Come to Aaron's Art Show

That's right!

Aaron is having a show.

I've been an art widow for the last month or so as Aaron has been in his studio every night, painting feverishly until the wee hours.

Many nights he'd come to bed after 2.

And get up the next morning and go to work.

I don't know how he did it.

But he says when he gets in a creative groove he looses all track of time and the next thing he knows is it is 3 am and he still wants to keep painting.

The hard work paid off because he has some great pieces.

His color palette is beautiful.

Aaron loves color and it shows in his work.

He is also fun.

And so is his art.

Who he is and what he loves comes out so clearly in his paintings.

I know he'd love to sell them, but I admit to being sad to see them go.

On Sunday morning he loaded up his car with all his work, and went to hang his show.

His art looked even looks good hanging out in his car.

And after a month of hardly seeing one another, that night we went on a date.
Of course we stopped by the wine bar that is hosting the show to see it all hung up.
This picture doesn't do it full justice.
It looks fabulous!
Here's a sneak peek for those of you who won't be able to make it.

 If you are a local, please consider dropping by.
The opening will be this Wednesday, Nov. 7th, from 6-10, at Art Du Vin on 4th St, in Long Beach.
Aaron will be there all evening and he'd love to see you.
I'll be there too--I got a babysitter!
(you know that is worthy of exclamation points!)

You can make a fun night of it and go out to eat at Lola's, across the street from the show.
Lola's has amazingly delicious food.
Get the mole.
You will not be disappointed.
Then walk across the street for a glass of vino, and check out some fantastic art.
If vino isn't your thing, there is a coffee shop too, so you can get an evening shot of espresso.
Really, there is something for everyone.

If you are far away and can't make the show, Aaron will have all the pieces up on his blog in the coming month.
He will also be sharing some info about prints of his pieces becoming available in the near future.
So stay tuned, people.
And come to his show!
Love from,
Greta

PS.  If you know anyone else who might like to check out Aaron's work, please share this post with them.  We'd be so grateful.

Thoughts of Thankfulness

November is a favorite month of mine.

I love the idea of a month given over to remember all that we are thankful for.

And while we should all strive to have a heart overflowing with gratefulness each day of our life, there is something about the collective attitude of thankfulness that happens each November that warms my very soul.

The kids and I found this book at the library yesterday and I began reading it this morning while I ate breakfast.

It is full of so many beautiful thoughts that I was moved to tears more than once.

I thought I'd share some of them, as well as some of my other favorite poems and sayings on thanks, here with you this month.

May you find much to be grateful for this month, and always.

Are there other ways you will commemorate this season of thanksgiving?

I am starting small journals of thankfulness with the kids.

They are not fancy--just little books we've stapled together and will fill with thoughts and pictures of what we are thankful for.

I'm sure I will treasure them forever.

There will be an entry about the bread we made last night.

It was amazing!

You must try it.

I'll post about it soon.

Have a wonderful Saturday, my friends.

Love from,

Greta

Making Bread

Hello friends!

I'm popping in to tell you that we're baking bread today.

As usual, I have a list a mile long of things I want to write about.

For one thing, I think I finally found my china pattern!

I've been married for nearly 15 years, and it's taken me this long to find the one that I really love.

It's vintage Franciscan ware and I can't wait to share it with you.

But back to the bread.

There are few tasks I find more satisfying than making my own bread.

There are few smells more enticing than bread baking in my oven.

There are few things more delicious than bread fresh from my oven, eaten warm with butter.

It is worth every ounce of effort.

And truthfully, it isn't much effort at all.

We tried this recipe for the first time, and mixing it up was a dream.

It's in the oven right now, rising.

Since we'll be having a late dinner tonight, our bread will be ready for us, all warm and delicious, in a couple of hours.
Having fresh baked bread with dinner makes for such a special treat, doesn't it?
I'll let you know how the bread turns out so you can make some too.
I hope you will.
Even if you only do it once a year, your family will thank you for it.
Treat them.
They're worth it!

Can I tell you how wonderful it feels to be turning on my oven and making soup and fresh bread for dinner?
It's November and today was perfectly cool--just a touch under 70.
I know, that's a Southern California autumnal day, but I'll take it.
Last night I baked pumpkin muffins, and tomorrow...who knows.
It's November, one of my favorite months, and I'm thankful for so many things.
Today I'm thankful for the smell of yeast, and the warmth of my oven, and for a family that I am blessed to care for.
It is good to take care of people.
Wishing you a wonderful November weekend!
Love from,
Greta

More Vintage Signs From the Central Coast

Has it really been a month since I last posted here?

There is a part of me that would like to be really bummed out about that, but I am not going to listen to her.

Instead, I am going to tell you that since I last posted school started.

And let me tell you, home schooling this year is kicking me in the booty.

This is the first year where I am schooling both boys.

William was in kinder last year, and I am of the old fashioned mindset about kindergarten: it should not be stressful.  

It should be fun.

It was.

And therefore, it was a relatively easy year for both of us.

But this year there is a bit more work to be done.

Both boys are young enough to need a fair amount, or a lot, of hands on help still.

So, I am quite busy being a full time teacher to the both of them.

And then there is Lilly.

On the first day of school, she sat at the table with us as she always does, drawing picture after picture.

I told the boys it was time for math.

"Where's my math?" she asked.

Sheesh.

So basically I am scrambling because I did not anticipate that my 4 year old would want to be doing a full curriculum with her brothers.

She wants to write, to read, to spell, to do math--the works.

Girls.

They really are different, aren't they?

And then there is David.

I wrote a bit about him here.

Trying to teach school to the big kids, keep up with the house, the yard, cooking, and the myriad of other things on my to do list, all with my busy, busy, 1 year old running around, is almost more than I can handle.

And some days, it is more than I can handle.

Hence the lack of blog posts.

Blogging has fallen to the bottom of the list of things I get to do after I get everything else done.

Because I never do get everything else done, I don't blog.

Anyway, like I said, I am not going to be depressed about this, even though I do miss blogging fiercely.

If you are not an avid blogger you probably don't fully get this.

"It's. A. Blog," you're thinking.  "What's the big deal?"

I know.

But writing and picture taking mean a lot to me.

My mind, my heart and yes, even my soul, are all filled when I am in this space.

So letting it go has been hard.

I feel like I have gone through the 5 stages of grief with this process.

It sounds lame.

But it's true!

It's been a tough road, but I think I have finally made it to the acceptance stage.

I am willing to take what I can get and be thankful for it.

That might mean blogging once a month.

Or twice.

Or maybe even less.

I keep reminding myself that this is a season.

Right now it feels like the end of winter.

I am slogging through the mud looking for the first flowers of spring.

But soon enough, things will change again, and the mud won't be quite so deep.

At least I've got cute, pink rain boots to see me through.

I've also got some more vintage signs to share with you.

We spent last week up north on the Central Coast.

It was utterly beautiful.

And while vacationing with 4 young kids is not relaxing, it was fun.

We had amazing food, soaked up the abundant natural beauty, and went on plenty of fabulous hikes.

We also kept our eyes peeled for vintage signs.

Here are 3 of my favorites.

This one is in downtown San Luis Obispo.  

I've loved it since Aaron and I first visited  SLO, 12 years ago.

This one is from a tiny, little town between Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo.
We drove through it on that same trip to San Luis, 12 years ago, but had forgotten about it.
We drove through again this year, on our way back home.
Davy was sleeping, and the kids were anxious to get to In and Out for dinner, so we didn't get out and walk around, but I did snap this one shot.
I like the looks of this town.
And I like this sign.

And then there is this sign.
Oh how I do love it and all its kitchyness!
Isn't it adorable?
We saw it as we were getting on the on ramp for the 101 in San Luis.
"That's a cool sign!" I yelled.
Aaron got off at the next exit and backtracked to find it for me.
I love that man.

Here's hoping I get back here before another month slips by.
And if you're sticking around through this season I'm in, I do so appreciate it.
Thanks for visiting.
And do come again!
Love from,
Greta

Meet Our Vintage Canvas Tent

In his relentless pursuit to vintagafy our entire life, Aaron has been scouting out vintage camping gear.

We have our picnic basket and lots of vintage camping dishes, we've got vintage thermoses, and some vintage wool camping blankets.

But there is so much more out there.

I found this set of vintage pots at the thrift store.

Aren't they awesome?

Part of me wanted to keep the labels on, and save these pots to display in the trailer we're going to get someday.
Just display, not use.
Collecting vintage can become a sickness.
So I resisted the urge and we used them on our most recent camping trip.
Even without the labels I love them and was happy every time I used them.

We also used our vintage canvas tent!
A vintage, canvas tent has been high on the list of coveted camping accessories for a long while now.
Aaron put out the word that he was looking for one and a friend of ours said his parents had one they'd sell us.
It's in perfect shape even though it's 40 + years old.
The tent is the colors of the Swedish flag and it's huge.
The 6 of us fit in with room to spare.

Why don't they make canvas tents anymore?
Yes, they're heavy, but it's not like I'm backpacking with it, so who cares?
Canvas tents are vastly superior to nylon.
Unless you're backpacking.
Or caught in a rainstorm.
But we weren't.
So it was awesome.
And, it's been approved by Sir Edmund Hillary.
Definitely a keeper.

Aaron, along with a lot of help from James, got the tent up easily.

The kids raced inside to check it out.

They approved.

But the best part of the tent is the awning!
Isn't it the cutest thing you've ever seen?

I was dying about that awning.

Do you know how many vintage trailers I've seen with awnings like that and just longed for one of my own?

I never dreamt of a tent with an awning!

So until that day when the trailer of our dreams comes along, cute awning included, of course, I'll rest happy under the awning of my vintage, canvas tent.

The tent was pretty popular at the campsite.

We got lots of questions and compliments on it.

But the rest of our campsite is in need of work.

Right now it looks like this:

But we have dreams of making it look a lot more like this:

Are we crazy?

Maybe just a bit.

Crazy for vintage camping gear!

Aren't you?

Love from,

Greta

Back Roads in The Golden State

It's been a while since I've posted here.

There have been more posts over at Lilly and the Brothers.

Sometimes there are posts I just have to write over there, and there isn't time for a post here too.

But I am looking at pictures from our camping trip this weekend, and I just have to share them, and write a bit.

Because I live in such a beautiful place and sometimes I can't help wanting to talk about it.

I love this Golden State.

Here goes.

....................................................................................................................

Aaron and I love to drive country roads.

We search them out.

You know what I mean, the kind of roads that meander.

They are often narrow.

And tree lined.

They twist and turn, and don't lead to anywhere, but somehow always hold an amazing discovery for us.

These kind of drives make up a part of almost every vacation we take--big or small.

Thankfully our kids are good sports, (almost) always up for an adventure, and excellent car travelers.

And we don't even have a tv in our mini van!

After all, who'd want to waste time looking at a tv when there are glorious vistas to feast our eyes upon?

There are not a lot of these kind of drives where we live.

You have to hunt for them, and put forth a bit of effort.

Los Angeles and its suburbs really do sprawl.

That's why we love the coast north of Santa Barbra and on, so very much.

As soon as we're just north of Santa Barbra, the hills open up, and I feel as if my very soul is taking great gulps of the emptiness.

Those rolling, empty hills fill me.

I love wide open spaces.

We camped last weekend at Refugio State Beach.

It was a marvelous time.

We had the kind of weather that makes beach camping perfect and makes me want to stay there forever.

Even with the gross campground bathrooms, and a perpetually filthy 1 year old.

One night after dinner, we hiked the trail above the beach to look for whales and dolphins, and to soak in the views.

It was that magic hour just before the sun is setting when the light is absolutely golden.

I looked at the hills just inland from the ocean.

Covered in the burnt grass of summer heat, they glowed in the golden light.

"This is why they call it The Golden State," I thought.

It made me so happy I almost cried.

Then a kid wandered too near the cliff edge and the moment was over.

Still, the siren call of those hills was too powerful for us to resist.

On Monday, after we left the campground, we headed east on Refugio Road.

Just moments from the ocean, we found this.

And then we crested a small hill and the view opened up to this.

Golden light bathed the hills surrounding this beautiful valley, and we felt like we had found a little piece of paradise.

Both Aaron and I gasped.
Then sighed.
We're both from Fallbrook.
And these kind of views remind us of home.
Perhaps that's why we love country roads so much.
They are a piece of our childhood, our family, and some of our dearest memories.
Fallbrook has changed a lot since we were kids, but the rolling hills haven't gone anywhere.
And there are still citrus groves, and avocados, big skies, and meandering roads.
It's still a beautiful place.
And so was this place.
On one side of the road this.

On the other, this.

We immediately began discussing how we could move to this valley.
The citrus grove is part of this ranch, El Refugio Ranch.

We continued on down the road, with promises that our next stop would be at our favorite park in Santa Barbara.

The road narrowed and grew shady from the live oaks and sycamores growing alongside it.

James and William both said, "are we in Fallbrook now?"

There are roads just like this in my home town.

Fallbrook is a second home for them and they know it well.

I like that.

The road opened up again to more golden fields, more oak trees, and more quiet emptiness.

I loved it.

As we continued the drive, we found the Circle Bar B Guest Ranch where you can spend the night, ride horses, or attend a dinner theater.
It looked like a pretty great place.

The road goes on quite a ways from there, until the pavement ends at the top of the hill, and it turns into a dirt road.

From there you can park and hike or ride your mountain bike along the dirt road for more spectacular views of Santa Barbra countryside.

Our kids, however, were not up for that, so we turned around and headed back to the 101.
The views going back were just as beautiful and I soaked them up.
We were going to be driving back south, to our urban/suburban life, and we'd be saying goodbye to country roads for a while.
I'm glad for these little escapes down country roads to fill up that part of me that needs them.
I love my little house in the burbs.
I love our trips to the city.
But I might love these rolling hills best of all.

I'm curious, do you love exploring country roads?
What are some of your favorites--in The Golden State or somewhere else?
Maybe one day we'll get to try them.
More camping pictures and stories to come.
I've got lots!
Love from,
Greta

Made From Scratch: Cherry Tomato Pasta Sauce

It's tomato time.
Some lucky people have vines in their gardens absolutely dripping with them.
But if you're not one of the lucky ones, you can still visit the farmers market and buy some.
The stands there are full of the fragrant, red, beauties.
Whether you pick your own, or buy a bucketful, you'll need to do something with them.
The easiest thing to do, of course, is to slice them, drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and eat them with thick slices of fresh mozzarella and basil, like this.
You can also make tomato sauce.

If you've ever made tomato sauce from scratch, you know it is a time consuming, hot, messy, and somewhat tedious process.
It's not something you can start an hour before dinner.
It's also not something you want to do when it's 90 degrees in your kitchen.
All that peeling, seeding, and boiling--it's a lot of work.

That's why I want to tell you about my favorite tomato sauce: Cherry Tomato Pasta Sauce.
No peeling, seeding or pots of boiling water required.
It's fast.
And best of all, it's completely delicious.

This sauce is simple to make:
4 ingredients.
5 if you want a bit of spice.

You'll start with a bunch of cherry tomatoes.
These are just the red ones, but I also like to use the yellow ones--they make a really pretty sauce.

The only prep you have to do to these tomatoes is to wash them and remove the stems.
Could it be any easier?

Using a generous amount of olive oil, you'll start by sauteing the garlic.
Don't let it burn, just get lightly brown.
If you like your sauce with a little kick like I do, you can add some red pepper flakes to the hot oil and garlic.

As soon as the garlic is ready, add the tomatoes.
You just dump them right into the pot whole--remember no prep needed.

Let them cook in the hot oil, stirring every couple of minutes with a wooden spoon.
Pretty soon they'll start to get soft and then split.

Once they begin to split, take your potato masher, or a big fork, and begin to crush the tomatoes.
You don't have to fully crush them.
Just smash them enough to release their juices.

Add salt and pepper to taste, and a spoonful of sugar to cut the acid.
Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer.
Allow the sauce to simmer until it reaches the consistency that you like.
It can get quite thick if you allow it to cook a while.
The sauce will be full of skins and seeds, but it really doesn't matter.

It tastes so good that you don't notice.
Really.
The cherries are different than the giant beefsteak tomatoes--the seeds are smaller and the skins are softer.
My kids ate this sauce and loved it.
I really don't need to say anything other than that, right?

I've been making this sauce for years.
It is one of my all time favorites.
It's very fresh and light--perfect for a hot summer night.
After it's done cooking, I like to add fresh basil to the sauce.
That adds another layer of freshness and really makes this sauce pop.
It tastes really good over a pasta like orecchiette.
Those little pockets catch the sauce perfectly.
The sauce also freezes very well.
You can freeze it in mason jars, or flat, in freezer bags to save space.
I don't add the fresh basil if I am freezing.

If you think it's not worth the trouble to make up a big batch and freeze, let me convince you otherwise.
Come December or January, when it is cold and overcast and there isn't a good tomato to be found anywhere, you'll take out a bag of Cherry Tomato Pasta Sauce, defrost it, warm it, and pour it over some hot pasta.
The beautiful color will brighten your day.
The fresh tomato flavor will explode in your mouth and you will be instantly transported back to the long days of sunshine.
This tomato sauce tastes like summer.
Make it!
Love from,
Greta

*The batch I made for this recipe was very small.
I just needed to use some ripe tomatoes I had on hand.
2 cups of tomatoes filled 1 quart mason jar.
It was just enough for us all--and none of us drowned our pasta is sauce.
Obviously you can double, triple or quadruple it and make a whole lot more.
It will be totally worth it.

Cherry Tomato Pasta Sauce  
inspired by an old recipe from Martha Stewart Living magazine
2 cups cherry tomatoes (red, or a mix of red and yellow)
Olive oil
Red Pepper flakes to taste
2 large cloves garlic (the original recipe calls for much more, but I like it a bit more mellow--you can adjust it to your own taste)
1 teaspoon sugar (you can add more if you like the sauce a bit sweeter)
Salt to taste
Fresh basil leaves

Cover the bottom of a large, heavy bottomed, pot with olive oil and heat
Roughly chop the garlic and add to the pot
Add red pepper flakes to taste ( a little goes a long way)
Stir the garlic and cook until it is lightly browned
Add the tomatoes
Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes start to split
Smash the tomatoes with a potato masher or fork until juices are released
Add sugar and salt to taste
Simmer tomatoes until the sauce reaches desired consistency
Remove from heat and add basil
Enjoy!