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.

in the studio {paper flowers}

I needed (or rather wanted) a gold flower for a bird order and decided to try making one out of paper, of course. A few handcut layers and flower stamens later, and I was pretty happy about how it turned out. I think I'll make more in some other color combos, just for fun! Isn't paper amazing? The possibities are endless.

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P.S. Is it Friday already??? I'm getting ready for a busy weekend ahead with friends over for dinner Saturday and the lovely in-laws up visiting on Sunday! Hoping for nicer weather too!

Happy Weekend to You!

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.

homemade pasta {cheesy ravioli}

Hub was itching to cook up something good, something different on Saturday. While I was busy doing various projects around the house (feeling frustrated, feeling like I was doing a lot but not fully accomplishing much of anything), his suggestion to make pasta from scratch pulled me right in beside him...it's something I'd always wanted to try making.

Hub followed Lidia's recipe for the dough and I got involved at the point of helping him knead the life out of it. It seemed really tough but "knuckling" it was kinda fun. Then, we let the dough rest for an hour...which provided me ample time to immerse myself back into my non-productive projects. When the dough was ready, I rolled it out as thin as I could... ...meanwhile, Hub was getting busy working on a homemade spaghetti sauce using our homegrown tomatoes and herbs. (Yep...we're still attempting to use up our tomatoes.) He cooked down a bunch of tomatoes in olive oil with fresh oregano, basil, diced onions, garlic, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Oh, and a bit of sugar too. I think he simmered this sauce for a good hour or more? (Note: His homemade sauce may have been the best part of the whole meal, although the pasta was pretty good too...but the sauce sure made it!) Hub also came up with the filling for our ravioli: ricotta, asiago, parmesan, fresh oregano and parsley, and some diced chanterelle mushrooms. (He reconstituted some dried mushroooms and then sauteed them in butter and a bit of salt first.)Putting together the ravioli was very much a joint venture. We both took a turn at filling the pasta, wetting around the filling with water, sealing shut, and then cutting into squares with a pizza cutter. Assembly is always the fun part of cooking to me. We boiled them in water for 6-8 minutes or so (our dough may have been just a tad bit too thick...next time I'd roll it even thinner if possible) and then laid them out in a low baking dish, topped with Hub's special spaghetti sauce and grated mozzarella. He then baked the whole thing for another 10 minutes or so...the last couple minutes under the broiler. And we both partook in eating these delicious squares...another joint venture! Next on our pasta-cooking agenda? We'd like to try making these again but with a butternut squash filling instead...mmm!

shades and thoughts {feeling Fall}

{edges curled...amber Maple leaf}

{my blueberry bushes...now lovely shades of burgundy, bright red, & orange}
{tangle of a Clematis that never bloomed this summer...but is turning a pretty plum purple}{sea of Sedum...my 'Vera Jameson' thriving in the cool weather, the butterflies love it...doesn't this one almost look like it has eyes?}

{lavender Aster...the last of summer's wildflowers}

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Our Maple is beginning to turn. My neighbor plucked an amber-colored leaf from it the other day to show me as she stopped by for a visit. Today, I broke out the space heater. Pulled my gray hood up once or twice. I put the down comforter on the bed last week and stowed away the summer quilt. Spread out the heating blanket on the bed last night. And the knitting frenzy has been in full blown intensity for several weeks now, really whenever my hands are free...another sure sign of the coming cold season. And this activity often coincides with me cozying up near our gas fireplace.

We refuse to turn the heat on just yet. Hub has given me the go-ahead if it is too chilly in the house for me. But for some indiscernible reason we like to wait as long as possible. Like its some sort of odd contest or challenge or something... and September 16th just seems too early. So instead we hold out by using other resources for the time being.
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P.S. Thanks for all your sweet comments regarding my humble curtain. :)

at my sunny window...

...a simple curtain now hangs!

The sun comes into this side of the house so gloriously in the afternoons. But a little privacy is a good thing...especially in a bathroom!I finished my curtain last week (my very first "real" sewing project) after much consideration of lace or no lace on the bottom. Did it make it look a little granny-ish or add character? Well, after my parents visited a couple weekends ago, I was able to get my mum's opinion too. Lace it was! Mum gave me a pile of vintage lace pieces awhile back that I've been finding some new uses for in sometimes unexpected places. And this piece of sturdy lace was the perfect length for my curtain!Now, all I need are those Anthropologie towels I saw that I think would go perfectly with my curtain as well! I love their towels...

One thing always seems to lead to another, no?

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Happy Monday!

~L

(*towels pictured found here)

in the studio {rainbows}

... rainbows of organization...

getting my paper in order

to work on new things

I'm so messy when I work that I often need to regroup & get organized...again.

But it's such a nice feeling to know what I have & where it is, ya know?

tomato time

Hub and I have been growing tomatoes for several years. But this season has been our best one yet due to the warmer summer and our new sunny growing spot along the house. We grew Big Boys and Cherry tomatoes and the flavor and texture of them has also been the best we've ever had. (And I thought this one that Hub sliced open was about the prettiest thing I'd seen all day.) Not to mention they get pretty big (like softball-sized) and have a very hearty, meaty center. So consequently, we've been eating tomatoes almost non-stop now for the past several days. Last week I made my creamy tomato soup. Hub's made several BLTs. We've had tomato-infused pastas. Spruced up grilled cheese sandwiches one night with caramelized onions and slices of tomatoes. And of course, several have made their way on top of our salads too.

Last night, Hub made salsa with our tomatoes and fresh homegrown parsley (I don't like cilantro except in tiny quantities and you can't beat using homegrown herbs anyhow).

He add lots of fresh-squeezed lime juice, onion, garlic, and jalapeno.
And that tiny green pepper on the plate that looks like a jalapeno...well, that's the last one we picked from our garden and we added it to our nachos.
The salsa was the best ever too. (Do you detect a theme here?)
But this morning, Hub implored that we take a night off from tomatoes.
Just one night? Okay, I guess I can do that...
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P.S. I'm thinking of canning some tomatoes. Any good tips? Do you absolutely need a pressure canner thingy? I get overwhelmed by Google sometimes...too much information!