soup for supper

the worst part of breaking my foot

was being unable to spend time in the kitchen, cooking

at a time when my body was craving fresh, local goodness

we ate mostly prepared (organic, yes, but still totally processed!)

now that i'm back in the country and back on my feet

i dove right into the huge pile of recipes that have been waiting for months

chicken stew with butternut squash and quinoa

(served with olga's crusty sourdough)

 hit. the. spot. this week

and the unexpected addition of kalamata olives gave me my moroccan fix

seriously, delish. and insanely healthy (i used chicken breasts instead of thighs because i prefer white meat).

the next day for lunch, the quinoa had absorbed much of the liquid, but i enjoyed the thicker consistency, chilled, as a pasta-salad-y entree just as much

ferns and fashion

last month

on a very grey, chilly morning

i went on a fieldtrip

with my photography class

to the roger williams botanical garden

oooooh goodness... 

have you been?

what a perfect outing for a mid-winter day!

literally, you feel like you've walked into a tropical paradise. 

heavenly.

we happened to be there during NY fashion week

with the latest styles and trends overwhelming my reader each day

so i couldn't help but find fashion in my inspiration behind the lens

pincushion 

croc, in emerald

ombre

pleats

flounce  

seaming

stitched 

the bump on a hump

i think i forgot to mention-

we are back

from our incredible trip to morocco!

i've been catching up at home and sorting through all the pictures...

which might take a while-

hoping to have a whole trip review/guide up next week!

 until then, a fun snapshot:

the bump on a hump!

this might just have to be one of the first photos for p.nut's nursery- such a fun memory

...

winter sewing class update

my little seamstresses continue to blow me away

with what they produce (and often design themselves!) in our weekly classes

this winter, we started with a biggie:

twin-sized quilts for their very own beds

the girls designed the layouts

picked the fabrics

 

cut, pieced and sewed the tops

hand appliqued details on the backs

 

sandwiched, quilted and bound

 

these beauties

 all on their own...

at 10 years old? yeah... impressive.

...

one-day pom scarves 

quick valentine's lovies

saturday morning yoga pants

...

to welcome spring

we are working on a quick easter project

and then onto

sundresses!

grama

i've tried to start this post at least a dozen times now-
there isn't a way to put our story into words and do it justice
and a finality in pressing "publish" that i can't seem to come to terms with...

i've lost my grama.

 after 96 years filled with adventure and love

she was ready
and passed in peace
...

a very few of the moments i hope to always remember...


that she gave me my first bath


 playing jacks in her carport in charlotte


our back and forth pen-pal letters 


 flying solo to spend my 12th birthday with her and she meeting me at the airport, balloon in hand


saturday morning breakfasts- on school vacations when she'd make my scrambled eggs and then later, when dad and i would go and cook for her and the three of us would start at the day together and in the end when she wanted the company more than the food


when she'd pick me up from my acting class and we'd share clam chowder, from clancy's, for lunch


our trip to hawaii


the subscription to VOGUE, which she'd ordered for me, but had delivered to her, so we could go through it together


our hunt for the perfect tea room- rating the linens and quiche


teaching me to sew, the right way! and together sewing my junior prom dress from fabric she'd brought back from japan 50 years earlier
then, my high school graduation dress and our last project, my wedding napkins


that she tied my wedding bouquet


sharing strawberry ice cream at cobies


 we were two peas in a pod- determined, creative, adventurous...
we were great friends, loved each other beyond words and lit up each other's lives.

when i was born, shortly after she'd lost my grandfather she'd said i was her angel-
i'd told grama we were expecting shortly before she passed and i sure hope that our baby will come into this world with some of her spirit.
...

 i am so grateful to my mum and dad who so greatly encouraged our friendship, especially when i was very young, so that our relationship was able to blossom into what it was. i am also grateful for their selflessness in welcoming grama into our family home and becoming her caregivers as her health declined. 
i can only hope to follow their example with my own children, and when it comes time to care for our parents.
...
i'd once posted some favorite photographs of my grandparents, in their heyday, vacationing at their favorite spot on cape cod
revisit here

oh, my... MOROCCO!

 so far, 2012 has been a year of intense highs and lows

(i've got a lot of catching up to do in this space, i know)

but at the moment

i'm on the trip of a lifetime

with my dad

in MOROCCO!

  

coming to marrakech

has always been on my dream-list

so this year, in which we both had major milestone birthdays

we made the trek

and it isn't disappointing

we're here for nearly another week

and i'm trying to soak it all in 

(camera in hand, of course)

so blogging might be very light

but pictures and details to come, i promise!

hats, hats, hats

while in western MA

for our crafting weekend

my sister and i 

took a field trip 

to WEBS

holy. smokers.

america's largest yarn store? yes.

organized by weight. thank you.

WAREHOUSE of markdowns. like, OMG.

so, yeah...

i was inspired.

and my fingers were twitching.

i spent the evenings over that weekend trying a new hat pattern for my brother-in-law's birthday gift

once home- monday and tuesday knitting a last minute valentine's gift for my hubby

and a second warm and fuzzy cap to keep my newly-bald-headed uncle :( a little warmer out in CO

now, just back from our vacation and desperately missing the sea
i tried a new pattern for myself
using the most beautiful hand-dyed merino

 ...

and then there is the bag-load of other projects to queue.