Catching Up

Well, it's been a long time since I've sat down and really thought about blogging. I've been getting lazy and simply sending photos from mine or Jeff's cell phone. But I must tell you, I love this feature!

Anyway, it's been quite a busy few months getting settled into my new home, my new job, my new NAME. ;) Things at the Gough house are going well. I'm enjoying turning this once bachelor pad (ok, so it never really was that- I've always had my hand in things) into our home. I'm quickly realizing that as a home owner there's always something more to do and I'm starting to get discouraged that it will never be done. I do, however, have hope and determination!

Here are a list of projects I've been working on (hopefully this will make me feel accomplished):

-Unpacking wedding gifts and finding a place for them. We were generously blessed!
-Stripping paint off doors we bought at the Re-Store to turn into a headboard for our bed
-Slowly moving my belongings over from my parents house (I'm still not completely moved out!!)
-Creating a "garage sale" pile and loving the process of downsizing or at least purging
-Turning one of the bedrooms into "OUR" craft room. More on that later. The craft table was a wedding present from Jeff- I love how supportive he is of my hobbies! Here's a before photo.
-Picking out paint colors for the laundry room- a pale mint green, and bonus room- a gray/green/blue and olive green (for the cove that will house Jeff's desk)
-Planting an herb garden with the help of Rebekah (she gave me all of the herbs AND planted more than half) Thanks so much! I love using fresh herbs in my cooking and I've already been enjoying them. I have- basil, oregano, dill, thyme, cilantro, rosemary, lemon balm, peppermint, and sage. Anyone have any favorite herbs?
-Co-hosting a "gender reveal party" with my friend Katie for "Baby Courter"- It's a boy!
-Finishing a quilt I've been working on with Keri for my friend Laura who got married last Fall. Keri and I started it in October- we took our time ;)

Ok, I feel great...thanks for letting me share.

Hope everyone has a wonderful week. Is it wrong that I'm already looking forward to the weekend?

Barcelona (said with a lisp)

The last time I was in Barcelona (9 years ago) I loved it! And I still do! This city is a wonderful blend of old & new. It's clean, safe, and beautiful! Apart from all the incredible works of Gaudi, it's also the home of my cousin, Nathalie and her family. We met them half way through the day and they took us out for some delicious tapas and then back to their house for some homemade cake. They were incredibly gracious hosts and the girls were great entertainment. Justine (14) and Chloe (10) thought Jeff had big muscles (he disagrees) and were constantly chanting "Jeffy! Jeffy! Muscles! Muscles!" so that he would show them off. Aren't I lucky girl to have such a buff husband?

There we are to the left of the M. Amy, Jocelyn, or Alisha...do you remember this place? It's the big mall at the end of the pier. I have a photo of us here 9 years ago.

In fourteen hundred and ninety two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue...looking for India- so that's where this statue is pointing.

We stopped by a local market, it puts Pike Place to shame.

Walking up Las Ramblas you can find all sorts of things for sale..I think my favorite are the animal stands- hedgehogs, ferrets, turtles, roosters, etc.

Escalators- outdoors, I love it!

La Sagrada Familia (seen in the center) was Gaudi's life work. When I was here 9 years ago I was too cheap to pay the entrance fee....things were going to be different this time. But alas, it escaped me again...shortly after taking this photo my camera battery died and we spent an hour going back to the boat for my spare. I did have it in time for photos of the family, so all was well.

Park Guell

Justine and Chloe, they're so cute!

Jerome and Nathalie

Homemade Applesauce

I posted this last year, while I was pregnant, on our front porch blog (now out of commission)....so, I thought I'd share here for those who've asked. ;)

There's just something about applesauce...a light snack with great flavor and when made from scratch leaves your home smelling like Christmas morning. (Jeff was lucky enough to wake up to this scent, as I started it at 5:00 this morning..ahh pregnancy insomnia rears it's ugly head)

Several people have asked for this recipe so I'm giving it up here AND along with any future orders from our shop (written on a Front Porch recipe card!)



Homemade Applesauce

In a large Crock Pot on the 4 hour or high setting add the following:

- 8 peeled, cored, and eighthed apples (variety is the spice of life...but I used HoneyCrisp this morning because they were on sale AND they are delicious)
- juice from 1/2 lemon
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 pinches ground cloves

Stir every 30-40 min. Apples should begin to fall apart around 2 hours. Continue to cook for remaining 2 hours. Serve warm over vanilla ice cream or keep in refrigerator for a light snack.

Enjoy!

Self Portraits

My friend, Jen, was gracious enough to host a small sale at her home last week and thoughtfully invited me to join. Seeing how front porch has kind of been on hiatus, I was hesitant...but I mustered up the energy to create some samples and got a couple sales out of the deal and a few items to list in the shop...but while I was taking photos today I tried on the scarflette for size...and I fell in love (maybe it's because it goes so well with my outfit today? i was really kicking myself for not wearing it to MOPS this morning). So, I'm keeping it! But I do have enough fabric to make one more, just leave a comment if you're interested. They're $25 plus shipping. No pressure to buy, I'm just not willing to give up THIS one ;)

And while you're in the mood, you can check out my very minimal shop update and also know that I'm in the mood to make things so if you've got something in mind please let me know!