candlelight + family

{life here day 7}

hi there

cheating a bit here today.
but i had to share,

last night was lovely, not hampered but enhanced by the darkness ::

 

helped by,

candlelight ::

 

music ::

photo by ethanollie

and especially family ::

 

photo by ethanollie 

pretty much the perfect way to celebrate the dark nights ::

happy monday 

sue

darkness

{life here day 6}

it's here, 

the day of the year i dislike the most :: the day that lovely light leaves us early.

 

this year we decided to embrace it ::

the candles are ready to light up the long night ::  the whole family will be here for dinner

celebrate the darkness today

sue

decisions

{life here day 5}

hi there

last night a dance at the new school.  a sock hop and he had a hard time deciding to go or not.

 

at the last minute, he rallied,  hesitantly went and in the end, was glad he did.

ha, oh yes, at 8 years old his feet are bigger than his mama's. 

happy saturday friend, make it a good one

sue

today

{life here day 4}

hi there

today i'm in studio doing a photo shoot. it's pretty chilly cold in here in the morning,

but i do so like to capture this morning light.

this photo is from the other day and still this basket tugs at me. i just love the sweet handmade repairs it must have truly been loved by someone.

 and today i'm working with these cuties, hopefully i'll finish and get them in the shop tomorrow.

for now it's back to work for me, and you .....

have a lovely friday

sue

butternut squash risotto

{life here day 3}

hi there
weeknight dinners are still always such a puzzle for me. the day's always seem to fly by and suddenly it's dinner time.
but last night we gave dinner a little thought ahead of time and decided to try butternut squash risotto.

i'm so glad we did,  it was warming and comforting on a cool night and so delicious.
we added a tossed salad and were good to go.

 here's the recipe i played around with: 

Butternut Squash Risotto from emeril lagasse on the food network

  

you will find easy directions following the link above

and a few notes from me:

don't be afraid to substitute ingredients. i didn't have mushrooms, so i topped it with caramelized onions. i also didn't have the shallots (didn't seem to harm the taste at all.)  the butternut squash puree was an easy way to cook the squash and the touch of honey made it even more tasty.  salt and pepper were the only spices i used or needed.

give it a try,  it wasn't hard to do at all and i think you'll love it.

until tomorrow

sue

ps; i want to hear if you tried it for yourself.

 

 

warm and cozy gift ideas

november has started out very chilly here in portland.
a little treasury of warm, cozy gift ideas was needed ::

 links to these wonderful finds and their shops here

and yes, i will try to post short sweet posts each day to keep in touch.  thank you (you know who) for nudging me

sue

hello november :: goodbye october

you felt a little strange to me, living in a new place,
but you were ... oh so sweet ...

wildflowers on Sauvie Island (still in bloom, mid October)

tree climbing and pumpkin picking Sauvie Island

luckily catching an amazing number of Geese, starting their migration

a taste of the wine at Mt Hood winery (what a spot to enjoy a glass)

apple picking mt hood river,  they call it the "fruit loop tour"

finding new places to shop

the portland flea, a new venue :: more on this later

and of course halloween and oh, portland you did it so right.

neighborhoods filled with children and adults, streets and houses fully decorated

 so bring on november portland ... i can't wait to see what you have in store. 

happy november everyone

sue