July 2012
- July 05, 2012
In the Details 7.5
This summer is flying by. It hasn't really felt like summer because the weather has been so spring-like, and sometimes fall-like. Up until last week we still had our fleece sheets on the bed, were sipping hot chocolate, and wearing sweaters all day. Yesterday was the fourth of July and we spent most of it working. I had the pleasure of photographing a beautiful family from Sweden. I took their family portraits last year and was so pleased to have the opportunity to do it again this year. We actually ended up joining them for fireworks later in the evening.
There are so many things I love about summer... this summer is turning out to be a quiet but productive one. I'm chipping away at repainting the interior of the house, reorganizing the garage, and having lots and lots of extra play time with Gigi. She's the apple of my eye.
The photos...
Gigi's sweet skinny little leg.
Garlic bread.
Grilling veggies for Grilled Veggie Salad.
Watching Pride and Prejudice on a rainy summer day.
Silly summer baby.
Hot cocoa.
Fresh peach pie and tea for breakfast.
Iced tea with maple syrup.
S'mores for one.
*for the record, these posts were inspired by miss james and her bit + pieces posts. They are such a great way to share lots of simple photos and reflect a bit on the week gone by. - July 10, 2012
June Care Package
Last month I decided that Kyle needed a care package. He had surgery on his shoulder, had some stress at work, was working hard at home... the man deserved a little special something. Kyle loves few things more than good meat, delicious cheese, and fresh baked bread. Before his surgery Kyle was baking bread every weekend, and he is planning to sell all of his home-brewing equiptment and buy all the things necessary to do his own charcuterie. Since you can't knead bread with a bum shoulder, I went to our fabulous local bakery and picked up a baguette, and to our local farm stand and got some prociutto, and two kinds of cheese. I chose Miramont Brie, and Telaggio D.O.P. Perolari. We buy the Telaggio cheese all the time, it's salty and flavorful but not too overpowering. It goes really well with procuitto.
Sending a care package, or putting something simple together for a friend or loved one, or a stranger for that matter, is one of my favorite things to do. If you decide to make one, please tell me about it! - July 12, 2012
Style File: Easy Summer
Lately, my style has been simple and easy. I've been doing so many little house projects and organizing that I find it easiest when I'm in something comfortable and effortless. I scored these cropped Sanctuary pants at a local boutique for only $50 and I've been wearing them constantly, they're definitely my favorite clothing item for summer. I love throwing on a bright lipstick and some heels to liven things up. Now... as for the Marvelous Miss G, she has fallen in love with a little pink dress. My stepmom bought it for her when she was just a tiny thing, but now she's almost grown out of it. Every morning we go to her closet and I'll let her show me what she wants to wear. I try to give her a couple of choices, this dress is usually one of them, and it always wins. She points to it and nods vigorously before letting out a resounding, "YYYYEEEEEEEAHHHH!!!" I love seeing her personality come through in her choices... it is understandably concerning to her Daddy.
On me:
Tank top: The Gap
Sweater vest: LA Made
Pants: Sanctuary from Parts+Labour
Shoes: Corso Como from Plenty
On Gigi:
Favorite dress: Mini Shatsu
Apparently we forgot her shoes. - July 16, 2012
On My Mind 7.16
Last week was pretty incredible. I booked an amazing acting job. A ________________!!! Directed by ________________!!! For ________________!!! In other words... I can't say anything about anything because I signed a big ol' contract saying I would keep my mouth shut about it. But it's thrilling, lovely, wonderful... and I feel immensely grateful. I feel like I won the lottery.
Our friends Jeremy and Tara came for a visit and Tara and I went wine tasting while the guys smoked some brisket. Kyle was up and grilling at 8 in the morning! That's some dedication.
More of our friends joined us for our Bastille Day BBQ and we celebrated in style. Vive la France!
Speaking of France... I haven't abandoned my Paris series! There's much more coming soon, I promise!
Kyle is an amazing griller (is that a word?). He makes everything with such care, from scratch, and it's so good!
I love baking cookies. It's been months since I've made any but yesterday I felt the need to whip some up, right smack in the middle of the day. Kyle and I had a mini cookie eating date during Gigi's afternoon nap. We watched a movie and had popcorn and cookies. The perfect thing for a Sunday. My recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies is here.
I've been doing so much better at simplifying things. Spending much more time outdoors, reading, resting, doing projects... and I'm so much happier. We go to the park a lot in the afternoons. Like me, G loves to swing.
I've been stepping out with friends in the middle of a "work day" to go for a relaxing glass of wine at great places where Gigi can run around and play. It's good for both of us.
Most of all I've just been taking more time to be in the moment. I'm not letting the stress of the day to day get to me. I'm recognizing that nothing is more important that enjoying time with my family. I'm learning to forgive and forget the undone dishes, the long list of errands, the big piles of laundry. I get to them eventually but I don't let them bother me, or make me feel guilty. Instead I'm choosing to have an expresso cup full of ice cream in the afternoon while I read a good book, catch up on my blog reading, take a few photos, or journal. I'm not getting as much done but I don't care!
And finally, there's this interesting new word that Gigi's learned...
I guess when Daddy's a brewer it's inevitable that she'd make that association. She also says, "hop", so.... oh, well. - July 19, 2012
Food for Thought: French Fries
I love French Fries. Honestly, who doesn't? Sometimes I'll make them for lunch. Just French Fries. There's something about their salty, crispy, soaked in olive oil perfection that I can't get enough of. We go through so much olive oil in this house that we've taken to buying the restaurant size boxes of extra virgin olive oil. We pour through it like it's... well, wine. Don't worry, it's good fat. These hot summer days with barbeques out front with our neighbors and many, many servings of fries.
The last couple of weeks have been a wonderful whirlwind of friends, family, wine tasting, popsicles, and many summer things. We've skipped a few of Gwyn's nightly baths, gone to bed with dirty feet, forgone errands, and eaten too many cherries. Kyle is back in the brewery this week for the first time in months, following his shoulder surgery. He's so happy to be back to the work he loves. Long days in the brew-house aren't always easy, but they're almost always rewarding. Kyle is so good at his job and I'm so proud of him... even though I sometimes forget to say it to him.I'm still reveling in the joy and excitement of my acting work last week. I so rarely get an opportunity to work as an actress that when I do I try to soak up every single second of it and relive it over and over in my head. I love what I'm doing but there are days that I wish I could make a living as an actress. It's so fulfilling.
This weekend we are going to see The Head and The Heart play at the Portland Zoo. It's so great to have a chance to take Gwyn to see them. Our friend Chris the band's bass player and I hope we get to say hi and introduce him to G. Normally we can't take her to shows but since this one is at the zoo, it's totally kid friendly. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to pack up a gourmet picnic basket and a bottle of wine and relax on the grass. Our step-cousin is also getting hitched this weekend so we're going to have a busy but fun next few days.My french fry recipe is here.
*Note: From now on I'll be posting my foodie thoughts here and my recipes on Gorge in the Gorge. That way they're all compiled in one easy to use archive. - July 23, 2012
Gigi's First Concert: The Head and The Heart
This weekend we took G to her very first concert. Our friend Chris is in a great band called The Head and The Heart. We haven't had the opportunity to see them play in concert yet so when the Portland Zoo announced that they would be playing a show as part of the summer concert series we immediately bought tickets. We listen to their CD a lot so I hoped Gigi would recognize the music. We were completely unprepared for her enthusiasm as the band took the stage! She went absolutely bananas...
Gigi had so much fun meeting her "Uncle Kick", the concert was wonderful, and it was so lovely to catch up with Chirs.
I'll have more photos and stories from our weekend in the next couple of days. Happy Monday.
- July 26, 2012
Wonderful Weekend: Wedding in Portland
We had so much fun last weekend in Portland with our family for my cousins wedding... technically they are my step-family/my step-cousins but getting to spend this past week with them made me feel so much closer to them. We don't get to see them often but when we do it's just wonderful. We spent so much time with my cousin Jessica, her husband Brian, and their son Will. We were all together for four days straight. Brian is so insanely funny, I was constantly in stitches. I can't repeat any of the jokes he made as they were all totally inappropriate. The weekend was filled with great food, wine, and lots of quality family time.
My cousin Jessica and I first met one another 11 years ago in Paris. We ran around Paris like the silly teenage girls we were, drank too much champagne under the Eiffel Tower, bought ridiculous souvenirs, and ate an obscene amount of french bread with jam. This weekend we chased our babies, sipped Bloody Mary's and ate an obscene amount of food from Kenny and Zuke's.
Jessica's son, Will, andGigi got along famously. Will taught Gigi to say, "Car. Box. Heeeewwwo!" and Gigi taught will to say, "OOOh NOOOO! Cracker!" They were so darn cute together.... although taking a photo of these two squirmy babes was impossible! In the photo below both of the silly babies would not sit still. Brian let go of them and was trying to get out of the frame so I could snap one, but before I could even get my camera to my eye they were off!
Although Gigi did sit still long enough for me to get this one of her. This is such a Gigi look. She always has this goofy look on her face and it matches her personality perfectly. Right after I took this she looked right at me and said, "More peeeeture?"
It was so wonderful getting to spend so much time with my Stepmom's family. The wedding was simple, small, lovely, and really fun. How lucky are we to have such a big, fun, fantastic extended family?! We need to plan a trip to Boston.
- July 30, 2012
Pixie Cut à la Emma Watson
On Thursday I went to the salon with this photo of Emma Watson. I love her chic super short pixie cut.
I left the salon looking like this...
I absolutely love it! It's incredibly short but it still feels really feminine.My hair stylist is Patricia. She's fantastic.
