a collaboration

My mom and I just finished our first project together! I had seen a similar idea somewhere on the web and fell in love with it. And please forgive me... I just can't remember (nor find!) where this inspiration came from. (oh if by a needle in a haystack chance the person who provided this inspiration comes across this post, please do say hello so i can thank you properly and personally! But for now, thank you whoever you are for the wonderful idea!) My mom, our talented resident photographer, took the photos, I came up with the copy and then we worked together in Photoshop to place the words on their shirts. We were both so excited about how they turned out, and I love that fact that we could capture exactly who they are at this very moment not only through their expressions, but through the words too. I cherish everything this project represents, especially creating something together with my mom. I can't wait to have these fun pieces hanging on our walls!

a most peaceful little place

We just returned from several weeks in the mountains and wow, was it rejuvenating! Being surrounded by nature, the fresh mountain air, lots of hikes with the kiddos, making rock nests, using pine cones for tiny wildflower vases (Mia's idea which I thought was so clever and sweet), finding the very best sticks and simply being free. My mom and I even snuck out for a few early morning hikes before everyone was awake! She's such a whipper snapper and so full of energy. I love it and love the wonderful talks we have while on our walks. On our last day in the mountains, the two of us were hiking and just stumbled upon this most peaceful little sitting spot. Don't you just love the flowers peaking through the bench? I wished we had two warm cups of tea to just plop ourselves on that welcoming little spot. Here's to you finding some peaceful little places too!

csa farm tour

We are loving our csa this summer! Such a variety, all the veggies are super clean (gotta love that!), it's run by the sweetest young couple & they even send out a weekly newsletter with great recipes for the produce that week (tried the tangy cauliflower salad & it was delish). Our little family is embracing the idea of eating more seasonally & I love this path we are on. It just makes so much sense to me! Our csa recently had a farm tour, which was so cool & the kids had a ball. Check out the views from the farm! Combine a huge bag of fresh peas with a hay ride & well... this was all we needed to make for a fantastic afternoon. It's so neat to truly see where our food comes from, and such a beautiful lesson for the kids to learn as well. I do have memories of picking strawberries & carrots from my grandparents sweet tiny garden, but was not really something I grew up with. I proudly admit, I'm loving learning about farming too!

p.s. My Owen is SO hard to photograph, as he is constantly on the move & makes lots of funny faces. I was really excited when I finally captured a good one at the farm tour so I wanted to share. It's now one of my very favorites of my little guy.

still here!

We're playing in the mountains, but thought I'd pop in for a quick hello and to share this sweet cake bunting. I just love it.

hope wish prayer flags

Oh is summer great ... being free, spontaneous, eating an abundance of super sweet fresh fruit and veggies, being in our pj's for half the day, soaking up the warmth of the sun and getting absolutely nothing done. (hence why I have yet to create a blog post in 10 days!) But here I am, back for a visit and wanted to share this gift we recently made for my dad's birthday. Gift giving is so much fun, and even more so when a gift is created by hand and right from the heart. We wanted to do something special and unique, so as I was gathering inspiration and ideas from blogland, I remembered this wonderful site and equally amazing tutorial that would make the most precious gift and also involved the kiddos (something very important to me). My dad loves his garden so we thought creating prayer flags for it would be the perfect gift. We followed the basics of this fantastic tutorial, but added a bit of our own touches. We found an old white sheet, cut multiple rectangles and mounted and taped them onto small pieces of cardboard, which really helped them write on the fabric. I then let my kiddos have at it with a rainbow of colored sharpies. They drew the sweetest pictures with the cutest meanings (i.e. Owen drew a peach tree with he & my dad sitting on a branch eating peaches). We chose fun fabrics as backings to complement each piece, sewed just the tops of the artwork onto the backing, then sewed pockets across the tops so we could hang them. We strung them together with a natural hemp twine and I loved how well this fit with our banners. It was a really a fabulous project to create together as a family. I think banners for our little family may just be next on our list. I mean, don't you just love the name of the project: hope wish prayer flags? Simply so perfect for just about every occasion I know.

seriously scrumptious

I have become such a library fan as of late... and I seriously get giddy when I get an email from the library telling me the book(s) I put on hold are waiting for me. (it's the same kind of excitement I get when the post office comes out with new stamps!) I know ~ it's a bit silly. So I just checked out this fabulous cookbook from the library last week and I think I want to make practically every recipe in it! It's all gluten-free, vegan and even soy-free to boot. I love exploring healthy recipes of all types and this book is an absolute gem! I love how Jennifer uses all organic ingredients, whole grain flours, alternative natural sweeteners (which I'm really into these days) and pure-cold pressed oils. I made the Berry Oat Wonder(ful) Bars and they were truly out of this world! The recipe was filled with fresh berries (I used blueberries & raspberries), oats (gluten free), a bit of brown rice syrup & pure maple syrup for the natural sweetness, olive oil, vanilla, salt & corn flour. It came out of the oven with the most perfectly crispy topping and if my mom were here, we'd probably pick off the entire top layer just for ourselves (my mom is known for eating the crust off of pies). If you were here, I'd serve you up a simply scrumptious berry bar on a cute little dessert plate. If I am ever in Seattle, the Flying Apron bakery will be the first stop on my list. YUM!

reinvention

Just as we (meaning adults) get bored with some of our things, kids do as well, and quite a bit more often. Our sweet little playhouse had been a bit lonely lately, so we gave it some TLC, a new home on our main floor & a new purpose. It's now our Art House, complete with a mini art cabinet, small work table and bean bag chairs. (We plan on making some hanging pockets too!) The kids helped create the banner by decorating the bubble letters I drew on a paper bag, which were then cut out and sewn together. Owen & our sweetest neighbor friend Luna stamped away in their new creative oasis. It's so cozy in there and I love that the kiddos now have their own space in which to create... Can't they make these for adults?