creating space for beauty & simplicity
Yesterday I was filled with a sense of peace and renewal. We hadn’t even rung in the new year but my heart was full of hope and anticipation for a fresh start.
So far it has been a good beginning.
A few shots take last night before our new years eve celebration with friends.
Happy new year to you!
xo
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.
Happy Spring!
Yes I know I haven’t been here in almost two whole months!
All I can say is I have been trying to live in the moment.
No documenting, no blogging, no social media, very little screen time at all and to tell you the truth it’s been rather nice.
But after some time to ponder I have realized that I do miss this space.
Thanks to all of you for your gentle nudges and inquiries. It’s heartwarming to know that so many of you enjoy it here.
I do too.
We had the most lovely holiday. In between baking, gift making and decking the halls, we hosted a caroling party, a new years eve party, several dinner guests and tonight we end our vacation with a little Downton Abbey party. There’s a chocolate cake in the oven right now!
I look forward to sharing more of our home, garden, projects, traditions, recipes and every day life here with you in the new year.
Happy new year my friends!
xo
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!
I grew up eating a lot of applesauce. There was always a jar in the fridge and I loved a bowlful sprinkled with cinnamon. One of my favorite meals served up at Nan and Pop’s house was pork-chops and applesauce.
I had only experienced store bought sauce until my first farm apprenticeship in my early twenties. Aside from learning how to grow my own food, a whole new world in the kitchen was opened up as I began to experience making many a thing from scratch. Homemade salsa, tomato sauce, fresh baked bread. But I will never forget my first taste of freshly milled applesauce. I was hooked and I have been making it every year since.
The orchard at the farm where I work had a bumper crop of apples this year.
We grow a large variety including Jonagold, Stamen, Cortland, Braeburn and my favorite, an heirloom variety, Cox’s Orange Pippin.
We like to stock up on sauce to eat throughout the winter months but also to give as holiday gifts.
I have been making the same simple recipe over the years but like to try something a little new and different from time to time.
Applesauce
4-6 pounds of a variety of apples (the sweeter variety, the better)
2 tsp vanilla
2 TBS cinnamon
Core apples and chop, leaving the skins on.
Cook apples down in a large soup pot with a little water or apple cider to prevent from burning the bottom of the pot. Simmer until apples are very soft.
Turn apples through a food mill. Stir in vanilla and cinnamon.
:: I recently remembered reading somewhere about adding lemon rind to the apples as they simmered down. I tried it and was pleased with the results.
:: I like to use sweeter apples rather than tart to avoid using sugar. I sometimes add a few over ripe pears for a little extra sweetness.
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.
We had another blissful get away to the lake this summer.
The perfect reprieve from the hot and sticky week we had back home.
The weather was glorious and although it is so very hard to leave we all feel rested and renewed.
A few weeks ago the girls asked if they could host their own craft circle with friends. I guess after watching their mama have fun crafting with her friends each month for the last 15 years they thought they should give it a try.
They decided on the first Sunday afternoon of every month and hosted their first one yesterday.
Each girl brought along a craft to work on and they all sat around the fire chatting and working on various projects. A few worked on crocheted ipod charger cords, Hannah began knitting a hat while her friend worked on a knitted bear project. There was some duct tape art and after much finger knitting over the years Norah began her very first knitted project on needles~ a scarf!
And of course there were refreshments. Norah made back bean brownies again and served them with peppermint tea.
Although there was a bit of a generation gap and the conversation may have been a bit different, craft circle on the first Sunday afternoon of the month with the girls looked a lot like craft circle on the second Wednesday evening of the month with the ladies. There was laughter, lots of chatter, sharing of tools and ideas and of course tea and goodies.
I know that this Sunday afternoon tradition may not last forever but for now I will cherish these moments and feel a little bit proud that my girls want to follow in their mama’s footsteps.
What a beautiful, unseasonal cool and windy day we had on the 4th of July.
I can’t remember the last time we donned sweaters on what is usually one of the hottest days of the year.
It rained all morning but luckily cleared up in time for our annual festivities.
.
When I first moved in there was a cyclone fence dividing our yard from our next door neighbor’s yard and then another fence diving her yard from her next door neighbor’s. We decided a while back to take those fences down as a neighborly and friendly gesture. Although we each have our own gardens and spaces to tend taking those fences down has opened things up and given such a warm and welcoming vibe especially when we throw our neighborhood gatherings and parties.
We set the food up in the paper street/alley that runs behind our garages and everyone mingles throughout the three yards. We get a permit to close the street each year where the kids romp around with sparklers and play four square. When the sun sets everyone gathers around for the show.
Folks from around the corner and several streets down walk down to sneak a peek. Even one of the police officers on duty showed up to watch (luckily everything was legal).