engineer. plan. create.

Springtime Visit

2011-11-20T11:00:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, two new posts in one day. Contain yourself!

This is my last of spring / summer posts sitting on my to-do list, so why not crank it out while I'm in the mood? Back over Memorial Day weekend, my parents flew out from Portland to visit us. I always love having visitors, because it means we go out and see stuff that we typically skip as locals. This time it was Great Falls Park, which we enjoyed from the Virginia side. Only 45 minutes from home, and there it was!

Memorial Day Picnic at Great Falls Park.

Great Falls.

Feet in the Sculpture Garden fountain.

Breakfast at Teaism in Dupont.

SF Trip :: The Produce

2011-11-20T10:09:00.000-08:00

Welllll turns out I took an extended blogging break. Whoops. Sorry folks. After an incredibly busy fall (three out of town weddings in about a month...), I got the urge to blog this afternoon for some reason, and saw that I had one remaining SF trip post.

One of the biggest things we miss about Berkeley is the produce. Flat out, there is no comparison. It's incredibly fresh and tasty and drop dead gorgeous. We made sure to hit up the North Berkeley farmers' market during our trip and swooned over the early summer offerings. Through the magic of the internets, now you can too!

SF Trip :: The Food

2011-09-18T11:09:00.000-07:00

One of the things we were most excited about when planning our SF trip was the food. Seriously. They are serving up some amazingly fresh and creative grub out by the bay. We didn't waste time and planned our days around hitting up old favorites, with a few new joints thrown in.

Breakfast at Venus.

Taquitos from Flacos at the North Berkeley Farmers' Market.

Mac and cheese at Homerule in Oakland.

Vegan cinnamon rolls from Cinnaholic. A-mazing.

Vegan apple sage dog and tots from Underdog in the Sunset.

Pie and coffee from Mission Pie, who made our wedding pies a year earlier.

Cocktails at Medjool's rooftop bar.

Roasted corn at Gracias Madre in the Mission.

A perfect breakfast gathered together from Monterey Market and Espresso Roma.

Roasted asparagus from Millenium, our favorite restaurant in the world.

SF Trip :: The Places

2011-09-07T18:12:00.000-07:00

First off, wow - I'm loving this new blogger interface. It's about time. For realz. I may even get inspired and change around the format a bit... exciting!

Back in May, Andy and I took a trip out to the Bay Area to celebrate our first wedding anniversary, visit with some much-missed friends, and eat as much delicious food as possible. Seriously, the food over there is mind-boggling, especially compared to the eats in DC. But that will be another post (or two).

Here's a pictorial journey through all the places we hit up during our trip. Most of them are favs that we couldn't resist seeing again.

Stonemountain Daughter. Hearts.

North Berkeley Farmers' Market

My favorite tree - as seen on our walk from our old apartment to Indian Rock.

Indian Rock.

Flower stand outside Cheeseboard on Shattuck.

Emily's garden.

Gracias Madre = tasty vegan Mexican food in the Mission.

Ocean Beach.

The Sunset.

SF MOMA.

More from Back in April

2011-08-25T10:22:00.000-07:00

Hmm, I'm noticing a pattern. All my posts are about stuff that happened 4 months ago. What can I say, April was a crazy busy (fun) month! Since I'm too lazy to actually write something, here's some photos and long-ish captions.

Vamanos United! Still have yet to see them score a goal.

I do believe that's Ms. E.W. hidden behind the wisteria. She came out for a fab few days where we checked out the Textile Museum, wandered from yarn shop to yarn shop, drank lattes, hit up Nordstrom Rack, and generally had a ball. I'm crossing my fingers that she gets to come out again in October for Railvolution!

I do love me some wisteria - this is at the Textile Museum. One of the things I miss about Berkeley, where it seemed the whole town was covered in purple flowers for a week every spring.

My fav painting at the Phillips Collection, a few blocks from our apartment. Thanks to Bank of America, I get to gaze at it for free the first weekend of each month.

Rucola pizza at Vapiano. I never fail to eat the whole thing in one sitting.

NYC in April

2011-08-14T10:17:00.000-07:00

Helllooo there. Back in April Andy and I took a trip up to NYC. My excuse (wait, who needs an excuse to visit one of the best cities in the world?) was to attend a Project for Public Spaces workshop, and Andy joined up with me over the weekend. We are fortunate enough to have some amazing friends who are willing to put us up in their charming Brooklyn apartment, and generally show us all the best parts of the big apple.

I instantly fell in love with Bryant Park. How could you not?

Children's reading area at Bryant Park.

Madison Square Park, with ukulele jam session.

Madison Square Park.

Andy at Central Park, soaking up the sun.

Absolutely terrific vegan food.

Taylor, Andrew, and Andy at the High Line.

Shots of Summertime

2011-07-23T09:05:00.000-07:00

These were taken back when it was in the 90s instead of the 100s (or 110s). As in, back when I was willing to leave the A/C.

Strawberry + Rhubarb from Pitango Gelato

Philly in April

2011-06-26T10:19:00.000-07:00

A long time ago, back in April, I took a work trip up to Philly for a day. Except there wasn't much work about it. Mostly just great eating and exploring of urban spaces. We also met with the Center City BID, who does a fantastic job keeping downtown looking spic and span. Let's just say, it was a pretty good day to go to work :)

Riding the subway

Reading Terminal Market

Chestnut Park: owned by the Center City BID

we interrupt this blogging break

2011-05-31T16:32:00.000-07:00

Hey folks. Sorry for the silence over here. I got busy and visited some peeps and other peeps visited us, and well, you know the drill. But, enough with the excuses!

I had to post this. Totally awesome. Here's a two of my favs:

Another note, listen to this. You won't be disappointed. It will make your day better, I promise. It will be available for the next few days until their album is released on June 7. Let's just say that the Givers rock my socks off, and I'm so happy they are hitting it big!

The wait is over!

2011-04-17T11:18:00.000-07:00

Everyone can breathe a bit sigh of relief, because the DC typographic map has finally been released. I know, it's been a hard wait. There were days when we doubted whether it would ever actually happen. But here we are, and there's a dandy new poster in the mail heading my way. NYC peeps, there's finally one for you too.

It's too bad the square-ish DC doesn't entirely fit in the rectangular poster

Map detail that includes my block

Springtime

2011-04-10T13:04:00.000-07:00

DC is really blowing up with color. More photos here.

Napkins

2011-03-26T09:15:00.000-07:00

For a while I've been wanting to make cloth napkins. We have paper ones (really fun paper ones) but they don't have the same feel as cloth. So this winter while in Portland, my momma and I headed over to Bolt and found a great variety of fat quarters, which make napkins a snap. Boy, that Bolt is fun. Sigh.

To make the napkins, I zigzagged around the edges, then mitered the corners and topstitched. Easy.

Can you spy the contrasting orange topstitching?

Voila!

things that make me smile: v.003

2011-03-20T19:46:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been listening to a lot of podcasts. A lot. Especially at work and the gym. And my two favs are Radiolab and This American Life.

I know, I know. These have been around for years, and I'm just discovering them. Well, since I've been living under a rock, I have years and years of old content to listen to. Score!

These two never disappoint. I love you Ira Glass.

Curtains

2011-03-19T09:14:00.000-07:00

During our trip to Purl Soho we picked up some fabric for curtains in our bedroom (our only windows in our apartment...). It was so fun being in a fabric store with oodles of bright, inspiring prints to choose from.

This corner had always seemed to need a bit of something to draw interest to it and balance the bed. These curtains are just the thing to add some color and fun.

Unfortunately I couldn't get the prints to line up on the blue and green fabric (grrr circles not in line with the fabric grain), but hey, they're handmade you know? I collected some green and blue odds and ends from around the house and arranged them on the sill. That lamp is still kinda bugging me, but for now it's fine :)

things that make me smile: v.002

2011-03-12T12:02:00.001-08:00

spring! and daffodils coming up all over the place.

image from here.

New Office, New Job

2011-03-12T09:16:00.000-08:00

So, as I said in an earlier post, I've got a sweet new job. Along with my job comes a sweet new office. At this point I've logged 6 weeks in my new digs: enough time to hang stuff on the walls and make it feel like my own. I'm still in search of a plant or two to finish it off. (And rumor has it that my ugly mauve carpeting will soon be replaced... fingers crossed!)

Before: first day on the job

Before: view from the desk

After: my desk

After: that bike rack has since been installed :)

After: retro bicycle advertisement and vintage Underground postcards from the London Transport Museum

After: Ork poster and window

After: the other window

After: bookshelf and art

Purl Soho

2011-03-05T07:53:00.000-08:00

We made a quick visit to Purl Soho during our February weekend in NYC. I've been wishing to visit their store for several years, thanks to their oh so pretty blog, the Purl Bee. Let's just say the store lived up to all expectations :) And we came away with a few yards of fabric for curtains in our bedroom - which I have miraculously already sewed and hung. Sounds like my next post...

Eye Candy

2011-03-03T15:57:00.000-08:00

Here's a sampling of "a taxonomy of city blocks" by French artist Armelle Caron - I would love to frame the DC version (if there was such a version). Very cool according to my planner/nerdy self :)

Paris

Tamarac, Florida

New York City

Berlin

Images from here.

Scenes from NYC

2011-02-24T16:56:00.000-08:00

A few looks at our trip to NYC a few weeks ago. A big thank you to our hosts, Taylor and Andrew, who live in an absolutely charming Brooklyn apartment. I'm already looking forward to staying with them again! I know Taylor from my days at Berkeley (she was one year behind me in my engineering / planning program) and so she totally understood my need to see all the nerdy New York planning sights. They're doing some cool stuff, you know?

The High Line - need to go back when it's not freezing!

Schaller & Weber German Deli

Two Little Red Hens Bakery

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

something that makes me smile: v.001

2011-02-21T08:15:00.000-08:00

:: trying a new recipe: peanut+cashew butter waffles from vegan brunch.

inspired by little things and 1,000 awesome things, i've decided to keep a blog journal of things that make me smile (in addition to my regular posts). this is mostly for my benefit, as it will hopefully make me more aware of the small nice things in life, but hopefully it will be fun to read them as well :) feel free to comment with something that made you smile today.

image from hypebeast

Winter Break :: Part II

2011-02-19T07:21:00.000-08:00

And a few more pics of our (winter.family.birthday.christmas.new year's) trip...

Beer tasting at the Rogue Brewery

My parents in the sun

Winter Break :: Part I

2011-02-19T06:19:00.000-08:00

Ok I know these are ridiculously old, but here's a few shots from our winter break tour:

DC --> Cincinnati --> Portland --> DC.

Snowy walk in Cincinnati

New Year's Eve: Pink Martini at the Schnitz

Lunch at Mo's in Newport, Oregon

p.s. enjoy the fancy Mo's intro music if you click on the link above :)

Gorgeous day at the Oregon Coast

xo

2011-02-13T19:59:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day, dear readers! Hope you are spending the day with loved ones. Andy and I are planning on meeting up for a Valentine's lunch at Busboys and Poets. I will definitely be ordering the vegan calzone with a tasty soy chai for dessert :)

New Office Decor

2011-01-29T16:13:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was my first day of work, and thus my first day in my new office! I wasted no time ordering art to fill up my blank walls. I'm finally starting to feel like DC is home, and given that my new job is very DC-centric, I chose the following two prints:

Ork City Neighborhood poster in Crackberry

DC art print

A poster size of this one is first on my wish list as soon as it becomes available for DC (which is the next city to be completed along with NYC according to their website)! Here's the Chicago version to whet your appetite :)

Art with an Artist

2011-01-24T10:24:00.000-08:00

Back in November, we had a visit from a dear friend, who also happens to be a very talented artist and is about to jump into her first semester of art school (go Em!). While she was here we enjoyed a week of sightseeing, chatting, and wandering and a good dose of inspiration.

One day we walked to our local Whole Foods on P Street and spotted a mural down the alley. Em recognized the artist, and we were both taken by the large-scale graphic quality of the work. Gorgeous. And hidden!

This one is currently my iPhone wallpaper. Goes great with my red case.

We also took a day or two to explore the National Gallery of Art. We all enjoyed the East building, which is the newer wing and contains the modern collection. I loved the Calder room, where the lighting delicately plays off the swirling mobiles overhead. So fun.

Winter Crafting Update

2011-01-21T06:19:00.000-08:00

Greetings fabulous readers! I have emerged from holidays and am ready to blog. Yes, it's been an embarrassingly long time since my last post (ahem, Dec. 23), but who's counting? Lots of good stuff happened in that month. I concluded the last internship of my life (woohoo!), applied for "real" jobs, and got one! We flew to both Ohio and Portland to see both sets of families, had at least three Christmases, three birthdays for me, and one awesome New Year's Eve. We drove to the Oregon coast and were greeted with sun (!), I tried snowboarding for the first time, and already bought my own helmet and goggles to go again! In short - life is good :)

So, let's get back to business. Before Christmas I spent a Saturday afternoon making candied almonds for my close friends from high school. I always feel a little cookied-out over the holidays, and thought almonds might be a nice change of pace. I used this recipe and added some dried orange peel as well. They came out great (make sure to read the comments on the recipe for some helpful tips) and were a snap to make.

Nom.

I packaged them up in ziploc bags (with the zipper part cut off), tied them with a bit of ribbon, and added a tag (reused pieces of a cardboard gift box) stating what they were. Fun and easy.

In other news, I finished up my knitting project just before the cold hit DC (and have been wearing it nonstop ever since!). It's the Burberry Inspired Cowl, which I posted about on ravelry here. Loved the yarn (Malabrigo Worsted in Lettuce), loved the pattern (I'm making one for Andy now per his request!), love how it adds a needed coziness to my day.

In progress: before attaching the ends together

Finished!

Christmas Spirit

2010-12-21T19:06:00.000-08:00

The Christmas spirit hit us the evening of Thanksgiving. It stayed around for 4 days (long enough to do a few crafts and crank out Christmas cards), then promptly left. Is it really Christmas eve eve? My mind can't get around that some how. Nevertheless, a few Christmas-y photos from our apartment for you.

Baby ornaments from Target's dollar section strung on ribbon

Outdoor lights wrapped around a metal wreath ring (picked up on the sidewalk in Berkeley last year)

May 2011 bring you joy and peace!

xo, Megan

A Quick Change

2010-12-12T07:04:00.000-08:00

Andy and I are mostly happy with our apartment, but the bedroom feels like it's lacking a little something... The other day I was staring at the built-in shelves, thinking about how the displays were a little ho-hum. The solution? Create a background worth looking at. With a few $3 pieces of paper from Paper Source, the space was totally transformed. The yellow floral design plays off the yellow headboard across the room, and generally makes us feel a bit sunnier on these dark December mornings :)

The before

The after

So much more fun!

Back when I was complaining about 90 degrees

2010-12-09T18:00:00.000-08:00

My fabulous parents came out to visit us in late September. I know, ages ago. Back when I was wearing sandals and sunscreen (instead of a giant purple beast of a coat). And I'm just now posting photos. Oh well.

It was a lovely week or two, with lots of sightseeing and getting to know the city. And of course, over too soon!

Mom and me

Along the ride from Alexandria to Mount Vernon

Mount Vernon

Hilarious.

Food, Lately

2010-12-05T17:55:00.000-08:00

A round-up of tasty things we've been munching on lately...

A Kanagy Family classic: spaghetti noodles pan fried up with eggs and "bacon" served with applesauce

White bean and roasted garlic soup from VwaV, with some carrots thrown in

Vegan pie. Need I say more?

Homemade granola: oats, almonds, cashews, maple syrup, agave, canola oil, and spices

Goodbye, Fall

2010-12-05T05:54:00.000-08:00

A last lovely look at fall in DC, taken a few weeks ago.

It's now dropped to the 30s here, and the leaves are nearly gone. I'm hoping for my first east coast snow before we fly out for Christmas!

Apartment Tour :: Bedroom

2010-12-02T18:03:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our apartment! This is the rather late beginning of a tour of our new place in DC. We begin with the bedroom, because it was the cleanest :)

Entering, framed wedding invitation by a dear friend

New bed!

Looking back towards the entrance, closet, wedding photos on the wall

Small built-in bookshelf, mirror, honeymoon photos

Halloween.2010

2010-11-27T06:05:00.000-08:00

As we have just passed Thanksgiving, I thought it was perfect timing to share the Halloween pics :) This year Andy and I were green granny smith apples - an idea born out of last-minute shopping at Target, where a mob of desperate souls were frantically diving at the few ragtag costumes left on the shelf. I wandered around until I thought of something I could fashion out of materials purchased at Target, and voila!, came up with green apples. Our apple suits are made of green tablecloth, stapled and taped together and gathered with string at the top and bottom, and our stems are cardboard attached to headbands with floral wire. Needless to say given the photos below, much to our surprise, our costumes were not nearly as creative or crafty as the other attendees at the party we went to.

Fall

2010-11-13T16:20:00.000-08:00

I took a run through my neighborhood this afternoon and took my camera with me. I can't get enough of the colors of my first east coast fall.

Sanity, Restored

2010-11-11T06:07:00.000-08:00

One of the great things about living in DC is that this is where rallies happen. And of course when we heard this one was coming to town, we knew we had to be there. So did lots of other people it turns out. We could almost see and sometimes hear, which was better than about half of the estimated 200,000 who joined us. I have to say, it was a very polite and sane crowd :)

Walking down the Mall

Oh my god, so many people.

Crowd surfing Waldo!

Walking down the Pennsylvania Ave. cycle track on the way home

Lampshade Update

2010-11-07T14:57:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I embarked on a crafty endeavor: recovering a set of cotton candy pink lampshades, picked up by a friend from ikea. Due to the difference between the color portrayed on ikea's website and their actual tone (I should have wondered when she asked, "Are you sure you want pink??"), we had a bit of a decorating dilemma on our hands.

Clearly the "before" picture

I ordered some orange fabric to recover them, but thwarted by the internets and it's color trickiness once again. So I looked around. And found a perfect match - a handwoven scarf from Guatemala brought back by a dear friend. As it was a bit thin for DC's winters, I re-purposed it to lampshade duty.

After watching several how-to videos on youtube, I traced a lampshade onto a piece of butcher paper to make a template. I then cut out the fabric and adhered it to the lampshade with fabric glue and spray adhesive. It was a little tough working with such a thin and stretchable fabric, but after a few swear words it finally worked.

Ta da! The lightweight woven fabric is perfect for this project, as it looks lovely with the light shining through. Love how they came out.

Up next, the rest of the bedroom, including a homemade headboard!

Seema & Karan

2010-10-26T16:27:00.000-07:00

This is the last of my summer 2010 wedding posts, and it's a pretty incredible one to end on. One of my best friends from high school, Seema, got married at a vineyard near Salem, Oregon, which is about 45 minutes south of Portland. Seema and her (now) husband Karan chose to have a traditional Indian wedding, which reflects both of their families' heritage. Needless to say, it was GORGEOUS.

Seema's amazing wedding outfit, called a lengha

Seema's mom generously sewed saris for our group of high school friends who didn't already have one hanging in our closet :) Before the ceremony we gathered in the bridal suite and were wrapped and pinned into our outfits. It was a great mixture of young and old, with much debate over the "proper" way to pin a sari.

One of the best parts of this wedding was all the vibrant colors, beautifully represented by the jewel-toned saris.

I got to participate in a fun tradition of Seema's family - one of the highlights of the day. When the bride and groom step onto the stage or platform for the ceremony, they remove their shoes. The bride's female relatives and friends then try to steal the groom's shoes, as he cannot leave the platform without them. If they succeed, the groom must pay them money to get them back. Of course, the groom's friends were expecting us, and had a posse ready to defend the shoes. Lots of chasing and subterfuge ensued, but we got the shoes!

Lisl, above in the red sari, was a champion shoe-stealer

Dan & Laura

2010-10-10T13:23:00.000-07:00

In the second of our series of summer weddings, we have Dan, Andy's high school friend, and Laura, his beautiful bride. Their late July wedding happened to coincide with our trip back to Cinci for our reception, lucky for us :) The wedding took place at Laura's parents' house, with the ceremony in the front and reception in the back.

The guests were treated to a full bbq menu for dinner (with plenty of vegan options), and homemade pie and ice cream for dessert.

i loved the table decorations and flower arrangements!

A vintage vw van was parked in the driveway, which served as the pie and ice cream serving area. It made a great background for photos too!

As the night went on, the twinkly lights came on and the groom set fireworks off into the sky (never mind that one misfired and shot through the back yard at close range...whoops).

MapQuilts

2010-10-01T07:07:00.000-07:00

Today I discovered the world of map quilts. It combines two of my true loves, so of course I jumped right in. Love love love the DC quilt above. Too bad the smallest size is $2400.

I also found a link for a Tokyo subway map quilt pattern, which is surprisingly simple. It got me thinking... DC Metro map quilt? Red line, green line, yellow line, blue line, orange line all intertwining on a gray background.

Ian & Rebecca

2010-09-26T06:12:00.000-07:00

Here begins a series of summer wedding posts. The first is our dear Berkeley friends Ian & Rebecca, whose wedding fell two weeks after ours. It was simply divine to attend a beautiful wedding that I had absolutely no involvement in planning :)

We started out the weekend with a potluck picnic for the guests at a local park, with Berkeley's own Cheeseboard pizza as the main.

The picnic led into a wiffle ball match, in which the bride bravely slid for home at one point!

On the following day, we met at the top of Gaia Building for the gorgeous wedding ceremony.

From the ceremony site we could see San Francisco across the bay, and Hotel Shattuck, the reception venue, across the street.

Dinner, drinks, and dancing followed (including a dance-off!). A wonderful way to celebrate a wonderful couple!

Capital Bikeshare Launch

2010-09-20T14:34:00.000-07:00

Today was a big day. Capital Bikeshare, the largest bikesharing system in the U.S. launched today. And I coordinated the launch event!

The day was a big success and the system is now up and running. We had over 150 riders participate in the inaugural ride to bikeshare stations throughout DC and Arlington at the end of the event. The bikes looked amazing all lined up together and made for some great shots.

More fun articles about the launch:
NY Times
League of American Bicyclists
CommuterPageBlog

Crepes, Savory and Sweet

2010-09-18T04:15:00.000-07:00

Many moons ago, back when we lived in Berkeley, we took the 18 bus down one Sunday to visit a dear friend. And per her marvelous suggestion, we made crepes. And not just any crepes, a fabulous "cake" of mushrooms, (vegan) cheese, and crepes.

And of course, you might as well make a strawberry crepe cake too while you're at it. All it takes is sliced berries, a little sugar, and a squeeze of lemon.

Notice EW's amazing shirt: "You just got Carcassonned!"

Late Summer

2010-09-11T19:06:00.000-07:00

Maybe this will inspire me to go to the farmers market tomorrow morning (if I can brave the crowds and prices). From here.

Bicycles in Copenhagen

2010-09-11T10:12:00.000-07:00

This is the last Europe-themed post. Sad, but it's time to move on! We went to a few fabulous weddings this summer that each deserve a post, as well as our new life in DC. Speaking of which, FALL is coming! Today it was cool enough to open the windows and doors during the morning. So so lovely after an endless stream of 90+ degree days!

So, bicycles in Copenhagen. What can I say? CPH is known as one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the world. A reported 55% of commuters go by bike in the city. Compare that to 2.3% in DC.

The story goes that a few decades ago CPH was headed in the same direction as the US: increasing drive-alone rates, decreasing walking and biking rates. Auto-oriented development was taking over. But the city decided to step in and change that, investing heavily in bicycle infrastructure. There are grade-separated bike lanes throughout - which means you can pedal around happily without worrying about interference from cars!

Blue bike lane through an intersection

One of the coolest pieces of CPH's bicycle network is the green wave - an arterial street where the traffic lights are timed for bicycles. There's also an infrared bicycle counter at the bridge crossing which tells you what number of cyclist you are to cross that point for the day and year. It really makes you feel like you're part of a larger movement and the numbers are quite impressive!

Infrared bicycle counter with blue bike lane in background

The green wave

Bicycling along the green wave

The Bicycles in Amsterdam

2010-09-08T16:14:00.000-07:00

One of the most remarkable things about Amsterdam is the sheer number of bicycles you encounter. It was my first experience witnessing bicycling as an all-encompassing way of life on a citywide scale. Magical I tell you :)

The mail is delivered by bike!

A favorite game: how many kids can you carry on one bike?

Bicycle left turn pocket

Bicycle parking garage at the train station

London Transport Museum

2010-09-04T06:02:00.000-07:00

One of my highlights in London was visiting the London Transport Museum. They had some great posters from the 1920s - 1940s advertising living along and traveling on the Underground. As a transportation nerd, I found these fascinating examples of transit branding and marketing. Plus, they were all so pretty!

A poster for a housing development along the Underground - "A place of delightful prospects"

Early Underground Tickets

This one is a public service announcement informing passengers of the proper Underground conduct

Copenhagen

2010-08-31T16:10:00.000-07:00

London :: Paris :: Amsterdam :: Berlin :: Crete :: Copenhagen

Copenhagen was our last stop on our European adventure. It's a city that gets touted as one of the most bike-friendly in the world, and both Andy and I wanted a taste of Scandinavia.

Colorful Nyhavn

We stayed in the central city, wandering through the city's pedestrian-only streets and exploring parks and museums. By this point of the trip we were getting a little burnt out, and would often return to the hotel around 4pm for an afternoon nap, emerging around 9pm for gelato along the canal.

Eating a Danish in Denmark

We often found ourselves walking down the Stroget, a winding street lined with high-end shops and eateries. Its popularity flatly rebuts the claim that closing off streets to cars kills retail. In this case, it's precisely the opposite.

The pedestrian-only Stroget

On our last day we rented bikes from our hotel and set off to experience the city via its favorite mode. The bicycle infrastructure warrants its own post (and it's coming up!), but I must say it was fabulous. Riding along an urban arterial on a completely grade-separated facility is quite inspiring. And fun :)

Crete

2010-08-28T12:37:00.000-07:00

London :: Paris :: Amsterdam :: Berlin :: Crete :: Copenhagen

After Berlin, we took a vacation from our vacation and headed south to Crete. We spent our days sunning on the sand, dipping our toes into the turquoise water, and eating fresh seafood swimming in olive oil. Although Andy is vegan and I'm vegetarian, we chose to eat seafood while traveling through Europe and definitely had our fill in Greece.

Elafonisi

We took a bus one day to Elafonisi, a sand island off the southwestern tip of Crete. It was amazing: acres of shallow clear water and pinkish sand.

Pink sand at Elafonisi

We stayed in Kissamos (also called Kastelli), a small town about 45 minutes from the Chania airport. It had a village-like feel and was largely absent of tourists. The businesses were all family-run, and the waiters all assured us that it was their mothers and grandmothers who would be grilling our cuttlefish and chopping the tomatoes.

Ready for dinner in Kissamos

We're ready to go back :)

Our last meal in Greece

Berlin

2010-08-26T09:05:00.000-07:00

London :: Paris :: Amsterdam :: Berlin :: Crete :: Copenhagen

I have to admit, we didn't really love Berlin. I actually speak a bit of German, so I was expecting to come into my own here. It's a little disjointed, especially compared to London and Paris.

Berlin is definitely a city in transition. It feels as if it's eagerly pressing forward, but also obligated to hold onto the past. Every other block has a reminder of the horrors the city faced: the Berlin Wall, the Holocaust, WWI... The souvenir shops sell WWII gas masks and East-West Berlin passports.

Souvenir passport stamping in front of sections of the Berlin Wall

The Holocaust Memorial

East Berlin

We did have a fun time exploring the neighborhood surrounding Sowohl Als Auch, a coffeehouse with the reportedly best cake in the city. The slice of chocolate I had was quite good :) We also enjoyed several World Cup matches, including a German victory.

Sowohl Als Auch

Amsterdam

2010-08-25T16:03:00.000-07:00

London :: Paris :: Amsterdam :: Berlin :: Crete :: Copenhagen

Amsterdam surprised us. We unanimously voted it our favorite city, and agreed it was the only one we could truly see ourselves living in someday. The canal houses lining the water provided a colorful antidote to Paris' monotonous (though admittedly lovely) cream and gray.

It was refreshingly fun to explore a city where the bikes outnumbered the cars (or at least appeared to). Amsterdam has one of the highest bicycle commute mode shares, and it's clearly evident in the central city.

Tulip Museum across from the Anne Frank House

We kept it pretty relaxed in this city, which may have added to our enjoyment. Every morning we lingered over a traditional Dutch breakfast in our charminghotel: hard boiled eggs, cheese, toast, and tea. After breakfast we wandered through parks, walked along the canals, visited the Van Gogh Museum, and ate take-out from Wok to Walk.

Look for a future post on bicycling/walking/transit in Amsterdam!

Paris

2010-08-23T16:01:00.000-07:00

London :: Paris :: Amsterdam :: Berlin :: Crete :: Copenhagen

We had the most amazing time in Paris. How could you not? We smartly decided to spend 7 nights there - the most of any of our six cities.

The Louvre at sunset

Each morning we headed out into the streets of Paris for breakfast - a demi baguette for Andy and a croissant and espresso for me. Eating in Paris was a little tricky for a vegan and vegetarian, but with the help of the internets, we found Bob's Kitchen - a communal-style cafe with plenty of vegan options and delicious fresh juices. And then we promptly ate there every day.

One of our favorites, Bonne Mamam jam

One day we wandered around Montmartre. I adored the winding village-like streets and charming cafe scenes. We climbed to the top and watched the tourists and street performers outside the Sacre Coeur. Later that afternoon I enjoyed one of France's most amazing delicacies: a freshly made crepe with nutella.

The perfect croissant in Montmartre

Paris is almost achingly beautiful. With it's uniform color palette of creams and grays, grand boulevards, and distinct architecture, it left us truly inspired.

Parisian multi-family housing near the Eiffel Tower

made by joel.

2010-08-18T16:49:00.000-07:00

I think I found my new favorite blog. Made by Joel. He's an artist living in Portland who makes amazingly creative toys for his kids during their nap time. Inspiring, whether you have a little one or not!

London

2010-08-18T15:59:00.000-07:00

London :: Paris :: Amsterdam :: Berlin :: Crete :: Copenhagen

After Andy and I got married, we spent our two remaining weeks in Berkeley packing up our little apartment and putting everything into storage. We sold or gave away all of our big pieces of furniture to lighten the load. When the last box was put away, we jumped on a plane and headed for the first city of our five-week honeymoon: London!

We decided to only visit six cities in our five weeks, giving us some time to get to know each place a little bit. There is so much to do in London (most of it free!), that we found ourselves pretty exhausted at the end of our time there. I'd definitely love to go back someday!

Millennium Bridge and St. Paul's Cathedral

We spent most of our days walking around the city from museum to museum. The Tate Modern was one of our favorites, and other highlights include seeing the Rosetta Stone and Cleopatra's mummy at the British Museum.

I made sure to stop in and check out Liberty and their amazing fabric section. The entire store had a certain timelessness, but unfortunately the price tags mirrored the quality of goods.

Liberty Fabrics

Big Ben

One of my favorite stops was the London Transport Museum, located at Covent Garden. It was a lovely journey through the conception and the development of the public transportation system in London. In addition to model streetcars and buses, there were plenty of 1920s-1940s art posters advertising the Underground, which I'll show in a later post. One of the best parts was the gift shop though! I wished my suitcase was bigger :)

London Transport Museum

Stockings, anyone?

2010-08-17T18:08:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know this is wayyy out of season, but I accidentally stumbled upon this ADORABLE christmas-y fabric. I especially love the top one. Well, really all of them. And a few more on the website... All are from here.

Wedding: Part III

2010-08-16T17:51:00.000-07:00

Having a pretty unstructured wedding means that sometimes things happen a bit differently than you imagined. We completely missed our first dance song while we were out taking photos, and ended up dancing to the next slow song in our ipod playlist. But we just laughed and swayed to Norah Jones instead of Ben Harper. As I kept repeating to myself before the big day, "It may not go according to plan, but it will be perfect." And it was.

first dance

Another strategy we used to keep sane (without hiring a wedding coordinator) was to ask for help. In my experience, guests are honored to be asked and small tasks won't detract from their enjoyment of the day. We had greeters, drink replenishers, pie servers, and campfire builders, just to name a few.

assembling the campfire

As the day wound down, we provided s'mores ingredients and let guests linger around the campfire. With our 24-hour rental period, there was no rushed feeling at the end. Our venue allowed camping, and a few guests pitched tents as the sun set.

catching up around the campfire

Here were a few blogs I found inspiring during wedding planning:

Cheers!

Wedding: Part II

2010-08-16T17:50:00.000-07:00

It was important to us to keep the day casual and FUN. We've all been to a boring wedding (or two), or worse, a wedding where the bride and groom barely get to see their guests. We tried to think of the wedding as a big reunion / dinner party.

old family wedding photos

The food followed the fun and casual theme, with vegetarian / vegan sandwiches, salads, and fruit. We traded out the traditional cake for pie (which we both prefer) and let guests help themselves to drinks.

fabric napkins and wooden silverware

impromptu ultimate frisbee game

Wedding: Part I

2010-08-16T17:43:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the first of three posts on our wedding. Why three? Well, I could only upload four photos at a time from Picasa to Blogger, so there you have it. Not that we only have 12 wedding photos, mind you :)

Apologies also to those reading via RSS feed. I accidentally posted the photos from Part II prematurely, so you might have seen a ghost post show up in your reader. Whoops.

Our mantra for our wedding was to keep it simple, but above all, keep it us. There was a canopy of trees, picnic tables, vegan pie, ultimate frisbee, and s'mores.

green apple centerpieces on picnic tables

Since we were officially married a few days before the big event, we didn't have to worry about finding an officiant and were free to design a ceremony that completely reflected our values and personalities.

exchanging vows

After reciting our vows, we invited the guests to share something in the spirit of the celebration. There were songs, stories, prayers, and poems. It was one of the most meaningful parts of the day and we were amazed and overwhelmed by our generous friends and family.

I'm back.

2010-08-14T14:03:00.000-07:00

Hello again.

It left me for a while, but the itch to blog has returned. Sometimes you just get to a point where uploading photos to blogger is just one too many things to do in a day. For me it was the combination of getting married (wooo!), packing up our beloved Berkeley apartment, traveling around Europe for five weeks, moving across the country, and settling into our new life in DC. Whew.

So there's a lot of things to talk about :) Since I have two unexpected weeks to myself (Andy begins 9-5 math camp for his grad program on Monday) before my new job starts, I see this possible list of posts coming up:

1. The wedding, or how to get married while staying true to yourself and your partner

2. The trip, or tales from an American girl stalking people on bikes

3. The new apartment, or personality tests based on choosing ikea furniture

Stay tuned.

Changes ahead.

2010-05-07T21:16:00.000-07:00

Leaving here.

Moving here.

Craveable prints from here. I'm planning on getting one of each. Reminds me of this book in art form. (But are these prints to scale?)

I hope this is what my life looks like in 6 years...

2010-03-01T18:52:00.000-08:00

From here.

I graduated from the knit stitch!

2010-02-26T20:47:00.000-08:00

Thanks to some major encouragement and prodding from knitting sorceress Ms. E, I finally made a hat. A hat, people! This is a major life accomplishement! I mean, I used circular needles and shit! And I actually like it! Details here.

Happy Valentine's Day! (Only 2 weeks late...)

2010-02-26T20:24:00.000-08:00

So I just spent like 20 minutes writing this particularly inspired post, and then blogger ate it. F*ck me. So here are the pictures. Ugh. That's all I can muster right now.

PS. It was a pretty great Valentine's Day at the Megandy house. Or as it will so be called, the Kanagy/Whitten house. That's right, I'm keeping my name b*tches!

Winter Baking

2010-02-09T18:39:00.000-08:00

Apple crisp in ramekins (just thrown together, no recipe) and pumpkin oatmeal bread from this book. Reallllly loved the bread. It might be my go-to loaf recipe now. Also pining over their new book... Seeing as I've loved making my way through the recipes in the first one, I'm guessing the second will be just as fun!

Short post today - Andy and I just got back from Cincinnati today, finally making it home after dodging some wintry weather. Let's just say it's pretty great to be back in sunny California :)

Also finished!

2010-01-29T15:11:00.000-08:00

For some reason this photo didn't get uploaded with my last post, but really maybe it just new that it deserved its own post! Here's Andy in the scarf I finally got off the knitting needles after over a year... He loves it! It goes great with his black wool pea coat. I actually finished it in Novemember, just in time for winter - whew! (Forget that my plan was to finish it for last winter...)

It's finished!

2010-01-29T15:08:00.000-08:00

I finally fished the quilt! I've been working on it for over a year ( I started dreaming of fabric combinations back in January 2009 on our trip to Santa Cruz at Hart's Fabric), and it feels great to be done! Not to mention that it is perfect for snuggling under :)

It was quite a challenge at times - I think I ripped out the quilting maybe 3 or 4 times (thanks to Elizabeth and my mom for providing some much-needed encouragement!) - all of the difficulties result in the choice of a slightly stretchy, fuzzy fabric for the backing. Never again. I ended up just quilting it by using embroidery floss ties. I'm happy with it in the end!

In other news, we got quite a myriad of cookbooks over Christmas from my lovely family, which required some rearrangement of the bookshelves to accomodate. We ended up moving the cookbooks from their former home in the kitchen to the built-in bookshelves in the living room. So far it's working great and it often inspires me to look through them when I'm sitting at the table. We've really enjoyed trying new recipes, and have a nearly endless supply now to test out!

My momma :)

2009-12-22T13:37:00.000-08:00

You may remember in a few posts back how I professed my love for this calendar. Welllll, my crafty mom surprised me with an early Christmas present yesterday, and let me tell you, it's absolutely gorgeous in person. After squealing with delight, I immediately cleared off a bit of wall space for it between our two built-in bookshelves. I love how one new or repurposed thing can really spruce up the whole room :)

And I can definitely see us framing some of these pages for future art. When I glance through the pages, I think to myself, "This one would be great for a kitchen...this one for a baby's room...and this one in the living room."

Thanks Mom for such a wonderful surprise! I'll be thinking of you as we turn through the pages of 2010!

Love it.

2009-12-18T21:22:00.000-08:00

Words of wisdom. Good for life but also good for when you almost get hit by an asshole who is texting while trying to merge his SUV into your bike lane. Good for when you screech to a stop and turn around mouthing obscenities at said texter, and he just cooly waves you on. Not that such a thing happened to me today.

Looking forward to 2010

2009-12-17T11:59:00.000-08:00

Have I told you that Andy and I have the best friends? How thoughtful and sweet they are? No? Well, let me introduce you to Jen and Ian, who sent us our first official wedding present: the Crow's Callers 2010 calendar, with the most heartfelt note attached. It truly made my day. We already have it hanging (waiting for January to arrive) on a small post between our kitchen and living room, which seems like it was made for a calendar such as this.

I think my favorite is February's picture, a tree swallow perched on a bicycle seat. Such beautiful drawings.

And it arrived in a lovely envelope, with the aforementioned charming card attached.

Thank you Jen and Ian!

Only one thing will do in this weather...

2009-12-12T12:45:00.000-08:00

When it's pouring buckets outside, what to do?

Make potato leek soup!

As Andy and I have been both busy studying lately, our strategy for the weekend is to cook up a big pot of soup and live off of it for the day. One of my favorites is a quick and easy potato leek soup that is a mix of different recipes I saw online.

Ingredients:

Olive oil

1/4 onion, chopped

2 or 3 large leeks, chopped

7-8 cups water

3 vegetable broth cubes (I like Rapunzel's vegan vegetable bouillon with sea salt). Each cube typically makes 2 cups broth, so equivalently you could use 8 cups of slightly watered down veggie broth.

5 - 6 smallish potatoes, diced (yellow creamers are great here!)

Dried rosemary

Salt and pepper

Saute the onion in olive oil until soft, then add the leeks and saute until wilted (about 5 minutes). Add water, broth cubes, and potatoes. Bring to a boil. Add rosemary. Simmer until potatoes are soft (about 20 minutes). Using an immersion blender, blend soup until creamy. Salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy with crusty bread!

...

2009-12-09T14:29:00.000-08:00

Browsing the Paper Source website. Dangerous.

Now I want this and this.

I like this one.

2009-12-08T20:24:00.000-08:00

Check this xkcd comic out.

This is the logic Andy and I use when we eat ice cream for dinner and are too lazy to floss: we're grownups!

Just what I needed.

2009-10-15T20:04:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Andy and I flew up to Bend, Oregon to meet my parents for a weekend in Sunriver. This is a place that we have gone to over the years as a family whenever we've needed to relax and reconnect. We spent the long weekend sleeping in, watching movies on the couch while sipping rum and cokes, cooking tasty meals together, reading, munching on ginger cookies dunked in chai tea, and taking long bike rides along the Deschutes River. Ahhhhh :) I just wish it could have been longer! It truly was just what I needed.

My mom and I also got to finally see Julie and Julia together! It was just as good as I had hoped - Julia Child is quite inspiring. It is never to late to develop a new passion (which might just change the world!).

The most amazing pizza...

2009-10-15T19:58:00.000-07:00

My 5 min. a day bread book has turned out to be a fantastic one to own. The other night I didn't feel like cooking, but had a bit of dough left in the fridge. With a few tomatoes and some fresh basil, I had a truly amazing pizza in no time. Yum.

Apologies, apologies.

2009-09-30T13:43:00.000-07:00

Dear Blog. I'm sorry that I've neglected you. It's been nearly a month since my last post. But you know, it's kind of been nice taking a break. There's a lot of other stuff going on right now, and sometimes you have to lose something to keep your sanity :)

One of the things going on is that Andy and I booked tickets for 5 weeks in Europe next June/early July. I absolutely can't wait. This is a trip that I've dreamed about and I can't believe how lucky I am to have it come true! We're flying direct from SFO to London, and then will definitely be going to Paris, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and Berlin. A few other stops might be added, but I want to make sure to have enough time to truly enjoy and get to know each place a bit.

Sooo a major trip like this means some major shopping :) I've been hitting the online shopping hard (I may have ordered 19 things from Boden...). Two things I'm obsessing the most over currently:

A Pacsafe bag
These Dansko sandals. Still debating between black and brown (and red!)...

I've also starting knitting again, specifically the scarf that I started for Andy over 1 year ago. Pitiful. My goal now is to finish it before November!

In other news, I finished my rough draft of my professional report, which is a degree requirement for my planning master's. I sent it off to my committee members on Sunday and I'm awaiting comments. My fingers are crossed that their feedback is mostly positive and minimal!

It is finally starting to feel like fall in Berkeley! Today I even wore a wool sweater to jury duty (which I thankfully got sent home early from!). Off to bake something and finish up a bit of homework for tomorrow.

The Bart Bart.

2009-09-05T16:46:00.000-07:00

I want this. Does that make me a transit nerd?

Wedding Planning Update

2009-08-31T15:09:00.000-07:00

So since I've been MIA the past few weeks, I thought I'd update y'all on our progress on the wedding planning front.

First off, we have a venue! Well, we've had a venue for a few months now, but it's still exciting :) It's called Rush Ranch and it's a land preserve near Suisun City, CA. There are historic ranch buildings, rolling green (in the spring) hills, a resident goat, grazing cattle, and shady trees. We absolutely love it. Read more here and here.

Next, we have a photographer! His name is Steve and he's really talented and a sincerely nice guy. We'd invite him to the wedding even if he wasn't photographing it!

Onto the food! We haven't quite booked this one, but we're hoping to get Souley Vegan in Oakland to cater. Amazing soul food that also happens to be vegan? Local business that we want to stay in business? Count us in! We're still on the prowl for a vegan pie source, so I'll keep you posted.

Invitations! Our dear friend Emily will be making the invitations for us! Can you believe how lucky we are? She will be coming up with an original design and will screen print the cards. We're really excited to see what she comes up with! If she had a website I would link to it now...

Sorry there's no photo with this post. I know, so lame. Instead check out the photos on flickr tagged with Rush Ranch.

Riding the Crimson Wave

2009-07-28T20:05:00.000-07:00

I just finished a truly unique book. My Little Red Book is a collection of stories from women about their first periods. The women range in age, from those who just started to others who are long past menopause. The book was empowering, funny at times, touching at others, and overall a liberating portrayal of this shared experience.

One of the best parts of this book is the fact that the editor/author is donating all profits to charities that focus on women's health, reproductive rights, and education. A section at the end of the book provides information about these charities, as does the website. Andy and I just made a donation to Camfed, which works to educate and support girls in rural Africa, and ACTSA's Dignity! Period campaign, which provides sanitary products to women in Zimbabwe (where the cost of a package of maxi pads is more than double that of a teacher's monthly salary). I almost wish I had bought this book instead of checking it out from the library just so that my copy would add to the book's donations!

In other news... Lauren brought me the cutest little pot and basil seeds during her visit two weekends ago - and the basil is sprouting! Adorable baby basil pictures coming soon :)

Found

2009-07-21T21:10:00.000-07:00

This little guy followed me home the other day. A lovely green vintage suitcase with a few signs of love but no major damage. Patiently waiting for me on the curb. The best part though? Andy's reaction meeting me at the door - he was just as excited as I was. Of course neither of us have any idea what to do with it just yet :)

Some pictures of food.

2009-07-21T21:04:00.000-07:00

We've been pretty busy around here lately. Friends have been visiting (my college roommate Lauren and suitemate Claire), we've been housesitting for our neighbors, and we've been finding some fun things to do in the evenings after work. Last week we went to see a free showing of Food, Inc., where the house we're taking care of showed up as an interview setting for our neighbor. We felt famous :) Great movie too with an important message.

Here's a few shots of what's been going on between the visits and outings. A free-form peach, apricot, and blueberry pie. Homemade granola. Beautiful eggs from the farmers market. They're almost too pretty to eat.

The Bicycle

2009-07-16T22:08:00.000-07:00

I know. I haven't posted in a while. And I have photos in my camera waiting to be downloaded onto the computer and blogged about. Another time! I just had to write about this adorable stamp set from here. I could kiss them for making a bicycle stamp and leaving a car out of the equation.

Yes, I'm still alive...

2009-06-27T13:49:00.000-07:00

Hello there blog readers. It's true that I've been neglecting you. Will you forgive me?

I can't believe that the summer is flying by so quickly. I've already been at my summer internship for four weeks. It's going well, though it seems like I'm either too busy or looking for more things to do. I guess that's the nature of the consulting world! At least I'm learning some new skills that I hope will prove valuable later - namely, my graphics skills have improved vastly given that I am working with Illustrator nearly every day. And it's been fun exploring a new part of Berkeley. Alta is located in the SW part of the city, in an office / industrial / retail sort of neighborhood. And there's a new Berkeley Bowl right down the street!

So what have I been up to besides work? Well, for one I've been trying to work on finshing my quilt. I finally got all the squares sewed together and picked up some delightful fuzzy / soft fabric for the back. The great thing is, the back fabric is wide enough that I won't have a seam. I'm still waiting on the batting to arrive, and haven't quite decided on the binding. But it's coming along!

I also picked up some blue glass pieces on the sidewalk a week ago. Someone was giving them away, and in Berkeley fashion, left them next to the curb. Luckily I found them! Not sure what we'll be using the votives for, but the sure are pretty when they catch the light.

Back from DC!

2009-05-30T10:23:00.000-07:00

Hello! I'm back from an amazing week in DC and NJ visiting old friends, celebrating Seema and Karan's engagement, eating lots of tasty Indian food, and taking in DC's many sights. I apologize since these pictures are a little out of order, but I am not in the mood to wrestle with Blogger this morning.

Emilie, Seema, and Me at Seema's Engagement

Cinnamon Roll and Coffee at Sticky Fingers Bakery - Vegan!

Flowers from Andy in a Found Vase

Folk Art in the American Art Museum

New Deal Art in the American Art Museum

Obama Poster in the National Portrait Gallery

Emilie at a Sari Shop in Edison, NJ

I'm in love with Picasa

2009-05-30T10:20:00.000-07:00

We Mac users have been long deprived of Picasa - but the wait is over! I probably missed the official release, but was happy to see it available when I checked a few days ago. No more toiling with iPhoto! And it lets you make these quick and easy photo collages = great desktop wallpaper. Here's one with my DC trip photos below.

May Happenings

2009-05-14T16:42:00.000-07:00

Hello! I'm finally done with the semester! (Well, very nearly done. Done enough to warrant a blog post!) Last weekend my parents flew down from Portland and we had a fun weekend exploring SF and revisiting our favorite piece of Sonoma. We also got to swing by Rush Ranch, which is now officially the site of our wedding nearly a year from now. (Eek!)

On Saturday, my parents and I took BART and then Muni to visit the Legion of Honor. That is quite a trip on transit. But it was worth it! It's a beautiful art museum with a gorgeous view and an impressive collection - and it was free since my parents are members of the art museum in Portland - score!

The Thinker

On our way back home from the Legion of Honor we stopped at Britex Fabrics = mecca. They don't allow pictures inside and are actually kind of snooty about the whole thing, but still amazing. Can you imagine rows and rows of ribbon?! I was in heaven.

Today I got bit by the fabric bug and decided to hop down to Stonemountain and Daughter to pick out some fabrics for a throw quilt I've been plotting. It went surprisingly well. Sometimes it can be kind of stressful trying to coordinate 9 fabrics, especially when the store is crowded, but today it fell into place and there were only a few other people. It was my day :)

This quilt is for our living room, which has a lot of orange, green, and blue - so there you go. I love all these prints together. Can't wait to cut into them and get started!

On a side note, in 4 days I will be flying out to DC to spend a week with my high school friends!

I love me some rye.

2009-05-04T12:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I felt like making some bread, so I tried a new recipe out of the 5 Min. Bread Book. Andy loves rye bread, so he picked out the Deli-Style Rye recipe for me to try this time. I actually don't like rye bread, so I thought of this as a nice treat for him.

Welllll, turns out I do like rye bread. A LOT. Well at least this rye bread. It is amazing! The flavor is subtle, which I really like. And I think the texture was improved because I tried to follow the fluff, scoop, and sweep method for the flour (fluff up the flour in the bag first, then scoop it out a cup at a time, and sweep the excess back into the bag). I've definitely been putting too much flour into my dough, as I'm more of a shaker than a sweeper :)

P.S. This bread makes marvelous sandwiches too. Last night's dinner: a sandwich with melted cheddar on both sides, tofurky deli slices, and thin pieces of apple. YUM!

One more week...

2009-05-03T11:13:00.000-07:00

One more week of school! And it's raining, so it feels like we couldn't possibly be this close to summer, but I'll take it! Not much interesting has happened around here, as evidenced by the fact that our CSA delivery is my subject matter. Oh well, photos of pretty produce are always fun, right?

This week's delivery was the best yet - chard, carrots, broccoli, cucumbers, zucchini, grapefruit, apples, rhubarb, strawberries, asparagus, and baby lettuces. Score!

And I actually got to unpack it this week since I was home when it arrived. Usually this is Andy's job - he was glad to pass it off - but I thought it was like opening a present!

Last week's project, pie making 101. Thanks to a very informative call to my mom, I learned how to make pie. My mom claims she isn't a very good cook (not true at all!) but the one thing she admits to be a rockstar at is making pie. It is a wonderful thing, having a mom who truly excels at making pie. (And a side note, my parents are flying down next weekend over Mother's Day - yay! Happy early Mother's Day, Mom!)

So my first attempt was a strawberry rhubarb pie with a crumb topping. The crumb topping is because I couldn't decide between making a crisp or a pie, so I combined them for the best of both worlds! It came out beautifully. And tasty :)

Earth Day!

2009-04-22T10:40:00.000-07:00

Happy Earth Day!

Just a quick note to ask, "What's your Earth Day pledge?"

I think for this year, I'm going to try to be more mindful of where my food comes from, even if it means paying a bit more. I'm also going to be more aware of the packaging that my food comes in and try to incorporate that aspect into my food choices.

Mark Bittman has an article today on npr.com that discusses his Vegan Before 6 diet. Just cutting down our meat consumption is one easy way to make a dent in greenhouse gas emissions. Why not try a vegan or vegetarian diet for a day or week? You might find that you don't miss that meat as much as you thought :)

3 More Weeks...

2009-04-19T11:50:00.000-07:00

Until the end of the semester! And the beginning of summer! And what that means for you, dear reader, is a momentary hold on crafty things until I have some free time again. Well at least a hold on new crafty things - I decided to post a few works-in-progress today to satiate your appetite!

Here is the start of a scarf that I have been working on for AndyPants for an embarrassingly long period of time. As in, it's been 4 months and somehow it is now longer than it is wide! Yes! It's okay though, because I have a plan: this summer I'll be working at Alta Planning and Design and I'll be taking the magic number 9 bus each day. And on the bus I'll have 20 glorious minutes to knit each way = 40 minutes of knitting a day! This scarf will be done in no time! Well, at least let's hope it will be done before next winter :) (Oh yeah, and about the knitting details: this scarf is just the knit stitch. Over and over. The end.)

Last time I was at Stonemountain, I perused the remnants section and found this beauty of a yard for a mere $5. Any ideas for what it should become? I initially thought about a skirt, but it appears that a yard is really not enough on it's own... I might need to just go back to the fabric store and find it a buddy yard to jive with.

And last, I was so inspired yesterday after making dinner that I just needed to record it in film. I made the tangerine tofu recipe from Veganomicon (with oranges from our CSA this week) and then made the quinoa black bean mango salad to go alongside it. I chopped up some lettuce, carrots, and cucumber as well, and we had ourselves a very festive little salad.

I've been writing this blog for just about a year now. I just remembered that I started it when I was trying to procrastinate studying for my oral exam last spring. It's certainly been fun and has helped me to find more time in my busy life for being creative. So thanks for reading and being a part of it!

(If I was one of those fancy professional crafty bloggers I would be doing a giveaway to celebrate my first year. But I'm not. Yet. Maybe next year!)

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T19:43:00.000-07:00

Aren't I the luckiest girl? My parents sent me a package for Easter and inside were dark chocolate eggs, new underwear (sort of a tradition at our house and much needed), and these heavenly bread pans. They have a reassuring heft to them and feel like they will last forever. Perfect :)

So of course I needed to test them out! I tried a new recipe from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day - the 100% whole wheat sandwich loaf. I substituted a mix of agave and maple syrup for the honey and soy milk for the whole milk. The recipe made two loaves, just right for my two pans! It came out beautifully and has a nice nutty flavor that goes really well with raspberry jam :)

This weekend went pretty darn fast. Yesterday Andy and I hosted a movie night out on our deck. We watched Slumdog Millionaire, which was amazing. Good times were had by all, and we are looking forward to a series of these over the summer. And today was filled with puttering, baking, some housework, and bits and pieces of paper-writing. Only four more weeks in the semester!

Buttercup Bag

2009-04-06T11:30:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, I just couldn't quite convince myself to do homework. So I made a bag instead! I set off to Stonemountain Daughter with my 20% off coupon and the free Buttercup Bag pattern from Made by Rae and found some pretty sweet fabric. And while Andy lay hostage to March Madness that night, I sewed. It only took me two college basketball games to finish :)

This bag is part of an outfit that I plan on wearing for Seema's engagement ceremony / party in May. Seema is one of my closest friends from high school and we happen to be going through the whole engagement and wedding process together. We'll both be getting married next summer, and I am so excited to be sharing the experience with her! She lives in DC now and it will be my first time in the city (!) - I'm flying in a few days early so I can explore.

I chose a linen fabric for the outside of the bag to give it some weight, and the lining is a cotton that was half off!

A peak at the inside lining fabric.

The bag and the dress I plan on wearing with it (along with some awesome new silver sandals!).

Friday afternoon...

2009-04-03T16:03:00.000-07:00

Well it's Friday, and I have been enjoying a lovely day so far. Slept in, coffee and cinnamon toast in bed, a run in the sunshine, a trip through Half Price Books, and now getting some "work" done in the Mission with some delightful company.

Love my new desktop wallpaper for today. Available for free (!) here.

At Half Price I just couldn't resist this book as a little Easter treat for Noelle and Lucas.

The illustrations are so cute! Hope they like it!

Happy weekend :)

Spring Fever

2009-03-30T10:31:00.000-07:00

Seems like I've been slacking on the blogging front. My bad, faithful readers. I got caught up in a serious case of spring break, but now that I've recovered it's time for an update.

Cinnamon raisin bread! Although not that impressive (see pic below), especially compared to my Grandma Wilma's cinnamon swirl ability, it was very exciting! I used a piece of Oatmeal Bread dough from this book (have I mentioned that I LOVE this book?!) and rolled it out a bit and added some cinnamon sugar and raisins. Easy. And totally devoured within 4 hours.

Also, meet Ruby Red, my new adorable external hard drive :) When I chose the color I had no idea that the outer edging would be a delightful soft pink. I added the red cowboy boot stickers of course!

This weekend Andy and I drove around like crazy people looking at possible venues for our wedding in spring/summer 2010. I think we may have found a winner with Rush Ranch, located on Grizzly Island near Fairfield, CA. If you're interested, photos of the places we are considering here.

I also have lots of lovely Seattle pictures to show you! We had a great time visiting my parents (in Portland) and then driving up to Seattle together last weekend. But the pics will have to wait, as I have already procrastinated too long on a paper due tomorrow!

Sorry for the gap.

2009-03-15T19:58:00.000-07:00

I know it's been awhile since I last posted, and this entry isn't going to be much either. I guess I haven't been doing anything crafty in the past few weeks? Hmmm I should probably fix that :)

What have I been up to? Some knitting here and there for Andy's scarf, lots of baking (LOTS! What has gotten into me? Oh well, it makes Andy happy!), and some reading. Have I mentioned that I love the public library? We have a beautiful old library that is a quick 10 minute stroll from our house. The other day I walked down, with a thermos of tea in hand, and found five fun books to come home with, including this, this, and this.

Since I have no crafty photos to share, here are two from my nephew Lucas' first birthday. That was one of the best surprises after getting engaged, realizing that Noelle and Lucas will soon be my niece and nephew :)

Can't wait for Thursday!

2009-03-03T11:29:00.000-08:00

Andy and I just signed up for Farm Fresh to You, a CSA that delivers (that's right, delivers!) right to your door! Our first delivery is on Thursday, and here's what will be coming our way: mushrooms, lemons, fennel, apples, tangelos, potatoes, collards, radicchio, carrots, kale, and broccoli. We'll be getting a box every other week to start. Can't wait!

PS - Our inspiration came from Vegansaurus - a hilarious Bay Area vegan blog :)

I forgot to mention...

2009-02-28T12:32:00.000-08:00

One thing that I forgot to mention - I started reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle this week. It's really quite inspiring, in that the author and her family have actually chosen to "practice what they preach," vowing to eat only food that they grow or is locally grown. Understandably, this is not an option for all of us in this current state of agribusiness, but it does make you think about where your food actually comes from and how far detached we are from the growing / raising / slaughtering process.

This book has also made me think about my grandparents and the house they lived in until about 15 years ago. In back was a small plot of land lined with rows of corn, lettuce, tomatoes, raspberry bushes, and carrots, just to name a few. The produce from that garden was then passed on to my aunt's family and my parents whenever we met for family gatherings or meals. My grandparents still grow several vegetables and fruits in a community garden area in their retirement village, and their emails often consist of reports on the bean or strawberry harvest, according to season. I hadn't realized how unique or important their garden is, until reading this book. I hope to follow in their footsteps once Andy and I have a place to call our own with a bit of yard. And until them, I'll be paying a lot more attention to their "garden report" emails!

On Pretzels and Life

2009-02-28T11:54:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been baking up a storm. I'm not sure why, but there is definitely a feeling of peace and satisfaction that accompanies transforming a few simple ingredients with your hands into warm, filling delights.

Last weekend we made soft pretzels, inspired by this posting from Smitten Kitchen. I love this blog, but often it is difficult or impossible to veganize her recipes. However, this one was a snap. We just brushed the pretzels with melted Earth Balance instead of a beaten egg before baking.

So soft and chewy and salty!

Into the oven!

Today's baking endeavor was another round of Andy's favorite food (as declared 10 minutes ago) - cinnamon rolls from here. Although they certainly require some patience, they are certainly worth the effort. They remind me of the days when my mom and I would split a Cinnabon after a hard day of strolling around the mall together. Mmmm.

Hope your weekend is off to a great start! Andy and I enjoyed a little date yesterday with tennis in the park, sushi from Cha-Ya, a bottle of wine, and Live-In Maid. Such a nice time that I have been thinking it's Sunday all morning. Haha, it's only Saturday! Yes!

The sound of rain.

2009-02-22T11:54:00.000-08:00

I just love the sound of rain. It is soothing, in a nostalgic sort of way for me, seeing as how it served as the backdrop for my first 18 years of life. And yes, it is raining today in Berkeley. A solid, determined, Portland sort of rain.

I've finally gotten around to posting a picture of the curtains I sewed last weekend. This little window is one of my favorite parts of our apartment, and I'm happy that it's getting a little more attention now. It was Andy's idea to add the black velvet ribbon along the bottom seam - a perfect tie-in to the black accents we have around the room (he's a keeper!).

I also promised that I'd show you the cute little fabric bookmarks I made my mom and dad for Valentine's day. And the best part: I was able to make these just using fabric I already had! It's fun to be starting to get a stash large enough to allow me to sew without trying to fit in a trip to the fabric store! Sewing around the hearts was a little tricky, but it was good practice. I love that, so far, nearly every project has challenged me to learn a new sewing skill.

Happy rainy Sunday afternoon! I just took some pumpkin biscuits out of the oven, and am about to settle into a chair with a cup of coffee and a book. :)

Get on your bike.

2009-02-20T13:08:00.000-08:00

Get this poster for free (!) here.

Happy Friday! Update post coming this weekend...

Too cute to pass up.

2009-02-10T16:27:00.000-08:00

Have you seen this? My own tiny town that doubles as a calender? I'm in.

Ps: not sure if the link I embedded is working, so here's the info - http://cp.c-ij.com/en/contents/2031/09_craft0011/index.html

February Beginnings

2009-02-08T11:52:00.000-08:00

Hey y'all! Andy and I are fresh off a trip to Houston last weekend :) But first, some crafting!

Yesterday I tried making the Tokyo Tie Bag from Sew Everything Workshop. I had some fabric that I'd been meaning to make a purse out of since October. I thought this one looked really cute in the photo in the book. And it is really cute! Unfortunately, it's also really small. Like so small that I'll be probably giving it to Andy's niece Noelle when she gets a little older (4 or 5? Is that too young for a little purse?). Oh well. I definitely learned that I should trust my instincts with a pattern. I had a little voice saying "whoa. this pattern is really small." as I was cutting it out... But since it was in a published book, I thought that these things are probably tested and work out fine in the end. Next time I'll rely more on my own idea of how things should go together.

Last weekend we had a great time visiting all of our friends in Texas. And we even got to have some pretty quintessential Texas experiences, such as going to Monster Jam, beer tasting at the St. Arnold's Brewery, and going to Lauren & Tim's Super Bowl party. All in all, it was a pretty sweet weekend :)

Me, Lauren, and Megan at St. Arnold's - we all lived together at Rice!

In other news, Elizabeth of Knitters UNITE fame turned 27! And what better way to celebrate than to bake her some 27-shaped bread? Also notice her beautifully knitted cowl :)

And one last picture - this was taken about an hour after Andy proposed to me two weeks ago. I have to say, we were pretty darn happy! (Also I love Andy's long hair paired with his slightly metro pink shirt - gotta keep people on their toes!)

Stay tuned for a few upcoming crafty things: new curtains, a scarf for Andy, and a Valentine's surprise!