Sometimes when I hear the words "vegetable soup," I think it sounds a little boring. After all, meat gives soup flavor as well as texture, which are pretty important for a good soup. Yet when I saw the title for this one, Asian Vegetable Soup in Life: Beautiful magazine, I was intrigued.
Read MoreWasn't that crazy to wake up to see snow today? Big, huge flakes were falling here in Lake Stevens! Beautiful while it lasted...then the rains came. Perhaps Punxsutawney Phil, the famed groundhog, was right...six more weeks of winter!
Read MoreSo, you love to go the mountains and enjoy the crisp clean air, walk the quiet roads and trails, swim in a cold lake or float the rivers, enjoy the colors of the fall leaves, and the beautiful winter snow.
Read MoreOne thing I love about eating something with corn in the middle of winter is that corn reminds me of summer! I love fresh corn on the cob. I look forward to the time when the freshly picked ears of corn appear at the fruit and vegetables stands late in the summer...which I admit feels a long time from now.
Read MoreIs is just me, or does there seem to be more colds and flu going around than normal for this time of year? It seems like almost everyone I know is fighting a cold, just getting over a cold, or flat out in the middle of about a three week cold cycle. Uffda! Hope this all stops going around soon!
Read MoreInstead of dreading winter as many do here, the Scandinavians actually seem to come alive and embrace the dark and cold of winter. Have you heard of the trend called hygge? The word is kind of hard to define, but some equate it to a sense of coziness, creating warmth in your home, and embracing the season.
Read MoreThough I have been loving these cold, crisp days of winter, it seems like there are a lot of colds and sickness going around. Whenever I feel a cold coming on, one of my first thoughts is, "I'd better make a pot of chicken noodle soup." My mother, the RN, had a recurring mantra when we became ill as children, and even as adults...."force fluids". One of the best parts of chicken noodle soup is the broth, in my opinion.
Read MoreI'm really not a big fan of New Year's Resolutions. When I've made them in the past, I was always gung ho in the first few days of January to work on them. But, as the month wore on, and work piled up as I did all the year end bookkeeping that needs to happen when you are self employed, my resolve to work on those resolutions began to fade and I ended up feeling like a loser. Not a great way to start a New Year!
Read MoreSo, Pantone recently announced their Color of the year for 2017. The color, as you may have guessed from the photo, is Greenery. According to Pantone's website, "Green is Nature's neutral...a life affirming shade. "
Read MoreDriving to an early morning meeting this morning, I glanced at the temperature Gage in my car and it said it was 17 degrees outside! Now, I know that is no big deal for folks in Alaska or the Midwest or the East Coast...but that's darn cold for us out here in the West. When the temperatures start to drop in the winter, my thoughts turn to comfort food like hearty soups.
Read MoreAfter spending a few days in the mountains near Leavenworth, it seems a bit surreal to come home to freezing temperatures, icy windshields, and a little snow here on the coast of Puget Sound! I must admit I love the cold, crisp, and clear days of winter like this...with beautiful sunrises and sunsets. Walking outside perks you right up and you feel alive, ready to take on the New Year.
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A blog by Gracia Gilbertson, owner of Gracious Offering, an interior design company.
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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!