Find something you’re passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.
-Julia Child
I wrapped up this past week by watching a movie that turns 10 years old this year for the first time – “Julie & Julia”. While I realize that I am woefully behind the times – I can’t believe I hadn’t watched this movie up until now!!
I have to say – I’ve been a fan of Julia Child since I myself was a child (pun, so intended) – not because I had this picture of her being perfect, but really because she embodies what it means to truly enjoy food and cooking.
This “joie de vivre” – if you will – sparked a few thoughts for me. I thought I’d share a few musings from this week (crumbs if you will) and I’d love to hear your thoughts as well! Drop them in the comments!
Sunday Seven
1) Eat like the French.
Or any European really. These days, we rarely stop to savor food and enjoy it as it deserves. We put our heads down and eat lunch at our desk, wolf down dinner over the sink, rush through a meal and ask for the check.
But we never stop and think about what meal times really should be. A chance to talk to your significant other and discuss thoughts of the day. To nourish our bodies with good food and drink. To savor the flavors of the season. To try something different, learn something new, and experience life.
I’m a huge fan of the “slow food” movement. It’s a way of taking time to savor each moment, to truly enjoy food and the experience of eating, and the company we keep. You can learn more about the “slow food movement” here.
2) Let’s bake.
Let’s be honest – I’ve always loved bread. The smell of fresh baked bread, the soft melt in your mouth crumb, the rich pat of butter spread on top – what’s not to love?
Lately, I’ve become really interested in learning how to make my own artisan breads. Breads lovingly crafted by hand, naturally leavened with a levain and/or a teeny tiny amount of yeast, in a slow process that can take a whole day!
I ditched the bread maker (although, who am I kidding, I hadn’t touched that in a LONG time), got in a workout or two kneading bread dough, and learned quite the lessons in patience.
I’ve still got quite a lot to learn but I’ll be sharing the journey here! You can find my sourdough starter recipe on my Instagram stories under the “Cooking Hacks” highlight. Izze (that’s right, I named my starter….) produced a delicious loaf on her first bake. I’ll be perfecting some recipes and I can’t wait to share more!
3) Good things come to those who wait.
My mother used to always tell me this and being the kid I was, I never really listened. Until this weekend. When I baked bread.
I hate waiting for bread to rise. It make me nervous. “What if it doesn’t work?” “What if I spend all this time and it tastes gross?” But what if it doesn’t?
The bread above, my first artisan bread made with a levain and overnight poolish (I’m writing a whole post on this journey – more to come on these terms…) took nearly 24 hours to make (over a week if you count making the levain!).
AND IT WAS SO WORTH THE WAIT.
The flavor of the bread was something I’ve never been able to achieve with a bread made in a few hours. It was complex, soft, almost melt in your mouth. The whole loaf was gone in an hour. Ooops.
I guess good things do come to those who wait.
4) Minty Fresh.
I’ve finally managed to keep a mint plant alive for more than a few days (it’s been a whole month!) Knock wood.
Mint, typically quite a weed, has oddly been defying my green thumb for the last few years. With a few minor tweaks, it’s been thriving and I’ll have to move it to a larger pot here soon.
First, I moved the pot off my kitchen counter and right by a large window. I thought the counter got enough light as it faces the window, but I don’t think it was enough. Full sun baby.
I’ve also been watering the plant every 3 days and making sure the soil stays moist. It seems happy so far! More to come.
5) But “does it spark joy”?
The one trend I haven’t been behind on is my Netflix binge watching. If you didn’t get the title of this crumb, go watch “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo” on Netflix. It’s kind of like What Not To Wear or Queer Eye but for cleaning. You don’t want to miss it.
The lady is so positive and inspiring – I’m going on a cleaning rampage the next month in my house. I may be a sheep, but at least my house will be spotless. You can find her book here or watch her series on Netflix.
Some people have taken her thoughts on declutter books to an extreme. You can read more about it here. Personally, my interpretation of Marie’s advice is that you should keep books in a tidy manner, give everything a home. If there are books that no longer speak to you (oh hi Twilight series) – donate them to spread the joy to others. Share the love.
6) Spring Cleaning Shopping List.
The irony of buying things to organize the things you already own while tidying up is not lost on me. But this year we are focusing on buying only pieces that add to our home by decluttering, organizing, and polishing our space.
I’ve had my eye on these mid century planters for my plants and these woven baskets for decluttering pillows, blankets, and dog toys from West Elm. They’re running a sale for 20% off your entire purchase this weekend!
7) Picture perfect.
As a photographer, finding clean, beautiful curated spaces is so hard! This week, I have to give a shoutout to Suzy Holman, the business powerhouse behind the Denver Photo Collective.
Suzy has built this gorgeous natural light studio with beautiful sets for photography – perfect for photographers needing a well lit space to families looking for a space for family pictures, minus the clean up required in your own home.
Can’t wait to see what Suzy does next with this space!
Thanks for taking the time to read my Sunday Seven! Now I want to hear from YOU. Drop me your thoughts on the topics above in the comments below. Have an idea for a post I should write? Want me to talk more about me plants (because I most certainly will)? Let me know below!
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