i'm so bored

summer is boring

summer rain cat dance

the playlist I made today - home alone with my kitten, during a warm summer rain.

1. Sunset Soon Forgotten - Iron & Wine
2. Each Coming Night - Iron & Wine
3. Moon River - The Innocence Mission
4. Russia - Ramona Falls
5. Thrift Shop - Scott Bradlee & Postmodern Jukebox
6. The Honeymoon - Langhorne Slim
7. You Don’t Know Me Yet - Sexy Kids
8. Animal - Karen O and the Kids (Where the Wild Thing Are soundtrack)
9. Our Nature - José González
10. Get Enough - Ivy
11. Box of Rain - Grateful Dead
12. Antics - Grand General
13. Backstreet Girl - Golden Smog
14. O Sacred Dandruff - Gobble Gobble
15. Art of Dying - George Harrison
16. One Morning - Gillian Welch
17. Strange - Galaxie 500
18. Oh Daddy - Fleetwood Mac
19. Blue - First Aid Kit
20. Sin Gulá, No - Juana Molina
21. Since I Left You - The Avalanches 

E.

kitten attacks

anyone who knows me (or looks at the post below) knows that I love kittens. I used to hate them, when every cat I knew was a jackal from hell. But, I've realized that my whole life I've been a cat lover in the closet.
My parents were very against the idea...but then something magical happened. My mother suddenly asked if I would rather have a kitten now or after school's out. Well, school is out and here's my kitten.

yes, she is the cutest you have ever seen. and yet, she continues to wake me at 5 in the morning by stepping on my face with those white puffy paws and then by gently gnawing my feet. it's wonderful

since we get up so early to play, we nap all day together. and then come the midnight crazies. it's cute, but must stop.

favorites of favorites

Our blog has a new design: it is rustic and beautiful to me. I have also promised myself to write more often. Yet, I have no ideas for a post worth reading. Thus, I will share my favorite blogs (mostly food blogs. yes, I love food porn) and other favorite things. Yes, I am pushing you off onto other blogs due to my lack of online communicating skills. Here it goes:

To read:

1. Joy the Baker - one of our favorite food blogs to steal dinner ideas from. Joy, we salute you.
2. Orangette - We loved Molly's book, A Homemade Life and thus love her blog
3. The Scout - one of the very few websites from whom I love to receive emails (subscription recommended)
4. 101 Cookbooks - lovely lovely photography of lovely food. We also have fallen in love with Heidi's cookbooks and her Flickr
5. Smitten Kitchen - best food photography

To browse:

1. Nerd Boyfriend
2. The Selby - most obviously
3. The Devil's Dictionary

other favorites:

1. Favorite trailer of the summer
2. cats - calicos
3. Cute Roulette - may have something to do with #2. just maybe.
4. Most recent movie watched: Never Let Me Go. Depressing, but in a way a good depressing movie should be depressing. Also, Carrie Mulligan is my favorite cutie.

and finally, my new hair cut of the summer:

I have already been called "sir"

a homemade summer

Last week, as I browsed the shelves at my local library in desperate need of a light summer read, Molly Wizenberg's A Homemade Life fell into my lap. And oh, what a blessing it was. You might be familiar with Molly's blog, that charming spot of the internet with the loveliest of photographs and the tastiest of lemon yogurt cakes. Her book (regrettably lacking in photographs, though making up for it with illustrations) ventures into all the struggles and triumphs of adolescence in the Great Plains, love in Paris, and the most adorable engagement I have had the pleasure to read about, and still always comes back to the kitchen. Happily for us readers, Molly shares the recipes connected to her stories, and what wonderful recipes they are.

This is my kind of cookbook. Food is always more than just food, and when people share recipes for berry pound cake or slow roasted tomatoes or potato salad, they always share more than just recipes. I have been doing a lot of cooking this summer. And not just because I like to eat food (which I do). Because I like sitting around a table with people I love and seeing them smile. Because fresh garlic and roasted onions and blueberry muffins make me feel so tangibly, so terribly, so beautifully human. Thanks Molly, for saying it all and for sharing.

california dreamin

Today we introduced our spring tote line on etsy. We really love the way these bags turned out: spacious enough to hold plenty of library books and plenty of fresh produce. The big sack makes a great beach tote, as well. Ideal for summer trips to California. We couldn't help thinking about Joni Mitchell and the Mamas and the Papas while taking some of these photos.

little sack in pine and wood

big sack in taupe and cranberry

Talk about spring fever. We're ready for strawberries, sandals, sunglasses, and picnics in the park.

the raspberries

I have just cleaned some raspberries. How wonderful!

christmas

We have returned from a trip to northern California. The redwood trees were quite dazzling. While we were hiking in Muir Woods, we received inspiration for this woodland hooded scarf (now listed on The Second Fiddle). John Muir (for whom the scarf and national park is named) was an amazing naturalist who aided in the conservation of the redwoods. we've even started a flickr group (Rustic and Rugged) in honor of John Muir, Jeremiah Johnson, and all the mountain men, lumberjacks, and rugged men.

fine figure of a man: (John Muir)

Etsy is also having the annual Christmas in July sale! stop by our shop for 10% off

Recently made some Etsy purchases, which I am very pleased with. I think I will get much use out of them this summer. The first has turtles and lobsters and fish on it, and the second has a beautiful palate of earth tones.  

                                         from Rough Gems                                        from Miso Vintage