contentedness

...is learned in the process of daily accepting life as God gives it to you, and adjusting your expectations to life's limitations.

-from Seasons of a Mother's Heart, by Sally Clarkson

my first online grocery purchase

we discovered this granola on our trip to WA and it is the best i have ever had. (insanely good with fresh raspberries and/or blueberries!) here in MI, you can get it at walmart (not sure about other places), but i had wanted to check out amazon grocery anyway, and i found it there, in a 6-pack no less. i'm not sure how the prices compare, but saving me a trip to walmart is about all the motivation i need. i think this is about to become my new favorite thing -- buying groceries online! and at amazon, many things qualify for free shipping if you spend more than $25. has anyone tried this before?

i just got turned on to facebook... need i say more.

photo shoot

i couldn't resist posting some of the pictures from my photo shoot this evening with my sister's kids. i was really happy with how they turned out, as i usually do better with flowers than with people. :) it helps when your subjects are this stinkin' adorable.

the perfect hard-boiled egg

i saw this on rachael ray yesterday and tried it out today. they turned out exactly as she said -- perfectly cooked, easy to peel, and bright yellow in the middle! today i diced them up, mixed them with mayo (just enough to help it stick together), salt, & pepper, and we had egg salad sandwiches for lunch. (especially good on toasted grainy bread -- mmm!)

Put the eggs in a saucepan and fill it halfway with cold water. Set over high heat. When the water boils, turn off the heat and place a lid over the pot. Let sit 10 minutes.

Place the pot of cooked eggs in the sink (lid off) and run some cold water over the eggs until both the water and the pan feel cool. When the eggs are cool enough to handle, take them out of the water. Roll each egg on a work surface to crack the shell then carefully peel off the eggshells.

good to be home

Trip to Seattle: Part 3: Orcas Island

Monday morning we left Tim & Jan's house and drove a couple of hours north to board the ferry headed for the San Juan Islands. This set of islands is part of the state of Washington, in the Puget Sound, but is very close to the Canadian border. (Maybe this explains why it was so cold! Throughout our entire trip I got very good use out of my one sweatshirt and my one pair of jeans that I had brought along... while most of my new cute summer things rested comfortably in our suitcase. Oh well.)

The island of Orcas was our destination. The main town on the island was very small and quaint, with lots of little shops, charming cafes, and gardens. You definitely sense a major trend toward environmentally-friendliness and local, organic consumption. The pace was slow, like the whole island was on vacation. There were so many times that Matt and I commented how much it felt like our little town in Australia.

The inn where we stayed.

Our inn overlooked this bay with this little island in the middle of it. At low tide, you could walk out to that little island, finding clams, crabs, and starfish along the way.

Another view of the bay.

The sidewalks were lined with perennial gardens.

One of my favorite things on the island was this lavender farm we visited. It's an inn you can stay at, or you can just visit and pick a basketful of fresh lavender for $5.

There is also a state park on the island. We just drove through this time after getting our fill of hiking at Mount Rainier, stopping along the way to take a few pictures.

And here are some more views from the other side of the island.

We were advised to stop here for lunch -- fish tacos may not sound good, but I would order them again in a heartbeat!

Boarding the ferry to head home Wednesday morning.