Scottsdale Farms

Today, my husband took myself and our daughter on an adventure to Scottsdale Farms in Alpharetta. I was shocked that I did not know this gem of a place considering I grew up in Alpharetta and my parents still live there. Scottsdale Farms is a beautiful nusery and an enormous gift shop in a timber-framed barn. Since it is January and neither my husband nor myself have a green thumb we decided to look around the shop and try out the Bella Luna cafe. I thoroughly enjoyed my iced Americano and Carter loved her cookie. When we finished our treat we walked around a little bit and greeted the pig and the chickens there.

I highly recommend this beautiful place, even if nurseries and planting is not your thing. The gift shop and the grounds are absolutely beautiful. Take a friend and go there for lunch, it will have a better atmosphere than most cafes. I also learned that they have activities for kids. This might become a favorite place for me and Carter.

enjoying our treats

Winter Cranberries

For my daughter's 2nd birthday, I decided to make a real treat for my little
girl as well as Mama. In the Winter 2016 issue of Faerie magazine was a picture and a recipe of sugar and spice cranberries. They looked divine, in fact they looked like they came right out of the faerie relm and dropped on earth. Well I got inspired and decided to make these sugar and spice cranberries using ingredients I found in my own pantry.

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tablespoon cloves
1 cup cranberries
1 cup sugar (for dusting)

I started with a simple syrup of water and sugar, once the sugar was melted I added the cinnamon and cloves and let it soak in a simmer for about 10 minutes.
Once the syrup was cooled to room temperature, I removed the cinnamon sticks and cloves and added the cranberries in batches.
I soaked the cranberries for roughly 2 minutes and then dried them on a wire rack for an hour.
In a bowl of sugar, I rolled the cranberries around until they were covered in sugar.
When they were covered with a sugar dusting, I moved them once again to the wire rack and let them sit for an hour. After that I placed them in a covered dish and moved them to the refigerator. I found they last refrigerated for a week.

New Year's Resolutions

Wake up with the intention of being good.
Help someone on a daily basis, or at least smile at someone.
Don't piss off the brownies that live in your house, or things will go missing.
Be a natural beauty;
If you have no natural beauty visit a beauty counter and seek expert advise.
Make friends with the animals.
Sing everyday, whether you are happy or sad;
It worked for Cinderella, Elsa, Aurora, Snow White, Ariel, and Belle.
Dance like no one is watching.
Find the yellow brick road and follow it.
Whatever you do, DO NOT pour water on any woman with an aggressive attitude, that person may melt.