packing

I must be excited about this trip, because I started packing days ago (and I'm one of those throwing-stuff-inside-her-backpack-the-morning-of sorts of girls). I started sketching before I started packing and, for once, I don't think I forgot anything. We'll see.

aesthetician

I'm leaving on a plane to Austin, TX, in twelve hours. So, while pruning and watering all of my plants in preparation, I noticed one (which I'm propagating) has grown a tiny root stub (the big green one in the back, which is another one from my grandma). I can't wait to see how much it develops during the ten days I'm away. So, in hope of even more surprises, I took trimmings from some of my very favorites pets.

On a slightly different note—which is at the same time completely the same—after taking these photos, I turned to my computer and saw this on the screensaver:

aesthetician (noun)
1. a person who is knowledgeable about the nature and appreciation of beauty, esp. in art
2. a beautician

My heart melted, as it usually does. Isn't that what it's all about—beauty? Beauty in everything. Or is that just what I'm about? Beauty in all of everything.

bill's big carrot cake

Another day, another co-worker's birthday, another cake. I keep going back to recipes from my new Dorie Greenspan cookbook—she has yet to disappoint. And even lovelier than finishing off the workday with cake and wine, is finishing it off with the sun still peaking in the windows. Daylight saving time has changed my life.

on my way

. . . to work, I glanced up and saw three people already at work. They looked like a trio of little ladybugs, dripping soapy water—hundreds of feet down—onto the sidewalk.

nothing fancy

. . . just happy: clips from our weekend in Ann Arbor.

love me tonight

He then told her: "You know what I think? I think I'm mad. And that you're mad. And that the whole world is mad. But I'm the luckiest madman of all. And the happiest."

a little

. . . breakfast, and a lot of mugs.

blueberry & almond butter smoothie

Good mornin'! All in a blender, now:

1 banana
1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons almond butter
2 tablespoons flaxseeds
2 cups water

(You can find more recipes here.)

birthday gifts

A few of the beautiful gifts I received for my birthday: perfect Perfect Mason jars from Sam (that color of blue glass makes my heart beat a little bit faster), a sewing machine from my parents, and flowers from my roommate, Melissa

the purple room

My birthday was last Friday, so Sam and I took a weekend trip to Ann Arbor, MI. Aside from having breakfast cooked for us each morning and meeting a few incredibly interesting people, we mostly slept, ate, drank, and walked around completely unaware of the time. It was rainy, and snowy, and sunny, and the light that was reflected into our purple room was just as moody as the weather.

brighton

Aquas, teals, turquoises, and even some robin-egg blue.

I only ventured out of London a few times while I was there, but I visited Brighton twice: once for a class trip (seen above), and the other to drink cider on the lawn and eat a Sunday roast, home-cooked by my friend's mum.

Brighton, England // Spring 2009

leap year

Baking is complete magic (and chemistry, I suppose). I used mis-matched freckled eggs, butter, and sugar, and built a four layer cake for Molly's birthday. The ingredients were measured in one apartment, baked in another, and then finally eaten—with several glasses of champagne—at work, where it's perfectly fine to serve alcohol after 4 p.m.