August 26, 2011

The Wedding

 Last weekend we celebrated my sister-in-law's wedding in a quaint historic motel. Check out some of the beautiful details.



August 19, 2011

A New Skirt

I saw a skirt at Anthropologie that I liked, but then I thought, "Can I make something similar?" In the end, mine does not look very much like the pink pencil skirt that inspired it, but I am happy nonetheless. I made a pattern from one of my old favorite skirts that is starting to get a bit tattered. This is a paneled skirt with large front pockets to give it a vintage feel. I'll try to get a photo with me wearing it pressed and accessorized soon. 


I think I'll get a lot of use out of this skirt before the close of summer. Just in time. Hmm.. what else did I want to do before fall? Meals outside. Check check.


August 12, 2011

Minature Vacation




A gorgeous hike along the river. The kids ran both ways on the trail.


She does not hesitate to make friends with the worms. Brother is more reserved.

We spent the weekend at Mt. Hood's Resort at the Mountain. On the way back we caught our dinner. I've only been fishing once and I threw my catch back to safety. I couldn't help feeling sorry for the little fella. I think I was meant to be a gatherer.
  I'm so grateful we made it to the mountain. It's always so peaceful and relaxing. What are your favorite summer spots?
 

August 5, 2011

From Garden to Table

Tonight's dinner was a salad made from our garden's lettuce. Last night we had gnocchi with homemade pesto. Which is kind of funny because I planted most of my herbs, including basil, from seed. Several weeks later, convinced they were not going to grow, I planted tomatoes in the same general area.  A week later the herbs showed themselves amongst the tomatoes. So we had to do some rearranging for both plants to survive. I guess it just goes to show how much you can learn about yourself based on your garden. I might be a tad impatient. Maybe.

 Anyway, here is the pesto which is oh so yummy with gnocchi. I blended about 5 c. of fresh basil, 1 1/2 c. olive oil, 1/4 c. pine nuts, lots of garlic and salt and pepper to taste.  I'm out of Parmesan which is great in pesto, so we topped the gnocchi with Italian cheese.