tuesday shoesday: forcing spring

so friends, as you may know, yesterday was the first day of spring. yes, believe it or not, it was! here in vermont the snow and sleet came down with reckless abdanon and made us use every bit of inner sunshine to get through the day. you know what else helped? these summery little numbers from the queen of all things summer - lilly pulitzer. you know what else helped? staying up until all hours of the night riding my closet of all grey and black, wool and velvet and any shoe that dares cover my ankles. until this morning when i had nothing to wear. whoops.

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i can see clearly now...

i have made a decision. the decision is, that as of right now, this very moment. my winter funk is over. why? just because i can't stand it anymore, and really there is a whole lot to be happy about.
here are just a few of the reasons why i'm (forcing) a smile today...

1. this picture of mr. frederickson: it will make me smile today and i have a feeling, for the rest of my life.

2. patent leather shoes: especially when they are tiffany blue and cost $19.99. hurry - head to your local tjmaxx! they have zillions of these talbot's ballet flats in all sorts of punchy colors that are sure to add a little hop to your step.

3. flowers: on my to do list this weekend is to puruse blog land for some floral inspiration. it's off to a pretty lovely start thanks to these beauties.

4. daylight savings time: turning your clocks back one hour might mean we loose an hour of sleep, but it also means we gain an hour of evening daylight. heaven.

5. our wedding photographer: she was just featured in the new issue of wellwed (sister publication to vt vows) and her images are just stunning. i am so honored she is going to be part of our day!

6. the weekend: and one with mr. frederickson all to myself. it also helps that we are going here for breakfast and just made a snowshoeing date with some of our fave friends!

...and there, just like that, the funk is over...so what about you? what are some of your favorite things these days?

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tuesday shoesday: mud season prep.

wooo hooo! we did it. we made it through the long dark tunnel. and to celebrate the arrival of march - the muddiest of months, i bring you some colorful - and puddle friendly - footwear. i don't know about you, but my feet are sick and tired of being cooped up in winter boots. so baring my pasty little ankles for the first time this spring will be a very welcome change! what about you? besides shoes, what do you look most forward to in march?

{via jcrew & jcrew}

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april is...

(celebrate the nest via etsy)

april collects umbrellas and rainbows.

she has translucent feelings.

april loves the blues.

she loves the mood of spring.
april loves to get its feet wet.

she understands the clouds.

april gets thank you cards from may.

she dances with the wind.

april lives in the spaces between being and becoming.

she watches the birds return.

april loves to tease the weatherman.

she takes long walks in the rain.

april wears a moodstone.

she can experience things emotionally.

april always springs forward.
she has thoughts that turn into poetry.

(who is april? - courtesy of a 2006 KOCO NY Calendar)

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sweet memorabilia & memories.

with march almost behind us, the days where i can muse about the joy of sugaring here in vermont and overuse awkward puns about life being sappy & sweet are quickly fading. however, i am hoping some online searching for these antique sugaring tins to start my collection will help me ease into the next season. ebay, here i come!

i am also hoping that looking at this picture (taken this weekend at the magical bread loaf view farm in cornwall, vt) will help me hang on to my weekend glow and remind me that the sun will shine again - even though today it feels like the rain will go on forever...

hope you are having the sweetest of mondays!

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oh, sweet weekend...

it's here! it's here! maple sugar weekend is here.

really, it's better than christmas for any vermonter with a sweet tooth and a soft spot for sap buckets and rubber boots

(hmm..who could that be!?)

with so many great options, where will you be enjoying sugar on snow this weekend!?

for more foodie events across the state, check out the recent post from slow food vermont - looks like it will be a weekend full of pancakes & wine for this girl. yum.

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road trip.

today is one of those days where the world feels full of limitless possibilites. this feeling comes from the fact that it's friday, it's spring and we have NO plans until monday morning.

that is basically heaven.

so, i think to celebrate this perfect trifecta of a weekend, i am going to kidnap my favorite person on the planet and just see where the dirt roads takes us...

packing list: sunglasses, sneakers, camera and maybe a few 40 oz beers...

happy weekend! xoxo

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keep me posted.

another sign of mudseason here in northern new england-
weight limit road postings.

plus - you have to love official road signs that use spray paint and sharpies.

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comfort food thursday - the sweet spot.

can comfort food thursday be a dessert?

well, this week anyway, the answer is yes. because what is more comforting than bread pudding - warm sweet bread, cinnamon, syrup...i mean, really, it doesn't get any better than that. plus, this recipe is so seasonally appropriate and one that i think a certain member of my family would just melt for. thanks to the wonderful folks at farmplate kitchen for this decadent treat. happy thursday!

maple bread pudding
what you need:

• 6 cups 1-inch bread cubes (about 1 pound) — red hen’s pain au levain is perfect here
• 1 cup dark raisins or frozen sour cherries (on sale this week at middlebury natural foods co-op!)
• 2½ cups half-and-half from your favorite vermont dairy
• 6 cage-free eggs
• ¾ cup vermont dark amber maple syrup (look for a grade A dark amber or even a grade B maple syrup. The darker color indicates a stronger maple flavor, which only adds to the richness of the recipe.)
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of grated nutmeg
• ½ cup chopped pecans or almonds (optional)
• vermont creamery mascarpone or wilcox dairy vanilla ice cream, to serve (or my new favorite ben & jerrys limited edition flavor - ginger snap!)

what you do:
generously butter a 2-quart baking dish. combine the bread and raisins or cherries and place in the buttered dish.
whisk together the half-and-half, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg until well blended. pour the mixture over the bread cubes and set aside for 15 minutes to let the bread soak up the liquid.

preheat the oven to 350ºF. set the baking dish in a roasting pan. add water to the pan to come 1½ inches up the side of the dish. bake for 1 hour. sprinkle the top of the pudding with the chopped nuts, if desired, and bake until the nuts have browned, about 30 minutes longer. serve warm with a spoonful of mascarpone or vanilla ice cream.
Serves 6 to 8.

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mudseason tablescape.

there is no such thing as spring in northern new england. the seasons are fall, winter, mudseason, and summer. needless to say, this unique season comes with its own set of challenges - specifically when it comes to getting dressed, nesting, and throwing fantastic imaginary dinner parties. but this morning, i discovered the perfect mudseason tablescape.

rustic simplicity with just a hint of winter and a glimpse of things to come.

pinecones + tulips + numbered apothecary jars = perfection

...now all i need is the perfect party barn to host this wonderful dinner. well, that and someone to tell me what to wear today...

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top ten tuesdays - tap, tap, tap...

it is maple sugaring season here in vermont - the 6 week event that starts now, just as winter is losing its grip and lasts until mid april when (we hope) that the weather ceases to drop below freezing every night.

lots more to come on this topic in the coming weeks, but for now, i thought we would start with a top ten tuesday (one day late) featuring the top ten reasons to LOVE sugaring season here in vermont…

1. the romance and ritual - “sugaring is a tradition founded on romance and ritual. the gathering of sap excites native vermonters as they court the maples, determining the precise time to tap and capture the crystalline liquid traveling through its veins. the syrup processing ritual is eagerly anticipated regardless of the hard work and long hours spent laboring over the sugar pots. why? because the maple syrup gathering season is short-lived and often unpredictable due to new england's variable weather conditions."
2. the woodpiles being put to good use - it's like they wait all winter for this…
3. the containers - there are soo many to choose from! glass maple leaves, tin jars, gallon jugs, mason jars - all with different logos and designations. oh the decisions!
4. sugar.on.snow.
5. the history - maple sugaring has been an early spring tradition ever since the eastern woodland indians discovered that maple sap cooked over an open fire produces a sweet sugar. legend has it that an iroquois hunter returned to his dwelling and found an enticing sweetness in the air around the kettle in which his mate was boiling meat. the fluid in the kettle was sap and had been collected beneath a broken maple limb. to make their sugar, they would cut a slash in the maple tree and collect the sap as it dripped out. logs were then hollowed out, and filled with the fresh sap. white-hot field stones were added to cause the sap to boil. when the first european settlers arrived, the indians traded maple sugar with them and eventually taught the settlers the secrets of the maple sugaring process. how smart were they!?
6. the smells of the sugary smoke billowing out of the sugar shacks
7. the treats - pancakes, pancakes and more pancakes. fresh maple syrup is the perfect excuse to indulge in this heavenly breakfast treat (recipes to come this weekend)
8. the big weekend - The 9th annual vermont maple open house is held at sugarhouses throughout the state march 26-28. this is your chance to visit one or more sugarhouses and celebrate this uniquely vermont tradition. activities include the opportunity to watch maple syrup being made and sampling maple products. (yes, please)
9. the cooking show - vermont public television’s seasonal cooking special: simply maple. executive chef sean buchanan of the stowe mountain lodge and his guests as they demonstrate recipes featuring vermont’s sweetest ingredient, maple! local chefs and old time sugar makers will prepare their tried and true family favorites. So set your dvr for this saturday, march 6th at 2pm. (repeats several times throughout the month)
10. the products – there is maple sugar everything! maple sugar candy, maple taffy, maple cream, maple butter and my favorite…the maple cremee.
    
    tap, tap, tap…sugaring season here we come.

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