I can't believe these photos are from a trip to Seattle (mentioned here, here, oh and here) over three weeks ago... I still have so many to share. More to come.
Fall Family Mini Shoots:: The Petits
The leaves were bright and fresh, the sun greeted us with a cheery welcome, and yet all that paled in comparison with the energy these two brought to the shoot. Their connection was special and playful, something I look forward to with my littlest, my boy. Their smiles were contagious, and their spirits were high. Karen and Drew, we had a great time with you both... You make our job easy.
See more of this fun shoot here!
See more of this fun shoot here!
Home.
Home., originally uploaded by Tabitha Blue / Fresh Mommy.
Everyone is snuggled soundly in their own beds. And I can't get over how good it feels to say that. Our OWN BEDS. Not to say that by morning a couple of sleepy eyed, bed headed littles won't be pretzeled into the big bed. But, oh how I've missed my bed, the pillow-topped haven that's learned to hug and hold our bodies perfectly tucked between crisp, clean sheets. And the icing on the already it-feels-good-to-be-here cake... the welcoming scents of the best Christmas-y oils being diffused throughout the house upon my arrival.
There really is no place like home.
That beautiful mantra carried us from one side of the great divide to the other. And as flights were delayed and changed, and ultimately taking a full day of travel down to just a few hours separating the west coast from our beloved almost east coast home, I was heel-clickin' it all the way.
Even now, as I thumb type my way through this post on my iPhone after realizing my laptop is also snuggly tucked away, sleeping in my mom's carry-on bag, at her house, I can still hear the echo of that mantra and I'm nodding in agreement. The sound of the white noise from the fan, the rhythmic breaths in-out, in-out of the man I love sleeping next to me, the tucking, and re-tucking in of little legs under the big comforter, the forehead kisses... This is home. And baby, am I glad to be here.
Sunday Citar ~ Direction
Welcome to Sunday Citar! A place where we can all share a piece of inspiration through quotes. Get ready to link up. Here we go!
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.”
~ Dr. Suess
My inner compass has been pointing towards home for the last few days now, this long stretch of travel is nearing it's end... at least for a little while. It always happens this way, the end of travel brings shorter fuses and quicker tempers. I don't always say the right things or answer the way I want to. I'm missing my husband.
But even when opposing directions steer miles between us, our hearts always seem to find True North, and intertwine themselves so you can't tell one from the other.
And like clockwork, he calls at the right moment, his calm, assuring voice sets my emotions back at ease.
Today brought with it more of the ordinary and extraordinary rolled into one. But after a day full of work, that's about all I have the energy to say... my teething babe with a backwards sleeping schedule is now soundly snuggled next to me, his sweet baby scent begging for a cuddle and I'm rocking out this exhaustion the best I know how... with my own GPS set on HOME, ready for that time of year. The beautiful extraordinary busy-ness that lasts through the rest of the year and the holes we find of quiet and rest, the ordinary moments that are so amazing to us.
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.”
~ Dr. Suess
My inner compass has been pointing towards home for the last few days now, this long stretch of travel is nearing it's end... at least for a little while. It always happens this way, the end of travel brings shorter fuses and quicker tempers. I don't always say the right things or answer the way I want to. I'm missing my husband.
But even when opposing directions steer miles between us, our hearts always seem to find True North, and intertwine themselves so you can't tell one from the other.
And like clockwork, he calls at the right moment, his calm, assuring voice sets my emotions back at ease.
Today brought with it more of the ordinary and extraordinary rolled into one. But after a day full of work, that's about all I have the energy to say... my teething babe with a backwards sleeping schedule is now soundly snuggled next to me, his sweet baby scent begging for a cuddle and I'm rocking out this exhaustion the best I know how... with my own GPS set on HOME, ready for that time of year. The beautiful extraordinary busy-ness that lasts through the rest of the year and the holes we find of quiet and rest, the ordinary moments that are so amazing to us.
*********************************************
I would love to have you join the Sunday Citar inspiration and have all of us come to your blog to read what quotes inspire you! Simply write your own post on your blog, link within your post to my blog, and sign up with Mr. Linky below, leaving your name and the link directly to your Sunday Citar post. Just click here if any of that sounds confusing. There you'll be able to get the complete rundown, as well as learn how to link back to my blog if you don't already know how. Take a moment a visit a few participants... you'll be glad you did!
Unconventionally Thankful
Though I feel I should be writing the perpetually bright and shiny thankful post, in this moment, where I am, it feels a little to cliché. Does that mean I'm not grateful, that I'm not thankful? The answer is entirely the opposite... because thankful is the state I've been living in lately, and it's a good place to be. A placed I've settled into that seams the moments of euphoria and frustration... and everything in between. The more I dwell here, the more I recognize how important it all is.
And even today, as my mom, my littlest little and I celebrated in the most unconventional of ways, I resided in that place. My family is split with our Great States stretched out between us, and yet for them my heart is constantly singing an anthem of gratitude.
Tonight, I'm soaking it all in.
We went sans turkey with trimmings and opted for sunset at the beach, hightailing it to the ocean to make it just as the sun was at half mast. Took our shoes off and danced our way to the shore as little legs kicked and arms flailed excitedly through the air. We dug our toes into the cold sand and watched as Brayden tried to speed-crawl, breaking his own record, in sand, no less. We rolled and laughed and wiped the remnants away when the dark sky made it just a little too chilly to stay out much longer.
And though it was a busy night at the beach, it was our own form of comfort and calm, the white noise of the ocean serving as a good enough barrier between us and fellow beach goers. It may not be the full bellies of turkey and full homes with football playing in the background comfort of Thanksgiving I crave, but in an unconventional way, it was perfect.
And for that, I'm thankful.
And even today, as my mom, my littlest little and I celebrated in the most unconventional of ways, I resided in that place. My family is split with our Great States stretched out between us, and yet for them my heart is constantly singing an anthem of gratitude.
Tonight, I'm soaking it all in.
We went sans turkey with trimmings and opted for sunset at the beach, hightailing it to the ocean to make it just as the sun was at half mast. Took our shoes off and danced our way to the shore as little legs kicked and arms flailed excitedly through the air. We dug our toes into the cold sand and watched as Brayden tried to speed-crawl, breaking his own record, in sand, no less. We rolled and laughed and wiped the remnants away when the dark sky made it just a little too chilly to stay out much longer.
And though it was a busy night at the beach, it was our own form of comfort and calm, the white noise of the ocean serving as a good enough barrier between us and fellow beach goers. It may not be the full bellies of turkey and full homes with football playing in the background comfort of Thanksgiving I crave, but in an unconventional way, it was perfect.
And for that, I'm thankful.
Blurred Vision
I've been breathing in the thick air of being busy lately, and it's intoxication has me waking to thoughts of What day is it? and What city am I in? Strangely enough, I'm comforted by the fact that a sleepy little body is sidled up next to mine, maybe as much as he's comforted by it. So when nightfall and sleepy eyelids start bringing up those same questions, I can quickly recall the answer.
Suffice it to say, this last month is starting to blur. Moments have turned into days, days into weeks and I'm quickly inhaling oxygen before I lose my breath. I miss you all. I miss the daily reading into your lives, leaving comments and engaging in conversation. The time will come for that again soon, as well as a good travel detox. But for right now, know that I miss you all, and I'm around... just sometimes with a bit of blurred vision.
Holiday Explosion and a Thanksgiving Menu Plan
Do you remember that one time, way back when, with 36 hours between a couple of trips I had to take to the opposite ends of the country, and I mentioned a holiday party and cooking a Thanksgiving meal from scratch?
You remember that? (Name that parody)
Yeah, I wasn't sure that you would.
Since I wasn't going to be around for Thanksgiving this year, and since my heart was set on a big, bountiful, delicious Thanksgiving spread with family, we decided to have our own. Early. Very early.
Our whole weekend was spent in delicious celebration of the holidays. Meshing Fall and the traditions of Thanksgiving seamlessly into Christmas spirit. You guys, the Holidays came and exploded in our house.
Beginning with some serious fall yard cleanup, sweeping those colorful tokens of autumn into pillowed heaps.
And a run for mama. But only after pacing the distance of a few houses and back with Aliyah because she wanted to run tandem. But it was cold. So, I slipped my lone run in after all.
That's how I like to run... alone. It's quiet, save the sound of my footsteps on the pavement that still allow me to tune into the deep breaths in and out, powered by the steady beat flowing through my headphones. There's no pressure, no stress, no need to overachieve. It's just me. Just me and my ever growing challenge to run faster, longer, stronger. I can be myself, wear what I want and think what I want. And running through my beautifully imperfect neighborhood resonates with my beautifully imperfect life... and it feels incredible. Though the burn in my lungs from the cold air doesn't.
But the embers of this amazing weekend were only getting warmed up.
We nursed them to life by donning last year's still-fitting Christmas pajamas, lighting candles, cuddling up for a good movie followed by hours of Christmas music echoing through the house, starting a fire and drinking peppermint hot cocoa in our favorite destination mugs while digging through our Holiday decor... our annual Christmas tree ceremony.
And if that weren't enough to set those embers on fi-yah, the next morning, as we cleared the room to prepare for a house-full of family, my daughter found the empty space perfect for dance recital preparation... an impromptu decision to showcase her burgeoning skills, stocking clad feet and all.
By evening, that same space was filled with hearty chatter, clanking glasses and scraping forks, and the Thanksgiving menu couldn't be eaten fast enough. My baby pulled at my pant legs as I prepped and served the last of the dishes, older littles played musical chairs with their seats until they found the perfect seating arrangement, and the rest played out almost as perfectly as I'd imagined it to be... With the tables being cleared out when bellies were full for enchanting dance showdowns and a slow dance wrapped in my husbands arms.
Babies were passed and loved on, conversations extended into the night huddled around the coffee table and kids had their fill of play. And though it's not quite Thanksgiving yet, and albeit it's hard for me to even attempt putting words to the emotions of gratitude and thankfulness I feel for fear of cheapening it, I'm ever grateful. For family and friends. For those special moments that light the embers of passion in me, making life that much more grand and beautiful. I'm thankful.
And so, without further ado, the menu.
I relied heavily on the vast recipe index of Pioneer Woman to make this Thanksgiving spread a success, with a couple of others thrown in the mix. Here are links to the recipes I used, and if I can do it, anyone can.
1) We brined the turkey and then cooked according to this time chart after spreading butter with the same seasonings used in the brine (except for salt) under the skin and on top of the bird.
2) Creamy Mashed Potatoes
3) Cornbread Dressing with Sausage and Apples, although I used a bag of Pepperidge Farm Cornbread Stuffing and nixed the mushrooms from this recipe. (So, maybe the entire meal wasn't from scratch.)
Here's my altered recipe:
Ingredients
1 bag Pepperidge Farm cornbread stuffing
½ pounds Italian Sausage
2 cups Diced Onion
5 whole Granny Smith Apples, Large Dice
5 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
1 cup White Grape Juice
½ teaspoons Kosher Salt
32 ounces, fluid Low (very Low) Sodium Chicken Broth
1 teaspoon Ground Thyme
½ teaspoons Turmeric (more To Taste)
2 teaspoons Rosemary, Leaves Minced
½ teaspoons (additional) Kosher Salt
Black Pepper To Taste
Fresh Parsley, Minced
Preparation Instructions
In a large skillet, crumble and brown sausage over medium high heat. Remove sausage from skillet and set aside. Without cleaning the skillet, add in diced onions and brown for five minutes. Increase heat to high and add diced apples, brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until deep golden brown.
Decrease heat to medium and pour in juice. Stir and cook to reduce liquid by half, about two to three minutes. Pour apple/onion mixture into a bowl and set aside.
Return skillet to medium heat (again, without washing) and add thyme, turmeric, rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Heat for a few minutes, then set aside.
Add stuffing to a large bowl, then add browned sausage and apple/onion mixture (and juice that might have accumulated.) Next, add broth mixture gradually as you toss the ingredients, being prepared not to use all of the liquid according to your taste.
Check seasonings at the end and add in minced parsley. Pour into a large baking dish and bake at 375 for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown on top.
4) Sweet Potato Casserole, even family members that don't like sweet potatoes loved this!
5) Oven Roasted Asparagus
6) Buttered Rosemary Rolls, I added butter and chopped, fresh rosemary sprigs to the top before baking.
7) Turkey Gravy, make sure to use no- or low-sodium broth if brining your turkey.
8) Pumpkin Pie, I used leftover puree from our pumpkins (before it became pumpkin butter).
9) Moist Pumpkin Spiced Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting, used my own pumpkin puree for these as well.
10) Faux Fall Sangria (recipe coming soon)
11) Dulce de Leche Coffee, minus the booze, I don't think we had any pregnant mamas over, but lots of nursing ones.
I'd love to hear, what are your Thanksgiving plans?
You remember that? (Name that parody)
Yeah, I wasn't sure that you would.
Since I wasn't going to be around for Thanksgiving this year, and since my heart was set on a big, bountiful, delicious Thanksgiving spread with family, we decided to have our own. Early. Very early.
Our whole weekend was spent in delicious celebration of the holidays. Meshing Fall and the traditions of Thanksgiving seamlessly into Christmas spirit. You guys, the Holidays came and exploded in our house.
Beginning with some serious fall yard cleanup, sweeping those colorful tokens of autumn into pillowed heaps.
And a run for mama. But only after pacing the distance of a few houses and back with Aliyah because she wanted to run tandem. But it was cold. So, I slipped my lone run in after all.
That's how I like to run... alone. It's quiet, save the sound of my footsteps on the pavement that still allow me to tune into the deep breaths in and out, powered by the steady beat flowing through my headphones. There's no pressure, no stress, no need to overachieve. It's just me. Just me and my ever growing challenge to run faster, longer, stronger. I can be myself, wear what I want and think what I want. And running through my beautifully imperfect neighborhood resonates with my beautifully imperfect life... and it feels incredible. Though the burn in my lungs from the cold air doesn't.
But the embers of this amazing weekend were only getting warmed up.
We nursed them to life by donning last year's still-fitting Christmas pajamas, lighting candles, cuddling up for a good movie followed by hours of Christmas music echoing through the house, starting a fire and drinking peppermint hot cocoa in our favorite destination mugs while digging through our Holiday decor... our annual Christmas tree ceremony.
And if that weren't enough to set those embers on fi-yah, the next morning, as we cleared the room to prepare for a house-full of family, my daughter found the empty space perfect for dance recital preparation... an impromptu decision to showcase her burgeoning skills, stocking clad feet and all.
By evening, that same space was filled with hearty chatter, clanking glasses and scraping forks, and the Thanksgiving menu couldn't be eaten fast enough. My baby pulled at my pant legs as I prepped and served the last of the dishes, older littles played musical chairs with their seats until they found the perfect seating arrangement, and the rest played out almost as perfectly as I'd imagined it to be... With the tables being cleared out when bellies were full for enchanting dance showdowns and a slow dance wrapped in my husbands arms.
Babies were passed and loved on, conversations extended into the night huddled around the coffee table and kids had their fill of play. And though it's not quite Thanksgiving yet, and albeit it's hard for me to even attempt putting words to the emotions of gratitude and thankfulness I feel for fear of cheapening it, I'm ever grateful. For family and friends. For those special moments that light the embers of passion in me, making life that much more grand and beautiful. I'm thankful.
And so, without further ado, the menu.
I relied heavily on the vast recipe index of Pioneer Woman to make this Thanksgiving spread a success, with a couple of others thrown in the mix. Here are links to the recipes I used, and if I can do it, anyone can.
1) We brined the turkey and then cooked according to this time chart after spreading butter with the same seasonings used in the brine (except for salt) under the skin and on top of the bird.
2) Creamy Mashed Potatoes
3) Cornbread Dressing with Sausage and Apples, although I used a bag of Pepperidge Farm Cornbread Stuffing and nixed the mushrooms from this recipe. (So, maybe the entire meal wasn't from scratch.)
Here's my altered recipe:
Ingredients
1 bag Pepperidge Farm cornbread stuffing
½ pounds Italian Sausage
2 cups Diced Onion
5 whole Granny Smith Apples, Large Dice
5 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
1 cup White Grape Juice
½ teaspoons Kosher Salt
32 ounces, fluid Low (very Low) Sodium Chicken Broth
1 teaspoon Ground Thyme
½ teaspoons Turmeric (more To Taste)
2 teaspoons Rosemary, Leaves Minced
½ teaspoons (additional) Kosher Salt
Black Pepper To Taste
Fresh Parsley, Minced
Preparation Instructions
In a large skillet, crumble and brown sausage over medium high heat. Remove sausage from skillet and set aside. Without cleaning the skillet, add in diced onions and brown for five minutes. Increase heat to high and add diced apples, brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until deep golden brown.
Decrease heat to medium and pour in juice. Stir and cook to reduce liquid by half, about two to three minutes. Pour apple/onion mixture into a bowl and set aside.
Return skillet to medium heat (again, without washing) and add thyme, turmeric, rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Heat for a few minutes, then set aside.
Add stuffing to a large bowl, then add browned sausage and apple/onion mixture (and juice that might have accumulated.) Next, add broth mixture gradually as you toss the ingredients, being prepared not to use all of the liquid according to your taste.
Check seasonings at the end and add in minced parsley. Pour into a large baking dish and bake at 375 for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown on top.
4) Sweet Potato Casserole, even family members that don't like sweet potatoes loved this!
5) Oven Roasted Asparagus
6) Buttered Rosemary Rolls, I added butter and chopped, fresh rosemary sprigs to the top before baking.
7) Turkey Gravy, make sure to use no- or low-sodium broth if brining your turkey.
8) Pumpkin Pie, I used leftover puree from our pumpkins (before it became pumpkin butter).
9) Moist Pumpkin Spiced Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting, used my own pumpkin puree for these as well.
10) Faux Fall Sangria (recipe coming soon)
11) Dulce de Leche Coffee, minus the booze, I don't think we had any pregnant mamas over, but lots of nursing ones.
I'd love to hear, what are your Thanksgiving plans?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
