December Photo-a-Day 2013: Days 26, 27, 28 + 29

Day 26: I tried a healthier prepackaged ramen. It was pretty good, but needed salt.

Day 27: Cinnamon rolls are best fresh from the oven.

Day 28: Since my sister and her husband (who live over 3 hours away) couldn't be here for Christmas, we decided to wait to open presents until they could make it.

Day 29: Happiness = a bit of leftover wrapping paper.

December Photo-a-Day 2013: Days 24 + 25

My family had a Christmas Eve party for the family. Helen enjoyed playing with the cousins.

We spent Christmas Day with Reuben's family. The brunch was delicious: ham & egg cups, French toast, sausages, oranges, Rommegrot (made by yours truly), and orange juice.

Little Bella is already changing and getting a double chin. She has such nice hair (no fair).

The kids got minion hats (from Despicable Me). Helen got an evil minion hat - I thought it was quite fitting. ;) I'll have to get a picture of all of them wearing their hats.

December Photo-a-Day 2013: Days 12 + 13

So sorry I missed posting yesterday, guys! I was watching my sister’s kids while she and her husband went on a date yesterday afternoon/evening.

Day 12: Helen has been obsessed with walking the past few days. It was funny and amazing to see her so determined to learn how to walk. She taught herself how to stand up without assistance and was toddling around crazily. I can’t believe I’m already the mother of a “toddler!” You can see a short clip of her walking here (I’ll post a better video when I write up her ten month update).

A delicious breve (breve > latte) made by my bro-in-law. Yummy.

2 Responses to December Photo-a-Day 2013: Days 12 + 13

1. Rachel 
   December 15th, 2013 at 3:53 pm
   Awww, so sweet! How old is she now? :)
   Mmmm, breve’s are the best! *clinks coffee cup to yours*
   Blessings & Grace,
   Rachel
   {http://mysunkissedfarm.wordpress.com/}
2. Erica Lea 
   December 16th, 2013 at 1:13 am
   Rachel: She just turned 10 months on Friday. :) Yeah, I’m kind of addicted to cream – lattes seem much less flavorful now.

December Photo-a-Day 2013: Days 10 + 11

Day 10: Isn’t this the cutest little package you ever did see?

Day 11: Leftover shrimp soup! I recycled some of the ingredients I had left from making shrimp stuffed mushrooms into shrimp soup! It was very good. Reuben said so. :D

December Photo-a-Day 2013: Days 8 + 9

Hello everyone! No, I didn’t forget to post a photo yesterday. I just decided that posting every day was a bit overwhelming for y’all, so I’ll be posting every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the rest of this month.

Day 8: This is my favorite way to eat grapefruit. It takes a bit of effort, but it’s so worth it.

Day 9: Helen is finally starting to get over her separation anxiety (now I jinxed it) and she’s warming up to other people. She loves her daddy and smiles and “jumps” up and down when she sees him.

2 Responses to December Photo-a-Day 2013: Days 8 + 9

1. Kristina F 
   December 9th, 2013 at 10:23 pm
   Oh, yes, I love grapefruit like that!
   Helen is so adorable. :)
2. Erica Lea 
   December 16th, 2013 at 1:13 am
   Kristina: Thank you! I love her so much. :)

December Photo-a-Day 2013: Day 7

It’s a bitterly cold day. It was -25 degrees F this morning. My stove wouldn’t even start. When I finally coaxed some life out of it, I made myself a cozy cup of mocha.

Here are a couple of photos that I captured yesterday. I saw the sunlight hitting the snow-clad trees and I knew I had to get outside with my camera. I tromped through the snow in my pajamas. It was well worth the effort.

December Photo-a-Day 2013: Day 4

Confession: I love cold cereal. I know that it’s about the worst possible thing in the world to eat health-wise, but it’s just SO GOOD. Reuben’s favorite kind is Reese’s Puffs, and I have to say that they’re pretty tasty.

I roped Reuben into helping me take this shot. I wish I could have captured the splash better – next time I’ll have to have more light so I can have a faster shutter speed.

What’s your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?

1 Response to December Photo-a-Day 2013: Day 4

1. Rachel Q 
   December 4th, 2013 at 9:42 pm
   Ahh cold cereal is the best! And I’m positive there are far worse things that one could consume. This photo makes me quite happy. Thanks for sharing.

Wet Autumn Day

I do love a good wet, gloomy day, especially when the weather begins to turn chilly. It’s just so cozy to be “trapped” indoors.

I took Helen outside in the rain, wrapped in my hoodie, to get the mail. She seemed perplexed by the wetness hitting her face. Seeing how lovely everything was in the misty rain, I set Helen back inside for Reuben to watch while I captured the beauty of the trees just beginning to change color.

Back inside, I fixed myself a cup of black tea and a Chai Gingerbread Bar with whipped cream while Helen took her second nap.

What did you do this Saturday? Are you excited for chilly weather?

8 Responses to Wet Autumn Day

1. Liz 
   September 28th, 2013 at 6:00 pm
   I can’t wait for the chilly weather to arrive. Cozy fires, hot tea, spicy soups… I love it all. Here in the bluegrass, it’s still hitting upper 70s in the afternoons, though the mornings are getting chillier. Despite this, I have been super excited for fall and doing “fall” things regardless of the weather. Made a lavender Earl Grey latte and helped my brother make a paella, though I am hoping to fit in time for some pumpkin muffins.. :) Looks like autumn is in full force for you guys, though!
   In retrospect, I have no idea how fall-ish making paella is, but it’s yummy.:P
2. (Auntie) Jean Plate 
   September 29th, 2013 at 2:41 am
   Thanks, Erica, for the beautiful pictures and letting us “peek into the window of your life” now and then!
   I enjoy seeing Helen grow! Thanks, too, for the pictures of the horse (is that old Cody?) and the maple leaves! (The only maple I’ve gotten to survive here in Alaska is about 18 inches high and is about 10 years old!) I loved seeing the colors in the rain.
   Today we moved a small mountain of top soil…well, at least part of it…to cover the excavation that happen at our well and around the new house for Grandma. Oh, we also winterized the bus and motorhome, so yes, we are mostly ready for winter. (One more garden to till.) There’s fresh snow on the mountains but no snow here yet. The sky tonight looked very much like it will be here soon.
   This evening we took the kids out for a progressive supper! First stop, our favorite Mexican restaurant for chips and salsa. Then on to our favorite burger place for wings and 1 hamburger with fries (shared between the 4 of us) and desert was at McDonalds…shakes, McFlury and a smoothy! It was a fun evening.
3. Nat @ Made in Home 
   September 29th, 2013 at 11:33 am
   Beautiful pictures! I love the Autumn!
4. Sarah 
   September 30th, 2013 at 10:40 am
   So pretty! I love rainy autumn days.
5. Erica Lea 
   October 2nd, 2013 at 10:00 am
   Liz: Yes, as soon as the weather isn’t blazing hot, I’m in a fall mood. :) Oh, all of your food sounds amazing! Now I really want paella – it’s been YEARS since we’ve had it. Maybe I can convince Mom to make some. :D
6. Erica Lea 
   October 2nd, 2013 at 10:04 am
   Auntie Jean: Yes, that’s old Cody (from Auntie Barb). I loved the little droplets of rain on his “whiskers.” :)
   Sounds like you guys had a busy Saturday! I think it’s awesome what you’re doing for Ric’s mom.
   That sounds like a fun supper. I like to sample lots of different kinds of foods.
   Thank you for sharing about your day – it transports me to Alaska. :)
7. Erica Lea 
   October 2nd, 2013 at 10:06 am
   Nat: Thank you! Yes, Autumn is my favorite season. :)
8. Erica Lea 
   October 2nd, 2013 at 10:06 am
   Sarah: Thank you! Me too. So cozy. :)

Lovely Things in the Mail

Posted by Erica Lea on January 15th, 2013 . Filed under: around the house .

Yesterday my order from David’s Tea arrived.

I am beyond excited for these mugs. I have been wanting some earthenware cups like this for a while, and I found them for a really good deal over at David’s.

Along with each order they include three free samples of tea. The Chai they sent was absolutely lovely.

Beautiful steam.

I had Reuben help me capture a cream-pouring shot and turned it into a gif.

What sorts of lovely things have you got in the mail lately?

8 Responses to Lovely Things in the Mail

1. Megan 
   January 15th, 2013 at 4:16 pm
   Love the cups!! :)
2. Samantha 
   January 15th, 2013 at 8:12 pm
   Those mugs are gorgeous!
3. Rebecca Lately 
   January 16th, 2013 at 9:31 am
   Absolutely gorgeous! If my cupboard wasn’t already brimming with mugs, I would purchase those right away.
   Love the gif :)
4. Peggy 
   January 16th, 2013 at 11:11 am
   Simply beautiful! I think I’ll have to keep checking on them since they are currently out of stock. We have a son who will be moving out on his own soon and these fit his personality and tastes perfectly.
   I recently received a BUNCH of different types of labels for canning jars and the cookbook “Food in Jars”… all of which were won on giveaways! I was so tickled felt like Christmas (or early birthday) all over again! :)
5. Lorraine 
   January 17th, 2013 at 1:14 pm
   I love those cups, but I didn’t see them on that website. What exactly am I supposed to click on?
6. Erica Lea 
   January 17th, 2013 at 1:43 pm
   Lorraine: Hummm…they must be out of stock right now. From what I can tell they are made by the Miya Company, but you can get them at Terrain as well. I got them for a MUCH better deal on David’s Tea – $19.50 for 4. Maybe they’ll get them back in stock!
7. Anna H. 
   January 25th, 2013 at 11:05 am
   I was not able to find these mugs on the website you linked to? Could you help with a link?
8. Aiza 
   October 26th, 2013 at 2:22 pm
   Those mugs are so amazing. Gosh. And that gif is a job well done!

My Year in Photos 2012 Part 1

And so 2012 has come and gone. It all seems a bit of a blur in my mind. Every year I’m so glad that I took the time to document little parts of our days with photographs. They help me to remember moments that would otherwise be completely lost.

Here are some of my favorites from 2012:

January

New haircut! That was the shortest I’d had it for quite a while. It was fun for a change, but I’m growing it back out now.

We took several ski trips. This is Reuben, being awesome. The norm.

You can watch a short video of us skiing here and here.

February

I hosted a tea party at our house. So. much. pretty. hair.

Since our uncle was traveling to Indonesia, we decided to have a Rijstaffel (Rice Table) for him, a traditional Dutch/Indonesia feast.

Grandpa’s lilies. Frosty tree. Handsome husband. My Valentines Day orchids. American flag. Pretty sister.

Various captures.

March

I can’t believe how much younger Reuben looks without his “affectation” (what we call his beard).

We did some rustic camping. You can see more photos and read the story here.

I did a mini session for my pretty sister, Amanda.

My adorable niece and nephew, Judah & Elinor.

New skirt.

April

Snow in April!

First sign that spring is truly here: the hepaticas, or Mayflowers as we used to call them.

With the warmer weather comes volleyball!

May

I love fixing little Elinor’s hair.

New addition to the family: baby Susan. Watch a film and read more about it here.

I got very sick. Kind of a scary time of my life.

Springtime. See more photos and a short film here.

My kitchen garden. See more photos here.

June

Corn coming up.

Enjoying the warm weather by traipsing around the yard barefoot.

For our first anniversary we took a trip to the cities. I got to try out some new lenses and settled on a 28mm.

For supper one night we ate at Black Sheep Coal Fired Pizza. It was delicious and different from anything you can get at a chain, but the service was (much) less than spectacular.

Tuesday, June 19: I learned that I was pregnant!

STAY TUNED FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR…

4 Responses to My Year in Photos 2012 Part 1

1. Caitlyn 
   January 1st, 2013 at 2:07 pm
   Gorgeous pictures, Erica!
2. Elizabeth 
   January 2nd, 2013 at 12:16 pm
   I have been in love with your blog since I found it a couple years ago. What a lovely life you have. Thank you for sharing. Happy New Year. Feel Good!!!!!
3. Kathryn Grace 
   January 5th, 2013 at 4:02 pm
   I really enjoy your captures of your everyday life! Those purple flowers are just too pretty… I remember you posting that picture the first time.
4. Abbie 
   January 7th, 2013 at 5:18 am
   So lovely to see these glimpses of your year – look forward to seeing the rest of them too! :)