Happy Friday

(via free people)

It's an extra happy Friday over here.  The car is all packed up and we're road-trippin it to Seattle for the weekend.  Our last trip through the mountains before we move.  I'm feeling pretty happy and sad all at once.

A couple of things for your weekend:

I finally caved and downloaded Instagram.  I'm randiedwards-find me! Can we be Insta-friends?
An honest discussion about blogging and jealousy.  Make sure you read the great comments too!
Zip ties that look like art-I did a double take.
A wonderfully understated rehearsal dinner-good job Suann!
Do you look this chic when you get groceries?

Have a great weekend!

Magnetic Grain

I'm loving this snap hang wall mount from magnetic grain.  One piece of solid wood is mounted to the wall and the other sticks to it magnetically. Magnets on the side allow you to expand horizontally by adding more pieces of wood.  Genius!

The Man Box grows up

The Man Box is getting somewhat of a make over right now.  Some of my Dad's friends wanted boxes of their own so I figured it was time to spruce it up a little.

A little more classy, no?

Why knot?

This summer has been full of nostalgic moments for me.  Watching my oldest experience "summery" things for the first time has brought me back to the days of my youth.  Back to the land of L.A. Gear, scrunchies, and slap bracelets (remember those?!)

While at Target, we discovered the going rate for a slip-n-slide is only $5.  The kids weren't sure how it worked, so naturally I put on my suit and spent the afternoon showing them how it's done (not pictured-thank God)!

My girls are taking swimming lessons at the same place I did as a child.  Not much has changed at the pool.  I'm pretty sure the motivational posters are even the same.

 (source)

I was sitting at lessons last week when someone walked by me.  A familiar smell hung in the air for a minute-what is that?  

Oh yeah, ZEBRA STRIPE GUM!  I remember sitting by that same pool years ago, chewing a stick of zebra gum, a Babysitter's Club book in my hand, waiting for my sister's lesson to finish.  Trippy.

So, in honor of returning to summers past, I just joined Jenn's fun little friendship bracelet swap-and you should too!

(source)

Friendship bracelets are cool again (when were they NOT?), haven't you heard?  I'm thinking of adding some bling to mine.

P.S. Tomorrow is the last day to join!

Dear Retailers:

I am trying to ignore the rows and rows of the back to school products you've recently put on display...

It's not that I don't love your boxes of sharp pencils and crisply lined notebooks,

I'm just too busy enjoying the sunset, eating berries, and taking family naps,

to worry about the perfect boot for fall.

Quite frankly, you're killing my summer glow.

(image one, two, three, four, five)

The easiest (and only) pillow covers I've ever made!

Pillows?  Those look like scones, you say.

First, I had to give a shout out to Jeremy for making these amazing Rainier cherry and almond scones this morning.  I was never a scone fan until he started making them and I discovered the bliss of eating them warm, right out of the oven.  So much better than the dry and crusty ones I was trying at the coffee shop.  He dried the cherries in a 180 degree oven yesterday afternoon and had the scones made by the time I got home from the gym this morning.

I love that man.

Anyway-pillows. I've become quite obsessed with changing the whole look of our decor lately, which is not easy on a small (mostly non-existent) budget.  For some reason we bought loads of throw pillows when we got married.  You can find them in every room of our house, except the bathroom, of course.  Recently I realized these pillows needed to go or be changed or something.

I was trying to entice my Mother-in-law to sew some pillow covers for me, when I ran across a great envelope pillow cover tutorial. Even though I use the sewing machine more and more lately, we're still more acquantinces than bff's, so believe me when I say YOU can make these pillow covers.

I whipped a bunch of pillows up one evening, while watching Master Chef.  And don't worry they aren't grouped together like that in real life!

Head over to Rae Gun Ramblings for the easy tutorial.

5 Ideas: Outdoor Summer Parties

I don't think we're hosting any summer dinner parties this year, but I'm dreaming of them anyway.  There's nothing like dining outdoors while the sun goes down.  I thought I would compile some ideas that are sure to make your next gathering a success:

1.) Cold drinks in glass jars.

(source)

2.) Nature Inspired Decor.

(fruitwood serving tray from terrain, Alfresco Herb Trough from PotteryBarn)

3.) Twinkling lights.

(source)

4.) A pretty cake.

(source)

5.) Yard games.

 (source 1, source 2)

Happy Wednesday!

Outstanding in the field, Dayton WA 2011

I finally found the time to organize my photos and thoughts about our dinner around the long table last Wednesday night.

I'm mostly going to let the photos do the talking, but I will say this: it was amazing.  Not amazing in a high-class, fancy night on the town sort of way. It was just the opposite.  The food was five-star, but the company was down to earth and talkative, the outdoor setting was gorgeous, and the atmosphere was very laid back.  I loved that it was different than most things we do and it was great to walk away with some new friends and a little more appreciation for those responsible for getting our food from the farm to us.

We arrived at Monteillet Fromagerie with our plates and spent some time mingling with the other dinner guests.

The grounds were beautiful and rustic, complete with a huge outdoor kitchen where all of the food was prepared throughout the night.

It was fun to find out where the other diners had traveled from, some as far as Canada.

The plates were stacked high, and you could catch a glimpse of the table set up near the garden.

Soon, we had the chance to hear a little bit about the origin of Outstanding in the Field and meet the staff.  The founder, Jim Denevan talked about his simple desire to connect people back to where their food comes from (in a very laid back-surfer with a cowboy hat way).  Later, during dinner I found out he also makes temporary art out of sand, earth and ice.  How cool is that?  Check out his amazing work here.  

Next we took a tour of the fromagerie and the garden.  It was interesting to see where the cheese is made.  Find out more about the fromagerie here, and even take a tour.

For three years Erin Horan has been building a beautiful biodynamic garden on the farm.  Nourish Gardens provides produce to a handful of local restaurants as well as hosting a local CSA program.  It was great to see someone so passionate about growing things!  You can read more about it here.

Next it was time to gather our plates and meet at the big table.  

This was my view the whole time I ate.  No big deal, right?

For all of you foodies out there, I'm sorry to say we put our camera back in the car at this point.  I know it's terrible, but sometimes I find it hard to relax and enjoy myself when I'm focused on trying to get the perfect shot.  Not to mention, it's one thing to whip out your phone between courses, but quite another to stand in varying crouching positions with your sizable SLR while everyone is dining.  There were a few professional photographers hired for the event and I will gladly share their work if I come across it someday soon.

If you must know what was served, here's a peek at the menu (and one last picture):

summer beet soup with savory, cucumber, hard cooked egg & pork belly

cold smoked lamb salad with feta, greens & vegetables from the Walla Walla Valley (my favorite course, hands down!)

grilled chicken with herbs, yogurt, greens & potatoes

strawberry fool with chocolate wafers, fresh berries & creme anglaise

I left with a full stomach, some new friends and a greater appreciation of the rich land around us.  We had a great time in the field, thank you OITF!

I carry your heart.

I'm missing her bad today.

It's only been a couple of weeks since my sister left the country, but it's hitting me now.

Communication is difficult and scarce and I'm realizing it may be this way for some time. 

She called at 3:00 am this morning and I missed it.  She only had twenty minutes to talk and I was sleeping.  This is how it's been and how it will be for a while.

I love her.  I really do.

(Beautiful paper art by Julene Harrison)

i carry your heart with me (i carry it in
my heart) i am never without it (anywhere
i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)
i fear
no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) i want
no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you
here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)
-E.E. Cummings

Sorry to be so melancholy my dears.  Perhaps you can relate?

Happy Weekend to You.

*photos taken on our drive to Dayton on Wednesday

Whew!  It feels like someone pushed the fast forward button on summer over here.  The weeks are just flying by, packed to the brim with good things.  I can't believe we'll be packing our stuff up soon and moving south (just 6 short weeks!).

In the meantime, I thought I would share some fun links for your weekend:

I really enjoyed this series on achieving balance. 
Get creative with photo backdrops-tips from Olive Manna.
Possibly the most creative save the date I've ever seen (30 repins on pinterest!)
Want to see what the girls did at Dandee's Craft Camp? 
My latest affordable wall art find from Etsy.

I hope you have a beautiful summer weekend!

I love geometry

Lately I've been falling in love with geometric patterns, all over again.

From top:
Handmade ornament from hownowdesign
Beautiful drawing from Joe Kievitt
Sprinkled glitter-dust cakes from Martha
Wide Hex tile by Dwell Studio for Heath Ceramics

Outstanding in the field

(source)

I'm happy to tell you I just hung up with a babysitter about tomorrow because we are heading to Dayton to participate in Outstanding in the Field!!

I heard about Outstanding in the field last summer and was completely smitten with the idea.  The traveling convoy set up their kitchen in locations all over the country.  They use a local chef and local ingredients (preferably from the actual location) to prepare an outdoor farm feast complete with their signature long tables.  Farm to table, literally.

I was surprised to see they were coming to Dayton, WA this summer, which is just about an hour away from where we live.  Tomorrow afternoon we will head out to Monteillet Fromagerie, owned by Joan and Pierre-Louis Monteillet.  We met Joan at the local farmer's market and she said they were raising chickens and growing vegetables for the big event.  A tour of their amazing farm and fromagerie will kick things off.

 (image credit: Jim Denevan, source)

I can't wait to see what the guest chef Jamie Guerin (from Whitehouse Crawford in Walla,Walla) comes up with.  We received an email from OITF yesterday telling us to bring our own plate to create a one of a kind table setting.  How cool is that?  I plan to finish every last thing on that plate.

I'm hoping to snap a couple of shots of our time to share with you.  Bon appetit!

Summer List.

For me, summer is all about keeping it simple.  I really only need a couple of things to keep me happy:

1. Casual dresses.  Easy to throw on and run out the door and cooler than wearing shorts or cropped pants.  Add a necklace and strappy sandals and you're done. (Dress from Modcloth)
2. Cold-brewed iced coffee.  Sweeter and less acidic than regular brewed drip and easy to make at home.  I mix mine with cream and a splash of chocolate.  A great recipe can be found here (image).
3. A big stack of books. I love to read outside while my kids play.  Or inside while they nap.  Pretty much anytime I can.  Current read: Water for Elephants.  Up next: Cutting for Stone or perhaps an old classic. (image source unknown)

4. A trusty wool blanket. Perfect for late evenings on the porch, a trip to the beach or a picnic at the park, and they last forever (image).
5. Aveda Sun Care Hair & Body Cleanser. Protects hair from sun, salt and chlorine damage (and smells good too).  Find it here.
6. Big sunglasses. (forever 21)
7. A sturdy picnic basket. We've been going on more picnics this summer.  Nothing fancy.  I throw whatever I can find from the fridge into the basket and away we go.  It's somehow so much better to eat our lunch outside in the sun (image source unknown).

What are you loving this summer?