Archive | November, 2013

{whatever wednesday – happy thanksgiving and a shout out!}

27 Nov

yay-you

to YOU!

that’s right, you.  the reader reading this blogpost right now.

—

the lady with the latte in one hand while her nails dry…

the guy with the messy hair who just woke up and has his dog nipping at his leg, begging to be taken outside…

the teenager who thinks i’m cool because i keep it real…

the mom who wandered over to my blog and was inspired to create something different for dinner…

the girl who’s my age and who takes comfort knowing she’s not the only 30-something without a husband or kids…

the athlete who loves my smoothie recipes…

the family who wants to hire me to take their portrait. {just email me! :)}

the fellow blogger who appreciates artistry…

YOU!

—

all of you.

i wanted to shout out to all of my 700-plus readers who take time to stop in and give validation to the things i say and the things i share.  as an introverted artist, it takes a lot for me to “put myself out there” {ugh, i even don’t like the term} however, it gives my heart so much comfort and joy every time someone clicks that “follow” button.  i appreciate you all following my blog, taking time to read the wacky things i say, and taking time to comment and share.  this wordpress blog forum has really been an amazing outlet for me and i feel such a strong sense of community among bloggers i’ve met.

i am just so grateful to each of you – words won’t really be able to express {remember my natal mercury retrograde?! ;)} but i had to do something to show my appreciation.

this thanksgiving, i’m thankful for so much, as usual… but today i want to focus on being thankful for support.  THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart!  you inspire and encourage me, just by reading and engaging.

🙂

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{foto friday – this is 34.}

22 Nov

had a little birthday fun with iphoto…

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“pop art”

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“coloured pencil” Continue reading →

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{thirsty thursday – celebrating 33-years with pan-seared sea scallops, and my favourite beer ever}

21 Nov

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my goodness do i love scallops!

pan-seared in some amazing butter… click here to see the best and only cooking method one should use to make these decadent sea-dwellers. like most good things in life, it should be done low and slow. 

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and i also love asparagus!

i usually do my best to eat with the seasons… which means i wouldn’t normally be eating asparagus right now, but hey – i’m the birthday girl, i can do whatever i want, right?! 😉

my birthday {which is tomorrow, actually} is always so close to thanksgiving {it was ON thanksgiving last year and the year i was born}, but i admit i’m happy that it falls in an entirely different week this year!  i haven’t really been thinking of the holidays as much this year since i switched jobs {that’s a whole big, long blogpost or BOOK waiting to happen} so it’s been nice to really focus my energy on ME. i do have to work tomorrow, which is kind of a bummer – but i’m celebrating today and tonight with this amazing food and drink.

i like to spoil myself on my birthday.  i started this morning with my favourite americano from my favourite coffee shop and a sinful pastry they call an “apple jesus” – can’t wait to try that!  and i plan to have peach-wood-smoked salmon for lunch, followed by the above amazing meal for dinner… swallowed down gently with this :

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la fin du monde – french, which translates to “the end of the world”

it is a triple-fermented golden ale that is high in alcohol content {9% : i tried to finish the whole bottle once – not a good idea for this 110-pound lass} la fin du monde is full of wonderful champagne-like bubbles which deliver hints of honey and fruit, accompanied by floral notes that linger pleasantly and round-out with a smooth, dry finish.

i have one every year on my birthday… and i always cook myself a super nice meal, usually consisting of seafood, since it’s my ultimate fav.  i am already salivating, just thinking about my day full of amazing food…

happy birthday to me! 🙂

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{whatever wednesday – cute callee cat quirks}

20 Nov

my cat is kind of quirky and kind of ridiculous…

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ridiculously cute, i mean…

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she’s always getting into things… just like her mama. 😉 Continue reading →

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{product review : hilary’s eat well veggie bites – and my first giveaway!}

19 Nov

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hey friends!  a while back i wrote about hilary’s eat well veggie burgers… they have quickly become a staple in my tiny home.  i love the burgers, but i must admit that after trying the bites, they are definitely my favourite.  i like “bite-sized” things anyway and hilary’s doesn’t disappoint.

you can read all about the company in my last blogpost – here.  hilary’s eat well foods is a transparent company that is locally-owned and operated and they are also part of the non-gmo project – those are two of my favourite things about them. i’m such a fan and supporter and since i’ve collaborated with hilary’s eat well, i now have the fun opportunity of offering a giveaway!

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all you have to do is go to hilary’s eat well facebook page and “like” them.  then comment below telling me you did so, and i’ll enter your name in the drawing! Continue reading →

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{meatless monday : get your greens, even in winter!}

18 Nov

green is good!

we all know how much i love kale. i’ve also been known to eat copious amounts of swiss chard. and i never turn away spinach, especially in a smoothie… and sometimes, nothing satisfies like a gigantic bowl of fresh-chopped salad mix…

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i know we are heading into winter, but don’t forget to eat a lot of colour during this season!

a simple salad is a fantastic and delicious way to get raw, dense nutrients into your system. while i do find myself “craving” salad a little less during the winter months, i recognize how important it is to eat a salad as often as possible. in the summer i have one every day, but in the colder months, i typically want warm food {like most of us.}  salads are a great way to absorb nutrients through healthy fats {add avocado, for example} and to get extra fiber in your diet. Continue reading →

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{harry & carrie – the spider and ladybug : bringing messages of protection, renewal, and gentle strength}

16 Nov

i have lots of animal energy surrounding me… i mean, we all do… we just have to pay attention and keep our hearts open.  i believe it’s one of the ways the universe speaks to us – through animal energy.  i’m one to notice patterns, almost obsessively, and therefore i can usually recognize when there is a message trying to reach me.

i saw dragonflies quite often during my meditations when i lived in denver. dragonfly’s message is about transformation and seeing through life’s illusions… which was so fitting for what i was experiencing at the time.

lately i’ve been seeing lots of spiders.  i’ve always had spiders around me… which used to totally freak me out.  *quiver* who likes spiders?! anyway – over the years i kept seeing them and i found myself actually photographing them quite a bit.  i’m fascinated by their intricate webs and their stillness. and spider’s message is one of creativity – to weave our own web of destiny… and to be patient during the process 🙂

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harry the spider

harrythespider-2  Continue reading →

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{foto friday – radical romanesco}

15 Nov

not quite broccoli, not quite cabbage, not quite cauliflower… romanesco is in a category all its own.

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i’ve written a few times about romanesco… it’s one of my favourite things ever. you can probably still find romanesco at some supermarkets and specialty produce departments…

when i found this super awesome-looking and wonderfully-coloured one, i nabbed it up just so i could have a foto-session with it. i just find their fractal-nature so fascinating!!!  “roman” and i had a lot of fun with the camera… i talk to my food – so what! and i hadn’t really seen one like this before – with the variation in colour.  i am of the mentality that anything with natural colour is good for you… and the more, the better.

i just like to saute my romanesco in some yummy EVOO or butter and eat it up! it’s also really good just raw in a salad. the flavour is amazing, and i don’t know what it is about eating a “fractal”, but it just makes me happy.

radicalromanesco-28 Continue reading →

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{whatever wednesday – my first guest post!}

13 Nov

hey friends!

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how’s your week going so far?  mine has been nice, the weather has been so beautiful up here!

i’m so excited to share some news with you!  — a few weeks ago, i reached out to tinyhouseblog.com about doing a guest-post. i had been following tinyhouseblog for a while, since i knew i was going to be moving into this tiny home. i became somewhat obsessed with tiny living spaces… it’s so fascinating to me how many people live this lifestyle and it’s awesome to see what different people do with different living spaces.

i was so thrilled when kent agreed to let me write about my tiny home.  i have been eagerly waiting to see it posted, and today is the magic day!  i wanted to share the link, and share my pride a little 🙂  i will have another update on the tiny home very soon.. i’ve been making a few adjustments so it’s totally foto-ready!

thank you again for the opportunity, kent!

http://tinyhouseblog.com/

 

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{travel tuesday – “gotham city”}

12 Nov

i miss new york.

and according to wikipedia – this is the approximate location of batman’s hideout… give or take a few blocks… we were practically next door neighbours!  {as all of us superheros are ;)}

New York City

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{deciphering abstract fotos – volume one}

11 Nov

can you guess what this is a fotograph of?!  when i saw it, i just HAD to run and get my camera and capture these images…

the only manipulating i did to these fotos was in post-production, and the only thing i did was add contrast… and if someone can figure out what i actually fotographed, i will be so completely shocked.  i think it will also be fun to see what kind of responses i can get!

😀

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below is a close-up….

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please comment!

pssssttt, hey – have fun!  now, today, tomorrow, this week, next week, all month, the rest of this year… 2014… and beyond! 😀

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{the bi-annual cattle round-up}

11 Nov

i had never seen anything like this and i was so happy to get immersed right in the middle of it!

remember last friday i wrote about the coolest cattle?! well, as i was fotographing them that day, i inadvertently got stuck behind the twice-a-year cattle round-up that takes place here in town.  i was pretty much cracking-up the entire time and also felt so privileged to have witnessed this event, camera-in-hand.

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it was the day of the eclipse, too… and the sunset was unbelievable!

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i know they’re “just cows”, but i love them. and what i want to know is…

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how the heck did they round up all these cows without me noticing?  one can’t get off this road, so-to-speak, and i had just turned around to head back down the hill when i saw this… Continue reading →

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{foto friday : the coolest cattle}

8 Nov

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i almost didn’t share these fotos… simply because i felt like what i witnessed was so sacred and so divine… i really felt the connection and bond to these creatures as i was fotographing them a couple weeks ago… there was something very special about my moments behind the camera with this herd of cattle.  i even get a little teary-eyed thinking of it now.

hundreds of these animals live not to far up the road from me, on a gorgeous ranch. most of these are dairy cows, however a few of them are angus cows.

now, i’m not necessarily a vegetarian {though i’ve had my stints}, but i limit my intake of meat in general, and only once in a great while do i eat red meat.  but when i do, i am so very particular about where it comes from and how the animal was treated while raised. i am too educated not to make wise decisions about what i eat. {watch food, inc. or any other number of food documentaries and see what i mean} i feel like it’s my responsibility in a way… and i was so happy to know that i could find and purchase grass-fed meats locally here in my new town.

what made me feel really good about seeing the angus cows on this farm, was knowing what a happy life they had.  they weren’t shoved into a cattle-lot and stepping over each other just to eat.  they were out grazing… on the most beautiful pasture, surrounded by mount sopris, bein’ all cool…

just hanging out, like this :

amazingcattle-1 Continue reading →

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{thirsty thursday : roasted volcanic garlic and a snow day!}

7 Nov

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i feel like i eat garlic with almost every meal.  it’s so good for you, so good for the immune system and for your joints, among a slew of other things.  in the late spring this year, i purchased this beautiful braid of volcanic garlic.  the rep from the farm suggested roasting it with olive oil in the oven, for a very unique experience and flavour.

on it! said food and foto dot com.

i have about 5 bulbs left on the braid i purchased… the guy did say, “buy this now and it will last you through the end of the year” – and here we are {6 months later} in early november and i still have some to play with – yay!

and obviously you can use any kind of garlic.  i had actually never made roasted garlic on my own, so i just had to try…

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and i did exactly what the farmer told me to do…. Continue reading →

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Image

{whatever wednesday – i love this door… and this foto of it.}

6 Nov

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{some thoughts about love, transformation, and mercury retrograde}

5 Nov

hey friends.  how was your weekend?  i took a long one, and spent some time in denver visiting a few loved ones.  my goodness was it a rich weekend.  i am so blessed to have some truly amazing people in my life. they are generous and giving and never turn their back on me.  i am blessed to have such loving friends!

i had every intent to write “mercury monday” as promised yesterday, but i just ran out of time.  i start a new job today and had to tie up loose ends in other ways and just get mentally prepared for the day.  i’ll be working in glorious aspen… it is going to be a great season!

so here we are, in the final week of mercury retrograde.  how have you been feeling over the last couple of weeks?  personally, it’s been an emotional rollercoaster.  i mean, i know i mentioned that mercury retrograde periods are when i feel most alive and articulate, and that is very true and still applies {hence the reason i have started journaling more and even started writing a book, finally!} – however, that doesn’t mean i am immune entirely to the energies that come along with it.  Continue reading →

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{fotographer for hire!}

3 Nov

holidayflyerfinal

🙂

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{dia de los muertos!}

2 Nov

i walked the “day of the dead” parade in my new town and got some fun fotos of some pretty stellar costumes and such.

i didn’t know much about dia de los muertos until just last week.  and now that i do – i gotta say – i’m kind of hooked 😀  i really want to prepare better and dress up next year.  it just looked so fun!

and i’m for celebrating diversity and culture! i miss those two things about NYC the most.  i just appreciate the differences we have, and i love learning about new cultures, or even existing cultures, but really getting immersed in the celebration! everyone here is so welcoming and wonderful.  i met some amazing people and i just had a great time!

{preface : this one is foto-heavy!}

———

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dia de los muertos!

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it began with this guy…

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walking the parade… Continue reading →

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{foto friday – oh hey, november!}

1 Nov

i am seriously so glad it’s a new month. and it’s my birthday month. 🙂

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some words i want to focus on today and all throughout november :

abundance, gratitude, enchantment, acceptance, allowance, bliss, harmony, playfulness, laughter, freedom, peace, wisdom, patience, magic.

have a wonderful weekend!!

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