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"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013."
Jonas: Such a sensitive, kind soul. This young boy always moves my heart.
Joshua: Overflowing with laughter and giggles. Not a day goes by when he doesn't make me laugh.
Jessica: The light of my day. Our bond between mother and daughter is unbreakable.

Thank you Jodi for hosting this Portrait series.

sunday stills. photo 20

A single photo once a week.
To capture my emotions, to sum up the days.
To collect my thoughts and hold them in my hands.

Every Sunday, one photo.

On this Sunday: The irony of this photo is that I usually have to bribe my children to get a picture of all three of them together. Before we went to dinner last night we were hanging out in the backyard. When I turned around Jonas threw his arms around Josh and Jess and shouted "Hey mom, cheeese." It was a kodak moment.

Enjoy your Sunday.
I'm off for a run then grilling out with the family and watching Mad Men with Jon tonight.
These next couple weeks are busy, but we are looking forward to the end of a great school year and the beginning of summer.

Merry Edwards wine tasting

Spring is in the air, which means it's the season for events at the restaurant. We have several wine tastings lined up and the annual Lobster Clam Bake this weekend. Unfortunately, most tastings fall on Jon's days off so that just means I need to head down there to enjoy them :)

While I certainly can't make them all, there was no chance I could miss the Merry Edwards wine tasting. Talk about an influential woman who made her mark in an industry predominantly run by men. She has been a wine maker since 1974 and was just named Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional by the James Beard Foundation after six consecutive years of being named a finalist. She is also a 2013 inductee for The Culinary Institute of America’s Vintners Hall of Fame.

It was an honor to hear her speak, to hear the history behind her wine making and to hear her descriptions of the wines she made and that we tasted. When we make our way out to the Russian River Valley we'll be sure to stop by and say hello to Merry!

Be sure to check out some of the upcoming events at Benders
Beau Vigne Tasting
Lobster Clam Bake

I hope your weekend is filled with happiness, good food and perhaps fine spirits.
Cheers!

family meal planning

I enjoy meal planning. I actually love to spend a night flipping through cookbooks, researching recipes and catching up on my piles of Bon Appetit and Food & Wine magazine. All while sipping a glass of wine and jotting down notes in my journal. The problem is, with three children and a hard working husband I rarely make the time to do this. When I go to the grocery store I just "wing it" and usually never take a list.

Now that we've been eating clean (Paleo, gluten free, dairy free, sugar free, preservative free) our grocery store bills have sky rocketed. Nobody said eating clean organic food was cheap, but when your husband sits you down with an excel sheet to document how far over budget we are then you really know you're in trouble. Let's just say we had that talk and, over a scheduled meeting and perhaps a glass of wine, we decided that it's time to start meal planning.

I immediately began brainstorming and started to create a calendar on my laptop, but then I remembered my friend Kacie actually dedicated an entire series to this! So, I headed over to her blog and used her calendar and grocery list to get started. I ended up creating my own grocery list that can be catered to the two stores I visit. Plus, I added a section for the farmer's market and a local farm since summer is within reach and I shop local when I can.

We are officially on week two of meal planning and I feel so organized. I keep my recipes in a binder and in the front pocket I keep the schedule. For what feels like the first time ever I stuck to my budget when at the store and I ONLY purchased what was on my list. In addition to everything for our meals I included a few staples like: milk, coconut milk, almond milk, raw honey, almond flour, bread for kids and extra fruit and veggies.

In fact, I'm actually off right now to plan our meals for next week.
How about you? Do you meal plan? Any suggestions? Any recipe recommendations?

You can click below to see a sample of our weekly plan.

a fairytale night. the poison apple ball

It's not often you get to wear fairytale formal attire and slip away into a world filled with wild creatures, charming knights and splendid princesses. A night filled with good food, spirits and music. A night spent in the company of friends, both old and new.

This past Saturday my sister and I celebrated the launch of Indigo Ink Press's third publication, Modern Grimmoire: Contemporary Fairy Tales, Fables & Folklore by attending a truly unique gala. As a board member for Indigo Ink Press, a nonprofit independent publisher, I am more than thrilled to announce our third publication. If you're in the mood for fairy tales, fables and folklore I highly recommend this collection of works. Mine sits on my nightstand and I can't seem to put it down.












Since Bender's catered the food, Jon was able to join us later on in the evening.







To view or purchase publications please visit Indigo Ink Press's website.
And, if you happen to be local or ever visit the Canton area, I highly recommend checking out the Joseph Saxton Gallery of Photography where this amazing event was held.

*This is not a sponsored post. As a board member for Indigo Ink Press, I am excited about the work we do and want to share it with my readers who live near and far.