1928 Tudor

Favorite Things

2009-07-14T13:50:00.001-07:00

I know its a house blog but you have to wear clothes at the house right? Or I suppose you don't. Anyway, this is my friends clothing company, they outfit me in the cutest things. I could not ask for more in a fashion adviser.

Here is a message from Maggie from Furlesque...

Hello world....how 'bout a little "reality TV" escape from this crazy month...!!!!!!!

A Furlesque tee (a "sunglass girl" tee) has made its way onto Tori Spelling's reality show: "Tori and Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood" which airs tonight on Oxygen!

We've seen the preview and our "sunglass girl" looks smashing...watch her work her way around the Hollywood movers and shakers.....tonight on Oxygen!!

See our other sunglass girls here...

Be well everyone...

Maggie

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Raspbarry Lemon Pudding Cakes

2009-07-13T13:46:00.000-07:00

My Wrigley Garden manager Rachael made this for us on Saturday night. It was fantastic!

Photo: Annabelle Breakey

Raspberry Lemon Pudding Cakes

Time: 50 minutes, plus 30 minutes to cool. "This light and tangy lemon dessert satisfies my longing for lemon pie," said reader Jeanette Hennings about her original version of this recipe. We added loads of berries for a more summery take. The tender berry cake rises to the top, and the creamy lemon cake sinks to the bottom.

2 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons melted butter
Finely shredded zest of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup low-fat (1%) milk
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 2/3 cups (12 oz.) raspberries, divided
Powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Set 6 ramekins (2/3 cup size) in a 9- by 13-in. baking pan.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and granulated sugar until thick and creamy. Whisk in flour, butter, lemon zest and juice, and milk until blended.

3. In a deep bowl with a mixer on high speed, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until whites hold stiff, moist peaks when beater is lifted. Stir one-quarter of whites into yolk mixture until blended, then gently fold in remaining whites. Gently fold in half of raspberries.

4. Spoon batter into ramekins. Pour enough hot tap water into baking pan to come 1 in. up sides of ramekins.

5. Bake until cake layers are set and tops are golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove ramekins from water; let cool at least 30 minutes. Serve with more berries on top and a dusting of powdered sugar.

Make ahead: Chill airtight up to 1 day; pudding layer will become more distinct.

Wrigley Streetscape

2009-07-10T18:21:00.000-07:00

Its about time...

Shed City

2009-07-09T11:09:00.000-07:00

This was in Sunset magazine, I LOVE it!

To Can Or Not To Can?

2009-07-08T11:06:00.000-07:00

Last year I had high hopes of storing food for the winter. We all know that didn't happen. Funny how you can't store food that you cannot grow. I mean this years garden blows doors on last years crop.

So what should I do? Freeze 'em? Can 'em? I do run a food co-op but there is something about these tomatoes that I just can't give too many away.

Last night I froze 2 bags of skinned tomatoes perfectly plump and ready for winter sauce. Here is another big bowl waiting on the counter to ripen up.

So what do I do?

Whole Lot Of Nuthin'

2009-07-07T16:29:00.000-07:00

We took the weekend of the 4th off from thinking about anything other than having a good time. The Husband had some friends in town and to say the least, we had fun.

But now its Tuesday and time to think about the fence. I am waiting on the homeowner to sign off on the final design. We are still sticking with the horizontal design but are leaving out the gaps for fear of looking too modern. I can dig it.

I cannot wait until this fence is up. As much as I love listening to 2 Live Crew, I mean Me So Horny is a classic but it is not my morning favorite. I mean maybe morning like 3am but not morning meaning 9am while I am trying to catch up on Variety. Let's face it, it's me, it's not them I am a prude.

Here is a concept picture that I am liking...

Rose Park Restoration Fair

2009-06-30T09:47:00.000-07:00

The Husband took some great pictures of the Ro se Park Restoration Fair. B&B Hardware was there.
We maybe should have bought these roosters for our gate we are building. Maybe they didn't sell them and have them back at the store. B&B is a little expensive but do have some great things. Our neighbor kid worked there for a little while and said the owner was a total nightmare. But he is 16 and kinda pissed so who knows what the real story is.

KP Douglas was there, he had fantastic items. I might have to get in a little closer with this guy. Beautiful fixtures. There I am with my friend Candy, Hi Candy!Kathy Alford was also there. She is a new friend of mine. She is helping us with the Wrigley Garden. Kathy had a beautiful booth, super cute designs.

It was a great event. many more vendors were there. Painters and all the different historical districts were there. Perhaps Wrigley will be represented next year. Great job Rose Park.

New Season- New Look

2009-06-30T09:41:00.000-07:00

I switch up the colors a little. I was sick of the old green, hope you still recognize us. We have done lots of front yard plantings, I hope to have a new house pict up soon.

I Heart Long Beach...Port

2009-06-29T12:55:00.000-07:00

Today I would like to thank the port of Long Beach. They are trying to expand, they have donated parks and other things trying to bribe the public into thinking that they are not the monster. I mean what would my fellow Long Beach residents do with a long life? From what I hear good health and happy retirement are overrated anyway.

Amongst the smog parks and polluted beaches the port does have a trucks going green program. I suppose that something is better than nothing. The teamsters have a problem with it but ya know what. Time to get a new truck, screw it. They are talking about a better rail system instead of all the diesel trucks going up and down the 710 corridor but the opposition of that is they have to actually build it which will take too many years. They have the defense that they are creating jobs, we have the complaint that we are dying an early death. Its a long ass fight that nobody wins.

Here is the latest offer from The Port of Long Beach. This is taken from the Wrigley Area News & Events. They are simply reporting what's happening and I thank them for that.

Port Grants Meeting- Wed, June 17th 7pm Hudson Elementary School, 2335 Hudson St Also June 24 at Memorial Medical Center, 2801 Atlantic Avenue Air filters for schools, health education projects eligible Schools, daycare centers, convalescent homes, senior centers, medical facilities, shipping terminals and others are eligible for $15 million in Port of Long Beach grants to minimize the impact of Port operations on air quality and greenhouse gases. The grants program is part of a comprehensive strategy to offset the impacts of port-related operations in the community, primarily air pollution risks for vulnerable groups such as children and seniors. Examples of projects that may be eligible for grants include air filtration systems at schools, daycare centers, and senior health care centers. Port officials will discuss the grants and be available at the meetings to answer questions about grant eligibility and how the funds will be awarded. A citizen advisory committee will be formed to make recommendations to the Port’s Board of Harbor Commissioners. The $15 million in grants will be divided equally among three general areas: 1) Schools and related sites. 2) Healthcare and senior facilities. 3) Greenhouse gases project.

So I can't get a air filtration system because I'm not old or because I have not reproduced. Um...thanks.

Home Restoration Fair In Long Beach

2009-06-24T15:30:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Candy for reminding me. This weekend, I expect everyone from Wrigley to attend. :) See you there!

2009 Restoration Trade Fair & Fundraiser

Brings Together Restoration Specialists, Artisans, City Experts &
Non-Profit Organizations

Sunday, June 28th 9am-4pm
Luther Burbank School, 4th & Junipero, Long Beach

The event is Free to RPNA members and all children under 18; $5 for all
others. Parking is free.

This is a one-day, one-stop event to help homeowners in Historic Districts
restore and refurbish their homes. This year’s theme is “Do it Yourself/Do
it With Help”, which means: workshops, workshops, workshops! Also, this
year, we’ll feature onsite food and more entertainment.

We will have fifty (50) specialty vendors, experts knowledgeable in The
City of Long Beach’s historic guidelines, guest speakers, classes, and
exhibits throughout the day.

The event is a fundraiser for the Rose Park Neighborhood Association (RPNA,
a 501c non-profit organization), with sponsorship by American Bungalow
magazine, Barbara Paul Landscape Design, Benjamin Moore Paints, Cottages &
Bungalows magazine, Realtors: Jeff Anderson, Maureen Wharton, Shannon
Jones, as well as UPS (7th/Redondo).

Again, this year, we’ll be featuring an “Opportunity Drawing” with Grand
Prizes that include an entire landscape design for your home from Barbara
Paul, Landscape Design (restrictions apply), a whole house-worth of
Benjamin Moore’s Very Best (limitations apply), and gift certificates and
baskets from local vendors.

Shop Local and Save! After the event, check out the shops along 4th
Street’s “Retro Row” for all your interior furnishing and personal fashion
needs. Participating merchants offer a 10% discount for Trade Fair
attendees! (www.4thstreetlongbeach.com).

The Trade Fair opens to the public at 9am and the event goes until 4pm.
Parking is available off Dawson (1 block west of Junipero). For cyclists
and pedestrians, come in the Junipero entrance and be greeted by restored
work trucks and their owners.
For more information, and a complete schedule-in-progress, go to:
www.rpna-tradefair.org sign up to receive updates as we get closer to the
event, email us at info@rpna-tradefair.org or call (562) 219-3526.

Rusty Like The Pipe

2009-06-22T14:48:00.001-07:00

When the sink backs up its a bad idea to think that its not a big deal.

Fast forward to us 'snaking' the drain until midnight (if we didn't go to the aquarium first we would have probably given up a little earlier), since that didn't work we called Rob the plumber. He got the big guns out and cleared the clog. The fun really started when he was backing out the industrial sized snake and we heard flopping around inside the wall. Turns out there was a hole in the pipe. Its old, its rusty but not no more.

Wrigley Garden- Oh Yeah!

2009-06-18T10:43:00.000-07:00

I'm a little embarrassed to admit I have 2 blogs. This one is about the house and a little bit about our city, Long Beach. I originally started this blog so our friends and family all over the world could see what we were up to. It has definitely evolved, its really great to look back at all the progress. Its amazing we have come this far in such a short amount of time. Its a beautiful house.

The 2nd blog is something I started as a forum to share homegrown crops, food trader if you will. We call this blog the Chalkboard. My thought was that the 'menu' will forever be changing and it can be posted on the 'chalkboard' once its gone we wipe it clean and start over. Forever new and exciting.

So speaking of new and exciting. Today's posting on the Chalkboard is really something special. We have been approved to start our community garden. Its a huge step for not only the street that it sits on but the neighborhood as a whole. Henderson Ave where the garden will be is a sad state. Its about a block from our house but such a world away.

Please check the Chalkboard if you are interested in following the Wrigley Garden story or if you would like a plot please email me and I'll put you on la lista.

Thanks for all the support. Yay for veggies grown in the LBC.

chalkboardcoop@mac.com

Baker Creek Moves West

2009-06-17T08:35:00.001-07:00

My favorite heirloom seed company (I commonly refer to them as a seed cult, if you read the newsletter you might agree) is opening a store in Petaluma.

Here is a copy of their press release that they sent out. If you happen to live up north and would like a job check them out. Its a great spot for them right smack in wine country. Can't wait until they get up and running, I see a road trip in our future.

Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co., headquartered in Mansfield, MO is reaching out to the Great Golden State of California with their first branch retail location in the City of Petaluma, in Sonoma County. They’ve leased the historic Sonoma County National Bank building, (199 Petaluma Blvd., N.) A beautiful structure in the heart of the retail district at Petaluma Boulevard North and Washington Avenue. With its 30-foot high hammered-metal ceilings, ornate lights and fixtures, and enormous windows, this venue fits perfectly with Baker Creek’s theme of heirloom seeds that trace their origins back to a time when foods were healthier, with no GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) content.
In a recent interview, Owner Jere Gettle said, “A huge share of our current California business is concentrated in a few counties surrounding Petaluma. Not only will we be able to serve those folks better, but we also expect to be a destination for many tourists from across the country.” He added, “The tentative opening date is set for June 8, 2009. We’ll be selling seeds and for a brief time, doing a bit of remodeling, as well, so come on out and see us.”
“We want to thank each and every one of you for making our family business of seed preservation a success,” said
Gettle, “helping us swim against the river of modern agriculture, as we continue to work for the farmer, the gardener and most of all each and every eater!”

Field Trip!

2009-06-16T09:22:00.000-07:00

The fence project is not dead. Its typical me that I can't just go to Home Depot and buy lumber. I have to find the one guy in L.A. County, 40 miles away, that sells reclaimed lumber. I heard a rumor that Long Beach was suppose to be saving these supplies also. I might have to look into that a little more.

So field trip it was. Yesterday Sal (my builder) and I went to Reclaimed Wood Products. It was super cool and nicely priced. For the amount of wood that we need and the quality that we will be getting I'm happy. The old wood, slow growth trees are so beautiful. So, I'm working on my design and at this rate by the time my unborn children graduate from High School they will have a nice and private backyard to play in.

Here are some shots, its bundled by lot so all the wood does not get mixed up.
They have railroad ties and timber frame lumber.
They had a small stack of wood doors along with glass windows. Nothing too old there. I was surprised at the lack of work space and machinery they had. I guess if you have 1 guy milling the boards you only need 1 set of tools.

Zucchini Cakes

2009-06-15T17:08:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure what you eat while watching the Lakers kick Orlando's ass but we eat zucchini cakes at our house.
The ingredients are listed at the end of the recipe. For my cakes I used what we had in the garden. We had 1 big ripe zucchini that I used and it made all 4 pancakes. I also had feta in the fridge so I used that instead of goat cheese. For the tomato sauce again, I had 1 large ripe tomato from the garden and I cut it up and added a spoon full of tomato paste and some dried herbs to make a quick sauce.

Its so good!
recipe was taken from Emeril's website

Goat Cheese Stuffed Zucchini Pancakes with Tomato Sauce
In a large bowl, combine the zucchini, onions, basil, zest, garlic, salt, and pepper. In a small bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. Add the eggs and flour mixture to the vegetables and stir just until combined.

Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 3 minutes. When hot, add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the batter by tablespoons into the skillet (making sure to spoon both batter and vegetables), leaving 1-inch between the cakes. Immediately drop a round of cheese into the center of each pancake. Top with another tablespoon of batter to enclose the cheese. Cook until golden brown on the bottom side, about 1 1/2 minutes. Flip with a spatula and cook on the 2nd side until golden brown, about 1 minute. Remove from the pan and place on a baking sheet. Keep warm in the oven while preparing the remaining pancakes.

Arrange the pancakes on a platter, drizzle with the tomato sauce, and serve immediately.
Ingredients

1 pound small zucchini, grated and squeezed dry in a towel
1/4 cup grated yellow onions
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
2 teaspoons chopped lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup olive oil
1 (5-ounce) log goat cheese, very thinly sliced
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

You May Once Again- Shut The Door

2009-06-10T09:09:00.001-07:00

If you came to my house today you could actually pee in private.

And if you really wanted to you could sleep in private. Hallway/door pictures are both impossible to take and really boring to talk about. I'm scraping my closet door as we speak. It has a piece of glass in it so I could not take it to the stripper guy. If the stripper gets behind the mirror it will eat the silver and then we have glass. Funny how that works.

One more door after this one. The front door. Going big with that one. New hardware and some sort of fancy patina for the exterior.

Super exciting, I know.

Its Like Camping

2009-06-02T09:46:00.000-07:00

I'm hoping to get the bathroom door back tomorrow. The Husband has been a good sport about it but I'm pretty sure he is over it.

Whatever its like camping but different.

This might have been the hardest picture to take. But i'm sure you very much get the drift.

New Plan

2009-05-29T11:09:00.000-07:00

We have not done anything with the bathroom. Someday we will need to do the following:

fix the tile floor
refinish the tub
change out the sink
add more lights
replace rotten wall around shower
replace tile in shower
paint

Who knows when any of this will actually happen but until then its not that bad. I mean the plumbing works just fine. But its the door that has me stumped. I hate doing double work so now I have a plan.

I was scared I was going to hand strip and stain the hallway side and then decide later on the inside. I'll just have the door dipped, stain the outside like usual and leave the inside stripped. I can paint it later when we decide what we are doing. Or I can paint it antique white since i'm sure the ceiling will eventually be that color.

Now she's thinkin'. How long do you think it will take until The Husband gets bummed out about the Mexican blanket for a bathroom door?

Scraping Paint Makes You Smarter

2009-05-28T10:28:00.000-07:00

Dear PO (previous owner)-
Its been a while since I have thought of you. This is just a quick note to tell you thanks. Thanks for not leaving the door jam the beautiful dark stain that I found under the cheap white paint. That would have made things far too easy for me. I mean if the jam was left a beautiful dark stain that matched perfectly with the floor what would I do with my summer vacation? I would hate to think I would have wasted my time working in the garden, or heaven forbid at the beach!
So, thanks again for everything you did for me. You truly are the gift that keeps on giving. Have a great summer.

Doggie Needs A Home

2009-05-28T09:36:00.000-07:00

My friends from MuchLove sent me this link. He looks like such a sweet dog. Anybody looking for a fuzzy friend please consider Phoenix or any of the Much Love pets.

Message from Andrea:
I'm forwarding this around to many of my friends and family in hopes that you might know anyone looking for a new doggy family member. This poor little pooch has been at this rescue for 3 years and is in need of a mommy and or daddy.
You never know when that face will touch someone's heart.
The dog is spayed/neutered, up to date on shots, and microchipped....Please forward around

PHOENIX "A true Pitbull rescue story"

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=57028610

Long Beach Unified- Boo!

2009-05-27T09:56:00.001-07:00

My good friend Can'tStayJose took this picture this morning.

Here is his message:
this is why we have money problems in this state. I was walking the dogs this morning and saw this under a bridge on anaheim street in long beach. Im not mad but sad people suffer because of this. PLEASE PASS THIS AROUND
Consider is passed.

No More Messin'

2009-05-27T09:35:00.000-07:00

No more slacking off, no more traveling and no more spending money. I am on a strict scrape paint only budget.

Today I start in the hallway and work my way to our bedroom. There is the almighty base board thrown in with a few door jams.

Question; do I stain the bathroom door like I have done the rest? I have my bedroom door to do and the closet door so its not like I'm hurting for doors to strip but do I do the bathroom door or leave it blue? Can I stain the hallway side of the door or is that stupid?

Agenda From Last Night

2009-05-20T08:16:00.000-07:00

City Council Meeting- Take 2

2009-05-19T20:14:00.000-07:00

The first city council meeting I attended went so well (not) I thought I would go for it again. This time we the poeple got what we wanted. I posted the Press Telegram article on my co-op blog so I will skip that part of the story.

This version goes something like this, short version. The president of our neighborhood association approached me over a year ago to help her start a community garden. There is a parcel of vacant property attached to the back of her property that was once a crack house. They had the building demolished (before our time but no small feat i'm sure) and now stands a vacant lot.

Since I work ridiculous hours I enlisted another neighbor to help me with the project. We found a separate piece of land on our 'main street' and decided to pursue that land instead of the Henderson property. We liked it for the profile and thought it would really help out with the 2030 Long Beach General Plan.

Anyway, that land owner was very interested but she wanted some sort of tax incentive, I do not blame her one bit. The board we approached to be the umbrella for this garden was not interested in her proposal. And that is where the garden died, or so I thought.

Since I am currently in between shows I thought it would be the perfect time to start up the garden project again. Plus something warm and fuzzy about spring it really makes me want to 'get my stuff done'.

Well I guess someone else had the garden torch going all along because at about noon today I was told that the original property was on the agenda for the LB city council.

Long story a little shorter. It passed and now we are on the road to corn!

Thank goodness someone is paying attention.

4.7 Quake Hit The LB

2009-05-18T08:09:00.000-07:00

Last night The Husband invited a few of our friends over for the season opener. We BBQ'd some ribs, had salad from the garden, drank cold beer and lived through my first major earthquake.

What?

We were sitting outside talking up a storm and next thing you know the ground was going through a shaking motion and then it felt more like an up and down chopping feeling. It felt like it was right under our feet. Pretty wild.

We had a few things break and the roses on the table lost most of their leaves.

Happy Sunday, happy Long Beach.

http://www.latimes.com/news/la-me-quake19-2009may19,0,5541589.story