My exciting news!

I mentioned in this post that each one of us in my little family had something new and exciting on the horizon. My exciting news can finally be revealed…

I am excited to join a new, local store opening on Main Street in downtown Lynchburg, Virginia. 

Pastiche at Main will be opening in September 2013. I’m so excited to be selling my jewelry in this store because they will be selling ALL locally found/made items. There are 13 hugely talented people involved, and I’m so excited to see everything come together for the grand opening on September 7th! Click here to see a write up on all the talented Creatives who will be involved! There’s so much talent in Lynchburg, take a look!

 

On the road

We are currently on a little vacation away at my folks house. I forgot my SLR camera. 

Meanwhile, we are here, with no real camera to speak of, so my photos will be limited to iphone and instagram pictures. I will try to remember to post a few here. I never imagined the iphone will infiltrate my system so quickly…

on the horizon

There are a good number of exciting things coming up in the next two months. Something for each of us. A new adventure for my oldest, a new business endeavor for my husband, a new store selling my jewelry, and a first birthday for the baby E. I’ll be posting lots of instagram, and try my best to tote my real camera too for some serious photo updates. 

While You Work

Listening to her sing and hum while she sweeps the hallway. Chores. Newly added to the list of things to do. For now, there is the humming while she works…the anticipation of mom checking to see the good work she has done. 

Oh, the babies!

My friends are in that age group where a good number of them have settled down and started families. So, naturally, this was the year of the baby and with babies…comes baby showers! Now, if you don’t already know it…my friends really know how to throw a party. And, they make/give the most lovely gifts. (More proof at my own shower!)

For Sarah:

 

 

 

The rocking chair above was made and gifted by the lovely and talented ladies of Regeneration Lynchburg.

Shop Update!

Updated the etsy today with a couple of new little goodies from the Indian Summer Collection 2013 (click photo for a link).

Pickling

I feel like we are in full swing summer mode. Lots of barbecues, potlucks, and hanging out late into the night. Time in the kitchen is hot and sticky, so I’m trying to develop a summer food menu that doesn’t require being in the kitchen every day. I’ll let you know how that goes… That said, exceptions must be made in order to put by and preserve (and make delicious delicacies…), so we found ourselves in the kitchen for a couple of hours last week pickling garlic scapes. So yummy. You should try it if you get your hands on some extras!

Here is what I did:

Prep clean jars and lids by placing in boiling water. They can sit there until you are ready to get started filling them. Meanwhile, boil equal parts vinegar and water and a few teaspoons of salt (I used a 1:1:1 ratio). Remove jars from hot water and place in each jar: couple sprigs of fresh dill, 5-10 whole peppercorns, and any other spices you wish. (I used fresh oregano in some and red pepper flakes in others). Fill with vinegar water to 1/8″ from top. Lid, and process in a hot water bath for 20-30 minutes. Once you’re done, I’d wait about 3 weeks before eating them…let them soak up that yummy brine! Enjoy.

My website

My website

I finally created a little website. Enjoy.

in my kitchen

Maybe I haven’t told you about my kitchen?

You see, I love my kitchen so much. I love to cook, but mostly and truly I love to bake. Now…I wish that meant we were up to our elbows in fresh baked bread every week, but the kind of baking I love to do is the kind that has a stick or two of butter in, needs to be rolled out on a lightly floured surface, and is usually cut or folded into intricate shapes or pockets. In other words…I love to bake the most flaky, complicated recipes I can find. Why is that? ohhhhh. Perhaps it is because it is somewhat like making a craft…all those steps, attention to detail, and beautifully imperfect results. I do love an imperfect pastry…

the rain just keeps coming

Some weeks there is no stopping.

Perhaps if the rain would go away and it weren’t so muggy and my baby girl wasn’t trying to cut her second tooth…perhaps then it wouldn’t feel so heavy. Its just one of those days where I feel stressed in my bones and I know that if the sky wasn’t grey, my house wouldn’t look so dirty.