mipmup.

friday favorites.

here are my favorites for this week:

• loop canvas weekender. i have a thing for bags. i like to have the perfect bag for every occasion. taking things on planes. taking veggies to my mom's house. taking clothes to the dry cleaner. don't ask me. i'm just weird. this bag would be an excellent supplement to my "weekender" roller bag which i believe i have officially outgrown capacity-wise. and look at all the cute details: the interior fabric pattern, the little accessory bag. it's to die for! 88.

• good morning/good night pillow. maryjanesfarm is a site i stumbled across recently. they are based in idaho and i can't really discern their specialty: they have food products, a bed and breakfast, a farm, a school, a mill, a magazine and they sell household accessories like this pillow made by project f.a.r.m. (first-class american rural made). whatever they are, i like them! 48.

• poppy tee. i think i love anything that is made by jill bliss and would wear it proudly (no, not the paper goods, silly!). 28.

• ella moss flutter top. i'm always cold (well, when i'm not melting from the heat and humidity that is) and this top would be a perfect little somethin'-somethin' to wear around to keep off the chill without being too heavy. and i love the product name. it's so - so - fluttery. ella moss happens to fit me well, too, so it's a double bonus. (and as an aside, i'm forgiving the brand for making jumpsuits.) 101.

• foldable city bag. a reusable bag good-looking enough to be mistaken for a purse. 10.

photo credits: urban outfitters  .  maryjanesfarm  .  blissen  .  eluxury  .  see jane work

make breakfast interesting.

we had guests over last night and since i was a bit harried with their impending arrival (i think because of the heat, the lack of a car - it was broken - and the fact that our friend's new girlfriend had never been to our house), i ended up walking to a local farmers' market and buying the "ol' standby" american breakfast ingredients. with the fresh ingredients i purchased, we served muffins (apple crumble and carrot raisin from this fantastic book), hard-cooked eggs with chopped heirloom tomatoes, sliced strawberries sprinkled with a hint of brown sugar, orange juice, peet's kenya coffee, peet's chai tea.

they liked everything very much, but i was a little disappointed in myself. i should have referred instead to the creative idea i found awaiting me in my inbox from ta-ze, an olive and olive oil purveyor i had the pleasure of visiting in person when i was in chicago recently. here's their suggested mediterranean "breakfast essentials" menu:

everyday simple plate
fresh sliced tomatoes
feta cheese
gemlik black olives in brine (can substitute with memecik green olives) or black olive paste
fresh daily bread
erkence or moskonisi extra virgin olive oil
black tea (preferably turkish)

twice a week, add
1 hard boiled egg or 1/2 avocado

tasteful additions for the weekend
baby european cucumbers (weekend-optional)
kashkaval cheese
roasted red peppers
honey
fresh herbs such as mint, basil, arugula

for your everyday breakfast plate, slice a tomato and drizzle with erkence olive oil. add a slice of feta cheese, 5-6 black olives, and 2 slices of multi-grain bread (make sure to drizzle some olive oil and oregano on the bread and broil for 2-3 minutes right before serving), drizzle everything with erkence extra virgin olive oil and complete with a cup of black tea. (if you cannot find turkish tea, try english breakfast or earl gray - they both work fine.) this is such a healthy and well-balanced way to start a day.

twice a week, you can add 1 hard boiled egg to your plate or 1/2 avocado. a suggestion for the hard boiled egg: cut into quarters, drizzle olive oil and paprika to taste.

for your weekend buffet, you can add more varieties of cheeses to your table, such as kashkaval, goat, or fresh mozzarella. in addition, bring color to your table with roasted red peppers, grilled mediterranean (long and lean) green peppers, baby european cucumbers, thick yogurt, honey and fresh herbs such as mint, basil, oregano or arugula. don't forget to drizzle olive oil on all of the above since it always makes everything taste better. enjoy!

buy their products here. (and ps, their customer service is exemplary.)

next time, i'm going to make breakfast more of an international affair.

photo credit: ta-ze.

blogme mixer.

blogme is an online mixer in which women bloggers interview one another in advance of the blogher conference coming up this friday, 28 july. to participate, whether you're going or not, click the links below.

meet amanda who blogs at the cat lady and is fellow contributing editor to blogher's health + wellness topic.

1. why are you a blogger? what do you get out of it?
i started blogging as a way to keep me sane when eric and i were
living out in hawaii, thousands of miles away from both of our
families, and i was managing our home/paying the bills/working
full-time/visiting eric in the hospital/managing-advocating for
eric/keeping our families abreast of his situation by myself.  sanity
aside, i kept blogging because i met several bloggers all around the
world who were in the same shoes that eric and i were in, and it meant
a lot to be able to communicate and share with other young couples
living with cancer.

2. what is the best piece of advice you've received?
no real advice, other than a few people recommending some good books
on being widowed or a widower after eric passed away.  but the support
that i've received has been amazing, and i am really thankful for it.

3. have you ever revealed a secret on your blog? if so, what was it? if not, why not?
well...i wrote about eric's last relapse before i had gotten hold of
my parents to tell them via telephone (i had tried to call; they
didn't pick up).  the same thing happened with several friends after
eric passed.  so no real secrets per say.  i don't really have any
secrets--other than personal info, which of course i safeguard just
because it's a good idea.

4. if you could have any view in the world visible from your bed, what would it be?
waimea bay, oahu.  eric and i had a neighborhood slightly north of the
bay where we were going to buy our dream retirement home someday.

5. if you could suddenly find out that one work of fiction was actually true, what book would you select?
the lovely bones...not because of what happens in the beginning (a
14-year-old girl is brutally murdered) but because it's a comforting
meditation on the afterlife.  i wish that someone had a definitive,
factual answer about what happens after you die.  note that i said
"factual" and not "theoretical."

credit for questions 4 + 5: "if2...: 500 new questions for the game of life," by evelyn mcfarlane

[via mocha momma and blogher.]

yeah, no global warming.

do any of my fellow southern californians ever remember thunderstorms in july? or hail?

like on independence day with all the hoopla of the fireworks, the dog is freaked, panting, won't leave my side and and is thinking about diving headfirst into that extra closet to hide.

(and god, it's humid.)

image credit: latimes.com

let's get it on.

this morning must have kicked-off get-to-know-your-neighbor day and no one told me.

or maybe that's leave-your-slider-and-curtains-open-while-you're-having-sex-rather-vocally day. i certainly got to know our neighbors around the corner a wee bit better than i wanted to. at least it wasn't the old people. i would have really freaked.

friday favorites.

here are my favorites for this week:

• citrus gift wrap. i came across this brand, iota, while perusing the (fantastic!) gift shop at the chicago architecture foundation while i was getting ready for our "downtown deco" walking tour (highly recommended). after seeing their wrapping paper with matching gift enclosures and envelopes, i think i can die now a happy, happy mipmup. 33.

• happy baby. i've already disappointed my rather hopeful mother with the news that we're not expecting. she had my "illness" from this week all figured out apparently. i hope i won't disappoint you, too. i just love finding great baby favorites! like this tragically hip crib set. it's so not bears, stars or laura ashley floral. and 300 thread count. tdf! 350.

• in the weeds. this wall-hanging thingie would totally zen-out my space. 112.

• rachel pally dress. i saw sjp in one in an issue of in touch (my mom gives them to me, jeez!). i think i need to fire up my inner satc. 233.

• black cat bar. my better half swears by these. it's all about the nibs. (i typed "b"!) 7.

photo credits: einvite.com  .  ducduc  .  inhabit  .  nordstrom  .  vosges

future of farming event.

received this in my email from slow food la. are you going?

farms, farming, and farmers' markets

as part of the 25th anniversary of the santa monica farmers' market, you're invited to attend a discussion of "farms, farming, and farmers' markets:"

when: thursday, july 20, 2006 from 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
where: the mlk auditorium of santa monica's main public library (601 santa monica boulevard, in santa monica)
cost: free

participants will discuss the future of california's small farms, and how farmers' markets can keep farmers on their farms. guest speakers will include russ parsons of the l.a. times, maryanne carpenter of coastal farms in santa paula, phil mcgrath of mcgrath family farms in camarillo, and evan kleiman, the owner/chef of angeli caffe and the host of kcrw's good food. the discussion will be moderated by laura avery, supervisor of the santa monica farmers' market.

refreshments and food from the market will be provided.

for more information, please contact the santa monica public library directly at 310.458.8600.

download flyer.

photo: spring onions from the farmers' market, downtown chicago, may 2006.

sick bed.

is there anything worse that being hit with some kind of heatstroke/flu thing and trying to recover in bed when:

a. the yappy dog next door will not stop yapping (and it's one of those high-pitched, nails-on-a-chalkboard kind of yaps)?

b. the neighbors with the yappy dog have their television on so loud that i'm fairly certain the space station crew might be able to hear it?

c. they are watching rachael ray?

didn't think so.

photo credit: rachaelray.com

friday favorites.

here are my favorites for this week:

• french jacquard towels. i can't seem to have enough kitchen towels and these, while almost too cute to use, would be a welcome addition to my collection. 42 for three.

• marimekko bag. more marimekko love. last week i noticed a granny that had the same "walking" bag as i do. right then and there i decided i need to inject a little more funk into my walking wardrobe. this should do the trick and if i get lost, i won't be hard to find. 67.

• colorful little notes. these would be incredibly useful in the increasing amounts of notes i'm leaving around the house ("close the cabinet doors." "close the drawers in the kitchen." "please take out laundry."). and yes, i am turning into my mother thankyouverymuch. 12.

• lori joy smith onesies + tees. one of my favorite artists (and bloggers) has opened up a (little) store! i'm so excited. check out these sweet products for the wee ones. 20 cdn.

• silver wire earrings. i simply adore these. after seeing "the devil wears prada" and the aforementioned granny, i really, really need to get me some more style. i'd like to start with these. 304.

photo credits: napastyle  .  reprodepot.com  .  russell+hazel  .  little store  .  lauren wolf

geezer.

have you ever gone out with single (much younger) people and you happened to be a married people? the chasm between us is really mind-boggling. i'm officially one of "them." the geezers that are in bed by 9:00 because i am training. the "no, thank you, not one more drink, i've got a run in the morning." jesus christ. what happened? when the hell did i get old?