For the Love of Quilts

It's the 6th of January and I'm already breaking one of my rules.....I'm posting photos taken with my iphone! According to me I'm not supposed to be doing this, but, I'll do anything for love. And there is someone I love very much and she loves quilts. This post is for her.

My library is so very fortunate to have an art gallery on the premises and while it requires that I pound the pavement searching for local artists to display 6 times a year, I love exposing the Battle Ground community to many beautiful forms of art. We've hung oil paintings, water colors, framed art made of vintage watch pieces, photographs, and bookmarks created by local children. And that was just during my first year. We opened 2015 with one of the most creative displays to date: Cover to Cover Book Club. Yes, you read that correctly, we are hosting a book club in our SWIFT Gallery. But this just isn't any book club, this is a crafting book club, more specifically a quilting book club!

A quilting book club is simple: members read the same book and each person makes a quilt inspired by the story. Making a quilt? Not as simple so I admire the skill and patience required to complete a project. Besides, they are so intricately detailed. And these ladies have made and displayed some of the most beautiful quilts I have ever seen. I think you'll agree...

Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas (I love that this doesn't "look" like a quilt and the tree trunk is so detailed!)

Glaciers by Alexis Smith

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

Animal Vegetable Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver (The larger than life plants are beautiful and the shades  of green are amazing!)

The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean

Whistling Season by Ivan Doig

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick (Quilting seems to be an art for women, but his one looks so masculine! Love!)

Dreaming in Color by Kaffe Fassett (This one looks like a painting!)

The quilts are on display at the Battle Ground Community Library through February 28th. For those of you 3,000 miles away (you know who you are!) these quilts are on display here for you, always. 

XOXO

Happy New Year!

Happy new year!!

Little House on Brush Prairie got a new look for 2015! I've had so much fun blogging and photographing for Little House over the last 4 years, but I was ready for a change.  I love the chalk board banner and the gray and purple theme. I hope you do, too. I've been doing more reading of blogs than writing on my own as of late. In the past six months I've discovered iphone photography, Elements of Style, A Cup of Jo, Miss Moss, Note to Self, The Daily Connoisseur, Girls, The Girlfriend's Guide to Divorce, and Instagram (you know, that photo sharing thing everyone else seems to have discovered AGES ago...) and they all just steal me away! I'm also addicted to City.Ballet. If you haven't seen this you must. The NY City Ballet makes professional dancing look so easy, but the dancers tell you in this documentary, in no uncertain terms, that it is SO. HARD. But so very beautiful. Not to mention Downton Abbey returns TOMORROW. It seems I've had way to much fun making these little discoveries and it's time to get back to writing and photographing (with a real camera!)

We ended 2014 with a lovely holiday spent just the two of us and we didn't make it to midnight on NYE (shocker!) As promised to myself, I kept Christmas the best I could this year and while I didn't get to everything on my list, I accomplished quite a bit and felt like I was able to enjoy the season, which passed slowly, for once in a great while. Here's a snapshot of our holiday season:

Portland's Christmas Tree downtown

Columbia Dance came to perform The Nutcracker at The Library!

We had a crazy windstorm that knocked the power out! 

My "office" all decked out for the holiday season.

We opened Christmas presents....this one to "Uncle Jep" from Stella. She wrote that tag in her five year old hand. Love that little kid :)

I did read all the Christmas classics: Polar Express, The Night Before Christmas, and The Nutcracker. Next year, I'm making it to The Nutcracker ballet, Peacock Lane, AND the Pittock Mansion! 

Speaking of next year.....it's already here! I don't make resolutions because mostly it's too much pressure and I'm already really good at beating myself up. But, I do usually keep a running list of things I want to DO...you know, just so I don't forget.  On top of my list? More art. I'm a member of the Portland Art Museum and I plan on taking advantage of my membership this year. 

I already went once between Christmas and New Year's....I'm off to a good start :) 

I definitely want to read more books. I know that sounds ridiculous coming from the keyboard of a librarian because of course that's how I spend my days, right? Ha!! NO. I barely have time to read professional publications and the daily newspaper (which really should be a requirement for the librarian!) much less a novel. The good news is I am laying off the self help books this year. I had to get one more in though before I cut myself off. I finished this little book on December 31st. It really was quite charming and I love the blog that goes along with it:

The Daily Connoisseur 

I'm going to practice my violin as much as I can. I am working on Blessed Assurance, but it is So. Hard. Practice makes perfect as they say so I'm going to do my best. 

I also want to get out and explore our part of the world. This is a big year for us...JSM turns 50 and we've got plans to get out and do some things! I can hardly believe it. He was my age when we met! Not only do I feel like I'm married to the world's oldest teenager (which I am thrilled about) but here's proof:

JSM bought me my first pair of Vans. Love them! 

He had to balance out the really beautiful, respectable flats by a certain American designer he bought me for Christmas that are still on back order! (For the record, JSM has always ensured that I have good shoes. On our first Valentine's Day together he bought me a pair of patent leather driving moccasins from Neiman Marcus. I still have those shoes. Good shoes never go out of style.....)

We also plan to spend more time at home this year. Both of our jobs are demanding and my job  and volunteer work keep me out many evenings during the week. I am so grateful that I/we took some time to really enjoy the holidays this year, but I hope to spread that enjoyment throughout 2015 taking some time for fun AND love! 

Our Advent wreath....

I wish you all peace, love, and happiness in 2015!

XOXO

Christmas, Cookies, and Bars....Oh My!

Winter Avalanche Bars

Earlier this month I was invited by my friend K over at Ten Minute Missive to participate in a blog hop cookie exchange. Of course my answer was yes, yes, yes! This year, I promised myself I would keep Christmas and a cookie exchange is just one more way to celebrate the season. I love Christmas. And I love these treats. My recipe isn't a traditional cookie recipe because truthfully, I don't bake cookies. While I love cookies they just never turn out right and there are so many to make. I prefer bars that are rich, dense, and preferably made with any sort of chocolate. Who doesn't love that? I stumbled across this recipe a few years back in a magazine and they have been a tradition in our house ever since. They are a perfect blend of Christmas - a bit of marshmallow, some candy cane, and lots of chocolate! (And look quite beautiful on your kitchen counter, but I promise, they won't last long there!)

WINTER AVALANCHE BARS

Here's what you need:

2 c. sugar

1c. butter, softened

½ c. cocoa powder

½ t. salt

5 eggs, beaten

2 t. vanilla

1 ½  c. flour

1c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

8 candy canes crushed (use a baggie and a rolling pin)

1 bag of small marshmallows

1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

Here's what you do:

1.       Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13x9 baking dish. Combine the sugar, butter, cocoa, and salt. Stir in eggs and vanilla.

2.       Add flour and stir in 1 c. chocolate chips. This will make a nicely textured batter.

3.       Spread the batter in the pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes. I find 32 minutes is perfect! You don’t want these to get dry.

4.       While the brownies are still hot sprinkle with half of the crushed candy canes, marshmallows, followed by the rest of the candy canes. Drizzle with melted chocolate chips.

5.       Cool completely and slice into 2 dozen. If you wait until the brownies are cold, they will slice like a dream!

Enjoy!

XOXO

Thank you, Kristina, for allowing me to share this recipe! 

Memories of Christmas Past....

Cape Cod, 2014

We made two more milestones last month: Five years in the pacific northwest and best of all, 11 years together! I met JSM back in November of 2003. I was temping before going to library school at the University of South Florida. I was leaving Miami....never to come back again. As far as I was concerned I'd stayed 3 years too long and after 4  years I was ready to fly away. I was the receptionist, he was the purchasing guy who was so kind when I transferred calls from the front desk (a job I was way over qualified for, but it passed the time.) I was new and didn't know who anyone was, but I would think to myself, "Wow, that Jeff McNally is the nicest guy here..." Then, one day I caught a glimpse of him on his way to lunch. It was love at first sight, but of course, I didn't stand a chance and by the way, I was leaving in 21 days time never to come back to South Florida again.

The man who stole my heart in 2003.

The next week, I was promoted! Now, I was the "assistant" to the woman who purchased the fresh vegetables (we worked for the purchasing arm of Subway at the time) and I was tasked with organizing the salad roll-out dinner. (Remember when Subway had a slew of spinach salads? Probably not....) So, I strategically placed myself at JSM's table. We had one thing in common: we'd both worked for Starbucks. So, we could talk about that, but first, a glass of wine, you know, in case he had a girlfriend. We met, we talked, and I took a sip of wine....but then somehow, my wineglass slipped through my fingers and JSM started dinner with Merlot all over his lavender button down. OMG! I was mortified. He was smitten (or so he says.) Later, he told me that he thought that wine spill was the most endearing thing!

Fast forward a couple hours and we're having drinks with a group of co-workers. We'd spent the evening talking and it turns out we both loved The Police and had birthdays 1 day (and 11 years!) apart. Mid-conversation, he turned to the group and announced, "I've just met the future Mrs. McNally!" I was shocked, but I knew he was the one for me. I moved. He visited me (at my grandmother's house!) once a month for 2 years. That's love and I smile to this day when I think about that time.

We were so young!! (Not really, but it seems like it...)

A little known fact is that as a girl I dreamed of summering on Cape Cod. Nobody really summers any more because life is hectic and expensive, but in my teens I knew people who did (though certainly not my family!) I had never been to the Cape, but I imagined it beautiful, peaceful, and traditional. Growing up in the military, we moved quite a bit so there was not one place I called "home". Perhaps my draw to Cape Cod was the consistency of having the same place to visit every year. The first time I went to JSM's apartment on Miami Beach I noticed a magnet on his refrigerator that read "I'm on Cape Time." I immediately asked, "What's Cape time?" And he responded without hesitation, "my parents live on Cape Cod and I spent my summers there growing up." We've spent a week there almost every summer since.

Our first trip to Cape Cod together. This photo was taken on Nantucket in 2004. (Incidentally, JSM is the only guy I know who prefers short hair on me. How lucky did I get?)

We got engaged on Christmas Day 2005 (I still have those pajamas!)

I love this photo of my late father in law, mother in law, and I the day JSM and I got engaged.

With my sisters on our wedding day in February 2007. He had no idea what he was getting himself into when he met me - the four of us, we're kind of a package deal! I LOVE him so.

This past summer JSM bought me this necklace in Chatham, Mass. I adore it!

Last week, as I opened our many boxes of Christmas ornaments, I was reminded of all the years we've had together.  Christmas is our favorite time of year and we've made a point to pick up ornaments that trace our life together. We have ornaments from childhood, places we've visited, states we've lived, experiences we've shared, people we've loved, and things we've liked along the way. Christmas at Little House on Brush Prairie just wouldn't be the same without these treasured keepsakes that mark the passing of our time together. If there's ever a fire, I'm grabbing the Christmas ornaments! 

My home state and where JSM and I met...

JSM's home and favorite hockey team. Go, Bruins! 

Decorating the tree...

My very first ornament from Auntie Rehtse (1976)

A Starbucks coffee cup represents our past corporate lives

A Santa Claus starfish bought at my all time favorite store, Snow's, on Cape Cod.

McNally Christmas cards from years past....preserved for always (and future Holiday decorations!)

For us, the holidays are about family: the family we are and our extended families and friends as well. I know that's not the case for everyone. One of my favorite quotes about Christmas comes from A Family Christmas by Caroline Kennedy (yes, the one who summered on Cape Cod!) With this in mind, may everyone enjoy a wonderful holiday season:

"Christmas is a holiday of hope....Hope can bring disappointment. Love can be painful. Families fracture and recombine. And the powerful emotions of the holidays are not always easy to manage. Yet the liturgy and literature teaches us that Christmas encompasses the miraculous and the tragic, the profound and the ridiculous, and always represents the connection to something larger than ourselves."

XOXO

November

Brrr.....late fall is here, but it feels like winter this morning. 23 degrees outside on this Nov. 30th!

Well, that month just flew by...... life seems that way these days. With jobs, volunteer opportunities, work events, and the occasional social commitment, time at home seems like a figment of my imagination! I'm staring down not a single day off in the next 2 weeks with a library open house on Saturday and a Children's Christmas party on Sunday. Good thing I'm coming off a 4 day holiday weekend. I am more grateful than ever that my work and volunteer commitments are fulfilling. In fact, I don't know who I would be without those things in my life. I'm lucky because my work allows me to serve my community, be involved, and of course talk books (not necessarily read them - haha - who has time?) But lately I've been thinking a lot about what fills my cup outside of my work. I don't have an answer to that question just yet, but I do know that sometimes in the midst of my happy chaos I wonder what it would be like to just be.....

On a recent work trip up the Gorge this month, I listened to Ann Voskamp's A Thousand Gifts and I found myself wanting to be home, baking bread, and watching the golden leaves fall to the ground. Time is SUCH a gift. Knowing that was a complete unreality, I decided I would do something to slow down. Anyone who knows me understands that I am always going a hundred miles an hour, have a lot on my mind, and can't sit still. So, this is challenging. I need something to focus on! This year, I've decided to keep Christmas. I don't even know what that means exactly. All I know is I don't want it to slip through my fingers as it does just about every year. In the mad rush to buy gifts, mail Christmas cards, decorate the house, and bake I barely remember what it's all for. I hope this year will be different.

Here's how I spent some time during the month of November:

I drove to Goldenale, WA to do a training for the staff there. This library, which is part of the same library system that I work for, serves a rural population in Klickitat County, about 150 miles from Vancouver, WA. It is an original Carnegie library.

This is Washington, too! The landscape vastly changes around Hood River, OR, where it becomes more like eastern Washington, almost desert-like in appearance with wind turbines lining the hills. 

The Maryhill Museum of Art, Goldendale, WA. 

The newest addition to the museum....beautiful!

The museum has an eclectic collection including these Russian icons.

The view from the addition...

There were many vintage chess sets...

Even a Rodin!

Winter is on its way....

I photographed a friend's daughter for her senior photos. This was my first time photographing a person and I had SO. MUCH. FUN. I really do love taking pictures. We used our neighborhood as the backdrop and the leaves were in full fall! The light was perfect and my subject beautiful. These turned out amazing! 

JSM and I attended a benefit dinner for the FVRL District (Fort Vancouver Regional Library District) where Diana Gabaldon, author of the ever-popular Outlander series, was the featured author/speaker. She is kind, funny, and not afraid to talk sex in front of a crowd of people!

with Diana Gabaldon

Little Stella's photo made the FVRL presentation loop!

I have been baking and cooking like crazy....must be my desire to be home. Here, a vegetable soup. 

We celebrated our dear friend APK's birthday at Zupan's wine cellar in NW Portland. Who knew it was even there?

Mmmm...croquetas

Happy birthday, APK!

I adore these two lovely ladies!

We had not one, but two fabulous Thanksgiving dinners. We are so very blessed to count friends as family here in the NW....

Yes, we do have much to be thankful for.....Our first Thanksgiving with the Reisings! Loved spending time with that family.

Our second Thanksgiving was at the Kilshaws! KWK makes a beautiful table and delicious food.

My contribution! (Missing - already consumed - was the corn pudding.)

AND I cut off my hair!

I was SO ready! I'm no stranger to short hair, but it's been awhile. JSM has been asking me to cut my hair for years. Can you imagine? True story: when I told JSM I was cutting my hair he said I should cut it as short as possible without looking like Sinead O'Connor. He LOVES short hair and truthfully, so do I. No more slaving over a hot hair dryer and I can wear scarves with abandon. 

Bring on winter and a slower-paced December!

XOXO