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"Leprechauns, castles, good luck and laughter.
Lullabies, dreams, and love ever after.
A thousand welcomes when anyone comes.
That's the Irish for you!"
"Wherever you go and whatever you do,
May the luck of the Irish by there with you."
"May you walk in sunshine.
May you never want for more.
May Irish Angels rest their wings right beside your door."
Take Luck by Brian Regan
I hope your day is full of luck, laughter, and dreams ever after! xo
"What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? Describe the people, music, food, drink, clothes, shenanigans." (Author: Shauna Reid)
Queue blank stare: this is where I out myself as being a complete and utter homebody and admit that I rarely attend social gatherings. I mostly enjoy being a party of one, sometimes two, and on very special occasions I'll bump that number up to four (sans kids). But that's not to say there weren't at least a handful of occasions when I collided socially with the outside world - one of my favorite being the Ingrid Michaelson concert I attended with six of my girlfriends in October. We dressed up, had drinks here, ate tapas here, laughed our asses off, drank some more, then had ourselves a rockin' good time watching Ingrid on stage.
Thanks for the good time ladies. Here's to getting me out of the house for something other than a cup of coffee!
I am a HUGE sucker for embroidery - I love it on everything. But it wasn't until I stumbled across Australian artist Larua McKellar that my love and obsession with embroidery jumped to a feverish pitch. I love, love, love how she digitally printed these vintage images on fabric and embroidered the characters with fantastically quirky and colorful masks. I wonder if she'd be willing to spruce up some old photos of me? Swoon. Sigh. Laura McKellar you can poke me with your needle and thread any day. In fact, I hope you do.
{Artist discovery via The Jealous Curator}
"And the seasons, they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're on the carousel of time."
~Joni Mitchell
"Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different – you’ll find they’re what make you beautiful." (Author: Karen Walrond)
This is exactly the sort of question that makes me break out in hives when I think of answering it publicly. Not so much because I don't have an answer to it, but because somewhere along the way I adopted the notion that verbalizing what you like about yourself (ie: things that make you different, unique, or beautiful) is a great big no-no. It's bragging, haughty, and unbecoming of a lady. But I say "screw it!" Life's too short and I don't want to waste anymore time pretending there aren't things that make me different and beautiful. And even though I lose my way sometimes and I don't always know who I am, here are a few things I do know:
1. I have a great smile (I'm working on using it more), and I love to laugh and joke.
2. I love color. Lots and lots of color, and I'm not afraid to wear it and use it in my home.
3. I really, really like to send cards in the mail, especially for no particular reason.
4. I am a huge goofball when I play with my family and close friends. I want to expand though, and learn to be goofy outside my comfort zone.
5. I love new ideas and ways of thinking about things - it's become kind of a compulsion.
6. I enjoy being alone and I need a lot of downtime. It helps keep me centered and restores my energy so I can positively interact with others.
7. I rarely say "yes" if I don't mean it, so in theory, I'm usually happy to show up for my commitments.
8. I don't like being tied to a particular group and I can usually find something to relate to with most people.
9. I wear glasses. For a long time I hated it, but I dislike contacts even more, so I've learned to embrace my geek-chic.
And just to be clear, this quote still applies at all times:
"Do I contradict myself? Very well, I contradict myself. I am large. I contain multitudes." ~Walt Whitman
As I've mentioned before, the new show Portlandia is doing a stellar job at depicting the eccentricities and sometimes off-the-wall culture of Portland, and as I've also mentioned before I am very much one of the people the show is poking fun at. So when I saw this clip from a recent episode I knew I had been caught with my hand in the bird-shaped cookie jar.
And in the words of Carrie Brownstein, "In Portland you can just put a bird on something and call it art." Well, that's no joke, because here are a few paintings I've done that prove exactly that. But really, who can blame me? Everyone loves birds, right?
A few weeks ago I stumbled across the very talented and crush-inducing awesomeness of The 10 Cent Designer (aka: Lori Andrews). I don't know what I love more, her amazing photography skills, interior design genius, her love of food and cooking, or her I Lost My Head Again series. Though to be honest, it's not just one of these things that has me crushing big-time, she's the whole package; and if I possessed one ounce of Lori's eye for style and design I promise I wouldn't be sitting here now- I'd be off in a snowy meadow wearing scuba gear or staging ariel scenes of me and John laying lifeless on the living room floor. Swoon. 10 Cent Designer, thanks for being my Crush of the Week. It wouldn't be the same without you.
And she looks fan-freakin-tastic in a Wonder Woman costume! Told you she was awesome.
Thanks to the diligence of my friend Erin, I no longer have to search for the ever-elusive Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe - she found it(!) - and I am forever grateful because now I don't have to waste hours baking (and subsequently throwing away) listless and unsatisfactory chocolate chip cookies. So get ye to the kitchen NOW, and make these cookies! You will not be sorry (unless you eat them all in one go like I did). These cookies will stay soft and perfectly chewy for at least a week, so no need to rush the pleasure. Plus you can always make more. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°
1. In a large bowl with a wooden spoon (no hand mixers allowed), cream together butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. This can take about 3-4 min to do).
2. Stir in the eggs.
3. Add & mix well the vanilla, baking soda, and salt.
4. Add & mix in the flour.
5. Stir in chocolate chips (I usually use a little less than one bag)
Form large spoonfuls (about the size of a golf ball) onto an ungreased (light, not dark colored) cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 min. They should still look slightly raw when you take them out of the oven. If the tops are kind of brown you know they're done. I always let them finish cooking on the baking sheet for a minute or two before transferring them onto a rack to cool. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week. But I guarantee they won't last that long. Just ask the Hubs. (Makes 2 dozen)
And if you're like me and couldn't resisit eating them all at once, don't despair, that's what Cookie Pants are for...and a Piano Mat.
My Cookie Pants from Scrubs (Season 8)
lydia fairy
