thai gold

photograph by kristin karch

thailand: street food and markets

i recently went on an adventure to thailand where i was lucky to explore the northern, central, and southern regions. i was amazed at the plentiful amount of fresh meat, fruit, and vegetables you could find just about everywhere. some of the best food i ate was right off the street, from men and women with a makeshift charcoal grill and some unidentifiable meat. the top image as well as some others were from the khlong lat mayon floating market, which was a delight to see and to taste. 

words and photographs by kristin karch

hydrangea

photograph by rinne allen

nature sculptures by susan carlton smith

i took these photos ten years ago and originally shared them on our ‘ideas for creative living’ page, the old-fashioned precursor to beauty everyday…i couldn’t resist sharing them again, as they still enchant me, and my children…

these sculptures are on display at the state botanical gardens here in athens and were made by the artist susan carlton smith. the artist made the sculptures from found bits of nature and often wrote text to accompany them that pointed to the inspiration behind each piece. she also was a skilled watercolorist and illustrated many books; some of her watercolors are also on display.

one of my favorite things in athens…

words & photographs by rinne allen

branches and buds

photograph by rinne allen

old oglethorpe

a friend told me about this old house. the insurance people said they had to tear it down, but the owners don't want it destroyed. now it's looking for a new life somewhere, though there's not much life left in it. everywhere inside was evidence of trying to keep the cold out. layers and layers of whatever people had; wall paper, plastic, linoleum, tar paper, carpet, whatever. i've frozen to death in enough rustic old places to know what that's like. now it sits dark and cold, peeling all its' layers in silence.

linens

photograph by rinne allen

lexington beauty pt. 2

last week i posted about this wonderful house that sits on a hill right by the road in lexington, ga. i usually don't enter old houses because of instability, but i just peeked in, since the door was open… and it took my breath away! i had to explore! how i would have loved to go upstairs but too risky, seeing what shape the house was in. the entry way was a wide hall with low ceilings and wide boards. the living room had pink plaster over horsehair and lathe that was starting to fall down. it was originally two rooms up and two rooms down with a central hall , then two rooms got added off the back. i think i may have to revisit and explore more!

words and photographs by rebecca wood

dried fern

photograph by rinne allen

amaryllis

mandy grew the most beautiful amaryllis this year...everyone i gave them to has written me saying they were the prettiest they had ever seen...mine only just now bloomed and, wow, it is beautiful!

words & photographs by rinne allen

winter vines

photo by kristen bach

toasted pecan + salty caramel crispies

yesterday my daughter and i had sweets on our mind and whipped up a batch of salted caramel crispies.  we added some roasted pecans to make them even more decadent!  we though these would be a good sweet treat for valentines day!  enjoy!

ingredients
caramel sauce
6 Tbsp unsalted butter (you can use browned butter if you want to be extra decadent)
1 cup cane sugar
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
directions
-on medium high heat heat up sugar, stirring continuously until melted
-add butter (or browned butter) and continue stirring
-remove from heat and slowly stir in the heavy cream and salt. note* your caramel will foam up a bit, be careful :)
-store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks

crispies
9 cups rice crispies
1 cup toasted pecans, chopped
12 oz bag of marshmallows
1/2 cup of caramel sauce (see recipe above)
sprinkles of fleur de sel
directions
-grease a 9 x 13 pan
-toast the pecans, then chop them into fine pieces
-melt marshmallows over medium to low heat, stirring continuously
-add caramel sauce to the mixture and stir
-in a large bowl, pour half of the rice crispies and pecans and add the marshmallow mixture.
-gently stir until combined
-add the remaining ingredients and stir until combined
-pour ingredients into your 9 x 13 pan and press
*tip* before pressing into pan, wet your hands to prevent sticking
-let cool for an hour before cutting

spoons

photograph by rinne allen

shattered beauty

icy pine

photograph by rinne allen

old church

this is the old beth-salem presbyterian church in lexington , georgia. it was built in 1785, before lexington was even a city. then, it was a far outpost into indian territory by presbyterian missionaries.

i've always loved its uneven spires. enjoy.

winter wheat

photograph by rebecca wood

lexington beauty

i've driven by this old place for more than 30 years, always wondering about it and why no one was fixing it up. i finally stopped to explore, and had so much fun! it is in pretty bad shape, and normally, i don't enter an old house because of safety issues, but the door was open, and i would just carefully peek inside…then i couldn't resist. the house is really old, evidenced by low ceiling and wide boards. i was dying to go upstairs, but couldn't trust the underlying structure. as usual, there's room added on on the back,and later a bathroom tacked on as well. it really may be too far gone now, but what a gem! next week i'll post about the inside!

hemp

photograph by rinne allen

hellebore and branch

the hellebores are peeking out now, and the branches are in bud.

words and photographs by rinne allen