No more waity, Katie!

The wait is over- congrats William and Kate! xo 

Wally

I love you Wally Woolypocket! Our new place is surrounded by green trees, a lush park and trails galore, but we don't have any private outdoor space where I can grow plants of my own- just yet, anyway.  I'm thinking Wally might be my only option for an herb garden this year, but I'm also considering this.

Lately

More work, better weather, cross-country travel and life in general have come before the my time writing for this blog as of late, but I'm still here- are you? It appears there are still some of you out there reading on occasion, and I hope that despite my lack of attention to this space that you'll swing by from time to time.  

I'm excited to report that on Easter Sunday (tomorrow morn) we will be moving to a lovely little oasis in the city of Baltimore known as the Clipper Mill. It's a renovated mill/foundry that has been turned into condos, galleries and artist studios, and most importantly- home to the city's best known and tastiest restaurant, Woodberry Kitchen.

We're excited -and a bit exhausted- but thrilled about the move. More to come on that adventure soon...

Happy Easter, all. xo

p.s. This great photo up above had to be taken somewhere near Napa/Sonoma, yeah? We've been dreaming of buying a little plot of land in the wine country and popping a little pre-fab house on it in an effort to live the dream... Give it a few more years of dreaming first.

{photo via a cup of jo}

Spring Table

I am a big lover of yellow and gray/mustard and taupe/ and/or any other variation of these tones. Proof: we broke the rules and used these springy colors for our fall wedding, gasp! 

With the long spring that we're having these days in the mid-Atlantic, these tones seem to capture both the essence of the season both locally and in many parts of the world right now- bursts of bright color contrasted with doomy, gloomy skies and sudden bright and striking sunbursts. The drama of this season continues to impress me and reminds that there is life in the daylight.  

Don't know about you, but I'm loving spring this year, and this table runner would be perfect-o for Easter brunch, yeah? 

Two words: eggs benny. Or maybe just one: hollandaise.

Happy Monday! 

Brilliance

A forest of colored pencils.  What an awesome outdoor installation.  

P.S. I loved spending a long weekend in Seattle.  Thanks to all who made it so memorable and lovely. xo! 

Bavarian Bound

I'm super excited to report that today I'll be heading west to Seattle, then onto my hometown of Leavenworth, WA. I can't wait to soak up the fresh air and enjoy time with people I love over the weekend.  

I'll have a bit of time in Seattle, so I'm making a list of places to visit.  So far my old favorites of Vivace and Sonic Boom are at the top, but a nice meal might be up my sleeve, too. Any ideas?  

Signing off for the week, friends... take care and keep in touch! 

Very nice

Hand crafted and hand painted, what a pretty little thing this bike is.

Initials

I use my initials as my signature, and since I recently acquired an additional last name with getting married and all, I now sign all receipts and most correspondence as "stg".  All lowercase.  

I love this simple initial stamp made by our favorite French stamp maker.  Wouldn't it be fun to make homemade cards and stamp this on the back for a little personal touch?  So sweet. Plus, he makes face stamps, origami mobiles and his Etsy shop motto is "stuff made in France with love and patience".  How could you not shop from this guy?

Spring

Spring is my favorite season.  I find that most people name fall as their top choice for a season, but I'd have to say otherwise. I love butternut squash and wool sweaters just as much as the next person, but there's nothing like this time of year when life arises from the most unlikely places, almost as if from the ashes of the cold, dark oppression that is winter.

Springtime offers hope and life in its longer days, blooming trees and early flowers.  The faint pink of dogwood trees, bright yellow of the daffodil and the vibrant red of the tulip make me gasp with excitement inside-- knowing that life carries on, that the earth is living and breathing and that new days are ahead.  I'm so glad for that.

P.S. On my walk at lunchtime I put my favorite seasons in order: spring, summer, fall then winter.  So, according to this rather natural progression, things are about to move in fairly ideal direction.  How bout that!

BKFST

I submitted a photo from one of our many delicious breakfasts on our honeymoon in New Zealand to BKFST and it was published on the site over the weekend.

The breakfasts on this Tumblr page are so delectable that I find the only time to go look at this page is after a meal, otherwise it makes me starving.  Everything looks so damn yummy! The site is the ultimate source for brekkie/brunch inspiration, so if you find yourself in need of said inspiration, I highly recommend a stop over.

If you have a delicious breakfast photo, submit it here!

Have a super lunar weekend!

Look east tonight as the sun sets west, friends!  It's gonna be SUPER.  Have a good one!

P.S.  We're in the "Paris of PA" as Ryan calls it...aka Pittsburgh.  I love it!

Morning

This great print reminded me so much of home, old friends, cold mornings in the mountains and all things puffy.  I'm thrilled to be headed back to the mountains in just a mere two weeks.  I've been missing home.

Olo

Have you ever wondered what victory and lightning smell like?  What if the smell was combined with that of a wolf or a paw?  Here's your chance. 

Gone Dutch

This delicious savory bread pudding was last night's dinner; a great way to use up that big loaf of French bread we never got around to eating, and of course, a perfect occasion to use our new Dutch oven.  

Cooking out of cast iron is becoming a bit of an obsession for me lately.  I love how heavy and raw the pans feel, and that you're not to use soap, but hot water and a nice scrubby brush for cleaning. I've even heard great stories about making bread in a Dutch oven and also love the idea of taking it car camping once the weather is a bit nicer out.  I can't wait for spring.  

Have a good one.

It's been a rough week, but it's over now.  Between the tragic loss of a truly wonderful old friend from my hometown, combined with the unrest in the Middle East and the earthquake in Japan, I'm tired. But, tonight I'm celebrating the comfort of the weekend ahead and the fact that I am healthy, employed, loved and that I am alive. What a gift that I so often take for granted.

I hope you have a good weekend.  And don't forget to tell someone you love them! xo