a very special intern, ashley, introduced me to this yummy bread.  i love pumpkin bread and was a bit hesitant about the chocolate chips but go for it ;)  in case you have a moment and want to try an easy recipe, here it is!

2/3 cup shortening
2 2/3 cup sugar
4 eggs
16 oz can of pumpkin*
2/3 c water
3 1/3 cup flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp apple pie spice
1 tsp ground cloves **
2/3 cup nuts
1 cup chocolate chips

* I generally double this recipe with a 29oz can of pumpkin and it turns out well (like i said, super easy recipe).  ** this adds so much yummy flavor – if you’re brave you might want to add another little shake ;)

Heat your oven to 350.  Grease 3 small (or 2 large) loaf pans.  Mix shortening and sugar in a large bowl.  Add eggs, pumpkin, and water.  Blend in flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and spices.  Stir in nuts & chocolate chips.  Pour into pans & bake 1hr and 10min (or until a toothpick comes our clean).  Cool before slicing.  Now begins your happy life anew with amazing chocolate chip pumpkin bread!

image via pinterest

we’ve kept the holiday event calendar light this year (mostly due to the hospitalization and recovery of a family member) and so the calendar was turned upside down and everything we typically do emptied out.

and somehow, it’s been the best holiday ever.

amidst early morning time for contemplation, the answer to what simplicity is for us has arrived.  simply it is this: time for who and what you love. why love?  because love helps us see so very clearly.

on the eve of christmas, we wish you happiness piled upon happiness.  we’ll be on winter holiday until january 3rd.

kinda hoping mom gives this one to dad for fathers day :)  thank you for the bestest launch day ever yesterday – it was a ton of fun…and the snowflakes felt a little like confetti for the elation we felt!

it’s here.  the surprise we’ve been keeping under wraps.  we so hope you enjoy our new online home.  an ode to you, and your cuteness!  may i take you on a tour?  follow me…and yes, i’m more than a little excited!

here are a few of our favorite things about the new space…

1. homepage – the images in this gallery link to parts of the site sometimes – keep an eye on it as you come back in the coming weeks!

2. about – < blush >  i’m excited you’ll get to learn about the whole happy crew.

3. weddings – for the love of all things beautiful, definitely poke around here…on our featured weddings, you’ll be able to see *who* helped make it beautiful by using the ‘view wedding professionals’ feature

4. portraits – the reason i can’t stop smiling…look at all those cute faces!!

5. blog-  have you noticed that you can get posts sent straight to you?  because i know you’re busy and want to be the first to know about mini sessions, sign up here if you’d like these to pop straight in your inbox!  and there’s a sidebar with all kinds of things that stays handy as your scroll down. note that if you read us on google reader or some other format, be sure to update your rss feed by adding a new subscription since our blog address has changed.

6. love - we’ve highlighted a few of our favorite places and things in Lexington.

and last but most definitely not least, thank you to ryan and joe, the web building powerhouses at second street creative. i’ve been astounded in a marvelous way at each and every point.  thank you for articulating our vision into a digital space that becomes the welcome mat for our shoppe and what we do.  we’re creating the *official second street fan club * ;)  (our dues, in the form of chipotle gift certificates, have been postmarked in today’s mail.)

happy exploring, and happy wednesday.  let us know what you think! we love your comments!

i love what we can’t script.  like mom and dad’s reaction to pierce trying to gnaw on the ‘y’.  i adore seeing love flourish.  i love trees.  and orange leaf (even in the winter). but i love families so much more.