Spring...

is here.

The boys couldn't be happier.

Neither could their mamma.

Sigh.

Clementine Crazy...

We inherited this very prolific seedless citrus tree when we bought our house. I think she's a Clementine but am not absolutely sure. Every year around this time she is absolutely overburdened with fruit, to the point where I am sure the branches will all snap off one by one. I know I should probably be doing something to assist my poor tree through these fruit bearing months, when she is slumped over with offerings, but I've no idea what. Like some sort of thwarted Citrus Midwife.

The fruit from this tree is absolutely amazing...It's sweet and juicy. Perfect. The kids can just walk up and grab a Clementine right off the tree, peel it, and eat it with no worries because there are never any seeds.

And believe me they do.

No matter how many times I go out and sweep up, our lanai will be littered with little bits of orange peel from now until Christmas . Eventually, after Thanksgiving, when it's cold and rainy, I'll begin to care much less about there being orange confetti scattered about. It'll still be there waiting for me in the spring, believe it or not, as a little reminder.

Today we savored the first of hundreds of this season's Clementine's...it did not disappoint.

Our Morning Walk...

Here are some photo's from this morning's walk.


We live in your average 1950's California Ranch style suburban neighborhood, which I adore...but just across a little stream about a block from here you enter this etherial neighborhood that seems like it was carefully relocated from elsewhere. Like a movie set depicting someplace much more rural than this little city we spend most of our days in. I feel like I am walking across a bridge exiting Northern California and entering Vermont or Connecticut (I've never been, but this is what I imagine it's like). Like popping through the Wardrobe to Narnia. It takes my breath away every time and makes me feel so grateful.

The funny thing is that when we bought this house we didn't have a clue this little haven existed. Imagine our surprise when we took our first walk not long after moving in and stumbled on our little passageway. It was like discovering a buried treasure in the backyard.

Needless to say most of our walks take us across the little bridge.

The Bounty...

As promised..photo's of our Pumpkin Patch Bounty.
The 2 huge pumpkins are actually compliments of Nona and Grandpa's Garden.
I have the great fortune of having a father-in-law who is an amazing gardener
and a Mother-in-law who always thinks of her kids and grandkids when planting time rolls around. We also have a sweet collection of mini-pumpkins Nona thoughtfully planted so there would be enough for everyone she loves. They also keep us stocked up on all sizes of tomatoes and zucchini all summer long. We are a lucky bunch!
I appreciate these gifts of fresh, healthy food more and more every year. When I first met my Hubs I had never experienced the joy of a fat, red, juicy tomato fresh from the garden. Let alone chard, broccolli, zucchini, corn, squash and pumpkins. Ever since that first bite I have been a believer. I look forward to that first basket of tomatoes every year and kick off the season the same way each time...The first tomato is sliced into generous sized slices, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper, then devoured.

On the topic of fresh, homegrown food I just finished reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. I adored the book and highly recommend it. I think it is the perfect read for this time of year as we all prepare to celebrate the harvest bounty with our families.

What we've been up to...

We've been easing gently into Fall around here. I picked up my knitting again, found some cozy reading spots for rainy days, gotten all the board games out, gathered some seasonal treasures for our nature bowl, and created a new studio for myself. Every thing's just rolling along.

One of our great reading spots...get's alot of use by the boys.

My new friend...A 1950's Necchi, made it Italy. She's amazing. I named her Bella.

My new Studio space.

A couple bags I have in the studio.

My old (sorta) reliable machine on her desk. That's Sylvia the half lady.

The boys playing Candy Land on a rainy day.

Our Nature Bowl...we fill it with seasonal treasures. Leaves and pumpkins in the Fall, flowers and seed pods in the Spring.....etc.

Yesterday's Art project.

My most recent Thrift store score...and most favorite chair of all time...
sitting nicely with our magazine rack full of two of my other favorite things...
Dwell and Atomic Ranch Magazines.


Hope Fall is finding it's way into your space as well.

A Spring Walk...

We have been lucky enough to receive a healthy dose of spring weather lately....here are some photo's from our recent adventures...