A Little Getaway

 A few weeks ago we took a little trip to South Haven, MI. We had never taken a beach vacation due to my Sweet Hubby's extreme dislike of direct sunlight. Also due to his aversion to sand, stemming from an unfortunate incident in his Navy days. You can see what I was up against, right? Luckily I married a man that will do anything for his girls so we hit the road and drove north for our first trip to Michigan.

This is how we travel. Every.single.time. It was just the three of us for this trip, but I'm pretty sure Maddie won't miss it next time.

After a short 3 hour drive, we immediately stopped and bought food for a picnic lunch on the beach and headed there to hang out until check in time.

This girl took to it immediately. Also, don't you love her swimsuit? And is it just me or is she all arms and legs?

Happily hiding in our sun shelter. The weather was amazing! Highs in the mid 70's and sunny. Our kind of summer.

At our Inn we were able to sit on the porch and have drinks. Of course just looking at the sun and water wore this one out.

The next day we drove 20 minutes north to Saugatuck.

 We loved it too. There are so many towns I want to explore in Michigan now.

 We spent the morning visiting shops and exploring.

Then we did stuff you can't do at home like drink beer (I'm pretty sure this sampler was the highlight of the trip for him and the reason he has agreed to go back every year) and chase squirrels around.

I can't believe it took us 10 years of living here to drive 3 hours to get to Michigan. I'm in love. I can't wait to go back next summer. It was a little sad to pack up and say goodbye to our new friends, but we know we'll be back soon.

Flower Walk

It was beautiful here this morning, beautiful in a way I think only Indiana can be on a cool summer morning. I'm sure there are other beautiful places on a July morning, but I love this little spot of the world so much, that my heart says surely there can be no place better.

I looked at the 5 day forecast and was thrilled to see that we will barely rise out of the 70's. Perfection. This has been my favorite summer in the history of summers. And I've had something like 42 of them. This summer feels slow and easy. And balanced. And full of gratitude.

The light was so beautiful this morning I needed to capture it. I wanted to see with my lens, what my eye sometimes misses. I love this yard, this work in progress. This place that we are creating with our hands and ideas.

Since Emma was a wee little girl, in the blooming months, we have been going outside in the mornings for a flower walk. This morning there was a lot blooming. My lavender seems happy.

This phlox is a favorite. I planted some in the front last year and had to have more.

This pink english lavender isn't quite sure if it likes its new home yet.

Love this corner of the front yard.

We have pretty much started from scratch with our landscaping. We have ripped out much of what we inherited, reshaped beds, put in stone borders, moved raised beds and planted, weeded, planted, mulched and planted some more. It is such a labor of love. And money. There have been some misses: I may have badly pruned a favorite hydrangea leaving it with two lovely pink blooms, I can't seem to keep delphinium plants alive in this zone to save my life, I apparently murdered my speedwell, I need to relocate some things I didn't plan very well, something is eating the heck out of my green beans and I honestly just fail at planting pots. But. There have been many successes too and more importantly I enjoy the process more than I ever knew I could. I'm gone. A dirt junky. A flower addict. Stand near me for very long and I will bend your ear for hours about the pleasures of getting your hands in the earth.

But This. This is my most exciting accomplishment as a wannabe gardener. This is the first sign of flower buds on my crape myrtle. This transplanted southern girl has missed crape myrtles above all other southern flowers. This gives me complete joy.

This is the first summer of my gardening life that I have not tired of gardening by approximately mid June. This is a major accomplishment. One that is best celebrated with the purchasing of more flowers I think.

A Big Day for a Big Girl

Yesterday marked a big, important day for our girl Maddie. A big, depressing day for her Momma. Our girl turned 20. I hope to avoid saying that out loud as much as possible. I'm thinking "college age daughter" sounds much better than 20 year old daughter. Where is the time going?

On the plus side, we survived the teen years and have 8 whole months before we have a teenager again. I'm going to make the most of it. And while our Maddie gave us a run for our money during those years and was responsible for many tears, prayers and consumed glasses of wine, I could not be more proud of the girl, no woman, that she has grown into. I love her so much, but more importantly, I really, truly like her and enjoy spending time with her. Cooking is one of our favorite things to do together and she couldn't resist helping make her birthday pie. Of course, there was a kitchen torch involved and nobody in their right mind could pass that up.

She chose S'more Pie from the Back in the Day Bakery which is quickly becoming my go to baking cookbook. 

S'more Pie

• FOR THE CHOCOLATE CUSTARD FILLING:
• 5 large egg yolks
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch, sifted
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 7 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
• 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes, at room temperature
• 1 recipe Graham Cracker Crust, prebaked (see recipe below)
• FOR THE MARSHMALLOW TOPPING:
• 6 large egg white
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST(makes one 9-inch piecrust):
• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs (16 crackers)
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick), unsalted butter, melted
• SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
• Kitchen blowtorch

Directions

• To make crust:Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350˚F.
  In a medium bowl, blend together the graham cracker crust crumbs and brown sugar. Drizzle in the butter and mix with a fork until the crumbs are evenly moistened.
  Press the mixture evenly over the bottom and about halfway up the sides of a 9-inch pie dish. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, until lightly golden. Let cool completely before filling.
  To make filling: Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a heatproof bowl until thick and pale in color. Set aside.
• 
  In a medium saucepan, bring the milk to a gentle boil. Whisk about 1/2 cup of the hot milk into the egg yolks to temper them, so they won’t curdle, then, continuing to whisk, add the remainder of the milk in a steady stream.
• Set the bowl over a medium saucepan of simmering water (do not let the bottom of the bowl touch the water) and cook the egg-milk mixture, whisking constantly, until thick and glossy, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk in the vanilla and melted chocolate until well combined. Let the filling mixture sit for 2 minutes to cool slightly, then whisk in the butter until the custard is smooth and silky. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the chocolate filling so that a skin does not form and let cool for 30 minutes, or until it reaches room temperature.
• When the filling has cooled, pour it into the prepared crust. Cover the pie with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator to chill for at least 3 hours, or overnight.
• 
  To make the marshmallow topping: Put the egg whites, cream of tartar, and sugar in a large heatproof bowl, set the bowl over a medium saucepan of simmering water (do not let the bottom of the bowl touch the water), and whisk constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved and the egg whites are warm to the touch, 3 to 4 minutes. The mixture will appear pale and opaque. Rub a little of the mixture between your fingers to make sure the sugar is completely dissolved.
• Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or leave in the same bowl if using a handheld mixture). Add the vanilla and, starting on low speed, whip the egg whites, gradually increasing the speed to high, until the marshmallow topping is glossy and forms stiff peaks, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Fill a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip with the marshmallow topping and pipe it over the entire surface of the pie, making sure it touches the crust all around. Then loosely pile the rest of the marshmallow topping on top and use a spatula to spread it in big, luscious swirls. (If you don’t have a pastry bag, you can do both steps using a spatula.) Toast the topping lightly with a kitchen blowtorch.
• The pie is best served the same day, but it can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

My notes:
I highly recommend refrigerating the prepared crust with the chocolate layer overnight to make it sturdier for cutting. Our pie actually tasted just as good the next day leftover so don't feel like you have to eat it all the same day, although you may feel it's impossible to resist.

There are quite a few steps to this recipe but you can see from the look of rapture on the birthday girl's face, it was clearly worth it.

Cookie Days

Some days are just cookie days. On Tuesday I had to take my sweet Millie in for a surgical procedure to have her teeth cleaned and have 3 teeth and a mass removed, that fingers crossed, is not cancer. After riding an emotional roller coaster all morning, it became clear that it was the kind of day that required the comfort of home baking.

 I decided to try a new recipe and pulled out my copy of The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook. Before this day if you had asked me if I was a Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookie Girl or a Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Girl, I probably would have claimed to be the latter. Well, let me just say, I've been converted as has everyone in my family. This recipe is it. The one. Done and done.

 Back in the Day Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/2 cups unbleached all- purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temp
2 cups semisweet chocolate chucks
Fleur de sel for sprinkling

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350. Line two cookies sheets with parchment.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, and sea salt; set aside.
In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream together the butter, vanilla and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the eggs and mix for no more than 1 minute; the eggs will not be fully incorporated. Turn the speed down to low and add the dry ingredients in thirds, beating until combined, 1 to 2 minutes. With the mixer running, sprinkle in the chocolate chunks, beating until just combined, about 1 minute.
Use a large ice cream scoop or a 1/4-cup measuring cup to form the cookies and place on the prepared cookie sheets, leaving 2 inches between the cookies to allow for spreading. Lightly tap each cookie with palm of your hand and sprinkle with the fleur de sel.
Bake the cookies, one sheet at the time, for 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time for even doneness. The cookies should be golden brown around the edges but still light in the centers. Let the cookies cool on a wire rack. Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature.

My Notes: I didn't have fine sea salt and substituted kosher salt in it's place. I also didn't sprinkle the top with fleur de sel but will try it next time. I also used regular chocolate chips since that is what I had in the pantry.

All that Glitters

Yesterday morning I woke up to the good news that I had won a drawing to take this class for free. I was so excited because A.) I have loved Andrea's style and jewelery for years and B.) I have been stock piling vintage jewelery bits and pieces for years with the idea that I would some day use them.

Well a lot of some days have passed and I really haven't used any. I have however, continued to collect.  I think the day to start making has finally arrived!

If you have hoarded collected like I have then you may want to join along with this class. It's well worth the $10 to turn some of that stash into something usable.

I even found a stash of stuff I bought several years ago from French General that is just waiting to become something amazing.

 I can't wait to do something special with this colorful flower piece.

And just when I thought that was it, I found this teacup filled with glittery pins.

Let the fun begin!

A New Tradition

I was a girl who grew up moving around constantly and who had no security in my life, consequently I grew up to be an adult that loves security and traditions. I find such comfort in them!

This year we had our first annual July 4th All American BBQ followed by a walk to the park to see the fireworks. The weather, friends and food were all perfect. We couldn't have asked for a better day.

And though we could most likely have seen the fireworks from our backyard, there was something about laying on a blanket in the park, surrounded by our neighbors and friends, Van Morrison playing in the background and the smell of elephant ears permeating the air that made the day complete.

I have always had a particular love for Independence Day. I think the dream of an idyllic small town celebration has always appealed to me, the kind you might see in movies like The Sandlot or Doc Hollywood which happen to be my favorite two 4th of July movies. I bet you've never given much thought to 4th of July movies before have you?

That kind of celebration is exactly what I got this year. I hope it is the first of many. Now that I found my little slice of heaven I'm finding it harder and harder to leave it.

Filled Up

I feel like this post should come with a warning. I had one too many glasses of red wine at the concert in the park tonight and I am feeling at once, full of love for my friends and family, my Village and with tomorrow being July 4th, my country too.

This past week, my lovely, craftiest friend Melissa came to spend her birthday with me for the 2nd year in a row, and between all the shopping and eating we managed to do some creating too. There are few things that make me as happy as sitting on the floor of my studio with a friend and piles of fabric. This pillow was the result of our time together. I love having these souvenirs of our visits.

 The pillow was all her design. She inspires me so much. I just sat in the middle of the floor staring at the piles of fabric she brought with her while she did all the hard work. That's how I roll. I was in a pretty big creative slump before she landed on my doorstep but now my creative well has been filled back up.

The pillow is really just strips of fabric sewed to Ikea tea towels and an envelope back. Super easy, really. But it is hands down my favorite sewing project I've ever done. I just adore a scrappy, crafty project of any kind and these days I am really learning how to be best buddies with my sewing machine, not that I wouldn't dump her in a heartbeat if I had a better offer from a husqvarna viking sewing machine. I guess maybe I'm not that loyal after all. To machines, not people.

Here's the back because if you are like me you like to see the details of stuff like this.

I hope y'all have a wonderful holiday tomorrow. We are having an all American bbq with some friends and then we are going to walk to the park to see the fireworks with some other friends, wrapping up what is likely the most social 2 weeks we have had in quite some time. I'm feeling so blessed this summer. I don't know how my life or my heart could be any more full.