mipmup.

friday favorites.

here are my favorites for this week:

• french flour sack towels. i love, love, love flour sack towels. they dry so efficiently. unfortunately, ours are a "wee" shabby, so i've been eyeing these as a nice alternative to our plain whities. $19.95 for seven.

• weekend bag. how great is this bag? i think i want to crawl into it and be carried away. oh! and the customer service from see jane work is fantastic. i ordered that mousepad and it came in pretty packaging with a little post-it notepad freebie. all the more reason to shop! $175.

• adorable napkins. again with the birds. $10.

• cocktail dress for a fall wedding. going to a wedding mid-month and though i wanted to stay away from black, i kinda like this one. why does it say "mini" though? i barely do dresses, so mini would be a definite "no thanks." $187.


• sweet jesus i hate bill o'reilly int'l, an organization of hope apparel. enough said. from $11.99.

(photo credits: sur la table, basic french, neiman marcus, see jane work, girlshop, sweet jesus i hate bill o'reilly int'l)

90.

my grandma, my dad's mother, passed away last night. she was 90.

we all knew this was coming; she wasn't well for a year and suffered a stroke in february. thankfully, my dad and i were able to see her at that time and though it was a short visit, it did present a sense of closure, at least for me. she passed peacefully at home, on land which her family has owned for many generations, with my aunt by her side, just as she wished. she never wanted to be in a hospital or nursing home. in fact, for most of her life, she shunned the medical field and even after her stroke, she just wanted to be home. maybe this is where i get it from? she was a strong, independent woman and when she put her mind to something, there was no stopping her.

unfortunately, i didn't get to know her very well and only visited her twice in my adult life, as she lived in texas and i grew up in california. we corresponded fairly often, however, and i'll always remember her neat handwriting and words of encouragement.

i took this photo in february in her yard. she kept cats and this is just one of them. i think they are half-feral, but she liked to have them around. they will always remind me of her. she embroidered beautifully and was an excellent cook. her tortillas were to die for. i learned from her that the simplest ingredients usually make the best recipes. she was a dedicated worker, staying at the same company for her entire working life. something i can't imagine. she was also giving. she often assisted immigrants who crossed the border with a handout and something to eat. i know there is a name for this in spanish, but i don't know it.

i loved the stories she would tell of her grandmother, my great-great grandmother, the horsewoman and midwife, who fell in love and came from mexico with her husband to farm. during our visit in february, i saw her picture and several of my relatives thought that i looked like her. my romantic vision is that our blood has produced similarities, since i love horses and am interested in healing as well.

i am fighting the feelings of regret for not knowing my grandmother better, but i know it isn't healthy. i am also struggling with feeling numb. we have been through a lot this past year and it seems like this is just one more thing. on top of everything, my husband's family has had many deaths in the family since i met him, including the loss of his parents and the murder of one of his cousins. i am also trying hard to look at these events in a positive light: what can i learn? how does this fit in to my definition of what life should be? how can i find the joy in this?

i know i am lucky to have known my grandma at all and for that, i am grateful.

ex libris.

i love to read, always have. i have a slight problem with bookstores as i feel compelled to buy, buy, buy. to that end, i've started going to the library*, which is great, but somehow not the same as owning the books. but it is a wonderful privilege to have that is for certain. i have a great affinity for the written word, yes  i do. see below.

1.  how many books do i own?
well, after this week's marathon garage reorg, apparently a lot more than i remembered. enough to make my better half and i long for "a library." i'd guess 200, not counting whatever is lurking in our storage vault.

2.  last book i bought?
"no rooms of their own: women writers of early california, 1849-1869," ida rae egli. i'm only reading books by or about women for the next good portion of time. generally, i've been using the library extensively (see no. 1), but when i happened across this book at old town san diego of all places, i had to buy it (and it was a donation to the boosters who support the programs there). and why was i in old town, a complete tourist trap? we were kidnapped by our close friends who have an extremely personal connection there. our friend's great-great grandfather used to work at one of the casas and it was also the site of their wedding. further, our friends were affianced at the casa and one of them is a historian, so it was quite interesting despite the town being somewhat exploitative.

3.  last book i read?
i suppose that means finished? "the historian" by elizabeth kostova. i could not put it down. thanks, life begins at 30!

4.  five books that mean a lot to me (without explanations or apologies).
"island of the blue dolphins," scott o'dell.
"the associated press stylebook and briefing on media law," associated press.
the harry potter series, jk rowling.
"prescription for nutritional healing," phyllis balch.
serendipity books, steven cosgrove.

hacibey tagged me for this a little while ago. thanks!

*speaking of libraries, did you hear about the ala's program to help the libraries devastated in the gulf? we can contribute toward the effort here.

yes, my eyes are 20/20, i swear.

i just realized that i've had my shower curtain on the wrong way since i bought it several months ago. hey! it looks so much better now!

pets are people, too.

can you imagine leaving this? please take a minute to sign this petition to ensure pets are evacuated during emergencies, too. read more here.

my elephant.

you know that room in your house that you completely ignore until it threatens to eat your firstborn and perhaps you with it? that would be the garage for me. i've been dreading cleaning out this meanie for approximately three years. i'd avoid it. i'd make excuses: "it's too sunny." "it's too rainy." "we have friends over." "we have plans." "it's summer." "it's fall." today the wait was over, excuses no more.

i faced my greatest fear and was nearly beaten down in the process. and our garage is not that big, but it certainly fits a lot of stuff. and stuff we have. egads. i now know that we could confidently power a suite of offices with the number of surge protectors i found. we could also sponsor an event called "scotch tape the world." furthermore, should you happen to need a hammer (3) or scissors (5), we are your source.

going through all this "stuff" in its spidery goodness (ps anyone know the name of a glossy black spider with three white dots on its abdomen?), i got to thinking about why i have all these things and just how i collected all of it. i've never been a good editor, i suppose. i just save. everything. birthday cards i've received. the valet stub when i parked at our wedding venue. a little folded cat my (then future) husband made me seven years ago. somehow keeping these things comfort me and it was today that my appreciation deepened for katrina/rita victims.

morbid as it may be, i also understand that when i pass away, it will so easy for another person to edit my things; to toss them into the trash and judge my seemingly-strange decisions ("god! what was she doing with 50 surge protectors?"). it was serendipitous that ticky tacky had just posted about this topic. these things are going to be boxed up and put away in an appropriate spot in the garage, but maybe i should share some of them as she intends to do (though i may be the single person in the world to thing that flickr is not user-friendly).

when i have to deal with my parents' things or siblings' or my husband's (admittedly, few - "the collection" is my problem), i hope i will have sensitivity about the little things.

for truly, those are what matter, right?

friday favorites.

here are my favorites for this week:

• marimekko mouse pad. you know i love all things marimekko and this is no exception. i've really been making an effort lately to "de-industrialize" our house. this might be a good step in the right direction, no? $21.

• not-boring card holder. again, out with the boring and in with the interesting. i like this because it's bright and unexpected. $14.95.

• happy cow pull-along wooden toy. did anyone else read that article in "organic style" (which, by the way, is being discontinued) about the parents who wanted only recycled goods for their kidlink? it definitely got me thinking about all that gross plastic stuff out there, so i am happy to find a source for good handmade, wooden, beautiful toys, even if it is in the uk. this charming little cow is made with sustainable wood! i remember how much i loved pulling around some toy i had when i was young. about $20.

• cute fabric clogs. i think this probably isn't a "chic" choice for fall, but i do like these clogs! $49.95

• dresser. we're getting a new bed this weekend and while i'm dismantling our bed, i figured i'd also clean out our stupid particleboard dresser in preparation for donation (it probably has formaldehyde anyway, jeez). i have no idea how much this dresser costs, but isn't it pretty? hopefully, it's chemical free, too.

photo credits: finnstyle, patinastores.com, arujo, alternative outfitters, martha stewart.

scrubby.

i've been on a mission to attempt to make most of my gifts this year and sometimes i succeed, like today. i made three scrubs for our friend, who is a big fan of all things beauty.

i made a coffee bean scrub first (top). i used some leftover coffee beans which my better half didn't like. i mixed it with organic sugar in the raw, fig essential oil, macadamia oil and vitamin e oil. the benefits of the caffeine include cellulite and varicose vein reduction (!).

i next made an invigorating lemon verbena scrub (left). in the coffee grinder, i ground up dried leaves my friend gave me and mixed them with kosher salt, vitamin e oil, avocado oil and some unscented massage oil. i added a couple drops of lemon eucalyptus essential oil.

finally, i made a hibiscus brown sugar scrub (right), adding some ginger essential oil, vitamin e oil and massage oil. hibiscus is said to reduce inflammation in the skin and increase retention of moisture.

i hope she likes them!

note: you can buy the tins here (much cheaper than retail!).

friday favorites.

here are my favorites for this week:

• cranberry cleanser. this stuff works! it's not too harsh, which i appreciate with my ultra-sensitivo skin. $8.95.

• hangar one. i'm such a vodka fiend and this is just wonderful stuff. i'm usually not a fan of flavored vodkas, but theirs are delicious. hangar one is a bay area company and recently, i was out and about in la and i couldn't believe it was on the menu. i had to ask a couple of times to clarify, but it was the real deal! the company boasts a tasting room in the east bay, which i really must get to one of these days. this, like so many of my food favorites, was introduced to me by the world-famous (!) life begins at 30. around $30.

• rejuvenation. there isn't really one item i love at this store; it's just a great resource for period-authentic pieces all the way around. lighting, shades and hardware abound. check them out all you homeowners, you.

• "chow" magazine. it's like the "glamour" of food mags. easy to get through and entertaining. super un-stuffy. i think it's kinda fun. $18.95/six issues.

• bright enamel outdoor thermometers. i have been after an outdoor thermometer for no particular reason a'tall and came across these, which are lovely and mercury-free. très cute! $18-$22.

photo credits: mychelle, hangar one, rejuvenation, "chow" magazine, basic french.

j. cruel.

never mind!

please join me in boycotting j. crew.

peta has learned that j.crew will be selling fur in its fall line, despite claiming just last year that "j.crew does not currently include fur in its collections nor does it plan to." when we learned of the possibility that j.crew would be selling fur, we wrote to j.crew representatives and sent them a video containing recently released footage from a yearlong undercover investigation on fur farms in china, where most fur comes from—compelling evidence that selling fur means endorsing cruelty beyond imagination.

animals need your help. please let j.crew know that not only is it bad business to promise one thing and do another, it is also totally unacceptable to support and promote this violent industry. tell the company that you won’t shop at j.crew unless it makes the compassionate decision not to sell fur, and tell your friends to do the same:

millard s. drexler, chair & ceo
j.crew group, inc.
770 broadway
new york, ny 10003
212 209 2500
212 209 2666 (fax)
mdrexler@jcrew.com

margot brunelle, head of brand marketing & pr
j.crew group, inc.
770 broadway
new york, ny 10003
212 209 2717
212 209 2666 (fax)
mbrunell@jcrew.com

            Millard S. Drexler, Chair & CEO
            J.Crew Group, Inc.
            770 Broadway
            New York, NY 10003
            1-800-562-0258
            contactus@jcrew.com 

jeff pfeifle, president
j.crew group, inc.
770 broadway
new york, ny 10003
212 209 2500
212 209 2666 (fax)
jpfeifle@jcrew.com

reprinted from peta's action alert.

note: and thanks, mark for pointing us to the site, jcruel.com.