I love these very cool Jenni Kayne sandals with a detached ankle strap...
This multipurpose balm from Olio e Osso in currant...
And this jewelry case from Cuyana...
(All of these would make primo Mother's Day gifts I might add.)
The Latest
It finally feels like spring around here. My peas are coming up through the dirt, the rhubarb is thriving and the morning light is returning.
The last several weeks have been intentionally quiet and lovely. Lots of time in the kitchen and increasingly more time digging in the garden in between the rain showers. Lots of music, little news. Lots of thinking about my work and composing a meaningful life, and that my son will be turning five in a few weeks. It feels like a proper spring renewal.
On the music front I've been listing to Bon Iver's latest album 22, A Million on repeat. Specifically this song cranked up...
I bought a set of these multipurpose stainless clips last year and they remain one of my favorite and most useful things in the kitchen...
I also love this little strawberry huller...
I have a few pairs of jeans that needed an update and I was inspired by these photos...
Above image from Could I Have That
So I got out the fabric scissors and hacked off the ends to give them new life, and now they are pretty perfect.
The recipe is in Franny's cookbook (which Melissa Clark co-authored) and also in Melissa's newest one. In her book the recipe is in grams which I prefer and also makes it super easy to double or triple the recipe. (We let it rise for the full 48 hours by the way.) You can also find the recipe online here.
Happy spring!
Opening to Our Lives
“We call ourselves homo sapiens sapiens. That’s the species name we’ve given ourselves. And that comes from the Latin sapere, which means “to taste” or “to know. “ The species that knows and knows that is knows. And now maybe we need to live ourselves into owning that name by cultivating awareness and awareness of awareness itself and let that be in some sense the guide as to what we’re going to invest in, how we’re going to make decisions about where we live, where we are going to send our kids to school, how we’re going to be at the dinner table. Whether we’re going to take our bodies and our children and our parents for granted, or whether we’re going to live life as if it really mattered moment by moment.
The more we can sort of learn these lessons, the more we will not be in some sense running towards our death, but opening to our lives. There’s a huge distinction between the two. And all the scientific evidence is suggesting that when you choose life in the way I’m talking about, your brain changes in both form and function, your immune system changes, your body changes. I mean, we start to really take care of what’s most important. And there are very, very tangible results at the level of the body, the mind, and the heart, and most importantly our relationships with the world and with our loved ones and with our own bodies.”
From Becoming Wise.
Outdoor Voices
As someone that teaches fitness for living it might be surprising that I don't have an extensive "athleisure" wardrobe. I have a few favorite pants like these and these that I often teach in. But when I am doing my own Pilates workout I don't like any fancy tops with crazy straps or fashion forward cuts. I prefer the same high-waisted, knee length Nike tights I've had for years (similar to these) and my standby cotton tank tops from Target that I wrote about way back when I started this blog four years ago.
However, I have been eyeing a few upgrades from Outdoor Voices. Namely these leggings...
This crop top...
And these merino sweats...
From my wishlist...
I'm looking for a new pair of jeans and keep coming back to these ones...
I love this beautiful oversized cardigan...
I've had these Annie Costello Brown earrings on my wishlist since last spring...
And my favorite Melissa Clark has a new cookbook coming out!
Love as a Skill
Photo from OnBeing
As a gift to yourself (and in turn a gift to everyone else in your life) listen to Alain de Botton and Krista's conversation on "The True Hard Work of Love and Relationships." It's your assignment for the week.
Almond Butter + Maldon Sea Salt Cookies
One more vegan/egg-free cookie recipe I've been enjoying lately (especially with my morning coffee) are these almond butter and Maldon sea salt ones from GP's book GOOP Clean Beauty.
ALMOND BUTTER + SEA SALT COOKIES
Makes 24 small cookies
1 1/2 cups oats, divided
2/3 cup almond butter
1/2 cup coconut sugar
2 Tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp Maldon salt
1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Place 1 cup of oats in the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl and add the remaining 1/2 cup oats, the almond butter, sugar, oil, and salt. Use your fingers and combine the ingredients, making sure they are very well incorporated. Add additional almond butter if necessary.
3. Roll the mixture into 24 small balls and arrange evenly, 1 inch apart, on a large baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes, until lightly browned. Allow to cool completely before serving. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Friday
Ahh Friday. I am happy to see you. It's been a short week actually as we had an unexpected snow day on Monday. Much of that day was spent sitting at this table drinking coffee...
I also made a batch of Pamela's vegan chocolate chip cookies - one of our favorites, especially straight out of the freezer. I am embarrassed to admit that our small household devoured the entire batch in less than two days. I recently discovered that I have an egg sensitivity. Another stellar cookie recipe (that also happens to be egg-free) are these peanut butter ones from Heidi Swanson (again best enjoyed straight from the freezer).
Speaking of Heidi Swanson, you should give her toasted coconut milk a try...
It's been a quietly emotional week. The kind where a bit of melancholy sits below the surface and I can't quite put a finger on it. I am sure the weather is a contributing factor, as are current events but I realized the source is close to home. Kindergarten tours are going on right now so the realization that my son will be one of those little people come September is sinking in. I have this sweet photo of him posted on the inside of my closet at the studio that I've been spending a lot of time looking at...
Children have a profound way of showing you just how quickly time goes by. And while I find great joy in watching D grow and become a little person, at times it feels too fast. I'm feeling that right now. A mix of joy and sadness all at once.
I think a lot about what my favorite poet-philosopher David Whyte said in this conversation that one of the delusions we have is that we can "take a sincere path in life without having our heart broken. And you think about the path of parenting, there’s never been a mother or father since the beginning of time who hasn’t had their heart broken by their children. And nothing traumatic has to happen. All they have to do is grow up."
To combat the melancholy I've been spending a lot of time in the kitchen which has always been an excellent form of therapy for me. I've also been writing - lists and letters and just general thoughts which has been made even more enjoyable since I finally bought myself a proper pen. Two actually. Both are brass which I think will patina beautifully. This one for home...
And this one (also available here) I take with me always along with a lined Moleskine notebook...
I also wrote down this quote from Willem Dafoe in my notebook which is pretty much my mantra...
“There’s a real wisdom to not saying a thing.”
It speaks to the introvert in me, but also perfectly explains my personal ethos as a teacher.
Happy weekend.
Stubborn Gladness
A BRIEF FOR THE DEFENSE
Sorrow everywhere. Slaughter everywhere. If babies
are not starving someplace, they are starving
somewhere else. With flies in their nostrils.
But we enjoy our lives because that's what God wants.
Otherwise the mornings before summer dawn would not
be made so fine. The Bengal tiger would not
be fashioned so miraculously well. The poor women
at the fountain are laughing together between
the suffering they have known and the awfulness
in their future, smiling and laughing while somebody
in the village is very sick. There is laughter
every day in the terrible streets of Calcutta,
and the women laugh in the cages of Bombay.
If we deny our happiness, resist our satisfaction,
we lessen the importance of their deprivation.
We must risk delight. We can do without pleasure,
but not delight. Not enjoyment. We must have
the stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruthless
furnace of this world. To make injustice the only
measure of our attention is to praise the Devil.
If the locomotive of the Lord runs us down,
we should give thanks that the end had magnitude.
We must admit there will be music despite everything.
We stand at the prow again of a small ship
anchored late at night in the tiny port
looking over to the sleeping island: the waterfront
is three shuttered cafés and one naked light burning.
To hear the faint sound of oars in the silence as a rowboat
comes slowly out and then goes back is truly worth
all the years of sorrow that are to come.
Jack Gilbert
Read more about Jack Gilbert and his work here.
January 27
As I've mentioned before, I have a cookbook problem. An addiction really. Cookbooks and Clare V bags (as demonstrated by my purchase of this beauty today that was an extra 25% off and is in army green suede)...
Yep. So back to cookbooks, I've only been allowing myself to check them out from the library as of late but then a friend gave me a gift card to the local cookshop and I walked straight to the back and picked up these two that have been on my wishlist...
Gjelina (which includes the recipe for that amazing Kabocha, Olive Oil and Bittersweet Chocolate Cake)...
And Julia Turshen's Small Victories which is crazy good for both a novice in the kitchen and the well-seasoned home cook. The recipes are delicious and simple and she also shares some really fantastic tips. Like the one to make a perfect margarita without a shaker which I utilized this evening...
"Whisk together the juice of one lime with 1 Tbsp agave nectar and 3 Tbsp good-quality tequila. Serve over plenty of ice."
Last night for dinner I made her Potluck Quinoa which was stellar - comprised only of quinoa, hazelnuts browned in a good amount of olive oil, lemon juice, arugula, dill and Maldon salt.
Image from On Being
I've been working my way through the On Being archives and just listened to Krista's conversation with Gwendolyn Zoharah Simmons and Lucas Johnson. It was recorded nearly two years ago but current as ever. Lucas's words on "revolutionary pacifism" stuck with me (especially the bit about the importance of "internal work")...
“Muste would talk about a revolutionary pacifism, right? That was his expression and that was his way of describing this notion of direct engagement. Pacifism was not about neutrality while injustice was around you but it was about finding the courage to respond in love. And I think that it begins with a commitment to love. I describe it as a spiritual discipline, right, as something that requires a lot of internal work in order to see others as opponents but not enemies, to see others a part of the social transformation that you’re seeking to create.”
In the same vein I love this shirt from Everlane...
I also bought these really fantastic pants from Kit & Ace for teaching at the studio. But they look so great and have a nice heavy drape, more like a trouser, that they'd make a great travel pant and are totally appropriate for wearing out on the town...
A few weeks ago we had a stretch of some pretty cold temps which had me searching for a pair of proper winter boots. If the cold returns I think I'd like to order these!
Happy New Year!
Image @Drawbertson