Where We Dined Like Kings

Imagine: a cool autumn afternoon, you are sitting at a patio that is perched high on a hill, overlooking a valley of lush green grape vines; you are sipping fine wine and dining on fresh regional cuisine; and a faint smell of lavender fills the air as you enjoy conversation with loved ones.  Sounds dreamy doesn't it?  Well ... it really was!


Over the weekend I had the pleasure of going to King Estate Winery with my mom and sister.  It is located a short drive from downtown Eugene, but its beauty makes it seem worlds away.  1,033 acres of land includes orchards, vegetable gardens, flowers, and of course 430 acres of organic vineyards! 

The drive up was so pretty.  I admit that I was pretending to be in the French countryside.

A lovely pic of my mom, sister and I near the patio where we dined, overlooking the vineyard.

The panoramic view from the winery is really something to behold with neat rows of vines go as far as the eye can see.  We took a tour of the facility which led us through the process of getting wine from the vine to the glass, then at the restaurant we got to taste their product.  I went home with a bottle of their Acrobat Oregon Pinot Noir 2010, which I plan to bring out for a special occasion some time.

 The barrel rooms had beautiful arched ceilings and smelled strongly of, what else, oak.

 I felt very blessed to have the opportunity to jump out of the car and snap some shots of the grapes on the vine.  These bunches will soon be harvested.

Good wine, good food, good company and good laughs all made this a very memorable adventure.

Even though I still long to go to the wine country of France, it's a comfort to know that a similar experience is never too far away from me.

Five Reasons Why I Need To Go To France

With summer approaching, I can't help but dream of traveling to exotic places.  Anyone who knows me knows that I have a deep desire to go to France.  I've never been to Europe, but if when I get the opportunity, France is at the top of my list.  Here is why ...

1.  The Food

Um ... hello!  First of all France is known for their pastries and I love pastries.  I've been particularly fond of les macarons lately and the nearest place that makes a good one is a 25 minute drive from my house.  I have a suspicion that the ones sold at Ladurée in Paris is beyond amazing and I must try one for myself!  If you have never had one, find out where the nearest bakery or chocolatier is and get one!  They are not the same as a "macaroon" or coconut cookie, they are an entirely different experience altogether. 

I had the pleasure of eating this pistachio macaron from Moonstruck Chocolatier in the Nob Hill district of Portland over the weekend.  Truly divine.  And don't get me started on the sea salt caramel macaron I also scarfed down!

 

A trip to Poilâne for a loaf (or two) of their iconic bread is also in order; followed by a real French croissant, a tasting of actual champagne, a bite of unpasteurized Camembert, and something with chocolate and espresso to follow.  Whew, anyone else getting hungry?

2.  The Language

Everything sounds sophisticated when spoken or written in French.  Take the word "airport" for example: in French it is "aéroport".  See, it's fancy! 

This summer I am taking French Grammar & Conversation through my local Parks & Recreation department and I am stoked.  If I am fluent enough, I'm sure I could pass for a French woman.  I have pale skin, dark eyes, and my pointy nose naturally makes me look snooty.  I would just need a pair of Louboutins and a small dog on a leash and I can blend in seamlessly.

3.  The Shopping

Photo from elle.com

Speaking of Louboutins ... yes, I would like some please.  And if I could purchase them IN Paris that would be even better.  While I'm at it, add a Chanel gown, a Givenchy pencil skirt, an Hermes Birkin bag, and anything from the Celine Fall 2011 collection.  Of course unlimited funds would be necessary for this to happen, but I'm pretty sure even window shopping would be a dream come true.

4.  The Lifestyle

I could get along quite nicely in a place where poppies are considered weeds.  Poppies are my favorite flowers and evidently they grow wildly there.  I've been reading a fantastic blog, designmom.com, where a mother of a big family moved to Normandy recently where she rents a farmhouse surrounded by peonies and lavender.  She even has a separate art studio where she does her graphic design. Sigh. It sounds like she is living le joie de vivre over there - a simple but interesting life.  Two-hour lunches that include wine sound good to me as does a hop, skip, and jump on up to jolly ol' Britain for the weekend.

5.  The Arts

When I studied graphic design in school I had many art history and architecture classes.  I learned about the different parts of a gothic church, the pointillistic style of George Seurat, and the playful and ornate look of Rococo design.  It has been my dream to lay my own eyes upon these things.  To see firsthand the colors of the North Rose Window of the Chartres Cathedral or to walk in the garden of the Palace of Versailles.  I know, I'm such a sap!

There is a possibility France may not be all that I've built up in my mind to be.  But even if it isn't, I will never know unless I find out for myself.

Beautiful, Gorgeous, Wish You Were Here

I admit, one of my favorite movies of all time is French Kiss.  What's not to love: Meg Ryan, France, vineyards and quotable movie lines?!  One of my favorite lines is from when Meg Ryan's character is walking up a quaint French village with stone buildings decorated with flowered window boxes and she says "Oh!  Beautiful, gorgeous, wish you were here!" as if she was writing a postcard of her adventures to a loved one.  Well, that is how I feel every time I drive through my beautiful state of Oregon.

We have everything here.  Mountains, (high) deserts, big cities, small towns and my personal favorite: the Pacific Ocean.  It seems with every turn in the road there is another sight to behold.  Over the weekend we visited Meemaw and Boppa in Central Oregon, the first time since we moved to our new town.  Our route to their house is different now and as we drove along the winding Rogue River, I was greeted with cows grazing in lush pastures, hillsides spotted with vintage homes, and mountains that I had never laid eyes on.

 Mt. Thielsen near Crater Lake National Park.

It is always refreshing to get a new perspective on this state, this country, and this world that we live in.  This Earth that God made.  His creation is truly glorious.

At The Market

Today was yet another gorgeous day.  The temperatures had reached 70° by 11:00 this morning as my son and I headed to the local growers market.  It was our first time seeing what our local farmers, artists, and bakers have to offer.

It was a colorful gathering with pots of fresh herbs, hanging baskets of flowers and the smell of fresh doughnuts wafting through the air.  We took our time, weaving back and forth between tents, stopping to look at the loaves of fresh bread or the latest picking of snow peas.  We gladly enjoyed an apple turnover and sipped decaf iced coffee.  There was even a man making balloon animals for the kids.  He was probably the most uncharismatic balloon man I ever met, but my son was quite pleased with his purple balloon sword anyway. 

I made note of a local producer of yarn, who raises her own goats and llamas, and kettle dyes the most vibrant yarns.  Hmm, I think I'll have to buy a skein or two for a lovely winter scarf, someday.

By the time we left, my market basket was filled with all kinds of goodies.  A pizza crust, almond pesto, snow peas and a bundle of iced sugar cookies.  A modest haul, but next time it will be much bigger I'm sure!

And even though it is Cinco de Mayo, we feasted on homemade Mediterranean style pizza (made from our findings at the market), Hefeweizen and sugar cookies. 

And it was SO good.

My Wednesday View

Today feels like early summer.  With temperatures promising to be up in the 80s, I spent some time putting away heavy clothes of winter and bringing out the soft cottons and linens.  I even opened up the back door in our bedroom to let in fresh air and the slight breeze.  I'm thinking we'll dine on the back patio this week; yup, enjoying a meal and some wine al fresco is definitely in order!

A Treasure Hunt

On the 15th we will have lived in our new town for a whole month.  In that time, we have explored neighboring towns, sampled delicious food from local restaurants, and we practically know the mall like the back of our hands.  But, today it came to my attention that we hadn't been to a nearby park that my kids were dying to go to.  So, I grabbed my camera and we set out for an hour or so of playing and wandering!

It's refreshing to see color in the dead of winter.  Our previous town had lots of snow, and when it wasn't falling out of the sky it was covering the struggling vegetation.  Needless to say that I was thrilled to see shades of green, red, and brown even with a heavy cover of gray sky above.

Black oak trees are abundant here.  What amazes me is that since the leaves have fallen off the branches, clusters of mistletoe form high up and look like scraggly bird nests.  My kids are excited to play on the playground wearing only light jackets, and a berm of hardened snow is nowhere to be seen.

Black oak trees also produce some rather large acorns.  I love the contrast between the orange-brown shell of the acorn against the glossy green paint of the picnic tables!

Pathways wound throughout the park grounds piquing the interest of my little explorers.  Shouts of "Let's go this way, Mama" and "Ooh, lets go look at that!" was all I could hear as I felt them pull at my jacket.  A wooden foot bridge crossed over a shallow creek (if only my camera battery hadn't died at this point I would have taken a photo or two) and benches with memorial plaques were scattered along the paths.

It was a lovely afternoon.  And while I don't necessarily think that this park was extraordinary or unusual, to us, it is a gem in the new town that we are finding to be quite a treasure.

Don't You Forget About Me

Hello there, blog world!  I'm still around, just in a different place.  We have successfully moved from our old town to our new one with very few hiccups {praising the Lord!}.

As I have been unwrapping some of our 18,000 lbs of stuff (no joke, the movers weighed our haul), I have found that a lot of dust literally settled on things that I had forgotten about long ago.  We lived in our house for 4.5 years which means that our collection of belongings expanded to fit our 2,200 square foot home.  Now we are living in a 1900 square foot rental and I have no where to unpack my fine china into, and have no idea where to display a lot of decor.  So ... back into the boxes they go!  It's actually a very good thing because we are forced to examine our things and decide what we REALLY need and want.  A good rule of thumb is if you haven't used it in years, most likely you won't again anytime soon.  And I was quite ruthless with the ridiculous amounts of candles I've collected over the years!


This is the house we just moved from.  It housed A LOT of stuff, and had an extended garage that housed even more stuff.

There is still much to be uncovered as I am surrounded by boxes, some placed in the correct room and others ... well it makes life interesting to find my serving dishes amongst the living room bookcase contents.  One thing I am particularly looking forward to is getting my computer hooked up so I can edit and post photos (I'm on my husbands laptop now).

Moving is a difficult and emotional thing.  Life is disrupted.  Belongings are transplanted.  And navigating a new town can be daunting.  But, inconveniences aside I am thrilled with our new home town and I feel that it is a perfect fit for my little family.  My son even asks on a daily basis if we can go to the mall.  I would say he likes it here as well.

Sale Pending

I am thrilled to announce that our home is now "sale pending"!  We have some buyers for the house and the inspections are done.  Now we wait for all of the paper work to be finished and in the meantime we are busy making arrangements to find a rental house in our new town, making appointments for house cleaning, and giving the moving company an official moving date.

My feelings about the whole process surprise me.  We have a wonderful house, and yet I am quite eager to move.  We have lived here for the last 4.5 years and are its first residents.  We chose the floor plan, the cabinets, the upgrades and even the lot that it sits on.  It is the only house my son has ever known, and I have watched my children thrive here; perhaps that's why I've expected to be be more broken up about leaving it, but I am honestly very ready to begin our new adventure.  It is strange that I have no idea what house we will live in next, however I am looking forward to getting settled.

Trying to find a nice rental could be quite tricky.  We need one that is in a kid-friendly neighborhood and in the school boundaries that we want.  It will need to be a house that we can feel comfortable in for an indefinite amount of time, while we are looking for a home to buy.  It needs to allow pets (one small dog and a lazy cat), and a garage is a must.  I suspect that it will not have all of the comforts that we are used to, but the fact that our new town has a mall makes up for it!

It would be great if our new place has a few comforts of home:

 Oh, how I will miss my jetted tub!  It has served me well and comforted my sore achy muscles excellently.  Still, any bathtub will do, but jets are a bonus!

A park like backyard would be wonderful.  A place for the kids to play and for family dinners out on the back patio.

Vaulted ceilings would be fabulous, but as long as there is room for our sectional, we'll be in good shape!

It would be a miracle to rent a house with such a nice kitchen!  I picked these shaker-style maple cabinets myself, and will miss their clean modern look. 

We worked pretty hard on this powder room.  Painting the stripes and custom staining the crown molding was time intensive.  I like to think that the features of this room helped to sell the house {triumphant grin}.  And I'm choosing not the wonder if the new owners will paint over it {forlorn frown}.

Yes, I will miss this place, but our prayers have been answered in so many ways!  Our house was on the market for only 50 days and it looks like we will be moved before Christmas.  And the fact that I am not mourning the sale of our home is a very big praise!  God is Good!

A Seaside Surprise Part II

My recipe for the ideal weekend at the Oregon Coast is: dark and stormy weather, a hot cup of Earl Grey tea, and if I have the means, a good knitting project.  Substitute a wonderful surprise for the knitting and the ideal weekend is just what I had!

Seaside, Oregon is a hot vacation spot for many Portlanders.  There is a boardwalk along the beach; cute little shops, both commercial and local, fill the downtown area; and my kids' favorite destination was the Carousel Mall which had, as you might have guessed, a big carousel in the middle of a mall.  This provided great entertainment for the children and a warm and dry place out of the rain for the rest of us.

After a good ride on the carousel and some shopping, we headed back down to Cannon Beach for a family dinner at The Irish Table.  Wow.  I mean WOW!  I am in love with this place!  For me, eating out isn't just about how good the food tastes, but rather it is about an experience - and this place was quite the experience.  The lights were low, the tables were rustic, and the Irish music was lively.  The menu included many dishes such as Irish Stew, Steamed Mussels, Butternut Squash Soup with hazelnuts and baked pears, plus amazing desserts.  I had the Chicken Pastie, similar to chicken & dumplings but wrapped in a pillow of puff pastry.  The presentation was gorgeous and it was delicious!  I'm now inspired to make my own as well as some Irish Soda Bread to go with it.

The next morning we had a big family breakfast, one more ride on the carousel, and a short jaunt on the squally beach. 

We were literally at the coast for only 24 hours, but it was time well spent and one that I hope to make again very soon.

A Seaside Surprise Part I

I adore the Pacific Northwest.  My fondness for the area has grown so much over the years, and I can't imagine not living here.  The lush green foliage, majestic mountains and dramatic coastline speaks to my soul.  Even though I am hundreds of miles away from the beach, it is always worth the trip even if it takes seven hours to get there. I find that the only thing better than going to the Oregon Coast, is going to the Oregon Coast to meet up with family.  A semi-impromptu trip was made to surprise a loved one for her birthday, and gladly the surprise was a total success!  It's amazing how our group gathered in such short notice, managed to stay in the same hotel, and pulled off quite a celebration.

The coastal town of Seaside was the party destination, but since there was some time to kill before the surprise, my husband and I took our kids to Cannon Beach for a delicious meal at the ever-famous Mo's Restaurant.

Anyone who knows me knows that I have a strong dislike for seafood, however I do find Mo's clam chowder to be quite edible.  In fact, the gray stormy weather on Saturday was the perfect atmosphere for slurping down the warm soup.  

Cannon Beach is an artsy tourist resort destination along the northern coast of Oregon that is famous for its "Haystack Rock", a tall monolith rock formation.  Regrettably, I did not get a photo of it because of the incredible amount of rain and wind on that day, but my daughter's drawing on the back of a menu will suffice just fine!  In fact, it is a rather accurate depiction if you ask me.

After our cozy lunch, we headed north to Seaside where my weekend adventure continues ...

My Excitement Cannot Be Contained!

Fall is finally here!  The air is cooling down and the leaves are changing ... but they aren't the only things changing.  A few weeks ago, I had mentioned in a post that there would be some big changes coming up for my family.  Well, in case you were wondering, I am NOT pregnant!  Now that that's out of the way, I would like to announce that my husband has taken a new job and we will be moving!

We will remain in Southern Oregon, so fortunately our new home won't take but an hour to get to from where we are now, but it seems like a world away.  A world of deciduous trees and rushing rivers.  A world where peaches and pears abound, as does the shopping.  These last six years have been a struggle for me as I have felt like a fish out of water, but I have new hope now.

So, now we must wait.

 We must wait to sell our house, find a new house, and to let everything fall into place.  (I guess it helps to squish your face up while waiting, it passes the time)

We must wait for our chance to eat at cute little places with sidewalk seating and a long list of local wines.

We must wait to be less than a half-hour away from our favorite shoppes.

And we must wait for the Lord to reveal his plan for us in this next adventure.  Let me tell you, with Him at the reigns, oh what an adventure it will be!

The Dog Days Of Summer

When camping in 94 degree weather, it's a must to chase some bubbles around ...  

 ... and then find some shade and hunker down for a nap!

Mr. Handsome

We've been putting a lot of miles on our car with all of the road trips we've taken lately.  Our journeys have taken us to see friends and family, and what a blessing it is to reconnect with loved ones.  Our most recent trip took us to my home town where we went to a reunion of sorts and we got to see my little nephew.

Just three weeks old, this boy is a charmer!  His red hair is even more darling than I imagined and when he sleeps peacefully it warms my heart. 

Check out the booties!

I feel very blessed that I got to capture this boy in all states of wakefulness.  And my husband took the images below of my beautiful sister and her son.  Aren't they gorgeous?

This kid looks good bathed in light.

A Fruitful Gathering

It is always a joy to get together with old friends; to see how families have grown and to reminisce about the good ol' days.  And we had the opportunity to do just that this weekend!

Some friends from college had a BBQ at their home, which sits on an orchard that provided lots of things to do and plenty to see.

Cherries, nuts and figs dangled from the trees while playful kids dangled from the railing.

 Princesses of all ages were seen roaming the property.

Wheeled vehicles of different sorts were very attractive to young drivers.

And for the adults there was great food, fellowship and glorious weather.  And the sunshine and light breeze was perfect for ...

Chatting by the fire, walking amongst the trees or just kicking off my shoes!

Good times.

Oh Boy, Oh Boy!

Well then.  It has been an eventful few days full of road trips, old hangouts, family gatherings, shooting hoops in my old 'hood (pretty much my mom's driveway) and the most exciting thing of all ... the birth of my nephew!

This handsome little man's arrival has been much anticipated by my family.  The million dollar question we've all been asking: will he have red hair just like his mom.  The answer: YES!  I am amazed at how red his hair is and how much he resembles my sister.  He was born May 30, 2010 at 9:09 pm.

I feel like I didn't get enough time with this little one.  I want more time to photograph his tiny hands and toes.  I want to smell his red-haired head and kiss his soft little cheek.  Oh how I wish I lived closer so that my kids can play with their cousin (you know, when he's old enough to play). 

A six hour drive to where he is seems like an eternity.  Still, I am excitedly planning my next visit.

Under The Sea

Living a few hours away from the nearest ocean, my children haven't been exposed much to sea life. While we stayed in Newport, Oregon for Spring Break the weather was rather blustery and wet - in fact if those weren't hurricane force winds, then I definitely wouldn't want to be caught in one of those storms! The perfect solution to keeping the kids busy and dry was to visit the Oregon Coast Aquarium and The Hatfield Marine Science Center.

Jellyfish

Spider Crab

Tufted Puffin

My daughter took well to observing the different marine animals. Her favorite seemed to be the jellyfish and the vibrant sunflower sea stars. She loved to touch the anemones and watch the sharks swim above her in the Passages of the Deep exhibit at The Aquarium.

My son however, wished that he never learned to walk so that he could be pushed around in a stroller or that Daddy would carry him everywhere.


And Mom and Dad enjoyed taking photos of the little darlings, capturing our adventures at the coast ... and we were lucky, we even got a few of them looking happy to be there.

The Aquarium is fairly spendy, but worth it for an occasional visit. The Marine Science Center is perfect for the scientifically-minded or for those who enjoy pushing buttons and looking through microscopes. And while we barely spent any time on the frigid beach like we would have liked, learning about what lives in the ocean went just swimmingly. Pun intended.