Also available in white...

My kids were home sick yesterday. I was also somewhat under the weather, but somehow my Nespresso kicked in and I wanted to paint this wall in my kitchen.

I keep seeing Pins of glorious white loft kitchens that are filled with light and that one modern chair and I wish I could have that. But a tiny bungalow in Altadena is the exact opposite. So I just pine and watch old episodes of The Office. And then suddenly hop off my bed and start painting.

Here's the before:

I originally painted the panelling a coral that I thought contrasted nicely with the blue in the rest of the kitchen. And while I love that coral color, it really limits the colors you can put in front of it. Everything has to be white or it kind of disappears.

I think, what this decision boils down to is that now I can buy more stuff from Anthropologie without worrying it's gonna clash. If I'm being honest.

Adventure Time

After Christmas is over, like the very next day, I no longer want to be in my house. The clutter of new toys and boxes and torn paper starts to get to me and I want to go somewhere; do something. This year we decided to drive up the coast, the Pacific one, and spend the night in Cayucos. It's one of my favorite surf towns in California. It's got tiny motels and sea shanty themed restaurants and a very pretty beach and pier.  

We drove into town about 4 o'clock and rushed from our motel room to the beach to take advantage of the sunset. The boys told me the water was too cold for them, but after about 20 minutes they were both so soaked we had to find a restaurant with outdoor seating.

Also in Cayucos, is the Brown Butter Cookie Company. It is impossible to walk by without turning on your heel and walking inside for a sample. They taste exactly as good as you'd think, like light, crumbly brown sugar happiness. And they make the whole town smell delicious. Salty, sugary, buttery air, it's like what Jesus smells like.

The next day we drove to Sacramento, we passed a couple of missions and day dreamed about our Central Coast farmstead. I love these kind of vacations, where the journey is part of the trip. We drive slowly and stop when we want, we take pictures and find new places to buy sandwiches.

All the while California is unfurling before our very eyes, shouts of, "Are we there yet?!" and "Why is it so far?!" and the strains of Adventure Time's Tree Trunks episode for the 14th time are creeping into my daydreams. Gone is my alpaca farm and my organic garden, now I'm just looking for a place for Hartwell to pee or an empty bottle for him to use when farms stretch out between towns.

These photos will help me forget all the crazy, though, and by next year I'll be ready to do it again. This time I'm bringing Depends and picking the dvds.