Suburban Homestead

Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West

We returned from Scottsdale on Wednesday night. It was all sooo good - seeing a great new town, checking out an exciting new renovation project (think Melrose Place meets Southwest adobe architecture), having lots of free time to explore, and getting to do it all with my mom. I love coming home after just a few days away and 1.) wondering if my kids haven't each grown an inch and 2.) seeing how much my veggie garden HAS grown!

Our last morning in Scottsdale was a real cooker. At the recommendation of a friend we took a guided tour of Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West (a school of architecture) at 10:00AM and regardless of the timing, it was so incredibly hot! I had thought that I might be able to skip this visit - did I really want to tour another FLW building? Did I really want to learn more about this genius who up and left his wife and six kids?

Turns out, I did!

These sorts of tours rarely disappoint, and I need to commit that to memory. There is just no substitute for all the great stories and details that come with visiting an historical landmark such as this. I could spend hours putting it all down (and I wish I had the time because I will probably forget most of it by next week), but I need to get breakfast on the table now.

I now want to go tour our own FLW masterpiece - The Marin County Civic Center. Even though I've walked through it a hundred times, and driven past it thousands, I know there are some incredible stories about its design and construction that will be well worth the trip. Who wants in?!

The Saguaro Hotel, Scottsdale AZ

So I'm in Scottsdale for a couple days. A little pleasure, a little business. I brought my mom because she likes it hot, and being that it was 100 degrees today, she's in her happy place.

Today was pleasure, tomorrow is all bizniz.

I've never been to Scottsdale before - it's adorable! Hard not to be when you're the spa capital of the world, I suppose. We are staying at the newly opened Saguaro Hotel. We ate at the sister hotel in Palm Springs last year and loved it. Super happy to have learned about this place in time for our visit.  I was needing more rainbows and cacti in my life.

We had a great lunch at the hotel's restaurant, El Distrito. I had the fish tacos, she, the chili relleno.

My mom made a great discovery in the lobby and then again in our room - these vintage Arizona Highways magazines from the 50's and 60's! She remembers the publication and was so excited to share with me the incredible quality of photography throughout. Indeed! Here is a closer look:

*El Sol* Vintage Medallion

When I first made it to Palm Springs last year, I took an hour or two to myself, wandering through stores housing retro wares. My favorite, out of all of them, was a tiny hole in the wall called Bon Vivant (457 N. Palm Canyon). Small as it was, this gem still managed to pack a large punch with a bunch of vintage items offered at very reasonable prices. The man behind the counter was sweet and chatty, and I left with eight stainless steel tumblers that we use for unbreakable kiddo milk and water cups. Last month, when I returned to Palm Springs for the second time, I made sure to go back to Bon Vivant. This time I fell in love with one of the many vintage medallions on display. I call this guy *El Sol* and I wore him on a bright spring day recently. He reminds me of something Alexander Girard might have created, or something my mother might once have worn, in the decade before I was born. :)

Wordless Wednesday (Palm Springs)

Sprucing Up the Cabin

We've been spending the week between Christmas and New Years at the cabin since our family purchased it seven years ago. It needed a lot of cosmetic work at first, but thankfully we were the first people in the months it had been on the market to see through all that and to realize its potential.

Carpet and paint were the first to-do items, hauling abandoned equipment, dismantling the...eh hem, "hidden garden" and rebuilding a failing deck all took priority. Each family contributed furniture from their homes, and Nana and Papa purchased some much needed big items like a sectional couch and new dining chairs. The house is fully furnished, totally comfortable and in need of nothing.

Which means it's time for me to find projects where there aren't any.

It's who am and this is just what I do.

This trip I began to decorate a second refrigerator in the kitchen area that has been driving me CRAZY for years. Its bright white exterior is my idea of an eyesore against the wood paneled cabin walls. I finally decided, and was granted *permission*, to make it an objet d'art. I discovered Cafe Press and was able to find thousands of bumper stickers that spoke to our family's time here together. It's not done, I want it to be completely covered with bumper stickers. But I think it's off to a good start!

Great Dickens Christmas Fair

We traveled back in time again yesterday, revisiting Victorian-era London at The Great Dickens Christmas Fair, this time in costume!





I absolutely LOVE this fair and all that it offers. The food, the games, theatrical performances and music all come together in the most enchanting event. You can read more details in my post last year.



Daddy and Tiny Tim!





Because we entered the fair shortly after opening, we were able to get a family portrait without waiting - something I've always wanted to do. Here we are with my father:





The low lighting makes it difficult to get good photographs, but I was able to grab this one of a great game we played - Boot the Cat. For a couple bucks you can lie on the bed and throw boots at the wooden cats meowing in the window. Knock down all three and win a prize!





Read about our first family trip to the fair in 2011 here.

Orla Kiely Cupcakes

This is a story about two of my absolute favorite things - cupcakes and Orla Kiely - and how one very sweet woman made sure the two were combined into one giant *thank you* for my family and me.

Last August, we hosted my second cousin, his wife and family for two nights while on their cross-country move from Alaska to Louisiana.

They came down and their little family took us all by storm. (I mean this in the best way possible, of course.) At the time, I had only spent a few hours with my cousin Kody over the past 30 years, and I hadn't yet met his wife Rachel, or their two boys. After getting them quickly settled and giving them a caffeine-fueled tour of the best our town has to offer, including a trip to Kara's Cupcakes to pick up the evening's desserts, we had a little mini-family reunion at our house. My sisters were there, all their kids, my mom and dad. It was simple and effortless, and so we just sat around in a big circle on patio chairs talking, just like our shared family members back in South Dakota might have done, middle of the last century.

Could I not have remembered to take some pictures?!

Anyway, I can't remember what I ended-up serving for dinner, beyond trying to keep it all local and fabulous for our Guam->AK->LA guests, of course. I do, however, remember what I did NOT serve - and that was a promised Orla Kiely inspired cake for Rachel, a woman who deserves to have someone bake her a cake for once.

Let me explain. Rachel is the incredibly talented cake designer/maker, and face of Fondant Flinger.  Our entire California contingency had been following her work on Facebook for some time, despite having never actually met her. One day, she commented on this Facebook post of mine:

Now I realize you can't even see all my bags in this modified shot, but trust me - the whole ensemble was thoughtless and I couldn't help but laugh at myself. The point is Rachel loved my bags and because I knew she was coming, I told her I was going to make her a cake inspired by my Orla Kiely bag. I made a big, big promise.

(Thump)

If only I could stick to my word. If only I could have delivered. If only I could sign-up for *just enough* and not *too much*.

So by the time their family arrived on that warm, Monday night last August, my tail was shoved sufficiently between my legs as I leaned my body weight against the entryway closet, hiding all the last bits I'd just picked up off the floor. There would be no spectacular cake for Rachel, her husband or their to-die-for little boys. All I had to show for my idea was a raindrop cookie cutter that I had purchased thinking it could double as an Orla Kiely leaf. "Look! Wouldn't this have worked great?!"

(Cue the trumpet)

And yet, she could not have cared less. She got it. She understood. She knew I was crazy to have made that promise. She knows what it's like to play with fondant. Little did I know, she was plotting something even more spectacular.

So despite all the gifts they gave to use on their departure - Salmonberry jelly, deer jerky, fresh smoked Alaskan salmon, as well as toys for the kids, she still, for some crazy reason I will never understand, thought that she needed to craft cupcake toppers that pay homage to one of my favorite designers, coordinate their debut on top of everyone's favorite cupcakes (Kara's), and have them delievered to our house on cold, rainy, fall night.

Love that girl!

I actually saved one of the twelve cupcakes and am letting it dry out right now. I plan to shellac it and frame it in a shadow box on our picture wall!

SuperNatural Halloween at the Academy

We did something new and different totally spectacular this past weekend when I took a friend's advice and bought tickets to The California Academy of Science's SuperNatural Halloween Party.

Imagine dressing up, being first in line, and getting to sit all alone on one side of the museum, eating ice cream...

...and getting to watch this:

It had been 33 days since we'd last visited the museum and met these baby ostriches, just over a month old. On Saturday, they were 66 days old!

The museum served up great food and activities. We took in the rainforest with just a handful of families, no lines, no fussing...just wide open spaces, eager docents, crafts, trick-or-treating for quasi-healthy treats, live music and choices, choices, choices. :)



























I wonder if SuperNatural is this good every year... or if we just got really lucky because the Giants were playing the third game of the World Series that night? We stayed until almost nine o'clock, and just as we walked out, a great cheer erupted throughout the building and we were told - "The Giants won!"

California Road Trip - Sunnylands in Palm Springs

The recently opened Sunnylands Retreat in Palm Springs was without a doubt, the highlight of my week.

I had been reading a lot about Walter and Leonore Annenberg's west coast retreat in the early months of this year.  There has been no shortage of press surrounding this incredible icon of mid-century design, its expansive grounds and art collection, or its historical significance. As soon as we decided to visit Palm Springs for spring break, I thought of Sunnylands (well actually no, I thought about Trina Turk's flagship store and then I thought about Sunnylands) and so I began making plans to book a tour. At 9am on March 15th, I sat at my laptop and continually pressed the refresh button on my browser until the April block of tickets opened up. I grabbed a midday slot ("Crap! That's high sun!), threw it in my basket, and in doing so, felt about 2 inches taller.

Wordless Wednesday

Celebrating *40* with 150 Bouquets of Flowers

I need to keep this one short. It's late. Thirty images taken at last week's Bouquet to Arts exhibit at the de Young should be sufficient, and although I'd love to share my thoughts and what I learned about it all, I'm pretty sure no one actually cares. So I'm going to pass, and take the sleep instead. But here are shots of my most favorite bouquets, taken while celebrating my girlfriend's 40th birthday with a day in the city.

Road Trip Itinerary

I'm operating without my favorite appendage this week. My computer is in the shop and won't be reattached for a couple days. So while we've been keeping busy trying to use up all the Meyer lemons that the five year old picked from our tree and filled her wheelbarrow with, I'll focus on something equally exciting - our next getaway.

I've been planning a road trip for us. We will be headed down south for no real reason other than we have the time off so why not?

We decided to head towards Palm Springs, a destination that none of us have ever been to.

Our first stop will be in Santa Barbara where I discovered El Capitan Canyon via Ciao Bambino, an incredible site for exploring how and where to travel with kids.  I booked us in one of their cedar cabins, although I would have loved one of their safari tents, had one still been available.

Discovering and booking El Capitan really set the tone for the rest of the trip. I now had my heart set on the unexpected. I wanted a unique, adventure infused with kitschy roadside stops and lots of greasy diner food.

Which brings me to our second stop, The Farmer's Daughter Hotel, in the heart of L.A.  Because, really - with a name like that, why would I put my family anywhere else?

Our original plans of hitting Palm Springs on day three were delayed a day when I went in search of the wild side by googling "PALM+SPRINGS+TRAILER+MOTEL".

I had no idea what would pop up, but I had my fingers crossed for some sort of Airstream trailer park where we could live out one of my our greatest fantasies of traveling in a silver bullet.

Instead, I found this.

(Cue the crickets)

And without a moment of hesitation, I had us signed up for a night in The New World. I can't wait to eat dinner here and to photograph our kids on the front steps of our trashed trailer, eating Twinkies for breakfast, their sweet faces kissed by the morning sun as it rises up over Joshua Tree.  I hope to also take in some arts and culture, either here, here or here.

OK, everyone back in the car, time to head into Palm Springs.

I'm most excited about this leg of the trip. As I researched where to stay and what to do, I kept feeling like I was looking into some sort of fantastical alternative lifestyle designed specifically for me. When I die and go to (my) heaven, it's going to look like Palm Springs.

In my mind, VRBO.com is really the only way to go when traveling with kids, and in this desert paradise, the nightly rental prices are very reasonable. I would be happy staying in any one of these three places. While there, I want to do so many things, like take the kids to this park, or to ride on this thing. I must spend an afternoon with just Daddy here, followed by dinner here. Needless to say, visiting Trina is a must, as well as all the surrounding mid-century home furnishings stores. Just for a look...

(Exhale.)

Last, but certainly not least, the long drive home... which we will break-up with a night at this funky spot.  I'm thinking either the Caveman for the boys or maybe Floral Fantasy for the girls. (Just for the record, we've actually already stayed in Old Mill and it was awesome, especially when we flipped the switch and all the waterfalls and mechanical people started moving around the room.)

I had so much fun throwing this last minute trip together. It was a great reminder that there is so much great stuff in all our backyards, you just need to do a little research and the payoff can be huge!

Puerto Vallarta: What I Bought

Whenever I travel internationally, I always have to do a little shopping. For me, it's never been about acquiring, but about discovery, and bringing the taste of a foreign culture back home to always remember a trip by. I love beautiful things and I am happy finding them in the appliance section of a Japanese department store, the seconds room of an Italian manufacturing plant, or off a Mexican cart. There is beauty at every turn.

When my reaction to an object is visceral, I know it's one that needs to come home. Like that funny, winged cupid at top center. I have no intelligent explanation for my feelings, but my heart started to race when I spotted him, and I couldn't stop smiling. The woman photographed here painted all her pieces right there on the street. I wonder what her whole story is, and I wish I could have communicated how much I loved her work beyond just a smile and a "Gracias".

Valentine's Cookies

Last night I hosted another one of Kate's cookie classes for all my girls who could not make the first class in December.  The theme was Valentine's, and the students were a great mixture of neighbors and friends.

Here are some pictures I took of Kate's art - cookies decorated the night before so that *students* could have a little inspiration. If it's not obvious from these shots, let me tell you: they were flawless! (I say *were* only because Kate and I ate them all while cleaning up the kitchen.)

Here Kate shows us the proper *technique*. Oh the jokes that followed... ;)

I'll leave you with this shot below - one Kate forwarded me from her phone, of some recent work she'd done. (OK fine, I grabbed her phone and forwarded it to myself.) Who knew I needed a pear-shaped cookie cutter? And a lemon one to go with it? Well now I know.  Thanks again, Kate! xoxo

If you live in the Bay Area, and would like to throw a cookie decorating party with Kate as your instructor, it's such a great way to get a group together, morning, afternoon or night. She charges $45/head and pretty much does it all! You leave with some great, new knowledge and a box of your cookie art. For more info, you can contact her at kateplaskon(at)gmail.com or at 415.225.7516

Playland at the Conservatory of Flowers

We finally made it to Golden Gate Park to see Playland at the Conservatory: A Garden Railway Celebrating San Francisco's West End. Yeah!!

I had been intrigued since last November when I started seeing these signs around the city:

Portlandia: Beautiful Graphics

This week's trip to Portland was my first, but certainly not my last. I'm hooked, I'm in love, I'm willing to consider moving, I'm going to start watching that show Portlandia.

I took lots of pictures while I was there of the food I ate.. the stores I browsed... the gorgeous, illuminated cityscape at nighttime, and the food truck clusters on every. other. corner.  Here are some theatrical posters that hung in the window of Portland's Center Stage Theater. I loved them all! The first four images hang currently, and the last one, "Love, Janis" is from several years ago. (I actually saw that production when if came to SF and it was wonderful!!)

I Heart Antiques

On my way into the Petaluma Seed Bank the other day, I was stopped in my tracks while looking into the window of Chelsea Antiques. I have a real soft spot for 20th century Americana and this place has a lot of it. Here's a snippet of what I saw:

21 metal basket bookshelf, $780

I love everything here a little bit, but I love those two wire baskets with handles A LOT! $40/each.

I'm not quite sure what these adorable panels were used for, possibly scenery for a child's play?

This sculptural polar bear bookshelf really caught my eye! It's by the French company ibride and was on sale for $2400, marked down from $3400. Wow! I did some research on it when I got home and discovered it's just a few years old, released in 2009. I also found it new for $1800, if you're interested. ;)

I heart antique produce scales. Would love one in my kitchen!

Donkey and metal arrow sign.

Vintage carnival signs.

Zinc bottle carrier from France.

Not the best picture but I loved this rusted out old automobile grill. Sometimes the strangest things can make really striking and affordable wall art.

Chelsea Antiques

148 Petaluma Blvd N.,

Petaluma, CA

707-763-7686

The SF Nutcracker

Last night, on a whim, I purchased tickets for myself and Little Miss to see the second-to-last performance of the San Francisco Ballet's Nutcracker.

It was absolutely SPECTACULAR!!!

If you haven't gone yet, you must go next year. In the mean time, go to the website here and watch a short video preview that will leave you in a dream state.

 

This day last year: "The Spirit of Papa"

Holiday House Tour

We are so lucky to have several extraordinary houses near us that go all out on the Christmas decorations for everyone to enjoy.

Above is Nisja's Bear House, located at 383 Quietwood Drive in San Rafael. The entire yard is decorated with lights and moving figurines that all compete for your attention while a train zooms here and there. Just around the corner...

...is our favorite - Linda's Snow Village - which less about a decorated house and more about a big glass box in a woman's driveway, housing a miniature electrical town. Located at 563 Miller Creek Road, San Rafael.

Cookie Decorating Class

I recently hosted a cookie decorating class, instructed by my friend Kate, and opened it up to all my friends with early morning availability.

Kate baked cookies for nine, and brought all the necessary elements for decoration. For 2-1/2 hours she instructed on how to make piping and flood, how to correctly prep all your tools and lastly, how to decorate gorgeous holiday cookies. (I, of course, couldn't help but throw in lunch - Ina's Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette... of course.  ;)

The Dickens Fair!

"Welcome to London!!" bellows the hearty woman after taking our tickets and ushering us in. We had finally arrived at our destination - Dickens' mid-19th century London.

And just like that, the magic began! Our early morning preparations of recounting the story of Scrooge and the good lessons learned, of discussing the evolution of the English language with our small kids (read: "People used to talk funny!"), of contemplating top hats and hoop-dresses, and the pin-pointing on London on a map - had all been for this moment. And as we enter the Cow Palace, all aglow with soft lighting and the hustle-n-bustle of a Victorian era London street scene, we are truly transported back in time, to a place best traveled with the eyes and hearts of small children.

Our first stop - Mr. Fezziwigs, to watch a dance routine while snacking on warm, sugar-cinnamon toasted almonds, served up in a paper cone.

For over 30 years I have carried the most wonderful memories of attending the Dickens Fair as a child. I remember the dark, damp air of a covered pier at Fort Mason, it's original location. I remember eating a giant, frosted sugar cookie that tasted like the finest Christmas dessert and strolling the streets among lively actors in costume, and performers on stilts. I have visions of fog lying low to the ground - a memory I'm not certain is even accurate. Were there really fog machines? Or has time allowed sweet memories to grow even sweeter? There were no fog machines during yesterday's visit, but I was far from disappointed. For three and a half hours I had a smile ear-to-ear, regretting only one thing - that I had not shown up in costume myself.

Not that popcorn is any barometer for fine food, but I was impressed with the quality of everything we ate. Bangers and mash with peas were "just like home", and the chocolate covered shortbread cookies were just like, well, just like that awesome bakery in SF!

We played games, games, games - darts being the least creative of all of them. You could also try your hand at throwing a boot towards wooden cats outside your bedroom window, or whack a hammer on a board that would catapult a stuffed chimney sweeper into a chimney. If only my knowledge of low-light photography was a bit more advanced I could share all this. But I still have a lot to learn, which is evidenced in a whole lot of blurry and deleted photos from our day.

My favorite moments were spent watching the kids go around on a six-seater carousal of stuffed African animals while a bearded man in colonial safari wear serenaded everyone with vintage tribal instruments.

  

We sat in on great juggling, fencing, musical and theatrical performances.

Even Father Christmas was there, which thrilled our Tiny Tim!

We finished our day with an elaborate craft project, decorating a fairy house in hopes of inviting a little magic into our garden. You've just got to believe!

For more information visit: www.dickensfair.com

SFMOMA Family Sunday

We had friends visiting from Southern California this weekend and together we took in SFMOMA's Family Sunday for the first time.

Guest Bath - Before + After

I've been helping a couple friends with some interior design projects and pulled this Makelike 'Lush' wallpaper for one of their entryways.

I thought it would just be incredible on all four walls, enveloping one into a cozy dream-like state before moving them towards a calmer, more subdude living area.

It didn't end up making the final cut for said entryway...but somehow, it ended up making it's way into our guest bath.

For me, it was a haunting pattern. I just couldn't get it out of my mind. I found relief when I held a sample of it up in the guest bathroom - I just knew it would be a great addition.

But I delayed in pulling the trigger, and I'm glad I did because several days later, I found it offered on a sample sale site for 50% off. Into cart. Checkout, please!

This day last year: "What I Saw At SFMOMA"

Chalkboard Decal

I have been wanting a chalkboard in the kitchen area for some time. I'm sad to say that I lose track of food all the time, and have wanted a place where I could make *food notes* to myself and my family. Something like "Tuna salad with celery and olives" would be code for "celery is on it's way out and you better sneak those home-brined olives into some dish if you want anyone to actually eat them".

What I originally envisioned was a rectangular chalkboard with either a distressed frame made of reclaimed barn panels (a girl can dream!) or some totally over-the-top Rococoesque frame to off-set the *agrarian chic* look I strive for around our dining area. But then I discovered Wall Candy Art's chalkboard decals and this beauty seemed to do the job for a lot less hassle and money.

I just set it up and my first post is our Thanksgiving 2011 menu. I will be looking at it all week while working on my om's and breathing exercises. I like that the kids have it as a sweet reminder of our holiday to come.

This day last year: "Persimmon Pops on a HOT November Day!"

Kiddo Bath - Before + After

You may or may not remember that I suffer from a condition called OCDD. (For more information click here.)

I've had what you might call a *flare-up* in recent weeks. The impending holidays always throw me over the edge and I've been running around like a *chicken-with-it's-head-cut-off*, nesting, so that I we can roost comfortably, all winter long.

Nothing gets me checking off boxes or nesting more quickly than the promise of dinner quests, or a newborn child. (Am not pregnant.) I may curse them in the hours before their ultimate arrival, but I relish every anxious moment of preparation leading up to said moment.

Meet Dian. She hangs wallpaper! And she does it very, very well. Yesterday she came over to help me with wallpaper project #4 and 5.

This is wallpaper project #4: "Jazz In Central Park" by UK designer Lizzie Allen.  It took me a long time to choose exactly which design of hers I wanted to hang. Because I studied design in London, while in college, the city nearest and dearest to Lizzie's heart, is close to mine as well. In the end, NYC won and I don't have any regrets.

Happy, happy wallpaper!

Lord help me should the two-year old take a crayon to this wall like his sister did a Sharpie to the kitchen cabinets.

Alexander Girard's *Fruit Tree*

I am a huge fan of Alexander Girard's art. We have his floor tiles in the kid's area, a friend gave me his beautiful alphabet blocks which sit on display in the living room, I covet his Madonna bike and recently released nativity scene.

So I was over the moon when I received an email from MAXIMO Design about the sale of his only-sold-in-Japan suitcases, a collaboration between his estate and the company Effy. How did they know I was in need of carry-on suitcase?! 

Here is Milly standing guard over my new suitcase in what has always been my favorite Girard print - *Fruit Tree*. (Our recently planted persimmon tree stands in the background.)

Now if I could just take a vacation...

My Newest Melamine Tray

When I was at IKEA last week, in search of a an affordable train table, I came across a giant stack of these beautiful melamine trays. They are very Charlie Harper, don't you think?  At just $6.99, I picked up two, one for the kids to use in their coming-soon-art-and-craft-room, and one for me, to add to my growing melamine tray collection.

Lunch at the Japanese Tea Garden

After the Picasso exhibit on Friday, we walked next door to the Japanese Tea Garden for lunch.  It had been a long, long time since our last visit.  Here we are in 2007:

...and here we are in 2011:

When it comes to ethnic foods, I really don't care how much fat or sugar is in any one dish.  As long as my kids are willing to eat something that looks TOTALLY different than what we eat every other day of the week, I'm happy.  Some of my proudest parenting moments have come while watching my kids nosh down things like fried fish butts or raw, dark greens. (pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat...)

These noodles were not even that great. They had a heavy, fishy taste to them that I personally did not care for.  But he slurped them down and so I said, "Good call, Sweetie."

If you haven't seen the Ramune soda from Japan, you are missing out!  Our cousins taught us all about them recently while we dined on sushi together. They are a carbonated soft drink that the kids love due to their unique packaging. To *activate* your drink, you must puncture the top of your glass bottle in order to release a glass marble down into the soda which then activates the carbonation.  So gimmicky, so clever, so completely irresistible!

Go ahead, take a big, teethy bite out of that green tea mochi!

After lunch, and a bit of running around the gardens, we crossed the street and visited another set of gardens - the botanical ones.

Silly little Miss under one of my favorites - Angel's Trumpet.

Happy, happy day!

Picasso Exhibit with Kids

The little man had Thursday and Friday off school. So I pulled his sister out of pre-school, and treated them to a special day in the city. First stop, the Picasso exhibit and the de Young.

I feel very fortunate to live so close to San Francisco, and all the culture it has to offer.  I try to expose my kids to as much as I can (within reason).  I rarely invest in things like audio headsets (too much work, sensory overload for little brains) but instead, spend a little in the gift shop, treating the kids to something they can take home and remember their experience by, like a book, or in Picasso's case, a postcard to hang in their rooms.

These sorts of exhibits can be tricky.  The kids may think they want to go, but upon arrival into this exhibit, everything appeared to be turning South, rapidly.  My quick save went like this: "If I hear anymore fussing before we are out of here, we will not be visiting the Japanese Tea Garden as requested. K? All right, now everyone pick your favorite picture in this room and tell my why you like it the best!"  And from there, our time at Picasso became a series of games  - "I see a chicken! Who can find a chicken in this room?" "Try to find a picture that you think would be easiest to recreate and home and tell me how you'd do it." "Show me an example of one of Picasso's abstracts and tell me if you can figure out what any of the shapes represent." 

But the best lesson of the day came with the story of Picasso himself, and how he chose a path different from everyone else, how he was told his contributions were worthless and how he persevered regardless of what people said.  "Because everyone is different and unique and every one of us has something wonderful to contribute to this world. Got that?!?"

The kids ended up having fun (I'm pretty sure) and I'm certain they learned a itsy-bitsy-tiny-wini bit about Pablo Picasso and what it means to just be proud of the person you were born to be. After that, it was off to the Japanese Tea Garden for lunch!

Missoni for Target

I had a post all ready to go for this morning, letting you know that I was out...that I was at Target for the Missoni *drop*...that I wanted everyone out of my way - "hey, hands off, Lady! That zig-zag picture frame is mine!"

But then something amazing happened. I had a really bad dream... that lead to something really good!

I dreamt that I *skipped school* to do my shopping online but that the Target website had sold out.

And then I woke up. It was 3:45am and I remembered the online promise of Target: "We'll be up bright and early!"

I thought: In order for them to fulfill their promise, they must mean, bright and early East Coast time, right?

And so I tippy-toed downstairs and got online. Missoni for Target, bright and early. :D

I came, I shopped, I knocked it out of frickin' park with a new 28" zig zag bike.

As I type, it's 5:47am.  Ebay is filled with overpriced Missoni for Target products, and target.com is down, experiencing technical difficulties.

Something tells me I was just part of something very big in the design world.

But the best part is, I don't have to take two hours out of my day to drive to the nearest store.  My shopping is all done.  My zig-zag velour running suit is on it's way and I'm just sipping coffee, catching-up on *stuff* wondering why I don't wake up at 4am more often. You certainly can get a crap-load done when you don't have kids to tend to.

Here are some other beautiful items from the collection to get you started this morning: