Edward Coffee, Meet Shannon Jenkins…

Hello, Loves!

Right now I’m sitting in my warm house, with my favorite canine companion next to me. I’m healthy, (other than the remnants of a hangover (my salon holiday party was Sunday night)). I get acupuncture once a week, which has pretty much healed my digestive issues. My husband is damn-near perfect. I have a garden. My family (and in-laws) love me. I get to make people feel beautiful for my job. My co-workers are hilarious, and talented, and I love every last one of them. From where I do my dishes I can stare at my Christmas tree.

Lately I’ve been loosing sight of the little things in life. I just keep thinking about the future and what our life has the potential to be. Not what it is now. This has been a problem with me. I always seem to be working toward something, it’s a very unsettling. Why can’t I just appreciate the now…? I was under the impression that life became easier with age. I wonder sometimes that if I would have had children I wouldn’t have time to think about all this. My energy would have shifted to them. That is both a delightful and horrifying thought. Is there a hole inside women that doesn’t get filled without children? (Whether you want them or not.) Does biology beat emotion? I guess I’ll never know. As is, my poor dog gets the brunt of my nurturing instinct…

To top it all off, my photography sucks right now. Whatever happened to getting up at two in the morning to go chase a storm…? I feel my passion slipping away. My work is so ordinary, and recycled.

Fuck! wine, wine, wine…

I just need to work harder.

Honey from Bob’s garden… I couldn’t take it back in the plane with me so my mom sent it. The label fell off the package so it floated around for a bit before landing back in Joliet where my mom relabeled it and sent it again. Isn’t it beautiful.

We are hard cider lovers. However most cider has a ridiculous amount of sugar in it. This brand does not, and it is delicious.

My wedding dress fits in a zip lock bag.

I can’t believe I haven’t posted since before our anniversary. (Well, yes I can.) Just one more thing that makes me feel lazy and unaccomplished.

Baklava ice cream. It’s what desert dreams of being in its next life.

A little anniversary gift from my Mr. Two of my loves: caramel and Montana.

Broke out Hocus Pocus on October 1. I can’t wait until it feels fall here, that may never happen.

Friends in town is one of my most favorite things. Especially this little ray of sunshine.

We went to an art opening for one of J’s classmate’s husband. His work blew my mind. This “little” (it was taller than me) piece wants so badly to be in my house. Check him out…

I miss you, girl… We need a phone date.

My first carrot!! I had to pull one up.

I made pumpkin cheesecake from scratch, including roasting the pumpkins. Two whole pumpkins and I barely got a cup after I squeezed all the liquid out. But a cup is all I needed. I love that color, looks like a 1970’s pantsuit.

Herbs from my garden.

Dressing is also one of my most favorite things. Three times as much onion as it called for. My aunt would approve.

We had a couple people over for Thanksgiving dinner. It was a good day.

After Thanksgiving brew (to move stagnant food along) courtesy of my acupuncturist.

One of my very best friends here has a meyer lemon tree. I ask him to bring me a lemon, he brings 40. Love that man. Limoncello it is! It is brewing as we speak. More on that later…