missing travel

Lately I have really been missing traveling, so I've been looking through old pictures I took in far away places. I'm not sure if that is helping my situation or making it worse, but it is fun to relive the memories. A picture really is worth a thousand words. . .

Montemarte, Paris, Fance

tuesday: something to love

Wow. . .almost missed this one because all day long I have legitimately thought that today was Saturday. . .not sure why but I have. Anyway. . .

I made this today.


Out of one of my favorite cookbooks: Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child. Yes, I almost cried when I took the first bite. Absolutely delicious!! Look for my recipe over here: Sugar, Spice, Savor.

I hope your week is beginning well!

where I want to be right now

Right now I really want to be. . .
somewhere with palm trees. . .

Los Angles, CA

somewhere with sandy beaches. . .

Manhattan Beach, CA

or you know I would just settle for being on this beach. . .

Near Auckland, NZ

tuesday: something to love (a little late)

I am deeply sorry that I did not post yesterday. By the time I had a spare minute last night I was so exhausted I couldn't keep my eyes open.

One of the reasons I was so tired yesterday is that I put in my garden. . .finally! I'm so excited for it to grow and flourish and bring forth good produce. I'm getting a few more plants to put in today, some mint and strawberries.


Yes, I got all of my garden stuff loaded into my mini. . .it was quite the adventure!


I was low riding on the way home.


and my pretty little garden! Next to the tomatoes, I have planted french green beans, and then at the other end I have cilantro planted. It's going to be a yummy summer!!

just a little reminder

. . .that you should take a little time to savor life. That is what I will be doing for the next couple of days.

tuesday: something to love

I miss this place. And I love this place. Hopefully, I will one day return here.

Huka Falls, Taupo, NZ

tuesday: something to love

Yes, I know that it is Wednesday. I was going to post this yesterday, but I could not find the external hard drive that I put the pictures on I wanted to use. I finally found it late last night, but it was late and I needed to go to sleep. I was just looking back through my something to love posts and realized that most of my recent ones the main subject is flowers. I guess it is just that time of year, and I love flowers greatly. However, I will try next week to get creative and photograph something else. Promise.

These flowers were just so happy that I couldn't resist photographing them. I love happy yellow flowers.

tuesday: something to love

Getting wonderful Birthday presents. . .I'm not hard to please. Just give me a bunch of beautiful flowers and I'm the happiest girl in the world!! Thanks, H, for the sweet gift!! And thanks to everyone else who gave me sweet and thoughtful gifts and made my birthday a good one!!

a study in dandelions

There are a couple of dandelions in my backyard and when I was sitting outside yesterday the light was catching them just right. These are my results.

tuesday: something to love

This is not only Tuesday, but it is TOMS One Day Without Shoes. The one day that we all go without our shoes so that children don't have to. It's a day to raise awareness that there are children all over the world who go without shoes every day. For more information visit here. So in honor of One Day Without Shoes, here are a couple of my favorite TOMS pics.



And I just had to throw this pic in because the clouds were amazing yesterday afternoon. I snapped this pic in my backyard.


And I hope this is what your feet look like today.

Photo kudos to Connally

tuesday: something to love

It's spring, but hasn't really felt like it the last couple of days. So here are some spring-y photos for you all. And here's to wishing Spring will come back again in short order. I took these at the Missouri State Capitol building in Jefferson City almost two summers ago in the middle of a trip to Columbia, MO for a friend's college graduation.

tuesday: something to love

It was easy to find things to love this week. It is officially Spring, and what's more it has felt like Spring. There are some who say we will have one more bout of Winter before it is really Spring, but I would have to say I disagree with them. Spring is here, and I'll let tomorrow worry about tomorrow.


I took a flying trip up to see my parents over the weekend. I love their fountain in the middle of the pond in the backyard. Lovely!


Breakfast outside in gorgeous weather. . .yes, please!! Coffee, OJ, Oatmeal, and Greek Yogurt. . .Yum!


The flowers have returned!! Yay! The other day I was experimenting with perspective. . .this is one of the results.

tuesday: something to love

Monday nights I like to go hang out at the Farmers Gastropub, and this last Monday night I had a Guinness. It reminded me of this lovely trip I took one time, and I actually went to the Guinness factory in Dublin. There is really no experience quite like drinking a Guinness in the gravity bar at the very top of the factory. It has the best views in Dublin. Such fun!

tuesday: something to love

Hello rainy morning Tuesday! There are few things I love more than baking on a rainy morning. Pop on over here to see what I'm baking this morning.

tuesday: something to love

I love new challenges and new adventures. This is my latest adventure: Sugar, Spice, Savor. I'm excited to see where this will go. . .because you know how much I love to cook.

i forgot about these. . .

I had forgotten that I took these pictures a couple weeks ago at my favorite coffeeshop. I love how the decor of this particular coffeeshop is very beachy. . .you know how much I love the beach. But I also love the sound of milk steaming and the relaxed atmosphere that a coffeeshop provides. This is literally one of my favorite places in the world. Now if only IT were by the beach. . .

tuesday: something to love

People from work are getting sick, so I have been called in already once this week, and am going in early again today. I just pray that I am not added among the numbers of the growing sickness. Winter seems to be coming back a little bit after giving us a short hiatus this last week or so. These things among others has just made me feel kind of blah on this Tuesday morning. It is good to remember things that I love and enjoy.

Champagne and national wine drinking day. . .lovely!

Dreaming of an island getaway. . .I wish.

tuesday: something to love

I don't know about you. . .but baked goods have always been a staple in my food groups. I have been in a kitchen since I was 5. I really have been. My mom has the pictures to prove it. I almost got the boot once when my mom told me that I couldn't cook any more until I started cleaning up my messes. Needless to say, I learned how to clean up after myself.

But baked goods have always been a part of my life. I think it comes from my dad's side of the family because my grandma is a fantastic baker!! I was so privileged to get to learn from her during the years that I lived close to my grandparents. I loved getting to spend time in her kitchen.

Here are a couple of things I have been baking lately.


Have I ever mentioned that I'm a bit obsessed with British things?? No, well, I am. Scones being among the things I am obsessed with, and my roommate got this fantastic cookbook from a tea shop in New York that has fabulous scone recipes. This is the pumpkin scone. . .with some clotted cream, of course! Oh, and you can't tell from the picture, but this was fresh out of the oven. . .soooo delicious!!


A blogger I follow had posted about the cinnamon rolls that she made during the snowpocalypse of 2011, and I therefore was craving some cinnamon rolls for about 2 weeks before I gave in and made them. Wow, so good!! Looking at this picture is making me crave them again. . .maybe sometime.

where i want to be right now

Have I mentioned that I like the beach? It's warm, the sun is shining, the ocean is providing the background melody. And it's not cold or snowy or miserable. Yes, I wish to be on the beach. . .now where is my genie??

Near Auckland, New Zealand

And I love the texture of the shells on the beach in this pic!!