wise lil gal

the pig

wiselilgal — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 23:20:44 +0000

i am a huge fan of the pig—how it cooks up in a pan, skillet, or tureen! a friend of mine, formerly vegetarian, admitted that the single item that made her “switch” to a carnivorous lifestyle, was indeed…bacon. this is for my friend, and all other friends and fans of said meat.

Lighting

wiselilgal — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 05:58:46 +0000

My sister-in-law Kelly and her husband Scott just bought a new home – their first home! It’s quite exciting…not to mention the fact that they’re also expecting a baby in May.

With buying the new home, there were (seemingly) minor things that needed to be done before they moved in. As it turned out, many things unveiled themselves… So, with the walls gone and the house hollow, they were faced with the decision to plan their lighting once the electrical was replaced, and before the insulation and walls were put back together.

Enter the request, “will you help me find lighting for our slanted wall beam-laden home – for the dining room, kitchen, and nursery? And on a budget?”

Dining Room

Kitchen

Nursery

♥

proud 510

wiselilgal — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:25:07 +0000

Cool Hunting’s Oakland: A Word-of-mouth guide

Video by by Gregory Mitnick

Bennett James

wiselilgal — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:09:04 +0000

Man, oh man! I’m elated with news on the arrival of my first nephew. I had my ear to the door and heard the very first cries… The whole experience was so overwhelming, I couldn’t hold back my choking tears. I know love, but this is a new kind…

My heart is full of happiness and pride, and with joyful anticipation, I smile into the future.

Welcome to the world, handsome – a piece of my heart is YOU.

10.12.09 • 7pm • 8 lbs 3 oz • 21 inches

baby gardiner

wiselilgal — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 16:10:35 +0000

So…I’m writing this 8 days past their due date, but so thrilled to be flying down on Monday for the day – when they’ll be induced. Name, to come. Pics as well.

My brother called and said it wouldn’t be right if I wasn’t there, so he was going to fly me down, he had a voucher that he wanted to use. Love. I went online to check flight times and saw really affordable prices, so I decided to just buy them and them and let them keep their free tickets for another time. As it turns out, there was no voucher…he was always planning on buying the ticket.

Mom is picking me up early on Monday morning and the airport and then we’ll just camp out at the hospital until the lil guy arrives.

♥

CSAs – Community Supported Agriculture

wiselilgal — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 22:25:50 +0000

Terra Firma Farms
http://www.terrafirmafarm.com/
~ Many people at SYP are member of a farm, this one came highly recommended to me:
Jake and I pay a monthly fee and receive a small box of fruits and veggies every week. There are pick-up locations throughout the Bay Area and we just swing by after work!

Marin Sun Farms
http://www.marinsunfarms.com/
You can become part of their meat CSA as well – many different levels of participation: cow, chicken, pork, lamb… You pay a monthly fee for this, a little expensive, but the meat is amazing quality.

Bay Area Meat CSA
http://bamcsa.ning.com/
The Bay Area Meat CSA is a network of Bay Area residents who cooperate to buy meat directly from local ranchers. It’s the most cost-effective way to buy good, healthy, local meat and it’s an opportunity to connect with the ranchers and processors whose work feeds us.
* I’m a member here, in the North Berkeley/Oakland Chapter. We get emails every week about a member that is interested in either buying or selling an animal and dividing up the meat with whomever. Also there will be someone who will volunteer to place a large egg order through Soul Food Farm. I ordered 2 dozen eggs in May and received them in July. Which means, purchased eggs from a future laying hen and when they grew to maturity, I got dibs. Pretty great supply/demand concept, huh?

Soul Food Farm
http://www.soulfoodfarm.com/
Heritage chickens and yummy eggs
* The farmer, Alexis, runs the show there – a hardworking, stylish lady that decided one day she wanted to farm. Her husband is an engineer and built all of the mobile chicken coups AND is her farm hand.
* You can also drive out to her farm to buy eggs direct ($5/dozen) or her site features local groceries that sell her eggs as well.