Paper Pie

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Amanda Soule 

Dispatch from 6 AM

I love this time of year. When the darkness is encroaching, approaching, letting its presence be known. There is no denying it, no stopping it. We are barrelling full speed towards the shortest, darkest day of the other 364 and we can't get off. It offers a counterbalance to the incredible, unrelenting sun that is a permanent fixture of Southern California.

I stepped outside my door somewhere around dawn and was greeted with a blast of chllly air. It was assertive and informed my lungs, that yes, indeed, the seasons do change here, even if ever so slightly. I walked to the garden to get some lettuce thankkful that the fall season is actually best for growing leaves, especially in this geography. I love this time of day, this time of year - surrounded by silence and dewy grass. As I turned my back and gathered what I needed, the dark gave way to the orange pink sky. The light was on its way to start afresh.

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Amanda Soule 

Birthday Boy

This past weekend our nephew, Liam, turned 4. I once again marvel at the passage of time. It seems like only yesterday when he was a cuddly little baby.

Inspired by Maya's project in this book, I used Eucalyptus seed pods, or gumnuts, dipped in ink to stamp the wrapping paper for his gifts. I love how they turned out, and it was very satisfying to give a grocery bag new life, instead of adding it to the pile to be recycled. Read more about this fun process here, here and here!

But, perhaps, the highlight of the evening was his amazing Star Wars ice cream cake! He was beyond excited . . . Happy Birthday sweet boy!

Fall Festival

On Saturday we went to a cute festival at the Farmer's Market. My, how things change in one year.

If you ever visit LA, the Farmer's Market at 3rd and Fairfax is a great place to see and experience. The people watching is out of this world and there are tons of delicious food options. One of our favorite places is a taco stand called Loteria. Pictured above is a sampler plate of all of their tacos in miniature, 12 in all. The first time we ever visited we made the mistake of each ordering our own sampler plate. NOT NECESSARY . . . this is enough to feed three people . . . easily. They have really refreshing limeade too, not too sweet.

There was a great range of live music.

And you could win this pumpkin if you guessed how much it weighs. We said 62 pounds 8 ounces, but since I haven't received a phone call today, that must not be it.

Rylie is really hitting up the petting zoo circuit this year.

I love this time of year. We've been having a string of warm, sunny days here which is not really in sync with the warm and cozy feeling in my heart, but hey, you take what you get, right?

Links To Share

Just a few spots that are inspiring me right now. I hope these links provide you with a little joy of discovery as well.

* Oh, if only I knew how to crochet . . .

* Oh, if only I knew how to crochet like this . . .

* Getting the urge to decorate for Halloween

* Despite the 80 degree weather, I will get cozy, darn it!

* Love this post . . .

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Amanda Soule 

Camping At The Shore

We were lucky enough to spend the last two days here. What wonderful fun we had!



















Ahhhhh.....That's better.

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Amanda Soule

Tomato Harvest

Wow, thank you for all of the wonderful support and heartfelt words of encouragement for the Tuck-Away Blanket tutorial. I am so glad that you love it! I loved putting it together, too. I had such fun participating in the Blog Hop and I can't wait until the next go round.

I want to let you know about what else I've been up to lately: tomatoes! Lots and lots of tomatoes! Remember when I gave you a little tour of my garden? Well, that lone tomato plant was quite industrious and turned out an impressive harvest these past few weeks. Between my garden, what I received in my CSA box, my lovely friend's and neighbor's contributions, and a few trips to the local farmer's market, I was able to put up a nice assortment of tomatoness for the coming season. The idea of eating fresh garden tomatoes in the middle of January has me giddy with anticipation. It is the simple things - for sure! I made this sauce, and I've already gotten into my stash. It is so flavorful and talk about multi-purpose, a real workhorse!

I made this paste to use in things like Salsa!

I used the salsa recipe from Amanda Soule's book, The Rhythm of Family. It is the best salsa I've ever eaten! And I live in Los Angeles, so that is saying something.

And just last night, I did a batch of crushed tomatoes for the freezer. I used the process in the book, Canning For a New Generation by Liana Krissoff. What a super pretty book loaded with recipes and canning tips, tricks and knowledge. For instance, I discovered that if you push all your messy tomato discards (peels, seeds, etc.) through a fine mesh sieve you'll get fresh tomato juice! Brilliant!