This was the prettiest beach I've ever been to. Right below the Mayan ruins in Tulum. The water was so warm that day. At the point where the sea met the horizon, the sky was lavender. We bought fresh mango and watermelon for a snack, then ate a lunch of grilled seafood at a tiny restaurant on the beach.

There is a large coral reef right off this beach, and the coral has washed up and bleached in the sun over the years, creating a mosiac of natural patterns in the sand. On a late afternoon walk on this trail, everything under my feet appeared bone white in the strong sun. I'm interested in the trees and plants that grow in this kind of climate. So different from what I see at home.

Just back from Mexico. So warm, sunny and colorful there. We rented a funky beach house with my husband's family, near Tulum. 8 grownups and 7 kids under the age of 12. Chaotic fun indeed, including sleeping under this thatched roof for a few nights, finding scorpions in the kitchen, swimming in underwater caves, taking the kids to a crazy water park, visiting Mayan ruins, eating fabulous Mexican food and just hanging out in the evenings drinking my brother-in-law's insanely good margaritas.

My family and I are going to Mexico tomorrow. I'll be back in a week or so. Take care, everyone!

Last night I began sorting through all of my 2009 photos to make a Blurb book. I made one last year with my favorite photos from 2008 and it's been a great alternative to a photo album to share my family. I got as far as May 2009 in my files and these were some of my favorites from spring of that year.

Looking at the lilacs in the last picture reminds me of my new favorite soap . It really smells like lilacs, which I'm pretty sure is my favorite smell ever (well, at least in a tie with lily of the valley).

Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

Lemon tart, two new spring scarves, daffodils and hyacinths. All signs of spring, even though it is cold and gray today. That's part of spring too...

I think soup is the most satisfying thing to cook (and eat). I usually grocery shop on Mondays and inevitably have some things left over from the week before that I need to use up, hence the soup.

My favorite soups are usually the ones where I wing it without a recipe. This soup is made from a few leeks, some scallions, half a sweet red pepper, a handful of tiny potatoes with the skins left on, celery, and carrots. I chopped and then sauteed all the vegetables together with some butter and olive oil for about 30 minutes in a big pot. Then I added about 4 cups of chicken broth and a cup of water or two and let it simmer for another 30 minutes. Finally, I added a bit of salt to taste and pureed the whole thing in the blender. Voila! Really delicious and simple.

I spent January and February sewing and knitting, and this week I just needed a break from it all, I had zero creative spark. This week I needed to catch up on things around the house. I cleaned the stove, I painted the chips in the woodwork and the walls, I took down all the paintings from my hallway and patched the walls, I cooked lentil soup, I researched summer camps for my children...just really boring regular stuff that had to get done. And now it's done and I feel ready to get back to work next week. But first I'm looking forward to relaxing this weekend! Nothing exciting going on to be honest, but glad to be able to just hang out with my family.

oh, one last thing i almost forgot! i saw a few brave crocuses and snow drops today on my walk...could spring really be coming? it made me so hopeful.

Spring feels awfully far away right now. I miss this view of roses and greenery. I think I took it a bit for granted at the time when I took these photos last May. I can't wait for the rose bush to bloom again, although I am a bit worried that it has taken a beating with all the snow piled on top of it this winter. Snow, would you please melt! It's 16 degrees as I'm writing this, so there's not much chance of melting today, but it's sunny and bright out and I can tell the light is changing towards spring even though the temperatures are not.