Thursday Things for this week include:
1. Heath Ceramics. Every piece is handmade in Sausalito, California since 1955.
2. It was my visit to Sausalito with Scott in 2003 that sealed the deal: I had to live in California.
Scott and I had lunch here and the rest is history. We moved to California.
If Sausalito and the Bay Area were warmer, I’d live there. But San Diego is much more my speed, weather-wise.
It’s 79F in January today. A little unseasonably warm even for SoCal, but I’ll take it.
Plus it would be dangerous for me to be that close to the Heath studio. I could have a field day.
3. Pouring Bowl. I’m in lust with that glaze, Moonstone. I’m not in lust with the price.
4. These tumblers
Shades of aqua, Tiffany blue, teal…
5. …and Turquoise of any kind…
… are colors that I love, gravitate toward, and make me happy.
6. These Vegan Boots combine boots and the Minnetonka Moccasins look of my 1980s childhood with furriness with pom-poms, and they’re inexpensive.
However, they don’t come in my size so it’s a no-go on these. They look so warm and cozy, too.
You know, for all those frigid San Diego “cold” winter nights in the low 50’sF where I need a down jacket, three sweaters, long underwear, mittens, a hat, the fireplace going, and boots.
7. A Princess Cupcake Making Kit
Someone’s birthday is coming up and I know this would be a hit.
8. Pretty much anything from This Store would be a hit with me.
Like a kid in a candy store.
Or like an adult in a candy store, literally.
They have more items to decorate with, create, bake, and make things with, and to get your sugar rush on with than I know what to do with. And that’s perfect.
9. For now, it’s a Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting for my sugar rush.
10. Last chance to enter the Chobani Yogurt Giveaway.
Have you ever had an event, trip, a moment in time, a circumstance, or something happen that you believe really shaped, altered, or impacted the course of your life?
Without a doubt, that trip that Scott and I took to the Bay Area in 2003 was one of those life-changing and life path altering trips. After spending time in downtown San Francisco with all it’s culture, Marin County for all it’s beauty, the Wine County (Napa and Sonoma and the Russian River Valley) with all that great wine; I fell in love with California and had to make it my home.
Ironically, I feel in love with the part that I don’t live in: Northern California. But then I fell in love with San Diego.
We left the South Carolina coast where we were living and headed to the Southern California coast, and I can’t imagine living anywhere but SoCal now. We tried living in Phoenix for 9 months but it wasn’t my cup of tea and moved back to San Diego.
What are your Thursday Things?
Another of my things is that it’s almost TGIF time.
P.S. Thanks to everyone who said you voted for my Chocolate Donuts in the “My Family’s Favorite Breakfast Recipe Contest”. The winner is announced tomorrow and I really appreciate everyone who took a second and voted with a quick comment.
Hey Averie. I wanted to reply to this earlier in the week but it’s been one of those crazy busy weeks. I only got 2 posts up on my blog. Life is just getting busier and busier. The owner of a local upscale grocery store is now paying me to blog for his store so I am now making some money at this. Yippee! Now I have to get serious though and post more and cook more, ahhhh!
Anyway, I love that the Bay Area made you fall in love with Cali. John and I came out here for a wedding in 97 and fell in love with it as well. The Golden Gate Bridge, the rolling green hills of the wine country and of course the beautiful and powerful Mt. Tam. We fell in love and moved here 3 months later. I still feel so lucky that I live here and thank my blessings each day. The weather has been nicer this past winter. Yesterday it got up to 78 degrees so were not that far off from where you are.
I feel like California is a place of creation and that you and I and many others were drawn here to create and be free. It’s such a liberating place to live. If your up in the bay area, please let me know as I would love to get together for lunch or a hike. I will do the same if and when I head to Southern Cal.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Thanks for this comment and sharing. Ironically, it was after a gorgeous hike on Mt. Tam and being in the redwoods, in all that natural beauty, and just having one of those picture-perfect days where everything in the world just clicked…that was part of it and lunch in Sausalito, we had to be here. Interesting that you mentioned Mt. Tam and it’s beauty and power. Yes…I truly feel that mountain is magical!
And yes, if we are in each other’s corners of the world, we must meet :)
Love the ceramics! Oh that pouring bowl…I’d be terrified to actually use it for fear of breaking it! I like Denby’s Imperial Blue range, which is also pretty affordable compared to the pouring bowl ;-)
Your new photo on the sidebar is really lovely too! The old one was of course super stunning as well.
I hope to visit California one day… especially on days like today with ground frosts, and it is just so dark, cold and damp. At least the sun was out today :-) Can’t wait for the summer!
Hope your donuts win! They look too delicious!!!
Thanks for the compliments on my pic and my donuts. Have a great weekend!
And thanks for the heads up about the Denby’s item!
I swear- everything tastes better from my Imperial Blue bowls and mug :-)
Have a great weekend too!!!
When I traveled to California, San Diego was my favorite place! It’s so beautiful and such an amazing area. Although, I don’t think I could ever live there. I’ve only lived in Oregon and it just feels like home.
I totally agree-I love SF, but SD weather is wayyyy nicer!!! I LOVE sausalito :)
Thanks for saying hi and I just took a peek at your spaghetti…yum! :)
This doesn’t compare to SD at all, but it has been above 30 here for almost a week straight! Much better than the negative temps we had right before that.
When I was in grad school I took a pottery class and I glaszed almost everything in that deep azure blue color. It was my favorite of all the color glazes and everything I made just looked better with it. My favorite coffee mug is made with it. But I couldn’t get $125 for it! Youch.
That deep azure blue just speaks to me. Seriously if I could decorate my house with blue tiles and Mexican terra cotta and have it all Spanish-ey and rustic, I would. But those are bold moves so for now I stick with browns and creams from West Elm. lol
omg !! i love all your thursday things!!! i so miss warm weather!!
I love Sausalito! I live not to far from there and I never go, I should really change that. The town is just adorable! Maybe I’ll go there in a couple of weeks?
Oh the baking store, I need to check out that site, I love all that fufu baking stuff! Though I don’t need to bake, but I will!
I agree about not living in N. CA. I live here, love it! But the weather is a little cold for me. Today hit near 70 though. I’m from Buffalo, so I can’t complain to much, but I would LOVE to live in the Los Angeles area. One day! I want a house on the beach! A girl can dream!
Well if I’m ever in NorCal, I need to look you up! I posted another post, and it popped up in my Reader right away. Go figure. Thanks for the email :)
I remember that my academic goals (graduate degree) and hobbies (making jewelry, knitting, playing guitar) were all thoughts I had around age 13. I never forgot about them and didn’t even start or accomplish most of them until I was in my 30’s and early 40’s, but those early thoughts definitely shaped my adult life. My grad program was based out of San Diego so I made several trips out there and absolutely love it. I think I’m a “displaced” midwesterner! Love those sunny skies, abundant produce, the ocean, and lovely year around temperatures. I could gush on but I know you get it!!!
I think you would love this site:
https://www.thecupcakecollection.co.nz/
It’s a little shop close to my house. The girls working there are dressed up 50’s style, with bright red lips and aprons and you can do a cupcake party there with fancy china teacups and lace table cloth. My niece just loves to go there when she visits.
I’m not affiliated with them, and obviously you are not going to fly to NZ to go there, I just thought you might like the pics. :D Makes you feel happy to look at them..
Those ceramics are beautiful, as are the tumblers. Plus, I’m totally in love with those boots. Must have now!
My cousin and his family moved to San Diego from England 10 years ago, and I don’t think they have ever regretted it for a second. Beautiful!
Aaahhh, San Diego! Where we want to live when my hubby retires from the Air Force.
Oh those ceramic plates are beautiful. What a find. I guess me taking my sister to a party 16 years ago led me to meet my husband. Who knew just getting her to a party would lead me to meet my future husband?
Such a warm spell – I’m loving it!
I will NOT (or haven’t yet) get used to people dressing like it is -20 degrees, when it is actually 50. But I suppose you just can’t take the midwest out of the girl. :)