Tag Archives: updates

{garden update – volume 2}

7 Jun

this update is a little late… so much has been going on at the garden! we had a lot of rain here, and so the plants are growing and thriving so well!

i typically plant seasonally. so i started with my cool season crops like radishes, peas, beets, spinach, kale, arugula, and lettuce… most of which i have harvested lately. i also harvested the garlic and onions that i adopted from last year. the peas are starting to produce fruit which is exciting, and the lettuce is still thriving and i planted more this week. i started planting my summer crops – cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, squash, and more lettuce. i also planted flowers this year, which is kind of new for me – nasturtiums, calendula, and coneflower.

here is a progress report on what my overall garden plot looks like. i currently have a lot of seeds in the ground, and i take some pride in having beautiful soil and very little to no weeds. i am so excited to continue to watch the growth and progress! 🙂

do you have a garden? what are you growing?

          
Continue reading →

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{garden update}

30 Apr

the weather here in Maryland has been so confusing for the last two months. i think we even had a frost last week! however, i do believe we are finally hitting that spring stride… and i’m so ready!

i’ve been steadily getting my garden ready, also! currently, i have lots of sprouts coming up, hooray! i also have a lot of weeds, boo! but i’m holding off on doing too much weeding just yet so i make sure not to pull any sprouts. typically i don’t have any weeds and i take pride in that… but i’ll just have to be patient for now. 😉

here are some pics to show the progress. {if you follow me on instagram, you’ve probably already seen these… and if you don’t, please do – here.}

Continue reading →

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{new garden season!}

15 Feb

hey y’all!

it’s a bit early in the year for such things, but this area in the northeast offered some nice weather this past weekend, so i was eager to get outside and get my hands in the dirt! as you know, there isn’t much that makes me feel happier than being in nature – and especially, being in a garden!!!

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it pleases me to say – that i finally found a community garden that is only about 15 minutes from where i currently live. i am so excited about it! i was also pleasantly surprised to discover that the plot i adopted is about 3 times the size of the last one i took care of in north carolina! this gives me so many ideas on what to plant, and i am feeling so grateful!!!

please stay tuned… as there will be more updates to come… but for now, here’s a brief overview of the work i did this past saturday when the temperatures were in the high 50s!

before…

during…

after…

the person who took care of this plot last season planted lots of beautiful garlic and onions… which apparently are mine now! and although i am very grateful to have them, i will have to figure out what to do with some of the crops since ultimately i will need to have access to the foundation before it’s time to harvest them…

also – i feel like it doesn’t look like i did much {haha}… and i still have a lot of work to do… but i was there for about 3 hours and i was able to clear out a lot of weeds, etc… i also brought a souvenir home, in the form of a slight rash on my arms from all of the random things i was pulling out of the ground and off the fence line, in my attempt to start prepping the soil {haha!} but fret not, my body and skin are just fine now… that said – next time, i ought to consider and/or be more conscious about wearing longer sleeves… sometimes i just get right into the thick of things, without thinking much… 😉

are you prepping for a garden this year? please comment and share what you plan on growing and any tips you may have! i love to hear from and talk with fellow gardeners! ❤

also – please follow me on instagram for more updates!

 

 

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{long time no blog…}

10 Feb

hello world! it’s been far too long since i have written a blogpost. i miss you!

my life has changed a lot in the past year. i realized that i haven’t blogged in over a year, and that is a record for me! too much time has passed.

the beginning of last year immediately started with extremely unpleasant news that was very hard on me and my family. i found myself retreating and not being online very much. then – as we all know, the world changed dramatically and we have all been affected by that, in some way. my heart has felt heavy and i have been grieving for many reasons. that said, i still hold a space of gratitude for so much. i am well and i have my health and i am thankful for many things.

it’s been so long since i’ve written a blog that when i logged on to wordpress today, i saw that everything had changed. i don’t even recognize this platform anymore, and i now have to re-learn how to do this. which is actually kind of okay with me. sometimes we can get stagnant in life and it’s good to learn new things… especially these days. i have always needed creative outlets and of course fotography has always been a great avenue for that, as well as writing. in today’s technologically-driven world, i find myself craving balance so that i’m not always in front of a screen. since i work on a computer during the day, it’s been a challenge to want to sit down and edit fotos or write blogs. but i’m finding ways to make that happen without feeling too unnecessarily connected to all things digital. and i currently feel very inspired to start blogging again.

SO much to catch you all up on! for now, i wanted to pop on here and create a quick blog to say hello and i look forward to getting back into the swing of things. lots of cooking and fun things happening and lots to share! i am going to include these fotos of some beautiful produce i found at a local farmers market… just because we all know how much i love and appreciate such things!

 

 

 

 

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{snowtography}

18 Jan

composition, light, contrast, details, depth, patterns, aperture, bokeh, simplicity, mood, moments…

these are some of my favourite things about fotography, no matter the subject…

anyway, happy 2018! is it snowing where you are?!

 

 

 

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{1500 followers!}

10 Jul

New York City

i am so humbled to have recently welcomed my 1500th{+} follower on this cherished little blog of mine!!

thank you to all of those who have stuck around all this time. and thank you to the newcomers – i want to extend a warm welcome to all of you who chose to hit that ‘follow’ button and come play along as we talk about yummy food and pretty things, whilst taking pictures of it all!

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as a reminder, if you don’t already – please follow me on instagram for the most recent updates on all things food&foto related. {you can also find me on facebook and pinterest.}

i appreciate all the love and support i’ve received over these last 6 years of blogging. i look forward to more adventures to come!

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the most sincere appreciation to all of you, from the bottom of my heart.

—–

 

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{saturdays in the garden : volume seven}

8 Jul

just a little update on the garden… my posts are not in “real time,” as it were… i’m several weeks behind in keeping up with what’s going on, currently.

for example, most of what you see in the following fotos, has been pulled from my plot. we are straight up in the heat of summer here in NC, and my tomatoes are just about all that remain. i pulled up all my broccoli, because i didn’t get it in the ground soon enough and it never formed a head. i harvested one beautiful cabbage that i’m currently making sauerkraut with. my cilantro is done… as is my dill and basil, but i planted more of both. i pulled my kale and planted arugula in its place. and my cucumbers are on their last limb, but i must’ve harvested around 200 of them this season. i have pickles for days! 😉

july will be focused on tomatoes. then in mid august, i will plant more cabbage and cucumbers and perhaps try again for more peas later in the month or toward september. i really enjoy making {and eating} sauerkraut, so i intend to plant a lot more cabbage for fall.

meanwhile, here are some pics of what late may/june were like in my plot :

so pretty and ALIVE!

still fascinated by pea tendrils… and i made lots of pesto with my basil!

oh kale, yeah!

harvest!

my beautiful cabbage! Continue reading →

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{my new camera!}

26 Jun

i bought a new camera!

i have to admit, i felt slightly guilty about it at first, but i also don’t treat myself enough. and although this is a “treat,” it is also an investment.

my other camera is about 10 years old at this point. it is still reliable and does the trick, but it is definitely slower and much heavier than this new one. photography is a funny field in that you can invest as much or as little as you want into it. these days, our smart phones have just as many megapixels as some “professional” cameras. however, it is my belief that no amount of equipment or money can truly substitute for a good eye.

i recently read an article that had a quote that resonated with me :

“walker evans once said, ‘people always ask me what kind of camera i use. it’s not the camera, it’s –‘ and he tapped his temple with his index finger.'”

i can’t help but subscribe to walker evans’ approach to photography. it is my belief that no matter what kind of camera or equipment one uses to capture an image – if it is uninspired, that will be evident, and ultimately translate to the viewer. Continue reading →

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{selfie saturday : fotographer}

3 Jun

took a little cruise with this cool bike the other day!

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{a make-up blog : saturdays in the garden – volume six}

29 May

things are moving along quickly in the garden!! i actually harvested lots of kale this week and my dill is turning into a forrest! cilantro will only be here for a little while longer, and my peas are producing but will also begin to dwindle as the heat increases. i should be able to harvest some cucumbers next week. which means next month, i’ll be making some delicious pickles!! so so so excited about that!

on a community level, we have been donating over 15 pounds of collard greens each week and lots of radishes are going to donation, as well. our beans are starting to blossom, and the blueberries are coming in nicely. we also have tons of healthy tomato plants growing. june and july are the exciting months for gardening, as everything really starts to produce… i just love it.

and since i have fallen behind a little bit on updating on the garden, i am putting these fotos in gallery form, so i can squeeze them all into this post 🙂

{click on any photo to enlarge and scroll through gallery}

 

 

a {sort of} pano of my plot…

from left to right, counter-clockwise-ish :

jalapeños {hidden, back row} basil {back row}, peas {along left trellis}, lacinato kale, tomatoes {middle}, cilantro, celery, more tomatoes {middle}, cabbage, more kale {middle}, romanesco, more tomatoes, {middle}, cucumbers {along right trellis}, and dill.

i kind of planted in a zig-zag pattern…

i also squeezed in a few spinach plants throughout, but i’m not sure how they’ll fare.

thanks for following along!

how is your garden looking??! 🙂

 

 

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{memories in manhattan – volume 5}

15 May

even though i don’t miss the winters in the northeast, or winter in general for that matter, i did enjoy the variety of weather that seems to roll in and out of new york. particularly, the evening rain. there’s something about a late night drizzle… it seems calming to me.

as i was looking through old fotos of my days living in new york, i came across a fun memory of a time when some visitors came to town and i helped them squeeze in as many “tourist attractions” as possible, since they were only there for two days. it made me feel pretty cool when they asked for suggestions. maybe because it made me realize that i had been in the city long enough to not only know my way around, but to be somewhat of a tour-guide.

one of my favourite places to visit and view the city was the empire state building. being able to experience the city from that perspective is something to behold. i only visited the empire state building twice during my time living in nyc, and both times were memorable and exciting. this particular night was memorable because it was very cold, and very wet. it was one of those kinds of rain that was almost like a mist, making the visibility low and the mood high.

the way way top

when my friends and i decided to go to the top of the empire state building, we didn’t realize that the very very top would be closed off due to wind and the aforementioned low-visibility. my friends didn’t care, and neither did i. by the time we decided to make our way to the destination, we had already been wandering the city for a good hour, sans umbrella… and it didn’t seem to bother any of us. besides, a huge part of the experience was being together – and for me, seeing the excitement on their faces, and living vicariously through their enjoyment. furthermore, the line was much shorter and there were fewer people on the tour… so it felt like we had the whole place to ourselves.

because of the rain, i found myself taking less fotos and spending more time reveling in and soaking up the moment… and doing my best to keep warm!

if i close my eyes, i can whisk myself away to some of those moments, and revisit and remember the experience so richly.

i love his hoodie

i love my hat

did i mention that these friends of mine are like the empire state building… in that, they are very very tall?!{especially standing next to me – haha!}  😉

 

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{saturdays in the garden – volume two}

8 Apr

some updates on my community garden…

 

my uncle helped me make repurpose some materials and make these trellises for my peas and cucumbers. last year, thanks to a good friend, i learned a lot about vertical gardening… particularly, how it helps in maximizing space. since my plot is only 4 x 8, i was adamant about making sure to get the most food i could growing in there.

in particular, peas and cucumbers. they were the most fun to grow last year, and i had quite the bounty. not to mention the taste – so fresh and delicious!

i do love my garden!

another shot of my plot and trellises…

🙂 Continue reading →

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{social media and stuff}

7 Feb

hey gang.

after a nice long hiatus, i have decided to rejoin the social media world.

call me old-school, but i believe we are living in interesting times, in having these social media worlds to get lost in. and i mean just that; we can truly lose ourselves in them. both in an imaginative sense, by finding inspiration or muse in a foto or post… and also in a literal sense, by convincing ourselves that these filtered-versions of life are a substitute for an innate desire to offer and receive a genuine connection with others.

for me, nothing is more worthwhile than sitting face to face with another human being and connecting… reveling in all the energies that swirl around by being present and honest, and sharing a meaningful interaction. however, it is also enjoyable to have a medium like this in which to connect and relate to others.

i guess, for me, the most crucial thing is finding and maintaining the balance.

as a reminder, you can follow me on social media at these accounts :

instagram – @foodnfoto

facebook – @foodnfoto

pinterest – @foodnfoto

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thank you to those of you who have continued to engage and inspire me. i don’t know if i can properly convey to you all how thankful i am to have this outlet to express myself and my passions in. i don’t know if i can properly convey to you all how thankful i am to have you as followers, readers, commenters, and friends. from the bottom of my heart, please know that i am thankful for each one of you… sincerely.

 

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{happy birthday to me!}

22 Nov

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looking forward to a healthy year… mind, body, and spirit.

i want to take a moment to sincerely thank you all for being a part of my life. for taking the time to read what i write, for enjoying my fotos, for your emails, your comments, your jokes, and your love. i appreciate every word and interaction and cherish each one dearly. some of you have been along for the ride since the very beginning… and it just means so much to me to have you here! ❤

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{follow me on instagram!}

21 Nov

hey friends!

i finally signed up for instagram!  {@foodnfoto}

click here to follow me and we can share even more of the nom-ing and click-ing… and hashtag-ing. 😉

mebrian-3

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{wordless wednesday : life, lately}

16 Mar

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{a lovely walk around the lake}

18 Feb

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once upon a time in february it was 70 degrees, and I walked around a lake in a t-shirt…

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along the way, i spotted lots of beautiful and interesting things… like naked trees and cracks in the earth…

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like, crazy amounts of cracks… like the earth is erupting from below!..

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along the way, i also spotted crazy amounts of geese… walking around, and walking on ice…

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and speaking of ice, i spotted parts of the lake that were still frozen and parts that were melting…

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it was a lovely site… the wind blew crazy in my face and yet the sun on my face kept me crazy warm…

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the clouds were very interesting… and this picture looks like an alien ship about to land!…

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cat tails… everywhere!!!

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shout out to the east coast… and to interesting angles!…

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…

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art… is… everywhere…

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once upon a time, i saw interesting patterns in the ice… and in my shadow…

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and in the geese’s {is that right?!} foot prints…

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and then… one of the geese flapped his wings… and a ton of birds flew by…

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j.good would appreciate this blog ❤ i hope she reads it!

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{the sn-haps}

15 Jan

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{for the love of fall!}

10 Nov

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{summer lovin’}

12 Aug

lots to love this summer!

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eatin’ baked brie with caramelized onions, grapes, and strawberries…

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watchin’ silly movies and dressin’ for random weather… 

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servin’ farm-to-table meals…

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margaritas… and sunglasses…

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seein’ randomness… and plenty of beauty…

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eatin’ dessert with beer and wearin’ new hats…

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catchin’ rays and devourin’ tapas at happy hour…

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random sunrises and… other things…

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workin’ on puzzles… and completin’ them the same night 😉

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eatin’ on the patio and watchin’ sunsets…

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admirin’ the flowers and wearin’ them in my hair…

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tryin’ new cocktails… and appetizers… 

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and balancin’ that with lots of fresh summer veggies…

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and these!…

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takin’ selfies… and stayin’ true to me…

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havin’ friends who are chefs!!!!… 

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for real… i have some SUPER talented friends!!!!….

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keepin’ an open eye… 

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red lobster’s crabfest!… and the boozie drink they served me… it came with a sidecar of gran marnier… which, i was lovin’… and which also totally made me buy dessert! {key lime pie!}

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cloud-watchin’….

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fresh beer and BLTs… and coffee! 

and i’m lovin’ the fact that my hair is finally growin’!

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what are YOU lovin’ about summer?!?!

🙂

❤

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