little moments

A few little weekend things:  

It seems right now, when time to myself is rarer than ever, I try to find enjoyment in the little moments, the little things...the time I had before and took for granted now is precious and appreciated more than ever...like having a moment to clip some flowers from the garden.  I picked these tiny Violets that had seeded themselves from last summer...the only "vase" little enough I could find to put them in was a tiny glass salt shaker...and a favorite flower that is now blooming, the beautiful blue Delphinium. 

We also took a little (unsuccessful) blueberry-searching, hot hike high above the lake on Saturday which little Bub seemed to love.  And on Sunday we had some guests over for brunch.  I served egg bake...my new favorite thing.  Pre-baby I used to make quiche a lot.  Now its egg bakes.  But I love egg bakes and could eat them every single day...with a just few drops of Sriracha on top.  Perfect!

some thoughts today...

Life with a little one is SO busy. I think my idea of what it would be like to have a baby and actually having a baby of my own is so completely different. I don't think anyone or any book or any amount of preparation can really truly prepare you for so radical a life change. Although I think it is the hardest thing I've ever done, I'm loving every single minute of it. (Just don't ask Hub at certain points in the day when I'm extremely sleep deprived and a bit snappy!) But as we're starting to have a tiny bit more of a routine, getting comfortable with each other, I'm just starting to be able to carve out little moments for myself (that don't just involve laundry or dishes) and feel some moments of normalcy...normalcy being what life was like pre-baby. Perhaps for others having their first child isn't such a major adjustment, but for me it really has been. As Hub sometimes tells me, I don't do good with change. And this has been a huge change in every way possible...yet the very best kind of change too. I don't often put personal/people photos on this blog, but I loved this recent photo of us together... It was little baby's first "wild blueberry hike." I pointed them out as Hub picked them. And baby slept through most of it all. What a special time!

an unexpected evening hike...

The other night, Hub took me on this crazy "hike" just as the sun was setting. While I was thinking we were planning on walking leisurely along a trail...he went "off-road" (or rather "off-trail"). Being just days away from having a baby and wearing clogs, it was an interesting "hike" to say the least. Climbing uphill over large uneven rocks, there were little pink wild blueberry flowers and moss-covered rocks at our feet. And while dodging tree branches, bushes, and weeds, there were gorgeous trees filled with white blossoms all around us. It was refreshing and so pretty out at that time of day with the setting sun behind us and a pastel sky painted over the Lake. Sometimes the "unexpected" is good!

weekend hike

It was a perfectly, gorgeous, sun-filled weekend. We did a lot of entertaining, eating, and hiking...and truthfully, I'm a bit weary on this Monday after such a full weekend...but mostly due to an intense hike. So, a few photos from our hike with the in-laws. Hub and I have hiked this same trail (the Split Rock River Loop) 3 or 4 times now and its always amazing! Especially at this time of year. Perhaps you can get a sense why...even though pictures never fully capture the real thing.

day trip {ely}

On Sunday we took a drive...in search of autumn colors, fresh crisp air, and sunshine on our faces. It was a lovely, sunny day and we hopped in the car for a two hour ride to Ely...

When Hub and I first moved here, north from the Twin Cities, we always talked about taking little trips to nearby cities like Ely or Bayfield...but we've rarely followed through on this...life always seems to get in the way, no matter where you live. But on Sunday we seized the day and enjoyed visiting a somewhat new-to-us city, having a really good lunch at "The Chocolate Moose" outside on their deck, and then getting out for a vigorous hike that I found out about from a guy who worked at an outfitter store in town.

We nicknamed our hike something like "the many mushroom, mossy-covered, laughing bird trail"...which pretty much summed up all the the things we encountered. In reality, the trail was called "Dry Lake Trail" and we did wrap our way by one lake and then all around Dry Lake (which really isn't dry at all).

All in all the hike was great, except for a few moments of confusion when we couldn't really tell for sure what was the actual trail and what was just plain wilderness. The only thing more disconcerting than that was perhaps the couple of shots we heard fired, from a not too distant location. What could they be hunting? At the time, Hub only suggested Grouse...and we did happen to scare up several later on along the way. But on the way home, he told me they could have also been hunting Bear. I was glad he saved that part for the ride home.

Lutsen

Hub and I headed up the north shore of Lake Superior to spend a restful, woodsy weekend in Lutsen. While the weather was dismally gray and misty, accompanied by the kind of damp cold that seems to seep deep into your bones, it still couldn't detract from the beauty of this place. The tumultuous weather also made for some of the biggest, most amazing waves I've seen on the lake in a long time. Yet what we lacked for in good weather, we more than made up for in gastronomical delights!

We indulged in a fair amount of fish...Hub often orders it and we always end up sharing our meals. He had a very good Swordfish for dinner one evening, deep fried Herring the next, and we also made a stop to the smoked fish house on our way up where he purchased a chunk of smoked Salmon. As he was purchasing the salmon, I, rather out of character, impulsively grabbed a couple homemade caramels that were sitting in a big bowl on the counter. And they turned out to be the best caramels we've ever had. I wish I had purchased the whole bowl of them! Funny how something so small was a little highlight of the "foodie" part of this trip for me. Another highlight was the White Truffle Gnocchi we shared at Nokomis one day. I hope there are truffles in heaven! ;)

While most of our time was spent hiking around Lutsen, the Cascade River, and the gorgeous hike to Carlton Peak, we also squeezed in a massage (for me) and a little misty golf (for Hub). It's not too surprising that we spent time soaking in the hot tub, but what was surprising for us was our closing out the evenings rather competitively at the lodge's Ping Pong table...which Hub was victorious at every single time... But it made for a pretty good weekend all in all!

Weekend Journal {Wild Loveliness}

This time of year, when Spring is just waiting on the doorstep of Summer, is so beautiful here. Although the weather hasn't been too exceptionally warm yet, and we've had to cover plants and bring in planters due to cold nights more than I'd like...I still find myself outside most every chance I get.

Last weekend was no exception. Friday found us at the driving range, practicing my swing. And then an impromptu hike afterwards in search of morels...again, no luck...but perhaps its been too chilly. We did find some wild asparagus and fiddlehead ferns though, a nice compromise. And I will admit that I "cheated" earlier in the week and bought dried morels. So a wild spring dinner was born. Hub invented something new...baked chicken breasts stuffed with blue cheese, walnuts, and some herbs...drizzled with fresh lemon juice and more herbs on top. I had the easy job (but what I always do) of making my roasted garlic mash (see below for recipe).

Mum & Dad were here visiting for the rest of the weekend and we took plenty of walks and more hikes through the woods. Mum & I discovered lovely Wild Sarsaparilla and some odd but pretty pink pinecones. We planted flowers together in my garden and enjoyed sitting on the front porch, basking in the landscaping loveliness...(tired of hearing about that yet?). ;)

Sunday ended rainy and stormy with Hub and I snuggled on the couch together watching an old Hitchcock movie (The 39 Steps...love it!). So creating and making and working on projects has been put to the wayside, as I'd rather be outside most often. I do have a few new things to share though...hopefully soon. Oh, and do be sure to try that garlic mash below...so, so seriously good!
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Roasted Garlic Mash

Cut off the top of a whole garlic bulb, just to expose all the cloves. Set in a dish lined with tinfoil and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Wrap foil up around garlic and pop in the oven at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes to an hour. Let cool and then squeeze the cloves up and out of the bulb. Put cloves on a cutting board, season a bit more, add some herbs if you like (thyme is good) and mash with a fork. Scrape up and put in a little dish. Drizzle with more good olive oil and a hint of truffle oil if you’ve got it…then spread onto good, crusty baguette slices.

Flora and Fauna

This post could also be titled "my field guide to wildflowers" as I love this time of the year when all of the first wildflowers start to appear. I'd love to sketch them all and put together my own little field guide to flowers of the North Shore along with my own footnotes about when and where they like to grow and other measurable facts based on my observations. Someday maybe. For now, this post will have to suffice.
{unidentified flower - do you know? - grows near my little garden in the woods}

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I have a few different wildflower books for identification purposes. Mum gave me this new one (below) for my birthday this year that I just love... I love the illustrations and the quirky information about the flowers. For instance, how certain native american indian tribes would use the flowers for remedies, in courtship rituals, to help with labor pains, to brew for tea, etc. etc...very interesting! There is also a mushroom book by these same folks that I'd love to have too!

I took heaps of photos over the long holiday weekend of flowers and plants. Perhaps in preparation for my wildflower guide? I just can't seem to help myself.
Above is "Spring Beauty"...a small little flower that grows low to the ground and sprawls all around the wooded parts of our property. Isn't it a pretty name?
Also last weekend, we took a lovely hike through the forest in search of flowers and morel mushrooms. No such luck on the mushrooms but I did notice many more beautiful wildflowers...Nodding Trillium, Wild Columbine, Starflower, Sessile Bellwort (a new flower to me)...and these pretty pink and yellow Tall Corydalis (below). And lots of Marsh Marigolds everywhere along the little streams we'd cross over...a plant that is also growing all over the wetter parts of our own property. I love how it sprinkles the ground with bright spots of yellow. The hike could have only been better if we'd found some morels. We once had a taste of fresh morel mushrooms a few years back when Hub amazingly found 2 of them while we were out on a walk when we lived down in the Cities. You would have thought we'd struck gold when we found them. And they were quite possibly the best thing I've ever eaten. So the elusive hunt goes on.
But we did have a feast for the eyes with gorgeous green ferns sprouting up everywhere during the more wooded parts of our hike.
Oh, and remember this sweet old flower book my mum gave to me last Spring? Well, she recently found a golden guide bird book for me too. She has her own little collection of these books going but whenever she spots one of them, she'll buy it for me so I can start my own collection. How sweet and thoughtful. And just look how neat the back cover alone is too?

And finally, the landscaping project is finished! We're having my folks up this coming weekend to see it...so I'm reserving any photos until they come up because I want them to see it in person first, for the whole "wow" factor thing. I know, I'm slightly nutty. But I'll leave you with this tiny little glimpse of part of it for now. You see, that's the big rock that Hub was finally able to dig up...it looks kinda smallish in this photo but it was so heavy we both had to roll it up the yard and into position. Ahh, so glad that's done.

~More Soon Friends!~