early spring by the shore

empty stretches

of low tide beach

rolling dunes

of greening beach grass

a pup

learning the way

of the sandy-dog life

bundled

with the view

of a hazy horizon

readying

for summer

...

a happy list, of a saturday sort

happy list

a collection

of the little things that have made my week

(started here)

...

guilty pleasure

because sometimes

there is just no resisting their magical deliciousness

fabric

and the purr of my sewing machine

inspired
and it feels so good...

while sitting on the back steps

late one afternoon

my hearty succulents

finally got re-potted

this moment

snapped by my husband-

long after i'd fallen asleep 

cuddled up to the sweet smell 

of my favorite girl

and

let's be honest- it was a looong, dark winter

with looong, dark roots

which really-

was no good for anyone.

so, with a quick trip to NYC

the blond is back

and
spring

has me feeling

a little more

like

me

again.

happy list

a collection

of the little things that have made my week

(started here)

...

freshly baked cookies

a weekly necessity

for a hungry husband

(a kitchen sink version of granola-dark chocolate this week... YUM)

soft, sweet, silky knits

set for blocking

a fresh, peaceful corner

of our torn-apart home

ahhhhh...

snail mail

that says just the right thing

house guests

of the cutest kind

happy list

a collection

of the little things that have made my week

(started here)

...

avocado toast

the perfect post-swim snack

casting off

just in time

tearing down

and building up 

 

new walls
makes for a winter full of house projects!

freshly fallen snow

means happy pups

happy list

a collection

of the little things that have made my week

(started here)

...

football

drive-in style. down comforters, wool hats, outdoor fire, red wine.

yardwork

it's become a thanksgiving weekend tradition.
family dynamics at their best. (note the inappropriate brother-in-law)

the final weekend

this season, after 14(!), co-workers felt much more like family.
and much harder to say goodbye to for the winter...

puppy visits

three weeks old.
and a name: NOLA

5k records

at long last.
i broke 30mins.
a personal victory... and then i was found dry-heaving in the woods.

...

thanksgiving.
it was wonderful.
and hard.
more, coming...

happy list

a collection

of the little things that have made my week

(started here)

...

1. working wardrobe

for MADONNA.
#whoslifeisthis !?!?

2. puppy fuzz



 what. are. we. thinking?!?

3. comfort food

(chicken pot pie, brussels, sourdough, pinot noir)
made with love and delivered to a friend in need

4. surprise packages

found first thing in the morning and opened over tea
makes for a day started with squeals of delight
em, i love you.

friends, already...

we are starting to wonder 

how our pets will respond 

when we bring the little guy home 

...

 nellie 

has definetly become more protective of me as this pregnacy has progressed 

but she is still quite a puppy and can get quite spastic 

...

 lately, though 

she loves to lay 

spooned up beside me 

head on the baby belly

weekend goodness

i'm all good 

with a sunday

 that starts like this:

 

hope you all enjoyed your weekend as well... 

happy monday!

weekend chill out

another beautiful spring weekend on cape

saturday we biked through the dunes on the outer cape

(pics tomorrow!)

and sunday we enjoyed a lazy day

thankful for some much needed rain

this pretty much sums it up:

ahhhhh, the good life.

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

dog-sitting

this:

is how you get 'er done-

2.5 mile run

and

two two-year-old pups

worn out

before 8:30am

...

off to (photo) class

...

thanks to:

(2) easy walk harnesses

adjustable-handle leash

super-awesome neighbor to document

nellie's favorite treats

my mom always jokes that nellie has more friends than most humans.

it's true... she is one social dog!

she wanted to do something special for all her besties

so this weekend we baked up a batch of treats made from all her favorite things...

organic peanut butter, apples, carrots and cranberries are added to the mix
(nellie begs to lick the bowl, just like a kid!)

they smell good
so best to cut with a bone cookie cutter just for clarification!

here is our recipe:

i picked up these martha stewart gift boxes on sale at jo-ann's
and they are the perfect size for a dozen or so treats
martha makes it so easy- labels, ribbon and parchment squares included!

boxed and ready to be delivered!

make up a batch and let me know what your pooch thinks!

house guests

last week was crazy

and i LOVED every minute of it...

(ahhh... a house of our OWN to entertain in!)

after reid's party

amanda, my bff since high school

came for a visit

(we've been trying to make dates work for a very. long. time.)

she is ULTRA-busy with photographing gorgeous weddings and adorable kids

her yellow labbies came long to play with nellie (and the cats)

bernie loved tormenting the wimpy pups...

finally!

courage!

...my girl...

snugglefest with strider and sage

lloyd is very verbal

(especially at meal-time)

ok, seriously mom(s)

is it walk-time yet?

(please excuse the rug we messed while wrestling)

we met up with amy (another one of our high school "fab five")

and her chocolate lab, tiggy

for a gorgeous fall walk

all the kids

homecoming...

SO. good.

seeing you both!

AH- THANKS for making the trek

and taking the pics!

AQ- until next time...

xoxo

all photos orchardcove