take a peek: first day in Portland

catching up on my literature

my first latte ... perfection

Marc's Cappucino

raspberry HotLips with lunch

a maple staple

dainty little cups

done and done

snowing

bundled up for Apizza Scholls

snow kissed

delicious

Being a foodie is tough work!

Have a great weekend!

Bisous.

Wednesday Walk ... a walk after the rain

first of the season

loving these lovelies

look at those cuties

strawberry sweet tamale ... YES PLEASE!

content

It rained relentlessly all last week

and

even snowed in some areas (quite rare)

...

so,

when the sun decided to linger for awhile Sunday morning,

Marc and I did not hesitate and headed to one of our favorite local farmers' markets.

We honestly live in the best area for farmers' markets

and have several to choose from on Sundays.

We grabbed our farmers' market bags and headed to the market.

Some of the highlights:

picking up my weekly stash of blood oranges (I have been thoroughly enjoying them)

grabbing a basket of first of the season strawberries,

admiring lovely blooms,

and stopping at our favorite food cart for a glass of almond horchata,

butternut squash tamales and a strawberry sweet tamale for our lunch.

There is nothing that I love more than

leisurely walks through farmers' markets.

Have a wonderful rest of the week!!

I am headed to Portland ... so for now,

Bisous!

lots of goodness

little felt hearts and chocolate dipped strawberries

roasted beet salad

mini pot pies

flatbread

a salad filled with flavor

scarlet lemonade ... my favorite

roasted potatoes

the red velvet cake

oatmeal raisin cookies

all of the little details

on a Sunday afternoon

sweet love

admiring all of the goodness

salted chocolate chip cookies

love to share

a pear galette

the heart cake

Alana, Shaudi and I

This past weekend,

I went to one of the sweetest going away parties.

My friend Alana is moving back home

and her sweet friend Shaudi threw a party for her.

Everything was decorated with love

from colorful felt hearts,

a table spread that made my jaw drop,

to

tasty morsels that made my stomach happy

...

Shaudi did everything.

Alana and Shaudi put the foodie in foodie

...

when we get together our conversations revolve around new spices,

fresh ingredients,

jamming secrets and new foodie establishments to adventure to.

Alana has always been such a supportive friend when it comes to my photography

and

supporting this here blog.

I quite frankly will miss her,

but

she is not going too far and a road trip come Summer is in order .... Shaudi are you in??

I am headed to Portland this week

and I am counting down the days until leg warmers,

scarves,

copious amounts of Stumptown and foodie adventures.

If you live in Portland or love to visit,

what are some places I must see, eat, and adventure to?

Also, do you know of a good yoga studio??

Happy Monday!

Bisous.

s'more pie

How could I say no to a slice of s'more pie??

ingredients for a rainy weekend

a place to relax

wine

a place to dream ... a map of Paris helps

my B&B

warm drinks

tea

time for reflecting

tea and books

ingredients for a day well spent

This weekend I will be staying in,

attempting a new recipe from the Blue Chair Jam Cookbook,

reading, reading and reading,

and,

making my home as comfortable and cozy as possible for a little staycation.

Luckily,

I decorated my bedroom to resemble my favorite B&B

and

relaxing has never been a problem.

After a warm spell,

I will definitely try to embrace this rainy weather with copious amounts of chai lattes.

Have a great weekend!!

Bisous.

Wednesday Walks ... yoga in the park

yoga in the park

crow with a smile

practicing my headstand

headstand love

my favorite shirt

an after yoga sweet that Marc and I shared

finding balance for things I love

Even though I do love foodie adventures

I must say,

Yoga has recently stolen my heart.

Last July,

I signed myself up for a membership at my local yoga studio

so,

I could cross train during my marathon training.

Little did I know

that I would fall in LOVE with yoga.

I love that yoga is completely individual

and

that I can see my progress as each month goes by.

First it was conquering crow,

and now,

I am working on my headstand practice.

And,

as much as I enjoy a great cup of coffee or a well made dessert

...

I enjoy them even more after a great yoga practice.

Over the weekend,

Marc and I walked to the park and practiced yoga.

After a series of downward dogs, crows and headstands,

Marc and I walked home, hand in hand, and treated ourselves to a sweet treat.

Dear yoga,

thank you for helping me find my balance.

Yours truly,

Caroline

Happy Wednesday.

Bisous.