Spring Thinking

Spring Thinking

uyguguygu   05.00   Comment  

Spring has arrived here in Colorado! Things are not quite green yet, but there are definite buds on the trees and bulbs starting to push up from the ground. We have a ton of tulips planted in the garden out back and I can't wait to see them come up and bloom! I will know it's really arrived when the 100-year-old rose bushes that cover the walls of our garden start turning green - they always seem like they are the last things to wake up in spring but the thousands of pink roses we get all summer are worth the wait. 

I don't know about you but It feels like we are exhaling the cold darkness of winter and with each deep breath we are breathing spring to life.  I am grateful for the sun, the beautiful weather we've been having, the chances to play outside after work and on the weekends, and the fact that I can shed my coat midway through riding my horse and trot around in a sweater or a down vest. I got a new swimsuit in the mail and things are really looking up! 

In addition to the lovely weather I made a promise to myself that I would buy myself flowers for each week of school I have left. After this week it'll be nine more. I have nine more to get through as gracefully and as patiently as possible and I have nine more little bouquets to pick out on Monday mornings and bring home for the weekend on Fridays. I picked out sunflowers the first week, white lillies the second week, and I'm not sure what will come next week! Keep watching instagram and this blog for real time postings of my flower choices. You're on the edge of your seat, I'm sure! 

Finally, here are a few things that have kept me occupied on the internet this week:

// For dinner this week the major hits have been stir fried tofu, mushrooms, and greens and this spicy Tofu Tikka Masala

// I can't wait to try curried kale next week

// Check out this excellent and lighthearted playlist of remixed folk songs - I listen to it right after work when I'm cleaning up for the evening

// I don't own a single coffee table book but I daydream about owning them regularly - I'd love this one about Detroit in 1968 by Enrico Natali to be in that stack

// Even though I'm more of a pearl stud earring wearer, these Rough Diamond Stud Earrings are a beautiful, fresh take on the classic diamond studs.

***

I'm wearing my mother's tweed jacket from her college days, a Land's End Shirt (I love these shirts so much I own like, three of them), Madewell Skinny Skinny Jeans, and Frye Melissa Button Boots. The necklace I picked up in Anchorage, Alaska last summer. 

C'est La Vie!

C'est La Vie!

uyguguygu   05.00   Comment  

Last week I splurged and bought the Laudree Sucre cookbook on line. I've been obsessed with macarons ever since my very first visit to Paris and I've fed my obsession with visits around town to various macaron makers and a visit or two to the Laudree in New York City as well. With the new cookbook in hand my friend Jess and I decided to attempt our very first batch of macarons. 

By the end of the experience we decided to re-name what we made "gluten free sandwich cookies" instead of macarons since that's really what they looked like, not the perfectly round fluffy macarons that we anticipated from looking in the cookbook! 

The point, of course, of all that baking was to have fun and I would say we did that pretty successfully! We laughed our way through the vague directions and chit chatted about anything and everything. 

One of the  great joys of my life here are the wonderful friends I have made. I have learned so much about being a faithful and consistent friend from them, about opening up, even about the scary stuff about yourself you'd never want to admit to anyone, and how sharing in experiences with people can grow you together and separately. 

***

This photo set was taken by the amazing Jessica Triggs! Love to her, always. 

***

I'm wearing Madewell Skinny Skinny Jeans, Madewell Sandals (out of season - similar here), and a j. crew shirt (on sale!). Keepin' it simple. 

Red Barns in the Snow

Red Barns in the Snow

uyguguygu   06.00   Comment  

About five or so years ago I asked my friend A how she figured out how things went together. She was the most put together person I knew. Well, actually, she still is. I was struggling, in my early 20's to figure out how to dress, act, put my house together.  I didn't have a heritage of style like some people do. I hadn't been taught to put things together. My parents endowed many other fantastic things to me - how to manage my finances and how to be kind and smart and relentless - but not style. Growing up was one big battle between my mom's aesthetic and my dads and there was never a compromise so it was just a tangle of objects that various people liked. We also were told almost every single day that we were going to be moving because my parents were going to sell the house. This meant that we could never settle in and invest in the way things looked. 

 To top it off, at the time A and I had this conversation, I was newly married and couldn't get my style to mesh with my husbands and I felt like my tiny house, my clothes, even my haircut was a disaster. I was trying to figure out how to meet his style expectations without compromising my own as well. 

"Well," she told me. "I just look at everything. I look and I look and I look and I look."

That was it. That was the missing piece to the puzzle. So, the very next day I began to do exactly what she told me. As I went through life I tried to notice what caught my eye, what made me excited about things, what was I drawn to. Over the course of the last half decade I feel like I've really been able to narrow down the things that make me happy, and to also reserve a little hidden place for the things that make me happy but don't usually mesh well with the other things. The advice A gave me was super simple but it's completely changed the way I look at things. I wait for things to resonate in a very specific way before I go for them. I acquire things more slowly now. My decision making takes longer. But life is quieter because the cohesion helps to calm things down, both visually and mentally. 

These red barns, dotted around the countryside near my parents house, resonated with me in that specific way. The blankets of sparkling snow surrounded these weathered red structures made me catch my breath and as we drove northward I watched them pass, delighted in the tradition and character that defines that part of the midwest.  

***

I'm wearing a blazer by Ann Taylor (Similar here in black). The shirt is an old Ariat western riding shirt. (Similar cut and features here with a different plaid.) The Jeans are Madewell's Skinny Skinny.  The boots are from Frye and the sunglasses are from Betsy Johnson. 

First Day of the Year Ride

First Day of the Year Ride

uyguguygu   07.00   Comment  

On the first day of the year JR and I decided that we were going to ride around the city from friends house to friends house. We wanted to greet them with the happiness of the new year and keep our friends cozy and warm so we handed out pairs of wool socks, which sound really silly but was way more fun and brought much more joy than we could have anticipated. We got started around noon and took a two hour jaunt around. We handed them out to friends we ran into while walking. We left them at unanswered front doors. We gave them to friends who were up and at 'em. We really got lucky with the weather during the ride - before and after we rode it was snowing, cold, and wet. 

Hope your 2014 is cozy and warm so far! 

***

The blazer is by Banana Republic (somewhat similar one here) and the chambray shirt is by The GAP (somewhat similar one here). I'm wearing (again, yes, I know...) Madewell's Skinny Skinny jeans with thrifted shoes. The pearl earrings were a gift from my in-laws and the belt was given to me by my aunt. The bike is a Pashley Princess Sovereign and of course the socks we gave out are made by Wigwam, which are made in my home state of Wisconsin! 

Merry and Bright

Merry and Bright

uyguguygu   16.12   Comment  

Advent is in full swing around here: we've been playing lots of Christmas music, we've participated in more holiday events than we can count, and the house is all done up with twinkling lights.

This year decorations are simple and subtle. We wanted it to look clean and fresh but still cozy so we went with the decision to play with lighting instead of objects. We filled my glass cake platter with a short string of lights in front of our chalkboard and tack board filled with cards we have received. We also stacked up all the old windows we have behind our Christmas tree, backlit them with extra lights. The effect is so pretty with the windows that we might just leave them up all year, even after the tree comes down.

***

Finally, if you're reading this on an aggregator you might be pleased to know that I re-did the headings and sidebar on the blog. It was pretty overdue and I just wanted something really clean, simple, and fresh. The fonts I used are minion and Optimus Princeps. Someone informed me on Facebook that Optimus Princeps may or may not be the font used for Kinfolk Magazine's title. I think it's pretty interesting that I went for it. It must be in my subconscious or something... sorry, Kinfolk! 

***

I'm wearing a very, very old sweater from The Gap. Underneath it I'm wearing a striped shirt by Pleione. The jeans are by Madewell and the boots are from Frye. The shirt and sweater are so old I can't find links to them anymore. 

As I Walked Out One Evening...

As I Walked Out One Evening...

uyguguygu   05.59   Comment  

I decided to start memorizing poems a few days ago, as kind of a brain retention challenge, just to see how much I can fit in there. I was inspired by the readers on the iF app I just downloaded. I can get behind Tom Hiddleston, Bill Nighy, Harry Enfield, and Helena Bonham Carter reading me poems! And as I listened to them speak I wondered what it would be like to memorize one, just to have it in my back pocket for the next time I needed a poem.

I started with a short one with two outstanding lines that I fell in love with - When You are Old and Full of Sleep by W.B. Yeats. The lines "But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you/and loved the sorrows of you changing face" spoke so much to me I wanted it wrapped into my brain. Since it was only twelve lines long it was memorized quite quickly. I'm now working on "As I Walked Out One Evening" by W.H. Audin, which is a lot longer but more sing songier. I've gotten about half of that down, and I think I can have the next half memorized soon.

How are you challenging yourself? 

***

Four quick snaps taken on my way to work yesterday - every day I am thankful that I can have such a relaxing and beautiful commute.

***

The shirt is by Madewell, the pants are by Banana Republic, and the shoes are also by Madewell, who makes very comfy, teacher appropriate ballet flats!

***

Also, I sold my cross bike and got a new commuter bike. I really wanted something that I could ride to work in my regular work clothes on. It's a slower ride than my other bikes, it weighs about a million pounds, but I'm totally in love with my new Pashley! I don't think I've ever had so many compliments on a bike so quickly!  

The Kitchen Garden

The Kitchen Garden

uyguguygu   20.36   Comment  

Since I've been cooking seasonally more often I've been going through fresh herbs like crazy. My friend pointed out that a little potted herb plant was no more than than a dollar or two higher in price than one of those little packets of fresh herbs at the grocery store. 

She made a pretty good case for a small kitchen garden on my window sill and I decided to give it an attempt even though I'm a pretty middle of the road gardener. I had to spend a little time planning it, though - I knew that my cat adores chewing on my houseplants and I'm completely out of shelf space that's out of reach of the cat to put the indoor herb garden because my other (non edible) plants are up there. 

Luckily I looked around on pinterest and found these really simple, inexpensive mini greenhouses which happened to be sold at Ikea - totally doable, if not the greatest quality. If the plants were contained in something they'd be out of the reach of my cat who luckily has no opposable thumbs and can't open a miniature greenhouse. 

JR and I drove down to Ikea, picked one of those tiny greenhouses up ($20), grabbed a couple of pots ($4), stopped at Home Depot for organic potting soil ($5), and finally ran to Whole Foods for some potted herbs, which to my delight were on sale for two dollars a piece! I had to pick through some pretty sad looking plants to find some that looked like it would last the week, and I'm still not sure about the Basil, but I found four that looked okay: Parsley, Oregano, Basil, and Mint ($8).

JR and I drilled two or three holes in the zinc wanna-be pots I picked up from Ikea for drainage, loosened up the roots of the plants, and stuck them in the pots with some new soil. Then I put them in the tiny greenhouse. I've already used some of the oregano for my home made pizza last night and I have mint and orange slices in my water right now.  This project came out under $40.00 so I just have to use it...ten times...to make it pay for itself. I hope I can keep the plants alive that long! Wish me luck!

Farm Scenes and a Word of Advice

Farm Scenes and a Word of Advice

uyguguygu   20.59   Comment  

There is something to learn from everyone, that I know is true. 

I used to work with this man when I was restoring antique textiles who I learned so much from simply from saying good morning to and asking how his morning was every day.

"Every day above ground is a good day!" he would exclaim honestly as we filed in to start our days of quiet, solitary work. 

It's easy to learn gratitude from someone with that sort of relentlessly positive attitude. Thank you, friend, for teaching me the glory of morning and the worth of work. With that approach to life how could I possibly ever lose?

(More pictures from the farm, as shot by Jessica Triggs!)