Creamy Tomato Basil Soup!

Click on our recipes link, to the left, to see one of our favorite fall recipes!  We cleaned out our gardens this weekend, and saved some of our herbs in the freezer.  It's that time of year for my husband to start making his homemade soups, stews, and casseroles.  Bring on fall ~ (even if it didn't feel like it in New England this weekend)!  Enjoy!!

Kids' Creations~

Brooke's Peace Sign~

Here's my newest Kids' Creation...Brooke designed it all by herself.  She's my Goddaughter, and is decorating her room with peace signs, flowers, hearts - all things girlie!  It was a fabulous morning, spent with my ipod, a large coffee, my trusty paints (very girlie colors, I might add), and Brooke popping in often to tell me "I love it!!"  xo

take a moment to listen...

Breathe deeply,

exhale slowly, & close your eyes.

Hear the many sounds around you...

the creek of the old floor boards, a basket of blocks being dumped on the rug, a pot on the stove bubbling,  the zipper on a backpack, imagination coming to life in a 5 year old's room, a bottle of seltzer opening, the table being set...

the sounds of family surrounding you in your home.  

Soak it all in, and enjoy every moment of those precious sounds.

~xoxoxo

quotes

This post is for 2 friends, who recently lost their dad....We were talking last week with each other about our love of quotes.  Reading quotes makes me happy, I love quotes that inspire, give me strength, & make me smile. 

"Breathe, let go, and know that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure..."

This is one of my favorite quotes, so when I repainted this dresser (from my Grandma's house) I wrote the quote on it.  Now, I read this quote every morning, to remind myself just how precious this life is. 

~ xoxo to Patrice & Robin

fall recipes...

~Fall recipes are coming soon~

*Butternut Bisque

*Homemade Applesauce

*Chicken Pot Pie

Mmmmm, mmmmmmmm!!  Enjoy this warm week...our cool weather recipes are on their way!!

hello Monday

Goodbye to a full~weekend:  Harvest Fair, yard work, grocery shopping, playing soccer, swinging with my little man, finding lots of bugs & wooly caterpillars, & goodbye to our beautiful Monarch butterfly....she left her cocoon, spread her wings, and enjoyed the view from my son's hand for a little bit.

Hello Monday~ cool air, start of a new week, time to put the seashells away from the windows, Hello fall, Hello to lesson plans, doctor appointments, & running around...Hello to healing, strength & courage!!  Hello week!

Life

I found this on a blog that I love, and had to share it...enjoy the simple things in life ~ they are usually the most meaningful!! xoxo

God Bless America

Hope, Faith & Love...

and the greatest of these is love.

Remembering 9/11/01.

take a bath!!

Isn't a bath way more relaxing than taking a shower?!  I really need to find the time to take a few...

Here's my latest creation, that I've shared with a few friends, lavendar bath salts!  

Hopefully, coming to a shop near you...soon!

Peace~

Here's my newest Kids' Creations painting!  Megan is a third grader, who has decided her bedroom shouldn't be princess-themed anymore...she's going with peace, love & happiness!!  I made the outside of the peace sign circle by tracing a hula hoop.  Then, I drew the inside circle, and used a ruler to make the inside lines.  The designs on the inside of the peace sign came from some window clings that Megan picked out for her room.  Yesterday was hot & muggy, so after each layer of paint went on, I used a hair dryer to dry the paint, then applied the next layer.  Megan was one happy little lady when I was done, so I left smiling too! 
~Peace

good friends...

Good friends, good wine, & memories...

What a wonderful time we had last night, sharing our home, amazing food, and good wine with friends that we should call family!  We chatted, laughed, filled our bellies, and shared a few drinks.  What better way to begin a long weekend!!

A few friends left bottles of wine, and I thought I'd take a moment to share the tags that I placed on them.  When I enjoy these bottles of wine, I will say an extra little thank you to these friends for the gift they left me.  Simply attach a tag to your wine before adding it to your wine rack.

Enjoy the weekend everyone!!  And great thanks to those friends who shared last night with us!!

xo Sarah

Happiness is...

enjoying a great cup of coffee in the morning, playing hide-and-seek with my son, toes in the sand, having the ironing done, a summer bouquet, a family day trip, the sun shining, freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, family, my little boy's laugh, spending a couple hours in TJMaxx (with a cup of coffee), new school supplies, a cool breeze coming in the window,curling up under a blanket, having a cardboard box in my living room that my son's imagination turns into many things, finding art in nature with my camera, being loved, and most of all just being together!  Make your happiness list...

it's raining, it's pouring...

...but we're not snoring!  I'm sure everyone in New England is doing everything but snoring right now.  We squeezed in our soccer game this morning, took a family trip to pick out our new flooring for the kitchen (I'm so excited), and came home to put away a few last things from the yard - Hurricane Irene is on the way.  Hopefully, she'll be a Tropical Storm by the time she arrives!

This week, we will be adding new recipes to our blog!  Stay tuned for a fruity twist on soup ~ yum!

Here are a couple pictures of the beach this summer...ahhhhhhhhhhhh, there's nothing like a carefree day at the beach with a few magazines, a can't-put-it-down book, sun lotion, lunch, chairs & an abundance of beach toys!

I call this picture 'solitude'!!  :)

hello Monday

Hello to the last Monday of summer vacation, hello cool crisp air coming in the windows (it feels like back to school), hello busy week ~ back to work, soccer practice, and squeezing in some end of summer family time, hello kindergartener!!  (how did that happen?)  My little man is sooooooooooooo excited about kindergarten!

Hello summer photos...being neatly tucked away for memories sake.  Hello freshly picked bouquets.

Here's to a new season, just around the corner.  May we welcome fall with open arms, and remember fondly the carefree days of summer ~ we had so much fun together!  xo

summer's end...

It's happening...summer is coming to a close.  The night's are getting cooler - can't you feel it?  It feels good to let the breeze come in, and it makes me feel like it's time to go back to school.  Our school supplies are bought, lunch boxes and water bottles are ready for a new year, and we're celebrating the last few days together with some day trips!
Here's one last picture of my beautiful blue hydrangea...most of the flowers are starting to turn a grayish blue, they're just not as vibrant as they were all summer.  They're feeling that fall is just around the corner, too.

Here's to an amazing school year, for ALL of us!!

dresser re-do

It amazes me how many projects, day trips & lists I can accomplish over summer vacation ~ it's such a wonderful feeling to know that I'm getting things done that are on the list in my mind, but I'm also spending much quality time (&much needed time) with my family!

I got this dresser when my Grama passed away...it's a perfect small bureau for my accessories!  I painted it the same color as our bedroom walls (so it blends in...our bedroom is tiny).  Then, with a paint pen, I wrote one of my favorite quotes across the top of it.  This way, I'll read this quote each morning when I wake up...a positive feeling each morning!!  Thank you, Grama! xo

"Breathe, let go, and remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure."

Mmmm...summer foods!

One of the BEST things about summer is visiting a Farmer's Market, or farm stand, and picking up some fresh fruits & veggies.

We picked up some fresh, garden grown tomatoes, avocado, lime, basil & mozzarella ~

For a delicious summer dinner, we laid out the tomatoes, and placed mozzarella & basil on top, then drizzled a little balsamic and oil over them.  Next, we squeezed some lime juice over the avocado slices.

Mmmm...what a delicious and nutritious summer meal! 

home again, home again...jiggety - jig!

We had a very enjoyable, & relaxing vacation...and now we're home!  Vacations are always so wonderful - but, isn't it always a nice feeling to come home too?  It will be nice to sleep in our own beds (Michael is already sound asleep)...it's just very comforting to be home.  I am grateful to have such a cozy house to call HOME!

My husband & I discussed Soups & Sauces ideas over vacation too...our vacation was mixed with business & pleasure.  We're all going back to school in a few weeks (my husband included) - we're all so excited for him!!  We've been brainstorming ideas for our first "home" party for Soups & Sauces - coming soon!  Can't wait to share more details.

Happy Friday (almost)!
SS&M ~ Soups Sauces & More

lazy days of summer ~ while they last...

And, we're off...

time to put our toes in the water one more time this summer, and we can't wait!  I'll take lots of photos over vacation, but can't promise I'll be doing much updating to my blog this coming week.  Cape Cod, here we come!!!  :)

summer list...

Well, here it is so far...our summer list!!
On the left, are sticky notes that we would still like to accomplish together.  On the right, are things that we have done already!  What an exciting summer it has been!!

I keep a photo of our lists from every summer, so that we can look back & remember the fun things we did with one another.  Next week, we're off to the Cape for one more week.  We're planning on going on a whale watch - that should be fun!  When we come home, we need to find a cool night to sleep outside in our new tent.  Camping in our backyard is on our "not done" list....and Michael keeps reminding us of that!  Enjoy the month of August ~ I'm sure it's going to fly by!!!