autumn

Cider Celebration

November 14, 2016

If you know me by now it’s pretty obvious that I am a sucker for traditions and celebrations. I love the opportunity to open up and share our home to celebrate the seasons.

Since we were itching to make more cider after Norah’s party we invited friends over for a cider celebration.

For hours we chatted, chopped apples, pressed, filled jars, sipped cider and enjoyed the beautiful day. We all agreed that cider making would now be an annual tradition at Second and Edgemont.

Our reporter/film maker friend and neighbor stopped down to take a few shots and made this sweet little movie.

cider-movie

Happy Birthday Norah!

November 8, 2016

Our little Norah turned 11 today!

She celebrated with some of her favorite people on Saturday pressing apple cider, playing outdoor games and watching a movie outdoors.

She made her own birthday (cheese) cake and topped it with caramel acorns.

Norah turns 10!

November 9, 2015

Norah turned double digits yesterday. Ten years old!
It has been such a joy watching my little girl grow into the spunky, persistent, passionate, funny, creative, thoughtful, young woman that she is.

She had her heart set on a camp-out party which was to be held at my sister’s house but due to rainy and wet conditions the party was moved indoors to our home.
But it didn’t take long for everyone to forget about camping out in the great outdoors.

We cleared all of the furniture out of the living room where the girls set up camp in front of a roaring fire in the fireplace.
We served up a baked potato bar with all of the fixings- roasted broccoli, cherry tomatoes, avocado, black olives, sour cream, cheese, salsa, butter and bacon.

And for dessert we made a campfire cake!

In the garden

November 2, 2015

Happy November!

My garden is donning it’s autumn wardrobe with it’s palette of deep burgundy, rust, purples and gold.

The hens are finished molting and are ready for the cold winter months with their fluffy down.

I have slowly begun to put the garden to bed as it is still quite mild. Plants are still producing and flowering among the seed heads and fallen leaves and we are still harvesting a few crops.

It was my first attempt at growing peanuts this year. I grew them in a pot and we just recently harvested a small bowlful. Not a huge harvest but a whole lot of squeals as we unearthed those legumes!

Today I picked all of the green cherry tomatoes left on the vines before the first hard frost hits. I plan to pickle them with onions and horseradish (another crop growing in our garden to be harvested soon).

Autumn

November 2, 2015

Hello my friends!

I always think spring is my favorite time of year until autumn rolls around.
I am in awe of it’s beauty this year. The light, the sky, the fiery palette have all been especially spectacular.

Yesterday Chris I declared that Halloween should always fall on a Saturday. It was lovely to have a full day to prepare for our Halloween tradition of hosting friends for soup and cheer after trick or treating.

Pots of steaming hot chicken noodle, curried coconut butternut and vegetable lentil soups were served up along with warm bread, cheeses, caramel popcorn, apple pie and roasted pumpkin seeds.

While the adults sat around the fire sipping on soup, the young folk retreated to a room all of their own to trade candy.

Hibernating

September 30, 2015

As you can tell I have been hibernating these days.
I have been feeling quiet but our days have been abundant and full of all of the wonderful activities and traditions that bring summer to a close and welcome the beginning of autumn.

Pumpkin towers

October 4, 2014

Oh autumn how I love thee! Yet another excuse for me to create new little vignettes to reflect the change of season. Like I said before mother nature doesn’t need much help in creating the most beautiful of scenes but I can’t help it sometimes to lend a helping hand.

At this time of year it is hard for me to walk past the many varieties of gourds and pumpkins sold at the market. I like to combine different colors and textures and stack them on top of one of one another and then look for places in my backyard space that could use some height and dimension as well as a pop of color. I choose places close to the house like the patio and by my back door. They bring a smile to my face each time I pass by.

Although there is still much blooming and growing in the garden, I have had to remove a few plants from some pots that have petered out, a perfect place for a few pumpkin towers. I love how they look nestled in with trailing vines and herbs.

Oh and speaking of herbs, head on over to TEND where I write about one of my favorite herbs, Lemon Verbena.

A time of renewal

October 1, 2014

Happy Autumn friends!
I miss this space. I miss the rhythm and routine of coming here.
Our summer was a beautiful, bountiful and busy one full of many new adventures along with much tradition.
I am ready for fall though. It is a time of renewal for me.
I have begun to bring the gifts of this new season indoors to incorporate into our decor. We are eating squashes, brussels sprouts and dark leafy greens and soon soup will be a weekly meal.
We have a trip to the orchard planned to pick loads of apples to turn into sauce to can for winter as well as for holiday gifts.
And soon there will be daily trips to the woodpile.
I feels good to be back.
xo

A Bit of Holiday Cheer

November 27, 2013

these last few days i have been slowly adding some holiday cheer to our home. i just can’t help myself!

i haven’t put electric candles in the windows for a few years now. i missed the cheery glow. especially with these shorter days. my mom always had candles in our windows at christmas times. it was one of the first things that went up for the holiday and i loved falling asleep each night with those little lights on.

i’m on the look out for fallen evergreen branches, pinecones,magnolia leaves, osage oranges, etc.

we head off this afternoon for a few days to visit chris’ family for thanksgiving.
hannah and i have to leave a day early for her nutcracker rehearsals.
but we will be sure to make time to stop on the way home for our annual tradition.

wishing you all a peaceful thanksgiving.
i am extremely thankful for this space and for all of you who take the time to stop by.
cheers!
xo