wood slab dining table by taylor donsker

as promised, here are pictures of taylor's wood slab dining table 

again, a work of art 

claro walnut salvaged from the front yard of someones house in the bay area 

with a patina steel base

i can't wait to have our own home to have one of these in it!

feeling the love today

i'm sure everyone who is in love feels they are the luckiest gal/guy in the world. so what is it about my relationship that is so different? what is it that we share that is extra special? perhaps theres no difference, but to me its something exceptional. its the way he always holds my hand while hes driving, its the way he looks at me; its the way he takes things slow; the made-up language that we've formed; the way he calls me "dah-ling"; the way he always texts me to let me know he's working late; the way he loves scotch and chocolate; its the way he does, instead of says.. the love that we both share for traveling; the way he supports my hobbies (even those that are short lived); its how talented and confident he is; its the way he listens when i'm sad; the way he never yells or responds negatively; the way he helps me pay for things when he knows I'm struggling just to relieve some stress; its the trust; its the way he always says "i love you" and "good-night" before falling asleep; its the way we laugh; the home we've made together; the way he always makes me feel safe...

the list never ends. he is perfect, perfect for me. there is no other guy on this planet that could ever live up to his standard. yes, i am a lucky gal and he is a lucky guy. we are two lucky ones to have what we share.

three years

happy anniversary to my nearest and dearest

you bring happiness to my everyday

thank you for always being by my side

through the good and the bad

my heart is yours always and forever

this morning we had a sweet breakfast together

with spinach, onion, mushroom, tomatoes and seaside cheddar omelets!

three years, go us!

\

the curious cosmonaut

hello dear friends

and happy happy friday!

i'm looking forward to this long weekend

of sunny weather, relaxing, and getting things done that ive been putting off

id like to encourage you all to head over to taylor's newest blog

curiouscosmonaut.com

exploring the convoluted mind of a curious cosmo,

you're sure to find amusing, interesting tales of the day and the life

happy weekend!

cooking from the boy

taylor has really been on one lately

and i ain't complaining!

last week i came home to a cooked meal, 

him sitting at the table with two plates covered, 

waiting for me to come home so we can eat together

and a load of laundry done.

yesterday i had a long day and was starving and exhausted

and so i came home to a firing grill

and the smell of roasted asparagus in the oven (our favorite!)

the boy was making me dinner!

it was a sweet gesture and the meal was terrific

we laughed some good laughs and drank some good wine

 here are a few good quotes from the night

"mmm, i can taste the sea in the salt!" (taylor, in reference to the sea salt)

"it tastes like a film noir in my mouth" (taylor, in reference to the wine)

this is reason number 125,129,104 why i love him so much

photog weekends

 

 

 ive been putting aside a few hours each weekend to practice shooting

playing with wide angle lenses, prime lenses, lighting, posing... and the works

my favorite subjects are my best friend, davana, and my beau, taylor

its hard to catch a bad shot of them and theyre patient with me as i learn the ropes

what could be better?

this coming weekend i'm helping out a friend at work by shooting his album cover

im so excited... and kinda nervous

eeeeee!

monday mornings

its a beautiful morning here in west los angeles

the sun is up, the air is crisp, the smell of lavendar coffee is brewing on the stove

its starting to feel like fall

a little windy and cool

i hope you had a wonderful weekend

and i wish you a wonderful week!

now time to go brush those teeth, shower, shave and all those other morning rituals

and head off to work!

living with an architect

sunday night i went to my girls only book club

so taylor had the night alone

when living with an architect/furniture designer

heres a sneak peak of what i often come home to

the smell of scotch, rolls of tracing paper, makers, paint, hammers, wood catalogues,

electric drills, drill bits, pens, pencils, sketch books, x-acto knives, scissors

(too name a few)

all scattered across the kitchen table, and trickling into the bedroom

sometimes i swear he's gone mad!

but i love his drawings and hang them up on the walls as artwork

home sick

hey there

and happy friday

today we didnt have french toast in the morning

taylor is sick and wasn't up for 'em

so instead, i made him a smoothie loaded with vitamin c and antioxidants

a handful of vitamins (echinacea, vitamin c, multivitamin and vitamin b)

 and made a comfy spot for him on the couch

with his favorite readings, cartoons and molly

heres to a quick recovery 

happy labor day weekend everyone!

pomegranate granola french toast

happy friday

oh, and what a happy friday it is!

today my girlfriends and i are off for our annual trip today

so that means a half day of work!

i hated saying goodbye to taylor and molly this morning

the trio will be apart for a few days, but all is fine

one of taylor's closest friends is in town from san francisco

so in a way, its a guy's weekend for taylor and a girls weekend for me

(those are always so important)

i will miss my b, but sometimes its good to miss your love every once in a while ;)

this morning i made taylor french toast topped with pomegranate granola 

he added the bananas and nutella, of course...

happy weekend my dearest friends

i'll be back on monday with stories to tell and pictures to share

xx

chelsea

bbq date and famous furniture

last night taylor and i had a little bbq date after work

we were hoping to bbq monday night, but we both got home too late from work

taylor did most of the work.. the grilled portobello mushrooms and steak

i prepared and cooked the padron peppers

and molly ran around the two of us, not really helping at all, but being cute as usual

all of this fun stuff was from the sunday farmers market

padron pepper recipe (via leila):

coat peppers with coarse salt and pepper

drizzle with olive oil

saute in a skillet while stirring for about 5 minutes

(leila suggests using a cast iron skillet and baking for a few minutes, but unfortunately i don't have one!)

afterwards, we drove out to the hollywood hills for taylor to pick up his beloved, new, cassina authentic

lc4 chaise lounge

yes my friends, he found one at a good price

and he's so excited about it

when he got home, he put it in our room (still figuring out where it will officially go), 

poured a glass of scotch and relaxed in his button up shirt and boxers

this morning when we woke up i said, "hey tay, whats that thing on the other side of the room?"

he smiled a big grin and said in his italian accent, "ya know?"

this morning he was running late to work

and i caught him laying in it and staring out the window!

oh boys and their toys

pickathon + portland

sorry i've been away the past few days

 taylor and i spent a three-day weekend up in portland, oregon.

it was a much needed vacation for the two of us, as we both had a couple of crazy work weeks

and i was dealing with some personal, family issues

to plant a new home deep in the oregon forest for a few days and to walk barefoot on an 80 acre farm just outside of portland, was freeing and good for my soul.

its too easy for me to get wrapped up in whats going on remotely around me.

i forget the world is so huge and my issues are so minuscule compared to other people's problems.

but its all easier said than done. sometimes it takes getting away to realize how good i have it at home.

although, i am on a "lets move to portland!" kick

here's a bit from our trip

i must say this is one of the better trips taylor and i had together

we joined forces with his sister, carissa, and a few of her friends and enjoyed amazing indie roots music, great food, beautiful weather, and breathtaking scenery.

i can't wait until next year!

we also spent some time in portland city

we visited the hoyt arboretum, downtown, and bbq'd and carissa's friend ryan's house before jet setting back to LAX

check out more pictures from the trip on my facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150249695561179.327152.558466178&type=1

happy tuesday!

taylor's furniture progress

if you haven't already, you should mosey on over to taylor's blog to get an update on his furniture design business. its really taken off in the past year.

he just finished up an outdoor set for a client out in the san fernando valley.

a concrete sofa with a concrete table and steel base...

i mean this in the best way possible, but i am shocked that he put this all together.

he's never worked with concrete before and i personally think his work looks amazing

he is so methodical in every stage of development and execution

he's precise and has an artistic eye for the clean and simple.

i know i shouldn't be surprised, but sometimes i'm amazed by his talent(s).

another reason why i'm so lucky 

taylordonsker.tumblr.com