Curious Bird

bits

hello. this week has been crammed full of studying, reading, and more studying. I even managed to cook, eat, and work somewhere in there too. It always amazes me just how much we can fit into our daily lives. I prefer my days to be slow and easy (I'm guessing I'm not alone here) but sometimes slow is nowhere to be found...the pace is fast and the list is long and being present gets swept aside replaced by wishes for next week or even a time far away, the lazy days of summer.

One way I've found to get a hold of my future thinking (and keep me from spinning out of control) is by stopping whatever I'm doing and picking up my camera. I can never go very long without taking a photo. It relaxes me and keeps me sane when all the thoughts of what needs to be done are swirling around me.  So...just like many of the other times I've felt anxious (the knot on my shoulder is always a good first sign of that) this week, I picked up my camera and took a few shots of whatever caught my eye. It was such a nice break, if only for a few minutes. during those short breaks, this is what I saw.  wishing you  a slow and easy weekend. I'm going to do my best to stay present and take everything as it comes...although I bet I'll daydream about summer at least a couple of times. 

(this photo is what Dustin saw)

it is going to be very quiet around here for a few days while I study for midterms...and my study buddy mortimer sleeps near (or on) my reading materials. I plan to say hello with a batch of photos sometime on friday. until then. onward!

things I like

I thought it would be fun to look through only the photos I took this week as a way to retrace my steps and see what I had deemed interesting enough to warrant my grabbing the camera. I saw a lot of simple things from my daily routine. things I like. things I often see, but for one reason or another, this week I decided to snap a photo.  perhaps it was the sunlight being just so or a passing mood or excitement about a new aquisition or  new project. either way, it was fun to look back on the last few days.

this might just turn into a weekly exercise...

there was a sale at anthropologie and I had a gift card. now we have pretty new pillows.

boiled eggs ready to be peeled. 

motown napping in the sun. 

the "good" holga. I have a few holga cameras and this one takes the best photos. it says good
on the back.

new artwork. finally managing to get something out of my head and into my hands.

have a nice weekend.

Quite a while ago I was tagged by Starla and asked to share five of my addictions. After dragging my feet for way too long, I finally found the time to play along.

Although I have many things I find myself addicted to, here is what came to mind:

• Photo booths --I have a really hard time passing one up, and I've had it bad for them ever since a road trip I took when I was in, oh I don't know, the fifth grade. Somewhere in Arizona there is a photo booth that started the whole obsession.  Lucky for me, Dustin always plays along.


• Olives and Pickles -- I find both to be the perfect, savory treat. Always have, always will. 

• Magazines -- I don't really have time to read novels right now, (Grad School refuses to allow me this luxury) however, I do have a little time for the occasional magazine. I find the New Yorker perfect for short bursts of leisure reading. I also enjoy ReadyMade and Gourmet. 


• 30 Rock -- Any television show that has the ability to make me laugh out loud at least once during every episode is a keeper.  Keep it up, Tina Fey. 


• Good bedding -- Despite being mostly lowfalutin (we have an inside joke about our highfalutin friend --don't worry, she's in on it) I have an addiction to nice sheets and pillows. I go for the good stuff -- high thread counts and nice feathers.

I'm not really much of a tagger, however, I will share a few newish (to me) blogs that are making me smile.

Bread and Honey

Habit

Darling Dexter

Yes and Yes

Have fun,
L.

a cake for my sweetheart

I hope your weekend was full of sweetness.
The chocolate buttermilk cake I made certainly was.

Perhaps you need one more delicious cake recipes in your life...

Chocolate Buttermilk Cake
(adapted from Entertaining for a Veggie Planet)

4 ounces of unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. good-quality cocoa powder (I used Green & Black's)
2 tsp. baking soda
pinch of salt
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
2 c. sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. buttermilk

**confectioners sugar and raspberry jam was our choice of topping. no complaints at all.

In a small bowl, melt chocolate stirring constantly. Set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour a 9 or 10 inch cake pan.  *I used a 9 inch pan and had enough batter to make twelve additional cupcakes!
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer (a kitchenaide mixer works well too) to cream the butter and sugar until light in color.
Add eggs, one at a time, mix well.
Add the vanilla. Reduce the mixer to low and pour in the melted chocolate.
Mix in the dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with 2 additions of buttermilk.
Pour the pudding-like batter into the prepared pan, filling it two thirds full. Bake in the center of your oven until a knife comes out clean, approx. 40 to 50 minutes. **check often, all ovens are different.
Let cool, then transfer to a serving plate. 
Your choice of topping. Whipped cream and berries would be good. Whatever you decide, you won't be disappointed.

hearts and arrows

(photo 1, photo 2, photo 3, photo 4)

Happy Valentine's Day. 

And what perfect timing for a colorful, cheerful, romantic holiday. February can be kind of a bummer, but it would be a little worse if Valentine's Day didn't land right smack in the middle of the month. Bring on the cupcakes.

Fondly, 
l.

have a fabulous weekend

I'm planning to see some art (it's first friday), catch up on chit-chat with one of my best girlfriends, see a movie, and write, or at least start writing, a paper due next week (not nearly as fun as the other things, I know). dustin wants to try this recipe. we happen to love anything pickled. If I can find the time, I want try this one.  not sure I can squeeze everything in. we'll see...

whatever you have planned, I hope you enjoy yourself.

have fun,
l.

-today was pretty-

quirky

my name is leya and I am addicted to recovering the pillows on my sofa. it's just this thing I do. sometimes I can go for months and then I wake up one morning and MUST recover a pillow...or two.
I like the newest cover quite a bit. maybe this one will last for a while...

feeling very grateful to be healthy again. I baked a cake to congratulate myself for beating that awful virus. it was delicious. the cake, not the virus.

take care.