It’s officially been one week since Thanksgiving, and I have thought about this artichoke dip every single day. It was that good. I brought it with me to a gathering of friends, and my omnivorous hosts were deeply impressed….

Oh, hello there, December. Where did you come from?

Did you know that a few drops of lavender and half a squeezed lemon in hot-as-possible bath water can cure a child of temporary insanity?

Well, it can.

First of all, how precious is that little figure? Emet made that with some beeswax that Jade had as a result of her visit from the Toothfairy. I wanted to keep it forever and ever but, naturally, it was disassembled and turned into something else entirely not five minutes after this photo was taken. [...]]]>

First of all, how precious is that little figure? Emet made that with some beeswax that Jade had as a result of her visit from the Toothfairy. I wanted to keep it forever and ever but, naturally, it was disassembled and turned into something else entirely not five minutes after this photo was taken.

Boys.

That’s my girl.

Happy Half Birthday, Little Mama! You make me smile.

Every Holiday meal needs a festive cocktail to add a little pep to the party. This Thanksgiving was no exception. The secret to this delicious drink, other than the brightly colored pomegranate seeds, is rosemary simple syrup.

An absolute cinch to make, infused simple syrups exponentially enhance the quality of a beverage. [...]]]>

Every Holiday meal needs a festive cocktail to add a little pep to the party. This Thanksgiving was no exception. The secret to this delicious drink, other than the brightly colored pomegranate seeds, is rosemary simple syrup.

An absolute cinch to make, infused simple syrups exponentially enhance the quality of a beverage. Not to mention the fact that they are oh so sophisticated. Their power greatly belies their ease of creation.

Just boil two cups of water, dissolve one cup of sugar into the water after removing it from the heat source, and then add several sprigs of rosemary (or any other herb) to the sugar water, allowing it to rest and cool for a few hours. Ta da!

To make this Ruby Gin Fizz, simply fill a fancy glass with ice. Squeeze a lime over the ice, and toss it into the glass. Sprinkle a handfull of pomegranate seeds over the ice, and add an ounce of the rosemary syrup. Add some gin, a splash of pomegranate juice, and top it off with some sparkling Italian grapefruit soda. Stir, sip, and savor.

This was definitely my favorite part of Thanksgiving. Well, this and the pie.

Yesterday, while I was preparing the dishes I was making for the Thanksgiving Feast we were attending, it occurred to me that I am happier than I have ever been. And that, my friends, is something worth celebrating.

The past year has undoubtedly been the most unpredictable, most chaotic, most enjoyable string of months [...]]]>

Yesterday, while I was preparing the dishes I was making for the Thanksgiving Feast we were attending, it occurred to me that I am happier than I have ever been. And that, my friends, is something worth celebrating.

The past year has undoubtedly been the most unpredictable, most chaotic, most enjoyable string of months in all of my years. When, last November, the Mister and I were suddenly displaced, we could have never anticipated that just 365 days later, we’d be living comfortably in a sleepy suburb of Portland where I spend my days teaching preschool and raising babies while he works steadily from home. I am overwhelmingly grateful for each and every moment of our life together, and proud of us for working as hard as we did build it.

On top of having a lovely home, a happy family, a wonderful job, and delicious food to eat, I have met incredibly special people since moving to Oregon, people that feel like long lost members of my tribe, which has made living here super fun.

I’m thankful for love, and especially for the man that I love.

I’m thankful for my two beautiful, funny, fiery children. I’m thankful for my two furry children, too.

And I am very, very thankful for cheese.

Seriously, I made cheese from cashews and I can’t wait to make (and eat) it every day for the rest of my life. It takes time, but the effort is more than worth it as it is divine.

I had a magical holiday, and a very relaxing day after. I absolutely love this time of year, and I can’t wait to see what our home looks like all dressed up for the Holiday Season.

Yes, it was a Happy Thanksgiving. But mostly, it’s just a happy me.

The Holidays kicked off a bit early in our house this week. My little girl lost her very first tooth!

The Change of Teeth is a significant transition in the development of a child, according to Rudolf Steiner. In simple terms, it is the physical representation of the birth of one’s Etheric body. [...]]]>

The Holidays kicked off a bit early in our house this week. My little girl lost her very first tooth!

The Change of Teeth is a significant transition in the development of a child, according to Rudolf Steiner. In simple terms, it is the physical representation of the birth of one’s Etheric body. It is one of the major signs of First Grade readiness as it ushers in a sense of eagerness to engage with the world in a different, more inquisitive way. It is, in essence, the end of Early Childhood.

My daughter is a feisty one. She’s a vibrant spirit, making her way through life with a skip in her step and a song in her heart. She’s beautiful, funny, and kind. And she’s becoming quite the little lady.

For Jade, this day was marked not only by the loosing of her first tooth, but also the very first cutting of her hair. There are many, many reasons why Jade had never, at nearly five and half years of age, had even a little trim. Most significantly, because after a while, it seemed that the two events were connected somehow: the losing of her baby tooth, and the snipping of her baby locks.

Not surprisingly, she was very ready for this momentous event to occur, as she tends to be ready for most things. She sat in the salon chair like she’d been waiting for this her entire life. Which, come to think of it, she had.

Congratulations, Jade Eloise! I love you with all my heart. I am so proud to be your mama, and so lucky to get to be there to watch you grow into such a lovely little lady. Keep smiling, sweet girl….

The very first time Babe and I visited the Rose Garden at Peninsula Park in NE Portland, it was a rather warm summer day in early August. We’d been in town less than a week, and still weren’t quite [...]]]> Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower.
Albert Camus

The very first time Babe and I visited the Rose Garden at Peninsula Park in NE Portland, it was a rather warm summer day in early August. We’d been in town less than a week, and still weren’t quite sure about anything really. We kind of just stumbled upon the park while hunting for what would end up being the place we’d live for the next month, and were completely taken aback by the beauty of the place.

Last weekend, we went back to Peninsula Park. And even though most of the roses had fallen from their stems, the grounds were drenched in the goldens and deep reds of Autumn. The best part, though, is that we got to share this special place with Emet and Jade.

One month ago, we were finally reunited with my sweet children after being separated by nearly 1,000 miles for a tediously long stretch of days. 82 to be exact. As a mama, that might just as well have been eternity. It is true that moving to Oregon and the incredible things that have happened as a result are the stuff dreams are made of, but man oh man was it hard to be away from my babies.

Of course every decision we have made, including the one to leave Emet and Jade behind in Los Angeles while we settled in Oregon, came from a place of wanting to build our life together and to make it as lovely and simple as we longed for it to be. Therefore, those moments apart from the little ones were spent working towards our vision.

A few days after we moved into our house in Hillsboro, I joined the faculty of Swallowtail School as the Preschool Teacher. Babe maintained a steady flow of freelance projects and, together, we carefully curated our happy home life, piece by piece. There was even a day where Babe spent over ten hours flying to Los Angeles and back just to pick up our kittens, who had been living in a foster home during our absence. Yes, we have worked and we have worked hard.

But that first night tucking Emet and Jade into their new beds in their new home, and every single moment since, is more than worth the effort it has taken for us to get here.

The view from our bedroom window makes me happy.

Over the weekend, Babe and I moved to Hillsboro, which is a scenic, 40-minute MAX ride to the center of Downtown Portland. We found a charming, 3-bedroom house conveniently located across the street from a park and less than a mile from this fantastic Waldorf [...]]]>

The view from our bedroom window makes me happy.

Over the weekend, Babe and I moved to Hillsboro, which is a scenic, 40-minute MAX ride to the center of Downtown Portland. We found a charming, 3-bedroom house conveniently located across the street from a park and less than a mile from this fantastic Waldorf school, and we have spent the past two days marveling at how incredibly fortunate we are to have taken this whimsical journey together….