weekly scenes

What is life? Life is moving from one meal to another. Picking up a fresh artisan loaf on your way home. A fresh-brewed espresso. The thoughtful gentle taste of fresh herbs. It's about the delicacies that make the hardships a little bit easier. Sharing moments with friends and letting time stand still. Because food has a way of lighting life up and making it great.

weekly scenes

Life has been yogurt parfaits and a lot of plants lately. We've been working our little butts off in the garden, and trying to squeeze in all of our regular hobbies around it. Needless to say, things have been busy, but busy with all good things. I ain't got nothing to complain about. I'll just sit back and enjoy the ride. 

wanted: urban moonshine

I recently came across the Vermont-based company, Urban Moonshine. After meandering around their site and watching a couple videos, I have to say, I'm eager to try out their products. 

They specialize in bitters, meant to help with overall health through an organic, all-natural means. I had never thought or heard of bitters from a health perspective before, but according to Urban Moonshine they're really great for the digestive system. They can help with bloating, gasiness, and heartburn. they also speed up sluggish digestive systems as well as help detox the system. 

The core reasoning behind it all is that we evolved eating bitters constantly. Consuming them now is just is a return to what our bodies were built for. The root of health is good digestion, and bitters help to strengthen and engage the system.

I really loved what their head herbalist said in their video, About Bitters. It's right in line with my own personal ideals, and seems like a great reason to try the stuff:

"We always try to encourage folks to move towards plants and not pills; to move towards that which is less processed as opposed to that which is more processed; to move towards that which our body recognizes and understands as opposed to our best guess as to what nature might want our body to use." 

There are several different blends they offer, and each come in a spray, dropper, or pouring bottle form. I love the idea of using the dropper and just plopping a bit on my tongue a couple times a day. It seems so easy to remember and do. Here's a little peek at the ones I'm thinking of trying first.

The Immune Tonic

- Designed to be taken over time for prevention with medicinal mushrooms and roots! 

- Increases resistance to seasonal allergies

Energy Tonic

- great for over stressed over worked and depleted folks looking to support their adrenal system and encourage their body's endurance capacity, similarly, it's great for athletes who put stress on their bodies

Citrus Bitters

- An exotic, full bodied twist on their certified organic, handcrafted version.

weekly scenes: adventures in new hope

Last weekend my friends and I went on an adventure. Word on the street was that a cute town called New Hope lay just 45 minutes outside of the city. We were all in the mood for some discovery, and so we decided to make a day of it. We spent Sunday exploring this little village, hopping around and soaking it up like the storm that we are

The town is set on lake, with two main streets packed with shops that include everything from vintage, to artisan goods and new age necessities. There's a lot to check out, and a great hippie vibe running through the culture there. Cool dudes with long hair walked the streets, and shop owners have pets who've made homes in their spaces. We found an adorable little spot for brunch as well. It had a greenhouse dining room and peacock chairs everywhere. It's amazing how fun it was to get outside of the city-scape and explore this little town for a day.

My recommendations for New Hope:

1. For something random stop into Suzie's Hot Shoppe! They have walls of hot sauce and you can try every single one. I picked up an ultra hot Jamaican bottle called Lottie's that I can't get enough of. I suggest trying the Pure Death as well. It was a close second!

2. Check out Night Bird to get your vintage fix. They had the most amazing assortment of vintage jackets I've ever seen. I picked up an old army number that has barely left my body.

3. Right across the street from the vintage shop is the restaurant where we ate called Karla's. I'd say that the ambiance beats out the food, but it's definitely an adorable little spot to stop and eat. The prices are very reasonable as well.