Christmas in the Northwest

I'm typing this from the cozy armchair in front of the fireplace at my dad's house near Portland, OR -- it's so wonderful to be back with family and friends for two weeks this holiday. Unfortunately I've come down with an awful cold that's kept me in bed all day today, but I hope to drink enough tea to be back on my feet tomorrow to prep for all of our Christmas activities. Cat is holding down the fort in Richmond with my friend Holly, probably being bad by drinking the tree water but still acting cute enough to get away with it. Oh, Cat.

Merry Christmas all! Enjoy your time with family and friends.

Gratitude + Turkeys

Thankful for a good spot in life with a loving family (Cat included!), new and old friends, rediscovered hobbies, and a simple enjoyment of the day-to-day. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! 

Turkeys hand-crafted by me and my School-Based Little Sis.

Design*Sponge

Earlier this week I was able to take a flex day and accompany my pal Rupa to a luncheon featuring  Grace Bonney, blogger extraordinaire and author of the new book Design*Sponge at Home! Grace was such an inspiration to keep on with the hobbies/talents/interests you love and continue to get out in the world and explore. By the way, Grace is ADORABLE and also has a cat. Need I say more?

Design Sponge at Home (Official Book Trailer) from The Panic Room Videos on Vimeo.

The DIY section is the best, especially around Christmas time. Projects are categorized by difficulty, cost, materials and techniques. Craft away!

Home for Christmas

See you in ONE month, Portland! 

Three Cheers for Cat!

Happy Birthday to our little mischief maker... Cat turned FIVE today! 

See some of her greatest moments right here.

Fall-la-la-la-la

Fall in Richmond is glorious -- the days are pleasant and there's a morning bite in the air that makes a scarf a necessity.

This morning we made hot chocolate and sat outside to cheer on the Richmond marathon runners (the course passed right by our front door). "Good job, blue shirt! Keep it up, orange socks guy!" we shouted from the sidelines. "Moms everywhere are proud! You're going to remember this day forever! And hopefully in a good way!"

A Little Halloween Green

Chris decided to swap his strategy analyst job for a green apron and a blender this Halloween... I'm a Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino with extra whipped cream (and I sewed the costume myself!).

Fall, Come Quick!

Fujis and Staymans galore at Carter Mountain in Charlottesville, VA. It was a hot day -- I could barely tolerate that pumpkin colored scarf, but it's one of my little ways of urging autumn into existence.

Busy Bees

Yeah, we've been a little busy. BBBS gala at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, glazing some wicked fine pots (note the progress!), working later hours, waiting patiently on fall weather to arrive and impulsively buying house plants, dabbling in Christmas gift making (hint: I bought a zipper foot), and gearing up for some pretty sweet volunteering opportunities. I think I'm one of those people that functions better with a slightly fuller plate, so we'll see how this autumn plays out.

Only two months until we're back in Portland for the holidays!

Popcorn

During a weekly farmer's market trip, my friend and I came across what looked like decorative corn cobs at our favorite produce booth. Turns out these little cobs are for making popcorn, and per the friendly gal's directions it was quite a success! All I had to do was place the corn cob in a medium sized paper bag (think Chipotle to-go size), roll up to the top, put it in the microwave on the popcorn setting, and voila! All natural popcorn. Shake in a few seasonings and you've just impressed the visiting out-of-state in-laws.

Raku!

To commemorate the end of last semester's clay class, we did a raku firing out in the courtyard of the Visual Arts Center. Pieces are placed in the kiln and heated through until they are red hot.

With big tongs and thick oven mitts, each piece is placed in a metal trash bin full of sawdust. Because the piece is so hot from the kiln, the sawdust will catch fire and the smoke will fill the cracks in the glaze (made from the temperature shock from kiln to open air). Dousing a piece with water will give it a coppery effect.

After a cooling down period and a good scrub, pieces are ready to take home that night!

Seasonal Switch

Just a few weeks ago we were still running the AC, and in a few weeks from now it'll be time to caulk those single pane windows for the season.

Welcome, fall!

The 2011 Summer Collection

Have Funn, Go Nuts!*

I was so excited last week I could hardly stand it. My mom came into town over Labor Day weekend -- she hadn't been out to the East Coast since we got married and moved out here. We drank yummy Lamplighter coffee, explored the city on foot, and lounged on the balcony with glasses of wine and homemade dinners. We boosted the economy with a trip to the Williamsburg outlet stores, dined across the street at the VMFA, and took in the last Flying Squirrels game of the season. (Sorry to say the Squirrels lost terribly, but the fireworks were spectacular and we got hugs with Nutsy THREE TIMES!!!) It was a most fantastic weekend.

*The official slogan of the Squirrels. "Funn" must be more fun than "fun" I guess!

Irene vs. Mom

"I am hoping Irene will have left by the time I get there...two strong females in the same area is more than the East Coast can handle!"

Daydreaming

I'd like to spend my days just reading, sipping Lamplighter chai, throwing pots, and exploring the town. It sure would beat dealing with some of the unnecessary shenanigans of late. 

It really didn't help that I woke up this morning thinking it was Saturday instead of Tuesday, either.

Manakintowne

A friend of mine works at a little farm about 40 minutes from where we live and kindly took a group of us on a tour of the greenhouses and fields. We tried tiny microgreens that packed as much flavor as a fully grown veggie, spicy peppers, and fragrant herbs. After we had seen everything in season, we set our blankets out under a shady apple tree and picnicked on goat cheese, Billy bread, homemade jam, and more. It was a top notch Saturday.

Hello.

Remedy

I feel a little bad that the only posts you get to read these days are about my ceramic pots, but those seem to be the only things I end up taking pictures of anyway (and you want to see pictures, right?). This little sake sized cup was my latest favorite with a spectacular combo of light blue and green glaze. I carefully packed it in my work bag for my usual morning tea but, after rinsing it out, it slipped from my fingers and fell to pieces on the floor. Fortunately a little Elmer's glue, tape, and patience made it (almost) new again. It's now one of the nine (!) small cups transformed into homes for my farmer's market succulents.