This blog post is dedicated to Abigail, who suggested it.
In my small kitchen with limited storage, where every single item save my cherry pitter have multiple uses, I have an entire half cabinet devoted to Koozie storage. Yes, Koozies, those wonderful little insulators that keep your canned or bottled beverage cold. I did not set out nor intend to have so much of my precious kitchen space devoted to these items, but like other things in life, sometimes that’s just how it goes. Continue reading
The first week of January always feels like such a let down after the crazy rush towards and then relative quiet of the holidays that make up the end of December. We had a mostly lazy last couple of weeks that involved watching many hours of Gilmore Girls – how had I never watched that until recently? – interspersed with catching up on movies while eating hands down the best chocolate cake I make all year. Edie challenged me to an entire day of doing nothing, with an exemption for knitting, which made it doable. Because as anyone who knows me knows, it is pretty near impossible for me to sit still. And to spend an entire day doing nothing? Whoa. Thank goodness for netflix. Continue reading
One of our holiday traditions is Uncle Kevin’s Oyster Stew. Years past, he’s always had a nice big pot of it simmering on the stove welcoming us when we arrive for Thanksgiving eve. This year found me in charge of the oyster stew, stemming out of our offer to bring some of Smiley’s oysters for the purpose of making said stew. Uncle Kevin is not the sort who cooks from recipes nor is he the sort of make the same thing exactly the same way twice, so there was some wiggle room in how I made it. He sent me a link to a recipe that he thinks his was based on once upon a time. I took a brief glance at it and then went about making oyster stew the way I’ve been making it for a few years now, based on his as I know it.
When I first sat down to write my previous post on the cookbooks Abigail passed along, I intended to mention, but mostly skip over the fiestaware pieces in the box of goodies. I’ve collected fiestaware for probably close to twenty years and we’ve used it as our every day ware since we were married, having received a good amount of it as wedding presents. Knowing this, Abigail thought I would enjoy having a few pieces that belonged to her grandmother. In addition to a sugar bowl and creamer set in yellow, there was a sauce boat, large bowl and a large spoon in what we thought was orange. Being a fan of orange, I was quite excited about my new dishes.
I haven’t written much about motherhood here lately – Edie is at an age where I don’t feel it’s appropriate for me to tell her story anymore. Also, she googles herself and this blog comes up and if she’s googling, then chances are her friends are googling and I definitely don’t want to post anything that’s embarrassing to her. Continue reading
It has come to my attention that the practice of wandering around with camera in hand, trying to capture at least part of the magic that is Oysterfest has led some to believe that I know exactly what I’m going to write about here when we get home from Urbanna. Continue reading
My cousin Henry, like myself, was a bit of a sentimental gardener. I remember sitting on his back porch one day, noticing a pot of variegated sedum. When I questioned him about it, he said it came from our Granny’s yard, did I want some? I think I left it behind that visit, but I finally did grab it on a later one. When I couldn’t get the sedum to take in my yard, I grabbed another specimen. That one didn’t make it either. When he moved into the house with Julie, I once again asked about the sedum. He pointed to a pot in a corner of the yard, telling me he hadn’t put it in the dirt yet, but I could have some and could I please make an effort to not kill it this time?
Yeah, that one didn’t make it either. Continue reading
I got a message from my friend Winter last week, asking if I would come take pictures at her wedding. She was having a small ceremony on the property of the groom’s family and wanted someone who already knew at least part of the family to capture the day. Continue reading
It’s been the first full week of school, which means the return of daily structure and routine. I know it’s good to have, I know Edie craves it, but after a summer of no structure, not only does it seem slightly overrated, it’s also slightly shocking to acclimate to. At least it is for me. Continue reading
There are two quintessential Southern beverages – sweet tea and bourbon. We are fans of both here, so while there is almost always bourbon on hand, sweet tea tends to only be around during the summer months. I start making it at some point in May, storing it in my fiesta ware pitchers in the fridge, where it’s on hand until the weather starts demanding hot tea as an afternoon pick-me-up. Continue reading
Chicken Wire & Paper Flowers 