we're back


Hi!

So we just returned this afternoon from a week of vacation at the beach and time visiting my family. The days were relaxing, full of sunshine and gazing at the ocean, listening to the waves, enjoying three varieties of homemade ice cream, bike riding, walking along the shore, and of course visiting with my parents and sister. It was also nice to unplug for a while and I think the time away from the computer helps me to just live my own life and not worry about everything else. Do you know what I mean?

And now that we're back, we're confronted with everything that happened while we were gone but as my mom says, "you don't have to solve all the problems right when you return." And that is exactly what I do; I see it all as a big mental pile of tasks and then I get overwhelmed. So I shut myself up by beginning the 'return-to-home-housekeeping' by cutting a bouquet of zinnias from our garden {the garden which has gone bananas in our absence!}. And that is about as far as I've gotten so far. Now I think I will make an afternoon cup of french press coffee; we did get up at 3am after all to catch our first flight.

I'll return soon with more ocean views and thoughts,
H

ps. Thank you Sam for the interview and Julie & Kathryn for the piece at Design*Sponge!!

hi!

Good morning,

I want to mention this Friday we will be having another very special guest at echoes. This artist is someone we all admire and I am very much looking forward to her contribution. Did you happen to see our recent guest? Awesome, eh?

I'm taking a tiny blogging break here this week yet not a noticing break.

I hope you're having a great one!
H

moments

recent favorite photos by others } 1. July 5, 2. Untitled, 3. Frank's Garden, 4. summer sandals

Hi,

* This morning I walked into a store and saw an older woman standing at her cart and putting something into her purse. At that moment, for no particular reason, seeing her caused me to remember and imagine my grandmother putting something into her pocketbook. {She always called a purse a pocketbook.}

* I went into another store and all the rows of shiny, clear plastic coat hangers clicking next to each other took me back to my childhood summers. My grandparents would take us girls shopping from time to time at the mall and this moment brought to mind a certain Esprit shirt they got for me.

* Then at the far end of a parking lot there was an older gentleman lifting a woman from her wheelchair and placing her into the passenger side of the car. I don't know the relationship but imagined they were husband and wife. I instantly felt an ache in my whole body and tears under my eyelids and thought of his care for her and of course imagined, what if this were us?

These moments gather together and arrest me in my hurry. I've been in such a hurry lately. Hurry up and pull weeds, hurry up and vacuum, hurry through preparing dinner, and even hurry up to finish a project. This mode doesn't make for the best results. And yet, I don't imagine this weekend will be any less of a hurry for us but I'm looking ahead to next week, when we will indeed slow down.

I will at least try to notice moments in the meantime and hope you have a weekend full of memorable ones,
H

a recipe in disguise

a few scenes from the weekend. if for some reason you'd like to see these closer, click here

Howdy,

So I'm rather up to my earlobes in projects at the moment but I wanted to tell you hello today and share a little recipe. Last night we made stuffed peppers using our garden squash, zucchini, tomatoes and peppers and they were quite tasty.

Here's the recipe we made up :

1} Cook a cup of quinoa.

2} Chop/dice and add to mixing bowl then stir together:
1 onion
a couple garlic cloves
1 zucchini
1 squash
some tomatoes
hand full of fresh basil
drizzle in some soy sauce & unpasteurized apple cider vinegar
sprinkle w/ sea salt & pepper
{We discovered this mixture is quite good as a snack with corn tortilla chips while you wait for the peppers to cook.}

3} Cut out the tops/stems of bell peppers {we had seven with more stuffing leftover} and scoop out the seeds. Layer quinoa, then veggie mixture into peppers. Add cheese and use your thumb to smoosh it down. Place upright in foil containers, cover with foil and cook on the grill. Yum.

Tonight I'd like to grill some fresh peaches. How about you? What are you cooking these days?

Enjoy,
H