Is that you, spring?

During my morning walk today, I couldn't help but notice that a lot of the trees are finally budding. It's not much, but I'll take it. Hello spring!

Winter in Michigan seems to have stuck around much longer than normal (especially comparing it to last spring, when we had 80 degree days in March...) but I think the old man has finally taken his leave. The air is still chilly, barely reaching 50 degrees most of the time, but we've been getting our fair share of sunshine and blue skies. The only thing that's missing is the greenery, and it looks like that is well on it's way. Thank goodness.

Winter Blues

February has always been the worst time of the year. Everything is a pile of dirty mush and the gray days seem to drag on forever. Spring seems so close, yet so very far away. That's what depresses you most of all. 

And then, between the stress and uncertainty of life, a never ending to-do list and a bad case of the winter blues... it snows. Fat, fluffy flakes that transform the landscape into a sparkly snow globe. Everything is a wash of white and you pause as you're reminded of how beautiful this world can be, and how wonderful your life really is.

Baking with Friends

Over the weekend, I made my way to Chicago to spend the day with some of my favorites, Abby and Kate (plus a new friend, Catherine.) Instead of going out for brunch or spending the day at a craft fair like we have in the past, this time we decided to take it easy and spent the day in Abby's apartment, baking. It was the most relaxing time ever.

Of course, I forgot to bring my camera so I only have instagrams to share, but you should definitely check out Kate's beautiful shots of Abby's home.

Between easy conversation and sips of sparkling juice, we made mini cheesecakes, an incredibly tangy lemon tart, and buttery, tender scones (Abby shared the recipes here.) Kate made delicious slow-drip coffee to share and we tried our best to soak up all of Abby's baking knowledge. It was such a great afternoon that we decided to make it a quarterly event - I look forward to getting together in the spring!

(P.S. Remember the Terrain whisk I shared awhile back? Abby had it! It was beautiful.)

Farewell, November

Just a few recent Instagrams

I feel like I say this every month, but can you believe tomorrow is already December?! November has really flown by. I read once that after the age of 19, the synapse connections in your brain stop renewing themselves, so your perception of time seems to pass more quickly as you grow older. I guess I shouldn't be surprised with the coming of ever month (it's science, after all) but I always am.

I have lots of exciting things in store for Gathered Heart this December, including a 12 Days of Christmas Cookies guest post series and (fingers crossed) a redesign before January. Not to mention that Christmas is right around the corner!

Lots and lots of good things in store.

Thanks, Michigan

Instagram photo from our Michigan road trip

Christopher and I have returned to the real world after road tripping around Michigan for the past week. We traveled about 750 miles, spent time on two great lakes, climbed into the belly of a brontosaurus, spent too much time (and money) at a few over-rated tourist attractions, and ate some of the best sandwiches ever made.

I haven't even had the chance to upload any of the photos we took - I promise I'll share them here soon. It's kind of hard getting back into the reality of a busy workweek, but I'm taking comfort in the fact that next Monday is Labor Day and we're also taking Tuesday off for our anniversary. Got to soak in as much of the dwindling summer sun as possible!

Summer Camping

 Instagram photos of our weekend camping trip at Chain o' Lakes State Park

It was a tent pitching, 7-mile hiking, campfire making, marshmallow toasting, nature walking, under-the-stars sleeping, river kayaking, s'mores eating, prairie wandering, hot dog roasting, lake splashing, summer loving kind of weekend.

Summer to-do: spend a weekend camping. Check.

International Cat Day

Woah, woah, woah. Did you know that today is International Cat Day?! I had no idea until Tang clued me in on Instagram. So of course, I had to share a photo of Ulia (it's been a while since she's made an appearance on gathered heart, anyway.)

She's been loving summer just as much as Chris and I have -- stretching out for naps in the sun, watching the birds from her favorite window. What a life. Happy Cat Day!

7.14.12

A beautiful bouquet of zinnia and statice from the wedding

This past Saturday, my big brother Martin finally tied the knot! The wedding was simple, traditional and so very sweet, with beautiful farmers market flowers, delicious poppy seed crusted chicken and lots of love. He couldn't stop smiling and I've never seen Mary, his new wife, happier. I know their life together will be wonderful.

Congratulations, Martin and Mary!

Sometimes...

Sometimes, you spend way too much time on the computer. Sometimes, you let 800 unread items sit in your Google reader until you can't stand it and hit "mark all as read." Sometimes, you overbook yourself on freelance projects and when you finally finish the very last one, you decide not to take on any more projects stress for a while. Sometimes you get caught up in future plans instead of living in the moment.

Sometimes, you just need to unplug from all things technological and spend time outside at the botanic gardens with your best friend.

And that's exactly what I did.

Weekend Adventures: Chicago

Well friends, it's Monday again. I started it off right by spilling a full mug of HOT coffee in my lap during my commute this morning. My thighs were scalded. I was two hours late because I had to go home and take another shower. Sometimes I really hate Mondays. I'm choosing to focus my thoughts on this past weekend...

Beautiful floor at m.henry  |  Blackberry Bliss Cakes  | Desk inspiration at West Elm  |  Abby

On Saturday, I ventured over to Chicago for a day with Abby and Kate (and Sofia!) It was a great day filled with tasty food, Beirut, Sof's singing, catching up, shopping, Argo Tea and train rides. Kate has been a blog friend for a while now, and it was great to meet her in person. Things flowed so naturally, like we've been friends for years. Funny how that works. We spent a good chunk of the morning/afternoon brunching at m.henry, an adorable French cafe & bakery in Andersonville. I had a soup-bowl sized latte and Blackberry Bliss Cakes -- two fluffy hotcakes with vanilla mascarpone creme and berry compote, topped with crispy brown sugar oats. Heavenly. If you ever find yourself in the Andersonville area, I highly recommend m.henry!

The rest of the day was spent wandering around shops. I resisted the urge to buy all the things, but ended up with several tasty purchases: Tim Tams, Bundaberg Ginger Beer, and Trader Joe's lemon curd, mango butter, and the famous cookie butter. Abby and I grabbed Argo Tea before the train ride home -- the perfect ending to our weekend adventure.

Until next time, ladies!

Springstagram

I am so glad that spring is here. The weather lately has been absolutely perfect.

Thanks to the bizarre 80 degree days weeks in March, most of the plants have peaked about a month early. Nearly all of the trees have leaves now and everything is in bloom. I've been taking advantage of the nice weather at work with twice-daily walks around campus, snapping Instagram photos whenever I get the chance. I'm sure people think I'm strange as I hold my phone up to a budding tree, but I love how soft and lovely the photos turn out -- like vintage postcards.

Magnolia, creeping phlox (thanks Sharon, for helping me identify them!), Bradford pear. You know, as pretty as Bradford pear trees are, I'm so glad they are almost finished blooming. I love the thick, frothy white branches but the stench is awful. How something so tiny and beautiful could smell like a fish market in June is beyond me...

I'm not sure what it is exactly, but something about these past few weeks has made me appreciate spring more than normal. For the longest time I was afraid Michigan would get one more dumping of snow, but that seems impossible now (knock on wood.) The breeze is cool and light, the sun is warm and reaches deep into my bones. I never realize during the winter exactly how much I miss the smell of grass and damp earth, the calming sound of wind rustling through leaves, or the angle of light that bounces off the lake in the late afternoon, spilling into our living room and kitchen. Like I said, it's perfect.

Spring has arrived!

I'm not exactly sure what's going on, but I'm not going to question the unseasonable 70-80 degree weather Michigan has been having this week. Flowers are blooming, the grass is bright green, and most of the trees are budding.... all about two months early!

Christopher and I have been enjoying the sunshine and warm weather as much as possible... mini golfing, dining outside, driving with the sunroof open and windows down. Tonight we're even having the first bonfire of the season. Whatever this heat wave is, I hope it decides to stick around. Forever.

February Instagram Challenge

 My view today: working on a little layout design at work...

When I read about Fat Mum Slim's photo a day challenge on Diapers and Skinny Jeans a few weeks ago, I knew I had to participate. Take a picture every day (following a prompt) for the month of February... simple enough, right? I think it's a great creative exercise and I hope I can keep up with it every day.

I'll be occasionally sharing my Instagrams here, but if you want to follow along, my Instagram username is "katherinejoy" (or visit me on Instagrid.)

Anyone else participating? Let me know so I can follow you!

2011: A Year in Review

Oh 2011, you have been good to me. We may be a full week into the new year, but I'm still struggling to catch up after such a great Christmas vacation. It's just so hard to believe it's already 2012 when I'm still reminiscing about 2011...

2011 was probably my favorite year in my adult life to date. Seriously.

There was black light putt-putt for Christopher's January birthday and an incredible Iron & Wine concert to celebrate our half-year wedding anniversary in February. In March, I finally worked up enough courage to cut my hair. I chopped off 9 inches.

April brought along my first niece. May brought baby swans to the lake in our backyard. June brought the start of many summertime adventures.

Then July came along and I found a full-time design job that I absolutely love -- such an answer to prayer. The adventures continued in August and included a trip to Wrigley Field to see the Cubbies. We sat five rows from the dugout and I had my first Chicago style hot dog. It was the epitome of a perfect summer day. Summer faded to fall in September and Mr. Ross and I went apple picking for my birthday. We ate apples for weeks afterward.

In October Chris and I went to see The Blanks and met Sam Lloyd. You know, Ted the lawyer from Scrubs? So awesome (which is why I have crazy eyes in the photo.) The book I designed while I worked part time at Ave Maria was officially published and distributed in November. You can find it on Amazon. And at Barnes and Noble. It's probably the highlight of my design career thus far. Which brings me to December: Christmas. It was wonderful, filled with family and friends and the celebration of Jesus' birth. Chris and I attempted to take a "family portrait" with Ulia on Christmas morning. If you think it looks like I'm strangling her in the photo... you're probably right.

Remembering each month, I honestly don't think I could pick a top highlight. In 2011, I started this blog, survived Snomageddon, and planted a garden from seed. I fell in love with my husband even more. I somehow became a decent cook and I came to grips with the fact that I'm a grown up. Such a great year.

Here's to 2012 and all the new adventures it will bring. Happy new year!

December Instagrams

 

 

December is flying by and I have yet to write an actual post this month, so I thought I'd share a few of my favorite December Instagrams thus far (inspired by Kate!)  

We've gotten just the right amount of snow in Michigan and our little lake has nearly frozen over. Life has been busy, but somehow the tree is trimmed and (nearly) all the presents are wrapped and tucked underneath. Mr. Ross and I are in Christmas mode... I'm talking peppermint hot cocoa drinking, Christmas Vacation watching, red and green M&M eating, paper snowflake making, full-on Christmas cheer. I love every bit of it.

Next step: sugar cookies and ice skating.