Contisse

Living with pets.

2013-01-21T15:22:00.000-08:00

Oh, animals and their terrible taste in home decor. I'm constantly torn between wanting to provide these damn spoiled animals a truly comfortable home, while having their stuff fit in with the clean design we try to maintain throughout the rest of the house. The truth is, they're over the moon with the basics: comfy old blankets and quilts. A crate for the puppy when we're not home. The one fancy thing they own is that floating cat perch topped with a patchwork coverlet, a Christmas gift from my mother.

Any time I've contemplated getting the pets some classy beds, I've stopped short of punching myself in the face. At the end of the day, these animals need food and shelter and love -- and little more. I know for a fact they would take their old worn bedding any day over little monogrammed ticking stripe beds. Even though they would look so much better with the sofa.

Christmas slippers.

2012-12-29T13:44:00.001-08:00

Chuck gave me these slippers for Christmas. They will forever remind me of the first Christmas we celebrated with Maple.

Rainy cozy Sunday morning.

2012-12-23T12:13:00.000-08:00

Rainy cozy Saturday morning.

2012-12-22T23:14:00.000-08:00

Rainy cozy Saturday mornings are the best. I live for them. Coffee brewing, worn-out puppy-chewed moccasins on my feet, sleepy cats sleeping. Chatting with Chuck about a hundred different things in the breakfast nook. The two of us taking Maple for an early walk. Chatting with the neighbors. Picking up a pastry at the local bakery. Getting inspired to bake my own scones on Sunday morning. Please please please let it be rainy and cozy tomorrow, too.

Multiples.

2012-12-21T23:48:00.001-08:00

I've been hearing chatter for a long time now that Tieks are the most comfortable ballet flats ever. I was really skeptical. I mean, look at them. They curl up when feet are not occupying them. But they are amazing. So amazing I bought six pairs. They arrived in teeny little packages topped with glitter-shedding flowers (probably in anticipation of some loser taking a photo and blogging about it).

There must be something in the water I'm drinking lately. I ordinarily don't buy things in multiples. They say when you find the perfect pair of jeans or whatever, that you should stock up. But I am not a stocker. I don't like owning lots of things that don't get used. I only owned eight pairs of shoes total before I bought all these Tieks.

So now I own thirty-two baskets and six pairs of ballet flats. I feel: sheepish. Also, jocund. Yes that's right JOCUND.

UPDATED TWO DAYS LATER: Nobody needs six pairs of ballet flats. I'll be returning five pairs shortly. Once I figure out which color to keep. The thirty-two baskets are staying though. Someone always needs a basket.

Oak compartments.

2012-12-20T22:10:00.000-08:00

Check out these built-in oak shelves in our dining room. They used to have doors, which we have since ripped out so that we can display our china and favorite servers out in the open. The silver and aluminum things are my favorites. The letters spell "C & E" for Chuck and Erica, by the way. I know it looks like an "F" from this angle, but there is no Frank or Frida in this household that I know of.

Wreath substitute.

2012-12-19T20:18:00.001-08:00

I had a tough time finding a decent wreath, of all things. I envisioned getting a big, fragrant Balsam wreath which I would festoon with few, but appropriately flamboyant decorations. I looked at tons of wreaths, and they all disgusted me. This giant bow solved that dilemma this year. Giant bows solve everything.

Maple year.

2012-12-18T17:45:00.000-08:00

This week, we marked the first birthday of our chocolate lab, Maple. Maple is an instrumental part of our household. Thanks to her, animals now hold majority rule over humans under our roof. Why, just last week the three of them approved the direct deposit of my paycheck into a cat condo fund. I mean, it's ridiculous.

"Why did you vote for the cat condo?" I asked Maple. "You're not going to get anything out of that. You need to stop allowing yourself to get bamboozled by the cats."

She is still so young. When she wags her tail, her whole body sways back and forth. When she sees us at the end of a workday, she is so overwhelmed with happiness that Chuck and I have for now given up trying to train her to greet us gracefully. We just fall to the floor with her and let her joy wash over us. Even if that means that a flailing paw inadvertently smashes my nose and Chuck falls backwards as Maple flings the weight of her whole self on his lap, an echo of her early puppy days that has never left her -- and one I hope will never leave her.

We used to fret over so many stupid, stupid things when we first adopted Maple. Will she ever learn not to piss on our floors? Will she ever stop pulling on her leash and getting distracted by FLOWERS! and SQUIRRELS! and SKY! and walk like the other dignified dogs in our neighborhood? Will she ever understand us when we tell her to stay, and sit, and come home?

She has learned all of these things and so much more. She floors us every day with the depth of her maturity. She teaches us much-needed lessons about gratitude, joy and simplicity.

Our dog and cats make us feel like we lucked out in the most profound way. We've had a handful of grown-ass adult meltdowns between the two of us this year, and each time our animals made everything better.

We love these three with our whole hearts. But they are not getting a cat condo. Those things are fug.

Go make some chicken mole.

2012-12-17T21:38:00.001-08:00

Festive ingredients in my favorite mole recipe: chicken thighs, onions, diced tomatoes, a bottle of your beer of choice (I like Fat Tire), chicken stock, Mexican chocolate, green bell peppers, poblano peppers, raisins, peanut butter, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, garlic, salt, sugar, cinnamon, cumin and chili powder. Sauté chicken and set aside. Simmer all other ingredients for an hour. Immersion blend that thang, mix in the chicken. Serve over rice. Results = chicken mole for days.

P.S. I adapted the original recipe some. Look at me, all chef-like.

Please take a basket.

2012-12-16T19:22:00.000-08:00

World Market offered 50% off all their baskets from 1 to 4pm today. How does a reasonable person react to this situation? I bought 32 baskets that I currently have no immediate need for, and I thought that was pretty reasonable.

Holiday people.

2012-12-15T18:08:00.001-08:00

Chuck and I adore the holidays. We are holiday people. There is so much prancing going on in our house right now (more than usual). I love it!

We're ready for you, trick-or-treaters.

2012-10-28T18:15:00.000-07:00

BRING IT.

Little assistants.

2012-10-27T04:17:00.001-07:00

They wait patiently (sometimes not so patiently) while I work. If you're only seeing one cat, look harder.

Yes to this.

2012-08-18T16:47:00.000-07:00

My husband and I caught a Saturday matinee of Celeste and Jesse Forever. We had to put it on our calendar and drive a little ways to find a decent theater in the Bay Area that was playing it. It’s ridiculous that this movie isn’t playing everywhere.

Yes yes yes to this movie and to the talented Rashida Jones in particular! We’re rooting for her so hard.

Check out the trailer, Ebert’s review and showings in your area!

Comfort.

2012-08-07T20:18:00.000-07:00

Exceptionally happy with my nap spot. Deep, deep, deep feather down sofa with a white linen slipcover. Sassy velvety blanket. A House Beautiful magazine somewhere not pictured. Muscles aching, sun going down, Chuck taking Maple for her evening walk. Time to relax.

Mum.

2012-07-29T12:24:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I'll walk into the living room and catch these three deep in some earnest conversation only they understand. They see me and stand at attention, as though guarding a special secret. The dog always spills the beans, though.

Sideboard reconnoissance.

2012-07-28T11:40:00.004-07:00

Pink.

2012-07-27T19:02:00.000-07:00

Our bougainvilleas are exploding in bright pink bursts along our back fence! Boy, are they pretty.

Opening ceremonies for the London Olympics any minute now here in California. I already know a lot of what's to come, due to the steady stream of spoilers popping up on my devices this afternoon. There is also an Englishman staying with us this week (Phil!) who insisted on watching a small portion of the thing live, hooking up streaming video from his tablet to our television. I've already cried. A lot.

We're very excited to see the whole thing around here.

Baby boy.

2012-07-08T12:11:00.001-07:00

Chuck and I are officially a first-time uncle and aunt to a new baby boy. Naturally we spent a good half hour at the Whole Foods next to the hospital discussing what flowers to pick out to celebrate his arrival. We settled on blue hydrangeas and white snapdragons. The florist smirked at us as she arranged them in a vase. These are the kinds of decisions we enjoy making.

Chicago style.

2012-07-01T20:51:00.003-07:00

Chuck and I are back Chicago, giggling like schoolgirls all Sunday long. It's the fifth or sixth time I've been back since we returned to California last summer, and Chuck's first. The view outside our hotel window is of our condo!

Summers here make you forget about winters here. It's wonderful to be back, enjoying this fine city in shorts and flip flops.

Puppy love.

2012-06-26T20:31:00.003-07:00

Maple at 6 months old: observant, curious and happy. Always so happy.

Store bought.

2012-06-25T19:47:00.000-07:00

Bless all the kind people who gifted us, for our wedding, all the specialty serveware we could ever need. Platters, cheese boards, cake pedestals, glass domes, white plates of all shapes and sizes. They make the most mundane grocery store baked goods look artful.

Chuck and I are still getting used to entertaining, and we've tried our best to hone our skills through the revolving door of friends and family who've visited our home for the past 500 weekends. Some guests get homemade rosemary bread. Others get Fresh & Easy muffins. What we serve that Saturday or Sunday is influenced by how stressful work was that week, how naughty our puppy has been, how much sleep and exercise we remembered to give our bodies. How kind we've been to one another. How well we've listened, giggled and communicated.

I feel a little bad for the guests who get the store-bought stuff. It often means they get the groggy versions of ourselves for company. But we try to compensate with the serveware. And really good wine.

Condo.

2012-06-24T13:18:00.001-07:00

This was our living room in our condo on North Wabash in Chicago. The condo had almost as many windows as it had walls. It was filled with sunlight every day. We made use of the blinds on days when there was so much sunlight that we couldn't see our laptop screens.

Sofa and chairs are from Room & Board. Everything else is a mix of Crate & Barrel, Overstock.com, hand-me-downs from my mother, and wedding gifts.

All of this stuff has now made its way to our house in Northern California. It looks different in this bigger space, but also the same. I'll have to post a comparison sometime.

According to Houzz, my style appears to be transitional: "not too cold, not too formal, not too fussy." Transitional is a tad boring. I always thought my style was more eclectic. But it's not. I like to mix things up, but I'm pretty tame. I like light spaces, dislike clutter, appreciate bold pieces and colors in strict moderation. When we first moved to our new house, I once tried switching this jute rug with a blue and gold Persian rug, and my heart started palpitating. No joke. The boldness was too much. I have since placed that crazy rug in my dining room, where it is mostly covered by a table and chairs.

I've made it a goal to evolve my style a bit. We'll see where it goes.

Young things.

2012-06-21T20:51:00.000-07:00

A kitten, a puppy. Some days I can't wait until they're grown. Hubbard is just a little wisp of a tomcat, so light and quick I tiptoe all over the house, terrified of stepping on him. And Maple, as I've mentioned before, is the world's smartest dog. But hints of puppy still greet us every day. As when I found her chewing my glasses this morning, tail wagging, paws outstretched.

I know I'll miss these young days. I'm already getting sentimental over these photos, and they were taken just this afternoon. These animals. These animals.

"Like you're really gonna update that."

2012-06-20T16:02:00.000-07:00

I have a chalkboard in my kitchen. Chuck and I got it from Tyler Florence's store in Mill Valley, the town where we got married. The board wasn't even technically for sale. They were using it as a display. But we begged them to sell it to us. And they did.

The very first guests we had at our house were my friends Dan and Paul. Two guys I've known since my junior year abroad at Oxford. We used to visit each other's dorm rooms and serve tea using an electric kettle and mugs we stole from the dining hall (well, I stole mine from the dining hall. Don't know about those guys). We grew addicted to British treats. Digestives, Hob Nobs, Cadbury products of all kinds.

I went all out with the domesticity for Dan and Paul's first visit to my house, 1.5 years after they stood up at my wedding, 7 years after we first met in England. I made dishes from scratch. I scrubbed every surface until the whole place glistened. I brushed my cat so hard she didn't acknowledge my presence for two days. I entered my very first menu on this board.

Dan took one look at the board and said, "Right. So tomorrow what's the board gonna say? Leftovers? What about the day after? Leftovers?"

Some things never change.

* Image from Paul's iPhone