A Novel Idea

Though my blog break continues, you can find my writing elsewhere. I've started your summer reading list for you! Download a copy of my novel, The Emptiness is Normal. For a Kindle edition, click here. For the iPad/iBooks, Nook, Sony Reader, or other apps, click here. A story about love, loss, and family secrets, the setting is split between Far Hills, NJ and the rocky coast of Maine.
Here is the complete description:

Georgia is a photographer for New York City's society set. As life and love develop away from the camera, her beloved city closes in on her. She escapes to Diamond Cove, a community that floats in Portland's harbor, to be with Matthew. She shrinks in order to fit into his world. It is enough. But when a tragic accident occurs near the water's edge, Georgia plunges into grief. A small sign (the pink plus on a pregnancy test) forces her forward. In a creative fit, she becomes more productive than ever; partly to prepare for motherhood, partly to suppress her secret. Confessing her guilt to the family and friends who have made life tolerable again seems impossible...but is there another way to heal? Perhaps after losing everything, the smallest of signs can bring you back to life. 

You can read a sample and then download the ebook for your iPad or Kindle. And please let me know what you think. 
I'd love to hear your feedback. 

xoxo, Kate

Adieu, Adieu, To You and You and You...

So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, good bye. I launched this blog as a personal catalog and commentary. I am humbled and amazed every month when I see how many page views the site gets and I thank you for reading along and sharing your thoughts and opinions. But, it's time for a blogging break. I have other projects to focus on in the New Year, but I may come back to post from time to time. Thank you for following along and I wish you a happy and healthy 2013!

Love, Kate

Shake, Shimmy, Shine

Supplies

Clean jar with lid

Distilled water

Glycerin (available at the pharmacy)

Plastic or ceramic animals, trees (found at Michael's)

Tinsel glitter (found at Michael's)

Epoxy 

Sand paper

Start with a clean and dry jar. Use your sandpaper to scuff up the underside of the lid and then attach your chosen figurines using epoxy. Let the epoxy set completely and then fill your jar with distilled water. Next, add a drop of glycerin to the water, which will help suspend the glitter and give your jar the snow effect. Add glitter. The more you use, the more blizzard-like it will be. Insert the figurine and attach the lid firmly. Give it a good shake and enjoy your winter wonderland. 

Find other doable DIYs at The Sweetest Occasion.

Winter Wonderland of the West

When winter weather sets in, most migrate south. But not me. I actually prefer to go somewhere even colder. Namely, Colorado. A few winters ago I had the pleasure of staying at Devil's Thumb Ranch near Winter Park. It was just featured in Sunset magazine as one of the west's best wonderlands, which reminded me that I should share my experience. Seeking wide open spaces and plenty of room to breathe? This is the place. There are tons of outdoor activities, but also a good chance that you'll be the first person to leave footprints in the snow (the novelty of solitude is never lost on a former New Yorker!) Here's my compelling case for the cold.

Who: According to Western lore, Native Americans named Devil's Thumb - a rocky outcropping that towers high above the ranch. As legend goes, after the Ute and Arapahoe tribes settled their differences in the Ranch Creek Valley, they buried the devil, but left his thumb exposed to remind them of the evils of war.

What: Devil's Thumb Ranch is a resort and spa offering rustically upscale accommodations, fine dining, and an array of winter outdoor and wilderness recreation activities. Just a few miles from the chairlifts at Winter Park, downhill skiing is easy. Or, try cross-country skiing on the ranch's 5,000 acres. Or, ice skating, snowshoeing, stargazing, s'mores making, riding a one-horse open sleigh...

When:  I found it particularly charming over New Year's. I'll take a collection of pine trees over a Times Square crowd any day!

Where: Located in the Rocky Mountains, the ranch is 65 minutes from Denver and 10 minutes from Winter Park. Translation: Fly into DIA in the morning, fly down the slopes by early afternoon. The ranch is set at the foot of the Continental Divide. The natural beauty of the surrounding will overwhelm you - particularly when you take a yoga class in the glass room.

Why: Because you've always wanted to live in a little log cabin in the woods. Because you want to start a fire every night, cook in a comfort food in your own kitchen, play board games on the floor, and admire the blanket of stars before falling to sleep. Make sure you actually leave your cabin, because there's so much to explore.

And the resort is eco-friendly? How fab! 

Scents and Sensibility

The science of scent? Many of us relish the aroma of pine trees as they grace our front stoops and become the focus of the living room this time of year. But are there healing properties to pine? According to a 500-year old legend, French explorer Jacques Cartier's ship got stuck in the ice near Quebec. He and his crew faced certain death from scurvy until a chieftain brewed the sailors pine tea. They recovered and resumed their explorations. In the 1940s, a French researcher named Jacques Masquelier discovered that pine bark and needles contain Vitamin C.

Masquelier went on to test French coastal pines and learned they contain beneficial antioxidant compounds called flavonols and bioflavonoids. He extracted the compounds with hot water and patented his discovery as Pycnogenol. Used as a jet lag remedy, the supplement has also shown ability to ease circulatory problems, knee pain, and menstrual cramps; it may even improve memory in the elderly.

A bit further east, in Japan, going for a therapeutic walk in the woods is known as shinrin-yoku, which means "taking in the atmosphere of the forest." This practice has recently been studied for its ability to ease stress. In one study, research at Japan's Kyoto University sent 498 healthy volunteers on two 15-minute forest strolls one day, contrasted by a control day during which they didn't walk. Volunteers rated their mood on a standard psychological scale. Their hostility and depression scores decreased significantly after walking. The more stressed-out volunteers were to begin with, the greater the relaxation they experienced.

So go ahead, press your nose into the delightfully illuminated pine in your family room. And when the holidays end, seek out essential oils such as balsam or silver fir, spruce, and pine. Or better yet - enjoy a walk through a pinetum, soaking up another of nature's powerful elixirs.

Mull It Over

Cranberry and Pinot Noir Mulled Wine

1 bottle of Pinot Noir

1/3 cup sugar

3 cinnamon sticks (plus extra for garnish)

1 cup chopped cranberries

Chop cranberries in half and fill a cup. In a small pot, combine wine, sugar, cinnamon sticks, and cranberries. Bring to a boil and stir to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat to a simmer and allow to cook for 5 minutes, until wine has slightly reduced. Strain most of the cranberries from the mixture, but allow some for garnish, texture, and flavor. Serve in a mug with a cinnamon stick to stir and swizzle.

DIY Gifts: Candy Cane Body Scrub

Ingredients:

2 cups exfoliant base of your choice (sugar, sea salt, or sugar in the raw)

1/3-1/2 cup coconut or almond oil

6 drops peppermint essential oil

Two candy canes (broken into pieces)

Instructions

Break the candy canes into small pieces and melt them down in 1/4 cup water. Remove last bit of white candy and allow red peppermint syrup to cool completely. In a large bowl, mix sugar, oil, peppermint essential oil, then separate scrub into two equal parts. Leave one part white, and add the red candy cane syrup to the other. The texture of each will be comparable to wet sand. Spoon layer by layer into a glass jar for gifting. I've bought these jars at the Crate & Barrel outlet and IKEA for $2 each.

source

Pizza Pizza

Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Goat Cheese Pizza

Ingredients

Dough: 3/4 cup warm water, 2 1/2 teaspoons yeast, 1/4 cup honey, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour. I've found gluten-free dough at Whole Foods and at a local pizza shop. Toppings- 1/2 lb. brussel sprouts, 1 red onion, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes, 4 ounces goat cheese, 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine water, yeast, and honey - stir with a wooden spoon until yeast is dissolved. Let sit until yeast begins to activate (5-10 minutes). Once yeast is ready, add oil, salt, and 1 cup of flour. With mixer on low (using the dough hook), combine. Continue adding flour, 2 tablespoons at a time. Run the mixer a few more minutes and scrape down the sides. Remove the dough, brush with oil, and let rise for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Quarter sprouts and chop onion, toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Roast until tender (30 minutes). When your dough has doubled in size and the sprouts are sizzling, turn the over up to 500 degrees. Punch down the dough and let it resume rising for 20 minutes. Roll the dough on a surface covered in cornmeal, then brush oil over crust. Sprinkle sprouts, onion, red pepper flakes, and goat cheese on top. Bake until crust is golden, about 12 minutes. Drizzle balsamic over the entire pie, and bake an additional minute or two. 

Find more comfort food creations at Naturally Ella.

Music Monday: Be OK (Ingrid Michaelson)

Matchmaker, Matchmaker. Make Me A Match.

Having a niece has taught me so much. I sew and craft and create in ways that I never did before. This holiday, I decided to take inspiration from Rudolph and construct some reindeer games. Here is Popsicle Memory. You will need 12 popsicle sticks, seven different scrapbook paper prints (this makes six pairs of popsicles), and glue. On one side of the pops goes a solid pink paper. On the opposite side, place your prints. After the glue dries, mix them up and enjoy some Memory madness!

Find the details here.

Good Night, You Princes of Maine

I admit that I'm a Maine-iac. I'm very fond of the state with the motto, 'The Way Life Should Be'. Beside the blueberries and rocky coasts and lighthouses and pine forests, the men of Maine are especially endearing. Who doesn't love a guy who is gruff in the woods and kind in the cabin? I had to share a few posts from the Tumblr site Your L.L.Bean Boyfriend. Go ahead and sneak a peek. You know you want to. The writer takes catalog shots and adds a cheeky caption. Find your own rugged, outdoorsy type who invites to you to his family lobster bake. Sigh. A girl can dream...

I stood by the window while the coffee brewed, watching Dennis chop down our Christmas tree in the yard. As he dragged it toward the house and approached the back porch, he caught my eye and mouthed, "I love you."

"Let's go to dinner in Bath tonight," Wyatt said. "I heard a great new restaurant just opened up and I really want to try it."

Marty excitedly put the glass bottle on the table and exlaimed, "When I was at my parents' house in Vermont we tapped maple trees for syrup!"