AKW.

Story time:

This is one of my dearest friends, Alexandra Kay.

She came in town this weekend to stay & play.

She has been there for me through thick & thin.

She asks the hard questions & she makes me grin.

Sometimes we get very deep & sappy,

but she always makes my heart very happy.

xoxo. miss you already.

birdies.

Birds on the Wires from Jarbas Agnelli on Vimeo.

Because he was curious what kind of music they would make, James Agnelli used a photograph of birds on telephone wires & created a score using them as notes, he didn't alter the photo in any way and the result is amazing. This video is so lovely & fascinating.

forts. {pt 2.}

I am a lover of any sort of fort, tent, (& here.) & treehouse (& here. & here. & here. & here.) Check out these submissions of sweet little escapes from people around the world... I love how everyone's is so unique. ahhhh, to escape work right now sounds devine. just devine.

via here.

waffles.

I made these this weekend & will definately be making them again... I loved them and was very happy with their result. They were the perfect fall morning treat... hope my inlaws liked them as much as I did. :)

Pumpkin Gingerbread Waffles:

3 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, eyeball it
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter, plus some to butter the iron
Syrup, whipped cream or fresh fruits for topping, to pass at table

Preheat waffles iron.
In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. In a medium bowl, beat eggs and brown sugar until fluffy, then beat in pumpkin, milk, molasses and melted butter. Stir the wet into dry until just moist. Do not overstir the waffle batter. Brush the iron with a little melted butter and cook 4 waffles, 4 sections each. Serve with toppings of choice.

Full recipe here.

tomato basil soup.

Now, I know this is not a food/recipe blog, but I had to share. I made this last night & Ry & I both loved it... I served it with colby-jack grilled cheese sandwiches slathered with butter, & an apple- almond salad. mmm mmm... it was a bit time consuming, but I roasted the tomatoes before work, so that cut down on the overall prep time... Ina Garten is a genius. It was like my own little attempt at recreating La Madeline's scrumptious creations.

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
3 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 (28-ounce) canned plum tomatoes, with their juice
4 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 quart chicken stock or water
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss together the tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread the tomatoes in 1 layer on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes.
In an 8-quart stockpot over medium heat, saute the onions and garlic with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the butter, and red pepper flakes for 10 minutes, until the onions start to brown. Add the canned tomatoes, basil, thyme, and chicken stock. Add the oven-roasted tomatoes, including the liquid on the baking sheet. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. Pass through a food mill fitted with the coarsest blade. Taste for seasonings. Serve hot or cold.

recipe here.

KL.

I am fully aware that I am about a month and a half late on this post... Spring in the fashion industry has been put to bed. its a done deal. a closed book. We're already creeping into Fall 2010. {its actually a sad state of affairs, I don't feel like I ever get to dwell in the season I am actually living in.} However, ever since I saw Chanel's Spring 2010 presentation at Paris Fashion week in WWD, I find myself going back to look at Lagerfield's not only pure genius execution in RTW apparel, but his creative use of natural elements on the set. I cannot get it out of my head. I'm stuck. I can't move on.

Oh, {sigh} the construction... Lagerfield used rough linen, jute & raffia throughout this collection without sacrificing if I can say, any of the 'Coco' that makes Chanel, Chanel...like with a classic Chanel jacket in beige, modernized with linen sleeves and wool torso.

His detailing was impeccable. He styled his models with windblown hair, doing the simple things in life like churning butter, feeding animals, rolling in the hay, and tending to the garden. Farmer Lagerfield even wore his jeans, with crocodile boots, that eventually turned green from all the hay.

The rustic atmosphere and look he created, in my opinion, made for one of most sophisticated shows for the Spring season.

After the show, Lagerfield said, “It's Coco Ecolo, ecology can be chic. No? One can use natural fabrics and learn from nature." Couldn't have said it better myself Karl, couldn't have said it better myself. ha. :)

the new.

I have been observing over the past year that life, for a lack of better words, just looks different now... and will continue to look different as the years progress. Its the bidding goodbye of set ways, parting with old habits, and fondly putting aside previous past times.
I am learning to embrace & run head on with the new. The unseasoned ways of spending time, the fun, new people & personalities to do life with, and the fresh, unexpected daily routines and activities that keep us busy now.... for me, there is a heightened awareness for the new discrepancies in this season of life. New things make me happy, the desires of where I place my time & thoughts has shifted, and my views on life readjusted and tweaked. The discrepancies are wonderful to learn and grow from, and make way & prepare for the next stage of life that will one day look different, again.. and again.

While the new does not replace the old, it does have to be let in and made room for...the old is still partaken in, just not as often... the new squeezes its way in, and meshes with the old. You are made into a new person, with new fresh, views on life, and a history that you still pull from, reference, and appreciate for who it has formed you into today.

The old never goes away, it just nuzzles on over to make a little more room for the new...

“The art of living does not consist in preserving and clinging to a particular mood of happiness, but in allowing happiness to change its form without being disappointed by the change, for happiness, like a child, must be allowed to grow up” - Charles Morgan

just bc.

Speaking of stripes, these things {by M. Stew. , of course} are getting made for my sweet husband who:

a) loves peppermint.

b) loves meringues.

c) loves chocolate.

Couldn't be more perfect for him... or scrumptious looking, for that matter.

{recipe here.}

ahoy.

I have an obsession with anything nautical, hence my love of wearing stripes, admittedly, all too often. {I tell my self its very Parisian, however, I know I am just trying to trick myself into thinking my dirty sailor look is more romantic than it really is.} This home, {styled & designed by Suzanne Kasler} to me, seems like just about the most perfect little vacay getaway. yes? All aboard...

Dear Billykirk Tote,

Please come live in my closet. I would give you a great home. We would spend lots of quality time with you perched on my shoulder. Rent would be free & I would feed you my wallet, phone, lipgloss and journal daily.

xoxo,

m.

Miss C.

Beautiful art by MISS CAPRICHO. Watercolors are my favorite media form, and mixed with pen & ink, {sigh}... They make me want to take all of these home, find a perfect little spot for them, and then sit in front of them with a slice of red velvet cake and steaming coffee mug and stare.

you can feel it all over...

I listen to Motown every morning... whether I'm getting ready, eating breakfast, or on the way to work... the classic beats put me in the greatest of moods. I started this habit when I lived with Lindsay, and now cannot stop. I grew up listening to it with my mom, and I guess it just takes me back to being a kid. It gets my mind clear, puts me in a carefree mood, and while it may seem odd, truely makes me more aware of the blessings around me & stirs my affections for Christ, sometimes, more than worship music does. The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, The Four Tops, Jackson 5, Smokey Robinson, & the Marvelettes all are my companions in the morning... who do you start your day right with?

just one more.

In deeply apologize.

I have been on an editing kick lately... plus, I just like her a lot. All my pics are getting a little too much photoshop loving these days. I know, I know, if there is such a thing as over-editing... I plead guilty.

Sunday funday {pt. 2}

These are some after images of my little garage sale treasures... I wish I had taken some before pics. The table {above} was an old beat up 80's stained brown that I bought for $20, but we painted & sanded it to give it a new fresh, life. I have been on the hunt for a small entryway table for a while now, and loved the size & details of this one, but it needed some sprucing up. The globe {top} was a really rusty, pitted, tarnished metal & but with some cleanup and a little gold spray paint, I kinda like my $1.50 find now. I have been a bit obsessed with my gold spray paint lately. A few weeks ago, I spray painted some old chipped foam pumpkins a gold and now cannot stop... man, I love little treasure hunts on the weekends.

sunday funday.

I got to spend most of Sunday getting some crafting done that I have been wanting to mingle with forever. It was heavenly. I hemmed {after much trial & error} some tweed shorts from a couple of seasons back on the new sewing machine, I fixed pair of shoes up that were well, broken, & have been needing some sweet loving, I made the headbands {above} from a dishtowel {black one} & some old scraps of fabric {spice hue} that I had laying around, and I finally started sewing some Christmas pillows from some other fabric scraps, but those will be a work in progress. And last but not least, I dabbled & painted some little treasures I picked up at a garage sale this weekend with my mom... but more on those later. My craft corner that is now a freshly painted grey got lots of loving this weekend & I could not have been happier.

On cloud nine, I tell ya. On cloud nine. I could spend forever sitting here.

xoxo.

Senga. She's my buddy.
I love her a whole lot... I really do.

type A.

To me, there is nothing better than going to go pick out a new planner for the next year, transferring over all your dates on fresh pages, and starting a new, clean slate. I am someone that just cannot get past having a good, trusty, hard copy, hand-written, daily planner at my side. Again, don't get me wrong, I love technology, but this is just another area I cannot get myself to move into fully and give up the old ways. My iCalendar gets left abandoned, even my work Lotus notes goes neglected and very unused. My wonderfully worn, well loved, overly used 8.5 x 5" planner is never not by my side, in my handbag, where ever I go... It carries grocery lists, birthdays, anniversaries, chores to do, reminders to keep, dry -cleaning slips, dog- shot stickers, parties to attend, postage stamps, impromptu get togethers, weddings to celebrate, library book due dates, gifts to buy, meetings to make, people to call, things to take back, coupons, inspiring tear sheets, tickets, meal cooking plans, and doodles or sketches. I have wholeheartedly moved over to support the Moleskin with a whole glorious blank page on each week for my list making and doodling... I highly recommend it. Heck, I highly recommend just going back to the good old days and carrying your loveable, trusty planner with your for any creative or planning itch that occurs. { I am a type- A old woman, and I am fully aware of it. } Seriously though, go try it. go on...

not your average joe.

How awesome is this sidewalk exhibition? This Mona Lisa interpretation is actually sidewalk art put together by a group of artist assistants in Sydney, Australia. The image was created by using 3,604 coffee cups!! Each cup was filled with different amounts of coffee and milk to create the proper pigment. I mean, way to use your morning cup of joe for inspiration. Incredible!
found here.

NZ.

My brother, Garrett, whom I am very close with, is on an amazing adventure for a few indefinite months in New Zealand. Skydiving, exploring, hiking, fishing, playing, meeting, and growing... I am so incredibly jealous of him right now, but could not be more excited for him. I guess I'll have to live vicariously through him for a bit, and create my own adventures at home.

"Never forget that life can only be nobly inspired and rightly lived if you take it bravely and gallantly, as a splendid adventure in which you are setting out into an unknown country, to face many a danger, to meet many a joy, to find many a comrade, to win and lose many a battle." Annie Besant