I love my home

Have you ever looked up at the sky right at dusk and felt like you could taste the billows above you? 
Like the puffs of water vapor and fractals of sun would taste like buttery lemon pound-cake with creme on top...strawberry cheesecake smothered in a sugary glaze

Or give you that sweet sweet sensation of raspberry meringue lightly disintegrating on your toungue? 

That sky above you tastes like angel-food cake
airy and light
floating along
dipping into piles of strawberries, lemons, and powdered sugar
like the finest creme brule 
with its sugar crystals dancing like sugar plum fairies...
aaaalll over your taste buds


...do those clouds ever make your mouth water?

Have you ever looked up at the sky right at dusk and felt like you could feel the billows above you? 
Like the finest Egyptian cotton...1500 thread count...
wrapped around you with a cool touch
Like turning over the pillow in the middle of the night
being kissed by the cold side
Like the love of your life
snuggling up close as the sun rises and the temperature drops
wrapping their arms and legs around you
pulling those sheets up high

Everything is clean
Everything is calm
Everything is bright
Everything is beautiful


That, my friends, is the Arizona sunset. Mystical.magical. every.single.day.No editing. No filters. No "hipsta" or "insta". This is AZ.


I love my home.

The Sun also rises

xo,
Adie

Minerals for Mom

My Mom appreciated the little things


My Mom told me the story of rocks


Of Turquoise, Agate, Opal, Pearl, Citrine, Schist, Tourmaline, Obsidian, Quartz.
Of fossils, of petrified wood, of Diamands, of Pearls.
Of way too many life lessons learned in the most abstract ways...


We would drive along the highway and she would slow way down sometimes to stare at the cuts made in the mountains. She would tell me about each layer, how slow and fascinating the process was that formed our Earth. Igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic...I learned those words before 1st grade, and I felt like I was there as it was all happening...the heat, the pressure, water and wind...synchronicity and harmony...resistance and struggle...

This weekend I took her beautiful spirit with me to a local Gem and Mineral show, just like the ones we used to go to when I was young. My best friend and I scanned each and every booth in the college gymnasium where it was held. We blushed and exclaimed at times, unable to contain our amazement. We saw all of the raw rocks and minerals, all of the polished and unpolished precious and semi-precious stones.

I couldn't help it as I gravitated towards a Turquoise ring with the most beautiful coloring. The patina on the Silver seemed to speak to me and before I knew it, I turned to Becky and said "I need to buy this". As I caught the eye of the woman behind the table, she smiled and said she thinks it's a piece from the 40's, and that the Turquiose is from Southern Colorado. I cried a little as I thought of my Momma. That's where she grew up. I bought it.


This is probably a lot for me to be letting out here on the interweb, and I may end up deleting this because this whole thing is hard...really hard. But for now it feels good to get it out there. No matter what, this will be good for me. For all of us, maybe?


Turquoise is one of my connections to my Mother. When I was small and she would leave the house for a meeting or an event, I would go into her room and take out all of her jewelry and wear it. After her passing, I wear each day a piece from that beautiful collection of hers and it's usually Turquoise. It brings protection and support. And its hers. So, that day I bought a Turquoise ring of my own...with my own money...something that spoke to me...and that means something to me. Something huge. It means now that I can wear her protection with my own, that I am finally starting to see the grief process pay off. That I am starting to find my legs, my feet, and feel my own path as a woman emerge. For that, I am grateful and I'll continue to wear my rocks with pride. I take her everywhere in those bracelets she left for me. So, when people tell me they like my jewelry or they just love Turquoise I tell them "thank you. I do too." ...She does too. I love my Mommy always and forever and she's not going anywhere as long as she's on my wrists.


Thank you, sweet friends, for reading. Intense, I know. But hopeful. I do have hope. So much love to you all, and I hope your Tuesday brings beauty to your life. xoxo

We're lovers and we love to cook.

My boyfriend Addison knows his way around the kitchen...and into my heart(insert jealousy/envy/whatever here, I'm grateful and lucky! hehe ;) and his passion for cooking has slowly started to trickle into my life too. If any of you are pals of mine on Facebook or Twitter, chances are you have already gotten many a glimpse into that part of our relationship (the one that happens in the kitchen) and have also probably asked us for recipes or tips or what have you. Well, wait no longer buddies! We decided we'd start sharing photographs and recipes of our adventures in the kitchen with all of you right here, and that we'd make a little date-night out of it, too. How's that for mutually beneficial? Eh?

For this meal, being that it's Summer in Arizona and all, we wanted something sort of on the light side with minimal stove-slaving. Also, I was craving zucchini for no dang reason at all. I wanted to prepare an old standard of mine (zucchini with ricotta, pine nuts, garlic and lemon) but then we realized we're poor as dirt and pine nuts are plenty spendy. Enter Foodnetwork.com and their super snazzy appetizer recipe for Grilled Zucchini rolls with herbs and cheese.  

Side note: I don't know about you guys, but when I was a kid and my parents would let me order a bad ass appetizer like bruschetta or nachos for dinner instead of a meal, I felt like the Queen of the Universe...that feeling never goes away, apearently. So tonight we dined like royalty and had appetizers for dinner.

Here are the Deets:
(recipe adapted from this one. Our very few edits will be seen in italics)

Ingredients

3 zucchini (about 1/2 pound each), sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
Pinch freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 ounces reduced-fat soft goat's cheese (if you're a cheese addict like me, don't be stingy here...throw in at least 2-3 oz)
1 tablespoon freshly minced parsley leaves Dill leaves
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
2 cups baby spinach leaves
1/3 cup basil leaves
little sprinkle of onion powder

Would also be delicious with a little bit of prosciutto or tomato tapenade rolled up in there, too.

Directions

Discard Save the outermost slices of zucchini for an omelet or something and brush the rest of the slices with the oil on both sides. Season with salt and pepper. Place on a preheated grill or grill pan for about 4 minutes on each side, or until tender.

In a small bowl combine the goat cheese, parsley leaves dill leaves, onion powder, and lemon juice, mashing with a fork.
Put 1/2 teaspoon of the cheese mixture about 1/2-inch from the end of a zucchini slice. Top with a few spinach leaves and 1 small, or half of a large basil leaf. Roll up and place seam side down on a platter. Repeat with the rest of the zucchini slices. 

Tips from Adie and Addy:

This recipe was sssuuuppper easy, so there isn't a lot to change! The main thing I would note is when slicing the zucchini, try to be as consistent with the slices as possible and keep em thin...1/4 inch as recommended is a little on the thick side, so I'd aim for 1/8. Also, don't be afraid to get those slices super floppy (it'll help you with the whole rolling part of this activity).

Happy cooking!

Wine spritzers on our front porch, too :)

Motivating Myself: The Simpsons Style

I'm starting a new series over here on the Adie blog. 

This week, I'm talking about something near and dear to my heart... "The Simpsons" and how while watching just one episode this morning, breakfast burrito in hand, with my boyfriend next to me, I became motivated (I mean, I'm still on the couch and all...but hey, I feel motivated...isn't that enough? Hahaa). Each installment will feature something or someone else that motivates me...so, without further ado, here is round one. How The Simpsons inspired me this morning. 

In "real life" we have Chicken Soup for the Soul, Deepak Chopra, The Happiness Project (a good read, guys), Oprah, and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. In The Simpsons, they have Brad Goodman, "Smoke yourself Thin", "Do What you Feel Day", "Adjusting your Self-o-Stat" and "Get confidence, Stupid". Now, what The Simpsons also has is Bart, Homer, Lisa, Marge and Maggie. And Santa's Little Helper. And Mo. And Larry. And Krusty...etc etc. So, we watch how they all interact on the boob-tube, right? We laugh, we mock, we cringe, and man...we all probably think "wow, whatever those writers are on, give me some, cause seriously, WHO thinks of this stuff!?". Well, here's the deal. I took a step back and looked around....

We ALL have our own Bart in our lives. We all have Homer, Lisa, Marge and Maggie...they're probably sitting right next to you as you're reading this (Hi, Homer!). We ALL get excited over little things, just as Homer did when reading an add for a free trampoline in the newspaper, we all have weird hair days just like Marge does every day, we all want to say "I just do what I want" ala Bart, we all have moments where we feel like we're the only one that's not a nincompoop just like Lisa does, we all get proven wrong...just like Lisa does, and we all want snacks sometimes so bad we feel like we could lose an arm reaching into a vending machine and just not care, like Homer.

I guess I have a few points to make here. 

1. when you boil it down, life is simple. There is no need for artifice, faking it, or any sort of inauthentic acts , because as I just saw in this episode...one minute you can feel like a God, and the next minute you realize you're sitting on an ice cream sandwich.

2. In Springfield, they had a "Do What You Feel" Festival in honor of Bart's outlook on life, and I gotta say... that sounds pretty good right now. So, why not guys!? Why don't we all stop saying "no" to things, and start saying "yes" to stuff that makes us happy. Let down our guards and run in the sprinklers naked, pick up a little pebble and keep it with you always just cause it makes you happy,laugh as loud as you want at whatever you want, and just sit on that swingset and swiiiinnnggg for hours, until you get sick. 

3. It's also important to remember "doing what you want" really means just THAT. Nothing more, nothing less. I don't know, I could say the typical stuff here and say "do something crazy, cause life is short"...but I don't agree. I think that life is rich, and life is real, so if sitting on the couch eating donuts and watching "Clueless" makes you happy, than that is "crazy" enough! As Bart says "I'm blue. Time for my patented spitting off of the overpass."...simple as that.

4. You know how when you're dating a new guy and people sometimes tell you "love him for who he is now, not who you think he'll be later" or something like that? Well, same thing for YOU. Take Homer, for example. He has Marge who loves him even though he sticks weird things in electrical sockets and shit. But he also seems to have such a good level of self confidence just as he is...so take it from him...self love first :)

Whew!

I hope that was inspiring to you guys too! I know I'll need to return to this entry in the future to remind myself of the sage teachings of The Simpsons lest I forget :) OK, now I'm off to watch some garbage on TV and eat food. Then, my best bud and I are heading off to Prescott's Gem and Mineral Show. Should be righteous!

Guest Post!

Welp, I'm brewing up some awesome things over here on ye ol blog. In the meantime, check me out on my girl Danielle's blog, Sometimes Sweet. Stoked! Hope you all are having a great night and I'll be back with some neat posts soon!...do I smell a little DIY, too? Hmmm...stay tuned, sweet people :)

xoxo,

Adie

One of my most radical Farmer's Market scores...prettiest onions evvvaarr!

Design Crush: William Haines

Dear Mr. Haines,
I'm sorry to admit this, but I just recently fell in love with your work. Sure, I'd heard about you on the street and stuff, and in design school people sung your praises. But it wasn't until an awesome customer at work shared his passion for your work with me that I really started seeing my feelings shift in your direction. 

Now, Billy (can I call you that?), first I have to tell you I am proud of you. Being openly gay in the 1920's and being one of the most famous silent film actors at the time? Yep, nothing but proud of you. When MGM dropped your contract in 1930 because of your refusal to deny your sexual orientation...I gotta say, knowing that you remained proud and stuck to your guns, fills me with hope. 

At that point, you turned away from film forever and let your design talents soar. This is where my heart flutters....You designed interiors for Joan Crawford, Gloria Swanson, Carole Lombard, George Cukor,(who were all your friends from your film days),Betsy Bloomingdale, Nancy and Ronald Reagan, and Leonore Annenberg, to name a few. 

Billy, let's talk about your furtniture. While you were one of the biggest to popularize the "Hollywood Regency" style, I admire your ability to span so many different (although they are all modern) design styles, such as "California Modern", "Mid Century Modern" and "American Modern". Billy, you were a rule breaker! You combined Antiques with Modern pieces, and English and Continental furniture which was a major shake up for your times...man after my own heart, you are!!


William Haines, your life's work is inspiring. Your story is inspiring. Your lifestyle is inspiring. YOU are inspiring. To be a man that struggled with the predominating culture, still coming out of it with a partner who loves you, a career that is inspiring to current designers everywhere (uuhh, ME! For one), and to have a true legacy that continues even after your death? WOW. Take that, MGM studios! You clearly didn't need them.


And now, I will share some photos so we can all drool.

Handsome, to boot! Lucky Mr. Shields. Source

Pull Up Chair. Source

Valentine Sofa. Source

Ice Crystal Wall Sconce. Source

Modern man, modern design. Source

"You can hide things behind veils and ruffles, but when you come to simplicity, the truth comes out." -William Haines

"The only real freedom we have left is the home. Only there can we express anything we want." -William Haines

What a design master, am I right? Am I right?

XoXo,
Adie

Had to Post This Gem of a Photograph

My Gal Molly and me posing red carpet style at the Vibe Magazine B.E.T Awards Mixer. This is just after our Project Accessory casting in LA. Yeeeepppp!