my kitchen may be a mess, but our hearts are full from the laughter that rings through the house.  sweetest of friends, enjoying the age-old art of baking – in this case, strawberry buttercream macarons.

 

 

 

most often i find my a-girl is more suited to baking than me; she loves numbers and formulas and order, and finds rest in the following of precise measurements.  some nights, the evening grows late, and batch after batch is required for perfection, as the focus is more on the time together than the equations.  and that is just fine.

 

 

baking reminds us that life is, indeed, sweet.  it connects hearts as it pleases palates.  enjoy this recipe, inspired by martha stewart’s recipe for parisian macarons.

 

 

as my dearest girl prepares for the leave-taking of her heart-friend, headed off to college, and our own leave-taking toward a new stage in our family’s journey, we are so thankful for sweetnesses, and time together with kindred spirits.  do you have a favorite kindred-spirit memory making activity?  please share…