Friday Five: Colds, Bites & Lots of Tea

Happy, Happy Friday, Folks! When we aren’t cooking and baking, or feeding goats and fending off evil roosters, we’re curating new interests and harboring questionable habits for old ones. Here’s a quick look at what we’ve been into this week!

 

Erin’s Week in Favorites

Our Rambling House | Friday Five1. I’m often visiting friends in Portsmouth, NH, and one place we love to spend time at is Book & Bar, a discounted bookstore and coffee/brew shop. I’m joining a few friends on a visit there in the next couple of days and there’s no doubt I’ll be there, sipping on some Lady Jasmine Tea (origin: Teatotaller Teahouse) and sifting through the shelves.

2. Today is Anaïs Nin‘s birthday! She’s my very favorite writer, and I think I will channel my inner Nin (My Ninner Me?) today–maybe more of her attitude than her erotica, but you get what I mean. Celebrate your Ninner-You while remembering these wise words: “Good things come to those who hustle.”

3. Ah, the end of winter. That’s when all the colds you hadn’t come down with yet come out to play, right? I’ll be drinking many, many cups of this homemade tea (starring local honey, star anise, cinnamon, cloves, lemon and, if the mood strikes, a splash of whiskey) this weekend to fend off the oncoming snot-storm (another beautifully coined term. You’re welcome).

4. Josh. Ritter. He has a show looming in the near future that I simply cannot wait for. It’ll be my first Josh Ritter concert, which I’ve been meaning to get to since I was a junior in High School. Here’s to checking that one off the list.

5. Getting bit by the travel bug is like getting bit by a tick…you’ll probably contract something that isn’t just going to go away. Well, I have both lyme disease and travel disease. It looks like my next big trip may be Norway, or so I decided this week.

 

Jillian’s Week in Favorites

Our Rambling House | Friday Favorites

1. 3191 Quarterly is written and photographed by two friends, one living in Oregon and the other living in Maine. The namesake is inspired by the distance between their two homes. The magazine is full of diptych images juxtaposing the seasons and landscapes of their two homes, and the images and writing is all so soothingly soft and serene.

2. Erin showed The Kings of Summer a few weeks ago, and it has been on my mind ever since. I’m a sucker for a good coming of age tale, and this one feels so honest and pure—and a killer soundtrack to boot. The movie is beautifully shot and the story left me with such cozy, nostalgic, feel-good thoughts.

3. I love Beck, “Morning Phase.” Thank you, NPR, for yet another wonderful First Listen. I’m a fan of all things Beck, but this latest album of his is already my favorite. It’s smooth and slow and feels just like a perfect Sunday morning.

4. #TheoandBeau. Okay. There was a time in my life, not that long ago, when babies and cute animals were just not appealing to me. I am a changed woman. This dog, and the way he cares for the little boy he lives with is quite possibly the sweetest relationship I have ever seen photographed. I completely fall apart and melt at each new photo. I’ve gone soft…and I think I’m okay with it.

5. I’m one of those people who just seem to get a cold around Thanksgiving and not get rid of it until sometime in May. This winter I’ve received a few different amazing DIY Get Well Kits, and each time I have been so very touched by the kindness that went into such a simple, useful, and thoughtful gift. Make a few up to give to friends the next time they’re sick!

The Ramblers’ Friday Favorites

When we aren’t cooking and baking, or feeding goats and fending off evil roosters, we’re curating new interests and harboring questionable habits for old ones. Here’s a quick look at what we’ve been into this week!

Erin’s Week in Favorites

Week In Favorites || Our Rambling House || Rambling House Events1. For her first cookbook, Rachel Khoo opened a two-guest pop-up restaurant in her tiny Parisian flat to cover the costs and test recipes. Now, she has three cookbooks and her own BBC series. Her charming web series can be found on BBC food. When I’m bumping into butcher blocks and counter tops in my kitchen, I channel her grace…and try to keep my Khool.

2. Emilie of Griottes is constantly wowing me with her colorful images! You can even search her blog by color, which is fun. I love, love, love these Pantone Tarts, which are all color coded to the exact Pantone color. Which is your favorite?

3. Okay, I’m on a French kick this week, but everything Tiger in a Jar touches is pure gold. This film company is American, but this piece focuses on a fromager from Burgundy, France, to celebrate artisan food producers and the international movement to support local farms and sustainable food.

4. Ah-ha, this isn’t French! I’m reading Annie Dillard’s An American Childhood and I’m enraptured by how she describes what it feels like to be a child–the sense of growing up and growing into one’s skin. She carries such a strong voice that is steeped in wit. It’s vividly nostalgic and sharply humorous.

5. I love this studio session of Through and Through by My Bubba (formally My Bubba & Mi). Their music feels like honey-slow summer days, which is just what I’ve needed this polar-vortexed week. If that video didn’t sell you, maybe their jingles will.

Jillian’s Week in Favorites

Week In Favorites || Our Rambling House || Rambling House Events1. Emily Blincoe is an amazing freelance photographer from Austin. Her images are crisp, inspiring, and quirky. While all of her work is great, I’m loving a project of hers called The Collection Collection.

2. I, like many others, love Instagram as a way to share moments. My favorite account is Darcy the Flying Hedgehog. It’s filled with adorable pictures of hedgehogs (my favorite creature), and it continues to melt my heart. While Darcy has sadly retired from modeling, the archives are worth exploring.

3. I became familiar with Haruki Murakami during my senior year at College. He instantly became my favorite author, as he combines magical realism, science fiction, dystopian realities, romance, and pop culture. I’m finally making my way through 1Q84and I’m relishing every page of it.

4. Story of Eve, a film company out of Northern Ireland, creates beautifully intimate short films. Most are wedding related, but they also make nature-focused short films, with breathtaking images of the Irish coast and countryside. Their work is made special by the personal connections they form with their subjects.

5. Brussels Sprouts are by no means a “unique” ingredient anymore—they’ve exploded onto the culinary scene and are popping up everywhere, and I couldn’t be happier! These little guys are delicious, nutrient-dense, and gorgeous. I’m loving this recipe for Crispy Fried Brussels Sprouts with Honey and Sriracha recipe from Food52.