tonight

there was an amazing autumn sky.  breath taking.   hard to put into words.

it is up to us to live each day fully because we cannot go back. we must open our eyes and notice things.

all our days are filled with tiny gems that can get buried if we don't take notice of them.

one of the main characters in my life.  deep deep love.

such a special night.  i love you michaela. xo


love sent, xo

pear tarts and updates

there is nothing better than curling up with a good book,  hot chocolate,  and a cozy blanket on a cold night.
and it's especially helpful  if you want to tune out all the things jockeying for space in your brain.  i fall in love easily with books and songs.  i can devour written words in spare moments and hang on to every word.  i hear a song i love and  i play it on repeat for days on end.  i am a very porous person. this can be good and also be bad, i feel deeply and hurt easily.  i remind myself daily to open my eyes and notice things.  everything. so i am not that good at blocking things out.  work is a bit in turmoil at the moment and honestly i should be used to this by now.  change is constant but i never take to it with ease.  even if it doesn't effect me directly (at least at the moment) i can feel the tension.  i close my eyes and pretend i am back up north surrounded by the mountains and the silence and that brings me peace.

once again i remind myself there is always space for gratitude and disappointment, and of course, for baking.

pear & cream cheese tart

ingredients

1 stick of butter, softened
1 cup sugar, divided
1 cup flour
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3 thinly sliced pears, peeled

 preheat oven to 425.
 beat butter and 1/3 cup sugar until light and fluffy. (i do this in my kitchen aid mixer.)
 add flour, mix well.
 spread firmly onto bottom and up the sides of a spring form pan

 beat cream cheese and 1/3 cup sugar in same bowl.
 add egg and vanilla, mix well.
spread evenly over crust.

 combine remaining 1/3 cup sugar with cinnamon and nutmeg.
 toss sliced pears with sugar mixture until covered.
 arrange pears in concentric circles on top of cream cheese filling, starting with the outside and working in.

bake 10 minutes then reduce to 375 and bake 25 minutes or until golden brown at edges and the middle is set.
 cool on wire rack.
 remove outside of spring form pan.
 refrigerate tart for a few hours until cool and well set.

love sent, xo

11-12-13

happy tuesday.

the mornings are so dark.
this morning there were snowflakes.
it is officially socks and boot weather.
i am looking forward to enjoying dinner with some very special people tonight.
i love to celebrate things.
small things.  ordinary things.
i believe in lighting candles every evening.
i believe in trying to make every day special.

i believe a life of celebrating can be a rich one.

love sent, xo

eat well, travel often, appreciate every day.

another weekend is almost over.  i know for some lucky folks tomorrow is an extra day off, but it is a work day for me.  i am so grateful for another awesome weekend spent with loved ones, sharing some great times. we had to squeeze in some road trips in 2 days rather than 3 but it was fun just the same.
 it is amazing how relentless change is, how unpredictable.
you can be totally immersed in something one minute and in a moment it is over.  last week there was spectacular autumn foliage and now the beautiful foliage has given way to gray cold afternoons.  just a week ago the trees outside my office were a blazing red, a  spectacular sight.  when i left on friday it was cold and rainy and not a leaf was left on those trees.  but, like everything in life, change propels us forward forcing us to  release our hold on what is over. 
but there are so many gifts, offered to me daily in so many ways.  there is the gift of family, which i have been so blessed to have.  the gift of marriage, which is constantly evolving and changing, helping me be my best self.  i have been so blessed to have an amazing partner to share this life with. the gift of friendship, i am so lucky to have so many special friends.
it often seems as if my life is full of stops and starts,  as i pull myself together, i get turned around, and choose another direction.  there is always something to look forward to and always something to be grateful for.  and i always know that gratitude is a good way to go. 

 i know its crazy .. but we are still eating lobsters.  pretending it's still beach time.
                                    (thanks elaine and michael for such a fun night)

                              
                                        a weekend is not complete without potato pancakes
                                                                       (my favorite).
                           thank you mr nargi, you are the most thoughtful person on the planet

                              the last of the fall beauty.  it snowed up north this weekend.  

such good food.

hope you had a grateful weekend as well.

"Dining with one’s friends and beloved family is certainly one of life’s primal and most innocent delights, one that is both soul-satisfying and eternal.” — Julia Child

love sent, xo

it is interesting....

 how much you realize this after someone you love passes away

a friend told me how she use to occasionally go to wakes/ funerals if it was convenient
and then her dad died.  since then she realized how much it meant to think people cared
so much.



remember -  forget yourself for others and they will never forget you......

never.



love sent, xo

random things i am loving today

the fancy things i like are sheets..  really high count ones :)
good pots and pans.
awesome recipes.
bittersweet in the fall.
the sticky remains at the bottom of the apple crisp dish.
fireplaces.
wash on a line.

this photo

my nightstand reading...

i love the romantic  feel of

this video

and this...

dianna's beautiful wedding

loved snuggling these beautiful babies.  we are so blessed to have these little ones in our family.

and you should run out and buy this.  it's dense, thick, moisturizing and smells like a pumpkin pie.
and it's only $4.99.

while you are there be sure to pick up a block of this cheese.  honestly it might be the best cheese
i have ever eaten.  seriously!

hope you are having a great tuesday.

love sent, xo

life is all about change...

changing seasons
changing clocks
things are always changing.

it was a crazy busy weekend and i really didn't get enough pictures or sleep but it is all documented in my head.  i already miss my friend.  4 days together and boom -  she was gone again.  but it was such a fun weekend... we miss your laughter.

and like sara said -  "patti is the glue that holds us together."

there were beautiful autumn leaves ...  florida doesn't have this ...

 

gorgeous skies.... florida does have this.

 

                                                wonderful food (thank you tony)

                                                                       surprises....

                                                               and wonderful friends...

i'm thankful for the kilometer of mileage i got from these 4 days of laughter....
please come back soon. 


love sent, xo