You Can Thank Me Later...

Soft Pumpkin Cookies
2 and 1/2 cups of flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/2 cups of granulated sugar
1/2 cup of butter (1 stick) softened
1 cup LIBBY'S %100 Pure Pumpkin
1 large egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease baking sheets.
COMBINE flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in medium bowl and set aside.
BEAT sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until well blended.
BEAT in pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract until smooth.
Gradually beat in flour mixture.
Drop onto greases baking sheets.
Bake for 13 minutes or until edges are firm.
Cool for 2 minutes, move to cooling racks.

Halloween... Nice and creepy

http://www.createmyevent.com/2009/09/a-slashin-dinner-bash.html

My obsession with Stop-Motion continues

I love Coldplay...

Last year I missed Halloween because in India they don't celebrate this wonderful holiday. This year I am looking forward to going all out. This is the first of many Halloween ideas. Not only that, but this idea in particular, can be used for any occasion, just by changing out the color of the curtain. Hmmm.

http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/halloween-decorating#slide_36

I want to be friends with these people.

aaron + jess // a short film about us from stillmotion on Vimeo.

From Coin To Ring?

http://homepage.mac.com/johnhuber/CoinRing/PhotoAlbum20.html

Thought this was pretty amazing. Turning a silver dollar into a ring? There is a full tutorial with pics and a woman's ring can be made from a quarter. Pretty cool.

Literal Videos

This is great. I loveYouTube:)

This Makes Me Smile

http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/09/10/wedding-worthy-soundtrack-cake-first-dances/
One of the regular bloggers on Wedding Bee is using this sweet song for her cake cutting. I keep playing it on a loop:)

This Commercial Must Have Taken Forever!

New TRON- How cool is this?!

Two Fun DIY's

Lemon candles. What an awesome way to set a table and reuse your lemons. Many thanks to Martha for the idea. Check out the link for instructions.

http://www.marthastewart.com/article/lemon-candles?autonomy_kw=LemonCandles

These paper lanterns are just too cool. Thanks to Can't Stop Making Things Blog, you too can construct such loveliness. :)

http://www.cantstopmakingthings.com/2009/08paper-cloud-lanter.html

WORDS...

I love words. LOVE them. Take the word scrumptious. Doesn't it just roll off the tongue and sound like what it means? But sometimes a word comes along that I detest. For example: Moist. I hate this word. It actually makes me gag to say. I can't quite put my finger on why. May it has to do with literary references from my childhood; The dungeon was dank and moist. Blech.
Another word I hate is panties. It skeeves me out. I can't say it out loud and when someone does, especially a man, I shudder and make a sour face, ya know, the kind you make when you take nothing but pure lemon. Yuck. It makes me think of pedophiles. Does that make me weird? Perhaps.

I've Got My Angry Eyes On

I miss cheese. I just moved from a quiet farm in Connecticut to the city of Chicago. Then again, after India, anything else is quiet. So far, so good. Coming from NYC usually, I am used to crazy traffic, large crowds, busy trains, and loud honking. Chicago has offered nominal traffic, less people, okay trains even at rush hour, and near silent streets. It's a nice middle ground. Grant Park is amazing and I am loving the cycling community. I bought myself a bike. And not just a bike, but a sassy little Schwinn Jaguar. My mother checked it out at Target. She said it looked like Pee Wee Herman's bike. I took that as a complete compliment.

While our new condo is fantastic and so is our new black cat, Tux, I went to the doctor for an annual physical just before I moved. I found out that at 29 years of age, I have high cholesterol. This is shocking to me. I am in pretty good shape and for all 123 lbs. of me, I like to eat. I now live in a city that is famous for it's deep dish pizza! What's a girl to do? For the past three weeks, I haven't had anything with cholesterol in it... until last night. I had turkey kielbasa. Today, I feel tired and gross. Also, I am really hungry. to make things worse, before I moved, I vowed to used my Kitchen Aide Mixer every week. I love to bake. Today I made chocolate chip cookies from scratch. I am frustrated for two reasons. 1- I am tempted to eat all the cookies. 2- They came out terrible. So in a sense I guess I solved my own problem. As for the deep dish- I'll have to get back to you on that one:)

I <3 Books, So...

DIY Library-Themed Invites:

I came across this great idea via Joanna at Smitten . Diana and Scott, both librarians, had this totally ingenious and totally DIY invitations for their library-themed wedding.

The (checkout card style) Main Invite

Reception Rules card

RSVP card

The Map (with a sweet library quote)

From the library date stamps, embossed seal, realistic (and free!) typewriter font and the 365.49 Dewey system reference…down to the reception rules and “LIBRARY IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR LOST OF DAMAGED INVITATIONS” blurb— you can tell that Diana and Scott put a ton of thought into making the invitations truly their own.

The completed ensemble

Excerpts from Diana and Scott:

Instead of a regular RSVP, we made our guests fill out an “application form” as if they were applying for a library card. Scott found a cool font online to download and used it for our invites. We used thick paper, and printed everything ourselves from his printer.

It really wasn’t too hard; we got the actual slips from a library supply company (I think it was Demco) and used card stock, custom made rubber stamps, and a paper cutter as are only other supplies. Scott used Word to create the cards themselves…it’s nothing more then a Text Box with lines…

The envelopes were basic tan colored business envelopes and we used the font we found to address them. We also embossed the front of the cards and envelopes with our first initials to give it a more dated look. My parents made us a custom embosser and help from friends and family to emboss each pocket. we also had a stamp made that said “the library of scott and diana”.

{ all images from Our City Lights }

Look What I Found!

I have been seeing these little buggers everywhere lately. I can't tell if I love them or hate them, but seeing as how I will probably be needing them for a weddings in August, October and November, I should probably give them a shot. They are $9.95 a pair and come in the two colors: Clear and Black. Very tempting.





http://thepreppywedding.blogspot.com/2008/12/soulmates.html

Compact Spaces

Just when I thought that living in a studio was out of the question. This picture is filled with ideas that would make me rethink any living space. Awesome.

Love this Photographer

Images via www.janvonholleben.com

Birds Make Me Happy

With the coming of spring, birds are everywhere. Not only are they appearing outside, but in popular photography and art all over. I have to say, I am admittedly jumping on the Bird Bandwagon myself.

Image via www.ElizabethMessina.com

Both the metal bird and the mobile are courtesy of www.anthropologie.com

How'd They Do That?!

Legend has it that if you fold 1000 paper cranes you get a free wish. I better get started then. I'll let you know how it goes... :)

Make or Break

Sometimes I wish I had a yellow brick road to know where I was supposed to go next. Although Dorothy faced certain danger, at least she knew that road would lead her to the Wizard of Oz. I have no yellow bricks, no wizard, no ruby slippers. Somewhere over the rainbow I have to make some tough decisions, and soon. I've been home for almost a month now and I still have no idea what I'm going to do and where I'll end up going. I'm frustrated and scared. But at the same time I'm beginning to get a little numb. Have you ever been so overwhelmed with options that you don't know what to do? Have you ever felt like shutting down? How long is a person supposed to sit back and wait? Do I have the strength to keep myself going without a plan?

I don't have any of these answers. Life would be a lot easier if I did.

My Newest Venture- Via GrowingBolder.com

Two Voices Separated By 1 Generation

THE WHOLE TRUTH AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH

Why would a woman my age love to watch the TV shows "Cheaters" and "Cops"? I'll tell you the truth. I love to see people getting caught in their lies. And not so much the lies they tell others but the lies they tell themselves. Think about it. If someone is breaking the law they first have to convince themselves that whatever they are doing is worth enough to perhaps land them in jail. And if they are cheating they must first convince themselves that the other person is worth enough to justify hurting someone they had pledged to be faithful to forever. And that's what I love to watch. The justifications, pontifications, and self-delusions melt away as the criminals and cheaters come face to face with what they have done. Perhaps this is so important because lies have been and are still a big part of my life. My mom lied that she was drinking, my dad lied that he was interested in me, and I lied right back. I told my mother I hadn't eaten the sugar cookies and told my father he was the only one I would ever love. These lies followed me for years. They followed me through the Adkins diet, the grapefruit diet, Metrocal, and Weight Watchers. They followed me through every narcissistic man in my life I dated or married.

Lies. I hate them yet I held them close far too long. Unfortunately, no crew with cameras showed up at my door to shove them in my face forcing me to acknowledge my hypocrisy. I had to fight the image in the mirror every morning and believe that the truth would set me free. My early training and society did little to help but with therapy and spirituality the lies began to stop. And when that began to happen I did experience a sense of freedom. It was the freedom to finally admit who I was, what I wanted, and who I wanted to be with. But I still love "Cops" and "Cheaters".

Deedra Hunter is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Certified Eating Disorder Specialist with the LifeWorks Group, Inc. in Winter Park, FL. She has over 20 years of experience serving her clients needs and has also published a book called; Winning Custody: A Woman’s Guide to Retaining Custody of Her Children.

________________________________________________________________

Tell Me Lies, Tell Me Sweet Little Lies-

While Deedra has "Cheaters" and "Cops" to indulge in I have a show called the "Moment of Truth". This program pits people against a lie detector machine. They are asked a series of 50 questions which are tailored to the individual player. I would never go on this show for one reason. I am a liar.

When we are little we are taught a lie is not nice and, consequently, we will get in trouble for telling one. But then one day we learn that a fib or "white lie" is told to protect someone’s feelings. While this was confusing to us as children “white” lies are something we take advantage of on a daily basis.

Deedra and I have been discussing the topic of lies for at least two weeks. Until just today, I was altogether unaware of how often people lie to each other. Why do we do it? I think the answer is simple. We lie to protect our feelings and the feelings of others.

Yesterday I sat down with my mother, my aunt, and my 17 year old cousin and suddenly the discussion turned to lying. They had no idea that this had been a topic heavy on my mind as of late. My cousin told me about “convenience” lies. “What’s that?” I asked. He gave the example of telling someone you have no more room in your car when in reality you don’t want to take that particular person with you. I had never heard of such a thing! But then I sat back and thought that maybe he was spot on. I see today's teens use these convenience lies in almost every conversation. “ Do you like my new shirt?", "Oh, it's super cute." And then they will immediately turn around and tell someone else how hideous they think it is.

I've certainly had this scenario play out many times in my life. I will fully admit to fibbing when someone asks me if I liked their brownies and I didn't. I've sat in on work meetings and kept my opinions to myself. I know now that is like lying by omission. I didn't want to face the feared impact of my honest words so I chose to keep my mouth shut. Just to be clear, I regret all those things, but they are too late to take back now. All I can do is try my hardest not to do them again.

Deedra had a great thought. Maybe we people below 30 lie so much because our generation has grown up in an era of being "PC"- politically correct. We are afraid to tell people what we really think because there could be real legal problems to handle. We don't want to rock this boat because most of us don't have the knowledge to deal with the consequences of our words. It's easier to tell a lie. Not right, mind you, just easier. We dance around the truth all day long and most of us probably don't even know we're doing it! Maybe some of us are simply not nice, but I think that most are trying to save face and/or be agreeable.

This subject has definitely caused me to look at my daily life and admit that I lie more often than I'd like too. My very wise aunt had a great point. She said that ultimately all that lying will start to eat away at your soul. Now, I know that is 100% the truth.

~Elizabeth Whittemore

There's No Place Like Home

In the immortal words of Judy Garland, "There's no place like home. There's no place like home!"

Sometimes while I was on the other side of the planet I wished I could click my heels together and fly far, far away, come retro twister or the wave of a magic wand. Instead I took a two hour flight to Mumbai, a 9 hour flight to Brussels, an 8 hour flight to Newark and then a 3 hour car ride back to my home town of Simsbury, Ct. I have been home for week now, and it has been, on the whole, incredible. But surprisingly enough, it has been extremely overwhelming. Everyone is asking how the transition, from living in a developing country to coming back to ideal suburbia, has been. One friend equated it to coming back from war. While I was fortunate enough to not have to deal with extremes in that sense, I understand what he meant. The first night I was home, I got changed into pj pants and a sweatshirt, because I had gone from 99 degree weather, to 7 degree weather in a little over 24 hrs. After I brushed my teeth before going to bed, I was in the bathroom and slowly turned my head to the right. "I can take a hot shower. Right now, if I want to," I thought to myself. To me, at this moment, to was like a gift from God. In India, I never knew if we were going to have water at all, let along power to heat it up. So I took a shower. An honest to God, standing up, hot steaming, full streaming, shower. And ya know what? I took another one in the morning, just because I knew I could.

The first time I drank water from the fridge, I hestitated. I almost asked my mother if it had been filtered. Then I realized that it was once again safe to drink it right from the tap. I only did that once in India, and once was enough. I was sick for three days. Blech. On Saturday morning, I saw the first on many friends. We stopped at a Dunken Donuts on the way to our destination. Not only was I already excited that I got to wear a seat belt in the car, but I smiled to myself when I didn't hear anything outside the car. It was blissfully quiet. Not one single honk from another vehicle all day long. But the real kicker came when I went inside Dunken Donuts to order food. It was the first time in 6 months, that I knew what would happen for sure. I would pay with American dollars, recieve mundane American service, and eat my bagel and cream cheese like it was nobody's business. Directly after I ordered, I stepped to the side to wait for my things, and I glanced down to see a napkin dispenser. I had never been so excited in all of my life to see such an ordinary object. I literally got tears in my eyes. My friends immediatedly saw my face and asked me what was wrong. I told them nothing, that this ordinary napkin dispenser had made me so happy because it was not common in India. If I went to a restaurant, I wasn't even allowed to place my own napkin in my lap. And if I went to a local hole in the wall, they didn't gave you napkins. Now, here I was, in a Dunken Donuts, eating a dairy product that didn't make me nervous and touching whatever I damn well pleased without thinking about immediately applying hand sanitizer. Being home felt so freeing.

A week later, I am still taking things slowly. I have now driven for the first time, eaten meat for the first time, and am sleeping on a pretty normal schedule. I miss Brandon very much. I know he'll be home in a few weeks, but being apart is not something I plan on doing ever again. I look forward to appreciating everything we are so lucky to have. I make a conscious effort to be thankful for all the little things we take for granted. I learned more than I could have ever imagined in India. And I know that I will take those experiences with me, wherever I may go next.

Waving goodbye

Today is my last day living in India. I fly back to the States at 9:10pm this evening. Not only will I be leaving behind the tough times I've had here, but I will also be leaving my heart. Brandon will be staying for another month. Although we have dated long distance and been apart for more months on end, for some reason, this will be the most difficult thing I've had to do thus far. When you completely abandon the way you live to come to the other side of the earth for another person, it really puts your life into perspective.

Living here has not been easy. There are things about myself that I missed. I missed being able to express myself with clothing, and talking and laughing with the people I saw every day back home. I missed be able to go outside without feeling like an animal in a zoo. I missed the freedom of feeling independent. Although this culture is vastly different, I can respect where the people are coming from. That is to say to an extent. I hated being spoken about as if I were not in the room, by certain men. I hated the fact that there is a false sense of cultural stability. I hated the fact that homosexuality was blocked out as if it didn't exist. All of these things made me angry. I can only hope that one day, more people here will be open to different kinds of individuals and cultures. I hope for the tolerance among the religions and yearning to learn and think outside the box. I wish this country nothing but the best and will always carry my time here with fondness, for I learned how truly lucky I am to have been born in a country that, on the whole, will accept me however I choose to live and express myself.

While I sat in our apartment, most days, surrounded by the sounds of the neighborhood, I would get lonely. But eventually, loneliness turned into ingenuity. Ingenuity turned into letters and blogs and screenplays. I wasn't afraid to sing loudly anymore and I wasn't afraid to dance like no one was looking, because, well, no one was. I will take all these things home with me. I will remember what I learned here and make sure that every day is worth living and learning and holding with you. I will take the love I get from Brandon every day and put more love out into the world. I have gotten nothing but support from him while I've been here. I think if you can survive in a developing country with no one but the one you love, well, that's pretty damn good, if you ask me. So India, to you, I say "Adieu", to Brandon I say, "See you in a month, my love", and to America, I say, "See you soon...."

The Oscars

The 81st Annual Academy Awards

This was one of the best shows that I've seen put on by the Academy. It was very subdued and elegant. Intimate, seems the best way to accurately describe it. While Slumdog Millionare was the night big winner, there was no shortage of glamour on the red carpet. Here are a few of my favorite images and moments of the evening.

Marion Cotillard, last year's winner of Best Actress was stunning. She was joined by Sophia Loren, Shirley MacLaine, Halle Berry, and Nicole Kidman in describing each of this year's nominees in a personal fashion. Kate Winslet took home the Oscar for The Reader.
Angelina Jolie, statuesque as always.
New comer to the red carpet Amanda Seyfried.

I was so happy to see that all the young actors from slumdog were able to attend.

This was by far my favorite moment of the night......

Heath LedgerTHE DARK KNIGHT

Heath Ledger portrays the Joker, a psychopathic criminal mastermind who will stop at nothing in his scheme to outwit and humiliate Batman.

ACCEPTANCE SPEACH

Kim Ledger:

First of all, I have to say this is ever so humbling. Just being amongst such wonderful people, such a wonderful industry. Firstly, I'd like to thank the Academy for recognizing our son's amazing work, Warner Bros. and Christopher Nolan in particular, for allowing Heath the creative license to develop and explore this crazy Joker character. To Steve Alexander, Heath's mentor, special friend and agent for 10 years. We love you, Steve. This award tonight would've humbly validated Heath's quiet determination to be truly accepted by you all here, his peers, within an industry he so loved. Thank you.

Sally Bell:

Heath was such a compassionate and generous soul who added so much excitement and inspiration to our lives. We have been truly overwhelmed by the honor and respect being bestowed upon him with this award. Tonight, we are choosing to celebrate and be happy for what he has achieved.

Kate Ledger:

Heath, we both knew what you had created in the Joker was extraordinarily special and had even talked about being here on this very day. We really wish you were, but we proudly accept this award on behalf of your beautiful Matilda. Thank you.

I watch this show every year. It brings me such joy. No matter where my life and career and dreams may lie, this show brings me hope reminds me why I do what I do.

Tea Tin Candles

Making Candles in Tins
Tea tins are ideal for making these simple but effective container candles. However, you can also use olive oil jugs, sardine cans, or any other tin imaginable to make beautiful and colorful displays!

Supplies:
Four 6-inch-length wire-core wicks, primed
4 wick holders
4 tin cans, approximately 4 inches deep and 2 inches wide
2.5 ounces stearin
1 disk wax dye, if desired
1.5 pounds paraffin wax

Directions:
1. Insert a length of primed wick into each wick holder and place a wick in the center of each tin.
2. In the top of a double boiler over medium heat, melt the stearin and wax dye, if using.
3. Add the wax. Melt and mix thoroughly. Heat to 190 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. Anchor the wicks in the tins by pouring enough wax into each tin to cover about 1/2 inch of each wick. Allow the wax to cool for about 30 minutes.
5. Wrap the end of the wicks around tie rods and rest the rods on the tops of the containers. Take up any slack in the wicks and center them within the tins. Be careful not to dislodge the anchors.
6. Reheat the wax to 190 degrees Fahrenheit and fill the tins to within 1/2 inch of the top. Allow to cool for one hour.
7. If the wax settles, reheat the remaining wax to 190 degrees Fahrenheit and top off the candles as necessary.
8. Cool for several hours or overnight. Remove the tie rods, trim the wicks to 1/4 inch, and the candles are ready to light.

http://www.countryliving.com/crafts/projects/candles-tins-0109?src=rss

This project originally appeared in the book Country Living Homemade Candles.

Tree Houses

I always wanted a tree house as a kid. In this new greener age, people are actually trading them in for their permanent residence. Here are a few that caught my eye.

Source: www.treehugger.com

Source: www.barbarabutler.com

Source: www.freshome.com

This one comes from inside The Tree House Book by Peter and Judy Nelson.

It reminds me of the Weasley's house in Harry Potter.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0789304112/leavingamericareA

One day, when I have a big back yard, I will build one of these for my children. But, I'll probably use it for myself at any chance I get.

Repurpose Thursday

These ideas are all thanks to www.realsimple.com

Permanent Marker

Cover small bleach spots on black garments.

Save a photograph. Use a permanent marker, such as a Sharpie, to black out unsightly red-eye in prints.

Fill in scuffs and scratches on shoes, furniture, or a car’s interior.

Update a lamp shade. Apply a guide of masking tape around the bottom of a lamp shade, a half inch from the edge, then use a marker to color in a dark border. Repeat for the top edge. For the more artistically ambitious, make a design on the shade with a stencil to create a filigreed or stained-glass effect when the light shines through.







"Hello, My Name Is"



Maintain your book collection. Write your name on the tags and stick them inside book covers so borrowers know where to return your best sellers.



Keep track of coats at a party. When a guest arrives, jot the person’s name on a tag and attach it to his or her coat. Then, as people leave, you can quickly retrieve the right black wool peacoat from among the many.



Send a letter using a name tag as an address label.



Sort dishes. Label the bases of pans and Tupperware containers at a potluck dinner so each one is returned to its proper owner.







Transparent Tape



Prepare to pucker up. For a smoother finish, press the sticky side of a piece of tape to your lips to remove dry skin (that is not cracked) before applying lipstick.



Identify plants. Use clear tape to cover seed markers in the garden. You’ll be able to read the names all season long, rain or shine.



Try a new color. Find out what “Hot Tamale” nail polish will look like on you. Place a small piece of tape on your fingernail, then brush on a test coat.



Arrange flowers. Clear tape, when applied across the mouth of a vase in a grid formation, makes an invisible guide for arranging flowers.



Seal the frayed end of a shoelace.


Get hung up. Before hanging a picture on a plaster wall, put a small piece of tape where the nail will go. This will prevent the plaster from chipping when you hammer in the nail.






Corkboard




Soak it up. Cut a corkboard liner for the bottom of an umbrella stand.



Place under doormats, seat cushions, and laptops — anything on a slick surface — to keep them from sliding around.



Store hair accessories. Mount the corkboard on a wall and hang thin hair bands, elastics, and clips with thumbtacks or hooks.



Slip corkboard sheets under plates for a new take on place mats. Use letter stamps to personalize them with family members’ names or an appropriate message (“Bon appétit!”).


Cut into four-inch squares to use as minimalist coasters.

More to Do In 2009

Another thing I need to do this year is GET ORGANIZED! I know they have profeesionals now that you can hire to come into your house and fix each room for you. But, seriously, why would I want to hire someone to do something that surely I can figure out how to do on my own. (Says a very bitter young woman, who has what you would call organized chaos. )

I know where everything is, but I would love for it to look pretty in the process. I will be avidly searching for lovely ways to make sure everything is in it's place.

Images via http://lily-gonline.blogspot.com/

In these ever changing times...

I have a new rule this year: If I buy something new, I have to get rid of something old. But at the same time, why buy when you can repurpose instead?

This interesting lighting fixture is made of bic pens.

Thanks to Martha, you can make bottle cap push pins or magnets.

Old records can be turned into coasters. Image thanks to www.urbanoutfitters.com.

www.Craftybits.com has a bunch of awesome projects. Here are the intructions for t-shirt pillows.

Materials:

Old T-shirt

Filling Needle

thread or craft glue

For this project you can use old t-shirts that are in good condition that you may have out grown or accidentally shrunk in the wash. Or perhaps its a t-shirt of a loved one who is away or departed. If you are making this project in a large group you can obtain the t-shirts from your local thrift shop.

Start by laying out the shirt flat on a table. You can either sew the edges or glue them the choice is yours. Stitching will be more durable but for kids or a quick craft you can just glue the seams. Glue or stitch the bottom of the shirt and the arm holes closed. Leave the neck area open for the filling. A soft fiber fill stuffing will work well, but you can use other items such as beans, foam chunks or old rags. Gently fill the shirt until it is nice and plump looking, then either glue or sew the neck hole closed with small stitches.

For a fun effect add some badges to the t-shirt pillow.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day

Image Via www.trekearth.com

Image vi www.flikr.com

This comes from www.FFFFound.com

This is Teddy Roosevelt's diary. On this day, his wife of four years, Alice Lee, died of Bright’s disease.

I hope you all can be with the ones you love today.