen Clark, Abraham Lincoln and John Muir for making this family vacation possible. As Daddy said, "We owe so much to those men. Without them this valley would look like Las Vegas."

The Yosemite Valley

Every time we come to Yosemite I end up in tears. Last year, it happened on our last day, when at the base of Half Dome I watched my naked babies splash about in Mirror Lake. As my heart exploded, the tears erupted.

It happened again this morning, but admittedly on a slightly smaller scale. After taking our morning coffee, faces kissed by the morning sun rising over Half Dome, I took a walk to the end of our campground to visit the stables. I knew that soft, golden light, shining down on those horses, would be absolutely breathtaking.

And it was. So I took pause, let it all seep in, and let the tears well up.

It was just another summer morning in the Yosemite Valley. But even still, it seems impossible to me to be in those moments and to not feel that there is something greater than all of us at work.

iGrill, therefore iAm

Daddy got a new gadget at the iPhone store.

It’s called the iGrill and it comes with a tiny iProbe that meatsits your dinner while you go off and enjoy your friends and family. When your meal has come to temp, the iProbe tells the iGrill, which tells your iPhone to tell you to come back to the heat and take all the credit for a job well done.

And we thought we had it made with an electrical thermometer fork!! We tried it out last night with friends and it worked great. More importantly, they brought their Boston over and we forced a doggie playdate on the girls. (Although, now that I think of it, there may have been a little teeth gnashing involved.)

Ruby was so flippin' sweet and so INCREDIBLY cute, I wanted to take her for our own.

Here's where we ate our iMeat after we fed the kiddos their iFish:

Our Neighbor's Blackberry Forest

I live for mornings like these...

Our neighbor's blackberry forest is finding it's way into our yard. This morning I got myself out of bed a little earlier than normal and picked fresh berries for scones. Happy day, happy day! Now I just need to walk up to their door, introduce myself and ask them if I can have access to their forest. Mama's got her heart set on pie and jam!

Our Bedroom at the Cabin

On my list of favorite rooms in the house, the bedroom is on top. I love a well-made bed and all the personal, sentimental choices one puts into their private retreat.

Our rooms at our family's cabin came together quickly and without much thought. When we first found this place in the mountains, all family members were more concerned with things like getting the pink, stained, shag carpet out, the *dubious* crops removed, and the owner's *abandoned* trailer hauled off the property (it conveniently exploded in the middle of the night while we were still in escrow, nearly taking the cabin with it) in time for all three generations to spend Christmas here together. Walls needed painting and frankly, emotions needed soothing after all the drama of closing took place. We spent more energy wondering if we should jump ship, than thinking about bedroom decor.

But that was over five years ago now and I am happy to report we've had no more close calls or unexplained explosions in the middle of the night. We divided up the rooms by couples, and put the kids/cousins in the downstairs room which we built out with bunk beds, made of pine tree logs. At the time, we were remodeling our first home and so we took our first bedroom set out of storage and brought it up to the river home. Eventually, I invested in a Pendleton throw with shams. Last year, I found some chicken sheets that matched our frame of mind. This week, we brought up a toddler bed, a gift in exchange for a favor from our friends at Spot on Square. I outfitted it with some Trees bedding from my old business.

I've picked up some little objects for the nightstands and dressers over the past year, in an ongoing effort to make our space feel more like home: an artificial succulent from Target, some ceramic chickens from a homesteading store back home, and some vintage cameras from an antique store in town.

And now I'm kinda feeling like taking a nap...

Lazy Mom's Flag Cake

If you've been on Pinterest this week, you most certainly saw this cake pinned.

Again. And again. And again.

My friend Jill and I tried to make something similar, but with a lot less effort involved.

Don't assume us unpatriotic. We just prefer to spend our summer days floating in the river, chatting.

Discovering Gold

Not far from our cabin, you can visit the town where gold was discovered in 1849.

Fishing for Minnows

This morning...

...there was a deer outside our cabin door with whom I shared a cup of coffee...

...while cousins fished for minnows in the river.

We will be here all week, enjoying summertime in the mountians with a revolving door of friends and family. Now it's off to Pinterest to pick an epic dessert for the 4th!

Raw Cookie Dough Bites

A friend of mine recently turned our family on to the raw cookie dough bites craze when she came over for dinner and gifted us with a bag of them - frozen!

How cool of a hostess gift is that?! Raw cookie dough bites?!?

The best part is they contain NO dairy and NO flour, are PACKED with good nutrition and taste (almost) exactly like the Nestle kinda dough you eat in tablespoon quantities before baking. I adapted her recipe, found here, adding flax seed and tripling the quantities to make enough to last us a week two and a half days. Here's how I did it:

Raw Cookie Dough Bites

Makes 36 bites

INGREDIENTS

• 1/3 cup pre-ground flax seed
• 2 cups raw almonds
• 2 cups raw walnuts
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 3/4 cup raw agave nectar
• 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup cacao nibs or dark chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. In a food processor, process the flax, almonds, walnuts, oats, cinnamon and salt to a fine meal. (Note: Because this is a triple batch, and depending on your processor, you may have to stop the mixture and stir a bit by hand to get an even mixture.)
2. Add the agave nectar and vanilla and process to combine.
3. Add the cocoa nibs (or chocolate chips) and pulse just to combine.
4. Roll the cookie dough into balls (about 1 tbsp. each) and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Place the pan in the freezer for about an hour to firm up then transfer to a zip-lock bag or tightly covered container in the freezer.

Pictures of a Father's Day

11 Things I Love About Our New House

It's been a while, I know.

What's been keeping me from blogging has actually not been the move or the end of school activities, but a couple work projects that have got me very excited...and maybe traveling a bit too.

The dust is beginning to settle though, and I'm looking forward to soaking in everything about this new house of ours this summer. Here are my favorite things about it:

1. The Front Doors. When we first went into contract on this home, we were actually on our road trip to Palm Springs. Over the moon and looking forward for what was in store, I found a lot of inspiration on that trip that I naturally projected onto my visions of remodeling. We needed to do a couple quick fixes before we moved, like replace some windows and add some ceiling lights to the kid's rooms. The interior had been given a fresh coat of paint but I couldn't help but paint the front doors. The best part is that I pained over the perfect shades of yellow and finally narrowed it down to two - Benjamin Moore's "Baby Chick" and "Yolk". Now if that wasn't just meant to be! (I ended up going with Yolk.)

2. It’s a Typical Ranch.  Architecturally speaking, the California Ranch home has got to be my favorite – simple, modern, one story living!

3. It’s In The Flats.  I haven’t lived in the flats for almost 15 years when I shared a five-bedroom house with four other girls in San Francisco’s Sunset district. I haven’t lived in the flats where it was actually safe to ride my bike anywhere since college. In our new life, we bike to school, to lunch, to the grocery store, and out on date night.  It’s been a welcome change.

4. It Needs Work.  There are few things I love more in this world than family, friends and a good project. While we purchased it move-in-ready, and can easily live here for years as-is, it screams “BLANK CANVAS!” to us. We intend to live it for a while, get a feel for what works and what doesn’t (the furnace, dishwasher and toilets come to mind) and then we'll go from there.

5. Room For A Garden. It was tough leaving the original Suburban Homestead with it’s ideal growing conditions, but I’ve been watching the sun and how it moves over the new property and am excited to make this place work too. I think I’ve finally spotted the best space for the veggie garden. Right now it’s just a rocky slope out back, covered in ivy with patches of poison oak, but this time next year, I plan to have it in full operation.

Blackberries from our neighbors yard creep into ours. :)

6. It Has a Mini Orchard.  Two apple trees, an almond and a pear count, right?. I can’t wait to get canning this fall and planting more fruit trees. I will not be a complete woman until I have a fig, quince, pomegranate and persimmon tree here with us.

 

7. The Dark-Bottom Pool. I’ve not been much of a pool person since I turned about eleven, or so. But I have always been a fan of the dark-bottom pool. Who knew a swimming pool could bring so much to a family. Our kids are in it all day long!

8. It’s All White. The previous owners of the house lived here for almost forty years and had not done any work since 1983. There is a lot of Formica, vinyl tile and maybe even one or two original pastel-tile, 50’s bathrooms. But for the most part it’s white, and I can live with 80’s décor as long as it’s all white.

9. The Old-Growth Oaks. ‘nough said.

10. The Hallway.  I know, right? The hallway?!? But yes, the dramatically long hallway, measuring close to sixty feet long, and ending with a picture window looking out onto the pool, is one of my favorite features of the house. I’ve already begun to fill the walls with family photos. More on this feature coming up!

11. The Gazebo. This old school gazebo was adorable just sitting empty, but after a friend suggested re-hanging the (not so lovely) chandelier from the entry in the gazebo, it's cute factor jumped up a few more notches. We've already had some great family dinners out here.

Saying Goodbye to my Childhood Home

I have been meaning to write this post since I started this blog.  The story about our house is a good one, but not one that anyone would have guessed would’ve ended this way.

I grew up in this house.  My parents bought it in 1970 on a whim. My mother was just out and about, picking my sisters up from a birthday party when she first entered this house and caught sight of the view from the kitchen window. She was instantly in love. When the host told her they were about to put the house on the market, my mother rang my dad, and later that night both families were sitting around the dining room table, finalizing the details of the sale.

I have wonderful memories of growing-up here – roaming free in the backyard, once dense with oak trees and magnolias, watching all the teenage baby boomers playing kick-the-can in the street on warm summer nights,  my dad making wine in the garage, roller skating on the (then) terrazzo deck with my father’s jazz music serenading me through outdoor speakers.

But what’s most interesting about this story is that my parents sold this house in 1983…and that my husband and I bought it back 20 years later.

As a ten-year-old, I was absolutely crushed leaving this house. My parent’s divorce paled in comparison to having to leave my beautiful childhood home on the hill.  For the next two decades I had reoccurring dreams that we were moving back. Occasionally, I would drive-by, wondering who was lucky enough to be living in my house.  Then one day in 2003, only a week after my most recent dream, my sister called, her voice trembling with emotion, “It’s back on the market!!”

Now you can imagine how the rest of that week played out.

Returning to view the house with my family was an absolute hoot. We were all so emotional driving up the hill – what would we find? But the minute we walked through the front door and saw that NOTHING had changed, we burst out laughing and a very loud, free-flowing conversation punctuated with ear piercing screeches and OMG’s followed.  The dark tile flooring, the grass wallpaper in the entry, the stone fireplace, and even the cartoonish wallpaper in the hallway down to the basement that had a perverted old cowboy chasing a naked barmaid, among other ridiculously tasteless and cliché old timey western vignettes.  (BTW, my father still insists to this day that the wallpaper was my mother’s choice… yeah, right.)  The house just had not been touched… even down to the kitchen my mother had so lovingly designed – it was all still there.

At the time of purchase, we were child-free and moving from the city. We couldn’t believe we owned not just a house, but a house with off-street parking, our very own washer and dryer and a yard with our very own trees!!! The first few days here were surreal for me, but after that it just felt like our new place.

As if all of that wasn’t dreamy enough, remodeling was an absolute dream-come-true. We took very careful care to restore certain aspects of this California ranch home, to bring modern tastes where appropriate, and to accentuate the innately beautiful features this property has to offer. My greatest joy came in selecting all the finishes: ones that gave a nod to the house’s mid-century roots, while simultaneously pulling it into the modern day. The walnut details speak to it’s 1950 construction, the terrazzo in the master bath echoes the original terrazzo decking.  Items like the Jack-n-Jill bathtub and the yellow vanity in the guest bath were kept and restored.

Here is the kitchen remodel in stages, all taken from the same spot (and with a couple chicken shots thrown in at the end):

My love of gardening stimulated all sorts of change as well.  The yard had been neglected for years and was mostly covered in ivy when I returned.  We cleared it out and planted 34 trees, many of them fruit bearing: olive and figs, persimmon, pomegranate, lemon, apple, peach, lime, orange, and pear.

Before (above) + after (below) - we lost the oak in a storm a few years back.

We always used to say “They are going to have to bury us in the house.”  As if all the above wasn’t enough to keep us here, we have been blessed with the best neighbors, and now good friends.  I’m still in a bit of shock over the whole change of events and heart – we, somewhat spontaneously, decided we’d love to take on another project close by. We didn’t look hard, but we did find something that also seemed perfect for us, just in different ways, and now we are looking forward to our next adventure together.  

Tomorrow is moving day.  I am not nearly as stressed about the move as I am the fact that we will no longer have an incredible vegetable garden rich with red-worm-infested, nutrient-rich soil that faces south towards the mountain with All. Day. Sun!!  In these last few weeks of almost complete blog neglect, I keep asking myself: Is it even fair that I call this spot Suburban Homestead when I will soon be living in a subdivision that does not allow chickens, and on a property where I’m struggling to find a sunny spot worthy of a vegetable garden?

We shall see.

We take with us incredible memories of starting a family in this house; of late-night dinner parties with the doors and windows wide open, of the annual neighborhood Easter egg hunts in the front, the spontaneous picnics on the lawn, and the gathering of good friends and family in the kitchen and living areas.  But something tells me that this house holds a lot of the same for the next family who lives here. I’ve already had the pleasure of meeting them, and they are everything I would have hoped for in a new owner to my childhood home.

Homemade Donuts

I have not been doing a whole lot of cooking lately, but you probably already noticed that. With everything going on, we've done a lot of take-out...and maybe even invited ourselves over to the homes of friends and family when it served us well. ;)

Speaking of food and friends(!), one of mine recently got me thinking about homemade donuts (made from pizza dough) when she sang their praises via a Facebook post. I asked her if she wouldn't mind sharing the details so I could give it a shot - maybe even blog about it - and this is the cute note she wrote me back (I detailed it out in recipe format at the end):

"We start by buying a tub of pre-made organic pizza dough at the Good Earth market here in town. When we get home B. tosses it pizzeria style and E. then rolls it out and cuts it. Because we are so fancy, E. cuts the shapes using a drinking glass and the lid from our vinegar bottle - they make the perfect size donuts and holes. We heat up coconut oil in an old Le Creuset (nice deep sides). We use about 1/2-3/4 inch coconut oil. They bob around for a bit until they are golden brown and crispy. Then we set them on a brown bag to de-oil for a bit before glazing them. Lemon butter glaze - the key to the whole affair! We start with a huge chunk of butter. We LOVE butter. I juice a lemon from our tree (and sometimes a lime because I am exciting like that) directly into the melting butter and also zest - lots of zest- a bit of warm water, and because we live dangerously - a dash of powdered sugar. Wisk-wisk-wisk and then dunk those babies in. When they come out of their glaze bath, I sprinkle a bit of shredded coconut on them and usually they are eaten before they even reach the plate. Happy donut making! --M."

"OK," I thought, "let's do this."

(It's just a photo so no, I did not cook with plastic. But yes, we did deep-fry for breakfast - so there's your daily dose of irony.)

These were so fun to make and so delicious to eat for a special weekend treat. The kids were able to help and just like the donuts at M's house, ours never even had the chance to cool down. Here's how we did it:

 

HOMEMADE DONUTS

 

INGREDIENTS

1 serving of fresh pizza dough, either store bought or homemade

Coconut oil (we used a 14oz. jar)

4 tablespoons of melted butter

Juice and zest from 1/2 lemon

Pinch of salt

Shredded coconut (optional)

Powdered sugar (not optional)

 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Remove pizza dough from refrigerator and let it sit for 30 minutes.

2. When dough is ready, begin heating coconut oil on med-high. Hot oil should be about 1/2 - 3/4" deep, and bubble rapidly when a test donut hole is tossed in.

3. On a floured surface, roll out dough and cut out as many rings as you can, using a round cookie cutter or glass, as well as a balsamic vinegar cap. ;)

4. Moving quickly, and working in batches, drop 3 - 4 rings of dough into the oil and allow to cook both sides until golden brown. While donuts are frying, melt butter in a bowl and combine with lemon juice, zest and salt.

5. With a slotted spoon, remove donuts from oil and let cool on a paper towel.

6. When cool to the touch, dunk donuts in melted lemon butter, remove and sprinkle with sugar and coconut

**It's really impossible for me to say how many this recipe *serves*. How many donuts one should eat for breakfast and how many homemade donuts one ends up eating for breakfast, are two entirely different numbers. You make the call.

I enjoyed these with a fresh brewed cup of Bosnian coffee(!!!) - a gift from a new friend who just returned from a trip back home. Blissful Sunday morning.

Super Moon Over Mnt. Tam

Normally, when I'm woken-up in the middle of the night by the bright light of a full moon shining on my face, I give a little grumble, roll over and fall back asleep.

But with moving day quickly approaching, and knowing that this would be the last time this might ever happen to me, I got up and happily took it all in.

Peg Leg Joe

A leopard gecko had been on our little man's wish list for quite some time. He got a tank and all the fixings for one this past Christmas, and a trip to the pet store to go with it.

At first, Daddy couldn't find the desired lizard at any local pet stores. When he finally found one for sale at East Bay Vivarium, it ran a little more expensive than planned. (Forty-five dollars, to be exact.) When the sales clerk overheard the air escaping my son's deflated body in the background, he offered up a great solution - a young, leopard gecko missing the toes on one foot. They called him Peg Leg Joe and he was only $20.

My Crazy News

I have been absent.

I left the building...departed...I jumped ship. I have been MIA, gone, nowhere to be found. For two weeks now, I have been completely silent online.

And for good reason.

See, we bought a new house...and we are selling ours.

This past month has been filled with lots of introspection, dialogue and movement. Crazy amounts of movement. I've been moving, people around me are moving, the furniture is moving.

Yesterday we finally closed on our new home and today we took a giant step towards the sale of ours. I thought I might find relief in all the good news, but instead, I found myself crying. Right there in traffic, after receiving word from Daddy, and with all three kids in tow, the waterworks erupted. I cried because we had sold my childhood home to another family that would now own it and love it just as we had for so many years. I cried because I worried that I had made a mistake I might not recognize until it was too late. And it was already too late.

But then I reminded myself that my kids and husband do not stay with the old house, and that home is really only where we are all together. It's obvious, I know, but reminding myself helped ease any fear.  Together, we are simply embarking on a new chapter of our family's adventures and what could be more exciting than that?!

Tonight, in celebration of all the good news, we invited the three grandmothers to the new house for an easy dinner of pizza, salad and cupcakes.

As the evening sun set, and our pizza cooled, we marveled at all the new surprises surrounding us, like our new neighbor's Cecile Brunner, cascading over the fence and in our view from the kitchen nook. :D

My absolute favorite part of the evening came when I looked up at the entryway chandelier, wondering what the heck to do with it - keep it or ditch it. Then, as if I'd never looked up at it before, I took notice of the view above. Just get a load of that spectacular oak tree hanging over the house! Needless to say, the controversial light fixture is out, and the view of the old growth oak tree is in.

California Road Trip - Solvang, Danish Village

We broke-up our 4+ hour drive from Palm Springs to Solvang with an hour at Travel Town in Glendale. It was such a cute little park, filled with all sorts of retired train cars and engines.

Few things in the world are cuter than a two-year-old's anticipation of a train ride. "Choo-choo, Mama, choo-choo!"

Now then, our next stop was a really fun surprise - Solvang, a little Danish Village about an hour north of Santa Barbara. The drive up HWY 154, through the Santa Ynez Valley was absolutely beautiful. The road was quiet and lined with bucolic farms and wineries. I never expected it to deliver all the cuteness that it did. We stayed in a newly converted/remodeled hotel called The Hamlet Inn. The decor was simple, lots of IKEA and knock-off mid-century Scandinavian designs, with a little touch of Danish tradition, like the lace curtains.

Check out the windmill in the background of both pictures, top and bottom.

Our room came with complimentary coupons for pastries and coffee at The Danish Village bakery across the street. I'm not a huge fan of these things - cheese danishes and eclairs - but even I have to admit - they were incredible!

The highlight of our visit to Solvang was spotting a surrey-with-the-fringe-on-top rental shop. Everyone was beyond excited.

11,270 KM to Copenhagen, my little mermaid!

(They begged for one. I denied.)

Peddling around Solvang it cannot go unnoticed that this little European gem has an abnormally large amount of sweet shops and bakeries. It made waking up Sunday morning that much more fun because the entire town smelled like a plate of warm pancakes!

California Road Trip - Palm Springs Eatin'

The only thing I love more than absorbing all the creative interior details of a fun-ky boutique hotel, is to digest the equally delicious food you can expect to find in one of their on-site restaurants.

The Ace Hotel's King's Highway serves up some incredible eats in what used to be an old Denny's diner. But the food was anything but old school diner quality, serving up local and organic whenever possible. I actually found my only truly vegan meal on that highway. They also offered up insane desserts with a white trasher spin to them - think behemoth chocolate chip cookies baked with potato chips, or a slice of peanut butter cream pie the size of that wicker elephant head hanging over our booth.

Don't be fooled by the still shots - she was a big, hot mess all through dinner.

OK - not the best shot, but sometimes I have to lighten the load and make due with the iPhone. Designed by one of my favorites, Jonathan Adler, the irreverent Parker Hotel pays homage to that crazy, old, world-traveling aunt of yours. With two restaurants to choose from, we opted for Norma's, serving up more casual fare.  I indulged in some ridiculously good fish tacos after powering through a bowl of corn-off-the-cob soup and half of Daddy's calamari. Their signature dessert was a build-your-own milkshake that allowed you to select your own ice cream flavor and favorite slice of pie to be blended all together into one crazy shake. Somehow, we restrained...

The newly opened Saguaro Hotel. We had an afternoon date at Tinto before heading to Sunnylands.

Our waiter did a good upsell with us when he suggested the marcona almonds and olives. Wow. Wow. Wow. The nuts were smoked to perfection, giving them a sort of *bacon* essence. And the olives, well, who knows what they did there - they were just damn good.

Citron at The Viceroy. I'd been hearing about this hotel for years and finally got to catch up. Designed by Kelly Wearstler, it was much smaller than I imagined. But at the same time, it's quaint feel was refreshing for a hotel.