1. hey, 2009? you can kiss my ass.

2. hi there, 2010 ;) you wanna make out?

It is an odd sort of limbo, this week between holidays.



I leave the tree up, turn it on each morning and let it illuminate the house. The vintage outdoor lights twinkle across the porch until it is dark yet again and time to climb back in bed.



The anticipation of shiny wrapped boxes and the rituals so filled with loving promise have passed. There is much work to be done, many corners to clean, much list writing and resolution pondering yet I think I will still linger long in my pajamas,



nurse my warm mug of coffee deep into the days for just a bit longer while I enjoy the last of the sparkles.



How about you?

and thank you all for stopping by over the past year!



Much love, warmth and joy to you all!

Love,
Leslie, Riley & Iggy
(and Rocket too :)

like a weed I tell ya'

...and they are all but grown.

how in the world are we about to celebrate his 16th Christmas?
how in the world are we 2 1/2 years from him leaving home?
how in the world............how in the world, indeed.

and maybe I am feeling particularly melancholy and sappy today but can you see how the bushes behind him are vaguely heart-shaped and love-is-everywhere-ish?

...sigh.

on the corner of our street.

I just want to publicly thank my friend Andrea Jenkins/HulaSeventy for her kind words about our home on Poppytalk this week. Reading her words and seeing her images of the house sprinkled with mine has been a treat. As has the response! Apartment Therapy reposted it and - wow! - you guys have been so sweet as well :) Thank you all much.

The comment from 'emilypdx' over at AT? I could not be more pleased - and from a stranger no less??..."Anyone with tons of money can hire a decorator, point to some stuff in a catalog and, poof, furnish a house. But this place feels creative and like it came together over time, piece by piece, fun find by find, and that is real style!"...I have worked slowly and deliberately over the years - curating here and there, bit by bit, and to be acknowledged for this, well, no words :) If you know who she is tell her how much joy that brought to me, k?

Oh, and have a happy weekend all, won't you?

MUAH.
xoxox, les

Bench Monday! :) And a very merry one to you all...

...and OH MY!!! Looks like Zazzle is offering a big sale on calendars right now! If you haven't snapped my calendar up yet, you can right here, enter the code YOURCALENDAR during check out and save a bundle (up to $9 - wow indeed)!!! Hurryhurry because present day quickly approacheth!!!

The delightful andrea came to stay for a few days. we walked. and talked. and walked again. and slept a little. and then walked some more....here is San Francisco's Chinatown through my lens alongside a dear friend...won't you join us?



although, imho, this slideshow is better bigger :)


(and don't forget to visit (or join!!) the wonderful walk with me group to take all sorts of walks with flickr people the world across :)

There are stories to tell about last weekend...stories of funky hidden dinners...and vintage photobooths...and shopping finds...and talking late into the night...and walks (really good ones with cameras in hand, of course)...and even a gaggle of fabulous new acquaintances thrown in but the best part is that I got to spend two days with one of my favorite people. And that would have been grand even if we had sat still in the same place the whole time :)