Blackberry Picking

It is back to our work week we go.. Work week starts on a friday?? Yep. Always. That's our life. At least we have it together. Next week we are going on our first vacation- camping! You know I am going to make a post about that one. I am so excited! We have been running around everywhere trying to get supplies. We also went blackberry picking twice in the last week- Rinsing and Freezing them for smoothies. It is crazy how many we have picked, also crazy that it was entirely free just down the street..

Sprouted Kitchen- Apple + Smoked Mozarella Mini Calzone Recipe

Fall is upon us, and that means Oregon apples are just about ripe. (hint:I would LOVE to go picking : ) This is a delicious recipe I found on Sprouted Kitchen's blog(I sadly just discovered) Enjoy!

APPLE + SMOKED MOZARELLA MINI CALZONES <---(follow the link)

Design*Sponge Book Tour Is Coming To Portland!

Grace Bonney the Design Blogger for Design*Sponge is having a book release craft party in Portland on the 25th, and the 26th of September. It looks like alot of fun.. Anyone (mom) want to go? Should I request the day off? : )

Event: Crafting Workshop at the Ace
Date: Sunday, September 25th
Time: 2:00 – 4:00 PM
Location: The Cleaners, the event space at the Ace Hotel (403 SW 10th Avenue, Portland, OR 97205)
Details: Come join the D*S team from Brooklyn and Portland as we celebrate the launch of the book by recreating one of the stamping projects from the DIY chapter. All you need to bring is your own tote, clothing or fabric to stamp on. We’ll provide the rest. This event will benefit the local arts charity, P:EAR. (Books will also be available for sale and for signing)
RSVP: Space is limited to 75 people so please RSVP HERE soon (The craft fee for this event is $25 and includes snacks, drinks and craft supplies)

She will also be having a joint party at West Elm downtown to celebrate the launch of Design*Sponge at Home as well as the launch of CLOTH PAPER CLAY, a collaboration from Skinny laMinx, Satsuma Press and Pigeon Toe Ceramics. Details are below:
Event: Book Signing/Party/Celebration with CLOTH PAPER CLAY
Date: Monday, September 26th
Time: 6 – 8:30 p.m
Location: West Elm (Pearl District, 1201 NW Couch Street, Portland, OR 97209)
Details: Design*Sponge book party and signing and celebration of the launch of CLOTH PAPER CLAY, a collaboration from Skinny laMinx, Satsuma Press and Pigeon Toe Ceramics. This event will benefit local arts charity Scrap. You can also take with your friends against a gorgeous custom backdrop created by Cori Kindred!
RSVP: Space is limited, so please RSVP HERE by clicking “I’m going”!

My New Roots Nut Milk Recipe Part Two- RAW Nut Pulp Hummus

Part Two of the My New Roots Nut Milk Recipe is what to do with the leftover RAW Nut Pulp. Make RAW Nut Pulp Hummus!

"Waste not, want not - this recipe is now at the top of my yummy list, even if it is made from leftovers. So creamy, bright and fresh, this confident dip will stand up next to any chickpea version. It’s not a pity hummus; it’s the real deal."

"Raw Nut Pulp Hummus is not only tasty, it is sooo healthy too.You can use whatever nut pulp you have leftover – almond, brazil, cashew, macadamia, hazelnut, sunflower, sesame, pumpkin seed – because it will all work with the following recipe. Obviously, different nuts and seeds have different tastes, so you may need to adjust the seasonings to suit you, but I would always suggest that anyway. The amount of nut pulp the recipe calls for should be nearly exact to what you have leftover from making my version of nut milk in the video, which yields about 4 cups (1 liter) of nut milk. "

See the recipe here. Enjoy!

Elijah Bristow Adventure

Once again we had another adventure. We ended up at a friends place(Hi Terry). We drank champagne, wine, and cocktails out of waterford crystal glasses, devoured a yummy vegetarian meal, bird watched for hours, drove around a nearby lake, went for a nature hike at Elijah Bristow State Park, and sat by the "dancing bear" firepit and watched the sun set. The man really knows how to throw a dinner. The meal even matched his tablecloth set.. On our nature hike we saw a turtle, beaver, great blue heron, red tailed hawk, and hundreds of frogs. The park has 847 acres of scattered meadows, woodlands, and wetlands. It was beautiful.

This is our adventure.

Today's Inspiration Is Some Beautiful Photography By My Wonderful Boyfriend

This is the last couple of months seen through Wayne's Minolta X3-70. He is a wonderful photographer. He sticks mainly to film photography, which I am envious of. This is just some of his 2 rolls he just got developed. I love them! His photos create a mood, or give a consistant feeling. A dreaminess, that is unexplainable. It is how I would envision looking back on the last couple of months, but with even more detail. The photos are from both of our birthday trips to Cannon Beach, and Manzanita. We also did some bird watching in Vernonia, Oregon last month.
Inspired to do a roadtrip yet? We love seeing the different landscapes of Oregon. Everywhere you go is so different.. But there is a few places that you leave a little piece of yourself in..

These are some of mine.

Check out Wayne's Tumblr, and Flickr.

Another Recipe By My New Roots, and a rant.

Today's inspiration is something yummy, quick to make, and healthy! But first a rant about the health care system, and corruption of modern medicine. Also by making smart food choices, you can protect your health, feel better, and boost your ability fight off disease.
To improve health eat organic, raw(uncooked), unprocessed, whole foods (foods close to their original form), and a prodominantly plant based diet. Enyzymes are the life force of a food, helping us to digest food and absorb nutrients, those are lost when food is heated. If we overconsume cooked food, our bodies are forced to work harder by producing more enzymes. Over time, a lack of enzymes from food is thought to lead to digestive problems, nutrient deficiency, accelerated aging, and weight gain. Cooking food can diminish its nutritional value. For example, the cancer-fighting compounds in broccoli, sulforaphanes, are greatly reduced when broccoli is cooked. Certain vitamins, such as vitamin C and folate, are destroyed by heat.
People who follow a raw food diet believe it has numerous health benefits, including:

• Increased energy
• Clearer skin
• Weight loss
• Reduced risk of disease

The raw food diet contains fewer trans fats and saturated fat than the typical Western diet. It is also low in sodium and sugar and high in potassium, magnesium, folate, fiber, vitamin A, and health-promoting antioxidants. These properties are associated with a reduced risk of diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Max Gerson's use of a raw juice-based diet in conjunction with detoxification methods - the "Gerson Therapy"(link to a pdf file), to cure cancer. The book advocates a diet of 75% raw food to prevent  degenerative diseases, slow the effects of aging, provide enhanced energy, and boost emotional balance. It's true than in America it is illegal to "practice" the curing of cancer. Radiation, surgery, and chemotherapy are the only options available for the public. Everything else remains ignored by the conventional medical system. The FDA promotes only pharmaceutical drugs and has a decades-long record of not approving, or even looking at, anything alternative. Americans today are used to fixing problems the quick way – even when it comes to their health. Thus, they rely heavily on prescription drugs to fix their diseases. For every conceivable ailment – real or not – chances are there's a pricey prescription drug to "treat" it. Chances are even better that their drug of choice comes chock full of side effects. The problem is, prescription drugs don't treat diseases; they merely cover the symptoms. U.S. physicians provide allopathic health care – that is, they care for disease, not health. This is not "The Land of the Free", You cannot choose how to cure your cancer. You are given 3 options, or your insurance will not cover your treatment.

That was my rant,

Now for a Yummy Raw Recipe by My New Roots.

Home-Made Nut Milk (link)

"The nut milk you make yourself is totally natural, raw, sugar-free, additive-free, and preservative-free, so it’s the best choice for your health. And you made it yourself!
All you need to make nut milk is your favorite nut (or a combination – get creative!), water, a blender, and a strainer, nut milk bag (is the most convenient). You can even flavor the nut milk with vanilla, raw honey, agave, or dates. Delicious! It can be used in cooking, baking, smoothies, coffee & tea, and of course on your breakfast cereal."

Learn more facts about your health at:

Natural News (corruption of pharmaceutical industry), Help Guide (healthy guide cancer prevention foods), Alternative-Cancer (list of treatments), Cancer Tutor (list of treatments, and clinics across the world.)

Today's Inspiration Is My Mother's Hard Work

My mom's ambition and drive is more inspirational than anything I have ever shown here. Her Etsy shop Always A Memory is her latest project, and it is keeping her very busy! She has been working (more than) full time at work, but still finds time to keep her hobby up and running, and time for family. Always A Memory has hand stamped custom metal jewelry pendants, necklaces, earrings, bracelets and key rings. She has over 1200+ positive feedback combined between her 7 Etsy shops (crazy right?). I have no idea how she does it..

It is no wonder customers keep her so busy. There is no gift more special than something personalised.

Love you mom. Thanks for being the best.

Today's Inspiration Is Wandawega Lake Resort

Today's inspiration is Wandawega Lake Resort in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. The resort is nestled on a lake with virtually no traffic, 25 acres of untouched woods and trails filled with wildlife approximately 2 hours from Chicago.  Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources calls it 'one of the cleanest lakes in the state'. Also if you look up the word "rustic" that is what you will experience at the resort. Nothing has been updated in 86 years. Traveling to the resort is actually a trip back in time. They suggest that if you require sheets with a thread count of more than 50, a concierge, a new box spring -they wouldn't recommend this resort. "Expect ladybugs on your pillow, and the occasional cricket if you're lucky."

Some reasons why people would want to stay here are:

-A million stars, and even more birds.
-The opportunity to walk right out your door to the lake.
-All fishing gear, boats, sports equipment, smoring tools, grill, are included in your stay.
-You are treated like a house guest not a renter.
-A really vintage basketball, shuffleboard, volleyball, and tennis court.
-A private beach, two creeky old piers lined with vintage rowboats, and a rope swing.
-Fishing, and campfires. Hiking trail, swimming, archery.
-A few retro schwinns to explore the area.
-A lake full of fish.
-Hammocks, floating inner tubes, swim platform, stocked campfire pit.

Amenities:

-Free local calls, depending on your cell phone plan.
-Some rooms come with a shower, all come with a lake.
-Hot shower (The Single Luxury).
-Pool (disguised as a solar heated lake).
-Some air-conditioning is available (when the wind is blowing).
-Shared kitchen and bath.
-We provide sheets, original retro scratchy camp towels(think military issue) & a sense of humor.

Today's Inspiration is Something Old- Something New

Today's inspiration is a video I have had saved in my favorites bar for a long time. I took a reupholstery class a few years ago, not the funnest class ever. I cut my hands open so many times.. But the end result is so worth it. It helps having every single material you need being available to you. It also would help if the teacher would come to class (jerk- never showed half the time). This is a video of a old nasty granny couch being turned into a brand new retro 60's mod couch. It turns out being beautiful!