Plum Bistro

Words & Photography
by Kylee Noelle



We got a parking ticket. Worth it.

Plum Bistro //
1429 12th Ave.
Seattle, WA 98122

Hibernation

Words & Photography
by Kirstie Blundon



It's in the single digits so I'm planning my hibernation.
It mostly consists of drinking tea and baking things.

Like Teenagers

Words & Photography
by Paige Christensen



They're already cuddled up and spilling secrets like teenagers.
And I'm jealous.

Taking A Day

Words & Photography
by Lisa Nightingale

But it was so nice to just hang out and not work or have any other obligations, even for one day.

Yesterday we spent the entire day as a family, taking a walk in the cutest neighborhood, drinking coffee, and pretending we lived in Stars Hollow (okay, maybe that was just me). But it was so nice to just hang out and not work or have any other obligations, even for one day. Yesterday also ended with a homemade apple pie and takeout because I didn't want to have dishes for Monday.

It's All Fun And Games

Words & Photography
by Kendall Hancock



Donuts every day is fine until it's not, ya know?

Baking

Words & Photography
by Oksana Dunnagan



We woke up pretty early this morning and all four of us snuggled up on the sofa under warm blankets and watched the Great British Baking Show until we got too hungry, and I was starting to fantasize about what I should bake. We ended up breaking the fast with yummy muesli rounds, Bulgarian-style yogurt, fresh raspberries, and a cup of hot coffee for mama, of course.

We woke up pretty early this morning and all four of us snuggled up on the sofa under warm blankets and watched the Great British Baking Show until we got too hungry...

I may end up baking later in the day, because cold winds outside make me want to hibernate and consume comfort foods. Or, we might just bundle up and go on an adventure. Who knows what the day will bring, but one thing I am sure of is I will be spending it with my most favorite little people.

Frenemies

Words & Photography
by Krystal Costa



I wouldn't necessarily call them friends,
more like frenemies.

Thai Carrot, Coconut, and Cauliflower Soup

Words & Photography
by Megan Gordon



People describe raising young kids as a particular season in life. I hadn’t heard this until we had a baby, but it brought me a lot of comfort when I’d start to let my mind wander, late at night between feedings, to fears that we’d never travel internationally again or have a sit-down meal in our dining room. Would I ever eat a cardamom bun in Sweden? Soak in Iceland? I loved the heck out of our tiny Oliver, but man what had we done?! Friends would swoop in and reassure us that this was just a season, a blip in the big picture of it all. They promised we’d likely not even remember walking around the house in circles singing made-up songs while eating freezer burritos at odd hours of the day (or night). And it’s true.

Friends would swoop in and reassure us that this was just a season, a blip in the big picture of it all. They promised we’d likely not even remember walking around the house in circles singing made-up songs while eating freezer burritos at odd hours of the day (or night). And it’s true.

Oliver is turning two next month, and those all-encompassing baby days feel like a different time, a different Us. In many ways, dare I say it, Toddlerhood actually feels a bit harder. Lately Oliver has become extremely opinionated about what he will and will not wear — and he enforces these opinions with fervor. Don’t get near the kid with a button-down shirt...this week at least. He’s obsessed with his rain boots and if it were up to him, he’d keep them on at all times, especially during meals. He insists on ketchup with everything (I created a damn monster), has learned the word “trash” and insists on throwing found items away on his own that really, truly are not trash. I came to pick him up from daycare the other day and he was randomly wearing a bike helmet — his teacher mentioned he’d had it on most of the day and really, really didn’t want to take it off. The kid has FEELINGS. I love that about him, and wouldn’t want it any other way. But, man it’s also exhausting.



Pair this general tiredness with a legitimate change in the weather this week in Seattle, and we’ve been spending most evenings at home, and more weekend time hunkering down, too. I’ve spent more money than I care to admit on Cinderella pumpkins for our stoop, and Sam has been doing some actual, real-life meal planning on the weekends (we’ve been cooking a lot from Melissa Clark’s book, Dinner: Changing the Game, which is great, approachable, and surprisingly…doable).

I remember before we had Oliver I found meal planning really depressing: what if I don’t feel like fish tacos on Wednesday?! But right here, in this season, it doesn’t as much matter what you feel like for dinner, it matters that it happens at all in the first place. And it’s happening, and for that we feel victorious.



A few days ago when we didn’t have much planned for dinner, I was craving a really creamy and slightly spicy soup so I jotted down what I hoped would be a thai-spiced carrot soup but amped up a bit. I added cauliflower and ginger, a little lemongrass and a generous hit of red curry paste. I kept stirring it and tasting it and yelling up to Sam to get down here and Try. This. Soup. No exaggeration, this is the best soup I’ve ever made. It will be in heavy, heavy rotation this fall and is a great one to swap in if/when you tire of squash or pumpkin.

I kept stirring it and tasting it and yelling up to Sam to get down here and Try. This. Soup. No exaggeration, this is the best soup I’ve ever made.

Whereas some pureed soups can still be a bit on the chunky or thick side, this soup is luxuriously smooth, even velvetty. The ingredient list and method is relatively straightforward and simple (leave out the jalapeño if you’d like — I’ve made it with and without, and it’s delicious both ways), and it freezes beautifully. Just the sort of thing I’ve needed around all week to fuel our post-dinner dance parties, laps around the downstairs part of the house with all manner of kitchen tools, and Oliver’s new favorite game, “Touch” (running from one end of the living room to the other, smacking the wall on each side and screaming “Touch”). Oh, and basement bike riding (him) while avoiding dangerous power tools (me, frantically). Wild, carrot soup-fueled times over here, I tell you. I’m doing my best to find humor and magic amidst the tiredness; there’s a lot of both. And in general trying not to look ahead in anticipation of the next season or blip to come, but sitting right down inside of this one. It feels like a good spot to be in and, in truth, one I’d looked forward to for so long.



Thai Carrot, Coconut and Cauliflower Soup
Yield: 6 Servings

Ingredients
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 large white onion, diced
1 1-inch piece ginger, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño, seeded and thinly sliced (optional)
1 large lemongrass stalk, outer layers removed, crushed, then thinly sliced (about 3 tablespoons)
2 tbsp. red curry paste (adjust should you crave more flavor)
1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and chopped into ½ inch chunks (about 4 cups)
1 medium cauliflower, stems chopped, broken into large florets, (about 4 cups)
3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 15-ounce can full fat coconut milk
1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to season

Optional Toppings
sour cream, chile oil, minced cilantro, black sesame seeds, lime wedges

Directions
1. In a large soup pot, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook down for 5-6 minutes, or until it’s soft and translucent. Add the ginger, garlic, jalapeno, and lemongrass and cook for an additional 2 minutes, or until fragrant.
2. Stir in the curry paste. Add the carrots, cauliflower, broth, coconut milk and salt and stir well. Bring the soup to a slow boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 35-40 minutes, or until the carrots and cauliflower are tender.
3. Remove the soup from the heat and allow to cool slightly (so you’ll have an easier time blending it).
4. Using an immersion blender (or high speed blender), puree the soup in batches until smooth. Taste and season with additional salt and curry paste, if desired.
5. Serve warm with suggested toppings. Soup will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freezes well, too.

Life With Two Littles

Words & Photography
by Chelsea Diamond



Decided to give E a bath while Jett napped. Got her in the tub just in time for him to wake up hangry. I start to feed him while sitting by the tub. E decides she has to poop but doesn’t want to get out; she wants to poop in the bath or have me put a diaper on her.

I put Jett down, he screams, pull E out of the tub and on the toilet, she cries. I pick Jett BACK up to finish feeding...

I finally convince her that neither of these are going to happen and that she needs to go on the toilet (something she’s done before). I put Jett down, he screams, pull E out of the tub and on the toilet, she cries. I pick Jett BACK up to finish feeding, just in time for E to decide she doesn’t have to poop after all and wants back in the tub.

Feeling Grateful

Words & Photography
by Jennifer Eland



Feeling unbelievably grateful for being a stay at home mom today. I remember the cooler seasons and darker mornings where I had to get my butt out of bed early (and let me tell you it was hard- not a morning person), and drag myself to work while leaving my babe at a sitter.

It's one of those brisk, cloudy days...we're moving slow, taking baths, resting, and I haven't accomplished much, but it reminds me to be thankful for all things...

It's one of those brisk, cloudy days...we're moving slow, taking baths, resting, and I haven't accomplished much, but it reminds me to be thankful for all things (like not having to sit in an office right now). Cheers to a lazy Friday at home.
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Chinese Food

Words & Photography
by Megan Wright



Currently making Chinese food.
Currently really excited to eat said Chinese food.

The Goods

Words & Photography
by Madison Cline



If today’s a tough one, and you feel like you’ve been knocked down, treat yourself. In my case, it’s coffee and a donut while I wait for an oil change.

If you’re down and out today, I encourage you to reassess your situation. Make changes where they need be. Sit. Think. Process. Be still. And know that’s it’s all going to be okay.

You have the responsibility to protect yourself from the people and circumstances that make life hard. You can’t always stop the fall from happening, but you can brace for it. If you’re down and out today, I encourage you to reassess your situation. Make changes where they need be. Sit. Think. Process. Be still. And know that’s it’s all going to be okay.

The Goods //
2965 State St.
Carlsbad, CA 92008

Daddy's Girl

Words & Photography
by Kara Layne



Tonight, he took them to attend practice for their annual Primary program happening tomorrow in church.

He couldn't wipe the smile from his face as he told me the story after they got back home. And I assured him it will never get old watching her adore him as much as she does.

In the middle of the practice, my husband watched as she whispered something to her teacher, walked quietly down the steps and down the rows of pews to where he was sitting and watching. She smiled big, wrapped her arms around him and finished it off with a kiss and assured him her teacher said it was OK for her to leave her seat to do it.

He couldn't wipe the smile from his face as he told me the story after they got back home. And I assured him it will never get old watching her adore him as much as she does.

Latest Obsessions

Words & Photography
by Bethany Schrock



Latest Obsessions:
- The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. This book is so refreshing and honest. Changing more than just my apartment.
- Modern Chai by Marble & Milkweed, with steamed milk and cinnamon to top it off. It’s making this rainy day 100000% dreamier.
- Taking it slow. Listening to my body. Erasing the word “should” from my vocabulary.

These Curtains

Words & Photography
by Ashley Izsak



When I look at these curtains, I smile because they were a week overdue. On the morning of Benjamin’s birth, I had a pretty strong denial going on, thinking that I wasn’t about to have a baby that day. So strong in fact, that I dragged our daughter Alice with me to Ikea to buy curtain rods so my husband could install them before our planned home birth.

When I look at these curtains, I smile because they were a week overdue.

Well, anyone walking by our place that Saturday evening may have seen the flicker of candlelight, the rim of a birth pool and possibly even me, mostly naked. I love how they add just enough to the space, and how their existence ties into such a monumental moment in our lives.

Spiced Roasted Carrot Soup

Words & Photography
by Ana-Maria Klizs



Excuse me while I curl under a blanket and eat my weight in roasted carrot soup.

My spiced roasted carrot soup came to be on Tuesday when I found myself with an abundance of carrots in the fridge and not much else. I peeled chopped and roasted the carrots and threw in a few spices and a can of fire roasted tomatoes. Blended it so the kids wouldn’t have anything to complain about, and served it with a few fresh pieces of challah bread and a lot of butter…A LOT.

Excuse me while I curl under a blanket and eat my weight in roasted carrot soup.

While I’d love to be the mom who oven roasts her own tomatoes, ain’t nobody got time for that in this house. So the canned ones do just fine and taste great too. It also cuts down my soup-making time to approximately 30 min, of which the oven does the majority all on its own. The bulk of the work on this is in the prep (5-10 minutes-ish) and the blending (1 minute).

Annnnnd for those of you who have kids, skip the chilli peppers at the beginning. Just leave them on the side and add them at the end as a topping for yourself. The kids would probably eat this much more readily without it.



Spiced Roasted Carrot Soup

Ingredients
2 lbs of carrots peeled and cut in chunks
1 large yellow onion sliced
1 large can of roasted tomatoes (whole, diced, crushed...it doesn't matter)
5 garlic cloves peeled
1 tbsp ground thyme
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tbsp good quality olive oil
1 L vegetable stock
2 tsp chilli flakes
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400*.
2. In a large bowl combine the carrots, onions, garlic and olive oil and toss to coat.
3. Place them on baking sheet and sprinkle with thyme, nutmeg, salt, pepper and chilli flakes (skip the flakes if you want your kids to eat it…add them individually while serving).
4. Bake them in the oven for about 30 minutes, tossing once after 15 minutes and checking for doneness starting at 25 minutes. This part depends on your oven, but your veggies are done when you can pierce the carrots with a fork.
5. When veggies are roasted, toss them in a blender or food processor along with the canned roasted tomatoes and half of the veggie stock (approximately). Blend until smooth.
6. Pour the mixture into a pot, top with the rest of the stock, mix well and bring to a boil, then immediately reduce to a simmer, cover and let it simmer another 10 minutes.
7. Serve with chilly flakes if you haven’t used them already, some fresh parsley, and even a dollop of sour cream if you like.

Enjoy!

New Practices

Words & Photography
by Katie Laine



I have only ever dabbled in yoga - never fully committing to making it a daily practice. But man oh man oh man oh man, I'm only a week into #yogaeveryday and I have no words for how grateful I am for the mindset shifts it is challenging. As soon as I am handed a new lesson or area of growth on the mat, life hands me opportunity after opportunity to practice the lessons learned.

As soon as I am handed a new lesson or area of growth on the mat, life hands me opportunity after opportunity to practice the lessons learned.

I have this new motto that I've been practicing in yoga and applying to life: "I would rather be honest than impressive." Accessing honesty and then following up with a generous dose of self-compassion is ushering in some pretty incredible growth! We absolutely must challenge belief systems from our past that no longer serve us and replace them with truth. "Every next level of your life will demand a different version of yourself."

Pinewood

Words & Photography
by Liz Quick



Home feels nice this morning, but I really could use some more of this avocado toast. Nashville, you sure do know how to brew a good cup of coffee and serve up some delicious food.

Pinewood //
33 Peabody St.
Nashville, TN 37210

Breaking Some Of The Rules

Words & Photography
by Chantelle Nelson



Saturdays are for slow mornings, strong coffee, and our very first attempt at tummy time.

I broke all the parenting rules last night and Zion slept curled up on my chest all night and we had a great, restful sleep with no middle-of-the-night tears or screams. I asked the Lord if letting him sleep on my chest in our bed would be okay. He sweetly reassured me and said, "Right now, Zion just needs to be close to know that you'll never leave him. He needs that security right now - to know that you'll always be there." So I slept with my cuddly son lying on my chest all night with full confidence that he was going to be just fine!

It's easy to think you're going to parent in this ideal, by-the-book kind of a way...But when push comes to shove, and your child needs something different, you bend and you shift to what works in the moment.

It's easy to think you're going to parent in this ideal, by-the-book kind of a way...that was always my Type-A intent. But when push comes to shove, and your child needs something different, you bend and you shift to what works in the moment. I'm realizing that I've almost had to unlearn, in a sense, what I've read in all these parenting books because my child simply isn't a cookie cutter, babywise, happiest baby on the block, mold of a child. He has his own specific set of needs that I won't always find in the chapters of these parenting books. And he is my focus - even if it means breaking some of the rules.

Weekend Plans

Words by Brooke Wade
Photography by Chloe Ramirez



Weekend plans:
drink coffee, wrangle monkeys, drink wine.
Repeat.

Savoring It

Words & Photography
by Kari Jensen

It’s equally blissful as is heartbreaking to say goodbye to moments like this. So when we find ourselves here, swaying to calming sounds, our hearts melting, beating as one together, I breathe it in slowly.

Lately she’s been requesting her bed over my arms to fall asleep in which is all the more telling of how big my baby is really getting. It’s equally blissful as is heartbreaking to say goodbye to moments like this. So when we find ourselves here, swaying to calming sounds, our hearts melting, beating as one together, I breathe it in slowly. Savoring the heaviness of her slumber, and every rise and fall of her chest. At twenty two months, this is us.

Always Full

Words & Photography
by Megan Wright



Home: where both the laundry basket
and my heart are always full.