animal car

The realization has finally occurred; my car will never be clean again.  Having been commandeered by a toddler and an infant, the back seat of my vehicle looks like a murky swarm of disembodied animal crackers, discarded wipes, board books with most of their pages stuck together, and a soggy array of stuffed animal travel companions scattered amid the chaos.  Every now and then I unearth a diaper in need of discarding... it's not a pretty (or pleasant smelling) scene.  While I can do a few maintenance cleanings, that new car smell and shiny interior will remain a distant dream.  And that's ok.  I used to stress out about keeping the car extra clean - vacuumed, dusted, Armor All-ed... the works!  It was one more line on my weekend to-do list, but now I think of the mess as another passenger.  A travel companion that never whines, cries or demands music when I have a headache.  Someday the mess will move on and I'll have a clean backseat again - until then I'll let the mess grow on me (just hopefully not on my children). 

image via incompiuto

color inspiration: yellow

 

I've been thinking up ways to add touches of yellow to our living room and the use of yellow in these interior spaces is inspiring!  In large quantities and small, I love the way it brightens up a room. 

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I need a granita

The humid air has me thinking about the icy bliss of granita to quench my thirst and my foodie ambitions.  It may seem like a long task, but once you get it into the freezer it's really not that long before you will be enjoying your sophisticated sno-cone.  I like serving granita in stemless martini glasses with a a few mini biscotti on the side. 

INGREDIENTS

2c water

1/2c + 1Tbs sugar

1lb fresh or frozen blackberries (about 3.5c)

juice of 2 lemons

4 Tbs creme de mure (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Simmer the water and sugar in a medium saucepan until the sugar dissolves. Rinse the blackberries and quickly ease them into the syrup. Simmer for about 3 minutes until the berry juices are released. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. 

Puree the mixture in a food processor, then strain through a fine sieve to remove the seeds. Discard the seeds. Mix the lemon juice and creme de mure, if using. 

Pour granita mixture into a shallow, wide container. Cover with a lid, foil, or plastic wrap. Freeze 1-2 hours or until the edges are frozen. 

Take out of freezer and scrape with a fork, mixing it from the edge into the center. Repeat the scraping and mixing process every 1/2 hour or so (at least 3 times) until the entire mixture has turned into small, sequined ice flakes.

recipe via wegottaeat
photo via mowielicious

facenating

 

 

No, I do not have a typo in my post title.  I've been seeing a lot of fascinating faceted items around the web world lately and decided to share. I really love those heels - especially how the strap goes around the entire body of the shoe.  I wonder if they are comfortable enough to wear for an evening... I wonder if that chair is comfortable...

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diy project no. 002: homemade playdough

Investigative little hands need to be kept busy and play dough is Violet's favorite "toy" right now.  A bit hesitant at first, she now requests the pliable stuff just about every morning (it is much more exciting than yogurt and granola).  The basic recipe I used can be found here.  I added fragrance to give it a little bit of fabulous.  It just so happened that I had violet flower (bof!) fragrance left over from a diy stint with making bath bombs.  So pleased with the results of the dough, I'm thinking these would make great Christmas gifts for the little ones in my life.  I love these containers and am so tempted to get every one of these cake decorating colors to make a rainbow of play doughs.  Glitter?  Perhaps I'll even experiment with adding a side of sparkle.  Have a creative weekend!

individual jam cakes

Last week I snatched up a pound of organic strawberries and promptly forgot I stashed them in the crisper (shame on me).  They were looking rather drowsy when I dug them out a few days ago, but I'm not one to let such prized produce go to waste.  So, I made a batch of strawberry jam.  Yesterday I was searching for a simple, delicious dessert to make that night and came across this recipe for individual strawberry jam cakes.  I was tickled silly to use my very own homemade jam. These cakes are definitely addictive - I've already enjoyed one two today with my morning coffee.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for tin
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
2 large eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk
6 tablespoons strawberry jam or preserves
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a standard 6-cup muffin tin; set aside. In a medium bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar, and zest until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks one at a time until creamy; set aside. Into a small bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture and milk in alternating batches to butter mixture; set aside.

In a clean bowl, whisk egg whites to soft peaks; fold into batter. Divide half of batter among muffin cups. Make an indentation in the middle of each; fill with 1 tablespoon jam. Top with remaining batter.
Bake until a cake tester inserted in top cake layer comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Unmold cakes, and transfer them to a wire rack to cool. 

In a small bowl, whisk together confectioners' sugar and juice. Place rack over parchment paper; drizzle cakes with glaze. 

recipe via marthastewart.com

lovely fluffy

 

 

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the uniform

No, I'm not talking about some CSI-esque television show.  I'm speaking of the fashion feint motherhood plays on a woman's sense of style.  You've all seen it and maybe even are wearing it right now.  The Uniform comes in two ghastly iterations: khaki pants, t-shirt, and sneakers or faded and pilling yoga pants, t-shirt, and orthopedic looking flats (or in colder months, Uggs).  There are some good points to The Uniform: You can wear it five times a week and no one notices; it's comfy; makes you feel maternal; you blend in perfectly with the other moms standing in line at - (name any discount retail chain).  The Uniform is so ubiquitous that not only will no one notice if you wear it five times a week, in fact, no one will notice you period.  Looking comfy and maternal reminds men of their mothers. You're also a wife. You used to be a girlfriend. Once upon a time you were a hot date.  Get the picture?

The good news is wearing kitten heels does not make you a bad mother and your children don't care if you're wearing a spicy lip gloss and eyeliner.  You're still Mum - they won't forget.  Maybe it's time to shake things up a little bit. With a few updates you can liven up your look, feel better about yourself and remind your man of the sexy woman he married.

life is just a bowl of cherries

My grandmother used to say "life is just a bowl of cherries; all you have to do is take out the pits."  Thought this to be an appropriate post for today, being Monday...

photos by a rosy note