pablo + uday stare down.

{pablo just wants to get along.}

after a year + a half pablo + uday have started their peace treaty talks. qusay was no where to be found.

yes, my cats are named uday + qusay. a bit sick i know, but fitting since it seems all they do is torture helpless birds, squirrels + lizards.

a little flickr group.

last week i joined a little flickr group called bloganistas.

{hello.}

i thought i would share with you my first picture...it was raining, i was rushed, my shirt was wrinkled. super hot, i know. but that is actually good for me as i seem to be wearing sweatpants all to often these days.

{bloganista no. 1}

oh what a dream...

this catalog for equitours came in the mail yesterday + i can not stop dreaming. seriously, i think this may be my new goal to work towards...maybe not for 2010, but definitely for 2011.

{equitours • horseback vacations worldwide.}

{i can not decide where i would want to go first...morocco?}

{or botswana?}

equitours

po box 807

dubois, wyoming 82513

tel: 800.545.0019

my little house.

hello. hope you all are having a lovely weekend. i have been doing quite a bit of dreaming...of spring, horseback riding in point reyes, gardening + playing outside in the warm sun on a beautiful beach.

{dreaming of spring • my little house}

i have also started a new project in my basement. very exciting. actually very, very, very messy, but the thought of it being done, exciting. i can't wait to share with you the entire project. i have been taking lots of pictures, but to be honest am a bit embarrassed by all of the junk i have collected through the past 9 years (so still on the fence with regards to posting those pictures here!). in the meantime, i have included a little drawing my darling roommate put together of my future office space. what do you think? this is my first big project, so any input is always appreciated!

{office plans, draft no. 1}

note: to anyone planning on doing any sort of remodeling - get a pod, working around my junk has been a nightmare.

meet: girdie girl.

if you have read my blog in the past, you most likely have seen a picture of my handsome boy pablo. + although he is featured here on a regular basis, i do not believe i have shared the full story of santos juan pablo (his official name)...+ how he came to live with me here in napa. i will say, our story is a love story + it does deserve to be told, but it will have to wait for another day because today i wanted to write about another perro de calle, a little girl named girdie.

{miss girdie girl}

miss girdie was found a few days ago outside of my parent's home in todos santos (baja). at this point we are pretty certain there is this big flashing sign, similar to the one in beetlejuice, pointing all stray dogs to my parent's home (this of course can not be confirmed, as it is is only visible to dogs). since we are certain this sign exists, i was far from surprised to hear that they had found + ultimately brought this little girl into their home. seriously, every time they go down to todos santos, they find another dog who is in desperate need of love. actually, more often than not these dogs just show up on their doorstep. a few years ago it was cowboy. oh, he was such a doll. + then there was rocky...i was obsessed with him (he was my first. such a long + sad story, which actually ties into pablo's story. so stay tuned). + then there was a very, very sick little puppy with one eye. + then there was indy, who we found on the beach. she now lives with my sister ash. + then there was another little puppy who was found under a tractor, a few yards from their house...+ of course there is pablo! seriously, the list goes on...

so here we are again, another year, another dog. girdie is in very bad shape. my dad said she is in one of the worst conditions he has seen yet...this poor girl was beyond starving, she was infested with fleas, she is missing patches of hair, she has been attacked by other animals, she was left for dead. my dad's description - "she is the ugliest thing i have ever seen." of course he said it with love...we all know a dog's beauty is in it's personality. but i think you get the point.

{happy girl.}

as we stand today, with the help of a local vet, they are working on getting her healthy. from these pictures you can see she still has a long way to go. they had some tests done to see if she has ehrlichia (a disease spread by ticks)...keeping fingers crossed they come back negative. once she gets better, they will need to find her a good home. i'll keep her progress updated on this site.

on a happy note, i spoke to my dad this morning + he was pleased to report that in just a few days she has developed quite the personality. another non-surprise, as with most all of the other mexican street dogs i have come across, once given a little food + a little love, they have blossomed into the sweetest, most hilarious little creatures to exist (ok, a bit dramatic i know, but we need to find her a home).

cheers! nm

i heart {camera bag} iphone app

i love taking pictures, but have never been a big camera phone gal. probably because my nikon is attached to my body. seriously, my boyfriend is jealous. or embarrassed (especially, when i whip it out while at dinner). so, on those rare occasions when i leave my camera behind (and in turn miss the most incredible shot), i have been relying on my little iphone.

here are some pictures i shot and processed on my phone, using one of my most favorite iphone apps (actually, my only app.), camera bag ($1.99). i have also included one shot with each of their 11 filters. they are nothing to write home to mom about, but i think good for a camera phone. click here for some more examples from other camerabag lovers.

oh, wait, i just noticed nevercenter released camerabag for desktop ($19). happy day for non-iphone users.

*helga filter, then processed again through instant*

{my (8 year + going) backyard project.}

* instant filter*

{breakfast with terri}

* helga filter *

{peach cobbler}

* sorry, can't seem to figure out which filter this was *

{serious fisherman}

* mono filter, then i don't remember, sorry *

{tuna fishing.}

* lolo filter *

{delish breakfast at the fremont diner}

* cinema filter *

{pablo being pablo.}

* mono filter *

{charlie (to be pronounced in a british accent)}

* lolo filter *

{ethan. i heart ethan.}

*helga filter *

{big e smalls likes to sleep in.}

* instant filter*

{old nikon love.}

* lolo filter*

{flatmate's vintage avon small world collection. love it!}

* lolo filter *

{my heaven on a hot day.}

***

i found these darling heart cups at target a few weeks ago. i hate admitting to buying them, because in doing so i am admitting to the world that i was one of those people who bought valentine's day merchandise in december (while christmas shopping). but, since the whole shelf was practically gone, i figured it was ok, because clearly i wasn't alone.

{original}

{helga filter}

{colorcross filter}

{lolo filter}

{magazine filter}

{instant filter}

{mono filter}

{1962 filter}

{1974 filter}

{cinema filter}

{infrared filter}

{fisheye filter}

cheers!

nm

happy 2010!

{me • january 1, 2010 • lake tahoe}

hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. i took a little much needed time off + went up to lake tahoe with elliot + some friends. what a beautiful way to start 2010.

here are some pictures from my weekend away...spent mostly eating, drinking bubbles, exploring + sitting by the fire.

{snowy walk.}

{i love this fence...the yellow looks so warm against the coolness of the snow.}

{evan aka harry wiener is quite the adventurer.}

{evan reflecting on 2009.}

{lake tahoe • january 2010 • i just love the contrast between the melting snow + sand.}

{me.}

{harry wiener exploring the beach.}

{and the mountains.}

{harry wiener all done exploring.}

{martha stewart's chicken paillards with lemon butter sauce.}

i tend to cook things i am familiar with (which can get a little boring)...so one of my new year's resolutions is to try new recipes more often. i found this recipe in the january edition of martha stewart. one resolution accomplished! the other (eat less butter) was not. oh, well, it was tasty!

{my attempt at paillards.}

we didn't have a mallet, so ended up using a small frying pan to pound the chicken out. i also am not too gifted with butterflying chicken. adding that to the long list of things i need my oh-so-talented-chef-father to teach me.

{i love brussels sprouts...especially with pancetta}

bussels sprouts with pancetta is one of my go-to dishes in the fall + winter months. super yummy + easy to make.

{good eats.}

{big e smalls did a little exploring of his own...several times without my permission!}

{and a lot of relaxing.}

martha stewart's chicken paillards with lemon-butter sauce

serves 2 to 4

lemon segments give this dish great flavor. to segment the fruit, cut away all the peel and white pith. then slice along the membranes. serve the chicken and sauce over fresh spinach.

season 4 chicken paillards (from 2 breast halves) on both sides with salt and pepper.

heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and 1 tablespoon unsalted butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until butter foams. add 2 paillards, and saute on 1 side until golden brown, about 2 minutes. reduce heat to medium. flip, and saute paillards until cooked through, about 2 minutes. transfer to a plate. raise heat to medium-high, and repeat with remaining paillards.

add 1/4 cup minced or sliced shallots to skillet, and coo over medium heat, adding oil or butter as needed, stirring often, until golden, about 1 minute. rainse heat to meadium-high. add segments of juice of 2 lemons (my notes: i didn't understand if she meant 4 lemons total, 2 for segments and 2 for juice?), 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken stock, and any plate juices, and deglaze the pan (my notes: i used a splash of white wine to deglaze as well), scraping brown bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. simmer until sauce reduces by half, about 3 minutes. gradually stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons of cold un-salted butter (cut into small pieces) until just melted. season to taste (my notes: i added a little tarragon...nice addition).

preparing the chicken

boning: start with a bone-in breast (this will yield two paillards). inset the tip of a boning knive near the ribs, and work the knife along the bone to remove the meat.

butterflying: place one hand on the chicken, curving your fingers up slightly for safety. slice meat horizontally, cutting almost to the other side. open it like a book. (my notes: i didn't read that last bit + cut them into separate pieces...oops!)

pounding: place meat inside a plastic bag or between plastic wrap (my notes: i used wax paper...it worked just fine). working from center out, pound with the smooth side of a mallet until meat is 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. cut into 2 pieces.