A first

I feel as though I ought to be crossing this off my life list of accomplishments - the successful baking of my very first souffle. I will admit to some very shameful pride when my husband walked in the door and commented on the yummy smell and I replied "Yes dear, dinner will be ready as soon as I take the souffle out of the oven."

Thank you to the lovely Melissa of Reverie for the delicious and surprisingly easy recipe. If you like goat cheese, eggs, cream and herbs (and seriously, who doesn't?) then you will love this delightful dish. Do give it a try.

What's wrong with this picture?

Other than the lack of focus and poor lighting, the answer would be a resounding nothing. Paying closer attention to celebrating more of life's little pleasures and treasures has been a real focus of my life this year. Around my house this past weekend the little celebrations involved champagne (with one very drunk raspberry), two cupcakes for me (thank you to whomever invented chocolate, caramel and sea salt), and a farmer's market breakfast of coffee and chocolate croissant.


By the looks of these photos you might think I've been indulging alone. Fear not, I shared some pastry with the baby and a wee bit of champagne with the hubby.

Always inspired

Have I mentioned how much I love blog world? Sure it can be overwhelming at times. I often find myself sucked down the rabbit hole only to realize several hours later that my time could be better spent living my own life fully, rather than reading about others...but I digress.

Generally, I gain great energy from many of the women I read. Whether they are painting from their hearts, writing poetry, taking beautiful photographs or cooking loving meals for their families, I happily absorb bits of inspiration from their honesty and brave acts of sharing on the Internet. Most recently, Alexis of My Mama Made It has me obsessing a bit over fabrics and sewing notions and cute projects for my daughter. I caught the sewing bug back in 2002 but my machines have been buried in the garage for several years.


Alexis made this for herself for an amazing night out. Perfection, right?

The dress she made for herself above is pretty much my dream right now. I would not dare attempt such an exercise in frustration and personal disappointment - that looks seriously complicated and my skills are not up to that level of beautiful tailoring. However, I am completely inspired by her commitment to making nearly all of her children's clothing and refashioning existing items in her family's closet to make entirely new pieces.


And since I'm on a bit of a spending hiatus, I will not be venturing into a fabric store this month. Rather, I've found an old sun dress that I just could not part with during the great purge of summer and I've decided it could make a darling little skirt for Emerson. So here's hoping I have some elastic in my sewing kit. I'm hoping to take on this little project this weekend and will most definitely share the results. And if it goes well, I may even try her ruffle skirt tutorial next. How cute are her girls?

I'd love to know who in this vast blog world inspires you?

Photos by Alexis Meschi.

Friendship 2.0

Maybe I've lived in California for too long, but I was seriously shocked when I stepped out on Melissa's Colorado balcony at sunset to take in her view. Land, rolling hills and a lake. Literally, a breath of fresh air.

The weekend was filled with laughter, a series of varied meltdowns (mostly from the little ones) and lots of new memories. Watching our children play together and love each other added a happy new dimension to our friendship. A few highlights of our little lovies.

Jack's adventures on the giant slide.

Owen entertaining himself on the train table.
Emerson planning her next move. (She spent much of the weekend attempting to kiss the boys)

Dylan awaiting his first visit from the tooth fairy.

Something like sisters

I know I've mentioned here before that my girlfriends seriously rock. But this truth begs repeating, again and again. Growing up an only child may come with certain advantages but missing out on a sisterhood (or siblinghood) was a bit of a bummer for me. And as a result, I tend to see my close girlfriends as family. You know, the family you get to choose? I adore them for all their their strengths and lovely idiosyncrasies. Today I'll be flying to Colorado with Emerson for a long weekend visit with Melissa and Danielle and their little ones. I was feeling some pretty intense anxiety about the flight, Emerson's recent high-voltage tantrums and generally being out of our home routine for three nights and finally decided to fess up and prepare them for my crappy attitude.

Their response was an awesome collective laundry list of aggravating and potentially humiliating acts of toddlerhood that their own little beloveds would likely share during our visit. Without hesitation, these two amazing ladies admitted to me that they too are human and their children, at times, are less than perfect, under less than ideal circumstances. I felt comforted and entertained and I was reminded that any time with my friends, regardless of the location or activity being shared, is a safe and judgement-free zone. And that is sometimes more than we get from our actual family.

So we are off for a weekend of bottomless cups of coffee (all our kids are obnoxiously early risers) and leisurely sips of wine after they all (hopefully) pass out as we reconnect our lives - tantrums and all.

Transformed

I'm feeling like this big reveal is a bit anti-climatic. Wish I could wave some jazz hands and shout "ta-da!" while I invite you out to the patio for a glass of wine or a cup of tea at my newly restored TABLE.



Do you remember my big inspired moment of a few months back? The one where I wanted to paint my old, abandoned picnic table blue and red? Well, I waffled for weeks and something about it just didn't feel right. So I opted for some hand sanding and a dark stain. And let me just say, there is a reason that professional refinishing is a pricey investment. That work is hard and is ideally done in a workshop-type area. Turns out my backyard gets pretty windy in the afternoons and the combination of pollen, small insects and pine needles do not make for a clean lacquered finish.

After a few hours of sanding, I came around to the idea of a rustic finish. So it is not perfect. But I love it. Someday I may get around to working on the chairs, or I may just buy some pretty cushions to protect from splinters and call it a day. Here's the condition of the chairs. So you get the general before and after idea.

Reset

The hypnotic sounds from a September drizzle was the exact meditation I needed to close a rather intense week. I awoke this morning feeling refreshed and a bit more at ease with the world. It seems that the dust of summer has been washed clean and I'm now ready for the lovely and mysterious shift in atmosphere that is fall.

And the garden had a nice bath as well.  

My wanting mind

Photo via Sunday Brunch.

It's on sale. Not so reduced that my piggy bank can roll it but it's been months and I can still imagine how pretty this would feel to wear.

September marked for me a bit of a spending hiatus experiment. I'm not a huge shopper, however, I have realized that I am an avid wanter of things. I WANT new bedding, new sewing patterns, tall brown boots, short black booties, a new winter coat, an espresso machine, handbag for fall, a mirrored dresser for my bedroom, an herb garden, a classic wrap dress, and this frilly little blue dress. Did I mention it's on sale?

Last week I began tracking every single expense. Meaning by the end of the month, I should have a better idea of where the money goes. And I'm attempting to purchase only essential items (food, basic household items, etc.) I'm curious to see how the spreadsheet looks at the month's end and to see how my wanting list feels. My goal is to be a bit more mindful in my purchases and also to be more aware of what motivates this wanting mind.

For the love of college life

(A few of my favorite reference books from college. And yes, I am that much of a nerd that these little lovelies bring me endless comfort and joy.)

I loved Jordan's post earlier this week on advice for a college freshmen and I agree with just about everything on her list. Particularly number 8 and 14. I believe there is no better gift for oneself than nurturing a creative outlet. I wish I had allowed more opportunities for self expression during those years. And road trips? Well, there is no finer adventure than the open road, your best friends and a much-anticipated destination in your sites (and I am looking directly at you, Santa Barbara, keeper of my most fuzzy memories).

Do you know anyone heading off to dorm life this fall? What would be on your list?

Both my niece and nephew moved into their dorms last weekend. I've quite enjoyed thinking of them these past few evenings and wondering about how their days have been filled. I imagine them eager and enthusiastic - not yet jaded by the wretched cafeteria food and cynical grad school TAs. I hope they are curious about the world and quick to take adventures with new friends. Mostly, I can't wait to see them at Thanksgiving and admire their new too-cool-for-school attitudes that every college freshmen must bring home. 

(If you went to journalism school you may share my love affair with the AP Style Book. I have two, but this one was my first and she'll always have a sweet spot in my heart.)

September dreaming

Beautiful tunic from Plumprettysugar spotted at Coco+Kelley.

Do you have an alter ego? You know, the very best version of you that dances around in your mind's eye? Today, mine is wearing this breezy tunic. Although, in my daydreams I'm usually a little less woodland fairy and a little more American expat living the good life on Capri.

Where do your daydreams take you?