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My Gratitude List | 2015

thank-you

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. You get to be with people you care about, cook delicious winter foods and reflecting on the meaning of life. For me, this beats candy, presents and confetti.

I try to make a gratitude list everyday (usually in my head), in the morning when I do my affirmations. But I’m usually in a rush and it often doesn’t happen. Thanksgiving offer a reminder and an opportunity to sit down and reflect on these things. It is kind of a catch up day, for the things we should be grateful for everyday.

My Gratitude List  | 2015

That no one was hurt in the fender bender I was in this week 

Shelter & heat

That I have shoes to protect my feet

Time to watching my garden grow

For always meeting new people

For clients who have become friends

Home made veggie soup

That my blonde hair hides my gray hairs

For living in Los Angeles, with exciting things happening around me

Grocery delivery

Farmer’s Market

For Bear who takes great care of me and indulges me in countless ways

For being allowed to sleep on the couch all night

For the old age of youth

For our National Parks

For water that flows out of taps

For living in a city where there are no bombs going off

For being 41 years old and still having 3 living grandparents

For feeling safe

For having seen enough of the world, that my wanderlust is satisfied

For my old friends who have known me since I was 14

For blogging

For helping people make their lives and homes more the way they want them to be

For plants, who are my friends

For the friends and family we have sadly lost this year

For having some extra time to live

For my books, even though I don’t have time to read them

For Brussel Sprouts, which used to be my least favorite

For being ok with failure

For forgiving myself when things don’t work out as planned

For space exploration

XOXO

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What are you grateful for this year?

November 18, 2015
See more: diary, entertaining & parties

BREAKurban Case Study: Front Yard Patio in Echo Park

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BREAKurban just finished the design of a patio garden in Echo Park. The client wanted a space to relax and entertain that was low maintenance. The property in a on a corner and the whole front yard is fenced in. There is no back yard, so the front yard needs to do double duty.

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The paving is poured in place concrete with Del Rio gravel (paw and foot friendly) in the gaps.

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A large aloe tree makes a statement at the corner of the bed. Protea, agaves, aloes, senecio, eurphorbia, aeonium. etc. fill the beds.
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The plants are small now but will fill in to make a dense textured planting.

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Purple lantana will fill in as a ground cover under the tree. Party lights will allow the space to be used at night.

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The plan is to have more furniture on the patio. There is room for a big section couch and an outdoor coffee table.

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And existing Papaya tree on drip irrigation.

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The recycled brick path leads to the outdoor kitchen area and a place where there will eventually be an outdoor dining table.P1030627

Podocarpus hedges screen the driveway and the neighbors yards at both ends of the yard.

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Sweet dreams!

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February 23, 2015
See more: BREAKurban, buildings & places, design, entertaining & parties, in California, landscape & garden, Los Angeles

20 Gourmet Food Ideas for Your TV Night – (Part I)

TV Night & Food

We have a bunch of friends come over every Sunday for TV night.  We watch Mad Men, True Blood, Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, Boardwalk Empire, Girls, etc. There are so many great shows on now (I think this must be a golden age of TV) and it is hard to keep up! A lot of nights we watch three hour long shows back to back — so it is important that we have great food (and drinks) to sustain us!

TV night is the highlight of the week! We argue about the characters, someone always has an iPad and is looking up the discussion on Reddit or Twitter, there is one person who has a really great memory and is always reminding us of things that happened 3 seasons ago, and someone else has read all the books and knows what is going to happen next. We catch up with what everyone has been doing all week. We watch rock videos while we wait for people to arrive. We enjoy the great food. It’s lively, let’s just say — and it makes the weekend seem longer!

How to Eat in Style in Front of the TV

There are a lot of challenges to feeding a large group in front of the TV. Here are a few tips:

  • Pick foods that you can eat with your hands or a toothpick. Save the forks for dessert (if you need them).
  • Make sure you have food for everyone: meat eaters – vegans. It is often as easy as keeping most things veggie but letting people optionally add more meat/dairy if they like.
  • Use seasonal ingredients as much as possible – Example: brushetta in July, artichokes in May/June, potatoes in the fall.
  • Avoid messy foods – you don’t want to accidentally stain couch or rugs.
  • TV seasons last a long time & you don’t want to repeat the same meals too often. If you repeat a dish try to make it different each time –  like thin crust pizza one night and a deep dish another night.
  • If you want to be fancy you can theme food around a show — Pinterest is great for this: Mad Men food ideas, True Blood party ideas
  • Invest in some little plates, tiny serving spoons, ramekins, and cloth cocktail napkins. Everything should be small, so it doesn’t take up much space on coffee and end tables.
  • Keep a roll of paper towels nearby.
  • Think about serving a different course with each show.
  • Poll people on what they want to eat at future TV nights – their answers might surprise you.

Ideas for TV night:

And don’t forget to leave room for dessert — more on that in PART II!

Do you watch TV with friends?
What are YOUR favorite foods to eat in front of the TV?
Tweet me @pattyhume

June 18, 2013
See more: back kitchen, entertaining & parties

We Eloped in Bali 3 Years Ago

3 Years Ago Today…

Jonathan and I eloped and got married in a private ceremony in Ubud, Bali (Indonesia). We had a traditional Balinese blessing ceremony (Hindu) in the garden at the Indus Restaurant. The ceremony, the food, the decorations – everything was stunning!

Long Distance Planning

We planned the whole wedding online and I really didn’t know what to expect. I kept telling myself to have low expectations so I wouldn’t be disappointed. Our photographer Tonny Trisnawan was really fabulous and stepped in and arranged our wardrobe, hired a make-up/hair stylist and drove to and from the ceremony. The team at Indus Restaurant blew us away with the elaborate decorations, their beautiful terraced garden and the amazing food! It all came together and far exceeded our expectations!

Big Hair

What you don’t realize when you look at these pictures is that I am straining to hold my head up! The 75+ hair picks (ornaments) that together composed my headdress weighed more than a laptop (like maybe 8-9 lbs)! It was crazy heavy and created a lot of neck strain. I would take breaks every few minutes and use my hands to hold up my head. Luckily I only had to have in on for a few hours.  I can’t complain though, because it was fabulous and totally worth the pain.

More Indonesia

Three years ago, when we were on our wedding trip, we promised that we would return to Bali for our tenth anniversary. We want to travel to Jakarta and some of the other islands and do some more snorkeling. It once seemed really far off, but I just realized it is only seven years away now! We are going to get Ethiopian food this weekend to celebrate.

Photo Credit
www.TonnyTrisnawan.com


Have you been to Bali?
How do you celebrate your anniversary?

May 20, 2013 0
See more: beauty & style, diary, entertaining & parties, on the road


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