Friday Link Love

Finally — finally!! — Mark and I have gotten on a bit of a roll with our healthy eating… of course, that means that shots like the one above are quite literally beginning to kill me.  And we’re headed up to New York this weekend, where I will no doubt be faced with heaps of deliciousness at every turn.  I’m thinking the trick is to only have ten a few delicious things?

Okay it’s a plan.

Do you have anything planned for this weekend?

Here are a few things I’m loving this week…

This Finnish “quark” pie that I’m dying to make immediately (and this beautiful blog that I didn’t know about).

Are you changing/did you change your name?

Oh my goodness these dresses, via Miss Moss.

Missing home.

Cutest recipe card ever.

Be mine please.

Plus!  In honor of the award I mentioned yesterday, I’d like to pass on the love.  There are so many more, but here are just a few of the lovely ladies who inspire me on a daily basis…

A Crimson Kiss, Hey Gorgeous, Little White Whale, His Little Lady, Emily Lunt, Kyla is Inspired, Beautiful Elysium, Caught on a Whim, The Book of Love, Hooray

If you don’t already know any of them, you should visit!

** And ladies, I’d love it if you’d tell us all about why you blog and pass on the love, but don’t feel pressured.  You’ve already done more than enough to deserve this award.

Why I Blog

I was so honored to find out recently that a fellow blogger, lovinghomemade, decided to spread some love and nominate A Thousand Threads for the Addictive Blog Award… a huge honor because the award comes from someone who understands exactly what it takes, and she still likes my blog… so thank you lovinghomemade, it really means a ton.

But here’s the thing… the award requires that the nominated blogger share a little bit about why they blog, and when I thought about it, I realized that I’ve never really answered that question.

In fact, I’m not even sure it’s something I’ve ever fully thought through.  Deep down, of course, I know… but even now, it’s not easy to put into words why I do this thing, night after night… keeping my poor guy awake so long he falls asleep on the floor while waiting for me to finish up and head to bed, only to wake up to another day of work and another night of blogging.

Wow okay that probably doesn’t sound very appealing at all… but it is, I swear it.  I’ll try to make the case a little better below…

{Real Weddings} Stefanie & Paulo

Stefanie and Paulo’s intimate backyard barbeque was as simple and as beautiful as they come. The bride, a wedding photographer herself, and the groom, a musician, took on much of the work themselves, and supplied a ton of fun props for friends to play with throughout the night… which made for some pretty great shots.

Of course, those awesome shots are made all the more awesome by the fact that the wedding was shot in film.

You know what a sucker I am for film.

The wedding was shot by Kristina Belkina, and shared with A Thousand Threads by second shooter Kirill Bordon, whose work is featured here.

Thank you, Kirill, for sharing these beautiful shots!

Photographer: Kirill Bordon Photography / Event Venue: Bowen Island / Flowers: Flowers from a Country Garden

According to our iPhones

Trips to the farm, the fair, Nova Scotia, and NYC (oh, and a little bit of wedding planning too).  It’s been a busy couple of months.  Are you following along?

Hope everyone’s week is off to a good start (even if Tuesdays are kind of the worst).

xoxo

Carrot Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

All week, Mark has been going on about this thing at the farm. He wasn’t really sure what it was, but it was on Saturday, maybe in the evening. He thought it might involve food…

By Saturday, this whole thing was barely on my radar, but finally, the morning of, I got some answers. It turned out we were headed to a potluck.

So of course we all know I was excited. I’ve been rambling on about a potluck for months. I didn’t even mind the scramble to find something to cook (ah-hem).

Really though, the scramble just meant that I had a great excuse to fall back on a favorite.

If there is one blog I use as a constant resource (a cookbook more than a blog) it’s Smitten Kitchen. I’m sure it’s not news to most of you that Deb’s incredibly tasty, highly vetted collection is nothing short of amazing (I kind of want to steal all of her recipes… and while I’m at it, make off with her incredible storytelling skills). Not one of her recipes has ever let me down… and this one is no exception.

Of course… poor Mark, he may never look at a carrot the same again.

I totally buy in to the Julia Child quote “…nothing is too much trouble if it turns out the way it should.” So when Deb says you should grate the carrots by hand?

Well… I ask Mark to grate the carrots by hand.

Really, though… I’ve never made this cake with a food processor, so I can’t speak to the difference, but I believe wholeheartedly that the teeny tiny shreds of carrot you get when you use the small side of the cheese grater (and grate… and grate… and grate) allow for the truly incredible nature of this moist, mouth-watering, truly perfect carrot cake. If you’re looking for a recipe, seriously… stop with this one. It’s the best.

Happy Friday!

It seems that while I was out, fall crept in.  In fact, I’m slightly suspicious that it may have followed me home.  Hot humid days have given way to crisp fall mornings and the bluest of skies… and folks, that is just fine with me.

The only odd thing about fall in Frederick is that our county fair, which to me (have I mentioned I was once a fair and rodeo queen? that might be a story for another day) will always be synonymous with the hot summer sun, doesn’t take place until now.

But the more I think about it… caramel apples, apple dumplings, fried things on sticks… all of those things are totally appropriate for fall.  And the fair is always fun, no matter when you go.  Which if you’re us is multiple times (what? you don’t spend the whole week there?).

I hope you’re enjoying the crisp fall air and feeling the spirit as much as I am… it’s just about time to start firing up the apple cider and pulling out the pumpkins!  Not to mention the fact that it’s just about time for my wedding (!!).

Here are a few things I’m loving this week…

This DIY couple’s Maine wedding and engagements.

The audience — who booed.

Five fresh (and yummy looking) fall salads.

Chelsea and Tec’s anniversary film.

Plums in wine and honey.

Jose, with a hasselblad, in Malaysia.

One last dose of summer.

Boxes and baskets — fall feels like a time for getting things organized.

The Moby-Dick Big Read

And in honor of our little adventure (actually a total coincidence, but I’ll take it) have you heard about this project? I can’t be the only one who thinks this is pretty amazing.

Each day until January, a new chapter of Moby-Dick, read by the likes of Tilda Swinton and John Waters, will become available for download. Philip Hoare’s project aims to bring the classic to a whole new generation who might not even think to read about Captain Ahab and his whale (as evidenced by the growing number of folks who have not, myself included).

And to complete the body of work, each chapter is paired with a corresponding piece of art, created specifically for the Big Read.

You can learn more about the project and its purpose here, and if you have a chance, listen to this great feature on NPR (totally worth it, but I’m warning you, the story will make you want to start listening right now).

I’ve had a real hankering to read/re-read a few of my favorite classics lately, and this might be just the way to start.

What do you think? Will you devote the time to sit down and listen to Moby-Dick? Or would you rather crack the spine of the classic in the flesh?

The Rich History of Wedgeport

While in Nova Scotia, we learned all about the rich history of Wedgeport, a now-sleepy fishing village that, once upon a time, hosted celebrities, trail-blazing fishermen (and women) and as many as twenty-eight different countries during its annual International Tuna Cup.  The match was held from 1937 to 1976, and put Wedgeport on the map.

Though it no longer stakes claim to the title of sport tuna fishing capitol of the world, Wedgeport is still quite the little mecca, and continues to attract Anglers from across North America to its Tuna Tournament & Festival each year.  If you’re just dying to hear more (I know you are) you can read all about it at the museum’s website, and even take a virtual tour.

This is it for my Nova Scotia ramblings, I promise, but if you ever get a chance, go… I mean it.  In case it wasn’t obvious, Wedgeport kind of stole my heart.

Letters from New Scotland

Upon landing in Nova Scotia, my first thought was that it looked, and felt, like home.

The province is reminiscent of the place I grew up, with its rolling hills, evergreens, and quaint coastal towns, but that’s not the whole story.

Nova Scotia is a place that makes a person want to stay.

We were on our way to an adventure of unknown proportions, fishing 20 miles off the coast of Wedgeport for bluefin the size of bears.  I was ready for the challenge… but let’s be real, I knew absolutely nothing.

Once I was introduced to the chair, the thick twine, the reels as big as my head, well… it was a little scary.  My stomach started to churn, and it wasn’t long before I started to hope for a slow day… just to save me from the embarrassment of the desperate, soul-sucking failure I knew I was about to endure.

But all of that fear was gone as soon as I felt the exhilaration and accomplishment of reeling in an animal so huge.  Mark still can’t stop laughing at the grin I couldn’t wipe from my face.

The stuff is crazy fun.

… and the fun didn’t stop with a little fishing.  Over two days on the water we saw so many whales, seals, and sharks it almost felt commonplace.

I couldn’t help but wonder what my mom would have thought, who used to squeal with glee at the sight of one whale miles and miles offshore, nothing more than a speck.  These guys were practically jumping on the boat.

On our last day in Wedgeport, we hopped back in the boat for a visit to the Tusket Islands, full of brightly colored lobster pots and weathered fishing cabins that serve as the perfect picnic spot in the summer, and transform into a bustling village full of fishermen (and women) as soon as lobster season descends.

Of course, in season or no, lobster is practically ground beef in Wedgeport, where the softer-shelled pinchers who might not ship so well can be set aside to feed a family for months (or maybe hungry visitors who jump for joy at the delicious-ness of such fresh seafood).

Wedgeport felt like home, and its people made us feel like family.

There’s nothing like a place that picks you up and forces you to relax, learn something new, and accomplish something great…

It was tough to leave, but I know we’ll be back.  It will be hard to stay away.

Into the wild blue…

Last Monday, as I dropped our final invitations in the mail, feeling pretty good about my accomplishments, the phone rang.

“So… if you had the chance to do something really amazing, do you think you could get away for a few days?”

(Umm… yes.)

Mark’s boss wasn’t able to make a business trip he’d had in the works for some time, and he needed to send someone in his place.

That person was Mark, but (the seriously cool news) if we were both in, we could both go.

So, business… right? I’ve been on business trips before, and most of the time it doesn’t even matter where they end up… those trips are always much less fun than I imagine… sitting in the hotel, attending a conference, or meeting after meeting… staring at the wall… never getting a chance to play.

This was not one of those trips.

On this particular trip, Mark and I were headed to Wedgeport, Nova Scotia for lobster picnics, scallops on the shore, and a whole lot of fishing… for bluefin tuna… which are, oh, about six times my size (nbd).

We were just a little bit excited.

And the trip didn’t disappoint a bit.

Of course, before we go on, I have to mention that I caught the biggest fish (It’s okay, I’m not competitive or anything).

We were on the water for two days straight and came back with a laundry list of shark, whale, and seal sightings (!!) in addition to five fish caught.

Three of five were successfully tagged (no indulging here — though that sashimi does go for a seriously pretty penny out on the market ((yum)) — we were on the ocean in the name of science) and in the end Mark and I had each reeled in two: three in the realm of about 400-500 lbs, and one (mine, hehe) about 650 lbs… which is a pretty serious sport in itself.

But really… the most amazing thing we encountered in Wedgeport was the people: folks that made us feel like family from the second we landed and left us dying to come back… to visit their small town and maybe even steal their lives… because seriously, guys, we’re kind of super a little jealous.

What an amazing, wonderful place… this Wedgeport, Nova Scotia. Really — even now — I’m not even sure where to begin.

But I have plenty more to share, so be sure to check back!

Have you ever been fishing for big fish? Or up to Nova Scotia? It was an amazing experience, to say the least.

Sometimes, life has a way of surprising you… in the very best of ways.