the big transition

In between sorting through boxes I really wanted to take photos of my grandparents and their house while they still live there.  It's so totally and completely "them."  I mean, it would be, since my grampa built the house and they've lived in it since the 60's.  I think maybe my love of fake wood could be possibly influenced by this house, haha.  And my love of DIY.  Every single time I spent time with my grandparents we did crafts.  My grandma has files upon files of magazine clippings of craft projects from magazines.  The original pinterest, that woman has.  They're all organized by craft type and seasonal crafts.  We all think we're so clever with pinterest, but holy cow did she ever have pinterest on lockdown decades before.  And her craft closet is just packed to the brim and remarkably organized.  Her little craft room has a window that looks right out on Auke Bay, arguably a craft room with one of the best views there is.

It was a pretty hard weekend, emotionally.  It's been a hard decision for my grandparents to move out of their home and hometown, but they want to be closer to family in these last years which means moving to Sitka, but unfortunately the trade-off is having to let go of their community in Juneau.  Thankfully Juneau and Sitka are close enough to each other that coming back to Juneau for the occasional visit isn't out of the question, but it's still tough.  And I think ultimately, it's hard to lose control over one's life as age starts becoming more and more of an issue in terms of just being able to perform regular life functions.  My grandparents are classic Alaskans. Very independent, very strong people, and not the types to admit they need help.  So it's been hard for them to accept help, as admitting needing help means, for them, admitting weakness.  I definitely recognize the same tendencies in myself, but I'm learning that life has seasons.  There are seasons where you are the helper, and there are seasons where you are the one that needs to accept help from others.  My grandparents have almost always been the helpers, and definitely helped my parents through some hard times in dealing with my brother's health issues.  It's nice to be able to give back and support them as they get older and need more help, even if it is hard for them to accept it.

fresh spinach hummus wrap

Back when I used to work at a Beyond The Bridge Cafe, before it went out of business, we served these amazing veggie wraps.  I usually would eat the bagel sandwiches there because, well, they were heavenly, but once I discovered the wrap I was hooked on that as well.  They're quick to make, are a nice light lunch, and pack a pretty nice punch of flavor!  Plus, with all the fresh veggies and hummus, they're quite healthy.

I'm still up in Juneau, though today my mom and I are flying over to Sitka for a brief visit before I head home to Tacoma.  No outfit posts from this beautiful place, unfortunately, as I've been mostly covered in sawdust from going through boxes of my grandparents' stuff which is in their garage/my grampa's shop.  Yesterday the sun made an unexpected appearance and I took a nice late afternoon walk on the beach with my mom and dad.  It's such a peaceful place.  I can't imagine getting to grow up with that beach as your backyard.  My dad's treehouse is still clinging to the tree where he built it, 45 years ago, now just a few boards barely clinging to the trunk by rusty nails.  I think frequently of moving to Juneau and raising kids in this house, but moving to Juneau would be a huge change and largely impractical, especially as kids aren't in the plan for at least a few more years.  But who knows.  Life changes in an instant and perhaps I'll find myself suddenly cooking meals while looking out over Auke Bay, as my grandmother did for decades.

I get extremely sentimental about houses.  When I was a kid I thought we'd live in our house forever and then I'd raise my kids there, so at 11 I was kind of devastated when I found out we were moving to a new house.  Of course, it all sounds so silly thinking back on my belief that my family would stay in that one house forever.  But sometimes places are just so special you hate to think of someone else living in that space.  I feel that way about my Winne and even my El Camino.  While this house in Juneau isn't practical to keep, it's hard to think of eventually selling it someday.  My grampa built this house and they've lived here for over 50 years.  It's not just a house that lots of families have moved in and out of over the years, it's almost like the house itself is a family member.

Ingredients:

1/4 small onion, sliced

~handful fresh spinach

1/2 avocado, sliced

1/4 tomato, sliced

~3 tbsp hummus

1 large tortilla

Smear the hummus in the middle of the flat tortilla, then toss the rest of the ingredients in the center of the tortilla.  Fold the sides of the tortilla so they're about an inch and a half from touching in the center, and then roll the end closest to you over the two flaps and tuck it under the wrap innards on the other side and roll it up all tight into a little burrito type roll!  Slice diagonally down the middle.

I like to make a spicy sauce to dip my wrap in, like we used to serve at Beyond the Bridge.  It's super easy, just mix Tapatio and Mayonaise.  I usually do a few tablespoons of mayo and then I add the Tapatio to taste.  I like my sauce relatively spicy, so I probably add about 1-2 tbsp of Tapatio for every 3 tbsp of mayo.  But it's super easy to customize the sauce to be as spicy or mild as you prefer!

remix archives // daisy daisy

It's not quite spring yet, though some of our recent Tacoma days would have you fooled otherwise, but I think most of us are starting to tentatively dream of warmer spring days and all the floral dresses that come along.  This is one of those perfect spring dresses that is simple, yet has just enough detailing with the keyhole and knots.  I've only worn it a few times, but I'm sure once spring hits for real I'll find myself pulling it out and styling it up in new ways.  This dress is no longer available in this green color (I got it in late 2011), but I've found it in a coral color recently.

from her lips to god's ears

I'm currently in Juneau, AK helping my parents sort through some of my grandparents stuff as they're getting ready to move.  They've lived in the same house for about 50 years, so it's crazy to sort through everything and basically travel in time looking at everything from their past half century.  I haven't been my grandparents house since I stopped in for a couple hours in my Brave during a layover on the ferry as I was traveling from Haines to Prince Rupert.  And other than that brief little stop, I haven't spent time here at their house in six years!  So many memories at this little house.  Even though I haven't gotten to spend a lot of time here in my 26 years, it's still one of my favorite places.  The view is absolutely stunning.  Their house is right on the beach and I remember running around the beach, picking up pieces of shale that looked like arrowheads, scoping out sea creatures in the tide pools, and exploring the woods.  I know that someday this house will probably be sold, so I'm glad to get an opportunity to come visit for maybe the last time while they're still living here.
Dan and I ran out the door Thursday night to grab a couple outfit photos before the sun went down.  I got my new camera in the mail and I was super excited to go out and give it a little test run!  I'm really looking forward to taking some photos of Juneau and my grandparents house to really document it while they're still here.



dress/courtesy of abby galloway :: tights/courtesy of the stylish fox jacket/courtesy of asianicandy :: shades/vintage :: boots/target necklace/courtesy of adorn by sarah lewis :: photos by Dan

rosemary old fashioned

I made a batch of rosemary simple syrup for another drink recipe and had a bunch leftover, so naturally I started branstorming other drinks to make with rosemary simple.  Dan really likes Old Fashioned's so we usually have the ingredients in the house and bourbon seemed like a great pair for the rosemary.  I tried this at first with our homemade orange bitters, but the orange flavor overwhelmed the rosemary too much, so I went with the standard angostura bitters for this recipe.

I made some brandy soaked cherries for this recipe, which are super delicious.  I got some cherries (in syrup, looks like fresh ones are hard to come by this time of year), and just soaked them in brandy in a mason jar overnight.  I didn't want Maraschino cherries, I didn't think the flavor would go well with brandy, so I went with Bada Bing cherries from Metropolitan Market here in Tacoma.  They're amazing!

Rosemary Simple Syrup

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
4 sprigs fresh rosemary

Over medium high heat, mix together the water and sugar in a saucepan and place rosemary sprigs in the mixture. Bring to a boil and boil for about 1 minute or until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and let stand for 30 minutes. Strain the mixture and place in an airtight container. Store in refrigerator for up to 1 month.  If it starts to smell funky, throw it and make a new batch.  You can always add more or less rosemary to the mix if you like it more or less potent.


Rosemary Old Fashioned

2 teaspoons rosemary simple syrup
2 dashes angostura bitters
~3 ice cubes
1 (1.5 fluid ounce) jigger bourbon whiskey
1 sprig rosemary, orange peel and brandy soaked cherry for garnish

Pour the simple syrup, and bitters into a whiskey glass. Stir to combine, then place the ice cubes in the glass. Pour bourbon over the ice and garnish with a rosemary sprig, orange peel and brandy soaked cherry.

Enjoy!


I'm also over at Design*Sponge today sharing another rosemary drink using this same simple syrup recipe, so head over to get more ideas for rosemary infused beverages!