by Krista | Nov 19, 2010 | Fabulous Friday
Good morning, dear ones. For the first time this fall, I woke to ice on my windshield and nearby hillsides coated in snow. Although I think we had one of the shortest summers in history, I’m actually kind of happy to see winter arrive. The mountains look so beautiful draped in white, and it’s grand to haul out favorite scarves, woolly socks, and my stash of Earl Grey tea. Life feels cozy, like nature itself is giving me permission to slow down and indulge in unheard of luxuries like finishing a book I start, watching an entire movie in one sitting, and uploading pictures that have been waiting, er, well, a long time. 🙂
Some of the pictures I found are from my trip to Ireland a couple summers ago, and today I just have to share a few with you.
These are from a lovely abandoned church I spotted while driving with my friend through the oh-so-green countryside. With the enthusiasm of a girl who’d been dreaming of visiting Ireland her entire life, I begged them to pull over so we could explore. They laughed at me and obliged.
It is a beautiful, solitary place somewhere between Shannon and Killala. Although cars rushed by outside, inside the walls silence reigned. The roof was long gone but the headstones remained, wonderfully weathered, their etchings still readable after all these years.
I wanted to know the stories behind this place. Who built it? Who had worshiped here? Why had it closed down? But there were no signs to explain such things, no little museum or obliging curator to fill in all the details. Instead I wandered, trailing my fingers over the ancient stones, smiling at the perky roses clambering over the rock walls. I read the names: Deirdre, Seamus, Thomas, and felt glad that they had lived. That once this building had welcomed those who worked the land, married and bore children, gossiped in the local pub. It was nice to know there had once been life here.
It was my first stop in Ireland, and the perfect introduction to a gorgeous land steeped in fairy tales and heartache, legend and simplicity.
Thanks for visiting Ireland with me this morning. I hope you have a beautiful weekend and find time to cheer and comfort your heart as you face whatever is going on in your life right now. Big hug and much love. 🙂
by Krista | Nov 12, 2010 | Fabulous Friday
Hooray! It’s Friday!!! I have such lovely things to look forward to this weekend that I want to fast forward through this day and get to the good stuff. So sit back as I share some photos from beautiful Washington, and I’ll tell you all about it. 🙂
I’ve been very ill for the last week and cooped up in my house for so long I’ve got a serious case of cabin fever. Thankfully my lovely doctor has me feeling heaps better and I’m celebrating by visiting a whole slew of dear folks.
Tonight I get to have Chinese food with my grandies and parents, then spend the evening chatting up a storm with a new friend while we sip coffee and indulge in this Mocha Cinnamon Tart.
Saturday I’m heading down to Seattle for a mini-reunion with two dear friends from waaaaay back in the good ol’ days. I haven’t seen them in years and I’m SO excited that at last our paths have crossed once more and we get to catch up over a scrumptious meal and explore downtown Seattle.
Then I get to see my beloved brother and sis-in-law for more good food and great talks, and who knows what mischief we’ll get into. I don’t care what it is. We can sit and stare out the window for all I care – I’m just so happy to get to see so many people I love all in one weekend. 🙂
What are your plans for this weekend? Are you suffering from cabin fever like me? Or are you looking forward to some quiet, cozy moments at home? Whatever your plans, I wish you much happiness and will see you Monday morning bright and early to hear all about your adventures. 🙂
If you have a free moment today, my article on an Amsterdam Flea Market is up at The Travel Belles! Click here to view: A Colorful Grey Day in Amsterdam, and leave a comment to let me know what you think. 🙂
In the meantime I’ll share my favorite dish of this week: Hickory Smoke Salmon with Caramelized Onions. I love it so much I had it for lunch AND dinner today! The onions are cooked until they’re lovely brown and sweet. A handful of brown sugar and some liquid smoke make them even more tasty. Simply pile them on top of your salmon, bake the whole lot for twenty minutes and you will have salmon that is moist and packed with flavor. It keeps well in the fridge and reheats beautifully, so it’s perfect for weekday lunches.
Happy weekend! 🙂
Hickory Smoke Salmon with Caramelized Onions
Ingredients:
1 salmon, split and deboned (can also use fillets)
butter
olive oil
3 large onions, halved and sliced thinly
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp liquid hickory smoke
salt
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Lightly oil a baking sheet and place salmon on top, skin side down. Sprinkle with salt and set aside.
- Melt butter and olive oil in saucepan and add all the onions. Stir and cook for a long time, 20-30 minutes until onions are soft, brown and begin to caramelize.
- Add brown sugar and cook another 5-10 minutes.
- Add liquid hickory smoke, stir and cook for 1 minute.
- Pour onion mixture over salmon.
- Bake 20-30 minutes until salmon is cooked to desired level of doneness.
by Krista | Nov 5, 2010 | Fabulous Friday
Good morning, luvs. 🙂 It’s such a lovely thing to wake up and know that the weekend is just a few short hours away. How marvelous that tonight I get to go grocery shopping, tomorrow I can sleep in, and then I have two whole days to go for walks, visit with dear friends, have a jolly family shindig up in Canada, and maybe even decorate for Christmas!! 🙂
On this chilly Friday morning I have a question to ask you: what do you eat for breakfast? I am in a breakfast rut and want to break out of my scrambled eggs routine. I would love some new ideas that are healthy and delicious. What are some of your favorites or do you do similar things every day too?
Now I just want to rest a while and remember a golden, summer afternoon a while back when my parents, brother, sister-in-law, and I decided to leave the coast behind and drive up into the mountains.
I love going for drives and this day was one of the best. It was deliciously warm and we meandered happily along forested roads, telling stories and listening to music. We stopped for ice cream and they obliged me by occasionally screeching to a halt to let me hop out and take photos of waterfalls, snow-covered peaks, and crystal clear lakes. I thought you might like to join me on a drive up to Mount Baker and Mount Shuksan, one of my favorite drives in Washington State. 🙂
I wish you a beautiful weekend, dear ones. Is there one thing you’re looking forward to most?
PS – Thank you with all my heart for your kind messages, emails and phone calls of support yesterday. You have made this year so beautiful for me with your friendship and kindness. I love learning with you and from you, and whenever I’m having a rough day I just go back to your messages, blogs or Facebook pages and remind myself that there are good people in this world. I feel so lucky to know you. 🙂
by Krista | Oct 29, 2010 | Fabulous Friday
Happy Friday, luvs! 🙂 I’m not feeling so well today, so I’m dressing cozily in sweater and jeans, keeping myself warm with lots of herbal tea, and looking forward to a weekend of resting and reading a jolly good book I found at a thrift store.
Last night I wrote a Master List of all the projects I’m working on and responsible for and realized with certainty that I am a nincompoop. Here I’ve been patting myself on the back for getting better at saying no, but one look at this list made me wonder if there was ANYTHING I’ve said no to! Heavens. No wonder I’m tired! 🙂
So I’ve taken my schedule in hand and am fine tuning it, organizing things by importance and assigning times to get them done. I feel better already. Important things first. Isn’t it amazing how that one little practice makes everything easier?
Once again I am slowing down, evaluating the mantras in my head that make me feel I’m not good enough unless I’m working like a whirling dervish. I don’t want to feel this incessant need to prove myself worthy of respect or love. I AM worthy of those things. So are you. Today I’m going to bask in that knowledge and let go, again, of these ridiculous expectations.
This week I’ve started adding beautiful things into my life that yank me out of work mode and help me settle.
- Reading back issues of Victoria magazine for a few minutes before work. This never, ever fails to cheer, calm and inspire me.
- Looking out the window whilst sipping a cup of tea.
- Going for 15 minute walks on my breaks at work. How good it feels to amble through town, crunching fallen leaves, enjoying all the fall decorations on the darling houses that fill the Dutch town where I live.
Do you ever struggle with this sort of thing? How do you bring yourself back from feeling your value is in what you do rather than who you are? Do you have little mantras that help you think rightly? I’d sure love to hear them. 🙂
I hope you have a GORGEOUS weekend, dear ones! A big hug to you across the miles and a reminder that you are worthy of much love, respect and kindness simply because you’re you. 🙂
by Krista | Oct 22, 2010 | Fabulous Friday
Good morning, luvs! I’m sitting cozy in my big, plaid armchair sipping cinnamon tea and nibbling on crisp, Cameo apple slices. It’s a good way to start a new day.
My eyes feel like dried up salty peas from all the crying I’ve done the last few days. It’s been one of those weeks when painful bits from my past came rushing back in to torment me all over again, trying to tear me down, crush my spirit and make me think I don’t matter much after all. I admit it knocked me down for a while and I felt wretchedly sad, lonely, and unlovable, but then I took a (shaky) deep breath, wiped my tears away and started thinking on good, true things:
- I am not alone.
- I am dearly loved.
- I do matter.
Life is truly beastly sometimes, and thankfully we’re allowed to be a bit of a puddle, to have our weeps and fears and shaky moments, and to withdraw for a while to get that badly needed sleep or just sit quietly with a cup of tea. Then, when we’re ready, we can be brave again, strong enough to see that we really are OK, that life has glorious moments even in the midst of pain, loss, and fear.
I had planned to write a different sort of post for you this morning, but my blogging friend Heather inspired me with her oh-so-real post yesterday. Every day she gathers beauty from around the web to share with her readers, real beauty. But when life handed her pain and heartache she had to share that too, real life. Her words (and courage!) reminded me of my commitment to myself to always be real here.
I was sitting at my desk yesterday when a Mumford & Sons song came on. How I loved these lines:
“And there will come a time, you’ll see, with no more tears.
And love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears.
Get over your hill and see what you find there,
With grace in your heart and flowers in your hair.”
Mumford & Sons
I don’t know what your life is like today, whether things are beautiful, free and happy, or if you too are feeling attacked on all sides. But I hope for patience, courage and peace for you, that you’ll experience love that dismisses your fears, and strength to keep going forward with grace in your heart and, if you’re a bit crazy like me, flowers in your hair.
by Krista | Oct 15, 2010 | Fabulous Friday
Good morning, luvs! 🙂 My whole being is hooraying that it’s Friday at last. It’s been a doozy of a week with much work and recovery from illness, and I’m ready for some sleeping in and a few lazy hours reading whilst sipping my first hot chocolate of the season.
If the rain lets up I simply must get out into the woods again. I spied a new trail I have yet to explore and can’t wait to find out where it leads.
I spent last night cooking up all sorts of delicious things so I can truly relax this weekend: roasted asparagus, buckwheat pancakes with coconut almond sauce, toasted prosciutto, mmm. I’m really looking forward to digging in.
I also want to get started on making Christmas presents and have been having such fun coming up with ideas. What are some of your favorite gifts you’ve made or received in years past? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
And now, dear ones, I’ll leave you with the heart-shaped sunset that so delighted me earlier this week. I hope you have a beautiful weekend. 🙂
Cinnamon Hot Chocolate
Ingredients:
1 packet hot chocolate mix
1 tsp cocoa powder
1/2 cup hot water
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp agave syrup
Directions:
- Combine hot chocolate mix, cocoa powder, hot water, cinnamon and coconut milk.
- Whip heavy cream with agave syrup until soft peaks form.
- Spoon cream on top of hot chocolate and sprinkle with cinnamon.
