i ♥ tracy porter

a few years ago,

a tracy porter catalog landed in my mailbox.

it was intrigued, because it was

a real family-run business in wisconsin

with tracy as mom and designer AND model

{with their home as the backdrop}

to top it off,

she really reminded me of my dear friend, chris,

so i felt instantly familiar with her.

then i saw this sequined number 

in my favorite color

{modeled by her sister, robyn}

and fell in love.

{and would you get a load of that insane wall?!?!}

the sparkly top was pricey, though, 

so i started searching for a sale.

{yes, i found one & this is one of my favorite pieces ever}

after poking around on tracy's website,

i found her blog.

it was chock full of inspiration.

and not just fashion...

gourmet cooking, gardening, decorating...

and there was a tribe of women, who sounded a lot like me, 

following along & commenting, who would be my future best friends,

but THAT is another story for another day.

tracy's blog became my first stop every morning.

usually, she was sipping earl grey with me

and lending brilliance in one form or another

to send me off on my day.

it was my

:: daily dose of fabulous ::

and her videos were my very favorite.

here is a taste

love her hair in this one:

and her business partner, sarah ~ love her!

soy wax candles!!

and "eyes up"

couldn't find this or this on youtube,

but they are brimming with goodness.

want more?

go here and here

tracy, if you read this,

please know that i am so, so grateful

for the changes and blessing that you have

inspired in my life.

these snippets of you in action

are what i love the most.

i am so hoping that we will see you

soon with your own HGTV show.

in the meantime,

i will revisit these videos

with a grateful heart.

here's another video to inspire YOU!

♥

:: monster blocks ::

wow, it's hot.

we're taking a break from the heat

to build with our

:: monster blocks ::

♥

it's hammock time

my favorite place

my favorite guy

♥

earthly delights :: csa bounty :: week 9

our share this week

{my kids aren't yet home from yellowstone}

yukon gold potatoes

carrots

onion

magic garlic

scallions

rosemary

lacinato "dino" kale

apricots

beans

yellow crookneck squash

cucumber

basil

isn't it beautiful?

♥

:: garlic braiding ::

i spent today with casey from earthly delights

at her garlic braiding workshop.

i learned how to turn these

into these

i helped casey make some garlicky dishes

for lunch {even a citrus-garlic drink}

it was over 100° here today,

so we had spray bottles of lavender water

to mist ourselves & each other

while we enjoyed delicious food

and learned garlic lore & medicinal properties.

we each chose 13 garlic bulbs

and wrapped them in wet towels

to soften the stems

we cleaned & peeled off the outer layers

then, with casey's guidance,

started braiding

 i loved it so much, i made two

casey teaches all sorts of cool workshops.

check them out here.

♥

:: duck update :: field trip #2 ::

this little ducka

visited the duck pond again today.

the goal here is to transition rosa 

from life with humans

to life with ducks.

obstacle one:

rosa is imprinted on humans.

she is ready to follow anyone who walks by.

she almost tripped a lady this morning.

the lady was not charmed.

obstacle two:

it has become evident this week that

rosa's left wing doesn't tuck correctly.

let's hope it snaps into place here pretty soon.

♥

do you ever...?

treat yourself to graeter's ice cream?

well, you should.

made in 2-gallon "french pot" batches,

it comes all the way from cincinnati.

go here to see if it is available near you.

you can thank me later.

♥

the usual & the unusual

i have been enjoying both.

:: the usual ::

{snake necklaces, fur shoes, spontaneous craziness}

:: the unusual ::

{children and ducks peacefully napping, hither & yon}

 {while granola bars bake in the oven}

♥

:: duck update :: field trip #1 ::

yesterday, we took rosa

on a field trip to the duck pond

she can't yet fly, 

so it's too soon to release her,

but i knew she would stay at our heels

and follow us when it was time to go home.

she is an "only duck" and has never

even seen other ducks before.

i think we will do this several times more

before she's ready to stay at the pond.

we have been seeing pip every day,

and she was there to meet rosa.

thank you, mary & matthew,

for helping us with this.

♥

earthly delights :: csa bounty :: week 8

our share this week

reine de glaces lettuce head

lettuce mix

☼magic garlic☼

{makes your dreams come true}

bulls blood beets

kale/collard green bouquet 

basil

chives

superschmeltz kohlrabi

lovage

{tastes like very strong celery}

patty pan squash

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

our salad greens with lovage

beets with garlic sauce

recipe from our csa newsletter

1. boil beets until tender

2. boil one potato until tender

3. in food processor, combine cooked potato with

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup red wine vinegar {i used balsamic}

2 - 4 cloves garlic

salt & pepper

pinch of crushed red pepper

4. cut the beets into wedges & top with sauce

♥

happy birthday, mom!

♥ happy birthday, mom ♥

we love you.

♥

:: t-shirt bracelets & flip flops ::

we made this super fun & easy craft

at marian's party last night.

we started with old navy bangles
{from the clearance bin - $1.50 each},

{i removed the denim}

old navy flip flops {$2.50 a pair},

{the girls picked their color when they arrived}

and colorful thrifted t-shirts

cut into 1" strips.

here's how:
to begin, tie a knot

{leaving a tail long enough to tie the other end}

then wrap tightly around the bangle
or flip flop strap.
continue until covered,
then tie the ends together.
{do your best to hide the knot}

the girls loved doing this project,
and they loved the end result.

thanks to camilla
at family chic for this idea.


♥

happy birthday, marian!

she is 12 today

she wanted s'mores brownies

{in lieu of cake}

~s'mores brownies~

{we invented them!}

quick & easy recipe:

make your favorite brownies & allow to cool.

top with marshmallows & broil until golden.

add chocolate & graham crackers

to toasty marshmallows just before serving.

serve with vanilla ice cream.

yum.

pink sparkly toms

elephant tshirt

~happy girl~

we have a house full of girls tonight.

i'll post our fun craft tomorrow.

happy birthday, marian!

i love you so much.

♥