wishing you

all things
merry & bright

gratitude

making me happy in every sort of way:
- waking up every morning next to b and the sweetest little girl
- embracing our journey of well being and good health
- receiving amazing amounts of love and thoughtfulness from family and friends
- walking along the river and appreciating nature's most simple gifts
- working with beautiful, inspiring friends
- wearing tights and layering to keep warm
- learning to slow down and be more present in the moment
and so, so much more

wishing you a joyous day of thanksgiving
and yummy food with those you love.

illuminated

i promise there will be an abundance
of celebration and thanks giving this month
for my very favorite...pumpkin pie.

also giving many thanks
for our beautiful moonlit walk last night.

happy november!

until

i've never been fond of goodbyes.
sadly, today's snow storm and freezing temperatures have not been kind to you. i know that my tummy will ache for your fresh nourishment and my eyes for your splendid colors and growth. darkness is falling earlier and earlier and the mornings are burr, burr cold. i'm slowly accepting and witnessing the changing seasons and thinking of all the new things i will plant in your place again.
until.

mister toad

currently loving:

+ this surprise visitor on our morning river walk
+ eating homemade three bean turkey chili
+ the arrival of this beautiful book in my mailbox today
+ pumpkin spice lattes
+ snuggling under warm blankets
+ burnt orange, ochre and red
+ these wrist worms

fresh picked

breakfast.

her glow

tonight i am enjoying a rare moment of quiet. a moment where i can rest my tired feet, eat only french fries for dinner, let the world fall away and give myself some much needed time alone. as fall's almost here, i've been feeling nostalgic and dreaming of crisp, cool evenings under starry skies huddled close to a campfire. oh how i love a good fire. undoubtedly, she always wraps her warmth around me, calms my worries and lets me focus on life's most important bits.

end of summer

oh hi there. happy tuesday.
how are you?
how was your holiday weekend?

oh i think the last days of summer are upon us.
autumn for me is about shorter days, late night walks under the stars,
craving baked treats and comfort foods, layering clothing and finding
warmth under blankets.

i tried this amazing recipe. its truly melt in your mouth good.
we ate it last night for dessert and i went back to the store again today
to buy more berries.

+++ i mistakenly added 1 cup of buttermilk to my batter instead of the 1/2 cup on the recipe. it made the cake heavier - almost bread pudding texture. pure delight. i definitely would add the full cup again.

we're off for a walk and maybe, just maybe a wish upon a falling star.

an extended visit

to his space.
to paint.

pina colada

i'll be away from this space for a little while longer but i wanted to thank you for all the amazing love, prayers and well wishes for b. you have helped brighten many challenging days.

i'm wishing you lots of beautiful hot summer days full of snow cones and rootbeer floats. yum!

orange-rhubarb

good morning. i just wanted to stop in and share a few photos of this delicious bread i made last night. ever since i brought home two big bags of freshly harvested rhubarb from grandpa's garden i've been collecting recipes. it's so good almost a cake...just the perfect mix of sweet and tart with a bit of cornmeal. oh, how i love rhubarb. it always brings up delightful memories of childhood trips to knott's berry farm for thanksgiving...always a small dish of sweet stewed rhubarb served with dinner.

wish i could share a slice with each of you. have a good day!

**orange-rhubarb quick bread
2 1/2 c all purpose flour
1/4 c yellow cornmeal
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 c sugar
3/4 c butter, melted
3 eggs
1/2 c milk
2 tsp finely shredded orange peel
2 tbs orange juice
2 c finely chopped rhubarb
streusel topping (optional)

lightly coat two 8x4x2 inch baking pans with nonstick cooking spray. set aside.

in a large bowl combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. set aside.
in a medium bowl stir together sugar, butter, eggs, milk, orange peel, and orange juice until combined; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.

gently fold rhubarb into batter. divide and spoon into prepared pans; sprinkle streusel topping evenly over tops. bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 - 45 minutes. cool in pans for 15 minutes and then turn out on wire racks.

streusel topping: combine 1/2 c flour, 1/2 c packed brown sugar, 1/8 tsp grated nutmeg. with a pastry blender, cut in 1/4 c butter until mixture is crumbly. stir in 2 tbs sliced almonds, if desired.

a sneak peak

more to come soon!

the garden needs my attention today and primarily stage four.

a bit of yellow

they smell so good.

on the dairy

sometimes...i let myself get dizzy by all the tiny little details and forget to take a deep breath and open myself up to countless possiblities. i wondered whether a visit to b's parents for a short overnighter would be worth the eight hours i would spend driving in the car.

and had i not...i would have missed a delicious catfish dinner at the snake river grill, a peaceful nights sleep, a walk into town for a ham and havarti sandwich and iced raspberry tea, the curious first meeting of grace, mishka and all those cows, an afternoon spent visiting with grandma and grandpa, the warmth, comfort and love i feel just be close to b's parents, the small gifts of yellow roses from grandma's yard and a bag full of rhubarb from grandpa's garden, sitting on the back porch enjoying the wide open landscape of pasture and cornfields, singing in the car and seeing eight beautiful rainbows on my drive home.

these are the moments that remind me of why i do what i do. these are the moments that matter. these are the memories that i will cherish when i get
dizzy again.
it was definitely worth it.

worm sandwiches

we had a great weekend. b loves being by the water and he's the happiest when he's fishing. the cooler is always packed with yummy sandwiches, chips and drinks for our picnicking pleasure. but, the most important piece in the cooler is the small white styrofoam container filled those long, fat, juicy worms napping in that dark, moist soil. a little worm, a bright colorful marshmallow and another little worm. he calls it a worm sandwich and its a true picnicking delight for all those hungry, unsuspecting trout in the lake.

blooming

i love:
this flower.
this artist and these paintings.

happy june!

miss grace

we celebrated her first birthday.
it was her first fishing trip and one of many puppy parties.
happy birthday miss grace.

slow ride

i took a trip two tuesdays ago on the train.
i needed a break and it felt nice to get away.
i went to visit b's mama and to wish her a happy mother's day.
it was a glorious day of eating, sharing stories and laughing until my sides hurt.
sometimes all i need is to be close to those i love.

electric

i can't remember the last time i heard thunder. oh, how i love the beautiful low rumblings of dark clouds colliding high above my head. as a little girl, i loved sitting on the front porch during summer thunderstorms just listening to those sounds, watching the rain fall and delighting in the magic of lightening.
today, i felt that joy.

mr. mcgregors garden

the tomatoes, squash, lettuce, spinach, cilantro and jalapenos are planted.
there will be plenty of fresh salad and pico de gallo to share.

want to come to a late summer backyard picnic?

my birthday

sugar and milk and everything nice that's what birthdays are made of.

i woke up this morning filled with a new sense of wonder.
i planted flowers and vegetables in the garden and soaked up the sun.
and, i feel like the luckiest girl in the world holding my new camera.

wishes do come true!

flowers and kisses

(sweet grandma's house)

happy mother's day.
today we celebrate you and all the sweet joy and beauty that comes from being close to you. you're the one who has always been there and the one we have never doubted loved us. and truly, we celebrate you everyday for as long as we live, you live as a part of us.
hugs & kisses, j and b

happy may

my find joy list...
one. learn how to ride our scooter
two. cook one new recipe each week
three. spend more time outside

yours?

"wherever you are is called Here"

there are so many things about the ocean that make me happy. i bring all the beauty and messiness of who i am to her shores and find a place where i can truly be. i'm learning to trust that i am where i'm suppose to be right now. i won't always be here but what i see is nothing short of beautiful.

the last supper

we spent our last night gathered around the fire sharing stories
and roasting marshmellows.

treasures

wandering the beach reminds me just how much i love to explore, how much i love to watch those little sandpipers run in and out of the waves searching for food, how much i love to see the tide scatter little treasures all along its sandy shores and how much i hold dear all the gifts the ocean brings me.