Spring Dinner with Sentimental Serving Pieces

My sorority sister Heidi came to stay with us after years of only talking on the phone. Remember when I went to Chicago for the Garden Writers of America (GardenComm) conference in 2018? That was the last time we'd seen each other in person. So I got the guest room ready, made a list of place I wanted to show her and dug out some college scrap books. 

I wanted to have a relaxing dinner at home one night and the spring table we set looked so pretty, I had to show you. The platter with the strawberries on the rim and the beehive cloche were part of tonight's tablescape on purpose. Thirty years ago (cough cough) a bunch of our sorority sisters all drove to Heidi's house near Holland, Michigan for a girl's weekend during the annual tulip festival. We had so much fun, and in a little gift shop the spirit moved me to buy these serving pieces and I hauled them around town all day. It was fun to pull them out and reminisce about a very carefree time in our lives. 

The wire centerpiece is a vintage garden gate that I bought last year at an antique store. The gate works and I intend to weave some of the sweet peas and nasturtiums I'm growing up this arch! It's all part of my master plan. For now, I put a glass jar full of the peachy daffodils we bought when we were showing her Pike Place Market.

My favorite memory from this meal was making dinner. I'm usually cooking by myself and it was wonderful to have Heidi in the kitchen with me. We made Delightful Chicken with a sauce of raspberry jam & balsamic vinegar and Shaved Carrots (shaved fresh carrot, covered and microwaved for 5 min. Tossed with smidge of butter and salt. Serve warm) 

#friendsvisiting #springdinner #gardengate #beehivecloche #shavedcarrots #delightfulchicken

Chateau Ste Michelle Winery: Weekday Wine Flight

While Heidi was visiting, I took her to the perfect place that would allow us to sit and talk but still experience something special in our area, Chateau Ste Michelle winery!

It wasn't busy midweek and it was the perfect place to stop in after driving her around the Eastside after lunch. I was happy to see a lovely menu available in case we shown up at a different time of day. I will keep this in mind for future guests coming to Seattle.

The grounds are beautiful and daffodils were blooming. It was chilly but the rain stopped and it really felt like spring. I would love to sit outside here on a warmer day. Chateau Ste Michelle has an outdoor summer concert series that my travel schedule hasn't synced up with all these years, but this summer I hope to snag tickets to a concert.  

#chateaustemichelle #woodinvillewinery #flightofwine #finddelight 

 

Snoqualmie Falls and Huxdotter Coffee: I Insist

Whenever someone comes out to visit us, we make sure to take them to see Snoqualmie Falls. You can see the famous Salish Lodge & Spa on the left side of this photo. It is perched above the Falls and was the location of the fictious Great Northern Hotel in the hit television show Twin Peaks.  

Do you want to hear a coincidence I've never been able to explain? When I was in college, everyone had an answering machine with a tape on which you recorded an outgoing message, "Hello you've reached..."  I had never watched the show Twin Peaks, but I liked it's eerie opening music so I used that as my answering machine message. No message from me. Just the music. Very random. 30 years later I live in the town where it was filmed. It somehow feels like foreshadowing, doesn't it?

This is the view looking away from the Falls. When the conditions are right you can see a rainbow in the air! With luck, the sun has to be shining and there has to be enough water rushing over the falls to create a mist. I've caught it several times and it is magical - be on the lookout.

And then you'll need coffee. On most of my scenic drives in Snoqualmie Valley, I make up a reason to stop in North Bend for Huxdotter coffee. They offer fun and delicious drinks like the Twin Peaks latte (that is the famous Twin Peaks covered in snow - on Mt Si). I love to sit outside and see the Mountain looming large, though I only ever order a classic latte and it is perfect. 

These are the requisite stops when you have a 2 hours on a beautiful day. Lots more to see and wonderful places to shop, but you must see the Falls first.

#mtsi #huxdottercoffee #salishlodge #snoqualmiefalls #snovalleylife #pnw
 

 

Cherry Blossoms on the Quad

I couldn't have timed Heidi's visit any better. The cherry blossoms were blooming on University of Washington campus (a big deal every year) and we had blue sky and sunshine in March - pinch me!

The Quad at University of Washington is an area of campus planted with 90 year old cherry trees that were moved to this area of campus in 1962 to allow for more visitors. The university even has a live-cam set up so you can time your visit to align with peak. It was very cold when we visited but the blooms were enchanting. Dan dropped us off and then found a parking spot. Here is a map of campus (below) to help you find them next year.

Here we are! Dan and I ran to find Heidi on Michigan State's campus the night we got engaged to tell her the news, so we've all known each other a long time. It was so fun to be back together again and able to reminisce. 

We walked around and imagined looking at the blooms through the classroom windows even with the tree canopy. I would never be able to concentrate.

#UWcherryblossoms #springblossoms #friendintown #cherryblossoms #seattle

 

Makerspace: Bellevue Library Offers So Much

My focus on delight has included highlighting things that are beautiful and interesting. In this case, it is a location where the beautiful and interesting can be created.

In the last 10 years, the equipment available to make things has exploded. There are 3D printers that make something by printing with plastic, Laser cutters that can engrave wood & acrylic, Cricut-style machines that cut adhesive vinyl, leather, balsa wood, Sewing machines that can embroider intricate designs. My mind has been swirling with the possibilities. The trick is knowing what you want machine would suit you best, exploring how to use it and considering if you'd like to own one.

When I read that the Bellevue, Washington library had a Makerspace available to adults and kids I was very interested to see how it worked. For my purposes, I wanted to see a Cricut and how it worked and ask about what was required to use a laser cutter. I made a reservation for the Open Lab and spent 2 hours investigating the process.       

The staff librarian was very helpful and provided me with a laptop and headphones to log into the Cricut Online Training website so I could create an account and watch a few tutorials as I compared the video to the machine in front of me. They provide scrap vinyl and encourage attendees to plan their projects ahead of time to maximize their lab time. 

I really just wanted to be an observer and I was really interested to see a young mother and her 2 children arrive and she start using the equipment at the next table immediately. At the same time, a middle age man was designing on Adobe Creative Cloud software in one glass room, while another patron was using the laser cutter with supervision in another glass room. It was so great to see these expensive and complicated tools available to the public for free.

Anyone with drive and a library card could teach themselves how these machines work and get some hands on experience. 

I concluded that I did not have a future in cutting vinyl or wood. There are simply not enough projects that I want to make that would warrant my mastering a new machine. Yet I got a great explanation and could see it all up close, which I appreciated. I learned that I should become comfortable with Adobe Illustrator (and perhaps design what I want to print ahead of time) if I decide to pursue laser cutting. This is what I needed to know! 

Always be on the lookout for special opportunities to explore new technology or crafts. I may not be a regular patron at this library Makerspace, but I can tell people all about how it might work for them. 

#makerspace #beautifulandinteresting #finddelight #bellevuewa #technology
 

First Day of Spring: Embrace the Power of Primulas

This is the best photo I have taken all week. What I love about this display is that this QFC grocery store is so confident that their customers will swarm them for primulas, that they've put out the maximum number of plants possible. It's almost a dare...how many can you buy at once? They are bright, healthy and exactly what you want. It's Spring and this is a Moment of Delight!

#springflowers #primulas #colorfulflowers #yellowbluepink #grocerystore #finddelight #indoorplant #outdoorplant #springtime 
 

Cigar Box Purse: Upcycled Art

I am looking forward to spending time making cigar box purses this week and next. I had a week of the Northwest Flower & Garden show and then a wonderful week showing my niece around Seattle and now I can think about making handbags. My delightful life has a lot of categories. When you get a chance to make, what do you reach for first?

Today I am going to upload a few new purses to the Etsy shop and start the custom fabric lining on some new boxes. I've got a spring in my step!

Do you like this photo? When I was first starting out, I sold my purses in summer art shows in Michigan. I had this image made into a 2 x 3 foot poster to hang in my tent. It was so dramatic and beautiful.

#upcycled #wearableart #etsy #finddelight #annereeves  #cigarboxpurses #springgreen

International Day of Women: Unexpected Delight

That's me with a new Girl Scout shirt in this delightful flashback photo. Have you ever had someone else's organization project benefit you? Out of the blue, my dear elementary school friend Ann (above right), messaged me that our mutual friend was organizing things and came across a bunch of terrific photos from our days as Brownies and Girl Scouts. Last week, we sent messages back and forth as we tracked down emails for some of our old friends and then forwarded the photos to them too. The pictures made us so happy we wanted them to see them too. Delight was expanding.

I scrolled through pictures of our trip to a horse camp, the time we cooked hot dogs on a stick, a fashion show, singing songs and an exciting ferry ride to Boblo Island. We had wonderful years together and I feel so thankful for all of the learning experiences and just plain fun moments I had because of the Girl Scouts and its volunteer women leaders. 

Today was the first chance I had to tell you about my surprise gift of old photos and it happens to be the International Day of Women. It feels like serendipity that I can share these photos today and appreciate the first women leaders I saw. 

Delightful Idea: Try pulling out a few old photographs and then sending a digital copy of the photo to whoever would appreciate an unexpected trip down memory lane. If the photo is not digital, you can use an app like Photomyne for an easy way to scan old pictures with a smartphone and then retain a digital copy.

#internationaldayofwomen #girlscout #womenleaders #photos #lifelongfriends #shareoldphotos #tellsomeoneyoumissthem #tellsomeoneyouremember #finddelight 

Sosio's Fruit & Produce: Kindness & Mushrooms Are Having A Moment

When I was at the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival Feb 15-19, I posted all kinds of content on my @FindDelight Instagram account, and one trend was that mushroom are having a moment. They were all over the show as cement garden ornaments, or wooden decorations for your home. They were imbedded in logs to grow in your kitchen or the subject of books for sale along side mushroom notecards. Mushrooms are having a moment for sure, so I wanted share this photograph of them in their original edible form (wink). This beautiful selection is available at Sosio's Fruit & Produce at Pike Place Market right now.  

I'd like to tell you a little story about Sosio's Fruit & Produce, if I may. They showed my family a simple kindness that I will never forget. When my mom had a terrible fall last March, my two brothers flew in from Detroit. Only one family member could enter the hospital per day due to Covid restrictions, so while I was at the hospital my brothers wandered around Seattle hoping for good news. One brother struck up a conversation with Mike of Sosio's and explained how they were certainly visiting Seattle, but not really sightseeing, just at loose ends, worrying about my mom in the hospital. My brother was surprised to see Mike start picking out plums, apples, grapes and putting them in a big bag as a gift for the family. Mike told him to have me eat lots of fruit to stay strong as I went in and out of the hospital at this trying time. 

It was lovely and unexpected and certainly welcome when I was on fumes. Later I made sure to write a thank you to Mike and share that my mom was out of the woods and that my brothers had flown home relieved. 

I can't tell you how wonderful it felt to find Sosio's in Pike Place Market, buy some plums and grapes knowing that life was so much better almost exactly a year later. 

#thankful #kindness #pikeplacemarket #seattle #beautyofeverydaylife