Jun19

Our growing garden

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Our growing garden
Happy Wednesday!:)
It has been an exciting few days here as we are seeing growth in our garden! YAY!:)
There is something so incredible about planting tiny little seeds in the ground and watching life burst up from the ground!:) Although I cannot say I am always patient in watching the process (I want to be enjoying our veggies and lettuce today. hehe)… it truly is such a fun process to watch!
I wanted to share some photos with you of our garden area and some of the growth we are seeing!

garden 3

 This is our garden/patio area
The left side is mainly flowers and foliage… the long area on the right side of the patio is our vegetable garden (beans, cabbage, tomatoes, arugula, lettuce, etc.)
 
pole beans and arugula
 
asparagus fern and salvia
 
cabbage
 
herbs
 
sweet pot vine and fern
 
lavender
 
catmint and thyme
 
I have so enjoyed being able to step outside our door and chop some herbs to use for meals… so fun!:)
I hope you enjoyed a glimpse into our growing garden!:)
 
Have a wonderful day!
 
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Jun14

Petroleum Jelly Painting

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Petroleum Jelly Painting

Happy Friday!:)

Just stopping in to share some more progress on a painting I have been working on this week… I am really enjoying the process of using petroleum jelly! It’s so fun to see the outcome… I plan to share a post with more detail on my process for this piece, but for today I thought I would share some progress photos!:)

painting in progress 1

painting in progress 2

Have a wonderful weekend!:)

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Jun12

Cake for breakfast :)

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Cake for breakfast :)

quinoa cake

Ok, so its not the kind of cake that might initially come to your mind, but its fun to say that we eat cake for breakfast! This is a gluten-free zucchini breakfast cake.  I made it for the first time this week and we really like the flavor and hardy taste it has. I found this recipe, which was the inspiration for making the cake, however I didn’t have all the ingredients, so I improvised and added some other ingredients.  I wanted to share my recipe with you, which is a variation from this original recipe I found over at gluten-free goddess.  There are a decent amount of ingredients, but its worth it, and it really doesn’t take to long to put together!:)

Gluten-Free Zucchini Breakfast Cake

Ingredients:
 
2/3 cups brown rice flour
2/3 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup dry quinoa ground up (I used my coffee bean grinder and it worked great!)
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup ground flax seed
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/3 cup unsweetened flake coconut
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup coconut oil
3 eggs
1-2 tablespoons coconut or almond milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 packed cup shredded zucchini, patted dry (I used a whole zucchini, which amounted to a little more than a cup)
 
Directions:
 
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch Springform pan with  parchment paper (i just stuck a piece in, and after the batter was added, I cut the extra parchment paper off with scissors.
 
In a mixing bowl, add all dry ingredients (the brown rice flour, ground quinoa, sorghum flour, tapioca flour, coconut, baking powder, flax, xanthan gum, sea salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg).
 
In a different bowl, beat all wet ingredients together (eggs, coconut oil, honey, and 2 tablespoon milk, vanilla and almond extract). Batter will be smooth and a little bit sticky.
 
Fold in the shredded zucchini.
 
Spoon batter into springform pan. Get your fingertips wet to smooth the top of the batter in the pan to avoid it sticking to your hands.
 
Bake for about 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cake.
 
wait a few minutes, then release the springform pan and place the cake on a rack to cool.
 
quinoa cake 1
 
Enjoy!:)
This would also be REALLY yummy with some homemade whip cream!:)
 

………

Have a wonderful day!:)

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Jun10

Back in the studio

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Back in the studio

After spending some time unpacking all of my art supplies and putting the studio together after our move last week, I am back in the studio working on a new painting today… vintage wallpaper, canvas, petroleum jelly, and paint… This is my first time experimenting with this combination of mediums/materials. I am really excited to see how this piece develops.  I will keep you posted on progress…:)

painting in progress

I hope you had a restful weekend!:)

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Jun5

Settling In…

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Settling In…

We are officially moved into our new apartment (just a disclaimer…when I say moved in, I mean we still have several unopened boxes and lots of unpacking to do… a good lesson in patience ;)). Thanks to family and friends who helped us in so many ways! We are truly so thankful for the support, the help with packing, loading, unloading…for the delicious meals that we were given, and the warm welcome we have received from nearby neighbors and friends… Thank you!

We pretty much got right to work on our little garden space the day after we moved! I was really excited to plant our herb pot… to plant seeds in the ground for kale, lettuce, spinach, arugula… we planted some cabbage, tomatoes, and we are currently working on getting some flowers and foliage in the ground!:) I am super thankful for our little garden space.  I am not the most patient when it comes to watching something grow, but I am hopeful we will have a good amount of harvest!:)

We are loving the beauty of the land that surrounds our new home…:)

patio view

Sunrise view from our patio

art studio view

view from the window in what will be the art studio

herb pot

Pot of herbs!:)

I will keep you posted on our garden adventures!:)

Have a wonderful day!:)

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May31

Moving Day!

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Moving Day!

moving

It has been a full week of packing!  Today we load everything into a moving truck and tomorrow we hit the road for the move from PA to NY!:) Crazy how fast it has come!

A new home is like a fresh clean canvas on my easel, so much to create and decorate.  I am sure I will have a lot to share as we begin making our new apartment home :)

Have a wonderful day!

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May24

Antique Finds and Moving On…

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Antique Finds and Moving On…

Sharing some of my new antique finds from our little overnight stay in Charm, Ohio (if you missed photos from our  trip, you can find them here).  I usually would wait to post new antiques until I found a place for them in our home, however, Jesse and I are in the process of packing to move… in just about one week! crazy, huh? :) We will be moving to western NY area, pretty much just a short bike ride away from where we first met… Houghton College…:) The last few weeks have been filled with a mix of emotions as you might imagine… it is exciting to look towards what is next, sad to face the reality of leaving friends who have become so dear to us here… fear in not knowing fully what this change will look like, joy in being closer to family and friends, excitement in the midst of this adventure.  I easily feel like I don’t have control over it all and at moments desperately want to feel like I have some sort of control over the move, the unknown, etc… As I desire control, God is reminding me that He is enough; that there is freedom in giving up my control and placing it in the arms of the one who leads our steps.  It is only in Him that loss of control yields freedom, as He reminds us that He will care for us, supplying ALL that we need and that He is the essence of ALL that we long for.  “We know and rely on the love God has for us” (1 John 4:16). I can rely on His perfect love, that He is enough and truly what satisfies.  It has been my prayer that this truth would captivate and change my heart.  It is so beautiful and gracious that He uses all circumstances, experiences, events, relationships, and situations in our lives to draw us closer to Himself!  What an adventure this journey is!:)

…………

I wanted to share my finds… I just get so excited about new antique finds, especially when they are a bargain, and these all were!:) You will be seeing more of these as they find a place in our new home:)

basket 1

locker basket

crock

3 gallon Crock

jar

Mini Mason Jar (you can’t tell from the picture, but it is only 3-4 inches tall… so cute! :)

iron stone

Ironstone Bowl

planter

Iron Planter (maybe for our future herb garden?! :)

Have a wonderful weekend!:)

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May22

Life the Last Few Days

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Life the Last Few Days

We have had a full few days… Jesse graduated on Saturday with his Doctorate in Physical Therapy!:) I am SO proud of him!:) We had a wonderful time cerebrating and having family with us for the day!

jesse

Even a cap, gown, and doctoral degree couldn’t keep him from climbing a tree…that’s my hubby!;)

Jesse and me

Jesse and I traveled to Charm, Ohio early Monday morning to stay at a Bed & Breakfast, Charm Countryview Inn… we had been given a nights stay there as a gift! It was an absolutely beautiful area… located in Holmes County, home of the world’s largest Amish community. …mountains, country meadows, farms, singing birds, horses, rolling hills, beautiful color, home cooked breakfast… truly a wonderful way to get away and rest, taking in the beauty of all that was around.  We also got to visit several antique shops (my favorite :)) in nearby villages, which was so exciting! We picked up a few new finds, which I will share on Friday!:) I wanted to share some photos with you from our trip!:)

b and b

Charm Countryview Inn

land 1

land 2

horse 1

horse 2

flowers

land

horse 3

horse

birds

fence

fountain

birdhouse

birds nest

clothes line

land 3

 Have a wonderful day!:)

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May17

New Art Desk & An Exciting Weekend

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New Art Desk & An Exciting Weekend

 I wanted to share with you my new art desk that Jesse built for me! YAY!:) He has been talking about making me a new art desk for a long time to replace the little desk I have been using that we found at a yard sale.  As soon as he had a week off to do so, he built it! I absolutely LOVE it… I have so much more desk space to create and put all of my supplies…and the style is perfect!:) I can’t tell you what a difference it makes to have a good work space/desk… My creating process seems that much more exciting… I know it probably sounds silly, but it really makes a difference for me.:)

He bought all the building supplies at Lowe’s.  The finish was done in multiple layers using aged oak stain, white paint, petroleum jelly (similar process to our recent chair makeover), dark furniture wax (Annie Sloan), and clear furniture wax.

art desk 1

art desk

art desk 2

…………

On another note…We have an exciting weekend ahead… This photo is from the day Jesse and I graduated from Houghton College in 2009.  Tomorrow, Jesse will put on a cap and gown one more time to graduate with his Doctorate  of Physical Therapy!:) I could not be more proud of him and am so so excited for him to graduate and to celebrate this incredible journey that we have been on! Go get em babe! ;)

grad

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!:)

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