a huge goal of mine began its journey to fulfillment today.
thanks to an amazing husband and his strong arms (and no help from wake), we broke ground for our garden in amelia.
it's a 16x24 ft. plot divided into several beds. we hope to have all the beds dug by tomorrow and then plant a cover crop when we come in september.
with achy arms and destroyed fingernails i go to sleep tonight. but now i get to dream about zinnias, kale, tomatoes, sunflowers, squash, carrots and more growing in my garden in amelia.

in amelia for a few days.
went for a late afternoon walk yesterday after picking up sticks left by miss irene.
i love this building and the train tracks. i can see the lovely orange-red of the building from the house.
i look forward to this being a regular view for us.

i came home to this yesterday.

jeremiah, needle in hand, watching roseanne, drinking sweet tea and demolishing brownies. 

another patchwork project began tonight.

this one is for friends of ours who are soon to be husband and wife. 

jeremiah came up with the original design and then we worked together to come up with the final design. 

i love having a spouse who enjoys making things by hand as much as me. 

and he is not even ashamed to get behind a sewing machine. occasionally i'll catch him in my sewing room working on a project or hemming his clothing. he is who he is. and i love it. 

a gift for a new family member due to arrive soon.
to make it a bit more special and unique, i passed on using one solid piece of fabric and patched together small squares of flannel instead.
after i took this picture, i embroidered the initials of the new baby on one of the bunny's ears.
i hope coen will like his gift from cousin meg!

an evening spent with the austins.
watching roseanne. designing a wedding gift. finishing up pound cake.
not sure what the box cutter is doing in there.

lazy afternoon.

these are photos from a lavender farm we visited in the upcountry of maui.
it was by far one of the most beautiful and diverse gardens i have seen.
jeremiah and i mutually agreed that this is where we would live in maui.
below is a lovely video that jeremiah shot of me at the farm.

working hard to be comfortable in my own skin.
thankful not to be alone in this journey.
blessed to have such a wonderful helpmate and friend.

this weekend has been good and lazy.
yesterday, i got to enjoy the rain from my front porch.
today, jeremiah and i slept late and then spent the next few hours reading. i have also managed to bake a loaf of bread today. and that is about it.
the animals have loved us being around.
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on my reading list at the moment:
Lucid Food [ lots of insight into eco-conscious eating and cooking habits]
Fresh Every Day [great cookbook from the owner of Foster's Market in chapel hill & durham]

The Garden Primer [i am trying to prepare for a fall/winter garden]
The Four Season Harvest
Sow True Seed Catalog

The Doula Book [i am considering becoming a doula and this book is teaching me a lot about the job]

cleaned and reorganized our bedroom the other day.
unfortunately, our bedroom is the pigsty of the rest of the house. it's not my intention for it to be such but that it what it has become. i am working on rectifying that situation.
this is my "pretty" corner of the bedroom. i have had thw dresser since college and love it. jeremiah built me my earring holder when we first got married. it's another one of my favorites.

my husband home from work. all dressed up for his birthday.
i had to capture this moment when i saw him. the picture makes him look oddly short but i think it sums him up pretty well.
his birthday present from me: tickets to see foo fighters.
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today i felt autumn coming.
it makes me think of school starting and football games.
i am looking forward to autumn in VA.

just got back from houston today.
it was a wonderful weekend but i am so happy to be home. and to be home for a while. i am quite done with traveling at the moment.
i was a little nervous about getting settled back at home and at work but everything went quite smoothly today. jeremiah and i had a nice dinner with a friend visiting from out of town and have spent the rest of the evening piddling around with this and that.
i, in particular, have been preparing for miah's birthday. he turns 26 tomorrow. and i am oh so excited about the gift i got him!

went to the lake this week. most of the family was there.
we had delicious pizza one night. all siblings contributed, even caleb!
now jeremiah and i are in houston for the weekend to celebrate his grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary.
i love travelling but i am thoroughly looking forward to being home for a solid week.

jeremiah's aunt tara got married while we were in maui.
honestly, i always thought getting married in hawaii to be bit of a cliche. but after attending this wedding and dancing the night away under the palm trees i finally get it! the whole evening was quite magical.

our first day in maui.
spent the day on front street in lahaina, swimming in the pacific, and experiencing our first luau.
the lei smelled amazing. i hated to watch it wither away.