...Happy Halloween.

Whoever's porch you are traveling to tonight...Have a safe and Happy Halloween!

...A Sunday visit to the stables.

There is something about the outside of a horse
that is good for the inside of a man.
~Winston Churchill

...retail therapy and a velvet pumpkin.

Every holiday season starts with the same inward conversation. "Look, but don't buy...You have enough", I tell myself. Boxes and boxes of Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and all the holiday trimmings in between. After all, I can't imagine there could be anything out there that I don't already have. Well...never say never.
I ventured out Sunday afternoon, with a dear friend visiting from the East Coast, for a bit of retail therapy. The Indian Summer heat wave had recently ended, and the air had the touch of a crisp fall chill. Great for window shopping and the first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season. Off we went to visit some of my favorite spots here in my little corner of the world. Hidden little gems far from the pages of the more over shopped "catalog" establishments. We were doing quite well until our last stop, Ellington and French. A magical corner store that fulfills my every fantasy about what it must be like to live in Provence. I never leave there without a wistful sigh...speaking of leaving...we were almost out the door when my friend spotted these fantastical velvet pumpkins of varying sizes gracing the porcelain plates and saucers of the front window display. One look and I knew...there was no way I could resist these little puffs of art that looked like they were straight from the pages of a fairy tale. The toughest part was which one. Now for anyone who has ever gone Christmas Tree shopping with me, you know...I am all about the perfect choice. At times it can be a painstaking process and many a friendship has been tested by my design neurosis. One look at these photos and you can see I made the right decision.
Oh, and as for not buying anything new this season...well, after all, who doesn't need a little velvet pumpkin?

...think Pink!

{image via Feel Your Boobies}


From Pink Petals to Pink noses...October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Be aware of your body...be knowledgeable...and be proactive!
For more information, click on the Feel Your Boobies link above!

..a Fall morning at the Farmers Market.

"Thy bounty shines in autumn unconfined
And spreads a common feast for all that live.
- James Thomson

...a explanation (sort of).

Wow, 2 months with nothing to say. I sit here now, looking a blank page, trying to find a photo appropriate for this post, and an explanation for being away so long. No excuses really...I guess I just didn't feel "it". What is "it" you ask? Oh, I guess you could say creative, or inspired, or moved. About anything really. I suppose some call it being in a funk. I told myself that no one will notice if I don't post for a day, or the week, or even the month. Sure, things happened that I could have written about. I was rear ended in a car accident, and am still recovering from whiplash (Oh how I hate the over used word that really doesn't do the experience justice). I turned 50. Spent the day in a limo headed for the wine country with great friends. Pretty big milestone...could have written about that. Celebrated a few milestone birthdays of those close to me...60,85,90! All with photos of the big events...could have written about that. But I just couldn't really get myself to sit down and share. All the while I would get e-mail updates showing how many visitors stopped by. Amazing! People were reading even though I wasn't writing. Well, thank you to all those who visited in my absence. And to those of you reading this...I'm back. New photos, new projects, and a renewed sense of creativity. So to get back to the photo...I'm poking my head back out into the blog world with a vengeance and flying out the door of my creative funk!

...lemon bars on a stormy day.

I quietly keep repeating the phrase..."April showers bring May flowers" trying to convince myself that there will be a wonderful reward for all this rain, but frankly I'm kind of tired of it. After a week of beautiful sunny days viewed from my window at work...I want a sunny weekend! I guess Mother Nature has other plans. And so must I. So...I baked up some sun in my kitchen. Sweet, tart, buttery, and flaky, these are truly a mouthful of spring.

For the Crust
1/2 pound unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour

1/8 tsp. kosher salt

For the Filling
6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (4-6 lemons)
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup all-purpose flour
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine the flour and sale and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into a 9 x 13 x 2 inch baking sheet, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides. Chill.

Bake the crust for 15-20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.

For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the filling is set. let cool to room temperature.

Cut into bars or triangles and dust with confectioners' sugar.

Compliments of The Barefoot Contessa Parties!

...Easter Sunday.

"Twas Easter- Sunday.
The full blossomed trees filled the air with fragrance and with joy."
- Henry Wadwsorth Longfellow

...Sunday in the garden.

Mom worked in the garden all day, pulling weeds...
and I helped.

...a prelude to spring.

What a beautiful day! The sun was shining, a few billowy white clouds graced the sky, and birds were singing a sigh of relief to have a much needed break from the rain. This is the best kind of day to be out in the garden. The air is sweet with the promise of spring and the ground, soft from days of rain, makes the usual chore of pulling weeds almost a pleasure! Once cleared away, long forgotten shoots of soon to be spring flowers, reached for the sun, thankful for the chance to breath. I took a break just long enough to take a look around the yard and capture a few glances of the season to come. The rain is returning this week and the garden gloves will have to return to bin they live in, but today was a wonderful prelude to what is blooming just around the corner.

...change the world, one card at a time.

Here is a quick glance at some of my new work.

Come on over to lulalina for a closer look!

..the No Guilt (Cook) book club does "The Fig".

Hard to believe a month has gone by since we sat down and indulged with Miss Julie Child, but here we are sitting down to another afternoon of "please pass the cream and butter". This month was my pick, and I choose Sondra Bernsteins' labor of love...The Girl and the Fig. I was asked why this particular cookbook? The answer was simple... ever since a dear friend introduced me to Sondra's Sonoma restaurant of the same name, I was hooked. I had first tried her Pearl Couscous and French Olives at the Annual Sonoma Olive Festival, and as I do with all dishes that I love, I tried to figure out how to recreate it at home. On a whim I sent off an email asking if she would divulge her recipe(pre-cookbook). Never expecting to hear back, what a surprise it was the next day to find it in my inbox. What graciousness! I have since, over the years, spent many a special occasion in this gem of a wine country bistro, have never been disappointed, and have re-created at home some of my favorites from the pages of her cookbook with a gastronomic passion.
It is with that passion that we all sat down to:
Cauliflower & Gruyere Soup
Endive Salad with Pears and Blue Cheese and Pomegranate Vinaigrette
Grilled Salmon with Lavender Beurre Rouge
Apple-Yam Gratin (I'm eating the leftovers as I type this)
Vanilla Ice Cream with Wildflower Honey and Biscotti
We managed, once again to create an amazing afternoon feast with little consultation. It really is a wonderful way to try new dishes and compare notes. We left the table filled with butter, cream, and wine, promising in the spring to break bread at the actual the girl and the Fig restaurant.
I love field trips!
Next month we will be stirring our way through the pages of the Barefoot Contessa...do I see a trip to the Hamptons in store?

... the OWOH winner.

First a huge thank you to all who stopped by and left such lovely comments. The response was overwhelming and I tried to visit all of you and journey through your blogs. It is truly amazing the talent and inspiration alive in "Blogland".
The winner of my Thank You note card set is...
Chris from Maple Ridge Vintage.
Congratulations, Chris!
Once I receive your address your cards will be on their way.

...be mine.

Happy Valentines Day!
May you spend the day filled with love.

...raindrops on roses.

Today is a rain day. A day to be at home, drink tea, be creative, stay in your PJ's and wistfully wish for spring. The sun peeks out every so often, but not enough to motivate me to get out into the rush of the weekend. I am trying to immerse myself in the concept of cleaning. The phrase "get organized" keeps popping up in some far off corner of my brain, but I continue to ignore it, and instead I'm traveling through past photos and waiting for the creative juices to flow.

I share with you these images of rain on petals, as a reminder of what glorious color is just around the corner as a result of a few simple rain days.

...Lexie's Birthday.

Today is Miss Lexie's birthday! She is 6 years old and has been with me since she was 3. I'm sure she woke up this morning with no idea that this was her special day. For her it's just another day in the cycle of "feed me...love me... play with me... feed me some more... throw the ball... can I have another biscuit... love me... play with me, and feed me some more!! Her day will be filled, as usual, with all that she loves and enjoys, for our pets live in the moment (or so they say), which is probably something we should all try and practice in our own lives. For me, this day marks another wonderful year with her by my side. In the scheme of life, it is cruelly unfair that our pets live such short lives. Having lost my first dog, Tyler and the early age of 9, it reinforces to me how precious each day is with our furry friends. There is a poem on my bulletin board that says it all:

"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog.

You are his life, his love, his leader.

He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart.

You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion. - Anonymous

So whether or not today is your pets special day, take the time to give them an extra kiss, hug, pat, biscuit or that special place on the sofa. You will be rewarded for that love ten times over.