half...

Half-ironed shirts, half-finished colds, half-finished projects all over the place, half-read magazines piling up, half-clean house, halfway decent nights' sleep...Trying to learn how to be content with all the half-finished things of late!  I'm not quite there yet but I remind myself that everything always gets done eventually, somehow!

late August...

 August is just zipping by, as it usually does...my garden is waning, many flowers are now turning to interesting seed pods, and I'm still a little mesmerized by these silly little violets, still going strong, that decided to grow not only in the rocks but also in the wood pile.  My mini fairy gardens did so-so...the moss mostly died but the hen & chicks thrived!  And ohh our pretty pipestone plums!!!  The plum tree that we planted a few years ago, mainly for its beautiful spring blossoms, grew plums for the first time this year.  We never really intended to ever get plums since we didn't have another tree to cross-pollinate it with (or whatever its called?)  but something did pollinate it this spring and we've just been starting to enjoy these sweet juicy plums!  A nice late summer surprise!

early August...

Early August so far...
A rare date night, eating lefse filled with egg, asparagus, & jarlsberg for the first time, running and laughing our way underneath the clothes on the line with the little one, bountiful basil, pretty tiny violets blooming in random places, little itty bitty shoes by the back door...love seeing this. So far so good.

berry season

Summer seems to be marked and measured, at least in part for me, by the passing of various berry seasons.  Strawberries, gooseberries, raspberries, blueberries, and finally blackberries.  Blackberries being picked the latest near the end of August along the dirt road by the cabin.  The each have their moment.  Their associated memories.  And new memories made each year.  Like the first time Hub and I went strawberry picking together.  Or when I discovered currants and gooseberries on our property.  Various trips hunting for wild blueberries (like the first time we took our brand new baby) and blueberry picking at a nearby farm in the country...this one we just did as a family on Saturday.  The morning was gorgeous, the light beautiful.  We picked the plentiful blueberries with ease and even little Bub got out of the stroller for awhile and began picking and eating too.

And just recently too, a favorite "berry memory" in the making has been afternoons spent picking wild raspberries around our yard with my little Bub.  I hold a tiny bowl, as there is only a handful ripe at a time each day.  My little boy follows closely behind me with baby steps that are getting surer every day.  I'm reminded then of a mama duck with her little ducklings following closely behind.  Every once in awhile he catches up and I grab onto one of his little hands and we walk together, my heart soaring, my mind memorizing this new milestone.  Being able to hold just one hand and walk together, side by side, now that he is more stable on his feet.  He babbles for the tiny red gems in my bowl as I pick them.  I give him one, still soft and warm from the sun.  He walks away from me just a step or two to enjoy it, and then just as quickly he toddles after me calling out "mmm, mummum, mmm, mammma, mmmum!"  Is he calling for more, for mama?  Probably for both as I hand him another and he rewards me with his sweet baby grin.  Pure delight to both of us.  Oh sweet summery, berry days...stay awhile!

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.  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!

what summer tastes like...

...fresh basil pesto...Saturday smoothies...and later in the summer, if all goes (grows) well...plums!

I made the first batch of pesto this weekend with basil from the garden and it was wonderful smeared across warm, crusty ciabatta slices.  And I thought, this is what summer tastes like to me.  What does summer taste like to you?  Then, I often make smoothies but they taste even better now with a little bit of my fresh strawberry jam for some sweetness.  Little Bub loooves smoothies too so its a great way to get him to eat yogurt and bananas and whatever else I put in them.  And finally, Hub discovered plums growing on our plum tree that we planted a few years ago.  We're so excited!  :)

weekend happenings...

 Friday evening:  a walk to the nearby creek to survey some of the flood damage that occurred here earlier in the week.  It was a lovely summer evening!

 Rainy Saturday afternoon:  lunch at one of our favorite places (we realized that we hadn't been there since New Year's Day!)...walking through the wet garden out front after a delicious lunch.

 Sunday morning:  baking Almond Poppyseed muffins...I love to load the tops with slivered almonds and generously sprinkle with sugar.

Sunday evening:  picking Arugula from my garden to make some mini salads to have with pizza.  Yum!

twinflowers

 It was a truly wonderful summer weekend...complete with little Bub's 1st birthday bash, some fun Father's day badminton, late Sunday evening strawberry jam-making, and snapping a few photos of the sweet and dainty Twinflowers (Linnaea) now blooming in my garden.

lazy deer...

I sort of wish I could be a little bit lazy like this deer that was lounging leisurely under the birdhouse this morning.  It's such a rainy, stormy day here and curling up with a book and some tea sounds really nice.  But we have a little baby who is turning one (ONE already, I can't believe it!) and there is SO very much to do.  We're having a big party for him this weekend and I've been having fun planning and making things for it...it's just that actual execution of it all that makes me fret a little bit!  Hopefully the weather will be sunny & lovely and I'll be back with a few photos from the party to share next week!

mishmash lunch...

Last week I had lunch at my house for mum and a friend who were up for a little visit. It was a little bit impromptu (which is actually how I operate best anyways) and I thought it would be rather uncomplicated. We had chicken salad on croissants with some mixed greens and an asparagus jarlsberg tart (inspired by this gorgeous one...but with jarlsberg instead of ricotta) and lemon bars from the bakery for dessert. I thought I was giving myself a break by buying the dessert...but I'm slowly learning that what I once could do without a whole lot of effort now takes a TON of effort for me with a little nine-month old baby hanging on my leg (who is also going through a little bit of the stranger/separation anxiety stage too). It was fun to be with them and enjoy some adult conversation. And I loved using some of my vintage flowery dishes and girly things like teacups and doilies that haven't made it out of the cupboard in awhile lately...but I think my brain is finally starting to connect that things I used to do pre-baby are just not going to be same right now...which is all good and fine...I just need to learn that...and I think I finally am!

Spring dreams...

Just using the word "Spring" in my post title makes me a little happy! It has been warm and pleasant here lately and all the things that go along with Spring are surging through my head...warmer & longer days, flowers budding, grass greening up, birds chirping away, eating al fresco... The other day when it was sunny and 65 degrees out, I brought little baby bub outside and set him down on the grass for the very first time. He seemed so content, so happy, so calm and a little uncertain! He very gently pulled at the still brownish-green grass and held tightly to a rock I had given him, flipping it over and over in his hands...examining it as if he were on a new planet. I'm so excited for a whole spring (and then summer) ahead of us with new little outdoor discoveries like this with my new little explorer. Especially after being cooped up in the house during the long winter months...one can't help but be a bit antsy and excited. Yet in the meantime, I'm still conjuring up Spring inside...like this new pair of foxes I just recently completed for a wedding cake topper order. They feel very spring-like and cheerful to me. She requested teal blue and yellow details...I'm always surprised at all the different color combinations brides choose for their weddings...I don't think I've ever had the same 2 or 3 color combinations requested...the possibilities are almost infinite! Just like my dreams about a new Spring with my still-new baby...infinite possibilities!

leap day blizzard...

Yesterday we had a big snowstorm here. The wind was rattling the house and swirling up drifts of snow everywhere...one of our upstairs windows is almost completely covered by a snowdrift now. Hub worked from home which was nice yet a little bit of a tease...I so wanted to ask him to help change some diapers but I knew I shouldn't. ;) I did wait until 5:00 pm to ask him and I did perhaps maybe save one diaper that had been verging on quite wet for just a bit...no harm done to baby, I assure you! My orchids (above) are crying out to be re-potted and I'm wishing I could drop them off at the greenhouse for them to properly do this for me...oh well! I will get around to it one of these days I'm sure.
So long February!

the greenhouse

A few photos from a recent outing to our local nursery...for me it was like the tiniest snippet of a tropical vacation. Being inside the greenhouse in the warm, moist air, surrounded by so much green and brilliant color was like a breath of fresh air in the midst of a drab February day. I needed that!

a Valentine-y lunch...

I wasn’t necessarily going to do much of anything for Valentine’s Day this year. I usually at least make some cards or a little something...but I just wasn’t really in the mood.

I haven’t really been in the mood to do a whole lot of anything lately, except the basics…taking care of my family. I’d have these big crafting ideas, but then come evening, once little baby was finally tucked into bed, I’d find myself quickly crawling into my own bed soon after with a good book and the heating blanket turned on high. I guess its best to listen to your body. Sometimes I think that whenever little bub is napping or sleeping at night, I need to be doing something very productive with my time. And I’m slowly learning (now that he is becoming a better napper) that there will always be another nap, another moment to myself. So I can relax a little bit and give myself a break once in awhile, which I’ve been trying to do... But then Mum and Dad decided to come up for a visit this past Saturday. And since it was close to Valentine's Day I decided it'd be fun to turn an ordinary meal together into a little V-Day lunch/celebration. Of course we’d eat something together, so why not make it into something a little extra special, since we don’t often see each other anyways? I love having my parents in my home and treating them like special guests, because they are! And it was a good excuse to use some dishes and things that I don't often use. So it all spiraled from there…a few days beforehand I had taken little baby outside for some fresh air, to watch the Chickadees at the feeder. And I plucked off some tiny pinecones from a nearby tree. Suddenly some “Pining for you, Valentine” place cards popped into my head. Perfect for our special Valentine lunch. (Doesn’t all inspiration happen randomly like that? At least it does for me!) Then sometime soon after a butterfly mobile hanging from the light fixture popped into my head as well and I just had to make it...even if it meant staying up late the night before.

I was planning on making Chicken a la King for lunch, something warm and comforting on a very cold, blustery winter afternoon...

...and suddenly I had to make the biscuits from scratch and in the shape of hearts no less! Then, somewhere in the midst of sleep the night before, I had the idea for us to write down one thing we love about our spouse on a heart doily, so I had to go dig those out from my craft stuff......but as I announced this little plan during our lunch, someone else came up with an even more brilliant idea to write our little love note inside the "Pining for You, Valentine" place cards. This made far more sense as we had much more room to write and we all easily came up with more than just one thing we love about our spouse. We read them aloud after our meal and it all ended on a very love-y, Valentine-y note...which made me so pleased indeed...and I do think did all of our hearts just a bit of good!
Happy Valentine's Day! :)