feeling :: a warm cup of Assam tea in my hands tasting :: the last jam tart and THESE sandwiches smelling :: rain and lilacs seeing :: THIS movie hearing :: Jonsi in the glorious soundtrack to the movie “We Bought a Zoo” knowing :: “Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal.” ~Pamela Vaull Starr What are you up to today? ~Melissa
smelling :: guilded lotus flowering art tea seeing :: these little snapshots of a fabulous day with my best friend hearing :: the Chocolat soundtrack tasting :: ooey gooey caramel rolls from Tobie’s and a cup of English Breakfast tea feeling :: excited to be traveling into the cities today to spend more time with best friends and to meet a very special new addition to their family knowing :: that this is great advice… “Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to your fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.” ~Ashley Smith I hope you all have a gorgeous Saturday. Love, ~Melissa
smelling :: the sweet scent of flowering trees and shrubs on McSorley Street as we walked downtown for dessert and cocktails for our date night last evening. seeing :: the warm glow of the Red Wing street lights, the historic St. James Hotel, and a quick peek at the new Red Wing River Bend Coop, complete with a grocery section, and a coffee, tea, soup and smoothie cafe! I’m in heaven! tasting :: a slice of homemade pear torte for two that we shared while sitting on the outdoor patio of this little restaurant…and tonight homemade “grillin’ beans” (see recipe below) with grilled bratwurst and English Breakfast iced tea hearing :: this gorgeous music by Francis Leftwich…heard it first over at the always lovely Today’s Letters. Emily has the...
tasting :: Greek yogurt swirled with my favorite, Bonnie Maman cherry preserves hearing :: an eclectic mix from my playlist as I edit photos in the studio this morning…a little… M.Ward, She & Him, Ingrid and Norah…and a little more Ingrid feeling :: excited about our date day…relaxing, cooking, watching old movies…and later, dinner at The Port smelling :: another loaf of this bread baking…this time I added orange zest, cinnamon, sugar, ginger and apple chunks! seeing :: some great set ups for my tea book photos. feeling so inspired! knowing :: “If you can dream it, you can make it so.” ~Belva Davis What are you up to today? ~Melissa
feeling :: newly felted wool sweaters for mitten making tasting :: rotisserie chicken tacos smelling :: Jeff’s crafish bisque simmering on the stove hearing :: Ray Lamontagne sing THIS, THIS and THIS seeing :: big mooshy kitty snoozing on big mooshy comforter and the gorgeous, fabulous, can’t get enough of it… COCO before Chanel knowing :: “You can never get a cup of tea large enough, or a book long enough, to suit me.” ~C.S. Lewis What are you up to today? ~Melissa
seeing :: these photos from my date with Jeff “in the night kitchen.” We had so much fun sipping wine, listening to music and making pasta! hearing :: still listening to Florence + The Machine (the new MP3 download of Ceremonials…and THIS SONG, from Between Two Lungs, which I am hopelessly in love with.) some of the best music I’ve ever heard. tasting :: cold Hawaiian pizza smelling :: THIS TEA sooo yummy…bergamot, berries and chocolate! feeling :: so inspired as I continue to work toward my goal of getting my first novel published and the photos taken for my TEA book! knowing :: “A good deed is never lost: he who sows courtesy reaps friendship; and he who plants kindness gathers love.” ~Basil ~Melissa
seeing : : these beautiful daisies that Jeff brought me last night for our date night. They smell like spring! hearing : : the new album called, Ceremonials, by Florence and the Machine. Gorgeous, gorgeous music. smelling : : daisies and genmaicha tea tasting : : homemade granola! feeling : : yarn and knitting needles in my hands knowing : : “Constant effort and frequent mistakes are the stepping stones to genius.” ~Elbert Hubbard ~Melissa
After lunch we took a Sunday drive to Cannon Falls for a “wine flight” tasting and live music by one of our favorite performers Andrew Walesch. We met some fabulous people, sipped some great wine and had a lovely afternoon. Wine tasting notes coming soon. What did you do this weekend? ~Melissa
“Coconut Grove is a very small cove separated from the sea by a shifting shoal we didn’t realize that we had arrived at high tide, high tide Will we make it out alive?” ~Tennis Do you LOVE coconut chicken? This is my favorite recipe for it, and it’s easy peasy. I encourage you to listen to THIS awesome song by Tennis, one of my favorite bands while you cook your chicken. Maybe wear a hula skirt and mix up a mai tai. Who says cooking chicken can’t be a little party? This song is from their FABULOUS album, Cape Dory. CAN’T. STOP. LISTENING! Anyhoo, these chicken breasts are bathed in a combination of apricot preserves and mayonnaise and then coated with a unique, crunchy coconut breading. It’s baked, not...
Last night, for date night, we decided to bake. Standing in the kitchen, playing with eggs and sugar and flour reminded me of one of my favorite Maurice Sendak books. We love cooking together, and it’s even more fun at night, sipping wine in our jammies while the snow falls fast and thick outside….a fire in the fireplace and THIS MUSIC added to the coziness. Jeff buttered the bread pan… He mixed the butter and sugar together… whisked in the eggs and mashed bananas… I added the vanilla, flour, cocoa powder and chocolate chips and poured it in the pan… This morning we had Chocolate Chocolate Chip Banana Tea Cake with our tea! We look forward to more date nights in the night kitchen What did you do for...
