Happy Easter!

Happy Easter through the years!

The best Easter bunnies ever used to come to our neighborhood. One of them has been trying to pawn off Easter decorations on me- she has a thing for holiday decorations. The problem seems to be that the ones I'm interested in she's not ready to part with yet:) I did take some shrink wraps and egg dying kits. Does anyone actually dye and hide real eggs anymore? Anyway, I found some old Easter photos I'd thought I'd share. Enjoy!

check out my hair!

Christmas PJ's year round!

check out my hair!

check out my mom's hair!

I love everyone's stance in this photo with Daisy in the background. 

Doesn't this look posed?

and one from the awkward years:)

Hope you all have a joyous weekend celebrating our risen Lord! Which reminds me, check out the album Laurence played the mandolin on- http://riseoburiedlord.com/ Available for purchase soon.

a sweet shop

Some pics from one of our happy finds in Phoenix, Smeeks Sweet Shop. Love the bright colors, love the candy, obviously, love the robin's egg blue with red and orange, love the big glass jars filled with treats, love the orange crush poster, love the gnome home. Love a holiday embracing highly saturated reds and pinks, candy (chocolate candy), and flowers! and some cupcakes...

sending out some hugs and kisses

I love an excuse to enjoy some kisses. Happy handmade Valentine's cards are in my etsy shop!

Staying Peppered in the New Year

I'm sure the term "peppered" brings to mind varying images for everyone. I've talked about the history of my paper-peppering technique here. I think of something "peppered" as sprinkled with cheer: colorful, sweet, vibrant, textured, intricate, lively, bubbly, and with a little kick! I was thrilled to get some gifts this year to help keep us "peppering" in the new year. Whether it's through cooking and eating, writing and photographing, crafting and creating, or by watching and being inspired- I know it's the little things that are "the spice of life." And, I'm eager to spice things up a little bit this year!

Pa-pri-ka (pepper) - used to add color and flavor to dishes, yum

My mom found this ribbon with some of her old fabric scraps. Pretty and peppery- a perfect stocking stuffer!

We'll be "peppering up" lots of meat this year. And, when I say we, I mean Laurence. I'll certainly be enjoying it though. And, I love the logo on this!

Isn't this a lovely serving basket from Budapest, with chile peppers and all! I love getting gifts from other countries.

Some notebooks from Laurence to help me consolidate all the to-do lists and post-its I leave around the house. Hmm, I think they'll be perfect for sketching and journaling!

The Joby Gorillapod Tripod! For taking lots of photos of all our "peppering" in the new year.

The Original Whirley Pop!

Yum.

Happy New Year!

The only type of scrap paper I don't find pretty. Where does it all come from!? On that note, here are a few goals for the New Year:

1. Always put things in their place (and since I now have these nice file boxes, and, a linen closet, I'm off to a good start)

2. Hang some artwork! (I'd rather have nice original art made by other people, which we're working on, but in the mean time- I'm framing up some of my work today)

3. Decorate for Christmas the Sunday after Thanksgiving (tree and all, no exceptions!)

4. Cook with the Barefoot Contessa whenever possible (Ina's never once disappointed me)

And, I'm already off to a good start here too!

Honey Vanilla Pound Cake: from my new cookbook, Back to Basics. It's heavenly, and I'm usually a chocolate girl.

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup: one of their best sellers, from her Parties cookbook. It's so delicious with curry and sweet apples! This recipe makes a lot, and it's very filling.

5. Reformat this Blog (this might take me some time to figure out, but you'll see when it happens!)

6. Practice my downward dog and other yoga poses more (Lu's a natural)

7. Eat lots of sweet-potato pancakes leisurely sipping on coffee in our kitchen nook every free Saturday morning we have

8. Oh, and finish our kitchen nook!

9. Spend as much time as I can with these girls while I have them here in Knoxville:) & :(

10. Write and illustrate the book idea that keeps popping up in my head, paint some colorful paper whenever I get discouraged, and always proclaim I am an artist, boldly and proudly.

I could keep listing for a while, so I'll leave it at ten. I wish you all a year filled with good food, sweet time spent with friends and family, and many steps taken toward achieving goals that are important to you!

'twas the night before christmas

"It's not going in the yard, Russ. It's going in the living room."

cozied up for the Christmas eve movie

under the mistletoe :)

Lulu loves Christmas morning!

Feliz Navidad!

If authentic Mexican food doesn't get you in the Christmas spirit... well, at least you can enjoy the pretty rojo and verde! A couples of weeks ago Laurence and I got to visit Phoenix, sunny and perfect every day. After arriving I made a list of things we wanted to do while in Arizona- I know, shocking. Of course there were several "must visit" restaurant recommendations, but at the top of our list was finding the local "hole in the wall" type of restaurant were we could get some authentic tacos and Mexican Coca-Colas. I knew we were getting close when I saw the laundry mat and dollar store. And, I knew we were very close when all of the Hispanic construction type workers stared us down as we made our way to a table, pretending our best to be familiar with the restaurant's protocol.

Mmm, tacos. I tried a few different types on our first visit, but when we returned I knew I just wanted the chicken tacos. Perfection piled with cilantro and seasoned with lime, served with a side of rice and some cucumber slices- simple, fresh, and non-greasy authentic Mexican food! That's right, we stopped back by on our way to the airport our last day in Phoenix. This time we entered as veterans, however I think we got some laughs when I pulled out the camera:) Our waitress was happy to see us again and even gave us some lamb soup on the house, also served with lime and cilantro, two staple worthy ingredients I think.

I have lots more to post about from our wonderful sunny vacation in December, but until then... Feliz Navidad!