my dream wedding

the idea of planning a wedding horrifies me. i've co-hosted three parties and that was enough stress for one lifetime thankyou.

truth be told, john and i live on a very modest budget. we don't give in to societal pressures and with what we understand about the marriage license, we'd never allow one in our relationship. 

but last night in my dreams, we were united in a beautiful ceremony by the lake. everyone i knew was there, even the boys from the bus stop. celine dion was there too, singing the bridal chorus! ha, who knew i was such a fan!



it wasn't the details that made it my dream wedding - it was the way i felt. there was so much love. everyone was dancing and laughing. i don't remember my dress or my hair, but i do remember an immense feeling of joy. i remember picking flowers for the bouquets and delighting in a coral-blue sunset. it felt like heaven.

so if john and i never have a real ceremony, know that you were at my dream wedding. you danced the night away, you looked great, and we thank you for being there.=)

photo source

september food swap

the fourth south jersey food swap was a success. there were about twelve swappers and a few mini-swappers trading play-dough, plants and handmade jewelry. other items up for swap were:

• homegrown produce
• pollinator plants
• raw lara bars
• dried hydrangea
• granola
• flax crackers
• mod podge
• wine bottle tiki-torches
• oil-free salad dressing
• roasted eggplant and red pepper dip
• homemade soap
• strawberry applesauce
• and a variety of baked goods.

this time i swapped crocheted apple cozies, raw fruit wrap-ups and herb bundles consisting of sage, rosemary and thyme. you can see in the first two photos the little fruit rolls i made for sampling. the kids, who we know can be the toughest food critics, all gave them the thumbs-up! (and thank goodness kids were there - they were the only ones who wanted my apple cozies!=)

i fell in love with the roasted eggplant and red pepper dip. i've have already made it once, and i'm making it again tonight! it's delicious and nutritious, and it just so happens they were giving away extra eggplant and red peppers at the csa today!

organic csa haul from muth family farm

tonight while the oven's on roasting the red peppers, eggplant and garlic, i'm going to try baking a banana bread with strawberry applesauce in place of the oil. hopefully it doesn't take on a garlic flavor. i'll let you know how it turns out!

edit: it turned out fine! no garlic flavor detected at all.

food swap friday

tonight i'll be swapping apple cozies and raw fruit wrap-ups at the bellview winery. i've heard other swappers are bringing roasted eggplant and red pepper dip, maple pecan butter, homemade play-dough and lara bars! i'll be back soon with a recap!

pressed flower framed heart

i made this flower heart frame for a wedding in early september. attached was a card - "this gift was made with flowers that bloomed the summer of your wedding." i wanted to say something more poetical but that's all i could come up with. my intention was to give the couple a handmade floral keepsake to commemorate the months leading up to their big day.

yours truly attended the wedding as the nanny!=) there were five children ages 2 through 6 in the wedding and along with another girl, i helped care for the kids. it was a challenge, but i had a good time. it took place at the beautiful smithville inn, and we got to ride the carousel in our dresses!=)

most of the flowers in the frame were pressed in july/early august. at first i was pressing them inside books between sheets of tissue paper, but this left creases. so now i use sheets of computer paper or nothing at all. the books are stacked high, and the freshest flowers are on the bottom. the photos i took to show you this process were accidentally deleted. it's pretty simple. just make sure the flowers are really dry in the center before you press!

sunshine days

the plumeria from my mom is producing the nicest-scented blooms. they were supposed to be pink but i'm happy they're yellow. they look really pretty in the garden this time of year.

my niece alaina turned five. alaina's the sweetest little soul i've ever known. she gets excited over heart-shaped rocks and gushes over kati-cat's "little feet". she came with me to babysit and helped baby kev go down the slide by himself, saying things like "it's alright little buddy". oh the cuteness!

winter squash is in and i couldn't be more thrilled! kabocha is my favorite for its flavor, but i love that acorn squash is its own flower-shaped bowl. it's perfect with sweet sage butter, toasted walnuts and a side of garden green beans, and tastes even better reheated the next day for lunch.
 

these are the last of the sunflowers. it's actually one plant with multiple heads. i always say it - next year i need to plant more sunflowers! soon it will be time to plant the garlic and tulip bulbs for spring. oh where did the summer go? i'm certainly soaking in these last days!=)

p.s. honestly, it has hasn't been all sunshine over here. i've been feeling sort of sad and frustrated lately, but i like to keep my blog positive and not get into it here. i'm ok and don't want anyone to worry, just know that i haven't been around so much because i've been trying to rest my arm and keep to myself. i'm sure no one wants to read the rants that i'd be posting otherwise.=)