Saturday, February 28, 2015

hold on to these moments...

because they don't last long...

as february comes to a close i sit here astounded at how fast this month went by.  of course there were tons of challenges with all the snow but i loved having those days where we never had to leave the house. but now i am ready to move on to spring.   i sit here looking out the window at the huge mounds of snow and think, this might take until june to melt but...
i know it will happen much sooner than that.

as this birthday month comes to a close i find myself reflecting back on some of the moments and things that made this past year great.

1. special breakfasts with the ones i love...



2. nursing my mom back to health, sending her home with a heavy heart but knowing how much it's what she wanted.


3. the book - still alice / lisa genova.
with grace and compassion, lisa genova writes about the enormous white emptiness created by alzheimer's.     a must read.

4. glo minerals lipstick in jamacia
the perfect sheer color.


5. all the slow weekend mornings in north conway...


6. instagram #iloveit #somuchhappy


7.  long hot showers and early morning coffee

8.  sharing so many proud moments


9.   feeling blessed


10.hanging out in saratoga walking around on those beautiful summer evenings eating ice cream cones and listening to street music.


11.  those first tomato's from the garden...


12.  those amazing days in martha's vineyard


13.  all those laid back summer days at the beach house that i have been totally dreaming about lately.


14.  picnics at the lake


15. youngblood bronzer in sunset
for that summer glo.

16.  trader joes.  just about everything,

17. that beautiful rainy sept day snapping photos in the sunflower field, laughing at ourselves and each other.

18.  that feeling just before we boarded the plane to paris


19. waking up in paris and realizing all my dreams had come true.



from harney and sons.  it also comes in chocolate mint.

#21 those fall moments when you know why you live in new england...


#23  pumpkin martini's


#24  cutting down the tree


#25 drinking copious amounts of wine with the pinky club and sharing  our hopes and fears.
it's times like these when my heart cracks open.

#26 and the moments that will always be my favorite even if i live to be 100 are when i am in my home surrounded by my family, having dinner and sharing stories.  my life is in those evenings - my heart too.

and my favorite quote this year.

"i have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start,  with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning". - joseph priestly.

love sent, xoxo

Thursday, February 26, 2015

perfect comfort food...


this is the perfect meal for  nights like these when its been a long week and its so cold that all you want to do is go home snuggle up in front of a warm fire and eat something comforting.  





  meatball tortellini soup


ingredients

8 ounces ground beef chuck
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 clove garlic, grated
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 quart low-sodium chicken broth
1 9 -ounce package refrigerated cheese tortellini
4 cups loosely packed baby spinach (about 3 ounces)

directions

combine the beef, parmesan, 2 tablespoons parsley, the egg, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste in a medium bowl; mix with your hands until just combined. form into 1-inch meatballs; set aside.

heat the olive oil in a pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. add the meatballs and cook, turning, until golden, 3 to 4 minutes; remove to a plate. add the carrots and celery to the pot; cook, stirring, until just softened, about 5 minutes. add the broth and 3 cups water; bring to a boil. return the meatballs to the pot along with the remaining 2 tablespoons parsley and 1/2 teaspoon salt. simmer until the meatballs are just cooked through, about 2 minutes.

add the tortellini and cook until they float to the top, about 4 minutes. add the spinach and cook, stirring, until wilted, 1 minute. season with salt and pepper. top with more parmesan.





stay warm and toasty on this cold evening,,,,
love and hugs, xoxo

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

and the winner is.....

everyone. ...  this is like the female version of super bowl...  5th annual oscar night.

we had such an awesome time.  thanks to sharon for hosting this annual event and making all our january and february tuesday nights more exciting.
thanks for making this never ending winter far more bearable.


               our red carpet worthy crackers and cheese.  these look really cute and the red dresses were easy but the tuxedo cheese was quite challenging, not sure i would bother again.


                       of course you have to have star tortilla chips.  they were super easy to make and i was so happy with how they came out.  they would be perfect for lots of party themes


                                                brie with honey, sage and walnuts.

this was super easy and honestly tasted much better than i thought it would. presentation was far more glamorous before the other pear got tossed in and the crackers got moved around.  i topped it with gold edible sprinkles for extra glamour.


beautiful cake made by emily 





thanks again sharon !!   xoxo   love you guys!


while we are being glamorous, a reminder from the pros



Monday, February 16, 2015

go love someone today

with all this crazy weather here in new england the governor has declared the whole month love month not just one day.  we all know we should show our love all year not just one day but it is always fun to set aside a special day to celebrate.

i hope everyone had a great valentine's night and shared it with those you love. we had a great "date night" at home, which sometimes is the best place to be.  a snowstorm, a roaring fire, great company and great food -you could not ask for much more. wild bill made a mean cosmo which totally surprised us all, the food was amazing, the company fun and we ended it with some awesome moulten lava cakes.

















today we spent the day diggint out - again!  the piles of snow are soo high.
spring will arrive in 33 days and we can only hope that the snow will melt soon, although it really looks like it will take longer than 33 days...


might be a little tricky getting into the hot tub

or getting to the mail box



for extra energy we started the day with some carmelized banana french toast. we know we will be working off a ton of calories moving snow around.  


stay warm...

love sent, xoxo

weekend notes....

friday night we hung out at a local place for dinner. sitting at the bar is our favorite place to be. trading stories with strangers is awesome, you meet great people and it's the best dining experience of all.

saturday morning the girls headed in to boston to see our sweet friend c.  there was a small window of feeling better or normal, if only for a brief time. we reminded her with the snow piling up outside and lots more to come it might be better to remain put for another day or so.  not that she really gets to call the shots on that decision but there really was no option but to remain there, at least for now.
we shared some laughs and tried to focus on easier days. there is no going back, not for any of us, but we get to choose how we inhabit the now. in this moment we laughed and we were reminded of some crazy fun together.for a short time we could just enjoy the moment. my heart is swirling with a million thoughts, prayers,and emotions. there is so much more than we can possibly see or touch or understand at any given moment.  but c shows us she still finds gratitude and courage in the face of illness.





love sent, xo

Monday, February 9, 2015

homemade life

this morning we woke up to snow falling in thick blankets, another several inches fell overnight.
my office was technically closed for the second time in as many weeks. in the ten years i have been there this has never happened.  although the office was closed it was pretty much business as usual, just from another location- my house. usually if i work from home it is relatively calm but today it was total chaos trying to reschedule flights and speak with travel agents which = listening to recorded messages endlessly. but being home also allows the opportunity to throw in laundry, make a dinner that might take longer than usual.. make homemade pasta...oh yes ... the pasta... first a picture of where we grew the tomatoes that we made the sauce with tonight. the garden fence barely visable, it is really hard to believe that this will ever be clear again.




          don't think i could do this without the kitchenaid both the machine and the helper :)

                   last jar of sauce from the summer tomatoes.  just cant compare to store bought.




this is one of the few moments when i can say there can be all kinds of plans, goals and hopes but in the end all that matters is why we get up in the morning, why we try so hard to be our best,  it is to win hearts, to love and to be loved.

happy snow day.

love sent, xoxo