The mid-west was both nice and cold by all accounts this week.

I had never seen my Grammie’s home buried under a foot of white pristine snow. It seemed appropriate that the cold weather came with the cold hard task of packing up her precious belongings.  That is where I spent the last 5 days.

Was it difficult; painful and full of tears? Yep.  It definitely was.

Upon arrival, I plopped down on her loveseat.  I felt that any moment she would come from around the corner with a giggle and sparkle in her eye.  I even caught myself wanting to holler, “Grammie where are you toots?”  I didn’t.  Instead, tears landed on folded hands. “I know.  I feel the same” said my mom sitting beside me.

Long exhale.

We stood and slowly walked to her bedroom. I paused at her closet. Her fashionably feminine wardrobe brought on even bigger waves of emotion.  The pink dress from my wedding, Christmas sweater I photographed her in, and her favorite black pant suit all lingered on hangers.  Shoes in clear boxes, knitting bags, and first aid kits all neatly organized resurrected images of my Grammie.  The tears could not be stopped.

She was gone.  It hurt.  Crying was the only pacifier.

I know.  I can hear you.  Kathleen, this a nice bloggy place meant for inspiration and delightful finds.  Why do you bring the sad?

I suppose I wanted to share, despite the difficult agenda, that the week was okay and at times, enchanting.  Drawers and cabinets became delights; full of treasures and memories that made me laugh and love her even more.

Hummel figurines, cans of macadamia nuts, and bottles of Tiffany perfume, all in twos and threes.  Never can get too much of a good thing. Her personal belongings and how she kept them were touching and at the same time inspiring. So inspiring, as I am traveling at 40,000 feet, I think of how I need to get my home in the OC in order.

It was healing as I flipped through her hand written notes on how to make wine. She still had a jug in the pantry.   I found photos of her and Grandpa hosting all kinds of parties.  I even found a 3″ rubber-band ball in the laundry room (Remember that she was a young adult during the depression). They all made my heart smile.

Her home and how she lived was so special. I’m so glad I could pay homage to it and be inspired to make my home a little more homey and organized.

That is the inspiration she and I bring you today.

And thanks Grammie for making my trip so warm and cozy.  Miss you toots.

Have a good weekend friends,

Airplane Food. Oh my.

This weekend I’ll be flying across the county to a very cold destination.  I don’t mind the 20 degree weather as much as I mind the to and fro in-flight meals. Julia Child once said that she’d rather eat a peanut-butter-honey sandwich than suffer through airplane food. Even when it was free, airplane food was never terrific.  No offense American Airlines, but your choice of that mismatched medley of junk foods leaves a bit to be desired.

Because of this, my carry-on will have splendid treats, I plan on packing a Plane Picnic. I want something more than the usual suspects – trail mix, nuts and so forth. Additionally, I’m going to have to work around certain post-9/11 limitations.

The TSA website states that you can carry on:

• Beverages brought from home or purchased before reaching the security checkpoint in a 3 oz. or smaller container and in your quart-size, zip-top plastic bag.
• Canned or jarred goods such as soup, sauces, peanut butter, fruits, vegetables and jellies – 3 oz. or smaller
• Cheese in pressurized containers, Jell-O’s, pudding, whipping cream, yogurt or gel like food substances – 3 oz. or smaller

To the drawing board:

• No food that would need to be heated
• No food that would go bad without refrigeration
• No foods that have a strong odor
• Basically tastes good at room temperature and not too messy.

Plane Picnic Ideas:

Starters

A little formaggi + salumi +condimenti + crostini: Dry salami with aged gouda, maybe a triple crème, a little mustard and crackers, need to slice it beforehand. No knives on planes these days, you know. All from Whole Foods.

Blue Diamond Natural Wasabi & Soy Sauce Almonds

Main Courses
Minimalist sandwich made with crusty bread, charcuterie and a little olive oil. It think I could get a focaccia sandwich with prosciutto, mozzarella, tomato, extra virgin olive oil and fresh basil from Corner Bakery.

OR

Arugula Burrata Capresse Salad with Parma ham, burrata, honey-poached persimmons, aged balsamic from Pizzeria Ortica by South Coast Plaza

OR

Truffle mushroom mac + cheese from CUCINA enoteca in Irvine Spectrum

Desserts
Strawberry croissant. A perfect balance of freshly baked croissants, pastry cream and local fresh strawberries all rolled into one. Going to pack this one in a strong container to prevent a messy squish. This can be found at Cream Pan in old town Tustin

Lastly, Dark Chocolates – of course

Napkins or moist towelettes for cleanup.

I think I may pack and extra little something for the person sitting next to me. Don’t you think they might be eye balling my Plane Picnic spread? Yeah, that would make feel sheepish, as they munched on stale mustard pretzels. It also falls in the random act of kindness category – I like that.

What about you? What do you like to carry on the plane for sustenance? Or confess, you secretly love plane food. Either way, it’s all good. I would still share my Strawberry Croissant with you.

Have a great weekend,

Itching for a little surf and turf for upcoming foootball game playoffs? Need to know where to buy live crab and lobster at a reasonable price? Look no further, straight from the surfers who surf our Pacific waters, here are two favorite fresh fish markets in Orange County.

Dory Fishing Fleet Market

110 McFadden Pl
Newport Beach, CA 92663
(949) 632-5939

Hours: Sat-Sun 6 am – 10 am

www.doryfleet.com

See you in line,

psst…need helping cooking live crab. Here is a Ksugar how to, thanks to Chef Jon. Click HERE

Hello friends. Today is going to be short and sweet. Tonight we are off to Nick and Step’s Steakhouse in downtown Los Angeles for a night on the town. If you would like to come along you can find my Instagram feed at Ksugarandspice.

Here are the first two weeks of 2012. Enjoy.

Have a Great Weekend!

I just turned 42 years old, yep that’s me. My dad still cannot believe it.  He shakes his head in disbelief every time I mention it. Strangely, I still feel like I’m in my twenties. Perhaps a better way to say it would be, I just turned 28 with 14 years experience. Yes indeedy, staying young at heart is my life’s plan.

The above mentioned birthday happened a couple of days before Santa’s arrival. This post is to pay tribute to the event and share a doozy of a find {psst – cheese plate}.  You see, each year, I never sit back to reminisce or linger over my birthday.  It’s always fuzzy come New Years Eve; wait did we celebrate this time around?  Oh yeah, silly me, don’t you remember those candles in between wrapping presents and fighting the masses at Costco?  Are you with me early Capricorn’s! Since I don’t want this post to be about only me.me.me, I also wanted to share a glorious cheese plate and how you can DIY.

So, while my memory is fresh, let’s start from the very beginning.  It’s a very good place to start.

The day before the big 42, I decided to paint the family room – wild hair.  I did have limited help from the little people, for about 30 minutes. Since DH was in New York, I had to get BUSY all by myself.  Come sunset, Mama was poop’d, but the room was presentable, resulting in an 8pm bedtime all around.  Beagles included.  There was a good amount of square feet that needed coverage and it was an exhausting task. What was I thinking?  I still do not have the answer.

But DH did get to come home, in the wee hours, to a newly painted kitchen/family room.

The next morning, unbelievably strong coffee arrived bedside, just like I like it.  It was after 9am.  Sleeping in was the first gift, 13 hours people, can I get a Hallelujah.  The tribe smiled and laughed while Daphney the beagle scampered around the pillows, wanting me to join in her juvenile playfulness. “It’s wake up time sleepy head”.

After breakfast we were up and running.  A dash to Costco was first on the list for fixin’s. Lawdy, pushing a shopping cart around those aisles was more difficult than maneuvering a Sigalert on the 405. Patients was a virtue.  We brought home the bounty and the crew put everything away.  Then before I knew it, the sitter, friends and chariot to the Montage Resort in Laguna Beach had arrived.

Cocktails in the lounge at the Montage in Laguna, if you have never done this, think about putting it on your bucket list.  The Pianist Steve Siu, the holiday decorum, the sounds of the ocean, the libation, the perfectly mannered staff, sigh…. 42 had arrived just fine.  As I snuggled down into a warm cozy sofa with a glass of champagne, I listened and watched. I watched the expressions of my loved ones and listened to their laughter, I never wanted to forget this moment.

An hour later, our table was ready, as planned.  Wine was decanted and poured, the mood was festive.

Enter Lauren Bright, the fromage expert at the Montage in Laguna Beach. She had a culinary halo glowing underneath her white kitchen attire. I even glanced around thinking a spotlight from the ocean’s edge had risen to highlight her face as she approached our table. She truly was sent from heaven above.

She asked a few questions and personal preferences. She was on a mission to bringing a palette of flavors to our palates. 15 minutes later, her mouth-watering work of art appeared.  I honestly had to fight off fingers and knives to get a least one semi-focused photo.  Everyone was eager to savor Lauren’s masterpiece, myself included.

It was delicious.  Her cheese selection along with their paired accompaniments were out of this world.  Only more proof she was sent from above.  If you would like to recreate her cheese plate, Lauren was kind enough to write down her artistry. Did I mention how much I adore the Montage Staff?

La Tur – Cow, Sheep, and Goat Milk blend with Blackberries / Port / Chocolate compote

Marinated Soledad Goat Cheese rounds

La Grein – Cow Milk cheese from Italy with Sherry Caramelized Onions

Beemster XO Gouda – Cow Milk from Holland with Lavender Caramel  ** Favorite**

Roaring 40’s – Sheep Blue Tazmania with Creamy Wild Flower Honey ** Favorite**

To find some of these hard to find cheeses, Lauren recommended a cheese shop right down the street from the Montage, called Vin Goat in Corona Del Mar. Eric and John are the owners. Be sure to tell them Lauren Bright from the Montage in Laguna sent you.

Address: 3326 East Coast Highway, Corona del Mar, CA 92625

Phone (949)673-2200  Website http://www.vingoat.com

Hours: Tue – Fri: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm,  Sat: 9:00 am – 6:00 pm, Sun: 11:00 am -4:00 p

The dinner and company were delightful.  Beyond the sleeping in, strong coffee and Montage in Laguna, hugs and kisses from my tribe and friends were the best gifts of all. I cherish those the very most. They make me look forward to another trip around the sun.

Birthday love to all you, especially to my fellow Capricorn’s.

We spent most of the day at Newport Beach yesterday.  I realize it’s winter out there and in most parts of the county it’s cold, snowy cold.  Heck, even in Southern California, temperatures should only be in the mid-60’s. But for whatever reason, Mother Nature changed things up for Orange County and sent warm weather, thermometers along Newport Coast were in the 80’s.

Break out the sunscreen that’s bikini weather!

Since the wee people were still on holiday, it was an easy decision to gather the sand toys and hit the beach. For over 5 hours, we played in the waves, collected sea shells, built sand castles, inhaled salty air, and then dug a hole to China. Oh yeah, I took a few pictures too. Would you care to join us?

Give me your hand and come along….

Adieu Newport Coast, see you again soon.

Thanks Mother Nature for such a special day.

Until next time friends,

sending warm sunshine to your part of the world.

It’s a wrap. 22 Posts later.

Picture Day Project 365 – 2011 is complete.

Will I attempt Project 365 in 2012? Has it been a huge time suck and a royal pain in the booty?

Nope, exactly the opposite.  It’ been a creative, imaginative, and enjoyable endeavor. From what I can see on Instagram, a whole bunch of folks have jumped on the 365 band wagon. If you have the app, just hashtag #my365 to see the wave of activity. Heck, there is now an iPhone app to aid in organizing your 365 daily pics. By no coincidence, the app is called my365.

For me, this year marks a tremendous growth behind the lens, both fancy and pocket. For a little history, DH, in 1994, gave me my first big girl camera. “Capture the world how you see it”, were his words.   In our tiny newlywed townhouse, we had a wall of my framed photographs.  I found one of those photos the other day.  It tickles me to think this was the VERY first photo {SOOC – Straight out of Camera} clicked in 1994, using a Canon Rebel film camera with detachable lens. It was Christmas morning.

Not too bad, good depth of field without knowing it. This daisy bush in my parents yard simply translated an intensity of white and yellow I wished to share. I crouched down to find an angle that would fill the frame and clicked. The settings; shutter speed, aperture, exposure, and ISO – I had no idea what they meant OR what all those knobs and switches did. It was set to automatic since I was clueless.

Being clueless lit a fire. Lets figure this bad boy out.  What do all these do-hickeys-do?

Understanding Exposure, 1st Edition: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera by Bryan Peterson, was the first book.

The book explained the relationship between aperture and shutter speed with everything in between. A favorite, the sunny 16 rule: a great pic comes on a sunny day by using an aperture of f/16 and the shutter speed closest to the ISO speed. For example, set your camera to ISO 200, an aperture of f/16 and a shutter speed of 1/200.  I could do this, the do-hickeys began to make sense.

Then in 2000 I had a baby. Being overwhelmed, the fancy camera went into hibernation. A quick point and shoot was my tool. Gone from my mind was composition, balance, depth of field and leading lines. Fried as a new mom, I was.

Fast forward, three children later to 2009, Christmas had come once again. A friend and I, over brunch, began swapping stories about photography. The lights went on. I returned home inspired and broke out my big girl camera. It was now digital, with many more new things to figure out. It was going to take a strong effort to pick-up where I left off.

I was rusty. Really rusty.

Proof.

Yeah…… no bueno.

Composition: D- F

Lighting: C

Exposure: B-

White Balance: B

Focal Point: C-

Focal Distance: F

Creativity : D-

Very few folks have seen my “rusty” period stuff.  It’s embarrassing. I blew out good shots by playing with aperture and composition was flat, think dismal.

What changed?

This book helped me pull it all back together,  The Digital Photography Book by Scott Kelby.  As fate would have it, the book was a gift from that same certain friend mentioned above, who HAD seen my rusty pics. She was encouraging me to pursue photography further. She believed in what DH had been trying to tell me all along.

For a glimpse at the book. It is organized into eleven chapters, plus an index. Check it out, the chapter titles are as follows:

Chapter One:Pro Tips For Getting Really Sharp Photos
Chapter Two: Shooting Flowers Like a Pro
Chapter Three: Shooting Weddings Like a Pro
Chapter Four: Shooting Landscapes Like a Pro
Chapter Five: Shooting Sports Like a Pro
Chapter Six: Shooting People Like A Pro
Chapter Seven: Avoiding Problems Like a Pro
Chapter Eight: Taking Advantage of Digital Like a Pro
Chapter Nine: Taking Travel & City Life Shots Like a Pro
Chapter Ten: How to Print Like a Pro and Other Cool Stuff
Chapter Eleven: Photo Recipes to Help You Get “The Shot” (shows a number of real-world example images, with “recipes” for getting your own version of the shot).

Awakening my inner Amsel Adams, I was off and running.  This 365 day Picture Project was precisely what I needed to pull it all together with daily practice.

Yep, my family did get tired of my clicking, especially the beagles. I still don’t think they are on board. We are working on that.

Here is the last installment of Picture Day Project 365. There are some duplicates from Personal Photo Favorites Oct – Dec 2011. My apologies. Furthermore, the date order is slightly “loose”, I’m completely okay with it. Just blur the final 30 days together like we all have. Links to earlier posts from 2011 are linked at the bottom.

Square photos are from instagram {Ksugarandspice} while the larger pics are from the fancy dancy Canon.  Enjoy.

“I see something special and show it to the camera. The moment is held until someone sees it. Then it is theirs.” – Sam Abell

It has been a wonderful year.

Best wishes to everyone embarking on their own project 365 in 2012, keep on clicking.

Here is the link to the previous posts in 2011.

http://kathleenssugarandspice.com/category/photography/project-365/