warmth

Recently, I've been thinking a lot about sunny, Arizona weather and am very inspired to create a lesson surrounding cyanotypes! I love this printmaking process and feel that children would enjoy the gratifying process and product of creating cyanotypes! I especially love to utilize natural materials in art-making and feel that we could make some beautiful prints that document the plant life within our natural surroundings.

Here is an inspiring image by photographer, Rinnie Allen:


Speaking of sun and warmth, yesterday was a beautiful day, here in PA! The grocery store had beautiful Athena melons that were crazy cheap- .99 cents a pop! These are the kind of melons that are uber succulent and refreshing, with their high water-content and great sweetness. Too, at home, I had a block of tofu and some bok choy to use, so I adapted a recipe from 101 Cookbooks (I heart this website!) and the result was DELISH! ...one of the best recipes I've made thus far! This makes me a happy camper! I think next time, I may use a bit of sesame oil to saute the veg, but it was yummy just how it was, too.

Caramelized Tofu w/ Bok Choy (instead of Brussel Sprouts)


I'm off to mow the lawn in the amazing 80 degree weather! Yippee!
Ta-ta for now :)

child art

sweaty, sunny, glorious summer

Signs of summer are emerging!

{cue fresh, ripe peaches on oatmeal with chia seeds and walnuts for breakfast}


{next, cue chambray shorts and easy cotton plaids}

{I cannot, for the life of me, figure out how to rotate this image. . . sorry.}

{. . .my Wiksten style inspiration for shorts, plaids, glasses, and sneakers}


So. . .my Dad works at Time, Inc., and we get lots of Time publications, such as Real Simple. So, I want to share some fun facts about summery things that I recently learned from Real Simple!

First, did you know the best way to catch fireflies is with womanly wiles?! Hilarious, no?! "Fireflies blink to attract a mate," explains naturalist Lynn Havsall, director of programs at the George B. Dorr Museum of Natural History, in Bar Harbor, Maine. "Males fly around while females sit in trees, in shrubs, or on the ground. So find a female and watch her blinking pattern. Then imitate the pattern with a pen flashlight and the males will come to you." Interesting, eh?! The bugs move slowly, so they're easy to trap in a jar. Punch some holes in the lid and add a little grass and a piece of fruit for moisture. Admire your pretty night-lights till bedtime, then let them go. Fun!!


Next, the best way to make cut-offs: Slip on your old jeans and mark the desired length on one leg with chalk. “Take them off, fold the leg at the mark, and iron the fold,” says Caroline Calvin, creative director of Levi’s. “Then cut just under the crease with fabric scissors. Lay the short jean leg on top of the other side and cut to evenly match.” Repeat as needed to get the length you want.

Bring on the heat! . . .and all the watermelon you can find!


-a :)

news!... and it's good :)

I have the day off :^) Yippee! So, I thought I'd spend my morning doing a little bit of blog updating. Then, I intend to go for a bike ride because it is absolutely beautiful outside, today! Thank you-- the 80's have arrived in southeast PA, which makes me one happy gal!

On another note, I have more exciting news. In discovering that my body no longer tolerates dairy products, I still didn't feel right... my digestion improved for a bit, but then I was back to where I started and I just felt terrible and confused about what was going on... something wasn't right. So, I began researching my afflictions, which led me to understand that it was very likely that my body was resisting animal proteins, altogether. After a great deal of research, I decided to eliminate all animal products from my diet. This Friday will mark my second week as a vegan. I cannot find the words to appropriately express how wonderful I feel-- after just 2 weeks! My body no longer feels slug and/or sloth-like. I feel normal, again! In fact, I feel better than normal; I feel fantastic, energetic, light and alive!!! This all probably sounds overly dramatic, but the way I had been feeling was dragging me down in a horrible way, so I am totally celebrating this new vitality!

I've been having a blast cooking (and, baking!) in this new, plant-based way! I thought I'd share some of my adventures, lately :)

Grilled Hummus, Tomato, Roasted Red Pepper, Red Onion "Pizza" (see Ina's pizza dough recipe; substitute AP flour w/ wheat flour)


Black Bean Tacos with Cabbage Slaw + Guac! (omit feta cheese, add 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce)


Impromptu Bean & Veggie Burritos and Dark & Stormies w/ my lovely sister, Donna!


Rhubarb is in season = Rhubarb Pie! (I am still a baker at heart, afterall!)


Veggie Burger, Tomato, Fennel & Orange Salad


My lovely, beautiful, newly-wed friend, Jesse, is also a vegan and has an amazing blog called The Happy Go Lucky Vegan which I have been using as a major source of inspiration, as well. I'm so happy to be a happy-go-lucky vegan, myself! :^) Thanks, Jesse!!!

Time to hit the road (in my gigantic, majorly nerdy bike helmet!), but not before I go make some brunch... I know it's 10 AM on a Wednesday, but it was a lounge-y morning, okay?! :^D