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Pregnancy, a blogging hiatus, and learning to rest

January 26, 2016 by Asharae 4 Comments

As I sit down to share my thoughts on the last couple months, I can tell that my writing muscle is feeling a little rusty. I feel sort of like I’m getting back to doing yoga after taking weeks away from my mat. Everything feels a little sore and in need of some good stretching.

In the fall I had all good intentions of sharing delicious recipes as well as a few fun DIY handlettering projects in anticipation of my book release – but I somehow forgot that fall is to wedding photographers what tax season is for accountants. And this fall was our busiest yet. I think at one point I was buried beneath 9 weddings to edit – yikes. All our days pre-Christmas turned into seemingly never-ending hours with a how-much-can-we-get-done-before-we-sleep-tonight mindset. Luckily we have amazing couples who are sweet and understanding and (mostly) patient, but we knew some things had to be put on the back burner for the time being so we could focus more on each of the couples we serve. So. I reluctantly decided to step away from this little online space for a bit.

In stepping away I found some freedom to rest – freedom to not spend every waking hour working on either Grain & Compass or This Wild Season. It was refreshing and necessary I think, particularly in a season where so much actually did need to get done each day. Being able to work hard when I needed to allowed me the freedom to relax each evening before bed, stay away from my inbox on the weekends, and simply say no to some things. That freedom to rest has been a life saver in a season that otherwise has felt hectic and unsettled.

In the midst of learning how to step back, make time to rest, and also buckle down and get work done when necessary, we found out that we’re expecting a baby this summer! (Yes it was on purpose, we’re due July 11th, no we’re not finding out the gender ahead of time, and yes you actually can touch my belly – I’m very proud of it. Any other questions?)

Beyond anything Tim and I have done together, this feels like our wildest and most exciting adventure. I’d been so terrified, honestly, of getting pregnant for so long that I just kept putting off the conversation for later. When Tim and I finally confronted what it was we were avoiding, and really started to get to the bottom of it, we realized we weren’t trusting that the Lord was going to provide for us if we added a baby to the mix. We were afraid he wouldn’t provide the money to support a baby, enough work to allow us to continue doing what we love, or the time for us to follow the various things we’re passionate about. Realizing this and naming our fear was huge for us.

We had always wanted to “get to the next step” before we even began to think about kids. We realized though that if we kept doing that – if we kept waiting for the next best thing – we would never ever arrive, and we would never have kids. So, over the course of a few months our hearts slowly changed and softened toward the idea of having a baby sooner rather than later. That terrified feeling isn’t completely gone, but we are so grateful and excited to be on this adventure together.

Harvesting Carrots and Learning to Slow Down

September 19, 2015 by Asharae Leave a Comment

These last several weeks have been a whirlwind. My husband and I did a three week road trip to Chicago for two weddings and a reunion with my college roommates, then we traveled to Maryland to see Tim’s parents for Labor day, and then we headed back home for a couple nights before packing our bags for a long weekend at the beach with friends. At this point in our wedding season, a little getaway with no agenda was exactly what we needed. We’ve been going nonstop since April and it was wonderful to sit on the beach for a few days and think of nothing but the sound of the ocean waves.

Now it’s back to reality – catching up on editing and emails after being on the road for a month, trying to juggle work and rest, and desperately looking forward to our off season when we’ll have some time to reset and recoup our energy.

Our work takes us to some pretty extraordinary places, and for that I am eternally grateful. There are some days though, that I simply crave a slower pace and some time to breathe.

For me, our garden is becoming my place to slow down and breathe. Judging by its current ragged state from being neglected most of the summer, I can tell I’ve had little time to slow down lately. Our tomatoes are in a sad state, the tomatillos grew too big for their cages and toppled over onto the cucumber trellis in a wind storm, and the cucumbers were starved for sun (because of the tomatillos), so they’ve long since withered up. I typically post photos of our garden spoils over on Instagram all summer, but it’s been a sad year produce-wise, so I’ve kept those posts in check.

Early in the spring, before our wedding season got underway, we planted tiny little carrot seeds in our garden. We watered and we waited. In early summer the little green carrot fronds told us they were ready to be plucked from the ground. This was the first time we tried growing carrots, and we may have pulled them up a little early judging by how little they were. But they turned out sweet and tender and delicious anyway.

The chill of fall is already in the air this week in NC, but I may see if we can get one more carrot harvest this season. According to this planting guide that NC State published for our area, I’m pushing it to get those little carrot seeds in the ground before it gets too cold. We have this weekend off and we’ll actually be home to enjoy it – for the first time since early May. I do believe this weekend will be full of rest and slowing down from the frenzied pace we’ve had these past several months.

I would love to know – how do you make yourself slow down and rest? What works best for you? Do you play in the dirt, read a book, go for a walk, or something else?

Summer Supper Collaboration

August 28, 2015 by Asharae 4 Comments

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to collaborate with three fabulous local bloggers (Susannah at Feast + West, Katie at Twin Stripe, and Julia at Tag & Tibby) on a fun summer suppers project. We chatted and brainstormed for several weeks to create a menu full of in-season fruits and veggies, gather decor to accomplish our vision, and create a vibe that would be perfect for an end-of-summer celebration.

It was so fun to work with these three talented women, each of them bringing their own vision and creativity to our collaboration. And a huge thank you to Susannah’s aunt and uncle for letting us play in their gorgeous backyard! Enjoy this little sneak peek at our summer supper collaboration and be sure to check out the menu I hand lettered below for a list of the recipes that will be hitting our blogs next week! Follow along here and with Feast + West, Twin Stripe, and Tag & Tibby for more photos, DIYs, and recipes over the following week!

Appetizer

Smoked Salmon and Cucumber Bites // Twin Stripe

Entree

Bader Hill Farm Citrus Herb Roasted Chicken

Sides

Cathead Biscuits // Feast + West

Grilled Mexican Corn // Feast + West

Mojito Melon Salad // This Wild Season

Heirloom Tomato Caprese Salad // Tag & Tibby

Drinks

Honey Lavender Gin + Tonics // Twin Stripe

Watermelon Orange Margarita Punch // Feast + West

Dessert

Oatmeal Peach Crisp // Tag & Tibby

Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

May 28, 2015 by Asharae Leave a Comment

We have these friends, Brandon and Christy, who are extraordinary question-askers. They are the kind of people who ask questions that make those around them feel known. It’s such a gift. I’m not even sure they’re aware that they’re doing anything different – they’re genuinely curious and they truly care about their friends and family – but it really shows through the questions they choose to ask. Again and again we have felt so cared for by them because they ask good questions and they listen well.

I aspire to ask questions like these friends of ours. I want to learn how to ask the questions that dig a little deeper, rather than taking the easy way out and simply asking “how’s it going?” I always hesitate when asked that question – how much do you really want to know? What sort of answer are you looking for? Do I spill my guts and tell you how utterly overwhelmed I am? You probably weren’t looking for that, so do I just say that I’m fine? Is there some better way to answer that question?

I’ve been having all these thoughts rolling around my head lately and I happened upon this article over on Donald Miller’s Storyline blog. I love this quote from Melton’s article:

We learned that if we really want to know our people, if we really care to know them – we need to ask them better questions and then really listen to their answers.

We need to ask questions that carry along with them this message: “I’m not just checking the box here. I really care what you have to say and how you feel. I really want to know you.”

Isn’t that what we all crave? To be known? Not just to have people that know our favorite foods and our birthday, but to have people that know our dreams and our fears. It’s such a treasure if you have people that ask you those questions. But why not also be the person that asks those questions?

Instead of simply waiting for someone to enter into our world and ask us those questions – why don’t we put ourselves out there and ask someone else the difficult, potentially awkward questions. It’s in that space that growth happens. The process of knowing one another and truly being known can feel so extraordinarily uncomfortable. But the reward of deeper relationships far outweighs any potential awkwardness along the way.

Confession time – I’ve been holding out on you guys. This is one of my absolute favorite recipes. One fateful day in college my roommate Anna returned from a quick trip home and brought with her the most incredible loaf of chocolate chip banana bread. We sat on our little futon in our room, hunched over the foil wrapper of heavenly crumbs. I’d never had banana bread with chocolate chips in it before and I’m pretty sure I ate half the loaf with no shame at all. I vowed then to learn how to make banana bread that was at least half as delicious – I like to think this one has turned out pretty great.

This banana bread doesn’t look like much, but don’t let that fool you. It’s so so good. I’ve been making it since college and it always gets good reviews. You can always add walnuts or pecans as well – I recommend 1/2 c nuts and reducing your chocolate chips to 1/2 c as well if you go that route! And if you find you’ve always got bananas on-hand, you can put the extra brown ones in the freezer to use in this recipe later. Peel the bananas and place them in a freezer-safe bag before putting them in the freezer. Thaw them before using and then use the same way you would use fresh bananas. Fair warning – they’ll look totally gross once thawed, but they’ll taste just as good once you bake them into the bread!

This bread is best eaten while it’s still warm from the oven or the next day. Be sure to wrap the loaf of banana bread tightly with plastic wrap – this keeps the bread moist and delicious. I like to think it also locks the flavor in as it gets better a day or two after you bake it. This is a great breakfast treat, dessert, or any-time kind of snack. It’s especially good for those late-night-I’m-avoiding-studying-baking-sessions in college. I speak from experience. Enjoy.

Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

Adapted from Food Network

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 50 mins

Total Time 1 hr 5 mins

Ingredients

1 1/4 c all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp fine salt
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c unsalted butter at room temperature
1 c sugar
2 very ripe bananas peeled and mashed
1 c chocolate chips

Instructions

Mix flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
In a small measuring cup with a spout, whisk eggs and vanilla together.
Grease and flour a 9x5x3 inch bread loaf pan and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Using an electric hand mixer (or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment) cream butter and sugar together till light and fluffy. Slowly add the egg and vanilla mixture, mixing till combined. To save on dishes, use the same measuring cup to mash the two bananas with a fork. Add the bananas to your mixture, combine well. At this point the mixture will look a bit lumpy and curdled - that's okay!
Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a rubber spatula to add the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and pour batter into floured pan.
Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool the bread for 5-10 minutes before removing it from the pan. Let cool completely (if you can resist) and then wrap bread tightly in plastic wrap to store (this is VERY important to keep the banana bread moist and delicious.)