A Little Owl

I forgot to tell how breathtaking our discovery was last night! Every so often, late in the night, I will hear owl hoots...this THRILLS me, for not only are they such mysterious, elusive birds (to me, at least) but I am quite certain that any day now my letter from Hogwarts will be arriving.
Anyways, we pulled up to our house very very late last night and there, perched on our little house-number-post, was a Little Owl! I am squealing just remembering him! He was so tiny and so-HO fantastically adorable. He flew up in a little evergreen upon our arrival, but continued to watch us as we stared and laughed and stared some more.
Oh, and this image is from the Dart Raffe Farm website...we did not have our camera with us! But this picture looks the spitting image of him.

mushrooms

A completely wonderful book, gifted to us by our neighbors! I love mushrooms!!

at last!

Ever since the very sad fall of my most favorite magazine, Domino, I have been trying to fill the void with blogs and other mags...but I think I have found the most perfect new preferred read! It is an Australian online publication called Adore Home. Please take a look! http://www.adoremagazine.com/

Sick Day

Hello! Right now, I am recoverving from a smidge of a temperature and trying snuggle as close to our heater as possible (which is in our bathroom, yay!) I took some pictures because sick days are always fun and silly days.

Here are some things that have happened in the past month!

1) My perfect husband took me to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One. huzzah! 'Twas superb.
2) My family came to visit! All five of them...the brothers-now-men, the little sister who looks like (she's only fourteen!!) a beautiful lady, and my dearest mom and dad! At the end, we all took a fab trip to Disneyland, and drove back home in the night...
3) I am now a dogsitter of many clients! I will post pictures of my next nanny adventure.
4) I cut my hair! I now have a row of bangs! And they are loved by me!
5) I really really would love this book! I cannot wait to open it and see what it holds...I know it will make me happy.

more really good cookies

Chocolate Crinkles

3/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
confectioner's sugar

Mix together the butter, sugar and cocoa powder. Add the eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Once combined, refrigerate for 2-4 hours.

Turn on the oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough into small balls and then roll in confectioners sugar. Bake for 7-10 minutes. Makes 40-50 cookies.

Thank you, Off The Hanger!

really good cookies

1 bag Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips

6 Tbsp unsalted butter

3 eggs

1 C sugar

1/3 C. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 C. chopped walnuts

In double boiler over hot water, melt the bittersweet chips and the butter. In a large bowl with electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugar until thick; stir in chocolate mixture. In small bowl, stir together flour and baking powder; stir into chocolate mixture. Gently mix in semi-sweet chocolate chips and walnuts.

Using a sheet of plastic wrap form dough into two logs, each 2 inches in diameter and about 8 inches long. As dough will be very soft, use plastic wrap to hold dough in a log shape. Wrap tightly, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour until firm.

Preheat oven to 375. Unwrap dough; with sharp knife cut into 3/4-inch slices. Place slices 1 1/2 inches apart on greased or parchment-lined cookie sheet.

Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until shiny crust forms on top but interior is still soft. Cool on baking sheet.

Yields about 2 dozen cookies.

Thank you, Musings by Jacquelyn!

my new book

Thank you, Mary and Buster! wahoo!

grace! look!

Indeed! My first attempt at sewing my very own outfit,
without a sewing machine (I actually didn't sew the sweater,
just the bottom, but YES, it is still okay to brag).
Isn't it lovely? I am so excited. *hyperventilation*

One-Eyed Jack's Cabin

Kestrel About The House

I interrupted her as she was writing in her journal;
this did NOT make her happy.
Look how she glares!

She surprised me with a batch of cookies this afternoon!

The view, says Kestrel, is inspiring, even for a fish.

What a busy little girl!

he's 23!

the waves

Book Club Therapy

This gal was my favorite. She is not very elegant, rather petite and dainty, striking a very imperious pose.

Oh, the indulgence of book clubs! Sitting for an hour and a half with eleven elderly women, ripping a perfectly charming novel to shreds: decadence. This poor book, whose only fault was not being properly deep enough for common and ordinary ladies, was left with nothing but the binding once we were through with it. What a day. I can sleep in peace tonight.

Here are some pictures of our lovely temporary neighbors: the Sheep of Sea Ranch! They are the town's lawn mowers, moving slowly along the coast line, keeping our grass neat and trim. Jaime, the kindly herdsman, let me watch the sheep transitioning from one pen to another, and I regret to say that I did not hold a camera at this moment! It was fascinating: one big yell from the shepherd, and three hundred sheep and a handful of goats came running full-speed, baa-ing and maa-ing like throaty people, aiming for the bit of green grass at the end of the enclosure. I love sheep! Needless to say, I ran back home and got my camera.

"The weeks were not made up of days at all.
Sunday was a flame, Monday was a rainbow, Tuesday a perfume,
Wednesday a bird-song, Thursday a wind-dance, Friday laughter,
and Saturday...was something that was the soul of all the other six."

San Fran and Catherine

This time, I will remember to write about the starfish!

Unlike one of the last posts, this time I will not forget to connect the title with the content! I have been reading lots of L. M. Montgomery recently and feeling very much like a twirling-petaled bloom on my walks to the beach. Today, I rode my bike to the bluffs and read A Tangled Web in the tall, yellow grass. I then went to Pacific Road and watched the harbor seals. One night of rain has made the small plateau across the sand bright green with new baby grass! I climbed up this rocky island and watched the fat seals bask in the late afternoon sun. The tide was so low, and, for the first time in months, I was wearing my hair down, making me feel extra special. I left my perch and headed toward the fat seals. On my way, I was perfectly distracted by the many pools between the rocks and their inhabitants. I counted thirty-two starfish, including a possible dead one, and two brilliant reds. Most of the starfish were purple or yellow, clinging with strength I did not expect to their side of the rock. Bravo, starfish. I couldn't budge a single one (except the one I think might have been dead). I also discovered a million hermit crabs, and these very nasty algae-like cushions who squirted water up your legs when you walked on them (I think they are alive! This was a really horrible thing when I found myself completely surrounded by them, realizing that many were about to die by the heel of my boot).

My husband and I are going to San Francisco next week! Two heavenly days. Eating, yes, gourmet ("She really is a gourmeeeet") and dressing in my most beautiful clothes for the occasion. We shall be accompanied by my husband's family, hurray! Here are some outfits I am considering. I will let you be the judge as to whether or not I succeed in creating them.

My favorite? The first! The most sinking truth? It will be very very cold next week in San Fran. My one comfort is that I shall at least be beautiful while in my agony of chills.

L.M. and Catherine

A moment for this authoress:

All my literature-infused life (i.e. "As long as I have been reading..."), I have been looking out for that one author, that single writer I could adore and follow with loyalty and love. Books and styles would be loved by me, and I would seem well on my way to falling into perfect harmony with a certain dead man or woman; it was always at the last moment when I would discover some awful little fact about his or her life, and my admiration would cease - aren't I a snob? As a little girl, L. M. Montgomery was fascinating to me. In fact, I would lie in bed for hours, waiting for the house to fall asleep before I took out my flashlight to finish Anne's House of Dreams while eating leftover Easter chocolate. I might have done this with Nancy Drew when I was eleven, but twas only Montgomery that could bring me back out of bed as I got older. When I was twelve, I bought her treasury, devotedly making every recipe and vowing to sew the potpourri cushion whenever I found out what potpourri was. All of Anne was devoured and quickly followed by Kilmeny, Pat and Valancy. I know every bit of history available on Montgomery's life: why on earth had it never occurred to me to claim her as my favorite? When I read her stories - the few I can really read over and over - I am filled with springy light thrills; when I am not reading her stories, I have secret hankerings to be a blind violin player or a recently-jilted tawny beauty with limpid eyes. Yes, my L.M. is far superior to the Austens, James' and Trollopes, and, hurray, she is the One.

32 Starfish

Ever since dear old Marley left our cabin to return to his pets, my long afternoons waiting for my husband to come home have been much more quiet. He was such company! Chasing baby turkeys, watching seals, trips to the library, and very obedient runs out in the forest; in everything he was a delight and a snuggler, and I really missed him when he returned home. This last week has been spent sighing over imaginary cats and the muffled nudges of horses, and much reminiscing my own Lupey, the purest and best of creatures. But, as I said before, I am married to the best husband in the world. While on our most recent shopping excursion, we passed eighteen tanks of little fish for sale...a water-dwelling life had never occurred to me as company, but the moment I saw the joy in the face of a woman who was holding her new little friend in a bag full of water, I melted. And he said yes! I practically soared while paper towels and dish soap dropped into our basket: we were getting fish! Happiness!

While I write at the table, sweet Kestrel Cake and Zaphod swim nervously around in their pitcher. I thought they were going to die on the long way home, and the next day Kestrel had very low spirits. But they are chipper now, and when they are not blowing bubbles at the surface, they are zooming around in circles. The closer we get, the warier they become, but I love them and am so thankful for their scaly presence. Hurray! Thank you, Lord.

When your daily intake of coffee and water ratios three to one, things must change. Surely there are other forms of hot liquid (whatever happened to all that delicious tea you just purchased??) that are equally as comforting on a very wet, cold, sans-husband day and are less likely to cause great alarm to one's heart and extremities. On this day, I have no usual list of things to do, and so have proclaimed it a letter writing day. But how can I sit still and commence after I have just poured a total of three cups down my throat? I was wanting a drink, and my water bottle was way, way upstairs, in the dark, empty bedroom; however, to my immediate right was a kettle full of hot water to be found in the gloriously cheerful and rosy kitchen (it was filled with ginger snaps! This is a must-have for any rosy kitchen), waiting to become infused with tasty coffee. Much nicer! Coffee won, hence the terrifying ratio.
So, along with my determination to put coffee on the back-burner (ha!) and bring water to the forecast (oh my!), I have also a few other interesting bits of knowledge/discoveries/ideas to write upon my dear old blog. I will list them.

1. Green potatoes are evil! They are not, as the color so wickedly suggests, growing new vitamins inside.
2. After spending an afternoon with my elderly neighbor, I found myself holding my fingers in arthritic positions.
3. Shakespeare, although a past nemesis of mine and poorly projected by all good society, is fun! I am settling with Cymbeline at the moment, and waiting on pins and needles for sweet Imogen.
4. I am so very proud of a certain tiny corner in our bedroom. This corner occupies a chair and a wall. I tacked black fabric to the wall, and re-upholstered the chair in black and white stripes. I must now find a ridiculously glamorous magazine to toss there, and it shall be complete!

courtesy of moodboard.com...

My favorite? The first!

Oh! do not attack me with your watch.
A watch is always too fast or too slow.
I cannot be dictated to by a watch.

now, sit down, and finish your work!

I could sit all day long, complete any task set before me, as long as it could be done while sitting in this chair! It is a Lucite chair from the 1960s, and a perfect dream.

finds of the day...

Look closely at the YSL bag...it's actually a piggy bank! It reads, YoveSavedLarent...

come bound in a pair!