Collectibles Issue 7
24 hours in a city, thrifting ceramics and foraging chicken of the woods mushroom.
A playlist for June would include the buzz of the June bugs, the roar of a thunderstorm that refuses to weep on dry land and the snores of an afternoon nap. Junes never end the same way they begin. At least mine never do. They typically appear without me noticing, change how I live in the middle and illuminate a bit too much by the 30th. There’s also a spaciousness and contraction of time during this summer month. We have so much daylight to work with and yet cling to another long in those farewell hugs as if it’s the last time we will laugh together. The mysteries of June may never be solved. I’m grateful to have made it through another one nonetheless. Here is a collection exuding summer equinox energy. Enjoy.
Grain Bowl Dressing Recipe:
We tend to eat more warm salad bowls than fresh. Instead of investing in dressings at the store that we constantly run out of, I made a dressing recipe that pairs well with almost all the types of veggie grain bowls we make. So from my kitchen to yours, here’s the recipe:
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegan mayo
2 tablespoons oil of choice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/2 tablespoon agave nectar or maple syrup
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Put all ingredients in a jar and shake vigorously until well combined. You can thin it out with water or more oil. Drizzle on anything your heart desires!
24 Hours in Raleigh, NC
The only reason why we traverse to the capital of North Carolina is to visit my family. I could probably drive south with my eyes closed honestly. Southbound on 29 to 86 to 70 are as easy to navigate as walking from the bedroom to the kitchen. Although I’m from Danville, home is really just wherever my mom is. It’s nice to go home.
I’m currently taking a break from budget hotels because I realize I need to added benefits that 100$ more a night offers. The perfect spot for my family and I was the Renaissance Hotel in North Hills. It came with amenities that actually matters for a family with a small child:
Parking garage with elevator
Window views and spaciousness
Walkability with a stroller to shops, restaurants and a movie theater
Clean and chic rooms
Great hospitality
We walked over to True Food Kitchen which was rather convenient. They had a menu that catered to all of our needs & tastebuds. I adored the non-alcoholic margarita I received. Followed up with the best vegan pizza I’ve enjoyed in a very long time with lemony almond ricotta & umami mushrooms. Truly my favorite meal on the trip.
The next day we delayed our caffeine intake to get a beverage from somewhere local. Niche local coffee shops should always be visited on trips over big companies. Hands down the best coffee flavor we’ve enjoyed in months was Beow’s Maple Black Walnut Syrup Iced Latte. Sensational.
Our last bite was at Pure Vegan Cafe. They have both American food and Indian food. Stellar customer service. Truly the best biriyani and samosas we’ve ever had. This place really lived up to the high reviews.
If you’re interested in someone skilled planning small or big trips, you can always hire me as your personal travel advisor here.
Chicken of the Woods
There’s one fallen tree across a creek that we know produces chicken of the woods mushrooms every year. It’s simply a matter of who gets to it first, a human or a critter. Over the past 6 years of foraging, we’ve really only seen fully flushed COW mushrooms in forests. So this was a delight to discover a young chick.
The benefit of finding them on the younger side is that it’s far more tender in texture, less buggy and easier on the stomach for digestion in my opinion. COW does very well as a chicken substitute for pot pies, soups and even chicken salad. We mostly prefer to deep fry them and devour with Ranch dressing.
It’s fairly easy to recognize this mushroom but I highly encourage you study some books, photos and videos on identifying it so you can with confidence on your own.
Breakfast on the Beach
I’m a firm believer that experiences will always be better than a physical gift. This could be because my preferred love language is through quality time spent over gift giving. Could be because I’m a minimalist and desire people & memories than more stuff. Could be because I often forget to procure a gift for someone and resort to giving my presence as a present. No matter the reason, my husband was actually grateful I forgot to buy a gift for Father’s Day and instead took him on an adventure.
I soft pitched the idea of having breakfast on the beach, specifically us drinking coffee at sunrise. He was sold. I want less barrier to exit the house as a family to try new things so I took a relaxed approach to packing and planning. We simply left at 4am, drove 3 hours to our favorite beach and got cozy on the shoreline.
We’ve had a jet boil camp stove for years and never used it. I thought it would be fun to try it with our Moka pot. That thing is insane. I don’t think I’ve ever seen something come to a boil so fast. We laughed and poured the fresh coffee into our insulated camp mugs, mine with creamer and his on its own. Then we hauled coolers and chairs while our son walked joyfully with just a toy boat in hands.
It felt like we were in a special bubble in time floating in space. It was so early on that Saturday morning, no emails or texts came across our screens. We didn’t realize we spent a few hours playing in the salt water until we ran out of food and checked the time. It was easy to just be present with the cool ocean breeze, sun kissing our temples and our laughter filling the air in a symphony with the gull’s cackles. No money spent, no pressure to perform, no worries on the spirit, we got to just be carefree for a morning. That was the greatest gift I could’ve given to us all, a break to just breathe and be ourselves.
Thrifting Family Heirlooms
There’s this classic antique shop in the center of Charlottesville called Circa. I recently took myself there as part of a solo date to allow myself to peruse without stress of time or my curious family touching fragile things. I instantly fell in love with a ceramic set with fruits along the borders of speckled glaze. I have a set of rules for shopping personally:
If I still think of it days later, then it left a real impression on me
Try to thrift or buy local first, new second
How long do I see it lasting? Am I will to take care of it for that long?
After a weekend of yearning for the set, I knew if it was still there come Tuesday at opening, it was meant for me. As luck would have it, it was still there at 10:02AM. The rush I felt anticipating returning to the store, showing my family in person the set, watching the staff carefully wrap every single piece and hauling it to the car was unmatched. Ordering a set of pottery online and having it delivered to our doorstep would not have felt this good. Never miss an opportunity to have real life interactions with the world that could leave lasting impressions on you.
Even still today, I use these dishes with love and care. I hope our son is excited to inherit these 50 years from now. Everything I am investing in nowadays is under the lens of it being an heirloom to pass down someday instead of some temporary fix. Support your local artisans and shops today and everyday!
Inspiration:
“I am a source of light because I am lighthearted.”
I was recently reminded of this affirmation I used to tell myself years ago after spending a morning with this beautiful tulip tree silk moth. I rescued it after it was attached by a Titmouse. We spent more than an hour together until she regained her strength to fly off. I was curious why she felt so at ease on my lap, on my hands. I was also confused why she wouldn’t just fly away on her own without me encouraging her to go. Then I remembered that moths are drawn to light and thought oh maybe she is attracted to my inner light and feels safe. That made me cry because at times I feel so dim and lost but she reminded me that my light is still burning bright. So my inspirational share is just that, repeat to yourself daily this affirmation and see how you feel.
Business Spotlight:
Gooch Gardener Candles Co. pour the best high quality, long lasting, fragrant and handmade candles you will ever need for aromatherapy.
Katherine Llewellyn is an Arbonne District Manager who is well versed in their products that can best support you.
Amanda Sevilla la is a gifted Registered Dietician and now accepting clients through Berry Street.
With love from underneath shade of an old tree this warm summer’s day,
As always, if you felt inspired by this piece, you can Buy Me a Coffee, order a dessert , book a vacation with me, consider upgrading your subscription to paid or simply share with someone special :)