down on the farm

Yesterday, the farm that grows our CSA veggies had an open house.  Even though I had to fly solo, I'm so glad I went.  Crooked Sky Farms is a pretty neat operation.  Farmer Frank's main growing field is surrounded on three sides by industrial park and by a freeway on the fourth side.  It's kind of crazy to think that we get all of our super fresh veggies from an all-natural farm in the middle of sprawling Phoenix.

They had a big spread for chowing down - all of it from the farm: 

fried eggs

sweet potato & turnip hash (mental note to make this next time pesky turnips show up in my share)

creamed greens

pot of beans

roasted potatoes

green salad with maple walnut dressing (another mental note to make this)

sweet potato & turnip chips

Yum! Plus it was cool and crisp and just a bit blustery with rain on the horizon - a welcome change for this Southwest newcomer.

In related news, the CSA talk of the week has been the giant kabocha squash we all received in our shares.  Feast your eyes on 24 pounds of squashy majesty that's way bigger than my head:

 

  

I've heard this type of squash is especially delicious - like a sweet potato, so I'm really hoping that I can actually manage to cut it open!

the problem sideboard

I love my dining room sideboard.  I love the reversible door panels even though I always keep them on the woven side.  I love the wine glass slots.  I just can't figure out how to decorate the darn thing.  And to make matters worse, there's only one blank wall in our dining area (not technically a room) so I'm having the hardest time deciding how to squeeze in the four botanical prints that had their own spacious wall to hang on in our old home:

So today I played around (those are wrapping paper placeholders for the artwork): 

1. Umm no. Try again.

2. Meh. Kinda plain. But maybe plain is okay?

3. Better? I don't know...

4. I know! Let's add some pinecones! That TOTALLY transforms the space! <eye roll>

I'm not really crazy about any of them, and I don't know if it's the picture placement or my lack of appropriate accessories.  Do I need a long mirror over the sideboard?  A grouping of vintage plates on top?  I wish I had a better eye for design.  Any advice?

wordless wednesday

so many pretty calendars

I'm on a quest to find the perfect calendar for next year.  It's one of my favorite end-of-the-year rituals.  I haven't decided on one yet because my search criteria is a bit limited this time (and I'm totally indecisive).  Last year, my husband bought me this great lighthouse art calendar in Maine - each month is a separate 11x14" poster that fit perfectly in a picture frame I have in my kitchen.  It's classy kitchen art that changes every month - perfect!  So, I thought I'd find a similar calendar for 2011, except I'm having a whole lot of trouble finding 11x14" poster calendars.  Seriously, and weirdly, almost all of the ones I've come across are New England or Maine themed.  Not that that's a bad thing!  I do have dreamy fantasies about living in a cozy New England town.

 Here's a round-up of calendars that I fancy:

Donald Verger Photography on Amazon

Linnea Design

Alan Claude's Lighthouses

Cavallini & Co.

(my usual go-to calendar company)

little brown pen

 Claudia Pearson Illustration

The English Muffin Shop

(which also has some super-cute kiddie prints)

Love Sugar Design

mbmb

Spread the Love

(their peacock calendar is lovely too)

Cicada Studio

three by sea

Modern Printed Matter

(I wish this was larger!)

Alicia Bock Photography

(my favorite photographer on etsy)

little brown pen

(I'm pretty much in love with this one.  Just don't know if I can justify the huge space it'll take up.)

 

So difficult to pick!  A different calendar for each room? :)