realty round up: encinitas, ca

photo by samwellsphoto.com via Coastal Living

Key Information:

What:  A coastal beach city known for being the "flower growing capital" as the growing of ornamental flowers particularly poinsettias is the largest industry in the area. Coastal Living named it one of its "coastal dream towns" and Surf magazine named it as one of the top ten places to surf in the United States. 

When: Incorporated as a city in 1986 from the communities of  historic Encinitas, new Encinitas, Leucadia, Cardiff-by-the-Sea and Olivehain. 

Where: Located within San Diego County, 25 miles north of San Diego and 95 miles south of Los Angeles, Encinitas stretches along 6 miles of Pacific coastline.  

Why: We have some friends that live in San Diego who have been raving about how beautiful the area is and on a day like today I am dreaming of someplace warm and sunny as opposed to raining and 38 degrees....

How many: 59,518 (2010)

Local attractions:
- Bull Taco - looks like a go to place for "inauthentic mexican" (their tagline)
- Q'ero Restaurant - highly reviewed Peruvian and South American cuisine restaurant
- VG Bakery - or Very Good Bakery specializes in what they call old fashion style of baking - looks yummy!
- Jorge's Mexicatessen - looks like the real deal and a place I would definitely want to try

For this edition of the realty round up, I decided to think BIG and embrace how expensive the real estate market is in Southern California. As such, I thought I would just skip to the million dollar listings...

House #1:  $4,650,000

information and images via Zillow

This is a stunner. Right on the water, lots of space and nice finishes. I can only imagine how incredible it would be to wake up to this view every morning.

House #2: $5,900,000

information and images via Zillow

This grand estate features 6  fireplaces, a 1200 sq.ft. guest house, pool & spa w/waterfall, putting green/sand bunker, zoning for 3 horses with 3 stall barn, riding ring and 4 pastures -just to point out a few details....

House #3: $11,500,000

information and images via Zillow

This 11,200 square foot home is described as the perfect family retreat....It has 8 bedrooms and 8 baths, a theater room, a pool house, tennis court and stables.

House #4: $27,000,000

information and images via Zillow

Finishing of the list is this $27 million dollar home. This 16,305 square feet house has 8 bedrooms and 14 bathrooms, grand living spaces with exposed beams, a separate gym and spa area, stables, a pool, tennis court and over 15 acres of land. Wow wow wow!

Happy dreaming and have a good weekend!

artist feature: emily gherard

Untitled - 2012 - oil on canvas - 30" x 32" by Emily Gherard

I came across Emily Gherard's work on Pinterest. I was immediately captured by the colors and three dimensionality of the painting. Gherard is a young artist working and living in Seattle. She received her BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design (2002) and her MFA from the University of Washington (2004). Gherard explains her work by stating it "explores the idea that painting and drawing have the ability to present inanimate objects in ways that allow the viewer to empathize with them"(Gherard). Her subject content tends to be walls crumbling and clustered rocks. Here are a few of my favorites.  Enjoy!

work by Emily Gherard

keeping warm

Like much of the midwest St.Louis got dumped with snow on Sunday. Being from Michigan and fancying myself a "northerner" I love a good snow storm. That being said a snow storm in St. Louis is quite a bit different than those in Michigan. The city services seem unable to handle it and people - well freak out a bit. For example, on Saturday night we went grocery shopping and found Whole Foods to be sold out of many staples (chicken, potatoes etc.) and Trader Joe's to have completely empty shelves.

Both Jeff and I have gone into work this week but schools continue to be closed today and most side streets are still a mess. The temperatures are on the rise and I am guessing that the majority of the snow will be melted by Sunday but I thought I would share a post from REMODELISTA about 5 Low-Tech Essentials for Keeping the House Warm as well as a few of my own tips. 

From REMODELISTA...

1. Use draft extruders (also called draft stops or draft exluders). We don't have any of these but we should - although I fear Booker would use them as chew toys...

2. Use rubber foam insulation tape around windows

3. In addition to door draft stops use a door seal. An inexpensive flap the attaches to the bottom of your door. 

4. Get window coverings. Another layer of insulation that can make a large difference in keeping out the cold air - and they are pretty. 

5. Consider heated rugs. I had never heard of these before but apparently they are mats you can put under your own rugs giving you heated floors without the big investment. Does sort of seem like a fire hazard though...

From me...

1. Wear more clothes. Simple yes but very effective. You should not expect to wear a t-shirt in your house when it is -10 outside. Sweaters, slippers, wool socks and vests are my go tos. 

2. Warm liquids. I always feel warmer after some tea or soup.

3. Keep dry. No damp hair and absolutely no wet socks. 

4. Give your heat room to circulate. Make sure vents and/or radiators are not blocked or covered. 

5. Take a warm bath or shower. When I just can't get warm this is my go to solution. 

Stay warm!