Oh the Cuteness!

I had a barbecue to go to recently and wanted to bring something home made but didn't have a lot of time or money and it had to be vegan-friendly. On hand I had infinite canned goods, tomatoes from the garden, and some frozen peas. I had also seen a tip somewhere online that said if you have a small mustard jar with only a couple tablespoons left you can fill the jar up with vinegar and olive oil, add some spices, and shake it up to make a good mustard vinaigrette. So my game plan was to make a bean salad with mustard vinaigrette, but it turned out so delicious I had to share the recipe! Here you go: Easy Summer Bean Salad *It's very important that you empty your canned goods into a strainer and rinse them thoroughly!* 1 can of each of the following, or feel free to mix it up with what you have on hand, fresh or canned: Corn Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas) Kidney Beans 1/2 can of Black Olives, Sliced 2-3 Roma Tomatoes 1/2 a Small Package of Frozen Peas 1. P...

As soon as the weather got warm I decided it was high time I took Johnny on his first ever camping trip! We went to the same campground I used to frequent with my parents when I was a kid, San Simeon State Beach. It was just a one-night trip, but we had a blast and we already have a big trip planned for each month of summer. We spent a lot of our time out on the beach collecting moonstones and other pretty rocks, and in the evening, as well as the next morning, I made us a campfire meal to end all campfire meals! I'm hoping some of my campfire cooking tips and tricks will encourage you to forego the gas-powered grill and try it yourself. We brought the little old Skotch cooler and filled it with plenty of ice and some simple ingredients: whole rainbow trout, a half package of bacon, half carton of eggs, a couple pats of butter, and two ears of white corn. In addition to the perishables we brought lemons, potatoes, and spices: Dill, black pepper, grey salt, and Trader J...

Karol hosted a backyard BBQ at his house some time back and I just wanted to share some of my favorite snap shots. I love gatherings like this; a little potluck in a big back yard full of fruit trees, some tandem bike rides, and then a toasty fire pit started up as the night came down. I've been bad about forgetting to bring my camera with me to things lately and I'm making a Spring resolution to get better about it haha. I wonder if there's a market for people who don't have photographer friends to hire me to come shoot their really small gatherings for a tiny fee and some noms... Hmm. As always, there's more photos on my flickr (you need to scroll down a little on the page).  Karol manning the BBQ.  My two favorite guys!  Love this pic of Karol & his roommate Alaxka.  Karol, keeping warm.  Megan warming her toes by the fire.  Megan and Miles taking the tandem for a spin... And then me and Karol. Someday whe...

I have to say I really enjoy when my friends make their way onto my blog. I feel like, while I'm all about crafting and such, a lot of my friends and family read these posts as well and I want to let them know how much they truly inspire me, and I hope that in turn they inspire others too. My friend Alex (above right), who makes it on here fairly consistently because she doesn't have a blog of her own (when she is the one person in my circle who really, really should), recently had an old friend move to the area, and she threw him a welcome party to meet all her friends. His name is Karol (on the left). This was such a charming idea, and we had a lovely time. She's been keeping a couple of chickens that I had never had the chance to meet, and when she let them out they were so friendly! Easier to pet and handle than any chicken I've ever seen. Good job Alex! Even though the party was in July in a typically hot part of the bay area, the weather was mild and w...