Keeping busy.

"What have you been doing while Jamie's practically on a three week vacation??"

I've been dog-sitting:

twice the walking, feeding, scooping.

Making a TON of leafy greens as someone doesn't appreciate them as much as I do:

crispy kale with sesame dressing

mmm...dijon braised brussels. 


Cracking up at terrific television:

 really into the office-wide holiday garb.


Packing up and mailing/delivering early holiday stuffs:

Receiving and modeling early Christmas presents:

 Thanks again, Jen and Jack!

Periodically email photos of gift ideas to Jamie:

gotta keep the luv alive, kanter. 

:)

And scheduling online conversations with him like this:

jamie just getting up as i get ready to eat dinner.

surprisingly, he mentions nothing of the diamond earring email. 

Otherwise, I'm working on several projects for Tuck, have hockey practice, book club, and lots of baking/making for the holidays! It's not as empty around here as I had originally prepared for and while it's a leeetle bit quieter, there are still plenty of gatherings to keep a girl very busy. 

Happy Thanksgiving! - belated

(whoops. meant to upload a couple of weeks ago, but it got stuck in my phone.)

-------------------

Pies baked for neighbors and friends, cooler packed with ingredients for a repeat of last year's pumpkin bread pudding, little thank you gifts for our hosts, suitcases stuffed, and...what else...am I forgetting something?

Pies.

Cooler packed with snow.

basket #1

basket #2

Oh, that's right...

GOTTA SHOVEL THE FOOT OF SNOW OFF THE SIDEWALK AND CAR:

about 10" since midnight.

We're heading down to Wellesley (just a hair west of Boston) to spend our second thanksgiving with Marissa+Brook+max+jane+babykate at Marissa's awesome parents' place. We'll miss the big kanter gathering in ca this year and remain so grateful for our built-in east coast family to give us a place to come "home" to.

Happy thanksgiving, y'all!

Fave Pumpkin Snacking Cake Recipe

There used to be a handful of things that used make fall into true autumn to me, but now that we're into our second year of pretending to be New Englanders, these handful of things have grown to very-many-things; now matched by a quintessentially autumn backdrop. I embrace warm slices of toasted pumpkin bread with a piping hot cup of tea or apple cider as I stare out the living room window at fluttering leaves of unreal colors. In fact, this born-in-disneyland's-backyard girl has often wondered if the trees were artificially painted or how strenuous it must have been for the backstage upper valley staff to create such wonderment. Then I snap back to reality and recognize how lucky we are to live here....unfortunately, we just wrapped up our last autumn in new hampshire. SAD FACE.

happy thanksgiving basket for our hosts.

Piles of these Pumpkin Snacking Cakes are spilling out of our kitchen and into others' homes as we wrap up my favorite New England season. I hope to make them for years and be constantly reminded of the couple of "real" autumns I was lucky enough to experience. 

Pumpkin Snacking Cake (aka Pumpkin Bread) Recipe:

-this recipe doubles nicely-

• 
  
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, super soft (not melted)
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 8 ounces (scant 1 cup) canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter or lightly spray the bottom and sides of a 9-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. I do these in muffin size or mini loaves as well. 

Whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a small bowl.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the 4 tablespoons softened butter, sugar, and oil at high speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl a few times.

Add the pumpkin puree and mix until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until just incorporated. 

At low speed, slowly add the flour mixture and water and mix until just combined (overmixing makes the cake/bread tough). Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 60 to 75 minutes. If you're making muffins, try 15-20 minutes. 

Let cool in the pan on a baking rack for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool completely (makes it easier to slice).

For the record, I understand this is the first of December and perhaps well into the New England winter, but I just love autumn so much I can't let it go!

Quick, Pull Over!

I don't CARE about snow on my boots!

Pull over!

Jump out of car....

Jog, jog, jog....

And shoot this photo:

See? That sign on the right?
click on photo for a slightly larger version.

Thought of you this Christmas, Sarah Lyman. Hope you're having a Merry One.

Hot Diggity Dog!

Happy Fourth of July!

Jack + his parents
hosted a glorious 3rd of July
impromptu gourmet hot dog bbq....

there were babies and puppies and friends and red/white checkered tablecloths....

a beautiful hostess, complete with her sally-homemaker-apron...

lots of dog romping...

and i got to meet cory's new baby (riley)!

that was all before the 4th.

gus and roxy hosted a 4th of July

impromptu picnic in fort mason....

jamie and i threw some leftovers into a bag, grabbed the dog, and headed outside....

huds did tricks for treasts....

we got to see peen....

(she's through with her surgeries and starting her new job this week)

more dog romping...

it's been a terrific weekend.

Fancy Finds Friday.

I found this silvery wristlet purse and immediately thought of a working mom's going out needs.

It's soft and worn, but has a strong tinge of glam because of the silver sheen.

As a mom of a 2 year old, she'll need room to hold a cell phone and snacks and/and/and.

This clutch is super lightweight and LARGE!

(i placed my phone there for size reference)

And check it out.

The flower is something I found and just attached for fun.
Every mom needs a big thang of fun for their hair, right?

See?
Super cool.

I'm a big fan of a multi-functional gift.

V.fun, right?

Stars on Ice.

I've been totally digging on the metropolitan life during the holidays and this year we got a chance to fully appreciate SF in all its decked out glory!  And yes, that means ice skating in the middle of Union Square just like all the tourists get to do.

one hazy winter saturday.

late afternoon, 2010.

and there's the little rink.

Do you see us?

Annie preps for a triple toe loop.

Me with Annie & Mia.

We would totally take the Winter Olympics by storm with our signature moves.

Unfortunately for the 2010 Olympics Committee, we are completely faking it  in the above photo.  We ended up not stepping even one toe onto the ice. The rink was RIDICULOUSLY crowded and it was mad chaos to even find each other, let alone rent skates, and get out there.  Apparently, they squeeze 250 people on there and while it's an organized mess, it's a mess nonetheless.   We chickened out.  Not up to it at.all.

Instead, we ended up grabbing drinks at the Starlight Room atop the historic St.FrancisDrake hotel.  It's a bar with 180 degree views of the city and they have terrific beverages! That counts as making the most of the holidays in San Francisco, doesn't it? 

"Built in 1928, the Sir Francis Drake Hotel offered impressive innovations like an indoor golf course, ice water on tap, and radios in every guest room. The window panes were made of Vitaglass, so-called because it let even the healthful ultra-violet rays into each room, making it possible, according to early advertisements, to suntan without going outside. Another feature was the Servidor, a handy panel in the guest room doors, which allowed staff to discreetly deliver dry cleaning or other items without disturbing guests. (This may have come in handy during Prohibition.)

The Sir Francis Drake Hotel quickly obtained the glamorous aura in the late 1920s and became a favorite home away from home for stars of vaudeville and the silver screen. World War II was another busy era for the Sir Francis Drake Hotel, which by then had become a part of Conrad Hilton's growing empire*. During the war, blocks of rooms were taken over by the U.S. military and the hotel was the scene of many farewells and reunions as troops made their way to and from the Pacific." --sfdrake.com

*anyone watch MadMen?

Jocelyn heard drinks were in order and rushed over.

p.s.  i can cross off new year's eve resolution #8. she's finally on Facebook.

Do not attempt while operating heavy machinery.

Just before my date with Holly and Tyflo, I was spending some time with my friend, Carrie, on the other side of San Francisco.  She's a dear friend of mine who has an incredible energy and always talks to me about earthy-like feelings in a language I understand while I'm with her, but can never emulate once I walk away from her presence.  I feel very in tune with life and the world when I'm with her and although we only see each other a few times a year, I wanted to give her a little holiday somethin' to let her know how much I appreciate what she brings to my life.

Carrie and her partner are moving across the country, v.far away from their network of friends in San Francisco.  While Lauren will be pursuing her PhD and professor-ing career, Carrie will be holding down a job while completing her Masters Degree in Library and Information Sciences through online course work at San Jose State University (in Cali)...yup, she wants to be a librarian.  I was so interested in the subject matter and had the chance to ask a billion questions about her future career; seems like it's an industry of great complexity and potential.  Who knew.

Ok, back to the gifting.

While I swerved through mad traffic across town for our get-together (yes, I was running super late), I busied myself with preparing my last minute gatherings for Carrie.

I started by tying simple, but sparkly ribbon around...

A sturdy desktop address book.

Get it? For the librarian? The one with friends she'll want to write to?

I know, I know, how DO I get so creative (sarcasm).

Plus...

A luxurious bar of chocolate from a company that supports small farmers in far away countries.

She's super earthy and into super into sustainability.

Plus, who doesn't like a good piece of chocolate?

I'd like to take second to express how ridiculously unsafe it is to do this all while driving.

I wish you guys could've watched me.  It would have made your eyes widen in fear.

Especially when I busted out my camera to record the endeavor.

At least it wasn't raining.

 I wrote as heartfelt of a note as I could while maneuvering around a trolley bus.

Barely missed a wayward pack of unobservant tourists.

Nearly took out an unsuspecting cabbie who was drifting across Van Ness Avenue in what seemed to be a drunken haze.

Then it started to drizzle.

 

But I threw it all together at an extra long stoplight and ended up at her door right on time!

Phew.

While I certainly cannot recommend such vehicular recklessness, can you imagine how my conversation would have gone with the arresting officer?  What the heck do you want, officer? Can't you see that I'm busy wrapping a gorgeous chocolate bar for my friend? What?? Why would I need to observe driving laws? I just told you, I'm a leeetle busy here. Ok, thanks.

On an unrelated note, Carrie is a terrific thai massage therapist.

Like a kid in a toy store.

Although Holidays'09 went by in what seemed to be an unusually rapid pace, I felt like it was supremely enjoyable to go gift shopping.  Probably because I actually got to break into shopping for kids this year and I had a complete blast!  Seriously, who wants to go to the mall when you can hit up local toy shoppes and dance stores?  My parents went over to Barcelona to see my sister over the holidays so I was completely off the hook for them (Jan holiday shopping = less stress) and everything else went relatively smoothly.  I'll let you in on some other stuff we gave this year later this week.

But for now, a few kids' gifts.....

For Baby Bella (18months):

Jamie's first niece!

She was born in Costa Rica and just moved back to the States in November.  Although she's unable to verbalize it, I'm sure she's just FREAKING out about it being so dramatically colder than her upbringing. The poor baby only knows a place so hot and humid she never had to wear anything more than a diaper...year-round!  Luckily, they had a couple of weeks in southern california to more gently acclimate, but even then, the whole family was shivering all over the place.  And then it was off to the desert and the dry, cold winters of Tucson, AZ.  Needless to say, Jamie wanted to get her a warm coat for Hanukkah.

And I couldn't help adding a little something frilly:

Omg, wouldn't you do just about anything for an adult-size version of this tutu?

We also sent Jamie's mom and Jerry (in Tucson) a boxful of things to keep at their house to become even COOLER grandparents now that the Costa Rican kids are living in the same town.  My ultimate goal is to make their adult home look like the Ronald McDonald's backyard.  I'll try to find a picture of that to post at a later time (of the gifts and not of Ronald McDonald's backyard).

My buddy, Jackson Green (almost 2):

Taken in April '09.

He no longer looks like a baby.  At all.

But I never posted this picture and I just like it.

I think the greatest gift I can give to Jack is my time and laughter (Kasser! Funny!), but hey, everyone loves a tangible present, right?  Luckily, I learned from my friend, Ben Schatzel, is that the number one thing on an almost any 2 year old's wish list is a ..... T.R.U.C.K.

Uh, the coolest truck ever, right!  

Ok, so maybe it doesn't make all the cool sounds and lights that more popular toys make, but it's made out of 100% recycled plastic and has little compartments for your glass, plastic, and paper recyclable items.  Never too early to teach that lesson, right?  :)

For Cool Cole (3yrs old):

Jamie's first nephew and a total ham.

Again, the poor child must be freezing.  He was lucky enough to spend a year in the States before the two down in Costa Rica, but I'm not sure what impact those measly 12 months had on his development of weather acclimation. Jamie was insistent on getting him something to layer over the tank tops the kid was accustomed to wearing so we went with a thick, fleece-lined surfer sweatshirt like his dad would wear.  And that'd be Cole's dad, not Jamie's dad.  Jamie's dad sticks with 1970s ski jackets that still totally rock (think almost member's only style).

And then I took liberty with the more "fun" stuff.

Pile o' stuff.

They're STRETCHABLE body parts!!! 

ew.

And now for the fun part.

SQUISHABLE MICE.

Hi, I'm a totally normal looking mouse, 

climbing out of this piece of cheese.

Things are getting a leeetle bit tight in here.

What are those HUGE fingers doing?

FLURGH!!  EEERGGH!  MURRRPPP!

Ahhh....good times.  You don't think he'll notice that the mice are slightly played with, do you?