purple fingers

I sit here typing, my fingers stained purple, my forehead damp from billowing stovetop steam and feeling for the moment: just plain satisfied! Though my once clean kitchen is now a mess that I will reckon with later, six gleaming jars of wild grape jelly sit proudly on my counter, just waiting to be seen by my grape-loving husband :)

I'm also famished, so just as the last jar was scooped full of dark purple liquid, it's cover tightened and set beside the others, I was preparing a small meal for moi! Leftover spaghetti sauce sauced up a bit with sauteed onions & mushrooms, black olives and a generous (overly?) amount of olive oil. Beside that concoction I put on a pot of simmering quinoa and man, I am HUNGRY!

My secret *project* will be unveiled tonight as my hubby, E, comes home from a week-long business trip to Maryland. After I tell him, I will tell you, too! I have been oh-so-proud of the results from hard work put in this week. Can't wait to share more!

I hear jelly lids sealing in the kitchen~ reminds me to check the quinoa~ Ciao for now!

*J*

And More~ A bit addicted!

I'm already addicted to this blog~ it feels like a little quiet space for me to share the thoughts that are constantly darting around in my mind... it feels safe and it feels solitary~ but it won't be for long. I wonder if I'll still want to write as much when I know strangers and even worse, family, will be reading these thoughts... Not like I'm planning on writing anything secretive... it's just ... a quiet space.

I'm off to go for a hard run to combat the extra gluten-free *treats* I have recently found at an AMAZING gf bakery ... the best brownie I've ever had and sourdough bread with the texture of heaven. My hubby & I slather it up with the Wild Grape Jelly & Black Raspberry Jam (see above) that we have recently made & wa-la~ a delight. Too much of a good thing is definitely no longer a good thing when it comes to food. Then I'm off & running on a new secret *project* that I've determined to complete this fall. It's a surprise as of now, but I will add more details as I progress...

Goodbye for now!

*J*

fragrant memories

As fall approaches and the flowers begin to fade, I sit here expectantly wondering what's to come. The last year has truly been the best of my life~ one of those seasons in life that you want to hold onto, squeeze into, knowing all the while that that is not the point of it happening. So I let it go, reluctantly at first, now joyfully waiting to see what marvelous seeds will come from the beauty of this year~

So the year itself? The first year of marriage to my bestest friend and fellow pioneer, E. In a few weeks we will celebrate our 1st anniversary of saying "I do." Here is where my story begins but not where it will end...