The other day as we were going to church I noticed a gorgeous elderflower bush in bloom alongside of the road. On the way home we stopped so that I could gather a few elderflowers to make syrup. I had been craving it for a few weeks. Growing up my Mom used fragrant flower for so many flavorful delicacies. One of which was elderflower syrup which she added to sparkling water for us to sip on hot summer days. I loved it. Lightly floral and scented with a touch of lemon... ahhh, yes.

I was a bit nervous about making the syrup as it had been years since I had helped make it. But it was quite simple. I added some sugar and lemon zest to a heat proof jar added the flowers (I had only picked about 3 huge heads) then covered it with boiling water. I then shook the bottle til the sugar dissolved and let it steep overnight. The next morning I was greeted with beautiful golden nectar with that delicate yet unmistakable flavor. The childhood memories rush back in a instant. Bliss.

Today I (along with my little helper) worked very hard in our vegetable garden garden. Once we got cleaned up from our sweaty labors, and Mo went down for a much needed nap, I wanted a yummy drink. Upon perusing the fridge for ingredients I ended up pulling out a small bottle of Bolthouse mango juice, elderflower syrup, and some San Pellegrino sparkling water. Let me tell ya... the combo was the perfect post gardening refreshment. If by any chance you may find the same ingredients in your cooler I highly recommend combining the three!

Mango Elderflower Spritzer

1/2 cup mango juice
1/8 cup (or to taste) Elderflower Syrup
1/2-1 cup sparking water of choice

Add all ingredients to a tall glass and gently stir. Enjoy!


Elderflower Syrup (small batch)

3-5 fully bloomed elderflower heads (remove as many stems as you can)
1.5-2 cups sugar
1 scant Tablespoon lemon zest
boiling water

Add sugar, zest, and flowers to a 1 litre/ 34 oz. bottle (I love my Quattro Stagioni milk bottles for small batches like this. Slowly add the boiling water to the bottle. Wrap a towel around the bottle and gently shake until the sugar is dissolved. Let it set overnight or up to two days. Strain the liquid and refrigerate for up to week (if it lasts that long!). Enjoy!

Fresh Start

I have been wanting to revamp my blog for a while now. (Why I chose pink as my main color... when I am not really a pink kinda girl is beyond me!) So the other night after I put Mo to bed I set out on the quest to refresh my blog. I wanted to change the name of it to describe my life philosophy in one word. While contemplating this notion the word 'Selah' kept coming into my mind. And although I like the word itself I felt like it was a bit to "religious" in a sense. Not that that is a bad thing, but I wanted it to have a bit more... flare (so to speak).

I Googled the word 'Selah' and found out that one of the meanings is "forever". This really struck a cord with me but again the word was not quite right. It seemed a bit to... daunting, final, grandious, and almost too cliché. Then I was reminded of the French translation for forever: toujours. This was it: forever, every day, all the time. It stuck a chord and got the wheels turning. I began to think of what I do every day. Every day I try to learn the 'art of being', whether that means being a better wife, mother, Christian, gardener, artist, seamstress, etc. Learning the art of being still and listening with full awareness. This 'toujours' and 'learning the art of being' is what I see the Lord challenging me to pursue. Being fully aware of Him in every aspect of my life, which has been quite the challenge lately as I have been really going through some tough things with my health right now. Not that I have not been aware... but I certainly have not been resting in Him as I should.

All this to say that some things will be the same here and other things will be different. I am not looking for fame or glory, but just a place that may be an outlet to encourage at least one person, in one way or another. Join me as we journey through this life learning the art of being... toujours.

xo,