i’m thankful…

- that we have a comfortable place to live in right now, and a place to live in next month.

- that upon the brink of winter weather we not only have said roof over our heads, but warm clothes, blankets and heaters.

- for the amazing colors of this season, and through the changing of the seasons we are reminded of His story in life, death, and then life once again.

- for numerous phone calls, emails, facebook messages and cards from friends and family today making me feel so loved!

- that our bills are always able to be paid, and that we have generous family and His provision if they ever can’t be.

- we have schedules that allow our marriage to grow through lots of quality time together.

- for a special treat of a fancy birthday dinner with the hubs last night to celebrate, and that the food industry is made up of a community of generous people who give you free treats, even when they’re only an acquaintance from mutual employers.

- for our creative spirits that can make uninteresting foods into yummy meals and basic supplies into things that make our home comfortable.

- for canine children that love us no matter what, and help motivate me to explore our neighborhood and to stop and smell the roses (or the crazy willy wonka mushrooms!).

- that we have lots of siblings and nieces and nephews who continue to grow the godly legacy of our parents and grandparents.

- even for this blogging community…you guys always bring spice to what might have been a dull day, encouraging words when i didn’t realize i needed them, and a constant source of inspiration!

what are you thankful for?

this year we actually have a couple places to go over the weekend…a friends’ house on saturday night and then a festive work party on sunday night. we have our fingers crossed for an apartment that we’ll see on saturday as well. look at us, being so social! (i know we’ll be exhausted come monday; and to think, people do stuff every weekend!)

although i am most definitely an introverted person, i’m hoping being around lots of people and getting lots done will help give me a boost…i am in a serious creative & motivation rut right now. (it might have to do with the boxes of stuff starting to pile around the house with nowhere to go)

but, last week or so, i got our costumes ready (we are geeks, you’ll see). wednesday we carved our trader joe’s pumpkins. and all that’s left is to grab a bag of candy, assuming we get a trick or treater or two on monday?

hope you have a great weekend.

phew! we were exhausted to say the least, but blessed and thankful for all the time we spent with family. i’ll be sure to post about the meal in the coming week or so…an unofficially oregon themed, autumn feast.

these two at the girl's party reminded me of gracie & ava...

but something else that made the last few days so great was you guys! every time a comment popped up in my inbox, i was overwhelmed with gratitude and thankfulness for your outpouring of support and encouragement in my ventures. the comments and notes were each spot on, whether it was an encouraging verse, a helpful link, or just a ‘i struggle with that too’. we were so back and forth between places and houses that i never could get on a computer to reply, but i intend to.

although i haven’t really been able to work on anything being gone the last few days, just spending time away from everything, think about it, talk to parents, and visualize potential opportunities helped me feel like this is just a slight variation on the path i was already on, that god had intended from the beginning. it’s good to know that the general look of my day to day life will be the same, but the tasks i spend time on will alter. nothing drastic, nothing overwhelming. and like many of you mentioned, just getting started and doing a little at a time is just what needs to happen.

thanks friends!

petunias, following the sun...

our friendship only grew stronger over time, but then we decided to move to portland. and with god’s sense of humor, cassie & mike closed escrow on a home 1 street away just a week after our house sold.

i was thrilled to find out she was pregnant this year…and i knew i just had to make her new baby girl some goodies. and lucky me, i got to see her to personally deliver the gifts and give her a big belly hug. all the items were inspired from online tutorials, so i’ve linked those for you!

diaper strap :: i saw by the book paper give this a try, and i immediately sat down and made one that day. it was a scrap of a vintage floral from my grandmother. the original tutorial can be found here. i of course don’t have any wipes or diapers on hand to display it correctly, but it’s just to easily have a few diapers and a small pack of wipes strapped together for a quick outing, when you don’t want to bring the whole diaper bag with you.

appliqued onesies :: i’ve seen these floating around online and on pinterest in lots of different styles, so i didn’t really feel like i needed to follow instructions…plus i kind of experimented with each one.

bib :: i just used some vintage reproduction prints, and it is reversible! the tutorial showed using a terry type fabric for the back side, which i think would be great, but i just had my prints on hand.

i could have kept sewing things…burp cloths and hooter hiders, but i ran out of time! (i know, i only had like 6 months to make stuff!!!) i loved giving her something handmade though…

even during school, these three friends used their relationship and drive to take their formal education outside of the school walls and to the next level. friendly competition, bouncing off ideas off one another, and challenging each other. if you ever join all us for a beer at our neighborhood pub down the street (we all live within walking distance of one another), they will always be talking about food, restaurants to try, and the professional kitchens they’ve worked in.

this time it was momofuku. i don’t know if i can properly describe david chang’s effect on the culinary field, but this cookbook is a peek into his three new york restaurants and his interesting asian-american techniques. our goal was simple…each person take a different recipe or two out of the book. follow it exactly, or put your own spin on it, either way create a unique asian inspired dinner.

although the day of cooking started around 12, it was relaxed with a little prep here and there, a little sitting here and there. when wil initially came home from the asian market, i watched him put all sorts of ingredients i’d never seen on the table…but soon enough over the course of the day dishes began to take shape. doughs were rising, chicken wings brining, pork belly roasting, and veggies pickling!

it was a hot day already, but with all the cooking, our two neighboring houses indoor temperatures were rising. so we spent a good portion on the shared front lawn. soon enough we had ongoing bocce ball games.

it wasn’t until almost dark that we sat down for the shared meal. i’m not exaggerating when i say we were all giddy with excitement as we laid the table out…bowls and platters of food everywhere. all of our work led up to this point!

we feasted on chicken wings, roasted corn with miso butter, pork belly buns with cabbage and kimchi, and ssam with pickled mustard sauce.

0ne of my favorite things about the place we live in are our meals that happen out on the lawn. evening summer air, good drinks and friends laughing does a soul good.

david chang’s recipes are not for the faint at heart…the chicken wings wil chose to do definitely needed a day-ahead start. they were brining for hours, then in the oven to confit, then cooling for hours, etc. the pork belly buns were the highlight of our meal and if you choose to make them you will not be disappointed. but you’ll also need a whole free day or so as well.

the instructions are lengthy in his book, but here’s a link to the pork belly buns recipe that has been published online if you can’t get your hands on his cookbook.

and i had a bunch of stuff to get done with the farmers market a few days later that week. i wouldn’t say i *entirely* procrastinated, because the bags for cambodia were a short notice order that put everything on hold, but i did leave myself quite a bit of sewing to do. whoops! but by the end of the week, i was content with the amount of stock i had on hand.

remember i mentioned my town not even having a stoplight? the town is small, and this is the first year of the market, so i knew the venue would be small…it was for only 3 hours and there were about 10 booths or so. you could tell they were quality vendors…farms, nuts, cheese, artisan bread, plants and even fresh tamales. but my expectations were low and when it was all said and done, it was at least an excuse to enjoy the process (my first) and sit with my parents and a dear long time friend on a warm summer day.

but i was very pleasantly surprised! the people who visited were kind and generous. it also felt great when a nearby vendor came over who was getting married in 3 weeks and was looking for totes just like mine to give all of her bridesmaids. so glad i could be a part of her special day. by the end of the 3 hours i was wiped out of the totes i had made, and even made a dent in the other bags. what a blessing!

i had already planned on attending a market here in portland this thursday that’s fun because it’s kind of a free for all…first come first serve on spots, no registration or fees, and you just come and sell stuff after they close the street for the night. but i did better than i thought at the market in sisters and now i have got to get sewing!!

if you live in the pdx area, be sure to swing by ‘last thursday on alberta’ up in northeast portland, this thursday night from 6-10. it’s fun just to see the conglomerate of people that make portland the way it is. hopefully i’ll have my act together and be there, and soon after that get the etsy shop restocked!

come find me over there! and don’t forget to check back to her site in a couple days for a giveaway that i’ll be a part of as well, along with some other fabulous goodies!

have a great weekend!