A Sneak Peek

People some times ask if I feel guilty for leaving Huck, the wonder dog, in our apartment all day while Mr. Spice and I are at work. I usually take a second to soak in the question, feel guilty for about half a second, and then I remember that he sleeps ALL. DAY. LONG.

You don't believe me? Well, the other day I worked from home, and I documented Huck's every move- from the time we got home from our morning walk at 8am until 5pm when he was ready for dinner. So here's a sneak peek into Huck's day, and a sneak peek at my latest project that is this close to being complete:

While he may look awake in the pictures, he only opened his eyes once I crept up to snap the photo. And yes, he slept all day long in one chair- the chair that I have been painstakingly working on to recover.

Does anyone else leave their animals inside all day? And what do you think of my gray corduroy chair and yellow pillows??

Thanks Anthropologie

So I've forbidden myself from going into Anthropology, but that didn't stop their new catalog from popping into my mail box just last Friday.

And of course, I have fallen head over heals for this new Tuxedo Bedding.

Bad news- it costs $268. Good news- it escapes perfection by not being organic. I couldn't let Mr. Spice sleep on anything but the best, right?

And while I am at it, here are some more less than perfect pieces:

The Bows and Berries sheet set to go with the Tuxedo Bedding. Or would it look even more perfect with this duvet, Twilit and Vines:

So, thanks Anthro!! Thanks for giving me a reason to stop lusting after your gorgeous bedding. And please, take me off your mailing list, I don't know how long I can keep thinking that you are anything less than perfect.

An Apartment Therapy House Tour

It's no secret that I love Apartment Therapy, but I often get bothered by all the extra 'clicking' that you have to do to see all the pictures. But this house tour was worth every click. I love how they utilized all the small spaces.

Check it out...

By the way, those are the original floors!



Love this laundry and a cat litter nook.

Work space for two:

And this mod tile really is the bees knees:

Click over here to see all the pictures- including the before and afters.

If you lived in a small space and could either redo it or expand into a larger home- what would you do?

Jonsing for this Jacket

I had to go to Anthropologie the other day and of course I feel in love with a jacket.

It's so perfectly cute, navy, and the ruffles.

Swoon.

I heart it, but it is so not in the budget.

Sigh.

Must. stay. away.

Do you ban yourself from going into certain stores?

Wine Country Living Up in Mendocino

Every year Mr. Spice and I have taken a trip up to wine country around the holidays, usually to pick up wine for Thanksgiving. But this year we missed our annual trip, so I decided that we should go up around Christmas time instead.

While venue hunting for the wedding, we had checked out the adorable Booneville Hotel, which is in the Anderson Valley- the none coastal part of Mendocino. Unfortunately, it was a bit too small (ten rooms) and too remote (2 hours from SF) to have the wedding up there. But it was perfect for an overnight romantic get away.

I have to be honest, I've put off this post because I really wanted a vacation and I didn't take that many pictures of our brief (and romantic) adventure. But I did take a lot of scenery pics, so that's what you're going to get, and yes, I totally over processed them when I got home. I was having fun figuring it all out. C'est la vie.

On our way up to Anderson Valley, we made a quick stop at one of our all time favorite pizza places: Diavolo. Yum. Here's Mr. Spice waiting for our first glass of wine (it was noon, somewhere) and some pizza.

A new tasting room just opened up next door, Mercury. Mr. Spice loved their wines (I didn't have any since they only had red- damn migraines), and the Owner/Winemaker was having so much fun with his new adventure they gave us a free jar of home made 'merlot' jam.

When we first arrived, it was rainy and gray. Perfect for romance, bad for picture taking. But I did get Mr. Spice to stand in the rain outside one of our favorites, Navarro. The reason we love Anderson Valley so much is they do great red and white wines. Mr. Spice loves the Pinots, and I adore the Dry Rieslings, Gewurztraminers and a few Sauvignon Blancs.

We also stopped at an old favorite. Lazy Creek Vineyards. While this was just recently sold, their wine was better than ever.

Our last stop of the day was Roehderer Estate. The sun started to peak out and the sparking wine was fantastic. Even Mr. Spice thought so, and as a former Sparkling Winemaker, he has VERY high standards. This is their beyond gorgeous view from their tasting room:


This is where I am a big blog fail. No pictures of our room or dinner. But here's the 'Hotel' itself:

Since we had a little Huckleberry with us, we couldn't stay in the main house. Instead we were in the cute studio out back. And if you are thinking rain, out back, December- it must have been cold- you're wrong. With the radiant heat floors and the little fireplace, it was perfectly cozy (cozy in the good sense not in the 'too small' real estate sense).

And the dinner, gawd, the dinner. We found out that the owner's parents originally started the French Laundry, yes, THE French Laundry. And while, they didn't make it as successful as Mr. Thomas Keller, they taught their son well. The Hotel has a huge vegetable garden out back and the restaurant only serves two-items every night. Both based on what was grown in their garden. I had me some sweet pea and scallop yumminess, while Mr. Spice has some polenta and flank steak.

The dessert was coffee, tea, and a divine affagado to share.

The next morning we had fresh scones with jam from the nearby Apple Farm (which is coincidentally owned by the hotel owner's sister).

Quite possibly, the best jam ever.
Of course we had to go check it out. Isn't it beyond cute?




Finally, the sun started to come out, and Huck was eager to be a vineyard dog:

Our first stop of the day was Husch. They are always so nice, and I loved walking around their property:

Beautiful.

We also stopped at Toulouse Vineyards (two thumbs up), which was super dog friendly and beautiful:

And since Mr. Spice's old boss just bought Breggo - we stopped their too (half a thumb)- again Huck got in on the wine tasting action:

I think Huck is wondering why his Mom is such a drunk in this picture??

But really, I wasn't drunk, I was just really ready for lunch.

When you go visit a town that has only one place open for lunch, there is bound to be a line. But this place is totally worth it:

Everything was organic. Seriously, what in this town wasn't?? Mr. Spice's ham with roasted sweet potato fries.


My salad. YUM.


And after a quick stop at Anderson Brewing Company, our car was officially full. And Huck was ready to end our wine country adventure.


In the end, it was the perfect quick romantic getaway, and the wines were amazing!! In fact, I think I may have to go home and open a bottle right now??

Where have you gone for a perfect romantic getaway?

Eco-Product of the Week: Coffee Cup

Ever since our fabulous Coffee Country Adventure, Mr. Spice and I have been drinking coffee every morning. The only problem- Mr. Spice takes his on the go, and he's in desperate need of a new to-go mug.

So I did what any wife would do, I bought him a new coffee mug (more so because I was sick of his complaining). And of course, I set my sights on getting him an eco-friendly mug.

I found something perfectly me at my local Starbucks:

While I loved that it was made with 100% recycled plastic, it looked just a tad girly to me.

So a few google searches later, I found the Aladdin Travel Mug on Amazon.

It's made of recycled material and it's recyclable.

The good news, Mr. Spice loved it. The bad news, it doesn't fit the cup holder in Mr. Spice's car. Bummer for him, but now I have my own perfectly eco coffee mug!! he he. And after using the mug for a month- I give it two thumbs up!!

How do you drink your coffee or tea in the morning?

Four years ago, I hadn't met you yet...

Four years ago, I went to watch a football game and gave my number to a practical stranger....I now call that stranger my Husband or Mr. Spice if you will.

Ever since I was a little kid, I always wondered who I'd end up with. And for some reason, I'd be ridiculously jealous of what he was doing or who he was with. I always imagined him doing amazingly awesome things, and dating amazingly awesome women.

The reality- he was on his own amazingly awesome adventure, but really he was waiting for me too. Every time I hear this song, I have pangs in my heart and I am taken back to how I felt over four years ago.



Does anyone else adore this song and Michael Buble?