rosemary raisin cookies

One of my favorite dinners is a simple luxury; cheese, wine and crackers.  We usually sit at the coffee table, watch a good movie, and stuff ourselves with creamy cheese and a bottle of good ol' Charles Shaw.  Last time we did this, I picked up a box of rosemary raisin crisps from Trader Joe's, it was a new item and I soon discovered the incredible flavor of this savory sweet combination.  I became so obsessed with the taste (eating them everyday for weeks) that I decided to make a cookie that could embody the earthiness of the rosemary and raisins, while being soft and chewy.  

For the record I am not a baker, or a cook for that matter.  But I can claim that I invented this recipe myself, tested it several times, and now it's my go to for an impressive sensory delight.  It goes great as a dessert or an afternoon snack with a cup a coffee.

Rosemary Raisin Cookies

-1 cup lightly packed brown sugar

-1 1/4 cups flour

-1 cup raisins

-1/2 cup chopped walnuts

-1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

-1/2 teaspoon baking soda

-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

-1/3 cup olive oil (adds a wonderful peppery taste) 

-1 egg

-1 egg yolk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray your cookie sheet (or sheets).  Mix up the dry ingredients, add in the wet ingredients.  Scoop tablespoon sized balls a couple inches apart onto the oiled cookie sheet.  Bake for about 10 minutes or until the edges are golden.  Let cool on a cookie rack. Enjoy!

Makes about 16 cookies.

35mm: lost rolls

I was sorting through the junk drawer yesterday and among the amass of birthday candles, spare keys, and batteries, I found a couple rolls of 35mm film.  I knew what they were from, my husband has indefinitely borrowed an Olympus OM-1 from his dad, the same camera used to capture his memories back in the day.  We've taken the camera on trips the past couple years, but what was on the rolls I had no idea.

Every time we get a roll of film developed from this camera, I'm blown away.  I vow to use it more often, but with it comes the annoyance of manually focusing, no instant gratification screen, and the pain of developing film (not too many drugstores have 1hour photo anymore), and my excitement fades.  But in this day and age where instagram and photoshop can make any picture look like it was taken from an Olympus OM-1, there's beauty in owning a gem that can originate coolness all on its own. I think that's worth the inconvenience and I pledge here and now to use the camera more often and make a series on the results. The dot on all the pictures must be some dust in the lens.

holy paint by numbers

It's been almost two years since I saw it.  It sat behind some tarnished silver and a pile of tangled jewelry.  I was at a thrift store and I heard it calling to me.  It was a painting of Jesus, specifically a paint by number painting of Jesus.  There was something about his face, each dimension of his beard painted in a different subtle shade of brown.  I'm not too religious, I grew up Presbyterian and I'm sure when kids are in the picture we'll go back, but here and now the pure retro funkiness of this art was calling to me.  The thing is, I was at the thrift store that day with my mother, and I knew if I picked up that painting to buy it, I would hear about it.  "You can't just hang a picture of Jesus in your house? You don't even go to church, although I wish you would."  I'm not sure why I wanted something so not me, but I wanted it badly. When I returned to the thrift store on my own he was gone and ever since it's been a regret that I didn't buy the paint by numbers Jesus.

knock, knock anyone home?

For our first wedding anniversary and every one after, we want to follow the traditional gift schedule, and be a little creative about it, this first year was paper.  Jesse handed me a half opened cardboard box stuffed with newspaper "its technically not paper, but close enough."  I laughed because my present to him sat so neatly wrapped on the table and I was handed a box that just fell off the post truck.  I peeled back the first layer of newspaper to behold "Jesus!" I shouted.  I beamed with excitement.  Looking down into the box again, a faint glow peeked out from the remaining newspaper, it was none other than Mary to join the gang.  I was floored, I couldn't think of anything I wanted more. They're weird, colorful, fantastic, and who care's if I'm not Catholic or whatever, these are art.  The beauty of the gift was that I never actually asked for it, he just knew that it was something I was always searching for and took it upon himself to find it.   Honestly, gift exchanges between my husband and I over the past 6 years have been hit or miss.   He's a dude, I don't communicate too well, and together we procrastinate.  Giving a gift that was never ever expected, but awesome, is the best kind of gift.  These two paintings will have to wait until we are in a new place, but when they get their own wall it's going to be righteous, literally.

He also got me some Padres tickets and a certificate for a mani/pedi.  I got him a voucher to go on a spearfishing tour and some books on growing a beer garden and raising chickens and goats (we are really serious about this homestead thing). We had a nice dinner at Starlight, then enjoyed a slice of guava cake from Extraordinary Desserts at the buy your own bottle bar Bottlecraft.

  
Overall it was a marvelous anniversary and the first of many.

one year

Our wedding was one year ago today!  It's been a year of transition and adjustment, a year of sweet, simple bliss, a year of comfort and delight, it's the first year of forever.  I can look back fondly now on our wedding and not pick it apart with "if onlys."  My brain has washed out all the stress and only left the happy memories of that joyful day.  I figure this is the last time I get to gratuitously shove my wedding photos in your face, so here goes...

Because we had the ceremony on the deck in my father-in-law's backyard we had to rearrange the bridal party from the typical setup.  I really liked the asymmetry.  My favorite detail of the whole wedding was how nicely the bridal party pulled together.  The girls wore Amasale dresses in different colors with their choice of jewelry and metallic flat sandals.  The guys wore their own grey suits, cotton plaid ties, and classic Vans sneakers.  We used assorted vintage hankies as the guys pocket squares and wrapped around the girls bouquets.  I'm obsessed with the baby's breath and eucalyptus leaves as the bouquets and boutonnieres, they were so easy to make and it was like 20 bucks for all 8 of them!

  

I wanted the flowers to have that wildflower look, but didn't want to spend too much money.  The answer was filler flowers!  I went to Francos, the local flower mart, about a week before the wedding and ordered a ton of filler flowers (other than baby's breath, I have no clue what kinds I picked out).  My creative aunt and cousin worked hard the day before the wedding, delicately sculpting flowers in good ol' jam jars for that casual summer look.  They sat on the tables among succulents in tins and candles on mismatched teacup saucers.

 Francos did my bouquet, it took up half of my flower budget, but so worth it.

my rose gold engagement ring and our bands

his is engraved your hand in mine and mine says we walk the miles (props for anyone who knows what that's from)

popcorn bar for cocktail hour
I'm glad we finished our pictures before everything, we really enjoyed the whole evening without feeling rushed

 it's ridiculous to look back and think I sat there and glued flags onto straws, but it's all in the details

 all the desserts were homemade, pumpkin pie and rice crispy treats from grandma

maybe overdone, but balloons are so fun!

To my darling husband,
Here's to many more years and memories.
I love you,
Jordan

juncture

For the foreseeable future has come to its apex.  This Saturday will mark my sixth week selling succulents at the farmers market and my last (for now at least).  The market has been going really well, but upon closer inspection, every week I've been making a profit of about seven dollars.  Even though I'm breaking even, I still have to pay for supplies and keep it all up on a weekly basis.  I knew that would be the case going into it and it's never been about the money, but I've reached a financial turning point in my life that needs to be more aggressively followed.  

There is something about being in my mid-20s that suck.  Ever since I finished college it's been like this.  Just because I'm married doesn't make this annoying, unsettling "where am I going and why don't I have the career/money/experience to get there faster?" point in life any easier (my husband's in the same boat).  Although the succulent business is something I'm still pursuing whole heartily, there is a precipice looming yonder that can switch my life from limbo to feeling a hell of a lot more in control.    

My husband and I have a dream and it's a big one, we want to buy a house.   Like any normal newlyweds we dream of a cozy little home to own, but always thought it would come 3 or 4 years down the road.  Upon further inspection of our finances that dream can come a lot sooner than we anticipated.  If we skimp and save every single penny, we can start looking for our dream home by Thanksgiving.  I repeat, November, turkey and stuffing, Autumn, orange leaves, and there we'll be getting approved to start shopping for the biggest purchase of our lives.

I've wanted a house to call my own for as long as I can remember.  I moved a lot as a child and as an adult, I can't say there has ever been a time where I've truly felt at home.  Maybe I just have control issues, or lack thereof, but when you own your own home and live in your own house no one can tell you what to do (maybe I just need a psychiatrist rather than a mortgage).  Even if I sound a little crazy, this dream trumps all, even my fledgling succulent business.  

We don't want any old house, we want a homestead, at least half an acre where we can have a huge garden, a barn/workshop, chickens, and maybe even some goats.  If the property is big enough, when our family expands, so could the house, and the potential to never have to move again is possible.  In North County San Diego (the only place I could really call home) there are some neighborhoods that are convenient to everything, but retain that citrus orchard feel with reasonable prices.  

a girl can dream

For the record, I am not quitting on my business, no sir I am not, I'm just scaling back and heading in a slightly different direction.  Here are the next 4 steps for little grey gull:

1) I want to expand this blog.  I do a lot more than grow succulents and buy junk.  Expanding my posts to include more of my crafts, cooking, and general life would be a good use of promoting my brand. I guess it can't hurt the internet to add another young woman blogging about her life as an eco-friendly do-it-yourselfer.

2) I want to promote and sell my vintage succulent arrangements for more specific purposes, like events or businesses.  Tailoring my pieces to act as centerpieces at a wedding or restaurant is the whole reason I wanted to do this in the first place.

3) I'm looking into an Etsy shop for "assemble it yourself" vintage succulents arrangements and my block printed canvas totes.

4) I am not done with the markets, I just think it would work a better on a seasonal basis.  Probably around Christmas time, I will do some craft shows or markets to sell my stuff as holiday gifts (if I'm not too overwhelmed by being a new homeowner).

So, long story short, come see me for the last time at the farmers market this Saturday, and get ready to see a lot more posts about my forcibly frugal life.