a restorative weekend...

“delicious autumn! my very soul is wedded to it, and if i were a bird i would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.”   - george elliot

there is something so restorative about the fall...the rich hues, the golden light, the smell of campfire, the nip in the air. and there is no place that i feel this more than in vermont. i had the great pleasure of attending my sweet friends baby shower over the weekend in this beautiful place. i cannot express to you the beauty and love that filled the day. she has the sweetest, kindest, most supportive women in her life- it was really inspiring to be a part of...

umm hello, can we just talk about these adorable cupcakes our friend sarah made for the shower...yes, i ate 2, although i wanted to eat 5, just didn't want to look like the oinker that adorned the dang things...

i also have to show you this amazing bassinet she received from her brother. i literally called my mom after i left the shower and was like, "when i have a baby i HAVE TO have one of these". no joke, it was the most beautiful gift she received...

oh, and did i mention i got to meet this little nugget too?...heaven...

what i want to see...

we don't go to the movies that often, last movie we actually went to was lincoln, i think? for some reason i find it hard to dedicate my time off to sitting in a dark room with people who are usually chomping on their food too loudly, talking to the person next to them, or checking their cell phones constantly...not to mention the movies are expensive...and it's usually not socially acceptable to wear your sweatpants out in public...and i really like our couch...but i digress...

last night i saw the trailer for 2 movies that i REALLY want to go see. the first, rush, is purely because chris hemsworth might be the most handsome man i've ever laid eyes on, not because i have any interest in formula 1 racing whatsoever. i actually read several reviews and heard a couple of people say it was a great movie, plus, i like to watch things that are based on true stories, this one being the 1970's rivalry between james hunt & niki lauda. i think my girlfriend and i are going to go see this one early next week and get our eye candy fix...

on the complete opposite spectrum, enough said, with james gandolfini (is he seriously dead? so sad) and julia louis-dreyfus looks like something i could see myself getting into...

total sweetness...

i saw this on the today show the other day and not only does my heart melt when i see this father/daughter duo (could he be a sweeter daddy?), but this song is totally stuck in my head...

a finished project sneak peek...

monday i spent about 12 hours on a photo shoot of a home in marion, ma we completed recently with one of my favorite architects. normally i would complain, and complain and complain some more about doing anything for 12 hours straight...but when this is your view for the day it's hard to gripe...

i had the great pleasure of working with susan teare, an architectural photographer from vermont. she is so talented and so easy to work with, it made the day even more enjoyable being her assistant for the day...

this house really is something special, i can't wait to get the final photos back and up on our company website!...

i NEED this in my wardrobe...

i love when my friends send me links to clothes like this and say we "have to have" this...

...and yes, i HAVE TO HAVE THIS. thanks bones.

currently reading...

i know summer is supposed to be a time when you settle up on the beach with a few good books, but believe it or not i only made it to the beach once this summer...gasp?!?!?! summer happens to be my busy season at work, plus we had a little wedding to plan in short order, so reading took a back seat this summer. but now that the cooler weather is fast approaching i've been heading up to bed a little early to feverishly turn some pages. our book group also take a little break in august so we're about to be back in full swing (thank god, i've missed my NErds!).

i've had a few books in my queue at the local library lately, one being with or without you: a memoir by domenica ruta. i love to read books that take place in areas i am familiar with and this one happens to be set on the north shore of massachusettes (in danvers)...

i've also being eyeing the silver star: a novel. it's by one of my favorite authors, jeanneatte walls, who penned the glass castle and half broke horses...

happy reading book worms!

do you do this too???...

i reposted an article from the huffington post today after i saw it on my cousins facebook page- 23 things every woman should stop doing. as i read each item i knew i have been guilty of every single one of them at point or another in my life. currently i am guilty of #'s 1,5,6,8,14 & 23... which ones are you guilty of???

dear mr. & mrs. bones...

thank you to my sweet friends, tasha & robert (aka: mr. & mrs. bones) for being the most thoughtful friends, ever. not only do they send me awesome songs like this because they think i would like it, but they also send me kind words during difficult times, text me too-cute-for-words pictures of their furbaby, and remind me daily that good friends and good faith can get you through a lot. oh, and they are so kick-ass that while everyone is posting their childrens first day of school photos they instead post their sans-kids-we-can-roll-how-we-please-and-stuff-obscene-amounts-of-oysters-and-booze-into-our-face pictures. Can't beat a couple like them!  xoxo, gloria...

first responders...

i just listened to the boston ems radio traffic from the marathon bombing published on boston.com this afternoon. i try not to replay these horrifying moments from the city i have called home for the last 12 years, but i am continually amazed by the first responders of that day. it takes a certain kind of human being to remain calm in that kind of chaos, i could never ever do something that courageous. they saved lives, a lot of them, by their quick actions. talk about being thankful for these people!

roasted corn chower...

maybe i'm jumping the gun, but fall is the beginning of soup season for me. last night i made an adaptation of this roasted corn chowder, and it was so.dang.good! i highly recommend it. i was too lazy to make the 'guacamole mixture' that goes on as a topping, but it was still good without it...

INGREDIENTS:

3 1/2 cups of frozen corn

1/2 red onion, chopped

1 jalapeno, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

3 1/2 cups chicken broth (but you can use vegetable broth to make a vegan version)

1 lime

salt & pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. lay frozen corn out on cookie sheet and toss with olive oil, salt & pepper. roast at 375 for 15-20 minutes

2. heat oil in large stock pot and add onion, jalapeno & garlic. Cook until onions are translucent, about 4 minutes

3. add roasted corn, cumin and broth. simmer until heated thru

4. add cilantro and blend with immersion blender until desired thickness

5. squeeze juice of one lemon and salt & pepper to taste

lagos de jorge...

we took a much needed extended vacation over the labor day weekend up to my parents house on lake george, or lagos de jorge as we've decided to start calling it. my grandparents used to take my mom and her siblings there each summer, they all have their own memories of long summers on the lake so it's fun for them to return to their old summer stomping grounds. we're looking forward to building our own family memories there as well.

we enjoyed a few of these sunsets...

and a couple of nice boat rides...

and these three were in heaven the entire time. there was lots of snoring coming out of their snouts each night, a sign they were 'dog tired' for sure...

and this one learned a new trick...

we can't wait to return...hopefully this fall to catch some changing color in the Adirondacks!