rainy day

enjoying little bits of red around our home.
it is rainy here. officially a sweatshirt & jean kind of day.

love,
natalie

a road trip

we're packing our bags full of mittens, warm knit scarves, flannel & boots for our trip up north to madison for the week. i cannot wait to experience real winter... a season i've missed so much lately.

i have a basket of knitting... basic cotton wash cloths for a friend & a simple scarf for me in a blueish green that reminds me of the ocean.

we're packing a day bag with snacks, too. turkey & pepper jack sandwiches on sprouted bread, yogurt & frozen blueberries, licorice & our favorite kombucha.

we hope to finish reading in the garden of beasts, part of our book club. we like to read aloud to one another. do you do this, too?

well, i painted my nails gold so i guess it is time for a vacation! see you in a week, friends. xo!

love,
natalie

list no. 1

: working on a new project, entitled "print" stay tuned!

: i am drawn to film in twenty-twelve

: in the final stages of grapefruit marmalade. nothing beats the smell of grapefruit simmering on the stove top

: excited for {amy}!

: visiting the yarn shop, health co-op & public library this weekend.

: salad last night- greens from the cold frame, large pieces of grapefruit, roasted edamame & pumpkin seeds sprinkled on top with a mustard vinaigrette. perfect.

love,
natalie

365:: 2011 a year of photos

january:: the beginning of 365.

february:: the start of my internship with the columbia center for urban agriculture. back-breaking work of starting hundreds of trays of seeds. still very rewarding. & my favorite part was, of course, tending to the chickens.

march:: we saved up our money & took the train to chicago for the weekend. we ate delicious food, stopped by some local shops, made a trip to the bean & enjoyed every second of being together. just us.

april:: the beautiful tree in our backyard bloomed & we celebrated my birthday with dear friends.

may:: we savored every day of our last month in columbia. we harvested vegetables from a small front yard garden & graduated from college.





june:: the most difficult of days. full of goodbyes, lots of tears, living in boxes & settling into a new home. the first thing we did- built raised beds in our back yard. we also visited a blueberry farm & added basil to our family.


july:: i tried my hardest in july. i tried to form new relationships. i tried to make our house feel more like 'home.' i roasted a whole chicken. i harvested the fruit of our labors. & when all else couldn't help the sadness, i called friends.



august:: we celebrated luke's birthday & i canned. a lot.



september:: we celebrated fall with a camping trip in the woods. we came home & a few days later, we were greeted with a box of chirping chicks. our first backyard flock!



october:: we had an amazing weekend with the best of columbia friends & listened to the beautiful melodies of beirut live. our halloween was spent at home. a quiet evening. & this year, luke grew our pumpkins.

november:: most of my days passed by quickly in my studio preparing for the little craft show. little moments were found, responsible for keeping my sanity.





december:: we drove down south to my family & the cotton fields. luke & i cuddled by the fire & exchanged gifts together. i baked bread- a goal for the winter season. & i finished my 365 project.

this project has been pretty big for me. big because i completed the project & big because this year has been full of changes- graduating, moving, saying goodbye, finding peace in the quiet, growing into who we are. & i captured it all. every day. that feels really good. & i'm proud.
you can see all of year's photos {here}.

cheers to the new year! there is so much goodness to be had!

noticing

my camera & i,
along with my two favorite boys,
went on a hike yesterday afternoon.
i couldn't help but notice & take it all in.

i really love it when he brings his camera, too.

love,
natalie