New Blog Address!

Just a friendly hello! My blog is now living at lillieinthecity.com.
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lillie in the city is moving!

aaaaand it's official! lillie in the city has a new home--in more ways than one!

Come visit me at my new online address www.lillieinthecity.com, say hello, and learn about my new home city! There are lots of new adventures ahead, big projects in the works, and (most exciting) a new city to explore... Looking forward to everything to come!

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visiting new england

last week i made my summer pilgrimage back to new england for a handful of days in my hometown and then a long weekend at our family's cottage in maine. as usual, the trip was relaxing, filling, and full of people that i love.

there was lots of biking, an afternoon of canning garden tomatoes, a double-high-five birthday to celebrate, a couple of beautiful afternoons in Boston, an awesome hike up Mount Washington, campfire and smores, one enormous slip and slide, good thin-crust pizza, and wild blueberry pancakes with local-made maple syrup.




1. birdhouse in our backyard, handpainted by my younger self
2. tomato canning supplies in my family's kitchen
3. the view from the top of Mount Washington
4. the cousins' feet at our cottage in Maine

for more photos, check out my new england, august 2009 set on flickr.

it's okay to take it easy

after two weeks of adventures and friends, i'm ready for a vacation. funny how that works! just when my brain is ready to dive into new projects, my body says NO WAY! actually, even my brain was exhausted by the end of the day yesterday.

so even though i am very excited to start working out new projects/plans/life. and even though there was a wild outdoor concert happening afterhours at my work yesterday. and even though there's still a bunch of cleaning and organizing to be done. and brainstorming that has to happen. and planning that needs to start... last night, i knew my brain and body were on the edge of a mini meltdown. so i gave myself permission to just take it easy.

and it was just what i needed. nothing special, but a few important elements:
+ straight home from work, no errands
+ simple pasta for supper with a glass of wine
+ a bowl of ben & jerry's, of course
+ lots of eco/design/biz blogs to read
+ early bedtime with a new book

now i'm recharged and ready to take on the world! well, in my own small way at least. hope you enjoy some time taking it easy this weekend! xo

:: image of the boy farm from flickr / lillieinthecity

a weeknight beachside picnic

last night, Nicole and i drove to Malibu for a mini college reunion with our friend Peter, who lives in Santa Barbara. we decided to meetup for a beachside picnic halfway between SB and LA at Leo Carillo State Park. we met on the sand with picnic blankets, food, and wine, and talked until long after it got dark.

the sky was beautiful at sunset, and then the moon was full and so so bright. here's to more excuses for nighttime beachside hangouts!

simple breakfast with special company

i'm slowly coming back to daily life after another week long adventure in northern california. august is here, and summer is slowly start to wind down.

nicole, one of my very favorite people, traveled back to Los Angeles with me, and is sharing a bit of my LA life this week. we both love our breakfast pastries (check out our croissant diaries project!), so this morning we feasted on croissants from my neighborhood bakery, fruity jams, and creamy coffee. mmmm, how i love breakfast--especially on a weekday morning with a little something extra and special company!

birthday wishes

today is my 25th birthday. 25! the sound of that makes me feel both old (my early twenties have ended!) and young (whenever i mention my age to anyone over 30)--but mostly i'm energized, excited, happy.

ten years before i was born, in 1974, my parents and my aunt phyllie left Massachusetts in a rust-colored VW bug and headed west to California. i love this photo of them standing in my grandma's driveway just before they hit the road. excited and anxious and (i imagine they'd say) totally naive about what they were jumping into...

i'm excited about the adventures and unknowns that are coming this year.

cheers to living it up!

:: photo of dad, mom, and phyllie. heading west. 1974

friday friday!

friday morning breakfast. homemade wheat bread toast with damson plum jam from the boy farm in mendocino, plus a strong cup of slow-drip coffee with a hint of cardamom. mmm, a perfect headstart to the weekend.

now looking forward to...
+ a potluck in mar vista & a bbq in echo park
+ renegade craft fair in downtown los angeles
+ ray la montagne at the hollywood bowl
+ experimenting with sourdough starters
+ cooking up the bounty of veggies from this week's CSA box

and excited to be back online more soon.

P.S. during the latest trip to northern california, i finally bought a porcelain manual drip for coffeemaking. it's deliciously awesome.

travel: exploring the north country

another weekend road trip. more exploring of the north country. traveling with mischa (hiker, storyteller, and piesmith). in less than 4 days, we drove over 1,000 miles. we visited fresno, mendocino, tomales, marin, and san francisco counties. we ate a delicious and overwhelming supply of baked goods. and we had a few adventures along the way...

+ relaxing at mercey hot springs in fresno county

+ exploring the beautiful town and woods of mendocino

+ driving the pacific coast highway, north of san francisco

+ feasting at a beautiful outstanding in the field dinner


+ and camping at marin roots farm

i can't wait to go back! for more photos, check out lillieinthecity / flickr.

listening to: birds fly away by theresa andersson (listen)

food: carrot ginger soup & tastespotting

with a bunch of carrots from my last CSA box, i made a yummy carrot ginger soup with my own twist on this recipe. the punch of flavor and burst of color are perfect to brighten up gloomy june days!

i found a bunch of yummy variations of this soup at tastespotting.com, my new favorite place for recipe ideas. the website catalogs recipes with drool-worthy photos, and you can search their database based on ingredients that you have in the kitchen--perfect for finding new inspiration for your seasonal produce! dreaming about summer squash fritattas, apricot jams, tomatoes and basil, raspberry muffins...

listening to: four leaf clover by badly drawn boy (listen)

:: image from lillieinthecity / flickr