happy halloween!

(yes, that is SNOW)

wishing you all a very happy halloween!

our street is packed with kiddos and i just can't wait to hand out treats...

cover brillance

i hope adele's vocal chords get better real soon

'cause...

yeah:

the boat life

after two days of canning

my sister and her fam

invited us to join them on their tug boat (!)

for dinner

late summer, early evening light over lake chaplain

ahhh,

the good life!

my sweet niece

this was the evening before my nephew's first day of kindergarten

so i surprised him with a watch of his own

as a special good luck gift-

he was so super psyched!

the fam

dinner grillin'

mama and babe

me and amanda

tired, but still friends! (hahaha)

our captain, oh captain

...

yeah, a pretty sweet end to a work day!

...

thank you, meggin and al, for a most memorable evening

and amanda, for the photos!

custom color wheel

after seeing the results of our crafting weekend last winter

blair, of design studio b

contacted me to see if i might be able to make her a queen size version

...

at long last, it was delivered to her last weekend

and she snapped these pics before a cozy fall nap

i just how her photos of it have such a moody and fall-like feel
paired with her garnet hill flannel ticking sheets
her bed will be glorious!

thanks, blair... so glad you love it!
...

getting the quilt off
left me with renewed inspiration
to start sewing again...
i can't wait to dive into my stash!

oystah fest!

last weekend

under sunny skies

we headed to the outer cape

for our favorite of fall festivals

the wellfleet oyster fest

shucking contests

local crafters

live music

our favorite restaurants, serving fresh-from-the-sea goodies

(sam adams even makes an oyster beer, just for the fest!

to top it off

the day ended

with the most glorious sunset

mark your calendars for next year!

adventures in homemaking: canning peaches

after our success canning tomatoes

amanda and i decided to grab a bushel of peaches

to can the next day

...

for lack of a better phrase

it wasn't quite as peachy as our tomato experience

we were tired

and even after blanching, the skins wouldn't come off

which meant peeling all 35lbs before we could even get going

not to mention, this was DEFINITELY a two person job

standing over a full stove full of boiling pots

stressful!

so, yeah...

amanda was being generous here with that smile

...

but, after we finished canning halves

a little peach lavender butter

to end the day

not nearly as taxing

and should be de-lish on homemade breads this winter

...

our loot at the end of day two:

ahhhh....

an evening on lake champlain followed

(to come...)

pics 3+7: orchardcove

comfort food

it's raining, chilly and grey

in providence today...

the type of day

that leaves you no inspiration to get out from under the comforter

a warm shower, fresh shaven legs and an impromptu face mask (or two) later

i scuffed into the kitchen

with no interest in my normal breakfast of oatmeal and smoothie

i needed comfort food

the kind that makes you think of big family holidays, a tiny kitchen stuffed with lending hands and the sound of the skillet sizzling

...

farm-fresh scrambled eggs topped with shaved cheddar

crispy thick-cut butcher bacon

thin apple slices

and green tea

.

fulfilled. warmed. ready.

(UMMMMM... have you tried trader joe's unexpected cheddar?!? holy goodness. run.)

glory days

this weekend's weather

was just

in.sane.

we biked

swam (yes! in new england! in october!)

and enjoyed lunch

barefoot

under the shade of our great maples

life

for a moment

was warm

calm

and peaceful

...

happy fall, indeed!

words for the week: the crazy ones

as an artist, designer, american

i canot imagine my world without the genius that mr. jobs brought to it.

thank you, thank you, thank you

may you rest in peace.

Steve Jobs

1955-2011

unwind

during our adventures in canning

three yellow labradors

waited patiently (mostly) on the back porch

for us to take them on an adventure of their own

nellie tells us what she really thinks of the 7 hour wait:

the skies were a little threatening

so it was a quick walk

to amanda's

happy place

the future homesite

of. her. dreams.

ahhhhhh....

a lovely way to unwind after an intense day

...

followed by dinner at the bearded frog and dessert and wine at the inn

we were revived and ready

to start again

the next morning!

pictures 1/4/5: orchardcovephotography