Time off.

                                     
started with a birthday cake & ended with a pie. {my kind of holiday}

                                                      

 

   

{if you didn't get your homemade pumpkin pie fix- or even if you did- this is a good recipe.}

 

Put a cork in it.

 

an excuse to drink an extra bottle or two this weekend. 

your hair is worth it.

you are worth it.

 

{image via}

Peachy.

 Remember this little peach tree?

 

          

The first summer, it gave us a few... Last year, next to none (due to pruning too late, and possible over-pruning).

This year, we learned our lesson- and it paid off. Or rather- paid out.

              

We've frozen some, baked with others...

 

and simply drank the rest.

It's amazing how quickly you can use 'em up when you put your mind to it.

Peach Margarita

serves 3

2 peaches

1/2 c tequila

1/4 c grand marnier

1 1/2 T honey

1 T lime juice (1 lime)

1 1/2 c ice

{garnish}

1 T sugar

2 T salt (kosher)

lime wheel

mix salt & sugar.

rub lime wedge on edge of glasses.

dip in salt & sugar.

blend remaining ingredients, & pour.

garnish glasses with lime wheel.

*peeling the peaches is optional.

(we've been leaving them unpeeled)

{ryan found the recipe here}

  

It's a good one.

Coveting {part one}.

last night~ in the midst of rough drafts & dirty dishes, we managed to squeeze in all three. 

wednesdays call for a little 'special treatment', in my opinion.

 do not (i repeat:  do not) let this simple, understated image fool you. this meal is just pure [spring] perfection. 

{we substituted with gluten-free brown rice bread, and goat cheese. oh my.....}

 we saw this in bon appetit {april} on friday, and decided to to put it to the test.

it passed with high marks. but in remainder of the weekend, it grew even further on us. almost too pretty to drink. almost.

love, love, L O V E this show. every single character. we needed more comedy in our life, especially on a wednesday.

 

The usual suspects.

a costume parade & a classroom party... cousins & trick-or-treating... chili & cornbread... pizza & wine... spooky glasses & sparkling cider... pumpkin carving & candle lighting... dry ice & {state-of-the-art :)} jack-o-lanterns... charlie brown & tim burton... black nails & only-on-halloween 'fashion' embellishments... candy & more candy...

               

... and two utterly exhausted parents.

                                         

{Wine} Country mode.

Okay, so maybe I wasn't as ready as I thought I was to jump back into writing, editing, formatting posts... 

Back-to-school nights were attended.  Paperwork has been sorted, filled out, turned in, filed away.  School isn't quite in full gear yet.  But the pace is picking up.  Fast.  And one thing is certain.  Fourth & ninth grade each carry with them a prettttty full load.  A load that calls us to BE READY... ready for lengthy papers & time-consuming projects, ready to tread new waters into world of arithmetic (as my dad still calls it), ready to immerse ourselves into work-mode, while fighting with all our might to squeeze in a little "play" (because, what's life, without play?}...

Well, that's what I've been doing.  Getting ready.  Which has not been very conducive to my blog-writing schedule I might add.  So here I am, sharing our annual wine-country adventure pics with you... bright & early on what is considered in the blog world to be a non-posting day.  But when jumping back on the wagon- even the blog-posting-wagon- ya gotta start somewhere, right?

  

In honor of our 15th anniversary, we took a little break from camping, and rented a home in Santa Rosa, conveniently perched right on top of a beautiful vineyard :).

front-porch view (dining table to the left; jacuzzi to the right, what more could you ask for of a front porch??)

slowing our pace to the country's liking (to our liking)

                            

morning coffee under the sun, beautiful friends & kindred-spirits (melissa graciously hosted a lunch for our family, & i not only got to meet her- as well as her daughter- for the first time, but also estelle & her daughter!!  i could have stayed & talked with those gals for hours... pure bliss), back-roads and back-stories, berry-picking, & berry-eating

                 

                           

hotspots - new & old

                       

when it comes to food, those northern folks get it right. every. single. time.

    

the girl and the fig, gundlach bundschu, boat house, petaluma creamery, acre coffee, el molino central, [below...] sonoma (valley of the moon) farmer's market, the french laundry garden, the jelly belly factory, frank family vineyards, gott's roadside (st. helena), willie bird turkeys

                   

 

brothers & sisters

  

the day you get free jelly belly samples is a happy day indeed

our evening stroll (forgetting entirely that all the while we were in someone's front yard)

favorite pastimes time with grandma & grandpa... picking oranges, 'in-the-kitchen', tastin' wine, sippin' [way too much] port [way too late in the evening].

   

mmmm... gelato

  

and my favorite part of all, time with the ones i love

 

until next time...