I just saw my friends recently who are huge Star Wars fans. As in dress up to look like the characters and go to conventions Star Wars fans.

Paramore: The Only Exception [OFFICIAL VIDEO]

Everytime I see this video I want to take all my Valentines (Okay maybe they'd be from a couple of years together) and pile them on the floor and lay on top of them like leaves. I love watching her wander from room to room like a small figure inside a dollhouse. :)

How Pink & I Got Back Together Again

Once apon a time in the mid 1980's there was a little girl in an art class. They were passing out construction paper and among the colors was pink. But there were only so many sheets of pink. Just as she was about to reach for the last one, it was snatched away by another girl who snapped, "Pink is only for pretty girls!"
Well.
It was bad enough what that child said. But the worst part was that the little girl, I mean, I believed her. I forgot about the incident for a while and my world filled with respectable blues, browns, blacks and grays. This was fine because I went to Catholic school and that was our uniform. When I went to public high school I kept to that spectrum. I didn't want to stand out. At home, however, with my mom's help, I painted my bedroom a pale peachy pink. This later morphed into light purple because it was deemed "more grown up". Pink was for little kids or really preppy girls who matched their socks to their sweaters. Girls too stuck up to talk to me and my friends. "Pink sucks!"
For a while I never saw pink very much. Maybe it was in hiding after being so abused. I kind of felt like that too when I was a teen. When I got married my bridesmaids all wore blue. I didn't want to be the bridezilla who made everyone wear, OMG, pink! But I felt a thrill when I realized my florist had mixed pink flowers into all my bouquets. I think somehow she knew.
Then one day I watched a new comedy with Reese Witherspoon in it called Legally Blonde. And then I watched it again. The next day I went out and bought a pink lipstick. And I've never been the same since. I've been so much better! It's sad when I think how many years me and Pink lost together all because of a silly misunderstanding. Anyway, the moral of the story is, don't waste time worry about what other people say. So that's the story of how me and Pink got back together again. The color. Not the singer. Although I like her too. Pink on, and Happy Valentine's. :)

Favorite Things

Swiss chalet looking places. I love these carved little alpine utopias...I day dream about leading a David the Gnome existence around one. Maybe I'm thinking about mushroom houses. Who am I kidding, I'd live in one of those too. I'm probably the only Dork I know who's excited about that Gnomeo & Juliet movie opening. LOL

Arm Warmers. I fell in love with the dorky cabled mittens Bella wore in the first Twilight. But the fingerless ones are best because I can dig for my keys or change while staying warm. I also loved the delicate striped ones the Tim Burton Alice wore. Crocheted mitts look amazing with my renaissance faire outfits. No, I can't make any, I've been supporting my addiction through Etsy. But one day I'll commit to learning how.

This cranberry orange bread is my Dad's fave. He is really hard to buy for, so I make sure to stock loaves of this so he can take some for when he travels. I put lots of walnuts in mine. I'll post that recipe sometime soon.:)

When I get snowed in, I make bread. And tea. Yeah!

I live in these boots and the more beat up they get the better they are. I love boots with jeans, skirts, wedding gowns, bathing suits, just everything. I may even love them more than Converse sneakers. That's saying something.

Food From Faraway

I love food that in my mind at least is exotic and interesting. I grew up eating meat and veg with the occasional taco or italian night thrown in. Anything else was pretty unusual. I made a curried orange chicken with sesame ginger stirfry. The ppl in my house aren't into it like I am, but I'm pleased with it. I don't like recipes that are long because after I cook all day who wants long? Or full of expensive ingrediants. So this fit the bill:
Curried Orange chicken
2 boneless skinless breasts
1 cup orange marmelade
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp curry
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp tumeric
1 tsp garlic

Heat stove to 350 degrees. Combine everything but chickens in a bowl and mix. Put chickens in lightly greased pyrex and dump bowl on top of it. Bake for 45 minutes, spooning mixture over top.

I served this with a vegtable stirfry I made using fresh broccoli, mushrooms...the baby corns & water chestnuts were canned. I fried everything but the broc in a skillet with a tbsp of oil and added a tbsp of sesame ginger vinegrette salad dressing and a tsp of crushed red pepper flakes for kick. I cooked the broc in the micro until it was neon green and then added it at the very end. I hate overcooked brown broccoli. I also had green jasmine tea. I love food with a little heat in it when it is so cold.

When The Temperatures Climb...

When the temperatures climb I like to find somewhere cool and dark to hide. I tend to find entertainment to fit that mood. Say what you want about the Twilight Saga series but the Eclipse soundtrack is my new favorite thing to listen to while writing in bed. Or wondering why Edward couldn't have picked Molly Ringwald to be his muse so that maybe I'd like him (and his movies)better? The soundtrack sure has a solid 80's ambient feel that reminds me of my Cocteau Twins days...maybe some Black Tape for A Blue Girl? The pounding yet sinuous Heavy in Your Arms by Florence and The Machine also calls to mind Tori Amos. I also love the languid hymn-like feel to the Band of Horses track Life on Earth. If you bought this album and mixed its nutty goodness into your playlist I think you'd have an audio trail mix worthy of Mordor.

Playlist:

Metric~Eclipse (All Yours)

Muse~Neutron Star Collision (Love is Forever)

The Bravery~Ours

Florence+The Machine~Heavy In Your Arms

Sia~My Love

Fanfarlo~Atlas

The Black Keys~Chop and Change

The Dead Weather~Rolling In On A Burning Tire

Beck and Bat For Lashes~Let's Get Lost

Vampire Weekend~Johnathon Low

Unkle~ With You In My Head (Feat. Black Angels)

Eastern Conference Champions~A Million Miles an Hour

Band of Horses~Life on Earth

Cee Lo Green~What Part of Forever

Howard Shore~Jacob's Theme

I like this pic above promoting Eclipse because it reminds me of Snow White...that and original picture of the red apple representing temptation on the original cover of Twilight.

What This Blog Will Be About

I've been thinking about that. I know I want it to be about lovely things. Things that are fun. Things that are loved. Things I find hilarious or interesting. Things that inspire. Things that move or capitivate. Sometimes it's not necessarily a thing that does this...sometimes just a mood that is evoked. More often than not, it isn't a thing that evokes a mood but a person.

I fall head over heels for the absurd. Case in point, this picture of my husband with my friend Jilly Bean's son Glennie. He is wearing my husband's steampunk goggles. The goggles make anybody and I mean anybody look like 70's Elton John or a bug. Nobody looks like a neo-Victorian mad scientist in them. But this picture is so great I don't really care about that.

I love steampunk moody victorian anything. I'll probably talk ad nauseum about renaissance faires, the garb I'm sewing, tea, books, fashion, makeup...but ultimately it's just good stuff like this picture. I've warned you. Lead on, MacDuff...