What a year

There were vacation adventures...

pedaling a tandem bike through wine country=best idea ever

and parties and picnics...

someone turned 30!

there were races to cheer for...

and 5 days of warmth and sunshine...

I love waking up in the morning to decisions of:

which beach? which pool? which drink for your glass?

there was a garden that turned a hodgepodge of this and that...

Super successful ignoring my garden and then seeing what happens

-isn't that Dill plant gone to seed beautiful?

Midly successful Tomatillo Growing

-once I realized I need to buy more than 1 plant- opps

Not successful at all? red tomatoes...got lots of green ones

-but then contributed to the local economy as I went on a tomato hunt

and then there were the projects...

inspired by the cutting of the cable company cord (and pinterest of course) we spent less time on the couch and more time creating.

The piles and piles of Roasted Peppers I peeled: still have 1 jar of soup left!

The shirt sleeves I made better: the beginning of a trend

The lonely ol' TV we found on the side of the road. After removing the parts we don't need and a thorough cleaning, this will one day be home to the coolest fish tank ever

I can't believe Jesse talked me into a fish tank, just hoping I can convince him to wait till we get into a home, cause no one wants to move that.

Excited for what this year will bring

celebrating half a decade

crossing off my 50th state

and a big change coming up

"Spicy" Parsnip Soup

spoiler alert: this turned out not so spicy

So Jesse headed out of town for work- must mean that Winter is officially here. So glad not to be him and his working in 15* temperatures and pulling 16 hour days and what not. I'll take my toddlers over that anytime.

After a hectic day out East at Mamas Christmas (no drama this year- unusual) Sunday was spent in jammies at the stove. I climbed into my favorite apron, poured myself a big glass of wine and got to cooking.

Found my recipe here courtesy of Pinterest. Have I mentioned how much i heart Pinterest. Its addicting and I love it, clearly.

Confession: Never purchased a parsnip before, was a bit surprised to discover they look just like big white carrots.

Remembered how much I hate chopping Veggies. Jesse usually does this task. Decide to pretend I'm like one of those TV chefs. Amazed I didn't chop off a finger in this process.

Confession #2: I don't peel veggies, ever. A good scrubbing and I figure any dirt that's left on is good for ya right? I do think this lack of peeling made my finished product a little more brown than bright yellow. No problem, just add more Tumeric. Which may quickly become my new favorite seasoning- even if it did stain my immersion blender.

Any good soup is best served in my favorite Soup Mug accompanied by crunchy bread :)

The verdict: The soup was not spicy enough for its billing of "Spicy Parsnip Soup" Added some smoked paprika, salt/pepper and finally stirred in a generous pour of hot sauce-mmmm much better.

Will it makes it's way into my rotation of favorite soups? Nah, but it did taste good and it did make my house smell yummy.

Next up: Potato Leek

Avoiding the Winter Blues

its no secret that Winter and I have a love/hate relationships (although the percentages more closely resemble 20/80- on a good day)

I have a plan

to distract me from the quiet house

of a man who travels for work in the winter

then skis all the god damn time he is home

just kidding, kind of, not really

to combat the dreary cold gray of the environment

to inspire me to get out of bed in the morning

It mostly involves cooking projects, but I heart the way a simmering pot of soup fills up a whole house with love.

Gonna double, triple, quadruple recipes to fill up the big silver pot. Look out friends: I envision jars of soup ending up on doorsteps throughout the city.

Hoping I am able to Can some it, perhaps to end up on doorsteps in far away places.

Recipes I'm most excited for:

Mexican lentil Stew

Spicy Chipotle Bean Soup

Butternut Pear Curry Bisque

now doesn't that sound fancy?!

Starting today with Spicy Parsnip soup. My first time ever buying a parsnip...they look like albino carrots. Fingers Crossed, deep breath and go!

I have a problem

a crafty problem...

I keep getting inspired (damn you pinterest)

and then I decide some of my clothes would work best with a bit of altering

and then my craft room has grown into an exploded disaster of half completed projects

The old shirt turned into purse: still have to attach the handle and add some finishing touches to make it pretty

The sweater: almost ready for the second armhole!

The skirt that has been stapled together one too many times

and then I went shopping

and fell in love with an adorable halter dress- except I want to wear it as a skirt. No problem. But that is how a skirt is stuck on my sewing maching in the middle of getting 4 inches hacked off the top

Oh and then I found another dress- beautiful fabric, way, way too short. So I've hacked off the top, and have plans to combine it with some other fabric and turn it into a classic circle skirt with some cleverly placed ruffles at the bottom

And then there's the sweater I've been wearing for 2 years that I originally thought- this will make for a clever wrap sweater, I just need to add a couple buttons or belt. Well I've got one and a half buttons added- wondering if I can get away with safety pinning it the rest of the way (but that is how I got into trouble with the above mentioned stapled skirt)

Love that my creativity is flowing, but Oy! Need a bit of focusing

the only way to describe it

a funk

thats how i've been feeling lately. Annoyances at work, grumpy coworkers, a busy schedule, changing seasons away from my beloved summer, lack of inspiration blah blah blah.

Making a concerted effort to remedy this

Things I'm excited about...

potted herbs on my window sill: As I tore down the garden (damn you end of summer) I kept a few roots together. Now the blossoms of lavender, sage and oregano make me smile as I open the curtains every morning. Ohhhh and remind me I need to save the rosemary I keep forgetting about thats still braving the elements

firepits and friends: its become a Halloween tradition to gather around the firepit, enjoy some hot beverages and laugh at the trick or treaters. My favorite costume of the evening: teenage boys who taped balloons all over their shirts. But these weren't just any balloons they were grouped together representing a chemical bond. They were Carbon Monoxide and Carbon Dioxide. Yes you teenagers get extra candy for creativity!

TED: one more week- wahoo wahoo!!! Getting into the mood by reading some TEDey books. Warning the library now- here i come!

morning sunshine: as much as i HATE how the time change affects my kiddos at school, I love, love, love opening the windows to sunshine in the morning. Its a tradeoff I'll gladly make- even if it means its dark on my drive home :( There is nothing better than starting the day off with sunshine

Saturday morning possibilities

Saturday morning always start with a big cup of coffee (or 3) and dreams about

the weekend...

figuring out how this new Nook thing works

and borrowing many books from the library

making inaugural big ol pot of soup for distract-athon 11/12

this is my new plan to keep myself excited/busy when Jesse is up on the

hill saving crazy skiers from certain doom. Yes it starts early. This

weekend he is out and about getting dropped off in the middle of the

woods with a compass and a pat on the back- good luck!

Thinking of starting with Corn Chowder...but multiplying the batch a

bit. Want to have leftovers for canning after I eat my fill this weekend.

finally going through that atrocious pile in the basement. Furniture Bank...get ready for me

procuring some new clothes. Cause its no longer summer. Oh and picture day is coming up. If I have to convince 12 wiggly toddlers to look at the camera (preferably smiling, but will settle for no fingers in noses, no pulling their neighbors hair and not running around the room) I get new clothes for the occasion!

sewing the purse that I started months ago. I think its about 75% done, maybe, hopefully

ohhhh and diving in to my newest library aquisition from Rachael Herron. I heart her. A lot

and I should probably finish pulling the garden...got most of the goodies out already but there still some odds and ends that are lonely out there. Pulling the garden feels like admitting summer is really over :( and a lot less fun then buying new clothes

5 years ago

this past weekend I once again loaded everything I owned up in my car and headed out cross country.

I was excited

to start a new/old job

to be surrounded by family and friends

to be in a place that was easier

I was nervous

to leave a project I poured my whole into

was I giving up and running away?

would my new outlook on life blend into my old life?

I was shaking

from the caffeine required to drive 1180 miles by myself

from the rumbling in my car as i coaxed it over the mountains again

from the snowflakes in October

(still in denial about this changing climates thing I only packed skirts)

I was grateful

to friends who welcomed me into their home

to a brother who met me halfway so I had a partner in crime

for having spending a year in a wonderful place and having an adventure

I was worried

that I was making a mistake

that I would regret not pushing through the hard part

that I was giving up

How has it already been 5 years?

I still listen to my fav radio station

I still crave the tacos and the coffee

(and am greatly disappointed they're so hard to find)

I still close my eyes and remember the view during my commute home

5 years and I don't regret it

I have wonderful memories of my adventures

I have confidence in knowing I can hack it by myself

In Cali I grew into myself. I sorted out my beliefs from my families and my friends and traditions that were taught to me. I decided who I was and what is important to me- what I value. What I want from life.

Those 14 months will always stand out as precious time to me. But I'm so glad to be here. To have that adventure and to have made it back home.