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There is nothing simple about a simple moment – several rewrites of this post have taught me that. It requires a convergence of elements, and a presence in the immediate moment we often are not apt to do. I noticed that the places I found simplicity always were tied to my senses:

First, light. The bright light of the sun directly creeping into a room in the early morning. The warmth of noon’s light on skin. The grey light that hovers in every corner of a city on a rainy day. But even the light has its nuances, the different ways it plays off of water and stone and smoke. When you start paying attention to light, you discover how powerful it is, how it can shift your moods slightly or significantly.

Next, scent. The air in Southern California smells different from the air in Wyoming. Each breeze tumbling over some part of the country has its own character. And it changes with the seasons too. In the spring, La Jolla smells of jasmine flowers; my grandmother’s home was always alive with the fragrance of lilacs. Autumns on the East Coast often smell like burning wood. Even the less-than-pleasant smells become powerful memory triggers: the sweat and heat of New York City subway cars in August, the crisp cold air in rural Virginia in the winter, the ocean water near Vancouver on an early summer morning. Lovers, family members, pets, home cooked meals…we’re constantly bombarded and surrounded by scents, simple and often unnoticed but so powerful.

Third, music. There is always music. Sometimes, there is even a musician or a set of them creating something together. But there is always music and sound. The whooshing sound of a waterfall. Crickets at night in the summer. A lonely hoot of an owl. Car engines passing and trains rushing by. Laughter from friends. A lover humming.

Finally, taste. The absolute simplicity of taste. One ingredient. Then two together. Then three. But when food is fresh from the earth, it needs no flare. Freshly picked wild strawberries have one of the simplest tastes, but beyond that simplicity, there’s more: the taste of the sunshine, of the fresh air, of the earth — all bound in a tiny red fruit. Even vanilla ice cream has layers — vanilla beans hint of their origin, the texture of the ice cream itself, even the taste of the cream used hints of what the cows ate.  The simple act of eating, of truly tasting, of savoring, of discovering is a celebration in itself.

On the day I took this photo, several things came together at once: the light smell of the lilies of the valley, the colors of the magazine, the midday light, the stillness in my neighborhood as birds sang. The computer was on and I was working, but it was vastly different than the scene I was used to at work. There was nothing that one might deem “exciting” happening, but that moment filled me in ways that others have not. I was present and I was aware. And in discovering the simplicity and its complexities, I fell even more deeply in love with the world.

It is Friday, and if ever I needed a Friday, this is it.  It has been a busy week.  For those of you who don’t know, we had a flood on our first floor last weekend, and have spent the days from then until now trying to solve it and then begin putting it all back together again.  It hasn’t been fun.  That being said, things are now under control enough for us to take a bit of a break and enjoy what is sure to be a glorious weekend.  The forecast is for beautiful sunshine and warm breezes- perfect for lazing around on a hammock or planting in the gardens.  I look forward to grilling and bonfires and lots of loving on mama (for me by my kids, and for my mom, who is joining us here for the weekend).  The gardens are looking beautiful with flowers opening up daily and the smell of the lilacs – well, it is no wonder why this is my favorite time of the year in on the farm.

{don't they sort of look alike?}

So, this weekend I plan to put my computer away and immerse myself in the world that sits right in front of me.  The only way you may find me is if I share some of the goodness on Instagram.  You can find me at kimberlytaylorimages – I often will post photos there.

Have a wonderful weekend mes amies – enjoy being in the moment and finding all of the simple moments that are so much bigger than we realize~

xx

As I have gotten older I have dabbled in various trendy skincare treatments. I have tried peels and facials and microdermabrasion. And, honestly – I haven’t noticed that it has done a hell of a lot. I have wrinkles around my eyes- well earned from years of smiling and probably a bit of genetics. My entire family on my mom’s side has the same wrinkles and I wear them with pride. However, I want to take good care of my skin in hopes of keeping it fresh and bright as I mature. I wash my face with Neutrogena Visibly Bright face wash each evening. It has a nice lather and a pleasant scent. Once a week I use Fresh Umbrian Clay face mask. I first bought it in San Francisco where Fresh has THE COOLEST building in the city. I like this mask as I feel like it is pulling any impurities from my skin. I also alternate it with a moisturizing mask occasionally. I use Neutrogena eye cream every day. I recently learned that many people get small white dots around their eyes from using face cream around them. I guess some people have more delicate skin in that area that can only handle specific eye cream. I then use Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair face cream. I am religious about using Lubriderm on my neck twice a day to keep it moisturized and often use the Lubriderm on my face as well. I tend to layer my moisturizers as I love that feeling of being dewy and fresh. I also use Vaseline Lip Therapy on my lips at all times- it is the only thing that has really been able to keep my dry lips at bay during the winter and allergy season.  I have to say, the Vaseline Lip Therapy is really the only one that I am dedicated to- I am always trying new products and looking for the ones that really make me feel moisturized and fresh.

So, now that the “canvas” is clean and moisturized and shiny and fresh, I apply my make-up. I don’t wear a lot as I don’t like the feeling of cakey foundation or heavy powders. I use Mac concealer under my eyes and on any spots that need to be color balanced. I tend to have a bit of darkness under my eyes and like to even that out first. I then use Mac Prep + Prime Eye as an undercoat for my eye makeup. It brightens and evens out the coloring from my lashes to my brows. I then use Mac bisque all over- it is really light and just “pinks it up” a bit. I use a brow brush and a lighter brown to put some powder in my brows to tidy them up. After that I use one of my favorite products – Mac’s Brow Finisher. This waxy pencil is the only thing I have ever found to hold my unruly eyebrows in place. Would you believe that once, while in Paris, I went to every Mac counter trying to find it? It had been temporarily discontinued and I was in Paris so I thought I would try and stock up.  I found ONE – on the Champs Elysees!  I finish up with Mac’s False Lashes – my favorite mascara to date. (I am wondering after reading back thus far how I am not getting free Mac products sent to me.. I should talk to someone about that…) Then, Benefit’s high beam which goes on the apple of your cheek – just a dab- and then is blended in to give that dewy look. Love it! A little Elf lipgloss in flirt ( a gift a while back from my friend Jodi- now I’m hooked) and I am good to go. I really like to keep it simple unless we are going out or I am meeting friends. In that case I have a collection of Mac lipsticks that I like to combine and layer depending on my mood and wardrobe.  Light and simple and easy- the only way to go!

If you visit Jeanne’s post you will be able to read her daily routine and learn a bit about the products she uses.  You could also link up and share your routine – if you do make sure to stop back and post a link in the comments section so I can come read yours!

Have a great rest of your week mes amies~

xx

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There are days that go by where the monotony of my routine and boring old
responsibilities eat away at my motivation. Working from home, and even
worse, working at a computer can be tiresome and often lonely. Most days I
don’t even get out of my pajamas until evening when my husband comes home
from work and I finally decide to soak in a bath, only to re-dress in
clean set of pajamas. The routine has me acting and feeling a bit like a
recluse most days.

Then there are the fleeting moments of joy weaving in and out of my day
that remind me of what makes it all worth while.

My son, Finn. As I type this, he is a few footsteps away, and he is
laughing. Experiencing the world and all it has to offer must be so
amusing at nine months old. He laughs. All. Day. Long. He giggles at his
toys, he chuckles at the dog, he belly laughs when the cat walks by. The
gust of wind when we step outside literally takes his breath away.
Watching him learn, experience joy, and marvel at the most ordinary of
objects gives me the most fulfilling joy I have ever known. My heart
swells with love for the tiny boy that has blessed my life so completely.
I can’t even remember my life without him.

Flowers. It sounds silly, but the cheapest, most simple of bouquets from
the local grocer can brighten my home and mood like you couldn’t imagine.
They just make me happy. The smell. The color. The cheerful, fresh and
beautiful way they evoke a sense of life in an otherwise drab room. Simple
bouquets of a single type of flower from Trader Joes are my favorite.

Music. Whenever I feel my soul needs replenishing, I go for a drive. I
blast my girly, folksy, mostly acoustic music and sing my heart out.

You can visit Sara at her beautiful website~

{however, with a bottom floor that is currently flooded, I highly doubt our weekend will look anything like this… )

Have a wonderful weekend mes amies~ make it magical!
xx

Lately, however, I have had a difficult time denying that something is affecting me and while I have some ideas, I have embarked on a journey into food exploration- more importantly how my body reacts to certain foods.  Just over a week ago I removed wheat from my diet.  Cold turkey.  I haven’t had a stitch of it in 10 days.  I will be honest – it is the first time in my entire life (except when I gave up french fries for Lent in 10th grade…) that I have stuck with anything having to do with food restriction.  So, while it probably won’t surprise any of you who actually have some self-control that often one discovery leads to another, it definitely surprised me that I became so cranky.  I mean, I didn’t give up coffee for goodness sake!  I simply opted to not eat wheat.  But after a few days I realized something.  I am a snacker.  I enjoy multiple small snacks throughout the day rather than big meals three times a day.  And while this is fine, it seems that I had become more accustomed to snacking on things that had wheat – AND SUGAR – than I had realized.  By removing the wheat, I also removed a large portion of my usual intake of sugar.  And that, my friends, made me edgy (not to mention short with my kids and overall rather bitchy).  Ten days later however I seem to be functioning far better and don’t feel so agitated, thank goodness.

The part of this process that worries me the most is that gap time between when I stopped eating wheat and the time when I really know “how to do it” – you know, baking, food options, etc…  I look forward to being able to whip up some scones when a girlfriend is stopping by, or bake something for my family for dessert or to celebrate.  For now, I have that lost feeling – really no clue about how different flours behave or what replaces what.  It is okay though, as I am embracing that feeling of walking into what is currently unknown to me.  I mean, how often as an adult do we get that feeling of not knowing what we are doing?  It is not something I often experience and sometimes it is interesting to immerse yourself in a bit of discomfort~  That being said, I am blessed to call a number of gluten-free people friends and they are wonderful with offering advice, recipes, and resources.  Think of all of the new things I am going to learn!

One thing I have rediscovered that is delicious and offers a lot of nutritional value is quinoa.  I had a bit of a love-affair with it while pregnant with #3 – we are talking a huge bowl once a day.  Cooked but plain.  I’m over that…  I do really like it though, and thanks to an incredible cookbook I bought last week called “Quinoa: The Every Day Superfood 365″ at the Book Larder while spending an afternoon with a girlfriend in Seattle, I have a huge selection of recipes using quinoa.  I already made one of the recipes to accompany marinated chicken breasts and it was wonderful!  I am excited to experiment with the dessert recipes, as well as the cookie recipes.  Really?  Cookies with quinoa?

I plan to share my progress as I work my way through the maze of food options and am looking forward to seeing what I discover.  I would love to hear if you have any foods that you don’t eat, and why.  (Well, aside from simply not liking them!)  I am always grateful to hear your stories of discovering food issues yourself and how you managed to adjust your eating habits in an effort to be healthier and feel better.

The following recipe is one of many delicious sounding recipes from my new cookbook.  If you are looking for a great book with gluten-free options, I can’t recommend this book enough.  I adapted the recipe the other night to what is below as it is what I had on hand.  This recipe would be incredibly versatile as it offers a wonderful base in which you could add anything that you like!

Bocconcini & Oregano Salad

adapted for our family from “Quinoa: The Everyday Superfood 365″

3/4 cup quinoa

1 1/2 cups water

1 cup diced zucchini

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

1 diced red bell pepper

3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano

1 clove fresh garlic minced

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup tiny bocconcini balls

Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Cover, reduce to simmer and cook for 10 minutes.  Turn the heat off and leave the covered saucepan on the burner for another 4 minutes.  Remove the lid and fluff the cooked quinoa with a fork.  Set aside to completely cool.

Combine the zucchini, tomatoes, and red pepper in a large bowl.

Whisk the vinegar, olive oil, mustard, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper together in a small bowl.  Pour the dressing over the vegetables and thoroughly mix all the ingredients.  Add the quinoa and bocconcini and mix until evenly combined.  Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to three days.

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“I learned to be grateful for small things, those simple moments that make a difference.

Spring has definitely arrived in the Pacific Northwest. Some of my favorite spring-flowering bushes are in full bloom and I am patiently waiting for my beautiful lilacs to be ready to cut and bring into the house. While their season is short, I take full advantage of it and fill every vase I have so that their fragrance fills the house! Sometimes the little things make me feel so incredibly grateful for this journey that I am on.

This weekend we are looking forward to having guests stop by to make some pottery or enjoy a bit outdoors in the sunshine. I am sure there will be bonfires and BBQ’ing as well as gardening and {hopefully} some hammock laying while reading some of my new cookbooks. I hope that you have some wonderful plans for your weekend mes amies~

xx

Welcome to the next project that I am working on.  This is the southern facing wall in our home.  The big window in the lower left of the wall is currently the window that looks out from our kitchen.  It is the spot where I would like to put french doors.  Off of those doors I would like to put a big deck.  Initially I had wanted a fabulous slate patio but seeing as the space is oddly shaped (there is our gas meter that must be worked around) a deck would be far more esthetically pleasing, not to mention functional.  The question now becomes the design of the space.  The wall is large and bare, and in my opinion calls for a fabulous pergola running above the french doors and other window to break it up.  I would also love an outdoor fireplace to sit by on those evenings we dine outdoors until after dark.  The deck must also be large enough to accommodate our long table which seats 8.

So, those are the only parameters at this point.  I would love to hear your thoughts on what would best suit this space.  It is shady in the evenings which is perfect for dining outdoors in the summertime.  I want to be able to enjoy coffee in the mornings, lunch with the boys, and dinners with family and friends in this space.  I also love the weathered wood look and really dislike red/treated wood.  I would really truly absolutely appreciate any input/thoughts/advice/opinions you can offer.