3 simple joys: pretty matchsticks, pasta & wine, and family faces.

Here are 3 simple joys I've experienced lately...

Pretty matchsticks.

These fancy matchsticks look so lovely sitting on the dining room table - a thoughtful gift from Tara Leigh when she stayed with us recently.  Doesn't she know exactly what I love?  They're extra long too, perfect for lighting candles that are hollowed out on the inside, as most of ours are!

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Pasta & wine.

Is this the perfect summer dinner or what?  I used Ancient Harvest Quinoa Pasta, which is gluten-free and tastes exactly like regular pasta (this coming from an Italian!).  It's topped with sautéed onions, peppers, zucchini, patty-pan squash, tomatoes, and basil - all local! - and Applegate Farms Organic Sweet Italian Sausage - delish. 

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Family faces.

These are the faces I absolutely love...my husband on an ordinary morning at our house, reading a magazine at the dining room table while enjoying a cup of coffee.

And my daughter's face - unmistakenly a "Piccione" closed-mouth smile from my side of the family, just like my dad, my aunt, my paternal grandmother.

What are 3 simple joys you've experienced lately?