have you ever smelled a tatine candle? they're beautiful. the past few months they've become my go-to for host/hostess gifts.





wouldn't it be cool if we could share scents over the internet?

i'm posting this using one hand because ollie is sitting next to me, watching thomas. thomas pisses me off...i think we'll need to phase thomas out of the offerings.

speaking of hands, i love this little dimpled hand.

elsewhere

things have been busy. good, but busy.

i have lots i want to share, but not today. instead, i give you links.

galaxy nails from a cup of jo. (i love a cup of jo. so much good stuff.) lalso, check the amazing jewelry, from brvtvs, in the photos.

the design*sponge book. i bought my copy last friday and have been savoring each page. lots of inspiration.

how amazing do the cookies on shauna's blog look? yes please!

consignment

since we moved to the east bay almost a year ago, i've found some children's clothing consignment stores i really like for ollie. $5 for a pair of brand new vans can't be beat.

recently i also discovered a consignment store for me! sunday's purchases:

bracelets

my sweet friend jane, who i met when we were 16 and became friends with instantly, has been a friend for almost 20 years. she is also one of my very favorite people in the world. she's my go-to for book recommendations and one of the few people i love to talk to on the phone -- we can yap for hours.

jane worked in a bead store when we were younger. she taught me a ton about different beads and techniques. we spent many a night seed beading and wire working. 16-17 years later, i still have all of the beads i bought way back when. and i've added to the collection often over the years.

i got inspired this weekend and made some bracelets.






i put one on gabe last night but he took it off. send me an email with "bracelet" in the subject, to tmcolla at yahoo dot com and i'll send you a bracelet of my choice, at no cost.


read jane's excellent blog here.

food

on friday night we had ollie's best bud and his wonderful family over for dinner. the kids had fun and us parents did, too.

we barbecued hots and hams, made a green salad, and i made pasta ponza. (people seem to love her or hate her, but i'm a fan of giada. i find her recipes to be super simple and always tasty. gabe didn't love the pasta, but i did. two helpings loved it.)



here's the recipe if you're interested.

Ingredients

Butter for greasing
2 cups (12 ounces) red cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
2 cups (12 ounces) yellow cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup capers, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
1/2 cup Italian-style seasoned breadcrumbs
1 pound ziti or other short tube-shaped pasta
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 ounces) Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Directions
Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 8-inch glass baking dish. Set aside.

Place the tomatoes, capers, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in the prepared baking dish. Toss to coat. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the tomato mixture. Drizzle the top with olive oil and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the top is golden. Cool for 5 minutes.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water.

Place the pasta in a large serving bowl. Spoon the tomato mixture onto the pasta. Add the cheese and toss well. Thin out the sauce with a little pasta water, if needed. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve immediately.

recipe via food network.

after reading through the recipe, i realize i did 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, instead of half cup. next time i make it, i want to add garlic, onion and zucchini.

speaking of food, two of my favorite people started a food blog. their names are gabrielle and craig. these two folks used to live upstairs from us in the city. it was always a treat to eat dinner with them. they're both great cooks. they're my favorite people, along with gabe, to dine with.

seriously, i love these two to pieces. they're some of the sweetest, kindest, and coolest people i know. but enough about my love for them, go see for yourself. e is for eats. read them, i promise you won't be sorry.

p.s., the E shelf pictured on their blog? it's full of food they canned.

this is beautifully written.

check out these singles from the band continental's last show in 2007. available for your listening pleasure, for free here.

my very first self made margarita! i'm obsessed--they are SO good.


if i am not stepping on a cheerio, i see a spider. it's an either or thing in this house.


ollie, in his backpack, collecting "leafwiches." leafwiches are courtesy of dinosaur trian. backpack is courtesy of our dear friends. please note the backpack was not able to be removed for lunch or movie watching. he's hardcore.

happy tuesday, folks.*

on friday i was telling a coworker about our grand plans to go to lake anza on saturday. said coworker has twins, who are close to ollie's age. he advised against lake anza (due to high bacteria levels) and recommended cull canyon. he didn't have to tell me twice. cull canyon it was.

i immediately started dreaming up snacks.

the place did not disappoint. it was like barton springs, in texas, except... not quite as amazing.



it was great though, and i expect as ollie gets older, it will only be more relaxing. the place is flush with lifeguards. i know this because i kept telling gabe i wished my stomach still looked like theirs...flat and tan. as i shoveled chips into my mouth.

there were tons of people who brought tents, which really turned out to be like private cabanas.

i loved the woman who brought her own hammock. she was blatantly reading a self help book and her husband/lover/partner, who was wearing a speedo, was eating ice cream out of a carton. gabe asked me who brings a carton of ice cream on a picnic? right! i also loved that the two women with them were mixing cocktails under the hammock and drinking their cocktails out of coffee mugs.


here's the umbrella we bought for vacation two years ago and never used until this year. we've used it a bunch this year but it still has the tags on it. ollie calls it the bumbrella.


family portrait.

i've been gone for a week (+) for no good reason other than i've been sitting on my couch with pen and paper, instead of computer. (or "pawncuter," if your name is oliver.)

this is from here and it makes me happy.