Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest I feel most alive surrounded by trees and breathing in the fresh mountain air.
When I am not working you will most likely find me spending time outdoors, volunteering with my church and exploring this beautiful planet with my family.
This is my place to share my passion for life and to encourage you to take time to find the extraordinary in your life.
When I think of a picture perfect Christmas break my thoughts turn towards snow, icicles, hot cocoa, sledding, roaring fires, snowshoeing and rosy cheeks. Whatever your holiday plans are this year have yourself a merry little Christmas!
XO Lisette and Cameron
Many people I know waited until they had children before they started creating traditions in their home. For us creating traditions from the inception of our marriage has helped build a foundation of love and belonging in our home. Although our traditions do not define us, the making and keeping of traditions is one of the qualities which set our family apart from yours.
It was not until the day I lost my own child that I became a diaper activist. Although I had known many people who had experienced miscarriages; infant mortality was just not on my radar. I was pretty naive when it came to pregnancy and childbirth. Much like many of you I functioned under the assumption that pregnancy would end with a healthy child. In my own pregnancy, I never had a moment of unease or concern until the day my child stopped moving.
One of my favorite places to frequent in West Seattle is the West Seattle Nursery. I always find the perfect plant or flowers for my yard or a friend's home. At the West Seattle Nursery their staff is knowledgeable without being pushy or overbearing. In the Spring time I enjoy walking the rows of flowers, in the Summer browsing over the endless choices of vegetable starts and in the Fall and Winter I am happy to find any plant which will grow well outside and has great color.
I have been inspired by others a lot lately. I saw this Cranberry Hazelnut Bread on Rachel's blog, Elephantine and decided to make it. After making the bread three or four additional times it has officially become my go to gift for this holiday season.
I have changed up the recipe a couple of times one time replacing hazelnuts with pecans, another time replacing lemon zest with orange and yet another time using whole wheat flour instead.
One of my favorite kinds of Christmas parties to throw is a Pie Party. I like to host it early in the month before the craziness of the holidays ensues and as extra motivation to decorate early for Christmas. The premise of the party is simple: each guest/couple is asked to bring a homemade pie of their choosing. The party consists of sampling each of the pies and then voting on our favorite pie for three categories: Best Overall, Best Tasting and Best Presentation.
Whenever I host parties I always prefer to use silverware and dishes over paper plates and plastic cups. Not only does it make my guests feel more important, but makes the party more intimate. An added bonus in using what I have on hand means creating less waste in the long run. Over the years I have invested in a good assortment of white dishes and clear glassware, which have proven to be the most versatile items I could ever own. Here are some of my favorites:
Even though Thanksgiving has passed I thought it would be fun to continue the "What I am Grateful for" series.
When I think of three words to best describe Cameron I often think of the word fun. Not only is he funny, but he is fun to be around. Cameron has a great sense of humor and is good at keeping the mood light and loves taking funny pictures. I am happy I married someone who people like to be around.
On Thanksgiving I was excited to try my hand at a new kind of pie. I saw this recipe for Chocolate Pecan Pie and thought I would give it a try. Everything is better with chocolate, right? I am embarrassed to admit this, but I had actually never made a pecan pie before. After the allotted cooking time when I took it out of the oven it seemed a bit wobbly. This did not phase me too much because I thought once it cooled it might set up. Once it cooled it did set up, but as I cut into it after Thanksgiving dinner I realized it was undercooked. My Mom suggested we put it back in the oven, but even after another twenty or thirty minutes it looked the same. Upon reviewing the recipe I realized I had put in too much karo syrup. Yikes! My Mom was quick to tell me it tasted good regardless and did not make a big deal about. Just when I thought all was lost, she slopped the mess called my pie into bowls and served it.
When I came across this alternative Christmas tree I completely fell in love and knew I had to make my own. With a little foraging in my front and backyard I was able to find quite the array of supplies. Within thirty minutes I had found a couple branches of the following:
As a trained Interior Designer, it might come as a surprise to hear my wall color of choice is typically white. However, when your walls are a blank canvas it allows the other color throughout your house to pop. Oftentimes, I like to set up happy little vignettes in our living room like the one pictured above.
This year I made a concerted effort to not buy any new Christmas decorations. I already owned two boxes full, so I wanted to either rework what I had or make something new with items I had around the house. Between Pinterest, Instagram and blogs there is no shortage of daily inspiration coming to my inbox.
Although our mountain passes have not received their typical amount of snow; there has been a lingering threat of snow in the forecast for Seattle. It reminds me of almost two years ago when four inches of snow was enough to shut down the city of Seattle completely. People basically freak out about snow around here when snow is in the forecast. With all the hills in Seattle it makes for some great city sledding if you have the time and the equipment.
As of late, the temperatures have stayed low and the sun has continued to shine. Cold, sunny days have turned into cool, clear starry nights. Being able to see my breathe always makes it feel like Christmas is near.
Aside from the changing landscape of each season, comes a change in light. A few weeks ago I had a couple hours to myself, so I grabbed my camera and set out to capture the landscape before it became stark.
The quality I love most about photography is its ability to capture a single moment in time forever. Whether it be the last of the autumn leaves or the first of the winter berries; looking through photos evokes so many memories, emotions and senses.
So, come with me on my late afternoon walk through the Arboretum.
Many people might not know this, but Asher's due date was December 25th. When I was pregnant people gave us a lot of flack about what poor timing we had etc. but looking back we were ecstatic to receive the ultimate gift (an addition to our family) on Christmas. Now that we are without our sweet boy, it has really changed this time of year for us. Instead of being consumed with hours of decorating or trimming the Christmas tree we have chosen to keep things simple as a way of honoring our son this time of year.
Sleeping high among the tree tops might sound like something straight out of a fairy tale, but with a forty minute drive from Seattle this dream can turn into a reality at TreeHouse Point. Six unique tree houses dot the mossy and fern laden property in Fall City, WA. There are tree houses which are accessed by ladder, suspension bridge and winding staircase. Each treehouse has an individual character, which would provide six unique experiences.
For a fun little hostess gift I like to make homemade hot chocolate stir sticks. They are really easy to make and are excellent last minute gifts.
I hope you enjoyed a restful, long weekend filled with good food, family and friends. My two sisters were in town and it has been something like twelve years since we sisters have been together for Thanksgiving. As we sat down and I looked around the dinner table; I mentioned it felt a little like the movie "Little Women". With two sisters and six nieces we are a female dominate family. The abundance of women in our family makes me extra grateful for a husband and father who love spending time with the ladies; along with a son who has helped tip the scales.
This year I have teamed up with a few of my favorite Seattle merchants and bloggers to share with you some fantastic holiday gift ideas. Having grown up with our family's livelihood depending on the success of my father's small business; I firmly believe in doing my part to support local small businesses. I prefer to buy products from people who believe in what they are selling and love what they are is doing. Also, I am a big proponent of reducing my carbon footprint and this philosophy extends to my gift giving as well.
Today and everyday I am grateful for the abundance of love and beauty in my life. I am blessed beyond measure.
Happy Thanksgiving to all my lovely readers!
