an itty bitty redwood forest

remember that mushroom kit we got as a very random wedding gift? well we're trying out another growing kit. wade did really good this year for my birthday - and one gift was this adorable dawn redwood bonsai forest kit from potting shed creations:

redwoods are pretty special around here. this little forest will be a mini version of the the giant sequoia redwood tree in boston public gardens that we were engaged beneath. best gift ever, right?

want to know a few fun little redwood facts?
• these tiny trees are actually ancestors of the giant california redwood - which can grow up to 10 STORIES tall.
• the redwoods found in boston public gardens are super special bc they normally grown in much milder weather. that's why they thrive in northern california.
• dawn redwoods were thought to be extinct until the 1940s when one was discovered growing in a rice field in central china.
• even though its towering relative is an evergreen tree, the dawn redwood is one of only two known deciduous conifers. woah science talk. that means that its needles turn from green to yellow then copper in the winter.  a mini remind of the seasons on your desk or kitchen window.

{credit: potting shed creations, mini us retouch by me!}

and now i wait impatiently for our little forest to grow! 

while i wait - it's time for me to start gathering ideas for wade's big 30th. 

got the perfect gift idea? let me know!

my valentine: part 1

hello lovelies. i read somewhere that the average person spent $140 on their valentine yesterday. w+i pride ourselves on being well below average. ;) if you remember last year we started a munday family tradition of making each other gifts (click here). this year, we continued the tradition.

it has been said "the way to a woman's heart is through her stomach". so true!

wade treated me to a scrumptious dinner ... chicken tikka masala! it was unbelievable. being the best husband ever, he googled "gluten free chicken tikka masala" and found this fantastic recipe via no gluten, no problem. we might have argued a bit over who got to take the leftover to work today.

and i made dessert. must work on my chocolate dipping skills. they didn't end up quite as pretty as i had hoped. BUT they were yummy as well. it has to be that amazing gfree sugar cookie recipe i mentioned last week (here).

so as promised, here's my gfree sugar cookie recipe:

preheat oven: 350º f

ingredients:
3/4 cup sweet rice flour                           1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oat flour                                        1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup potato starch                               1/2 tsp vanilla or almond extract
1/4 cup tapioca flour                                1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp xanthan gum                                2 egg whites

directions:
cream sugar + butter. add egg + vanilla or almond extract. sift together dry ingredients (sweet rice flour, oat flour, potato starch, tapioca flour, xanthan gum and salt). add to wet ingredients little by little. refrigerate 1hr. separate into 2 halves. roll out to 1/4" thick and cut w/ cookie cutters. bake on non-stick for 10-12m. ENJOY!

last but not least ... one of my new year's resolutions was to take more pictures of wade and i and to be included in more pics (the problem w/ being the person behind the camera). my sweet husband agreed even if that meant he had to be a bit patient w/ my photography skills - a major work in progress.

happy valentine's day:



and of course, a hilarious blooper while i set up the camera. i asked him to put his hand out so that i could focus on it. "brick wall!" (remember that saying?) love him!

okay - tomorrow i share a little bit more about our valentine's festivities. until then ...

whatever wednesday: um ... yes. i must make this.

and one for each of my sisters and sister in laws.

check out ashley from under the sycamore's perpetual calender/journal DIY featured today on design*sponge:

love the idea. :) and that would be why under the sycamore is one of my all-time favorite blogs to follow.

anyone know where i can get some paper fruit boxes?