Archive | October, 2013

{thirsty thursday – happy halloween : please enjoy responsibly!}

31 Oct

hey ya’ll

are you going to go out and/or dress up for halloween? i have an early morning friday, so i will probably keep it low-key and watch the nightmare before christmas or something… 😉

just wanna throw in my shameless two-cents of a plug here – please don’t drink and drive, have a DD.  and if you don’t have to be on the roads, just stay in. and why not give out healthy snacks instead of candy?  or better yet – do a TRICK!  no one does tricks anymore, we just toss “treats” in a bag and are done with it. can you just imagine the look on the kids faces when you bust out a bunny and a hat instead of twizzlers?  priceless  – better have a camera… 😉  i digress.

meanwhile, i’m all for enjoying a few libations for the event :

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i love to support organic practices of all kinds! 😉 this stout was incredible, and had perfect hints of chocolate throughout, with a nice finish.

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i’m a fan of farmhouse ales – the bubbles, the colour, the complex flavour… this one didn’t disappoint.

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brown ales just feel like autumn, don’t they?  the rich flavour and the heavier body… ideal for transitioning us into the next season.

have a great night, friends!  be safe!

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{whatever wednesday – cute little sacredly-geometrical cabbage}

30 Oct
artsy-fartsy cute little fibonacci cabbage

artsy-fartsy cute little fibonacci cabbage

i always buy the “unusual” looking produce, just ask anyone i used to work with.  usually it’s so i can fotograph it 😉

i found this tiny little cabbage one day and nabbed it up.  it was about the size of a softball, maybe smaller… so cute.

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yep, pretty tiny and cute. Continue reading →

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{stunning red chard}

29 Oct

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do you like chard?!  i love it!! red, rainbow, white – any colour will do 🙂

it is so beautiful, don’t you agree?

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i’m fascinated with the texture!

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the colour throughout reminds me of veins… and greens are good for your blood, so how cool is that! Continue reading →

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{mercury monday – “just let go”}

28 Oct

hey ya’ll.  happy monday – did you have a nice weekend? i had a foto shoot saturday, but relaxed all day sunday… did a little work around the tiny home, and organized some things that needed organized – that always feels great, doesn’t it?!

i promised i would write about mercury retrograde for the duration of its journey… and although i’m tired and not feeling as “wordy” as i did last week – well, i’m a woman of my word – so here we go.

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last week i went on and on about how awesome it was that i discovered my mercury retrograde and how i can utilize the energies that come about when it takes a backward journey.  thank you so much for reading a little about me! a whole week has now passed and i still feel a little more “normal” than normal, but i also have noticed that my overall ability to just let go of things has come with more ease…

it’s amazing how much “stuff” we carry with us – ideals adopted from our families or social groups, our schooling, our peers, and our every day interactions with things even like the internet, phones, and public places. often times, this may leave us feeling confused and wondering “who we are” or “where we belong” – because for so long we’ve just done what was expected of us, or followed the masses.  all the while, those adopted patterns, beliefs, or behaviors, may not actually resonate with who we are as individuals.  i’m working very diligently on changing my own personal paradigms, so that i may walk about this earth with more comfort, confidence, and grace… and ultimately, more love… for myself, and for others. sometimes this means changing behaviors or habits within, in order to aid in revealing the most authentic version of myself.   Continue reading →

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{meatless mondays – roasted spaghetti squash with fresh parmigiano reggiano}

28 Oct

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it’s a meatless monday recipe!

spaghetti squash {and all squash} is totally in peak season right now… and it’s one of my absolute favs!  i typically make it just like a pasta and serve it primavera-style with a fresh red sauce… but this time, i wanted to use up my freshly-cut parmigiano reggiano… there is just nothing like it.

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simple stuff :

– olive oil, grass-fed butter, lemon, parmigiano reggiano… Continue reading →

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{reflections of love}

27 Oct

“your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” ~rumi

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i love love love this quote!

as i was looking for a foto to post today, i thought about reflections… and how as individuals, we are all reflections – of each other.  any time you like something in another person, you are really liking or honouring something within yourself – a quality you possess, albeit possibly dormant.  and likewise, if there is something you do NOT like within another, it is often something you really don’t like within yourself… think about it.

so i say – let’s just try to focus on the things we love about ourselves and each other – since we are basically mirrors anyway, why not work to be the most benevolent mirror ever – so that when someone is in your presence, the only thing that will be reflected back to them…

…is LOVE.

🙂

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{animal energy}

26 Oct

animals {and all of nature} can teach us so much about awareness.  they can teach us about patience, presence, process, and perfect magic.

animals behave from instinct, not from thought.  i find it comforting when an animal crosses my path.  i feel their energy offers us much insight into a greater cosmic awareness.

so, here are a few friends i made recently :

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this was the “little caterpillar that could” – i watched him patiently inch across the street just in time before a big truck came rolling through…

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this dog followed me all the way into town one day… and right after i took this foto, i looked up and a huge raven flew over my head.  {talk about magic!}

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lots of cattle surround these hills and they have so much room to play! Continue reading →

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{foto friday – “reindeer games”}

25 Oct

i love living with nature.

i spotted this group of deer just up the road, when i took shelby out for her first cruise after getting a new timing belt… i am blessed to have witnessed this, and to have had my camera handy.

i know they’re not “reindeer” but, the title seemed fitting 😉

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these two brawled it out for a few minutes…

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*bash bash*

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*click click* Continue reading →

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{thirsty thursday – homemade pickles and oktoberfest for days!}

24 Oct

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i have always been a HUGE fan of pickles. they are easily one of my favourite snacks. once i started making my own, i was hooked!  i have even been known to travel across the country with them… no joke.

as usual, i KISS with these.  simple ingredients :

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super easy refrigerator dill pickles :

  • 5-6 cups cucumbers, chopped
  • 1 cup distilled white vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sea salt
  • 1 head fresh dill
  • 2-3 cloves garlic {optional}

Continue reading →

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{whatever wordless wednesday – audrey + autumn = awesome.}

23 Oct

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{tiny tuesday – details matter!}

22 Oct

sometimes when living and/or working in/with small spaces, practicality typically outweighs aesthetics…however, that is not the case in the amazing tiny home i live in.

🙂

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this week, i wanted to focus on some of the features that make this home extra cool and special.  the builder thought of everything to make it functional and practical while keeping the visual appeal as well as the modern-meets-mountain feel.

one of my favourite things in the kitchen is the sink! for one, i love a stainless steel sink. so easy to clean and just looks sharp, right?!  this one is complete with garbage disposal and stretchy-faucet hose thing.  i love those, too!

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and i love this second little sink to the left… so practical that it doubles as a colander! can also use it to dry dishes or rinse veggies prior to cooking. genius. Continue reading →

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{mercury monday – we go retrograde today!}

21 Oct

hey gang.

i decided to write a little today. it’s been a long time since i’ve written down my thoughts and it is such a good outlet for me… i always say i’m “better in print than in person” and that is very true.  i find i am much better at expressing myself when i write.  i often get “tongue-tied” or have major trouble articulating what it is i need to say.

this truth does bend occasionally… about 4 times out of the year… for about 3 weeks at a time.

why this change?!

the planet mercury, that’s why.

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{foto courtesy wikipedia} Continue reading →

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{my weekend in fotos}

21 Oct

hey gang.  i hope you had a great weekend!  it was gorgeous here, and we had that awesome full moon lighting up the place for days…

here are some fotos via the “shake-it app”

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full moon friday!

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autumn!!

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it’s still here for a little longer…

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i love finding heart-shaped things!! Continue reading →

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{foto friday – mount sopris at sunset – and tonight is a full moon lunar eclipse!}

18 Oct

i have to admit… it’s overwhelmingly beautiful up here in my new home…

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this is mount sopris… isn’t she just beautiful?!

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and tonight is a full moon lunar eclipse!

Continue reading →

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{end-of-season tomato and goat cheese toasts}

17 Oct

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aren’t these cherry tomatoes just gorgeous?!  it’s sad that the season is over… but i’m still eating as many as i can when i find them at the market…

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i just eat them like candy… popping one at a time… nom nom

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i was inspired by the pretty-much-nothing-left-in-the fridge emptiness of me almost moving and therefore having no food in the house… and i looked around at the half-loaf of bread and jar of cream cheese i had laying around…

“it’s like a little mini pizza… kind of.”  {i thought to myself…} Continue reading →

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{whatever wednesday – dehydrated kale chips}

16 Oct

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so, i bought a dehydrator... it’s amazing and it’s already changing my life.

i know that may sound drastic, but at this stage in the game – pretty much everything in my life is drastically changing…. so – this is no exception. owning  a dehydrator has totally changed the way i shop, too.  if i have an over-ripe fruit or veggie, but i’m not sure i’ll eat it right away – I CAN DEHYDRATE IT!  if there is a one-day sale on fresh fruit and i want to stock up but it won’t fit in my freezer – I CAN DEHYDRATE IT!  i can make my own fruit-rollups, trailmix, and even dehydrate herbs like sage or rosemary.

my favourite thing to make lately is kale chips.  i wish i would’ve had this thing in the summer – totally could’ve kept the house cooler than making kale chips in the oven! Continue reading →

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{tiny tuesday – have you ever been THE FIRST at anything?!}

15 Oct

i have never been THE FIRST at anything… at least not to my knowledge…

i mean, i have lots of original photographs i’ve captured… many of which may be the “only” of their kind… but i’ve never really been the FIRST at anything i’ve done… until now.

i am the first and only person to live in this new mini home.  now, i’m not fortunate enough to own this lovely home, but i am the first person to officially reside in it – on gorgeous private property with a river in my backyard and endless hills surrounding every corner.  it feels pretty incredible to be the first person to live here.  i’m grateful to have met the builder last year… we remained in contact and he updated me on the home this summer, when it was just about complete.  everything sort of fell into place, guiding me to these hills and to this home.  i’m taking it all one day at a time and just soaking up each gloriously relaxing moment in my new environment… and one thing i love about living here – I SLEEP SO GREAT!

when i wrote about my visit in september was when i fell in love and knew i had to follow my heart to the rocky mountains…

here are some detail shots of some of my favourite features inside this amazing home.

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this is the main living space… upon entering, there is a small foyer.  i have moved some things around, but wanted to give you all an idea of how this looks before and after 🙂 Continue reading →

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{foto friday – better late than never}

11 Oct

i am late getting this post out – i had a busy day!  what with getting internet again after 10 days without it and all….  travesty!

😛

here are a few recent fotos {via iPhone shake-it app} of the beautiful fall foliage around here on the western slope…

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{foto friday – it’s been forever since i posted, i miss the internet, and i just moved!}

4 Oct

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friends!  i miss you!  and i miss blogging!  i have so much to catch you up on! most everything in my life is different! and i have a ton of fotos to share!!!

did you know i moved?!  into the cutest tiny home ever… 

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and you know it’s a good sign when a rainbow shows up over your new house!

😉

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this is pretty much how i feel every day when i’m up here…

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try not to freak out at how beautiful the next few shots are… it’s autumn in the rockies –  it’s hard to beat! Continue reading →

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