21

Grace is 21 today and it feels significant.  Not because she's now legal to drink, she has been legal in Scotland since she left for University, but because it feels like she's well and truly an adult.  I'm always a little bit in awe of her choices, how thoroughly capable and mature she is, and frankly, what a genuinely good person she is.  We could not be any prouder of who she is at 21. Here's our annual top ten...

 1.  She's a beautiful writer.  I know I'm biased but I really enjoy her style of writing and I LOVE reading her newsletters each month.  

2.  We love how she expresses her creative side.  Whether it be cooking up her favorite breakfast rolls, knitting mittens, making stamps and objects out of clay or even curating a board or playlist, she is almost always working on something creative!

3.  She has such a tender heart but for some reason doesn't ever want anyone to really know that about her.    

4.  She is a homebody and loves being at home with time and space to stretch out and settle in.  However, somehow this tendency can coexist with her...

5.  Sense of adventure and love of travel.  A major reason she chose St Andrews for University was the ease of travel over there.  While Covid put a serious dent in that possibility, she has made up for it the past year and a half!  

6.  She is a girl after my own heart with her love of lists.  She makes lists by the dozens and they encompass everything from books to read, favorite things, gifts to give people, places to travel, packing, to-do and anything else one can think of.

7.  Her edgy sense of humor.

8.  Her appreciation for literally any type of good music.  It can be of any genre and any place in time!

9.  Her love of beautiful things and well designed things and places.  

10.   She loves her cat, Coco, with all her heart and soul.  

Valentines and Football

 

An all food post to record what food we had for Valentine's Day and The Super Bowl.  This year, Harris was heading out to Claire's swim meet so we ate on the early side and then I convinced Bryce to watch a rom com with me.  I made sourdough bread in the heart cast iron (it looks a little like a golden snitch!), a white sauce to go with the adorable heart ravioli that was picked up at a local eatery and to finish I made cherry hand pies with my favorite sour cherry jam!

And this past Sunday, I made sweet little Whoopie Pies for the Super Bowl.  I made a recipe that used pumpkin instead of chocolate and the color was much more realistic to an actual football!  Plus, they were tasty!

Gifts

I think there is something very special about receiving a gift where you feel deeply seen.  Where you know that whoever gave you the gift knows you on a level well beyond surface.  For my birthday, I received several gifts that were precisely in this category and since they are so special, I wanted to write about them.  

My friend, Gretchen, gave me a set of bowls with our farm frog "logo" in middle.  She made these by hand and they are wonderful.  We now use them on a regular rotation (I love a good grain bowl in them!) and I've already talked to her about what else she can make!  The effort put into making them is very much appreciated.  I love them so much.  Another friend, Cathy, gave me the green vintage glasses and napkins.  I love napkins, flowers and green so she literally couldn't have done better.  I can't wait to use them.  

To celebrate my birthday, I went with my closest girlfriends for a treatment at the spa and a lovely dinner.  It was such a treat!  They also gave me a gorgeous scarf that I've been wearing on repeat.  A fun little tale about the scarf is that they looked up Kate Middletons favorite brands and ordered it from a store in England!  I'll have it, and wear it, forever!