Fall is in the Air

And so I've started baking.

Zucchini bread

Chocolate peanut butter cookies

Cornbread

Now I need these lovely little delights to make something I've been waiting for... ohhhhh it's gona be so good!

Late Summer/Early Fall

I like this time of year.

Scarves

Our dear friend Alyssa, on coming back from the Middle East, has gifted each of us with a cool scarf. Josh's scarf, being, of course, a boy scarf, is a little tricky to put on correctly.

Alyssa helped me put it on, but things went a little wonky... then silly.

Around Town

On our way to a Timber's U23 match, we walked past this.

Josh refused to stop and pose for a picture, so I snapped one when he glanced back.

How can you not take a picture with pretty much anything that's not usually life sized?

Two Years

Love.

July!

Getting up to date!

July started out as lots of fun with outdoor adventures, and turned into less fun and lots of indoor... resting. I have been sick for about two weeks so that means laying on the couch. Not so productive. I still feel like there's lots going on,but I'm sad to be more or less missing it.

Camping - we went to central Oregon for the 4th of July extended weekend with some friends. Saw Saturn's moons and hiked a few rocks.

More soccer - for Josh! He's playing on our church's outdoor team in the local rec league. I haven't taken my camera to catch all the action. hehe.

River - had a sort of hike, sort of wade at a river half way between Seattle and Portland with my girls.

Beach - weekend at our friend Jordan's grandparent's beach house on Lincoln Beach. Met new friends and played lots of games. I have pictures of this but not time to post right now. Maybe later when I update more from July - because there is more fun to come, I'm sure.

June

World cup.

Improving weather.

More soccer.

More flowers.

May

Ack! All this lack of blogging business is not good. Things have been busy and I've been devoting more blogging time to my floral design blog (even that has been neglected lately!) so this one has just been lacking.To catch up:

May was mostly full of flowers, potting, practicing music for Women's Retreat, and the start of many seasons: Soccer season (MLS), birthday season and farmers market season.

PSU farmers market:

Friend Abbie's birthday party:

Tori and I walking the labyrinth at Women's retreat:

Potted herbs (we have also potted a tomato, lettuce, and a pepper):

Art Projects

Unforntunately I'm too busy for any art projects these days, but thankfully I have many friends who have the time (and classes) to make cool stuff!

Tori made me a sweet plate in ceramics, and also a bowl! I love them.

I used to sort of look on them as too pretty to use, but that's ridiculous.

I used the bowl to whisk eggs for my scrambled eggs on Saturday.

French day!

I love French - the language, culture, food, fashion. ahhhh. mmm. I would have majored or minored in French in college if I hadn't already had a double major.

My friend Tori is starting to study French with hopes for going to France, so we've decided to have French days! We started with just watching a French movie. The moved on to going to a fantastic French boulangerie + watching a French movie. Hopefully next movie night will involve French dinner.

Outdoors and the Weekend

Guess what they now carry at the Portland Nursery that they did not carry two years ago?

Kumquat trees.

Grrr. Oh well, I love my culumnar apples, too.

Catching Up - NW Ministry Conference

Taking a little breather after listening to a comedian for a session - I wish you could see how our faces hurt from laughing.

Sitting in the sun between sessions:

Catching Up - Snow[boarding]

I apologize for how long it's been since I posted a photoblog update. Here are some highlights from March, starting with the Night Church snow retreat.

Hanging out at the cabin in Government Camp:

Snow @ Ski Bowl:

More Re-Reading

I found my last name in a beautiful book I'm rereading!
"The Chosen" by Chaim Potok Fawcett Books p169

More Design Drooling

Second only to bathtubs comes my great love of fireplaces. I'm not even sure I can say that - I really love fireplaces. I love them both. Together, I would be in heaven!
Anyway, apartmenttherapy has an incredible fireplace (in an incredible house!) for us today. Incredible. Love it so much. Look at it and drool.

On Reading and Books

Josh and I tend to read quite a bit.
I had started to feel like all we do is watch tv, but then when I sat and really thought about it, I think we've both read at least an average amount of books (for us), if not more, this year. I wish I kept some sort of running list, but that seems to be too much work.

And while I haven't been to the library in a while, I haven't been neglecting my literary side: I've taken to REreading. And I rather like it!

Cohabitating with another reader has meant a large increase in not only my library, but also my literary influences and range. Josh and I do lean toward a lot of the same books, but we have also have other tastes, so I've spent a lot of reading time in the last year on books that I probably would never have found or read on my own.

Then recently I branched out in a direction Josh will never go (vampire teen fiction - need I be more specific?). That added about oh... 2000 odd pages to my yearly reading. Then, to combat the quality (or lackthere of) of that genre, I read a few notable authors I hadn't tried yet, and then started in on the rereading.

Last week I reread "My Name is Asher Lev" (one of my favorites) and loved it all over again.
This week I reread "Out of the Silent Planet" and started on "Perelandra". It's been a while, but it never ceases to amaze me how much I can forget of a book.

Rereading is exciting. I recommend it.

and THIS

On the design note...

I have this intense love affair with showers and bath tubs (not mine). When I find a fabulous one, or just a really different one, I drool - my heart rate goes up. European deck showers bring me such joy to even just look at, even a 1x2 inch picture in a magazine. Also, I love the idea of copper in the bathroom: sinks, tubs... today apartmenttherapy came through to brighten my day with some sick soaking tubs. Seriosly, I look at them and Long to hop in one.


Did you see the copper one? Copper.Clawfoot.Soaker. Dream tub.

Design

Seriously, I spend so much time on design websites and looking at design magazines. I just love it. I don't really know why just looking at design is so enjoyable. Occationally I think of how much I would like to be actually designing or creating, rather than just absorbing, but for the time being (with my small, rented space and my office job) I just absorb and absorb and absorb - hopefully then one day I'll just squeeze it all out and surround myself with fabulous design.
Here's the design find of the day: it's pretty awesome. I can't actually decide if I love it or hate it - thanks, apartmenttherapy for always having something interesting to feed me.

Shocking, Right?

So, tonight - for the first time in a long time - I was Domestic. That is with a capital D. Dinner, dishes, dessert. And laundry. And FOLDED it. In the same day. 2 loads. Got the mail. Vacuumed the kitchen floor.

Stolen.

If you know me, you know I love hats. I love buying them, looking at them, owning them, wanting them, putting them on, taking them off.
As it turns out, lovely illustrator Garance Dore also loves hats! Here is a hat post I had to steal for you.

I'm still sad my beautiful grey slouchy hat is lost.