lest i forget

Thank you all for the kind, positive comments lately. I like my little blog home and it makes me happy that you like it too.

But I've made a terrible mistake. Last night when I was reading everyone's Blog it Forward posts I realized I'd made a mistake in my own post. A big, huge, slap-my-forehead-in-the-middle-of-the-night mistake.

Of all of the things that inspire me, with perhaps the exception of my faith, nothing is more meaningful to me than the people I love. I am blessed with an incredible group of people in my life- family and friends from whom I've learned so much.

My father is generous and loves his family unconditionally. My mother is fearless and steadfast and selfless. My siblings are brave and loving. My cousins and uncle and aunts and grandmothers and nieces and nephews... I couldn't love them more. And my friends...

"You do not know how much they mean to me, my friends, and how, how rare and strange it is, to find in a life composed so much of odds and ends… to find a friend who has these qualities, who has, and gives those qualities upon which friendship lives. How much it means that I say this to you -without these friendships - life, what cauchemar!"
T.S. Elliot

My life would truly be a "cauchemar" (nightmare) if not for my friends. They are so incredible and important in my life, each in their own way. I watch them live their lives with grace and courage and humor and integrity and I am in awe. This list would also include those people who have come and gone but who's influence and inspiration is undeniable. I wish I could tell you about each of them and the impression they've left on my heart. Maybe I will, but not today.

Who inspires you?

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blogging it forward

I'm very excited to be a part of Blog it Forward. The idea came from the Victoria as a way of sharing love and inspiration with fellow bloggers. Nancy has passed the torch on to me and so it is my turn to share with you what inspires me.

::polaroids::

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I love my magical little camera(s). Taking pictures of the world around me is eye-opening. My camera is teaching me to see beauty everywhere.

::music::
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I find so much inspiration in music. It calms me down, lifts me up, motivates me when I'm feeling lazy and smoothes my soul when weary. Right now I'm loving:
Devotchka
The National
Coeur de Pirate

::evening::

My favorite time of day is probably about an hour before the sun sets when everything is winding down for the day. When the whole world mellows and gets a little quieter and everything is tinged with gold. That's when I can think, walk, sit outside and find some stillness.

::travel::
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I love to be going somewhere. Honestly I think I get inspired just by packing my bags. Whether I'm going to Utah or London or Minnesota or Mexico it's always an adventure and a change of pace. I love the anticipation of leaving my daily life behind, even if it's only for a weekend. I hope to travel a lot this year - as much as possible.

::words::
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I am a collector of words. I have notebooks full of quotes, stories, and poems that have at one time or another been an meaningful to me.

::faith::

I can't tell you what my faith does for me. I don't know enough words to tell you how it restores my soul and strengthens my heart. It makes me a better person, a better friend, a better daughter. I love my Heavenly Father so. The knowledge that I am his daughter and that is love for me is unconditional a blessing I don't think I could live without.


Tomorrow please be sure to check out Polka Dot Robot.

Also blogging today:

The Baker's Daughter
Her Sunday Dress
S.HOPtalk
Design Fixation
Cafe Cartolina
Angie Go Boom
Lilac & Ivy
Victoria Klein
Nectar & Light

Thank you Victoria for putting this together and having me as a participant.

I hope you are all finding inspiration in your own lives.

xo

Built by Wendy

I really love these dresses from Built by Wendy. Really, really.

via Simple Song

play date

Lissy Elle's photostream is so dreamy and childlike.

photo credit

keep to the sunlight

“Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight.”
Benjamin Franklin.

photo via my Flickr

birds of a feather flocking together at Anthropologie

I'm obsessed with these giant birds (made out of rolled up newspapers)that have been on display at the Anthropologie store in Santa Barbara. I was invited to be a part of their one year anniversary celebration on Thursday evening. They're are celebrating one year at their new location. These beauties are being auctioned off at the party. I'm not going to lie... my first thought was "Where could I put one?" But alas, there will be no giant birds (paper or otherwise) moving in with me.

The more pressing matter is that I have no idea what to wear.

photos from my Flickr

Sunday recipe

I decided I would (try to) share a new recipe with you every Sunday. I'm hoping this will be good motivation for me to actually try cooking more.



So today I give you: Adorable Egg Baked in Cream. I added the "adorable" part myself. As far as raw eggs go I think it's pretty fitting.

This is a perfect dish for one person but can easily be made for several people. I used a little ramekin and it was just right. The only tricky bit is cleaning the leeks but once you've got it down it's a piece of cake. Just chop off the dark green part, then take a sharp knife and cut long ways from the root to the end going 1/2 way through the leek. Then with the root facing you spread the layers open and hold under the tap to rinse. See, it's not that bad. And it's worth making this dish if only for the smell of fresh thyme. Heaven.

Now I have to say when I first came across this recipe I almost passed it up. I'm the sort of person who would rather overcook eggs a little than risk any gooeyness. So even if you're not crazy about eggs I would recommend giving it a shot. Of course the photo I took is pre-cooking. I recommend cracking the yoke before putting in the oven.

Now the recipe, finally:


Egg Baked in Cream
Serves 1 with leftover leeks for many uses

1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 leek, sliced, light green and white parts only
Salt
2 sprigs thyme, leaves roughly chopped
2 sprigs parsley, leaves roughly chopped
1 large farm-fresh egg
About 2 tablespoons half-and-half
Coarsely ground black pepper
Grilled or toasted bread slices

1. Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees. In a small sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the leeks, a splash of water and a pinch of salt and cook until the leeks are tender, about 2 minutes. (If you like sweeter leeks just cook them longer, but I think 2 minutes is perfect.) Add the herbs and transfer to a 6-inch cazuela, cocotte or other ceramic dish (I used a small ramekin), covering the bottom with the butter, leeks and herbs.

2. Crack the egg into the middle of the dish. Add enough half-and-half to barely cover the white. Sprinkle with salt and coarsely ground pepper. Cook until the white is set, 8 to 12 minutes. Serve with grilled or toasted bread.

Enjoy!

winter sunshine

The Valley is lush and green after all the rain we've had. I was driving home after work and pulled over to take these Polaroids. I was pleasantly surprised at the results.

This were taken with this camera. She does a great job, no?

(maybe next time i'll make sure my shadow isn't in the shot... whoops)

photos by me

hello weekend

“It was one of those winter days that suddenly dream of spring, when the sky is blue and soft and clear, and the wind has dropped its voice and whispers instead of screaming, and the sun is out and the trees look surprised, and over everything there is the faintest, palest tint of green.”
Shirley Jackson

I love reading Natalie's recaps of The Bachelor. Hilarious.

The Pee-Without-Noise Stool

These are the prettiest potholes you ever did see.

Marc Jacobs 2010 has great colors.

Cori's shop is full of vintage goodness.

Sort of loving side braids

A peek inside Rachel Zoe's makeup bag

Bacon Cheese Turtle Burger

Red velvet whoopie pies

Do you want to Enjoy Cupcakes with me in Los Olivos?

How to Really Love a Child

And finally....

Who is the cutest??

photo credit

you look so fly

Even though the days are getting longer I feel like I have less time than ever... How is this possible?



photo credit

Pretty dirty

I don't know about you but this sort of makes me want to never wash my car again. Maybe then Alison Carmichael will come do some pretty calligraphy on it. It's worth a shot!

found via Oh Joy!

exaggerating

"Si exagerásemos nuestras alegrías, como hacemos con nuestras penas, nuestros problemas perderían importancia."
Anatole France

This is one of my favorite quotes. Maybe I've posted it before, I can't remember. If you don't speak Spanish, it basically says that if we would exaggerate our joys the way we do our sorrows, our problems wouldn't matter.

I've been struggling with something at work. Someone, to be more precise. If I let myself complain about this person I have to admit it feels pretty good. But afterwards I find myself all worked up, dwelling on things that make me unhappy. I would much rather dwell on things that make me happy! I also find myself exaggerating. Not on purpose. I thinking I'm a pretty honest, straight forward person, but it's easy to get worked up about something upsetting.

So what is my point? Whenever I start to complain about something I am stopping to ask myself "Is it really that bad? Really?" Also "is it going to matter one year from now?" It's tough though, especially when I feel justified in my frustration. But I guess that's sort of the point.

I printed out this quote and keep it in my wallet. It helps and I'm trying.

"Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don't judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet. Charity is accepting someone's differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn't handle something the way we might have hoped. Charity is refusing to take advantage of another's weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us. Charity is expecting the best of each other."
Marvin J. Ashton

Maybe you're better at handling unpleasant situations/people than I am. How do you do it??

In happier news my Mission President added me as a friend on Facebook. I LOVE IT!


image found via Just Be Splendid

Dear Future Husband,

I'd really love to have this ring. It's from the 1900's made of platinum and yellow gold. It's perfect. Love, Your Future Wife

found via Dilly Dallas

They wanted to see how my "magic camera" worked. It's never too early to get hooked on analog film right? Oh this picture is so telling of the girls' personalities.

L-0-V-E love

"L is for life. And what is life without love?... O is for 'Oh wow!"..." (that's from FRIENDS of course)

I l-o-v-e love Valentine's Day. Well okay that's not true. I couldn't give a hoot about Valentine's Day But I love love. There are a lot of people and things in my life that I love.

This year since Valentine's Day fell on a Sunday I decided spend the day cooking up a feast for a friend who just had her fourth child so she could relax with her family. I found an amazing recipe for chicken with lentils (two of my faves) and it turned out so delicious! I'll share the recipe later, but I promise you should make it too. I also made french rolls, caramelized corn with fresh mint, green salad and cupcakes made from scratch. And now I need a nap. I call it a feast since I'm not much of a dinner person and cooking for one is a LOT different than cooking for six.

This weekend was too busy for much else! What did you do this weekend?


photo by Jen Gotch

have a lovely weekend

This weekend I'm going to my sweetest friend's Sweet 16 party. Okay, so I used to babysit her... but she's the coolest girl. I adore her. Her name is Bailey, isn't that a beautiful name? It is an Alice in Wonderland themed party so you can be sure pictures will be taken.

I'll also be watching as much of the Olympics as possible without turning into a couch potato.

I'll do a Valentine's post later. Right now I need sleep.



photo credit

i'm so negative

Still playing with my Holgaroid camera. I wanted to try some 125i Silk film so I took a quick self portrait. The actual picture turned out pretty good but the other side (of the peel apart film) looked even cooler. I mean that the picture/negative looked cool, not me. I'm not that vain I swear. And this way you don't get to see the bags under my eyes and my hair frizzing out of control.

Other things I accomplished besides taking pictures of myself were:

Catching up on Monday's episode of The Bachelor.

Drinking recording breaking amounts of hot cocoa.

What did you do today?

Finally ... Holgaroid success!

Back in September I got a beautiful Holgaroid from PolaPremium and I have finally been able to start using it. It took me this long to figure out what I was doing wrong. I won't tell you what it was either because d'Oh! But no, it wasn't leaving the lens cap on.

Yesterday was perfectly perfect so after spending the morning with a friend Harlow and I headed to the one dog friendly beach we knew of. She was in heaven. My only complaint is to the seagulls who ate my In & Out. (note: do not leave food unattended at any beach) I didn't get three feet away from the table when I turned around and there were 50 + birds going at it. Twenty minutes later all there was left was the lid to my drink cup and a few ice cubes! Scary... I've seen the movie, The Birds.

On another note - I was showing this to a woman I work with and her response was "Oh yeah, I can do that in Photoshop." This makes me sigh. I have nothing against Photoshop or any other photo editing software. Most of my digital pics are edited in Picnik. But I love film. I love the texture and the color of the actual film. I love the imperfections. And instead of editing an image on my computer I got to stand in the sunshine on a pretty beach smelling the sea air and peel apart my precious film like a present. And I got to be pleasantly surprised with the results.

I hope the sunshine went somewhere nice... it's been raining buckets all day long today.

If you're interested I took this using Polaroid 100 Chocolate film, developed for 70 seconds.

Hipster Pups

Because I need another distraction during the work day. These hip little puppies are pretty awesome. I wonder how Harlow would look in glasses...

just kidding... sort of.

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rainy days

Rainy days make me think of Wales. It holds a very special place in my heart. I think I say that about a lot of things. It's okay though, I have a very roomy heart - there is plenty of space for lots of people, places and things.

These pictures were taken in 2006 when my mom came to visit me. The first three are of (and around) Castle Coch. I love it because it looks like a fairy tale castle. The last three are of (and around) Caerphilly Castle. And I love this castle because you'll notice (in the first photo) that one of the towers is leaning. I have very fond memories of spending many happy hours with friends when I was 19 years old and living on my own for the first time ever. The pictures are kind of dark, but I like them that way.

Where is one of your favorite places?

i love everyone in this picture

I'm so glad Tracy blogged - and especially that she blogged a picture I could steal... of some of my very favorite people. I love them so much I sometimes pretend they are my family. (No offensive to my actual family). They are just so great. This was my last visit to Utah. Billie, Brian, Tracy, Tiffany, Nathan, Billie's (and Tracy and Tiffany's) parents and me. The only person missing is Wendy! So much fun. I wish Utah was closer!

music wednesday

I know, it's supposed to be "music monday", but on Monday I was busy doing absolutely nothing.

So anyway awhile ago I heart a song by DeVotchKa and I was in love. They are so, SO good. Have you heard them? Am I the last one?

Either way, I am crazy about Queen of Surface Streets, so you should have a listen.

And here are a few more of my favorites right now:
(change the "hxxp" to "http")

Us

Bad Kids

There is a Light that Never Goes Out

Honey Bee

Daughters of the Soho Riots

Comme de Enfants

Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want

Blackbird

Tout Doucement

There Goes the Fear

I've purchased all these songs so if you like them please support the artists by doing the same. To download just change the "hxxp" to "http" and enjoy!

Enjoy!
xoxo

Chelsea's sock

If you had this sock it would mean you were (are) friends with Chelsea and that would make you a very lucky person indeed! But since I am the one with the sock I must be the lucky one. And yes, she is the best best friend a girl could ask for.

In case you're interested in why I have her sock I'll tell you. I promise you it's not exciting...so don't say I didn't warn you.

One day many years ago when Chelsea and I were living in Provo I went over to her house to do laundry. I have no idea why. I was probably out of quarters and she is just awesome like that. Somehow I wound up with this awesome black chinese writing sock. I think I found it when I moved back to CA. I told her I had it and I kept meaning to give it back to her... but 10 + years later I still have it. I'd mail it to her now but she'll probably do something very practical with it... like throw it away.

I love you Ringo

I'm just going to take a minute to tell you how much I love Ringo Starr. I was so disappointed watching the Grammy's last night. Am I the only one who thought the show was one hot mess? Eesh. Okay there were some really great performances. But if Ringo can sit through it then so can I.

I grew up watching Help and A Hard Day's Night and listening to The Beatles with my dad. And from the very beginning Ringo was my favorite. Maybe because he seemed like he would be the nicest. But he was always sort of the underdog and he had those big brown eyes.

And I mean look at him ... such a rockstar.

Do you have a favorite Beatle?

edit:: Apparently everyone loved the Grammy's and they got the highest ratings in like 6 years. So I guess it was just me.