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Right now (12:16 pm) it is very hot in San Francisco.  We consider a 75 degree day to be hot.  If it hits 75, you can bet people will be picnicking and frolicking in every park and in every bar and cafe with an outside courtyard.  Today, right now, its 98.4 degrees.  

Our black dog doesn’t know what to do with herself.  She is roasty.  I think I might give her a bath in the cool hose water in order to give her some relief.  

 

 

UPDATE:

I just checked the temp again.  4:05 pm and it is 106 degrees!

We are finally starting to make our house OUR house. Its been 3 years and we are doing some of the things we meant to do a long time ago. We painted (had painted), our dining room, hallway, and hallway doors. What a difference it has made!

The spiffication process also included some yard work.  It is by no means complete, but we have made some changes.  The most dramatic of which is more flagstone patio.  We originally had 3 raised planter beds.  We ripped out 2 to make more room for entertaining.  Those 2 boxes never got enough sunlight to grow anything useful anyway.  Now when we sit on our new patio it feels like we are actually in the garden, not just looking over at it.

 

I think these night lights would be adorable in the baby’s room.

Today I was at Rainbow Market and they had some beautiful organic flowers.  

I couldn’t resist.

Its Spring and I’ve been bit by the crafty-knitty-redecoratey-paint the walls-redo the yard bug. We have been talking about getting a new couch for months, but it was never the #1 priority. When we were at Room & Board shopping for an office armoire, we decided to get the André Couch and Chair in Teton Pewter.
They arrived on Tuesday and really make the house feel like grown-ups live here.

I finally finished knitting a pillow case for a large throw pillow. It wasn’t really that difficult, but it did take some time. The yarn is Cocoon, by Rowan. On the back I used some vintage wooden buttons. I am really pleased with the outcome.

I made these stockings last year.
One for each of us, then a smaller elf shoe for the dog.

Sometime around last June I decided we needed a BBQ. MMmm… Just the thought of seared meat and its caramelized sugars sizzling away on the grill makes me daydream. All in a matter of minutes, I could whip up some tasty grilled vegetables for the Hubby, and a juicy steak for myself. Both would have that nice smoky char flavor. We’d be cooking outside, perhaps drinking a beer – just like Americans do.

Living in the city, barbecuing is still quite a treat. It requires outdoor space and a commitment to hauling the equipment around every time you move (which city folks tend to do often). This outdoor space doesn’t have to be a full sized yard, or even a deck. Some people will bbq on their fire escapes, hunched over a tiny plate sized grill, hoping not to arouse the landlord. Others have no shame and will set it up (along with the cooler of beer) right on the middle of the sidewalk. However you grill, it is always a special occasion and a good reason to have friends over.

Anyway… Last June I found the grill of my dreams. Modern, sleek, sexy (yes a grill can be sexy), innovative, and best of all it has, in the same unit, both gas and charcoal. It is the Fuego 01. Check it out at fuegoliving.com

To make a long story short – the Fuego 01 has finally been released (almost a year later). I went and checked it out live in person yesterday. It is gorgeous and looks exactly as expected. So I was about ready to dive in and order it right then and there – come to find out many of the “accessories” haven’t been released yet.

Included in the list of un-released “accessories”: Charcoal drawers, Infrared drawers, All weather protective cover, Hood (to cover food while cooking), Digital read screen, and Hooks and baskets for hanging on the grill face.

If you ask me, these are necessities, not accessories.
We are currently pondering the purchase.
It is sexy though, right?!

A few years ago we discovered these wall stickers made by Blik. We used the green ellipses and had them overlapping all willy-wonka on the wall opposite our couch. We had grown sick and tired of looking at a white wall, but could not think of what sort of art would look good over computer displays, and trailing wires.

Now we used them again in our kitchen. This wall called for something bold. We were thinking maybe paint just that wall – Red, or gray, or yellow. Eventually that just didn’t seem cool enough. The pathway along this wall is a major throughway in our house, so I didn’t want some bulky piece of art that we were going to bump every time we walked by.

I’ve always been inspired by the design of The Standard Hotels, both in Downtown LA and Hollywood (I have yet to stay at the Miami one). In their rooms they have swirly wallpaper bits that add a modern appeal to the room. This is what I wanted – modern appeal, and a bit of whimsy.


This is what we came up with:

There are a few birds that are cut off in the photo, but you get the idea. It is kind of hard to tell, but in person the birds add a bit of dimension to the room that would be hard to do with just paint. I think at this point it is safe to say that we will use Blik for a long time to come. Eventually we will have a baby room, and when we do we already have the perfect Bliks all picked out!

For our wedding we got the new game Guitar Hero! i avoided playing it for weeks. how much fun could a toy plastic guitar really be? Turns out – LOTS! pretty soon i’ll be rocking out for real.

Here is a photo from last nights silliness: