snapshots from a shared blogosphere

Today, I’m excited to announce a new project that I recently took part in. We all know (or you should) how much I love food, especially international cuisines. So I’ve teamed up with a group of bloggers around the world to stop and drop on the same day, at the same time, to photograph what we were eating. 

The Lineup:

Jessica, San Francisco, 8:00am

Me, Philadelphia, 11am 

Julie, London, 4pm

Judith, Seoul, midnight

It’s amazing what a cuisine will say about a culture, and this project has me itching to go eat my way around the world. Food is something people want to share with each other because it’s a deep rooted and meaningful piece of ourselves. The memories you have from being young, the meals your mom used to make, the restaurants you visited with your best friends in high school - traditions and memories develop around food, and the way in which each culture does it is unique. 

Here in Philadelphia on a Saturday morning, I had four friends walking in the door. As they arrived, I was putting the finishing touches on a brunch spread I had prepared using my favorite local and organic ingredients. For me, two things are important when it comes to food: home cooked and ethically-sourced. It’s not necessarily the most common way to consume food in this country, but it is one that is held in high regard. People here love a home cooked meal. And people here love food they can feel good about. Also, it should be noted that brunch is a very American thing…a brilliant custom if you ask me.

The Menu:

Baked Ricotta: made with Wholesome Dairy Farm’s Grass-Fed Raw Milk and Dutch Way Dairy Heavy Cream

Maitake Mushroom & Egg Scramble: mushrooms sourced from Greensgrow Farm and Sandy Ridge Farm eggs

Homemade Bloody Mary’s: made with tomatoes sourced at Greensgrow Farm, home brewed pickles, Clover Creek Cheese Cellar Pirate Blue Cheese, and Sky Vodka

Rosemary and Sel Di Gris Popovers: made with rosemary sourced in Philadelphia’s famous Italian Market, Sel Di Gris purchased from The Meadow in NYC, King Arthur Organic Flour, and Wholesome Dairy Farm’s Grass-Fed Raw Milk

Home-brewed Iced Tea: with ginger, chamomile, cinnamon sticks, clove, rose hip, and Walt's Swarmbustin' honey. 

Peach Preserves: made by Fifth of a Farm

We sat around the table for a good two hours. There were several foreigners in the group - something that is very common in our melting pot of a country - and the conversation went from talking about one person’s country to the next. That’s the lovely thing about brunch, you sit and enjoy the food, and then you sit some more and enjoy each other. It’s a long drawn-out custom that is perfect for the weekend, and a good way to enjoy the company of friends. I should also mention that at my house, dogs are always welcome, so we had three dogs playing underfoot and providing us with plenty of intermittent laughs. 

And that is how we Philadelphians do it. Head on over to Thread & Bones to see what was simultaneously occurring in the culinary worlds around the globe.

everyone meet: shelby robinson

Today, millions of people meet each other on the internet, but myself, I'm a novice. I've never tried internet dating, or joined a chat room. I never thought it was a way in which I should meet people. Now, I'm finding out that it in fact can be a great way to open new friendships.

Each and every week I share my beliefs, my photography, my interests, and peeks into my life here on Numie. What I do serves the same purpose as a diary, and at times I don't even notice that it reaches other people. I do it for myself - to document moments, gather inspiration, and to work out thoughts. That bubble of ignorance has kept my work genuine, and slowly but surely, like-minded people have taken notice. People that I in turn, am also inspired by. 

And that, is how I met Shelby. 

Shelby and I have been fans of each other's work for some time now. It started with little comments on each other's blogs, developed into hearts on Instagram, and then turned into emailing. Finally - oh finally! - it became a meeting in person. Shelby came to Philly, so we decided to meet up and go where I find myself almost every weekend: Queens Village. We grabbed lunch at my favorite cafe, Redhook, shopped Philadelphia's best boutique, Moon & Arrow, and then grabbed some quick blog supplies at the independently-owned health & grocery store, Essene. 

Although we live hundreds of miles apart, I'm so happy to have met this girl. She oozes with a creativity that I find fresh and inspiring, and has exciting experiences to share in conversation. If it weren't for Numie - for putting myself out there - I never would have met her. I must thank the internet and social media for introducing us. It opens my eyes to the beauty of blogging - the beauty of being genuine and finding others who are as well. 

But enough blabbering, let me introduce you to this lovely girl! Everyone, meet Shelby.

Shelby, my love, you just graduated college, what is next?

Yes! Right now I am trying to soak up all of these good feelings and discover the next adventure that’s pulling me its way. I am exploring a few opportunities to teach English abroad, specifically in Asia. I have this deep desire to fill up my passport so going abroad to learn and grow feels so right.

We’re both souls bitten by the travel bug, and immediately connected over that. What places top your list to visit in the next year?

I have always enjoyed connecting with people who have the same desire to travel. Two places I am really looking forward to exploring this year are Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (Lake Superior is unreal in the summer) and Asia (Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan) as I mentioned before. There’s something so culturally different and intriguing about Asia that draws my heart in.

 In talking with you, I kept getting glimpses of what a rad lady your mom is. Tell us a bit about her, and what your upbringing was like. How do you think it has shaped you as human being?

My mom’s creativity, selflessness and kindness are the things that inspire me the most about her. When I was younger, there were always small projects going on at our home, from painting and fixing up old garage sale finds, to decorating with fresh-cut flowers and building forts in our woods. Exercising your creative spirit was always encouraged - as well as taking time to connect with nature - and I am so thankful for that. I think this ultimately made me realize the importance of nurturing your creative soul and also why I chose to go into a creative field.

It seems like you’re always working on cool creative projects. What is one that you’re focusing on right now?

I recently got a DianaF+ lomography camera as a graduation gift that I have been playing around with. Film photography is so different from digital photography! It really allows you to get back to the basics of what photography is meant to be – simple and powerful. Once I get the film developed, I plan to create a small book to remember some of my favorite memories of summer. Artifact Uprising has these beautifully designed books that I am obsessed with and must get my hands on!

And what is one that you’ve worked on in the past that you’re really proud of and would love for people to check out?

The creative outlet that has been the most powerful and meaningful to me is Instagram. It’s just one big, ever-changing project, and I am so amazed by the beauty of the Instagram community. To me, it’s a collection of positive and talented and beautiful people from all over the world just trying to share good vibes. I am so blown away by how much I’ve learned and how my creative spirit has expanded. An ever-changing and growing project, in a way.

In a snapshot, what does your perfect day look like?

An early morning filled with yoga and a yummy breakfast with French-pressed coffee would be so ideal. I would spend the rest of the day exploring some of my favorite places around me, either on Lake Michigan or further north in Charlevoix, taking photos and walking the beach. I live for simple days like this: my camera, good people and the outdoors.

Lastly, I’d love to know, who’s playing on your headphones these days?

I have been revisiting a lot of classic rock lately! Tons of Fleetwood Mac, the Eagles and James Taylor, as all of these jams remind of me of summer and road trips headed north. My good friend Katie also just introduced me to Sylvan Esso’s latest album….and I am totally hooked.

Thank you, Shelby!

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Be sure to check out Shelby's blog & Instagram!

bourgeois boheme

When I was in Paris, I learned a new phrase, "Bobo," short for, "Bourgeois Boheme." In other words, wealthy (bourgeois) people who look and act like the lower (boheme) class. Some people might look at it as a negative label, but I don't. There is nothing wrong with someone who has money not wanting to look or act like it. If they choose to forgo luxuries, follow a path of creative expression, and maybe something a bit more gritty, what's wrong with that? It's much less wasteful, much more romantic. And that's why I'm calling this one, "Bobo." To stick up for those that fight for a life of beauty and artistic pleasure without opulence. It's possible.

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Starring the beautiful ladies Jana Kirn & Chelsi Zollner

weekly scenes

Summer is finally in full swing, and life has been good. My garden is blooming like crazy. We finally ate our first pickings from the vegetables, and it was so satisfactory. I've also been out and about a lot. Brunches across town with good friends, work trips to NYC, and little adventures to the beach have all made their way into the past week. I've been happily tiring myself out for the sake of enjoyment. There is just so much to enjoy these days... 

memorial day at francis slocum

I always say that people are their at their realist around a campfire. Something about the woods entices the swapping of honesty. We gut out our fears, skin things down to the truth in a way that can't happen elsewhere. 

This past Memorial Day I traveled with a longtime friend to Francis Slocum State Park near Wilkes Barre, PA for just that kind of escape. In the middle of the forest, it was just us two. Cooking up meals, wearing flowers in our hair (and hands). We were just here to see what beautiful things nature had to send our way. The one-on-one time, us and nature, left no room for facades. It was all real. It was all authentic. 

It's rare that you find the right person and situation for such sentiments. There's nothing like some good ole camping with the best friends who get you through life. With all the hectic moving weighing on my mind, lord knows I needed it. Thanks Dani for getting me out of the city and reminding me why I love camping (and you) so much!

wissackon hike #2

I went on a hike to Wissackon with my friends Liz & Ellen a couple of Sundays ago. It was just a bit after I had been there with Adam, but between the two visits I saw stark differences in the landscape. It's amazing to see with your own two eyes nature adapting to spring. It happens so fast. Brown turns to green, flowers burst open, and where there was once a dead, dormant feeling, you can again feel life and happiness. Lord knows Marley enjoyed it. After playing in the stream, running up hills, and climbing on fallen trees, we finished things off with some soft serve and boy was it perfect. I.Love.Spring.