Some of my favorite configurations by the creators and designers of PlayShapes, MillerGoodman.

Make sure to visit their  Flickr group for more amazing ensembles.

I cannot wait to get these under the tree for D!

Happy Building,

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See the Golden Gate Bridge in the background, we were out for a walk at Lands End on a beautiful, warm and windless day. Accompanying us were D's best buddy and his mama, my good friend. I'm so glad they were there as they diffused a potentially disastrous parent and child moment. 

The Tooth Fairy did make a visit that night leaving a silver dollar as old as me. Alas, the wonder faded less than twenty-four hours later when some of his classmates told an outrageous story that there was no such thing as a Tooth Fairy! Damn them!

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First off, we closed on our house and we are moved in! We've been in our new residence now for two weeks, and it's beginning to feel like home. Surprisingly! We were unsure how we would adjust to living in an old Victorian after loft living for 12 years, but the transition has been smooth and enjoyable. 

Instead of plywood floors, an open floor plan, no closets, no doors, and an industrial neighborhood, we have discreet rooms, plenty of closets [usable closets too! not odd left over spaces that can't even accommodate a hanger], doors for some much needed privacy, a garage and a composting bin! I've come to realize residential living is so civilized. 

I'm excited by our new neighborhood and all that it has to offer. It finally feels like we're living IN San Francisco as opposed to the outskirts of San Francisco. 

The one thing I do miss is this view of downtown.

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back again! It was a tough decision to re-enter the blogshpere, but here I am, guns blazing. Thanks to everyone who still checked in regularly, and thanks to my friends who encouraged me to continue the F&N blog. 

A few of "life's moments" converged during the month of August, that quite frankly, overwhelmed me. The two major events were my grandmother's death and the purchase of our first house [what a mix of emotions!]. These combined with D's summer break, visiting relatives and work account for my absence.  

But the time off was good. It gave me some time to think about the blog world and how I would like to participate in it. 

It's good to be back! 

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about the picture…I snapped this photo years ago at the Albany Bulb. It's painted on rock, and I believe the artist's pseudonym is Sniff.

This picture speaks volumes to the general state of our household affairs, and, I admit, a bit to my mental state. Emotions are all over the place: happy, excited, anxious, relieved and sad. I won't go into specifics now, but we'll be up and running soon with lots to share.

 As for the picture…I melted the stove clock while I was frying bacon. I'm such a jackass!

Onward & Upward,

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Well, I'm going for it! 

Ok, it's more like a peek, but you get the idea. Thanks to Mon Ami for the lead, and to Ashley for the wonderful work. Check out her portraits gallery on Flickr.

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This one little tree puts out so much sweet fruit, I couldn't stand to see it go to waste or to the squirrels. So once again, we were up on ladders filling every box we had with ripe fruit. We picked about forty-five pounds, and there was still a ton of fruit ripening on the tree!

In addition to the apricot tree, my mom also has a white nectarine, Santa Barbara plum and lemon trees. The apricot and lemon trees have been there since my childhood, which seems like forever, and the nectarine and plum trees are somewhat newer, their fruit wasn't as abundant, but it was SWEET and YUMMY!

The lemon tree puts out these freaky alien like lemons every so often. Here is the biggest alien lemon to date. Doc called it the eternal lemon because we used it for an entire week. 

With all these apricots, I had a lot of canning to do. I canned a batch every morning before work and every evening after work for a week. Having all the ingredients and equipment strewn all over the kitchen made Doc super twitchy as he's borderline maniacal about a tidy and clean kitchen, but he was supportive and helpful. D also pitched in by picking and weighing the apricots.

In the end, we canned almost 7 dozen jars! I barely had enough energy, or rather enthusiasm, to crank out some labels.

The final product in all it's glory…

Some of you will be getting a few jars in the mail, so keep your eyes open!

One last thing…I did save a few apricots to make some rustic tarts. These are so easy to make, especially if you make the pate brisee the day before you intend to use it. The added cornmeal to the crust add to the rustic quality. 

Thanks for checking in!

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Anyhow, I'm feeling much more confident with my crocheting skills now that I've completed a few small projects. Next up is this Bon Bon blanket for D by Lucinda Guy. In fact, this little gem is the reason I began crocheting.

Isn't it sweet? A bit too sweet for D, perhaps. Here are some color studies in an attempt to make it a bit more boyish. 

I'm still on the fence about proceeding with this project. D likes the diagrams because they look like targets [of course!], but I'm not sure the finished blanket will have the same effect. Crocheting bigger circles could help, but I'm not up for improvising on any pattern just yet. 

Color Scheme C is the household favorite. 

Wish me luck!

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I love this quote by Charles Rennie Mackintosh! I'm sure most of you will too.

There is hope in honest error, none in the icy perfections of the mere stylist.