oh how i wish i could dig my toes in the warm sand right now… inhale the ocean air and feel the breezy salty mist on my face… listen to the crash of the ocean waves and the peaceful sound of the ebb and flow of the water… i’m desperately seeking a rendezvous with the big blue! ❤
what have you been daydreaming about?! have an awesome weekend!
… i took this kickass foto…. that i just love. ❤
{oh – and it rained like, a ton!}
… i was housesitting, and this awesome little chicken was one of eleven that i had the fortune of feeding and watching while the owners were away… they are so cool!
… i had this for breakfast : a sausage & cheese croissant roll, two flax seed chocolate brownie muffins, and my trusty half caff americano {with a little cream}…
… i totally saw this dead snake in the road………. oddly, the first one i’ve seen at all since moving here.
… i made my famous morning smoothie………… a few times 😉
… i looked up at the sky.
… i took a silly selfie on the bus and tried to be all discreet but made myself look even sillier… 😛
… i harvested these absolutely beautiful organic cherry tomatoes and some mixed baby greens from the garden outside of the house i was sitting…
{so grateful!}
… and i added in shredded chicken, olives, cucumbers, sharp cheddar, red onion, and dressed it in a french vinaigrette… YUM!
… i saw like, four billion ants………… i wonder what they were all working on…
… i saw these carrot-tops poking through a cute little community garden…
… i ordered and devoured an entire 12 inch pizza called the “BLT” from my favourite local spot… it’s seriously like eating a blt on a round pizza pie : “crispy bacon, smoked provolone, garlic, onion & house-made sundried tomato pesto topped with shredded leaf lettuce tossed in our famous house-made ranch” it’s one unique and delicious pizza. they serve the lettuce and fixins’ on the side so you can dress it by adding the lettuce topping at the end. it is AHH-MAZING! one of my favourite pizzas, for sure!!!!
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happy sunday!
and, always be sure to eat a lot of {healthy, colourful} food and take a lot of {awesome} fotos!! 😉 ❤
hey gang, how’s your week been?!
people kind of freak out when they find out i’m not on instagram. part of me feels like i should be, since i’m a fotographer and all… but honestly, just keeping up with my blog is time-consuming enough. i left facebook over a year ago, and i don’t plan to go back or add in any new social media to my life. i started this blog so i could keep all the happenings of my life in one place online. thank you to each one of you who follow, read my posts, comment, engage, and make it all worthwhile! 🙂
here are a few pics from my week… i hope yours was great and your weekend is even better!
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i had a “moment” with my favourite coffee barista this week – i walked in to get my half-caff americano on ice and he greets me with a smile and says, “the usual?!” i giggled and said, “awww, i have a usual – and you remembered it!” hehehehee
i’ve been eating these yummy buffalo taco boats – and i can’t wait to share the recipe!
double rainbow over mount sopris…
i’m so jealous of my cat… who sleeps {sometimes in awkward positions} 80% of the day…
these have been breakfast all week…
love this snowmass sticker i saw on the bus – 81615.
i’m constantly reminded of my former coworker and friend, yarrow… it grows pretty wild here!
selfie in the sun… it’s finally feeling like summer!!!
this is what i see on a typical monday night…
i met this adorable tabby at the bus stop one evening… i named him “gary” – he was so sweet!
❤
first of all, i just want to send a quick shout-out to all the newcomers… i’m always humbled whenever a new follower joins the fun! welcome to food and foto and thank you for your support! ❤
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i just love this shot from the archives, taken by my friend michele when i first moved back to colorado in 2011… it’s been 3 years, almost to date. i do love parts of this great state – especially the mountains, the peaceful sound of the nothingness in the air, and the sunsets. however, there is such a dichotomy to my personality. i miss the city – the hustle and bustle, the lights, the diversity, the people.
i miss new york more than i ever thought i would. it’s kind of funny how i always say i went there to pick up a piece of me…. and yet – i feel like when i moved, i left a piece of me there…
selfie.
awesome local gardens.
this.
and this : “each moment of the year has its own beauty.” – ralph waldo emerson
soaking up the sunset.
playful portraiture with callee cat.
sigh.
head in the clouds.
reminder.
hey gang, how’s your mercury retrograde treating you?
mercury retrograding in cancer teaches us this…
we are almost half way through the cycle… and now mercury has left the sign of cancer and entered his home sign of gemini…
so what does this mean? — well, the last week or so may have presented you with issues to deal with, revisit, resolve, etc. in the following themes : home, roommates, intuition, nostalgia, mother/mother figure, childhood, emotions, security needs… these are some key themes of the sign of cancer. perhaps you made the decision to move or make renovations in your home? perhaps a past project came up that needed tweaking or you had an “epiphany” regarding something from your past. you may have learned to trust your intuition more, or to learn to come to terms with some emotions you are feeling… MR in cancer offers an opportunity to revisit, rework, and release in these areas of our lives… and with the full moon energy last week, this period has had amplified energy to support it, as well…
now mercury is continuing his backward travel through the sign of gemini – which is where his “home” is. for the next couple weeks we can expect to see our thoughts shift into the themes that gemini represents. these include talks, short trips, local activities, brothers/sisters, electronics, vehicles, writing, the internet, and anything else that involves connecting or communicating. mercury LONGS to connect, and when he is in the sign of gemini, he has the most success in doing so. however, since he is retrograding in this sign, we can expect to see our thoughts become more introspective. we may want to get other people’s advice or opinions on the current relevant matters in our lives. we may revisit a writing project or rework a trip we had planned. any vehicle or electronic issues may arise to be addressed {sorry, that IS one of the bummers about this period – i hope you backed up your computer recently!} and/or we may find people from the past showing up again to rework, reclaim, or revise a situation. there is great opportunity during MR periods… it’s like taking a mulligan 😉
mercury retrograde periods get a bad rap – but i believe it’s because we don’t generally UNDERSTAND what they are for… and we don’t properly harness the energy presented during these times, so many of us are left feeling frustrated and wondering what happened. which is ironic because that is precisely what mercury retrograde longs to be – UNDERSTOOD! i can’t tell you how many times a day i catch myself thinking or saying “i just wish {that person} understood how i felt.” you may catch yourself using some of my catchphrases lately – like, “did that make sense?” or “i just want to explain it so you can understand…” or “that came out the wrong way, let me rephrase that…” or “wait, i didn’t mean to say that…”
astrology doesn’t MAKE stuff happen… it can’t cause events. but time and time again i find validity in the movements and study of the planets and their behaviour. being natal mercury retrograde, i have a unique and tremendously accurate understanding of how this planet’s movements effect our lives in a major way. perception is EVERYTHING in life – and it can be to our benefit or to our detriment. this has been my biggest lesson during this current MR period. i guess it all goes back to being true to who you are. we are not all the same – we are very uniquely different. but i believe that the ways in which we are the same can bring us together and allow us to be ourselves, as individuals… if we could just simply change the way we look at things – at life.
every puzzle piece has importance, significance, and relevance – we just don’t and CAN’T all have the same design, function, or purpose – we must each bring our own individual strengths to the group, the collective, the puzzle itself. and we should never try force a puzzle piece to change its shape… we simply can’t. and besides, then it wouldn’t fit in the puzzle, anyway – you dig?!
thank you for reading, and for your support – it means the world to me! and please let me know any thoughts you have or feelings you wish to share… i love hearing from you! and don’t forget, i also am available for hire to conduct natal astrology interpretations.
callee has recently become a lapcat… she never used to lay on my lap and let me pet her and now she’s always climbing all over me – especially when i’m sitting at my desk blogging. so – apparently my kitty callee says hello, everyone! 😉
squeezin’ in some vitamin D anywhere i can – even on my lunch-break…
speaking of vitamins, i am trying these new kickass 100% organic food-based vitamins from garden of life. and how happy was i to find my favourite quote ever inside the box?!?!!! 😀
watching sopris emerge from the clouds…
taking more shameless selfies : featuring new shades…
i was having a nice moment with this cute little bunny… until a loud truck drove by and scared her away…
yep, those are two ladybugs… *ahem* …on an asparagus stalk…
bloomin’ onion…
how do you feel about ravens?! they are always all around me… practically everywhere i go.
have a nice weekend, ya’ll!
the house is coming along nicely. it looks really cute and i can’t wait to see it when it’s complete. watching it being built has me dreaming of having my own actual mobile tiny house someday… and i hope to make that happen!
for now, i am enjoying living in this great tiny home and watching one being built right next door – pretty sweet stuff!
here are some more fotos of the project, still currently underway…
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DAY FIVE
another day on site…
hard at work…
quite literally “men at work” …
😉
first wall goes up…
first wall is UP!
end of day five…
by the way, later that day… this happened :
{that’s hail!}
i couldn’t run out to grab a foto of the tiny house because that would be crazy, so this will have to suffice 😉
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DAY SIX:
day six… walls all over the place!
so – as it turns out, the owner/builder of my awesome tiny home has recently begun a new project for another soon-to-be tiny house dweller seeking a life less ordinary. of course, i asked if i could fotograph the process {and thank goodness my new “neighbour” is totally cool with that}.
i’ll do my best to update as time goes on… thankfully when i saw the big trailer pull up with this old unit on it, i was home and had free time, and i immediately ran to grab a camera.
this platform will be cut in half… and although the new tiny house {which we are referring to as “TH2”} will be half the size of this, it will still be twice the size of my home… so approximately 300-400 square feet.
i had never really fotographed the decay of a building before… and i gotta say, i kinda loved it. i can’t really explain why – but some of these images are so interesting to me… maybe the contrast of colour and exposed walls or floors… i don’t know. but there is something about “urban decay” i’ve always been somehow attracted to as an artist.
here are some recent fotos of the project from the beginning…
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DAY ONE – deconstruction
oh, hi.
plenty of material was recycled – yay!
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DAY TWO – deconstruction
stay tuned next week for pictures of the beginning of the actual construction!
this is by far my {newest} favourite beer ever! here are some reasons why :
#1. it’s organic {at least according to USDA standards}
#2. it’s DARK {i appreciate darkness, in more than just my beer}
#3. it’s low-calorie {waistline-friendly libations are just fine in anyone’s book, right?!}
#4. it’s low-alcohol {so i don’t feel guilty or wacky or whatever if i drink 2… or 6}
#5. it’s locally made {kind-of… utah is actually closer to me than denver at this point}
#6. it’s got a black sheep on the can {so, it’s more than fitting for me}
#7. it’s totally delicious!!!
have a great {responsible} weekend! 😀
a look inside my {colourful} lunchbox – volume 2
– lemon pepper smoked salmon chunks
– noosa brand yoghurt with vanilla almond granola
– steamed chioggia beets
– nut thins crackers : almond flavour
– sauteed swiss chard with garlic
– tomato, mushroom, and spinach amaranth porridge
– a few slices of premium salami
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hey gang, how are things? i hope you are enjoying the season, wherever you may be…
lately, i’ve decided to cut back on blogging a little… no particular reason; it just sometimes feels like a job to blog every day, and i’m trying to find other avenues in my life to expel creative energy… but i also am focusing more on blogging about the tiny home. it’s pretty amazing how this movement has taken off and how much i feel like a part of something pretty special and cool! my landlord recently started a new construction project – a tiny home! so, stay tuned as i document the adventure! also – i haven’t forgotten about the giveaway i promised back in march… i just need a little more time to gather my favourite images, so – stay tuned for more information on that, as well!
the last few weeks have gone by at what feels like lightning speed… and i have just been sitting here kind of spaced out, wondering what and how anything happened…
luckily, i have fotos to prove it 😉
lately…
… i am very happy to see the winter season come to a close…
… i’ve been throwing my polarizer sunglass lenses over my iPhone to snap cool fotos…
… and, i’ve been looking UP a lot more!…
… insect energy keeps making itself known to me…
… i’ve been receiving gentle reminders…
… things like this have been making me giggle and appreciate the little things…
… i’ve been getting more involved with farming/farmers/farm fresh food…
… the earth seems to be bubbling from below…? {maybe it’s the GRAND CROSS}
… mini frittatas and roasted fingerling potatoes have been the start of my day...
… i’ve been cleaning out old files and giggling more over stuff like this…
… i’ve enjoyed having many many delicious snuggle moments with this adorable furball…
hey gang. hope you’re enjoying the weekend.
i unfortunately have not been sleeping very well at all this week and am extremely tired and worn out. i look forward to resting this weekend, and doing not much of anything else…
my brain has been on overdrive, due to this lack of sleep and i’m sure a hundred other physiological aspects that come along with it… and i’ve just been in a lousy headspace today. when i don’t sleep well for several days, i can’t function. as i’ve mentioned in the past, i’ve battled with insomnia for most of my adult life. i’ve found ways to “cope” but ultimately it’s an ongoing process. sometimes things keep me awake, sometimes i just don’t sleep well. it just depends. point is, today my brain is so tired and yet it’s trying so desperately to think, that it’s focusing on stupid crap.
however – it did get me thinking and researching more about a term i’ve been familiar with but hadn’t thought about much until a friend mentioned it the other day.
HSP – Highly Sensitive Person.
google it, it’s a very real thing. even oprah talked about it on her show once, so the mainstream is accepting it, as well. and, wouldn’t you know – i, myself, am an HSP. Continue reading
hey gang. hope you are all doing well.
this week was a rollercoaster as far as emotions and happenings go. and the only rollercoasters i like are the ones i build on rollercoaster tycoon and pretend ride. and i’m actually serious about that, just ask my former roommate and still one of my best friends… he’ll tell you about my non-love of rollercoasters or things that go fast, in general… like waterslides. 
nevertheless, here are a few happy highlights from my week via the shake-it app… {still my fav.}
i went pixie, again! i love it; brings out the new-yorker in me – and i just feel more like myself this way…
i happily spent a ridiculous 75 cents for this little cute bottle of club soda. i saved and reused the bottle for my liquid vitamins… i just love glass and i just love tiny things! 😉
it “sunny snowed” this week – and i am amazed my iPhone was able to capture the little flakes.
on that same day, my boss let me borrow his sunglasses ‘coz i forgot mine and he insisted they would make me cooler… i insisted that wasn’t possible. 😉
and despite the friggin mercurical weather, i planted my seeds…
and i hope to god they do not end up looking like this {clearly} genetically modified apple. i mean seriously, have you looked at conventional produce in the last couple years? it’s like that movie “cloudy with a chance of meatballs.” — the food is getting abnormally large! am i crazy or should an apple NOT be the size of two of my fists!??!?! i digress…
i had several very intense and wonderfully silent moments with my “neighbours”…
then there’s mount sopris… which just makes me happy for existing. and – i applied for a job with this view. uhm, yes please!
this is where i currently work – it’s kind of like going to heaven every day – only with more people 😉
and sometimes snow doesn’t piss me off… cuz it’s pretty…
but it’s also annoying… especially in april.
the end.. for now.
have a great weekend, ya’ll! ❤ 😉
…i can’t even handle it… SO CUTE!!!!!!!!
zuko is not my dog, but i get to play with him all the time ‘coz he belongs to my neighbour/landlord and he is always wandering over to my tiny home to play and be adorable. like when he laid on my yoga mat the other day in the sun…
downward-facing zuko.
😉
a look inside my {colourful} lunchbox :
– natural raw almonds
– fresh asparagus sauteed in olive oil
– large colourful salad w/ italian vinaigrette
– savory parmigiano reggiano baked chicken
– steamed zucchini medallions
– pastrami turkey strips and parm reggi chunks
– fresh organic strawberries
{i just love my laptop lunches bento box!} 😀
how is everyone doing? i hope your week is off to a beautiful start. i have been feeling SO GOOD with the change in seasons rapidly approaching, and the evening light sticking around longer. i just feel so much better when spring gets here. i do believe i sometimes feel “SAD” – you know, “Seasonal Affective Disorder” – that is a definite real thing. it was so dark and cold this winter {especially for colorado} and i struggled on some days to even get out of bed.
i received an email recently, asking if i wanted to participate in a new campaign on a new site that is dedicated to offering simple information regarding all things health-related. i tend to be a little hesitant with stuff like that, but after researching the company, i realized that it falls in line with my own values and so i was happy to connect with them.
american recall center is running a campaign titled “who is your health hero?” and i’ve been asked to write a post about just that. so, here we go…
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this is where the second part of my blogpost title comes in – i am my own health hero.
food & foto 