welcome, december

hard to believe it's the first of december... 

but ended november with a bang. had one of those picture-perfect weekends with the husband - lots of laughs, food, adventures and plenty of relaxing down-time as well. i can't get enough of him. after a huge thanksgiving spread in napa, we came home to the holidays a-buzz in the city. 

attended the annual ghirardelli square tree lighting ceremony, which proved to be the most happening thing to do in san francisco on black friday - equipped with the san francisco christmas choral, a few songs from the broadway troupe of rent, and a visit from santa. i also beat my record of consumption of hot chocolate. i can't help it. ghirardelli calls to me - i could stroll through that sweet shoppe all day. 

i walk around with a stomach full of butterflies the month of december. i still feel like a little kid in that way. always trying to maximize each day - wanting to experience as many christmas activities as possible. currently trying to figure out ways to decorate our corporate-furnished apartment without any of our christmas decorations this year (which are regretfully packed away and stored in los angeles at the moment). thinking about bringing back popcorn-stringed garland, paper snowflakes and homemade gingerbread houses. 

so much to look forward to this month - a quick trip to my old home of arizona to meet up with my dad and this sweet girl, a visit from the in-laws in a couple weeks, including an appearance by my favorite girl in the world....and of course, a trip home for holidays to meet up with the whole family. after all, it doesn't feel totally like christmas without them. 

lesson learned.

never bet your first child's future college education on the outcome of a football game. 

p.s. happy birthday carlee. i'm sure you are sulking right now, but try to keep your chin up. it's your day - this too, shall pass. 

p.p.s. i love you. 

thanksgiving.

{napa valley, thanksgiving day}

i woke up this morning before the sun came up, a little restless and full of mixed emotions. this is the very first thanksgiving i will not be waking up to the smell of the turkey already cooking in the oven and the thanksgiving table already set. the first thanksgiving i won't see my dad hovering over the turkey, and my mom perfecting the sides.

i can't wait for the day where i can host my own thanksgiving, in my own home, with both of our families. it will never be as good as my parents...but i will try. there will be candles, warm lighting, the smell of pumpkin-spice filling the house, family, classical music, children, take-home bags of leftovers and goodies...all this done while wearing an apron. i wonder how i became this girl. the one whose biggest dreams include throwing dinner parties. nevertheless, i am thankful that i know this day is in our future.

until then, and today, we will be spending our thanksgiving here. as a newlywed couple, our first thanksgiving on our own. and might i point out...our first time out of the city since we moved here. i am so thankful to be spending this thanksgiving with the husband. i am so thankful that i have been able to spend almost 8 months now being married to my best friend. i have no doubt that we will always remember our first thanksgiving together as being one of the greatest. 

so much to be thankful for this year. thankful for our families. and thankful for our friends. so thankful for a heavenly father that has my best interests at heart and makes things just fall into place. so thankful that happiness now seems so simple, and gets better by the day. am thankful for my life.

wishing you the happiest of thanksgivings....much peace and love. xo.

"gratitude is a mark of a noble soul and a refined character. we like to be around those who are grateful. the tend to brighten all around them. they make others feel better about themselves. they tend to be more humble, more joyful, more likable." 

~ joseph b. wirthlin

a few things.

"if you love large, you've got to hurt large. if you've got a lot of light, you've probably got an equal amount of darkness." 

~ sarah mclachlan

it's nearing 9pm on a tuesday night, the husband is still hard at work, and i can't really figure out what is going on with me. my head is fuzzy and buzzing with all kinds of thoughts. whatever my body and mind needs right now...time, rest, food, etc....i'm not really sure, but the only thing that is making me feel good right now is cough drops, split pea soup and old episodes of 30 rock. i'm such a cliche. an attempt into the city this afternoon left me cranky, tired and suffering from hot flashes, so i'm not moving. i hate thinking that i'm wasting such good weather inside, but sometimes you just need to stay in, i guess. 

today marks 14 days before it is 25 days until christmas. does that only make sense to me? i used to always think of the holidays in that way when i was younger, and i'd say things like, "tomorrow we will be able to say that it is 1 week until christmas...".  guess i haven't changed much. the holidays are in full-swing here, but i'm still under strict instruction in our household not to break out the christmas movies, music and candy cane cookie cutters until after next thursday. i guess i can understand where the husband is coming from, (even though i did secretly let a little mariah carey christmas sneak out of my ipod earlier today) but san francisco does a much better job of putting me in the christmas spirit than los angeles ever did. something about 80 degree weather and palms trees that just doesn't do it for me. 

excitement for the holidays is definitely in the air, and the city is buzzing, as usual. it's interesting though - that in a city filled with thousands of people in every direction, you can still get lonely. spent some time chatting to this girl, and this girl today, and it made my heart ache. actually, to be honest, my heart aches a lot these days. seems like forever since i was able to call them up just to go to a movie, or lunch, or anything for that matter. seems like forever since i could just drive to my parents house just because i needed to see them. seems like forever since i hugged my nieces and nephews just because i could. it seems like i should be at the age where being homesick is only a distant memory, but it has only gotten worse the last month or so. i've spent the last couple of years craving adventure, new people, new experiences and just...change. wanting to experience something different than what i thought everyone i knew was....almost running away from what i grew up around. that sounds bad, but mostly i just wanted to feel like i wasn't settling, or getting settled. but what i'm feeling lately, is much different than that one-time girl-of-change. 

i blame this on my husband. 

being married to quite possibly, the most perfect being in the world (i really feel sorry for the rest of you), makes me ready to be settled. ready to start a family. to be around our families. watching him work so hard for our future, is pretty inspiring. watching him sacrifice his time, and sometimes, his immediate happiness, so he can secure a happy life for me. i still get shocked that anyone loves me as much as he seems to. coming home at all hours of the night, sometimes on the weekend - and yet still, his concern is taking care of me and my needs. making sure i'm happy. making sure we are watching my favorite tv shows. playing by my rules, so to say. i know this is how every marriage should be, but i know from experience, that it's not. i've seen this act of selflessness in my parents throughout the years, not knowing that it exists in others. happy to report that it does. making me love more, dream more, and believe in more. all this goodness i see and feel in him, i can only hope, is rubbing off on me. 

whew, i can be long-winded...thanks for listening. i just needed to get a few things off my chest. chances are, if you are reading this...i'm missing you. heart-achingly missing you.  if you haven't guessed that already. 

peace, love and a good night. xo. 

let's talk kale.

since i usually (and by usually, i mean always) overindulge on the weekends (see post below), i like to get back on track during the week by overdoing it on greens. kale, the vegetable extraordinaire, was just introduced to me about a year ago and i can't get enough of it. brimmed with antioxidants, a, c, and e, a natural detoxifier and booster of the immune system - mixed with shakes, salads, topping veggie burgers and wraps...i feel healthier every time i eat it. plus, could the kale green, as i now call it, be any prettier? such a bright, vibrant and happy color green.  it also reaffirms my dream of growing all my own food one day, bunches and bunches of kale...green as far as the eye can see. 

but since i'm not fully-food-sustainable yet...whole foods, my home away from home, makes the best kale salad, and i just found the recipe so i can mimic its perfection at home. yes, its that good. 

raw kale salad

the key to this salad is finely chopping the leaves

ingredients

2 bunches kale leaves, finely chopped, stems and tough ribs removed

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 red onion, chopped

1 avocado, cut into small chunks

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

directions

in a large bowl, whisk together oil, lemon juice, red onion, avocado and sea salt. add kale, toss and combine to serve.

delicious and nutritious. enjoy. xo.

project thankful: am thankful for the color green, and all things associated with it. most specifically, the green earth that gives us so many delicious and pure things to eat. to quote michael pollan, of in the defense of food fame, "eat food. not too much. mostly plants." good stuff. 

let's talk cookies.

because it is one of the things i do best. i understand that i have had an overload of pumpkin, and chocolate, and pumpkin mixed with chocolate on this blog, but it's the husbands favorite, and i aim to please. plus...it's a cheap saturday night date. i could not, not share this recipe with y'all. these are by far the best of the best pumpkin chocolate cookies i have ever made, and it may be the last recipe i'll ever use. i don't know if it is the extra large guittard chocolate chips used in the process, or the soft, delectably-oversized cookies themselves, but this particular recipe can't be beat. soft and chubby - just like i'm becoming by consuming the entire batch - these cookies melt in your mouth and will make your holidays very, very happy.  

the great pumpkin chocolate chip cookie 

{adapted from big fat cookies}

ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg (i used ground nutmeg)

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

2 eggs 

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 (overflowing) cup chocolate chips

directions

1. position rack in the middle of the oven, preheat to 325 degrees. line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and lightly grease.

2. stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices together in a medium bowl and set aside. 

3. in a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together on medium speed until smooth and lightened in color, about 1 minute. 

4. on low speed, mix in oil, pumpkin and vanilla until blended.

5. mix in flour mixture. stir in chocolate chips. 

6. using 1/4 cup measuring cup or large spoon, scoop mounds of dough onto prepared pan (leaving 2 1/2 inches in between).

7. bake the cookies one sheet at a time, about 16 minutes, or until tops of cookies are firm, and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. 

8. cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes, then transfer to rack to cool completely (ours never make it to this step). 

9. dust cookies with powdered sugar or leave alone - both delicious!

and what do you do with an excess of chocolate chips....??

make dipping chocolate of course. 

project thankful: i am thankful for netflix and their quick delivery of dr. quinn medicine woman, as the dvds are my best friend here in san francisco...outside of the husband of course. 

happy monday. xo.

thanks, sister.

oddly busy this week, not a lot of time to post. am trying to figure out if i take the blog up a notch (new format, etc) or if i slowly wean off all together....what to do, what to do. 

project thankful today has me thinking about my sisters. this sister, who makes me think and makes me laugh. this sister who makes me want to be better, so i can be a better example, for her. this sister (needs a blog) who i admire as a woman and mother; this sister, who supports me no matter what and provides the best advice; and this sister who is my best bud, confidant, and soul-sister in all ways humanly possible. so, so lucky for sisters. and i miss and love them so much. 

"for there no other friend like a sister, in calm or stormy weather, to cheer one on the tedious way, to fetch one if one goes astray, to lift one if one totters down, to strengthen whilst one stands." ~ christina g. rossetti

oh...

 and ms. jenny bowen....the husband drew your number. congratulations on the win! email me your shipping info (@laurajcampbell@msn.com)and expect some deliciousness coming your way. 

Nate, Jenny and Amelia said...

Since reading your post about oatmeal, I have tried to find almond butter! Now you're on to pecan butter. I need this giveaway so that I can keep up with you! Any time you have something you make and want to give away, please send it my way!

NOVEMBER 7, 2009 6:12 AM 

have a happy weekend. xo.