million years

My tiny room has been messy from projects, but it looked pretty in Saturday's light. And although I haven't seen much of the sun since Austin, I'm feeling so very hopeful. So very hopeful that I just called Sam to ask, "Hey, when it gets warmer . . . and we both have a day off . . . can we ride our bikes . . . to the park . . . and not have anything to do . . . but find shapes in the clouds . . . "

"Of course we're doing that." In the meantime, this feels awfully sunny, mhmm:

Alexander Ebert—Million Years

busy

I went home last weekend for my cousin's wedding reception, and my friend's wedding shower. For the shower, I baked lemon madeleines, coconut macaroons, carrot cake whoopie pies, nanaimo bars, sea salt brownies, and pistachio brittle. Also, I got to see my family, my farm, and a few of my favorite people—childhood friends . . . who end up being lifelong friends . . . are the best.

But between traveling, designing (and cutting, scoring, folding, assembling, etc.) invites for my friend's wedding, and preparing for a new exhibition at work, exhaustion has set in. Sometimes I get so caught up with tasks and deadlines, that I have to stop and remind myself: "Hey! You like what you do." And I do.

So, I'll be back on here soon to share some photos of my new sprouts and some other little projects and recipes I'm looking forward to. Have a lovely Easter weekend! Xx.

P.S. The last photo was taken from "Action Hill", overlooking our town's branch of Missouri Farmer's Association, where my dad has worked since he was eighteen. Eighteen, I tell ya.

slow dancing

. . . to the music of the Sunday street. (Let her get warmed up.)

Sheer white curtains are an absolute blessing.

from seed

It's too sunny and beautiful outside to get any real work done today. But storms should arrive by the evening and I'll make some tea, put on some mellow music, and buckle down. It's been a perfect weekend with a dinner party, flowers, delicious small plates while dining outdoors, a cute boyfriend, and a few long walks.

I sowed four different varieties of seeds in a big ugly plastic trough, and—more quaintly—in some egg shells I'd been saving for the occasion. I'll still buy many seedlings from the garden center (hello, lavender!), but I'd love to eat some summer veggies which I grew from my own tiny seeds:

Gardener's Delight Cherry Tomato Lycopersicon lycopersicum
Roma Tomato Solanum lycopersicum
Arugula / Rocket Eruca sativa
Ring-O-Fire Cayenne Chile Capsicum annuum

wall vase

Sam's mama and sister gave me this wall vase for my birthday last month. I like the contrast of its geometry with the crooked stems of the flowers, which are already so contrasty themselves. (I'm not sure if you can tell by the photos, but the seemingly black interiors are actually a dark indigo color.)

Does anyone know the name of this flower? I'll give a million kisses to whomever can identify it with a comment below.

P.S. Two million kisses to Lorraine and Sarah for the perfect gift.

bill cunningham new york

I saw a sneak preview of this sweet little documentary tonight with Molly. I feel happy, inspired, and excited to pick out my outfit for tomorrow. (See it, guys!)

mango smoothie

I don't usually post so many photos of the same thing, but I thought it was funny to see the progression—or rather, the regression—of my breakfast. All in a blender, now:

1 ripe mango, cut into chunks
1/2 cup coconut water

austin, tx

I'm happy to be going, and sad to be leaving. It's warm here, and I'll miss my friends; but Chicago's getting warmer, and I miss my friends.

With a clear head, a warm weather attitude, and a hint of a tan: so much love to Ellie and the girls, and my cousins. XX

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