spring things

(My gluten-free carrot cake extravaganza, a charming set of petite wooden eggs, and a pair of little egg friends– made with these)

A recent trip back to a place I call home again reacquainted me with what really matters. The sun finally did come out, and we were all reminded of the importance of looking outwards, and upwards. Because after so much darkness, there is always new light, and with hope and new growth, the future looks bright! Let's remember to stop and enjoy the sweet. 

"When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including my fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up." 

–C.S. Lewis

our hills

From the Chronicle Books archives, The Hills of San Francisco, © 1959, by The Chronicle Publishing Company.

"Any hill is home, as long as it has a view. And to everybody in every section of the city, there is "Our hill," no matter how slight its eminence, no matter whether it has a name or not. In San Francisco, a hill need be no more than a state of mind, affording a slight rise to the spirits, a fresh outlook on the life that parades in the streets below..."

-Herb Caen

The hills I climb here are as sublime as they are steep, and when I reach the top, I take solace in my proximity to the sky, and in the breeze in my hair; the feeling of being both here, and everywhere. Yet is this home? Not quite. Impermanence takes its toll these days, and I cannot help but think about all that I left behind. 

What do we talk about when we talk about a home?

sweet sentiments

I recently acquired this precious trio of miniature letterpress quotation books, brought to the world by OrangeArt. I love their intimacy and simplicity–perfect pocket-sized antidotes to soothe a bout of homesickness, heartache, or negatvitiy.


"Love the moment and the energy of that moment will spread beyond all boundaries."

–Sister Corita Kent

sunday scones

This Sunday afternoon was spent making a mess in my rather non-existent excuse of a kitchen, baking up a batch of gluten-free scones for tomorrow's bake sale. After a series of unfortunate health events over this past year, I recently had to make the switch to eating gluten-free. Yet this new challenge, coupled with two square feet of counter space and my humble countertop convection toaster oven, were no match for one girl's determination to whip up something delectable! And after sampling my culinary success, I simply couldn't resist transforming these treats into pretty little packages–easy on the eyes, and the stomach. I hope others will agree.


Want the recipe? It was an adaption of this. 

I cannot help but imagine my mother eagerly fingering through the pages of the cookbook below. Today is her birthday. 
Happy Birthday Mum! You make my life taste sweet.

learning to cook

I recently discovered this absolute classic while browsing the bookshelves at work: Betty Crocker's NEW Boys and Girls Cookbook, copyright 1965 by General Mills, Inc., in Minneapolis, MN! I can never get enough of the technicolor food styling of the 60s and 70s, and who doesn't love food with a face?


"Dear Boys and Girls, Learning to cook can be an adventure–like exploring a new country, with a recipe as your map. And if you follow directions exactly, you are sure to arrive at your destination–proud and pleased to be able to cook many good things for your family and friends..."

-Betty Crocker

possibilities

Two months in to this new(ish) year, and I continue to find hope in hard work, and a barreling forward into the unknown. Thank you, Katie & Nate, for this impeccable letterpress gift! Come back to San Francisco soon! We like you here.

meadows & mockingbirds

I've received some lovely bits of brightness in the mail as of late, from a talented pen friend, and a gracious up 'n comer. Arranged in an abstracted order, I think they take on a tale of their own.

Thank you, John and Anna!

"Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired town when I first knew it. In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop; grass grew on the sidewalks, the courthouse sagged in the square. Somehow, it was hotter then: a black dog suffered on a summer's day; bony mules hitched to Hoover carts flicked flies in the sweltering shade of the live oaks on the square. Men's stiff collars wilted by nine in the morning. Ladies bathed before noon, after their three-o'clock naps, and by nightfall were like soft teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum."      

–Harper Lee

happy hearts

My heart is happy today; made stronger my the transparency of vulnerability, by a willingness to let the light shine through the cracks collected along the way. 

Happy Hearts Day, everyone! Reach out and love somebody.

(And get crafty! Directions here.)

bitty bentos

Living in close proximity to Japantown, I am continuously charmed by the wealth of visual and edible inspiration that the culture has to offer. And when I purchased the precious little book (above) at Kinokuniya Bookstore last Fall, I paged through it obsessively, trying to decipher in pictures what I could not in words. 

Since then, I've had bento on the brain, and after recently purchasing this book (in English), and a few fun supplies from here and here, I embarked on a bento adventure of my own, resulting in a snack of seaweed salad, sweet potato turkey nuggets, and tamari-glazed squash and shiitake skewers, all topped off by a happy bear egg! 

Truth be told, beautiful bitty bentos are a lot harder to pull off than they look, but at least my first attempt was delightful and delicious. And it certainly is a great way to convince children (and adults) to eat their vegetables! Or, as the Japanese saying goes, "Eat with your eyes," not just your mouth.

Get more information here, and here.