Hello!!! Goodbye!!!

No I wasn't kidnapped by aliens, I didn't move to Mongolia, and I didn't even forget my password (thank goodness). And no I haven't even been particularly busy. That isn't, of course, to say that I've been sitting around doing nothing. For example, I've had a very good time eating foods that come on sticks:

(frozen cheesecake drizzled with chocolate)

And I've been trying to find the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe (with some excellent help from friends and family):

(please send me your favorite recipe so I can try it too)

And while I must honestly say that it was really, a little bit, quite nice to have an unplanned break from blogging, I have missed it and missed you.

Sadly, though, this post is primarily being written to let you know that tomorrow I'm flying to Portland to help my sister move and I probably won't be doing much blogging for a little while longer. But when I get back, I'm going to be back big time!

TO DO:

First up, find my brain. Really I don't know where it is. Twice today I've had to look at the keyboard to find a key (first "L" then "F"). These are keys I do use all the time! I don't know what is going on.

Second, on finding my brain hopefully I will remember who I need to email. I had 3 personal emails that I needed to send out today. I wrote and sent one, discovered that I don't actually have the email address of the second, and now haven't the slightest idea who the third was going to or what it was to be about.

Third, make a few batches of cookies in a new quest to find the perfect chocolate chip cookie (which I have been craving all week).

And fourth, hit the carnival!

photo via my sister (who takes a great photo) and her really cool fashion blog--don't worry while I may not have any fashion sense, she does.

TRAVEL WISH LIST: SICILY

I'm not really a big fan of water parks or even of generally hanging around a pool or on a beach in my swimming suit. Give me a great street, a few fab shops, plenty of great food all in a great city and I will call myself well satisfied. However, there is just something a little wonderful about a water slide that sends you right into the Mediterranean Sea:

And with that one picture I am sold and ready to pack my swimming suit!

hotel: here (Sicily)

spotted at a cup of jo

FREE FATHER'S DAY PRINTABLE

My favorite blog for free printables (Wisker Graphics) has a fantastic new free printable just in time for Father's Day:

I especially like her coupon suggestion: Hour of Silence

Printable available here.

Dare I?

Here is the pretty lovely weather report for my area:

( I don't even mind the Thursday storm cause just look at that temp--no snow!)

So the question is, dare I believe it? Dare I believe that Spring has actually arrived--I mean, sure, it is June and all, but this year that just doesn't mean a thing. I took the last "winter" blanket off my bed last night so that must mean I believe. Let's hope that Mother Nature doesn't crush my tender little beliefs.

WIN A TRIP TO PARIS

Remember when I was fantasizing about moving to Paris? And it was consuming my every waking hour? And I was obsessed with this blog (still am)? Well, Jordan, of that blog, is giving away a 7 day trip to Paris. 7 days! Visit here for all the details. I won't win (never do) but maybe you will. 

 

photos by Paul Ferney via Oh Happy Day

HAPPY WEEKEND

I'm certainly looking forward to relaxing (wish I could say sleeping in as well). Only wish I were relaxing where ever this pic was snapped. In the meantime, Utahns head on over to my friend Ruth's new collaboration blog for a chance at winning a free one-hour style photo shoot--or non Utahns head over and check out her fun look at fashion style. I haven't got any style to speak of but I noticed that Facebook has (without my permission) posted a series of camp photos across the top of my wall and, really, this has just got to be changed.

photo via Connor Clark

THE KING'S SPEECH

Saw it for the second time last night (at my new favorite theater which sells $3 reserved-seating tickets, $1-2 treats (including cupcakes!!!), and shows movies via film projectors--a plus or a minus, I suppose, depending on the type of movie but it just makes me feel so very nostalgic and happy). Instead of boring you with a review that just won't do the movie justice, I'll just tell you to go. Go!!! Loved it even more the second time.

I'm thinking I just might have to do a Colin Firth weekend (where are those cold rainy days when you really need them?)

COOKING WITH GWYNETH

Well, not actually with Gwyneth Paltrow...but with her new cookbook--which is really fantastic even if all you want to do is read it: gorgeous pictures, fun stores, good tips (do you do that? read cookbooks? I totally do). So far I've dabbled in a few side like her roasted cauliflower and her maple-dijon roasted winter vegetables (to die for!) but this week I'm hitter her full force. Last night was her stir-fried chicken (which made for an amazing lunch today--in fact everything I've tried has reheated beautifully and has me looking forward to lunch) on her fried rice with kale & scallions (I quite like kale--who knew). Today is her turkey bolognese and then tomorrow is her chicken Milanese. Why all the Gwyneth recipes all at once? It is a library book and it has to go back so more people can enjoy it (so sad). Of course the cure for these blues is to just get myself down to Borders and buy my very own copy that I can sit down with every night. Until that happens, though, I'm really going to enjoy my week ala Gwyneth.

WELL PLAYED BEEF

Okay, so I'm not sure that any of you have ever thought of me as being cool, hip, with it, etc. However, just in case you were so disillusioned, this post is going to change your mind. I was driving over to my food co-op at the ridiculous hour of 6:30 A.M. on Saturday listening to the radio when this over-the-top sexy voice came on encouraging me to eat beef.

Who was that voice?

I'm sure you know the answer.

Matthew McConaughey.

And oh my goodness it was sexy. I'm pretty sure it ranks among the best work he has done in years if not in like forever. Upon hearing this ad I immediately had two thoughts (this is where you will realize how not "with it" I am): First: I must share this on my blog. Only, when I got home and googled the ad I discovered that McConaughey has been doing this since 2008. How did I possibly miss this for nearly 3 years? I like to think that it can all be attributed to my channel surfing ways when it comes to commercials, but the more likely explanation is that I just wasn't paying attention to the "important" stuff. And second: I must find some beef. Fortunately the saner part of my brain stepped in, acknowledged the sexiness of the ad, and then insisted I stick with the slightly-healthier turkey burger on the menu for Monday's in-the-kitchen BBQ (booo rain).

Just in case you are as out of touch as I am, here is similar ad (with pics added by funny or die):

 

I wonder what McConaughey would be like as an audio book reader. Annoying or able to suck you in to the most boring topic possible?

SAY HELLO TO MY BREAKFAST

(i had oatmeal too)

And an extra special hello to the frosting--which set swimsuit season back at least 2 weeks.

recipe: here via not without salt

note: i found the frosting a tad salty. next time i'll probably not add any salt into or on top of.

COLORS (OR COLOURS--A BETTER SPELLING!)

Last week a few friends and I sat down and did a couple colour (personality) test just for the fun of it--a few matched up pretty well and then there were others that just didn't. And then I picked up a book that randomly mentioned the favourite colours of a few American authors and I immediately realized that I must step up my colour choices--make them a little bit more snappy and interesting.

Here are some examples of how cool American poets can be:

Ezra Pound: Purple, Ivory, Jade

T.S. Eliot: Eggplant, Sable, Mustard

William Carlos Williams: Blue, Yellow, Tan (okay, so maybe not so much that one)

Robert Frost: Teal Blue, Slate Gray, Blood Red

Wallace Stevens: Vermilion, Chartreuse, Wine

And here is an example of how cool I am not:

Courtney: green, yellow, orange, red, gray

I am now on the hunt for some cooler favourite colour names. So far I am going with Claret, Citrine, and Slate Gray (cause I'm not sure you can cool up gray). Any suggestions for green and orange. Or care to share your faves?

Citrine comes via inspiration for this chair that I am absolutely in love with right this minute:

You know, I possibly shouldn't adopt British spellings in a post about American poets...

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ALLERGIES

So it turns out the not all of my recent suffering is the fault of the cottonwood tree across the street--not that I'm letting that tree off the hook for any and all suffering it has and will impose on me. I am allergic to dairy (please join me in some quiet sobbing).

Fortunately there is an upside: I'm not deathly allergic to dairy. Which is a great relief because I'm pretty sure I would choose death by dairy than life without it.

The downside: dairy is murder on my skin (for most of my life I had just been attributing my dry skin to my living in a dry location--I suppose I should have considered the blatant fact that my dry skin didn't go away entirely when living in humid environments like Boston and Ireland in dispelling that myth a little sooner in my life (and there goes my claim of being an observant person). 

Anyway, in a small attempt to relieve my red, flaky, itchy skin I am trying to cut down my dairy intake. Here is how it has been going so far this week:

Sunday: had Parmesan cheese on my pasta, Havarti cheese in my swiss chard strudel, and a bowl of ice cream

Monday: had frozen yogurt

Tuesday: had nothing!!!! but it is still early

Good thing I'm not deathly allergic.

RAIN

Don't you just love the rain?

I do.

It is my favorite.

And it looks like I may get 2 more days of it (unheared of in my desert).

But only 2 because then I have a trip to the zoo

and an outdoor wedding.