tea, jazz and a kitchen tour

hi there! won't you come into my kitchen and have a cup of tea with me? you will? oh goody!

i spend most of my time at home in the kitchen. whether i'm cooking, doing the never ending dishes, preparing breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks, the kitchen is where i can be found. i have tried to make it a pleasant and cozy space so that i enjoy my time there.

my two orchids are doing so well and are getting ready to bloom for the third time! this is very exciting to me because in the past i could not keep one alive. i also have other plants and succulents and knick knacks. my friend rita just gave the adorable st. bernadette statue. her face is so sweet! behind her is a st. therese icon. they are good reminders of the importance of trying to do my daily duties with love.

cute owl pottery, vase and succulent from missa.

i've tried to make my kitchen as efficient as i can. i keep things next to they're area of usage that way i don't have to move around as much. i really enjoy cooking which is wonderful since i do so much of it and since eating out is a rarity. lately i have been making lots of soups, my favorite! i'm convinced i could eat soup every day of my life and never tire of it. in the last few weeks i've made a bean and turkey soup with my turkey bones and leftovers from thanksgiving, a yummy butternut squash potato soup, chicken and rice soup (here's the fun song (missa and mary) by carole king to go along with maurice sendak's book chicken soup with rice. my kids loved this song when they were little. listen to it with your little ones!) and split pea soup.

and while i'm on the subject of cooking, i have been dying to put together a cooking class of sorts. it would be a small group and at each meeting one person would demonstrate some of their favorite dishes. there would be wine and hors d'oeuvres...i think it would be a blast! and those they don't cook/want to learn to cook would be more than welcome too. i truly believe everyone is capable of making a delicious meal even if they don't think they can!

i found this awesome beaded curtain last month at the goodwill. i was so happy because i'd been searching for one for years! behind it is my laundry room/pantry.

i'm keeping my christmas decorations very simple this year. i typically have my advent wreath and candles on the table but i've yet to find my circular candle holder. many things go missing when you move as many times as we have in the couple of years.

now for the tea portion of this post. i am not a tea expert by any means but i do enjoy it quite a bit. above are the teas i have been drinking lately. the three in the glass jars were made by friend emily. i'll be sad when they're gone :(  i know i have tea drinker readers, so please tell me your favorite teas and any tips you may have. what methods do you use to make yours? 

last but not least jazz. it is by far some of my favorite music! i've been listening to bix beiderbecke lately and i just get transported back in time. i also love billy holiday, django reinhardt, jelly roll morton and more. the mills brothers and ink spots are two other faves but they're not jazz. take a listen to them if your interested :D 

bye for now!

anne 

yosemite

last week i saw the above picture on instagram (taken by this pretty lady) and got super teary eyed. yosemite is one of my favorite places on earth and i miss it so much. i haven't been there in about 7 years :( so when i saw that christina was there AND staying in the same cabins that we've stayed in countless times, my heart grew sad for this magical place. so, in an attempt to relieve my sadness i'm going to take you on a photo journey of past trips. here we go!

these first two were taken the summer of '92. above is my ode to the sound of music :D and below is my sister, my dad, me and my friend rita.

here we are the next summer. this was the day we hiked to beautiful chilnualna falls.

the summer of '94 we hiked to the top of half dome. it's approximately 20 miles round trip and was/is the longest and most difficult hike i've ever done. the next few photos are of the cables going up the back. i have heard of many people that head back down when they see the cables. i can't imagine hiking all that way and NOT going to the top.

looking at these now it looks pretty freaky, but i don't remember being scared at all. maybe i was just so exhausted that i only was thinking of getting to the top.

in front is carrie (a high school friend) and then me, my sister and dad. my stepmom, cathy, must have taken the picture.

hahaha! i felt like rocky balboa here!

i immediately laid down and went to sleep. ok. so your getting that idea that i was not in great shape, that's why everyone was so proud that i actually made it.

the view was spectacular from the top! i remember imagining a helicopter picking me up so that i didn't have to walk the 10 miles back to the car. you know what's crazy??? now that almost 20 years have passed, i kinda want to do it again! anyone want to go with me?

sitting at the top of yosemite falls
in '95 we hiked to the top of yosemite falls. i love this hike and although it's only 4 miles to the top, it's pretty hard (for me). my sister, dad and i did it again in '04 right before my sister entered the convent. that was our last hike together :(

daddy and i on the way up to yosemite falls

look at little max and alex!
this is the year we walked to sentinal dome, it's easy, beautiful and only 2 miles round trip. great to do with kids. below is my sister and max.


daddy and baby alex on the sentinal dome walk

rita, me, daddy on the log and jen, max and alex in the grass. i'm pretty sure we watching people climb the face of el capitan.

there are so many other awesome hikes and walks all over the park. we have done so many that i can't even begin to list them. each one special and memorable!

i know i'm not alone in my love for yosemite. if you've never been there, i highly encourage you to go. as for me, i made it a goal to go there this year. i'm long overdue for a visit!

"Each of us harbors a homeland, a landscape we naturally comprehend. By understanding the dependability of place, we can anchor ourselves as trees."
i read that quote by terry tempest williams on heather's blog a while back and it has stuck with me. i thought it would be fitting for this post.

ansel adams photo

♥anne

i ♥ this bar

yep, you heard me right folks...i love this bar. what bar is it, you may be wondering? it's mother's in sunset beach. ruben's band, bordertown saints, played there a couple times this summer and i was able to get out and enjoy the music, beer and friends.

you may recognize my lovely fellow bloggers nicky and jessica.

my friend vanessa even made out for one of the shows! we've been friends for almost 20 years! here she is wearing one of our vintage dresses we thrifted in high school.

ruben and mike(jessica's husband) lookin' quite handsome

and who wouldn't want to order a drink from the beautiful and stylish louise?
so basically, what i'm trying to say here is, this bar has it all- beer in mason jars, cute bartenders, awesome locals, great live music, bikers, the beach... i think you get the idea :D

♥ anne

"hey baby, it's the 4th of july" ...well almost

It's almost the 4th of July, so I thought I'd share my favorite song for this day. It's by X and I must admit, it's one I never tire of listening to.

What's your favorite 4th of July/Summer song? Please share.

♥ anne

black and white films

Some Like It Hot

Casablanca

It's A Wonderful Life

Paper Moon

To Kill A Mockingbird

Manhattan

Strangers On A Train - my favorite Alfred Hitchcock film

The Passion of Joan of Arc- the best film of Joan of Arc

Touch of Evil

Down by Law

Raging Bull

The Night of The Hunter

Above are some of my favorite black and white films. There are more...but I've run out of my allotted computer/blog time :D If you haven't seen some of them, I highly recommend watching them.

Do you have a favorite black and white movie???? Please share!

♥ anne