Hmm...

So it's been raining. All day. And I've been driving. All day. Which means I've had time to think...maybe too much...about too many things:

{brilliant photo above via Made You Blush}

Have I told you I'm obsessed with Bikram Yoga? If not, I am.

I want to go on vacation. Like, to the beach. And lay in a hammock. All day.

I want another dog. A bigger dog. A wheaten terrier, named Barley. So I can teach him to hang out the very back window of the 4Runner. (Poppy can't quite figure that one out).

I'm terrified of spiders. But I would probably eat one if I could only have a dishwasher. A real one. Not me. Or C.

C is off to Vegas this weekend. I should be sad. (I am). But, I'm also secretly excited to sit around and do nothing. Except read. And get a pedicure. And organize our closet. And make Christmas decorations. And watch movies...that he would loathe. And go to Bikram Yoga. Everyday. Maybe twice a day. Just kidding...but really, everday. And...go shopping? Hmm...

I want to be Martha Stewart. Not really. I just want to be able to hire all the brilliant people that work under her and make her millions. Yes, that would be nice.

I want to go to Guatemala. And Ethiopia. And love on all the babies and children and people who need love more than anyone else I can think of.

I want to adopt.

I can't wait for Seattle. In December. And sleeping in. Drinking coffee. In Pike Place. The Pike Place. And watching sea planes land in the Sound. And celebrating our bdays.

I sometimes think C is brilliant. Or maybe all the time. You should see (or taste) what he does in the kitchen. And he just makes it up. I mean...come on. I have to follow a dang recipe.

So...yes. Too much time to think. Thank you rain. And windshield wipers. And my job.



Oh, by the way...please remember my good friends in the morning (see post below). Surgery is 7 a.m.!

Big prayers for little H.

We're really needing each and everyone's support in prayers throughout the rest of this week. Our good friends, Bo and Geneva brought sweet baby Hudson into this world this past July. He's such a little gift, straight from God, and has blessed Bo and Neeva to no end...not to mention all of his "Aunts and Uncles," myself generously included. This little man is so wonderful....such a delight...and he needs all the prayer and support he can get at the moment.

Baby Hudson will be undergoing an extensive open-heart surgery this coming Thursday, November 19 in Cincinnati, Ohio. This sweet baby boy was born with a heart that simply doesn't function properly, which can be a common health concern among down syndrome infants. My heart hurts...so much...for baby H...and his parents. Life has a tendency of throwing us challenges, and I know this surgery must be one of the biggest for such wonderful, loving parents.

Please pray that the surgery on Thursday will be performed perfectly...that the surgeon's and nurses' hands will be blessed, and that baby H and his heart will be blessed with an undeniable strength....that he will endure the surgery just fine...and have an incredibly fast, smooth and blessed recovery.

Please pray that Bo and Geneva will find absolute peace in their hearts and their minds the rest of this week, especially on Thursday. Pray that there will be no fear...only excitement and anticipation to be able to raise a healthy baby boy with a strong heart that functions perfectly. Please, please...pray for the Harris family. And if prayer isn't quite your style, please, please keep them in your thoughts.

* photographs complements of the ever-so-talented Kristin Tatem Photography.

B, for Banana.

:::

So, C came home from work the other night with an armful of overly ripe bananas. He was so excited to bring them home to me, calling me and saying he had a surprise, and, I have to say, I was just as excited to receive them! So I've been baking. And baking some more. And it's been lovely. Last night C and I made a family staple--the banana cake that we all love so much we served it as dessert at our wedding. It didn't disappoint. And tonight I continued the banana bake-a-thon by whipping up my favorite healthy banana bread recipe. It's torture sitting here waiting for it to cool, so I thought I'd distract myself and pass along the recipe to all of you.

To bake a loaf of your very own healthy banana bread, you will need:

1/3 C natural apple sauce
3/4 C brown sugar
3 egg whites
2-3 very ripe, mashed bananas (I use 3, of course).
1/3 C water
1 2/3 C whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder

After digging around your pantry and accumulating the above ingredients, you will:

Preheat your oven to 350.
Mix apple sauce and sugar.
Stir in eggs, then bananas, then water.
Stir in dry ingredients.
Pour mixture into a loaf pan and bake 55-60 minutes or until knife comes out clean.

*A few tidbits I feel compelled to share:

My loaf always bakes much more quickly than 60 min. Tonight 40 minutes happened to be the magic number. Keep a close eye out.

I add at least one more little dollop of apple sauce to ensure against dryness. Very precise, I know. :)

Two bananas certainly does not satisfy mine or my husband's palette. Three hardly does. Use your taste buds' discretion.

And, enjoy, knowing that you are biting away at a delightful loaf of bread made with wholesome ingredients. No processed, white sugar or white flour.

Mmm...this will surely make my morning.

Get-a-way.

::: , via :::

Trying to pack,

:::

to take a trip,

:::

to the sea coast,

:::

where time drifts slowly,

:::

to celebrate our very first wedding anniversary.

Cheers to a lovely October weekend.

Fall-ish.

How very much I love this season, and everything that comes with it. The wondrous, brisk air that beckons cozy scarves and knee-high boots; warm nights in front of the crackling fire with a cup of frothy cocoa in hand; hand-in-hand walks through our historic, tree-lined neighborhood, tripping over one another's feet because we are unable to divert our eyes from God's magnificent display of colors in the treetops; pumpkin carving and chili feasting around the fire pit, in the backyard, with all the ones we love. Dearest fall, I simply adore you.

warm, rustic dining.

and the accompaniment of best friends.

boots. oh, boots.

and oh, that distressed wood.

Our pumpkins. *

hay bails.

farmland.

menswear.

and books.

thoughts of Our wedding.

yellow leaves.

firewood.

fireplaces.

fires.

rain.

cold, dark, cozy rain.

again, fireplaces.

deep, dark paint colors.

* is my own photo.

furthermore, each of the above photos is linked to its original owner.

So there you have it. My utmost adoration for fall. Enjoy your night, as I am nestled in next to the fire, awaiting my hubby to join me for a delicious bite of pot roast.

Alas....

toast
Originally uploaded by C.Mariani

I know what you're thinking. Or, have been thinking. Some blogger I am. Or was...for that matter. The truth, though, lies in a little implicaton called my "real job," and, "the real world." Yes, I've been busy. So busy that I had to give up (for a short while) this silly little thing I like to call my creative outlet. So, alas, I return. Here's to daydreaming, and sharing those daydreams with you. Here's to maple and shade. Lovely to see you again :)

On the road again...

And oh how I wish it was on the road to a vacation in Paris. Maybe someday. As for now, I'm back on duty in Louisville...working hard to restore the paramount flood damage to the University of Louisville's campus. It's amazing what Servpro (the company I market for) is capable of. So, I must say goodbye for now. Hope to see you trusty readers again in a few days. Enjoy your week!

Ella Mint on Etsy.

So, our shop is up and running, and to top off the excitement, we've shipped a few items to amazing customers (who obviously have amazing taste) who were seeking to add a few new
"ellamints" of fresh & happy to their homes. In the market to do the same? Well...shop away. We have a few select items at the moment, but keep your eye out. Amazing new inventory (very cool pieces of furniture) arriving soon. Time to make room in your house? I think so ;)

So sorry...

I know what you may be thinking...and no, the fact is I haven't abandoned my blog. I'm so sorry that it seems that way. I'm actually a Marketing Rep for Servpro of Lexington...a company that does all sorts of restoration & mitigation in buildings...and, if you haven't heard, Louisville, Kentucky got hit extremely hard with flooding this past Tuesday. So, I've been on site at U of L (basically since Tuesday) helping our amazing crew coordinate the campus cleanup. And, I will be heading back to Louisville bright and early tomorrow morning to return Thursday night at the earliest. So, the blogging hiatus will have to resume. So, for now you will just have to enjoy these wonderfully clever clothes-pin dolls that I discovered through my ever-reliable flickr. See them here.

Can't wait to be back in blog-mode! But for now, I must do my job :)

Fallen quite hard...

For Katie Daisy. I stumbled upon her flickr page, then her etsy shop...and furthermore, her website. I mean truly, she may be the most talented artist I've seen yet. I must, must and...can't wait to purchase some of her prints. She even makes pillows. I'm telling you, I've fallen hard, and may never be able to walk away from her etsy store.






Like I said...adore her work. I mean really, have you ever seen anything like it? If I could...I definitely would buy each and every Katie Daisy offering.