Coffee Table

At last. Not that it's the last thing. Not by far. But it was satisfying to identify a nice coffee table. Later that day I set my tea down on a surface other than the floor. Very pleasing.

The table rests on a triangular base made of lucite panels and aluminum supports. The top is glass. I'd never have seen it, buried as it was under a pile of CareBears and other 80s ephemera. But Charles spotted it right away.

It even fit in the trunk! Whee, no delivery. This is my new motto: no delivery.

So now the living room lacks only a rug and some illumination. Still no dining area furniture but that's ok. We can eat on the floor, ranged around a very elegant beach towel, indefinitely.

Yeah...So...

All over the news, lately: the Harvard Dialect Quiz. It identifies your linguistic origins! It can see into your heart (and history) by asking you about water fountains and sub sandwiches! Like, Wow!

Except.

I've visited San Francisco a couple of times. I've been to Albuquerque twice (both times for the ACA/PCA conference). I've been to Stockton once. For an afternoon.

Oh, well.

Playdate

Iain loves young ladies. One of his favorites lives nearby (and, in LA terms, nearby is an hour away). She came down here for a playdate on Wednesday.

One reason we like the LB place is that a park, library, police station, and city hall sit right across the street. So over there we went and the Young Lady and Iain played like maniacs for an hour while the grownups debated education policy.

Before that: Legos! Books! Plants vs. Zombies! iPad! Building a barricade in the hallway and giggling while trying to distract the old people with a "dance performance."

After: chocolate hippo cookies, juice, a public reading by our resident Reader-in-Chief, and a loving sendoff.

We can't wait until June. She's promised a pool-related playdate then. Iain is excited by the prospect.

Chalkboard

This door conceals the A/C unit. 

In our house, we use a small, magnetic chalk board to keep track of grocery lists, phone numbers, and items that can be easily forgotten (thank-you notes, usually).

So here we wanted the same.

Unfortunately, it turns out that magnetic paint doesn't really work. I mean...it works ok. You can get the magnet to stick to it. But if you wanted to stick something to the door using the magnet? Not really.

Chalkboard paint, though? That stuff is great. Two days of modest craftiness (as in: paint a coat, go on with your life, six hours later paint another coat, go to bed. Next day: pull off the tape and enjoy!) yielded a great surface for recording our schedule and to-dos.

Bean Bag (and other stuff)

Iain received a gift certificate to Pottery Barn Kids from his grandparents. He wanted a bean bag. Charles stood for a long time in front of the Darth Vader embroidered pillow and matching sheet set but Iain wanted a bean bag.

He also chose the cover. Madras, y'all. Because nothing goes with superhero mask sheets and an aquamarine bookcase like madras. It's all color all the time around here.

We've spent our last few days in shopping marathons, seeking not just furniture but the many, many little things necessary for a functioning life. Today, in search of a plug for Iain's bathtub, we also acquired cookie sheets, kitchen towels (and a rack), a better potholder, a knife block (sorta - one of those boxes with cork sheets in it), and some coasters (also cork - a theme today).

Oh, and we went to the Lego store. [Iain's brain exploded] [see photo above]

Furniture Shopping

Our casa in LB. Empty. So, so empty. Note the child eating his brekkie at the kitchen counter, sitting in our office chair. Very classy.

So we bought some stuff. Above, a credenza to lift up the television and hold some electronic stuff. It's not old. It's brand new. Because (as Elizabeth pointed out) our modern A/V needs don't really suit older media consoles.

Next, a pair of chairs. Also new, though made to look old. New upholstery, though. They're darker and more tweedy in person than this photo suggests.

We bought a sofa. I failed to snap a photo with my phone. Boo. I was distracted. Partly, I blame the pretty little side table above. Partly, I blame the rambunctious little tater tot below. Holy Toledo, Batman. That kid can wiggle. You try keeping track of the wiggle in antique and furniture stores all over LA.

He tried on a biker jacket. Under duress. Should I be pleased that he didn't like it, or sad? He wanted to pick out a sparkly dress for me, though, and a cowboy hat for himself. I'm pretty happy that the one item he really, really wanted to buy was a vintage typewriter (the kind with a carousel of letters that pop up when you hit a key).

The furniture arrives after lunch tomorrow. We'll finally have something to sit on. Still to find: a dining room table and chairs, a carpet, a coffee table, side tables for the bedrooms, and some lighting.

Not much, right? Easy peasy.

Menu

For the very first time. Ever: standing rib roast.

I had it, once, at a friend's house in California. It came off the grill and while it was "resting" we stood in the kitchen and picked bits off the edges. At least twenty people stood around upstairs, drinking, talking, and nibbling other dishes. Unlucky for them.

So I'm making one, hoping I can manage a result nearly as good.

Also: broccoli, asparagus, and latkes (made by Mother, so doubtless delicious). Christmas Eve is the last night of Hannukah so we're beef&potato-ing as an homage to both occasions.