Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

See you in the New Year

(and a Happy Christmas from Hogwarts too]

I wish

I wish I lived in Maine and could have a winter ice skating party in my backyard.

[more images here]

Coeur de Pirate, Comme des enfants

hallelujah

If I could teleport,

I would spend the day in London. I miss London today.


[print by blancucha]

Holiday Surprise

Because surprises are fun to get and packages are fun to send, I am trying something new here. Leave a comment with 5 words to describe your self/style/likes, and I will cater a package to the person whose name I draw. You'll be in for a big surprise!

Andrea Boydston

If you woke up breathing, congratulations!! You get another chance.

It's the weekend!

time to rejoice!! it's gonna be a good one...

[image via a simple apology]

as if I didn't know it was meant to be...

the Brooklyn Heights community theatre is only four blocks from my new apartment.

life, we are of peace.

interviews

[via tipatipa and bedlamofbeefy




[via Amy Cronise-Mead]

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, O Children

(I was psyched to hear this in Harry Potter, weren't you?)

enchanted cobblestone

[via notcot]

sculptures

outta ribbon

a really REALLY terrible movie

with one unbelievably fantastic sub-plot.

oh heck yes

I'd live there

Thor Heyerdahl

"Borders? I have never seen one. But I have heard they exist in the minds of some people."

"It is one of the most beautiful compensations in life, that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself."

[Ralph Waldo Emerson]

The School of Life

on having enough

and spoiling yourself

Things I have learned in my life so far

by Stefan Sagmeister

India.Arie, Strength, Courage, and Wisdom

live more, need less

life inspiration from mnmlist

secrets shared

Keri Smith shares her "Secrets of the Self-Employed (or How to be an Amazing [insert profession here])"

Rumi

Great lions can find peace in a cage.
But we should only do that
as a last
resort.

So those bars I see that restrain your wings,
I guess you won't mind
if I pry them
open.

weekend time

Good Reads

I've read some good books of late -- here's a few...

The Fountainhead
No Impact Man
The Code of the Woosters
Eating Animals
Jane Eyre
Franny and Zooey
How Yoga Works
Born to Run
Little Women
and, let's be honest, Harry Potter (again)

I'd recommend any of these! I've also read a few lately that I wouldn't recommend... ugh.


[image by black apple]

New Digs

come January: Brooklyn Heights bound

Fiona Apple, Slow Like Honey

this cracked me up

caramels

These caramels are SO good. Seriously.

** the bold texts are my edits to the recipe. You can trust me... I made this recipe twice in one day. (I went too far the first time and made something more like toffee. It's okay, I'm saving it to make toffee ice cream. Sweet!)

Fleur de Sel Caramels

Ingredients

1 cup heavy cream
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon fleur de sel, more for sprinkling
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
2 bags semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preparation

Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, then lightly oil parchment.

Bring cream, butter, and fleur de sel to a boil in a small saucepan, then remove from heat and set aside.

Boil sugar, corn syrup, and water in a 3- to 4-quart heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil, without stirring but gently swirling pan, until mixture is a light golden caramel. (I had a hard time finding the "light golden caramel" color - I would say, be here for 10 minutes at the most, then move on.)

Carefully stir in cream mixture (mixture will bubble up) and simmer, stirring frequently, until caramel registers 248°F on thermometer, 10 to 15 minutes. (Time here will vary in accordance with how much time you spent on the last step. Trust the thermometer, and do not go by color --- this caramel is lighter than others I've made or bought.)

(Also, if you don't have a thermometer -or if, like me, you have one that is 10 degrees off, but you can't remember in which direction- you can see how soft/hard the caramel is by dropping a small ball into ice water and then eating it. YUM.)

Pour into baking pan and cool 2 hours. Cut into 1-inch pieces, then wrap each piece in a 4-inch square of wax paper, twisting 2 ends to close. (A pizza cutter works well. If you have a difficult time cutting it, place it in the oven at 200 degrees for just a few minutes.)

(Also, I dipped them in melted semi-sweet chocolate, then sprinkled with fleur de sel. To melt chocolate-- you can use a double boiler, but to avoid the risk of steam ruining the chocolate, use the microwave. Heat for about 15 seconds at a time, stirring in between. Stop heating when chips are soft, but have not completely lost shape. Stir until smooth. Reheat as needed.)

(I didn't count, but I think it made roughly 120 little squares.)

[original recipe]

the impossible cool - again

because you can't skip the girls...







mitchell, kinski, bardot, hepburn, hepburn

T.S. Eliot

"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go."

[image of Zaira with The Solebury Club]

"Eating is a silly thing. In order to get food into your stomach you've got to push it through your face."

Have a happy Thanksgiving!


[Blondie comic strip]

Seasons of Wither, Aerosmith

"Crazy Frenchman Rides a Bike on Fire"

If your bike suddenly caught fire, do you think you'd stop, or pedal faster?

[via notcot]

just cute

bunnies are so soft and so precious.

[via ffffound]

the impossible cool.

springsteen, brando, davis, newman, cash. way too cool.

Churchill

"I am an optimist. It doesn't seem too much use being anything else."

Enjoy the weekend!

"I love the way music inside a car makes you feel invisible; if you play the stereo at max volume, it's almost like the other people can't see into your vehicle. It tints your windows, somehow."

[Chuck Klosterman]

Lena Wolff

Pretty, don't you think? And she's currently working on "The Paper Quilt Project" which sounds super cool, if you ask me.

Oh,

so, this is a little late, but my sister, Janine, has a blog! YAY!

She started it when she and her husband set off for a 6 week tour of Australia (She's been back for a few weeks now - so this really is quite belated. oops.), and she writes about travel, and food, and fun fun fun!

(that's her)

Check it while the checkin's good!

(She's also a contributor to First Novels Club which she started with three of her writer friends -- They're doing a HARRY POTTER THEMED WEEK!)

Get Off of My Cloud, Rolling Stones

Nadinoo

If I could spend money right now, I'd be all over these.

by Nadinoo

x-rays are cool

more on notcot

The Voyagers

These girls have the most wonderful and beautiful adventures! I'm in love.

Picasso

"I do not seek - I find."

Have a fun weekend!

The Dahlia

so stinking gorgeous