So on a walk with the dog this week I discovered this chair. It was sitting by the curb. I walked past it, thinking on my way home if it was still there I'd pick it up. I'm sure I looked nothing short of ridiculous walking home 6 blocks with it on my back, but I didn't really care. There's nothing special about it. I just like old furniture. Mismatched furniture. I plan on painting it a cute color and maybe even making a cushion to match.

I also decided to share with you one of my favorite recipes I made this week. I made it the first time this past winter on a cool day back in Oklahoma. Now, I'm hooked. When I was a kid, the only way I'd eat a sweet potato was if my mom baked it smothered in brown sugar, butter, and marshmallows. It was kind of like that Calvin and Hobbes comic where Calvin stuffs a mug with marshmallows, fills the cracks with hot chocolate, and finishes it off with a fork. By the time I ate the sweet potatoes, I might as well of been eating just the brown sugar, butter, and marshmallows. These days, I love sweet potatoes. My favorite way to eat them is sliced super thin with olive oil, salt, pepper, and Parmesan and then baked to a slight crisp. I also like it simply baked and then topped with just salt, pepper, and butter. I've come a long way.

These biscuits are amazing. My favorite part is the carmely-browned bottom caused by the sugar in the sweet potato. And for some reason they are even better as cold seconds later in the afternoon. mmm...

Sweet Potato Biscuits

(adapted from Country Living Magazine)

 1/2 C cold unsalted butter (1 stick)

1 sweet potato (10 ounces) peeled and cubed

1 cup plus 2 tbsp cold buttermilk

3 cups flour (I used 2 cups whole wheat and 1 all purpose)

1 1/2 tbsp baking powder

1 1/2 teas salt

1 tbsp sugar

1/4 teas cayenne pepper (trust me it's good.)

Cut the butter into small cubes and chill. Poke the sweet potato with a knife or fork and wrap loosly in plastic wrap. Microwave on high for 6-8 minutes until very soft. Mash, and refrigerate to cool. stir in the buttermilk. Stir the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender, fork, or your hands until it resembles a course meal. Stir in the sweet potato-buttermilk mixture until dough begins to form. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 3 or 4 turns. Pat the dough out to about a 7" to 10" rectangle and cut using your favorite shape biscuit or cookie cutter. (gather all the scraps and repeat until all the dough has been used.) Place 2" apart on a baking sheet on the top shelf and bake at 475 degrees for about 20 minutes. 

YUM.

And speaking of Calvin and Hobbes...

 Happy Sunday!

a funny little thing.

I took this picture over 2 months ago, just as summer was beginning. I wanted a picture of us, for wedding business purposes. It was one of those evenings where nothing was really going right. It was one of those evenings where the image in my head wasn't materializing in front of my camera. Everything was just off.

And then, for a couple minutes, the light was absolutely amazing, he made me laugh, and something clicked.

It's a funny little thing, I suppose, called love. And even it doesn't go as planned. It often feels "off." The picture perfect image of that fairy tale relationship isn't always what you see through the viewfinder. Life gets in the way, clouding your vision. But if you open your eyes, and your heart, you will see it. And when you do, it's clear as day. 

Any time a fair comes to town I get excited. I have these childlike visions of cotton candy, bright colors, and pure fun. This time wasn't any different. Every time I drove by the La Plata County Fair the parking lot was packed and the whirling colors lured me in like a bug to a light. The rides can't be any safer than the people operating them, but I don't care. All I ever really want to ride is the ferris wheel anyway. And this time was no exception. 

It wasn't what I remembered it to be though. Not just the outrageous (and short) $6 ferris wheel ride, but the rest of the carnival too. It was dark, creepy, dirty, expensive and after looking at the goldfish, very sad. This is not to say I didn't enjoy watching my friend Matt throw away $20 tossing baseballs at beer bottles, only to win his wife a stuffed synthetic Dalmatian toy. And my boyfriend, who did the same only to win a blow-up Goldberg wrestler doll, who we left as part of our tip for the waitress at the bar later. It was a good kick off to the the rest of the week though. A week of crazy hail storms, sunflowers, and late night cooking.

enjoy.

to be thankful.

I've been thinking about something a lot lately. 

It started with a conversation I had with someone about ten days ago. A conversation about saying grace before your meal. I wasn't really raised doing it, and it's still not in my routine. But, religious or not, tradition or not, it's just one of the many ways of saying thanks on a daily basis. 

I guess what I'm getting at is that I need to be more thankful. Not because I don't say a verbal prayer before each meal, but because there are so many beautiful, small moments to be  appreciative of. I started realizing how much better I'd feel if I were more aware of these things and said a quiet "thank you" when they came to mind. Even if it is before I dive into my bowl of granola tomorrow morning. And even if I'm the only one doing it, or no one else even knows it's happening. There's been too many times lately that I've cried. Too many times that I've been frustrated with my life. Too many things I wish were different. When really, from a thankful point of view, it looks pretty damn good.

In the last week or two, I've felt as though instead of looking at the gray storm clouds I've been able to see the rainbow. This is all because I've been trying to look at things in a different light. I'm already a pretty positive person, but life's too short to be anything but positive. Anything but thankful. 

So, for myself mainly, I wanted to write a list, of some of the most recent things I'm thankful for, big and small. 

Daphnie

RMSP

(cooler) Colorado summers

photography jobs

my confidence

my growing relationship with my big sister

my best friend

my camera

my health

my growing hair (finally!) 

the encouraging bouquet of flowers on my desk

not waking up alone

no car payment

my creativity

my tiny shoebox (house)

my new Colorado photography friends

my patience

Alexi Murdoch

time alone

the singing summer crickets

progress

a good nights sleep

waking up laughing

a good cry

access to local, organic food

Bob McGowan

my personal cheerleaders (you know who you are!)

my PPP (photographer pen pal)

endless trails

not waiting tables (at least for right now!)

good books

Chad's family

my youth

my little (and struggling) herb garden

my amazing Okie friends (also known as my "personal cheerleaders")

the EF-ers

a good challenge

morning light

Colorado monsoon season (can't get enough of the rain!)

dove soap

honesty

did I say patience? (can't stress this enough!)

being present

peaches

my new ice cream ball

snail mail

discounts

my mom

My pictures this week are extremely random, but so is my life. And surprisingly enough, most of them revolve around food. Go figure.

Happy Sunday!

my lazy, limber dog...

2nd batch of homemade baked waffle fries...

late night bread baking...

summer laundry on the line...

and a beautiful pair from the Saturday farmer's market...

going places.

Jo & Kelly: PART II