let the light in

photograph by kristen bach

peace

photograph by rinne allen

pretty mess

photograph by rinne allen

covered bridge

i found this one as i was rolling around unknown parts the other day. it is called 'howard's bridge', named for the family who settled nearby in smithonia back in the 1700s. this one was rebuilt in 1904 to replace an earlier one. i love the mysterious light inside.

photographs and words by rebecca wood

finding hope

photograph by kristin karch

dearing street

this year is the athens-clarke heritage foundation's 50th anniversary, and to celebrate, i am contributing to a monthly neighborhood highlight. this month revolves around dearing street, which was laid out in the 1830s and sold in 4 acre plots over the next 50 years. the neighborhood includes a wide range of architectural styles including folk victorian, queen anne, craftsmans, and two italianate homes. what i love about this neighborhood is how some of the homes are hidden by trees and still have dirt driveways. there is an air of history but also of simplicity on this street.

photographs and words by kristin karch

woodland textures

photo by rinne allen

winter favorites.. muted tones

we have been creating season blooms throughout the past several years.  today, i wanted to go through and pick a few of our favorite arrangements that demonstrate some dark and winter tones.

arrangements and photos by rinne allen

winged seeds

photo by kristen bach

winter salads

this winter we have had some weather that is "far from winter" temperatures.  while i love having some cozy comfort foods there haven't been too many days that call for  a big pot of soup!

we have been craving a lot of hearty winter salads.  yesterday was mid 70's in January, of course i am going to make a salad over a soup, right?  today, i wanted to share some of my favorite winter salad recipes from around the web.  enjoy ...... and i hope you have some cozier weather where you are!

this yummy salad has all of my favorite winter vegetables in it; beet, cumquats, quinoa, yum!  find the recipe here!

this detox winter salad is from vegetarian ventures.  it is one of my favorite go to blogs for inspiration in the kitchen.  click here for recipe

this winter detox salad has the perfect amount of crunch and nourishing ingredients to make it a satisfying meal!  find recipe here

anytime of the year...i love a good thai salad.  this hearty salad is filled with loads of veggies to keep you healthy and  filled up through the winter months and it is very simple to make. find the recipe here

we would love to know if you have any favorite winter salads that you would like us to try!  

window light

photograph by kristen bach

minute magic

it pays to always have your eyes open. some beauty is so fleeting it may never be seen by people. count yourself lucky if you're there to see it. i thought i had seen all the beauty there was to see this day at the bot garden, but as i turned off my camera and started to walk back across the muddy field, i turned around and saw this glory…but only for a magic minute.

photographs and words by rebecca wood

bright

photograph by kristin karch

snow love

northerners will never understand how southerners feel about snow. the weatherman pumps up the chances for a solid week before anything happens. i get so excited to have an instant day off to enjoy the beauty. everyone stocks up on hot chocolate ( and bread and milk ). but, as so often happens, even when they predict 100% chance of a few inches of snow….we wake up to zippo. SO disappointed! this happened to us recently. we were promised 2-4 inches, and only got a dusting. oh well. i went out to capture whatever snow beauty i could. turns out a dusting on leaves and grass is very pretty.

photographs and words by rebecca wood

wind blown

photograph by kristin karch

walter anderson museum

over the holidays, i visited the walter anderson museum of art in ocean springs, mississippi. walter anderson was an american painter whose depictions of wildlife & people of the gulf coast placed him amongst some of the most well regarded painters of the 20th century. the museum also displays and celebrates his brothers' work, peter anderson of shearwater pottery and james mcconnell anderson, who was a noted ceramicist and painter.

two of my favorite parts of the museum was the community center and the 'secret room', both of which were covered in murals by walter. i learned on my visit with my family that my aunt held her wedding reception in that very community center. as far as the secret room, walter would not ever allow anyone inside, not even his wife. it was only after his passing that she saw the magic that was inside.

words and photographs by kristin karch

hickory

photograph by rinne allen

winter

photographs by rinne allen

woods

photo by kristen bach

super easy rolls

my daughter has developed a huge love for cooking lately.  i recently taught her how to make bread and we have been experimenting with many different recipes....some have been delicious, and some need some work.  

one recipe that we have loved is this 30 minute dinner roll recipe.  we oftentimes decide that we want to make bread or would like rolls moments before dinner is done.  this recipe is so quick that it works!  it also is a perfect dough for cinnamon rolls.  

give this one a try!

photos by kristen bach