There is nothing like a bowl of hearty stew or soup with a delicious piece of bread on a cool fall day...well, maybe pumpkin doughnuts and a cappuccino come close! But I'm talkin' dinner here, so the doughnuts and coffee will have to wait until morning, unless you think like Danny Devito who once said, "You don't have to be hungry to eat a doughnut!" But I digress...back to stew.
Read MoreThis morning I awoke to that very familiar sound to us Northwesterners...Rain. Though part of me just wanted to roll over and pull the comforter over my head, I knew I had to get up. I had a running date scheduled a little later in the morning so it was time to get the coffee going and spend a little time on the front porch in the Word. As I sat there, my phone blinged and I had a message from one of my running partners..."Raining :)."
Read MoreMy husband likes to mess around with wood. He pretty much has done this whole life, starting when he used to take his allowance to the local hardware store in Lake Stevens at the age of six and buy a bag of nails so he could build something...anything. Choosing building as a profession was a no brainer...his "Soul Print" as Mark Batterson would say.
Read MoreI know many of you got all excited when Pumpkin Spice Lattes showed up at Starbucks this fall. All I can say is, good for you. Though I like the sound of that, I have to admit I never order one...just a coffee purist to the core. I have tasted one...they do give samples at Starbucks once in while. I'm always game to try something one time, but I just really like the flavor of coffee.
Read MoreIn the fall, my thoughts turn often to the Midwest. I'm not totally sure why...perhaps because I spent six fall seasons there of my life prior to and during my college years...perhaps because fall in the Midwest is simply one of the best places to see fall colors. I love to visit there in the fall, but am thankful that we have lovely fall leaf colors here too.
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"The bluest skies you've ever seen are in Seattle
And the hills the greenest green, in Seattle" ....
You may remember these lyrics from the theme song to an old TV show called "Here Come the Brides" years back. The song is a little cheesy, but we locals all believe these lyrics are true! A little over a week ago, one of my college roommates from Minnesota
Read MoreThe smell of good bread baking, like the sound of lightly flowing water, is indescribable in its evocation of innocence and delight...M.F.K. Fisher. Can I just say, Amen?
Read MoreWhy should I feel discouraged, Why should the shadows come, Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heav'n and home?" These lyrics from an old gospel hymn resonated with my heart this morning. Waking early, I took my cup of coffee to the porch and looked out over the still darkened lake, with the tip of Mt. Pilchuck covered by clouds in the distance. The early morning weather matched my mood...a little dark, a little discouraged.
Read MoreThe month of October just makes me think about pumpkins...how about you? A trip to a local pumpkin patch like Carlton Farms is one of the highlights of early fall for me. And looking at pumpkins just makes me start thinking about baking with pumpkin...such a wonderful, warm, tasty part of fall!
Read MoreSo, a week ago Fall officially started! I don't know about you, but it had been feeling like fall for most of September, especially in the mornings. The days would start cool and misty, then the sun would come out and tease us into thinking summer was lingering on...until evening when the cool temps would resume as the sun went down.
Read MoreWay back in the 80's...(some of you remember those years)...my husband gave me a Cuisinart Food Processor. Believe me, it was a hot item for cooks when it first came out! A good friend of mine, Rhonda, had also just gotten one so off we went to the free class at the kitchen store to show us all the amazing culinary delights we could now make with our new machines.
Read MoreI want to invite you to take a drive across the mountains and come to my Open House. The leaves are turning color...beautiful gold and reds are making their appearance. In case you haven't been to Plain (or maybe even heard of it!), I'd like to take you on a little tour.
Read MoreAs September days chug along, I find myself eating lots of apples. The prices have finally come down and all my favorites just call out to me at the market...Honey Crisp, Gala, and Fuji top the list. Today I want to share with you a new recipe from a pinterest post.
Read MoreYesterday as I was driving around the lake around 7:00 a.m. to meet my running partners for a run, I got stuck behind a school bus. I was running a little late but there was no opportunity to pass on the narrow road so I just had to chug along behind it. Since I had to stop every time the bus did, I started noticing the faces of the middle school age kids waiting for the bus. Several looked happy, expectant, and all spiffed up on this early Monday morning while others waited with hunched shoulders, with a look of dread or resignation when the bus pulled up.
Read MoreSitting here in Plain watching the sun go down on a fabulous fall evening after a sunny day...so lovely. As promised in a previous post on apples, I am sharing an apple dessert with you that is one of my favorites! This recipe came from a very special place where my mother grew up...Frost, Minnesota.
Read MoreWhen people stop in for a visit the first time, the room that almost always brings the most comments is the Living Room. Comments like these are typical, "Look at all this woodwork!" or, "You sure don't see many houses like this anymore," and "This is truly a craftsman house." Even though this old house went through several remodels over the years, I'm so thankful that the woodwork and the windows were left in tact.
Read MoreMy sister recommended a book a couple of months ago that she thought I would like. Not knowing too much about it, I downloaded it on my Kindle and proceeded to read, finishing it in a couple days. I had a hard time putting it down. Right away, I loved many things about this book...the fact that it was a true story; that it occurred in the 1930's, just prior to WWII; and that the primary setting of the story took place right here in Seattle. Have you guessed which book I'm talking about yet?!!
Read MoreThough I am always sad to see summer go, one of the things I love about September is the abundance of apples. I have always associated apples with the start of school in the fall...many a home packed school lunch ended with a juicy red apple! My dad loved apples and nuts so that was also a common snack in our home.
Read MoreWith the Labor Day weekend upon us, some of you are planning to get in just one more camping trip before the summer is over. When you look at the picture above, the thought of camping near a beach...or lake...or river...or a stream seems appealing, doesn't it?
Read MoreThe heart of our home would definitely be the kitchen....the most used room in the house. From the time I push the brew button on the coffeemaker early in the morning 'till I turn the lights on above the stove at the close of the day, I am in and out of the kitchen many times in a day. Like the farm house where I lived the longest growing up, you walk right into the kitchen from the entry in this house. These old craftsman houses almost always positioned the kitchen at the back of the home, apart from the other living spaces.
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A blog by Gracia Gilbertson, owner of Gracious Offering, an interior design company.
A few of the things I love...
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Last weekend my cousin, Kirsten, and I journeyed to Idaho to attend the Memorial service for one of our dear Aunts. As we took the back roads through Duvall and North Bend to avoid the Friday morning work traffic, we reminisced about family reunions with our large extended family.
In anticipation of Norway's Constitution Day, on the 17th of May (Syttende Mai), I decided to bake a Verdens Beste Kake...World's Best Cake. Apparently in 2002, Norwegians voted this cake be their "national cake", beating out the famed Kransekake (Norway's Ring cake). If you've ever tasted Kransekake, you know this was quite a feat!