beauty that moves

restoring harmony

This is my go to meal whenever I'm seeking balance and healing. I felt pretty lousy today and this was my remedy. Sauteed kale, onions and garlic, seasoned with sea salt, black pepper, tamari and toasted sesame oil, served over brown rice. Clean food. Maybe it's all the blueberry dessert love that's been going on around here, who knows. A simple meal, restoring harmony as always, so dependable that way.

Do you have a favorite healing food or meal? Not comfort food, but food that replenishes you when you feel physically or emotionally depleted. Something that truly nourishes, I'd love it if you shared.

recent finds

The fruits of recent thrifting excursions.  Nothing terribly exciting, though I do love the brown and orange in the center photo. I only photographed the most exciting of the lot, I know that's not saying much. As I loaded these photos I did get a few ideas that were definitely not coming to me as I was picking them up over the weekend, so I guess that's a good thing. You know how it is, you're all pumped with your allotted fabric stash cash in your pocket, ready to score big... but alas, you come home with lots of good, durable, practical lining fabric (boring), tiny snippets of great cottons for minimal use (a tease), and the obligatory "what was I thinking" purchase.

It's not even the pattern as much as the texture, a very thin, awful to touch polyester. Think 1974 housecoat. Would you understand my momentary lapse of reason if I told you it were only $1.00? And there are yards and yards of it. Some days the thrifting gods smile down on us, other days it's as though they are laughing, pointing even, and we are humbled. Okay, that might be a little dramatic.

making me happy...

Fresh cut herb and flower bouquet in the bathroom.

Two gallons of fresh picked blueberries.

Cooking with Emily... I wait all year to make this pie, it is my very favorite dessert, hands down. Okay, I say that now because it's blueberry season and I'm not tempted or swayed by the likes of a perfect pumpkin pie, apple crisp (the secret to that is orange zest), early spring lemon pound cake, do you feel me on this? Nothing like seasonal eating, especially seasonal desserts! Still, this truly is my favorite blueberry dessert, and I do wait all year for it.

See... isn't she lovely? Not to be made with those weary berries often found at the grocery store, in case you were getting any funny ideas. A trip to the farm is definitely in order here, go early enough and the kiddos can have breakfast as they work.

I have to say my child of questionable taste actually thinks this pie inferior to her favorite, blueberry buckle. which we also made. Crazy kid. It is very good though, I'll share that recipe tomorrow.

Blueberry Glace Pie

• 5 cups fresh blueberries
• 1/4 cup h2o
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 Tbls. cornstarch
• 1 9 inch graham cracker pie shell, I use the recipe from Silver Palate, it's perfect.

Simmer 1 cup berries with orange juice and sugar for about 4 minutes, berries will burst. Mix H20 in  a bowl with cornstarch. Add mixed cornstarch, simmer a few minutes longer until thickened. Press mixture through a fine strainer into a bowl, add remaining berries and mix gently. Pour into pie shell, chill for at least 4 hours. Top with whipped cream. Let your taste buds freak out...

I'm also happy to be adding a few more items to the shop again. I've been a lousy shopkeeper, leaving the poor thing abandoned most of the time with cobwebs strewn about, shameful. I'm trying to change that. These two bags will be added in a little bit, linked over on the right sidebar. I'm having trouble loading more than one photo per item on Etsy, I'm not sure why. Have to play around with that tonight.

Off to check on Emily and a certain Harry Potter, who's making her (and Adam, who's already finished the book) very happy.

for the love of a book

                 

summer rain

We love the rain. After Adam and I were married, we honeymooned in Vermont and returned six months later. We were both sad to leave but knew there would be a day when we'd be back, we felt the timing wasn't right for us then. Twelve years later I realize the timing is never right and had I known then what I know now, I would have stayed, dug in deep, made it work. Who cares if Adam's construction job wages were one third of what they would've been down here, if my dream come true art gallery job in quintessential Woodstock Village paid slightly higher than minimum wage. We had each other, and we had rain that poured down at night creating incredible, soothing rhythms on our shabby tin roof each time there was a storm. That was the best roof we ever had.

As I write this, the sky has opened up and the rain pours down. As a kid I'd play in the rain until soaked to the bone, the air warm, the rain cool. Now I watch Emily do the same thing, once in a while I'll join her, but too often I opt out, happy instead to watch from the inside, or the front porch. What's that about? Damn it, it's been too long since I've been truly "soaked to the bone". The kind of soaked that when you come in you have to tug and tug to peel your clothes off. She's not home right now, but next time... I'm in.

For now, I'll put my feet up, have some tea, and listen. The house is quiet, it's me and the rain.