pink lovelies in the shop

I have added some pink loveliness to my etsy shop in honor of spring arriving~

I think it is going to be a very pink year!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend mes amies,

xx

the Vancouver Olympics

~this photo was taken through the window of the Aquabus - not great but it is such a gorgeous city! I definitely felt a pang of homesickness on this trip...

I snuck up to Vancouver for a night this week to experience all that is *Olympic*. I wanted to feel some of the excitement as well as take photos of a once in a lifetime event.

I stayed with my uncle, who lives at the center of it all - his sailboat is in False Creek and within walking distance (with the help of the Aquabus) to everything. It so happens that he also lives RIGHT underneath the fireworks that go off every evening after 11 pm.

I took the Aquabus across the water from Granville Island to the heart of Yaletown, where I was immediately surrounded by red. I had never been on the little water taxis before but think that I need to take the boys back as they were a great way to see the that part of the city from the water~

~There were so incredible yachts moored there - this one was especially GIGANTIC!

After visiting some of my favorite people ever, I walked around the city, taking photos of things that one would normally not see in Vancouver. There was a lot of activity, but I would guess that there is even more on the weekends (I was there on a Thursday). As I am not one for crowds, this was fine with me.

~the water taxis were busy running people back and forth

On my return trip I shared a water taxi with four athletes from Holland - amazing to see these young incredibly talented people~ I returned to Granville Island and spent time wandering around with my camera.

One thing that I did while I was there was work on shooting strangers. It does not come naturally to me to ask strangers to let me take their photo. This was obviously a fabulous venue in which to start, as people were excited and proud and more than happy to pose for photos in their patriotic gear! Even the Vancouver police were happy to pose with their motorcycles~

I really noticed is the amount of RED walking around! Even my uncle had a red belt and a red vest. Thankfully my mom had given me a pair of red Olympic gloves which I wore proudly.

~I loved this one! The Canadians weren't the only proud fans!

Romantic Homes

I am sure you can imagine my giddiness as I found, bought, and left the book store with this month's Romantic Homes in hand. I am not sure *giddy* totally encompasses my emotions - but it will do for now.

It didn't hurt that I shared a page with the lovely Leeann of Fabulously French, or that, on the very next page you will find the wonderfully inspirational Vicki of French Essence fame. Oh, to be surrounded by such Frenchy loveliness. I am a happy girl indeed~

I also found, finally, my copy of Flea Market Style. I am saving it to savor this evening after my French class while enjoying a glass of wine. I did take a sneak peek and saw, joy of joys, the smiling faces of two of my very favorite people. Two very handsome faces. Love those boys~

in bloom

Seeing as the weather has been lovely this weekend, I went to one of our local nurseries today to pick up some seeds and see what was in bloom. I thought I would share a few photos as there was quite a number of things to shoot~

Have a marvelous week,

xx

my favorite foodie sites

~courtesy La Tartine Gourmande

My favorite foodie sites are always on my sidebar. I check in with them every day, as they provide inspiration when sometimes, I desperately need it. There is everything from cooking to baking to meal planning to tricks of the trade. I admire these women as I really think that they are finding a way to do what they are passionate about, as well as making a life out of it. The photography on some of the sites is truly incredible and yet ANOTHER inspiration for me. I really think you are going to enjoy visiting them as well~

Enjoy~

Aran at Cannelle et Vanille is my hero. She cooks. She photographs. She styles. I have had the. worst. crush. on her. Forever. Oh, and she is nice - that is the kicker. This girl can make an eggshell look sexy. Seriously. case in point:

I definitely *heart* her~ don't you just want to climb into these photos???

Another amazing dual-inspiration blogger is Beatrice from La Tartine Gourmande. The fact that she is French immediately attracted me to her site - her photography (not only of food but of life itself) has kept me there, waiting for new posts, going back through her archives. She is truly an inspiration with her styling ability and the magic she creates with the camera. While her main focus on this site seems to be food, she shoots everything, from landscapes, to farm animals (we all know how much I love those), to people.

Joy the Baker really seems to LOVE what she does. She looks good with flour in her hair (okay, seriously, she always looks good - the girl looks like she belongs in the movies), she bakes everything from sweets and treats to breads to savories. I love that she is so passionate about it all - that she really seems to have found where she is supposed to be. She has also hooked up with two other movie-star-looking lovelies to create a sassy, sexy, fabulously fun event that they host in the LA area - On the Lamb Food and Beverage. If you live anywhere near Los Angeles, I would definitely check it out. Sounds like a memorable event!

Molly from Orangette is one of my favorites because not only has she written a book (that I love) but she lives in my city! She loves to cook, when she is not setting up a fantastical new pizza joint with her cutie of a husband. She also writes for my favorite cooking magazine, has a podcast, and basically fits more things into her life than I think should be possible.

Clotilde from Chocolate & Zucchini was recommended by my French teacher. The beauty of this site is that it is offered both en Anglais et en Francais! Clotilde lives in Paris and writes with such heart as she so clearly loves what she does. She has been blogging since 2003, not to mention she too has a book! She writes not only about cooking and baking, but about menu planning, shopping, what tools to use, and she shares tricks on how to make things work if they are a bit tricky. I really enjoy this blog when I am feeling especially "foodie".

Deb from Smitten Kitchen is fabulous for multiple reasons - one of which is the fact that she creates in a truly tiny space, and yet the magic that comes out of said teeny tiny space is incredible. I love that she takes "in the process" photos along with the finished product. She also will take an existing recipe that calls for processed items and come up with her own version that will be truly from scratch and much healthier, yet just as delicious!

Enjoy your Sunday mes amies, and maybe, cook something marvelous!

xx

spring comes early to the farm

glorious glorious sunshine~

I honestly can't believe how beautiful the weather has been here in Seattle these past few days~

Things are beginning to bloom on the farm, there is growth on nearly every bush, plant, and tree~

The girls have enjoyed free-ranging in the sunshine~

Even the four new babies enjoyed the sunshine streaming in their window~

We spent most of our day outdoors, trying to get some work done, and enjoying the warmth on our faces. Free vitamin D!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend mes amies~

xx