Pet Photography: Nikolai in Natural Light

When I was in Florida, I got the chance to photograph someone else's dog, my sister E's Nikolai! So if you were getting tired of my Tessa, this post is for you. If you were getting tired of Chihuahua's, well, I can't help you. You'll just have to wait until I get to photograph M & W's pug.

Nikolai was rescued by E and her boyfriend, after he wandered into her mom's yard. The pup had been abused by his previous owner, and left outside all hours of the day. He's technically a long-haired Chihuahua, but most of the hair on his back is gone. Hopefully with E's love and care some of that will grow back.

I loved shooting Nikolai because of his wild and expressive eyes, crazy mane, and loving personality. Enjoy these pictures of this cutie pie!

Month in Music: February 2015

Each month, I make a Spotify playlist with songs that I'm feeling for the month. Follow me on Spotify to see these lists as they are made. At the end of the month, I'll post the playlist here, with some explanation for the songs that have been filling my speakers, and how they relate to my life.

Wake up, it's March! This year is one sixth over; this is no time to be slacking. February was a short month, which means it's so much more motivating to set February goals than New Year's resolutions. For me, the second month of the year is when I set my goals. You saw my post about my blog goals, and I had also been trying to get a job like a madwoman. So my music needs to help me out -- by pumping me up and making me sing out loud.

Let's have some fun this month with my February playlist!

Hitting That High
Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons - Stay
Misterwives - Reflections
Borns - Electric Love

Baby you're like lightning in a bottle. I can't let you go now that I've got it. - Borns

Hitting super high notes is kind of a challenge, but these songs are just way to much fun to not sing along to. Singing gets my mind off whatever challenges I'm facing, and this month these songs definitely distracted me from my job hunt and a rough ground delay before flying to Florida.


Girl Power
Kelly Clarkson - Heartbeat Song
Katy Perry - Firework
Florence and the Machine - Shake it Out

I can feel it rising, temperature inside of me. Haven't felt for a long time. - Kelly Clarkson

Motivation! This month was all about buckling down and really setting my mind to getting things done when it came to job searching. And guess what? It paid off! I start a new job next week. What better place for that motivation to come from than some fellow women who are really showing us all how it's done?


Get Up & Dance
Mark Ronson - Uptown Funk
Simon & Garfunkel - Cecilia
Michael Franti & Spearhead - I'm Alive (Life Sound Like)
New Politics - Harlem

Everybody wants me to who they want me to be except you. All I wanna do is be with you. - Michael Franti

Most of the time, I listen to songs that I like to sing along to. This month, with the chilling temperatures and crazy cabin fever, I picked some songs that really made me want to grab my puppy's little paws and dance with her! So put these tunes on and really jam out.


Lighthearted Love
Us the Duo - No Matter Where You Are
Thurston Harris - Little Bitty Pretty One
Betty Who - Somebody Loves You

Somebody misses you when you're away. They want to wake up with you everyday. - Betty Who

The relationship between me and The Boy has been taking a slight hit with my unemployment. We're not sure how my new job is going to affect things, especially with his weird hours. In February, these songs reminded me of The Boy when he was out of the house working or we were traveling separately. However, the happy and upbeat nature of these particular love songs kept my head in a good mood, even when we had to be apart.


Calm & Happy
The Avett Brothers - Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise
Corinne Bailey Rae - Put Your Records On
Scott Bradlee & Postmodern Jukebox - Shake it Off

If you're loved by someone you're never rejected. Decide whatt to be and go be it. - The Avett Brothers

After long days of job searching, cover letters, resume editing, and interviews, I just wanted to relax and unwind. These slower jams definitely helped me do that, but their positive nature sent me some good vibes. Now, I don't know if it was the music, but I did get offered that job, so it certainly didn't hurt!



Full Playlist

A Long Distance Friendship

Today is an important day. It's my best friend in the entire world, A's, birthday. And I get to see her!

This isn't the first time I've tried to surprise A on her birthday. Two years ago, everything was planned perfectly. I was to take a long weekend, skipping my few Monday classes and thankful to have Friday off already. My parents had booked a hotel room at Disney World and planned a fun evening safari at the Animal Kingdom Lodge.

But I can't tell you how that went, because the trip only happened in some alternate universe. Here, the weather Gods were having none of it and they sent a mean blizzard to upstate New York instead. The storm moved in fast and then stalled, dropping a ton of snow. The winds picked up and you couldn't see across campus from the highest dorm. I was trapped. I told her about the fallen through plan, and that was the end of that.

But, when I was out in Arizona, A surprised me! My mom planned a visit with a few of her friends. Someone had extra points towards a vacation rental, and so mom told me to take a couple days off. I needed the break from work, so I didn't hesitate too much. However, I didn't know that she had been planning a surprise visit with A! We finally got our long weekend, though with cocktails and a private hot tub instead of a safari.

This year, I didn't go with the surprise visit. I was thinking of it originally, but considering how well it went the last time I tried, I decided not to tempt the weather again! So, while A is spending the morning on a Scuba diving trip, we'll all get together tonight to celebrate her birthday. I think the last birthday either of us celebrated together was A's 18th, so it's definitely been awhile. We're both 26 now!

So, Happy Birthday A - to many more!

Raspberry Drinking Chocolate For One

You're invited to come over for breakfast anytime you want. But you should know that I'm not usually fully dressed and that I'm probably only half coherent until after I've put some caffeine into my system. Don't worry though, I've been told morning is when I'm at my wittiest. It's also when I wake to cook and bake the most delicious and decadent treats. Breakfast isn't healthy and it has no place trying. Butter. Cream. Sugar. Flour. Those are the ingredients I want in my breakfast foods.

Chocolate can come too. I still eat Eggo waffles with chocolate chips. I delicately place one chip into each hole in the waffle after it's toasted, then microwave the whole treat for 15 seconds. The chips glisten but they don't lose their shape. Stunning. A squirt of whipped cream tops it off. I fold the whole thing in half and eat it like a waffle taco.

If you do come visit, I won't want to share my coffee, but I might make you homemade hot chocolate if you ask nicely or offer to take the dog for a walk later. I'm not talking about the powdered stuff (although, that stuff's pretty good if you mix it into warm milk instead of water). I'm talking rich, creamy, indulgent. Semi-sweet chocolate chips. Cocoa powder. Heavy cream. Raspberries.

Oh that is the stuff.

It's heavy and sweet and bitter and sour. This isn't the hot chocolate you chug down. This is the one you cradle with both hands and breathe out of. This is the one you sip slowly and close your eyes, thinking about winterscapes and fuzzy scarves and fireplaces.

Didn't have a date over the weekend? It's okay. This raspberry hot chocolate can be your Valentine. I want to wake up to this every single day. Sorry coffee, we may have to reevaluate our relationship.

Raspberry Hot Chocolate for One
Makes 1 serving, doubles easily

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Frozen raspberries
2 tsp Sugar
3/4 cup Milk
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp Heavy cream
1/4 cup Semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
1/2 Tbsp cocoa powder
Sugar to taste

Instructions:

1. In a small saucepan, heat up the raspberries and one teaspoon of sugar until all the ice crystals have melted and the berries start to get soft.
2. Once you're able, crush the berries with a wooden spoon and stir into a syrup. Add the other teaspoon of sugar and stir until dissolved. Remove from heat, and cool until just warm to the touch.
3. Once cooled a bit, pour the raspberry syrup through a fine mesh strainer into a small dish, pressing down to get as much juice as possible without pushing any seeds through. Set aside for later.
4. In a medium saucepan, heat the milk and cream to a simmer. Don't let them boil! As soon as it starts bubbling around the edges, remove the pan from the heat.
5. Place the chocolate chips in a small bowl. Slowly spoon the hot milk over them and stir. Keep adding little bits of milk and stirring until the chips melt completely.
6. Add the melted chocolate and the raspberry syrup to the rest of the hot milk in the saucepan. Stir until everything is incorporated.
7. Place over medium-low heat, and add the cocoa powder. Stir until dissolved. Add sugar to taste (I didn't add any, but I like bitter, dark chocolate).
8. Pour into an 8oz mug, and top with fresh whipped cream and any last drippings of the raspberry syrup. Drink immediately for breakfast or dessert!

Every Valentine's Day So Far

In the early days, we would decorate brown paper bags with cut out hearts. Mine were never symmetrical. I still can't draw a perfect heart, but I've learned to find beauty in imperfection. Then we'd spend an hour on Heart Day passing around store-bought cardboard cards with cartoon characters, terrible puns, and a bite sized Snickers bar. So no one was left out, we each brought enough for the whole class.

A little older, I would obsess over those chalky candy hearts with the sayings. I'd dump out each box I had received and use the phrases to write silly songs and poems, such as this instant classic:
Be mine/ All mine
Kiss me/ So fine
Be mine/ So true
Love me/ Miss you
Be mine/ So fine
Why not/ Cutie pie

In middle school, the days of cards for every classmate had ended. Instead, secret notes were tucked inside lockers, taped on top of desks, and passed down through a series of giggling girlfriends until they made their way into the hands of the crush of the week. We'd dress up in ruffles and kitten heels and hit the school gym. Friends of her arranged with friends of him the next slow dance. At the end of the night, more hearts were broken than hung from the ceiling.

One year, I hand made cards for each member of my family. I painstakingly cut (slightly better, but still crooked) hearts from construction paper and came up with my own witty phrases. I was the only one to deliver Valentine's that year. The next year, I made none, and each of my parents and siblings gave me a card instead - surprise! Love's not only romantic, especially when you're a preteen.

Flowergrams were the big thing in our teens. We'd buy them for friends, donating the funds to heart disease foundations. Yellow meant friendship. Pink meant crush. Red meant forever. On one, I quoted a mutual favorite song and never signed it. I never should have pursued that boy anyway. The dances still happened, but the dancing was closer. So were the chaperones. We left in groups, girls heading home for sleepovers and all-night gossip sessions about the boys they danced with.

College nights meant fancy meals at the dining hall, with pink, heart-shaped pancakes one year. A later year, the night was Chinese take-out and watching the Olympics on a tiny tv in the corner. Sometimes, I'd see people in movies get dressed up to go on elaborate dates. I wasn't sure anyone did that in real life. I'm still not totally convinced.

Last year, I got a puppy. She cured my lonely mind and curled up in my lap. This year, I spend the evening with her in my arms again. The Boy is working late, but it's okay. There's no need to send a photo of the pup that says "Life is Ruff," because he'll see her when he's home in a few hours. We'll all hug, and eat homemade ice cream on the couch. We'll get up together and make breakfast.

I'm pretty sure I've perfected Valentine's Day, finally.

Multigrain Cocoa-Cinnamon Buns with Brown Butter Glaze

Did you hear there was a blizzard on the east coast last week? They named it and everything. Snow storms are kind of fun. They have this huge anticipatory period where you aren't sure what's going to happen. It's usually a lot of hype, but admit it. You like to get hyped up.

I like the cliffhanger feeling: Will it snow at all? It hasn't started yet.... I also like to track the storm using NOAA's satellite imagery, especially the infrared and water vapor loops. You can learn a lot about storms from watching these change as the storm progresses. I'm kind of a weather nerd -- I track hurricanes too. When I was a kid, I had this weather kit with a rain gauge and a barometer made from a balloon and a glass jar.

We didn't get much of a storm here. Living on the edge of the weather warning zone is funny. There were a couple of inches on the ground, but nothing crazy. Not like the lake effect snow we used to get when I lived up in Rochester. It's amusing to see how a couple inches can turn this town upside down, though. Everyone gets into a panic about school closings and traffic - and we were only in the 1-3" zone!

Winter and snow make me want to bake. I want to have my oven on all the time, for both the extra heat and the amazing smells. I want some dough rising on the back corner of my kitchen counter. I want to eat warm, gooey treats and soft, fluffy breads. Then, I want to hibernate.

Cinnamon buns are basically winter in food form. I grew up popping Pillsbury cans (which terrified me, by the way) and baking those eight glorious rolls in the toaster oven. But all the white flour and overly sweet sugary cinnamon just doesn't feel like a balanced breakfast anymore.

For this recipe, I played with some grains - oats and whole wheat. But don't run away. These are anything but health food. These are so ooey and gooey and sweet and spicy. I was tempted to eat the entire pan and then lick up the glaze. I didn't. I did, however, melt some of those hot cinnamon candies into my hot chocolate and call it breakfast. Yum.

Multigrain Cocoa-Cinnamon Buns with Brown Butter Glaze

Ingredients:

Multigrain Dough:
3/4 cup warm Milk (110F, heat in microwave for about 1 minute)
2 1/4 tsp Yeast (or one packet)
1 1/2 cups All purpose flour, plus 1/4 cup for kneading
3/4 cup Whole wheat flour
1/2 cup Quick oats
Salt
2 Tbsp Butter
1 Egg
3/4 cup Brown sugar
Canola/vegetable oil for greasing

Cocoa-Cinnamon Filling:
2 Tbsp Butter, melted
1 Tbsp Cocoa powder
1 Tbsp Cinnamon
1/3 cup Sugar

Brown Butter Glaze:
2 Tbsp Butter
2 tsp Whole milk
1/2 cup Confectioner's sugar
1/8 tsp Vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Add the yeast to the warm milk and let sit for about 5 minutes, or until bubbly and foamy.
2. While waiting on the yeast, in a large bowl, mix the flours, oats, and salt. Once thoroughly mixed, add in the egg, brown sugar, butter, and yeast mixture. Stir until everything is incorporated and you have a soft, sticky dough.
3. Knead the dough for a few minutes on a floured surface. Then place into a greased bowl. Put a little oil on top of the dough and cover with plastic wrap. Place a clean kitchen towel over the bowl, and let sit in a warm, dry place until doubled in size, about an hour.
4. While waiting, you can make the filling: in a small bowl, whisk the cocoa, cinnamon, and sugar together.
5. Once the dough has risen, roll it out on a floured surface until it is about 12" x 18"
6. Melt the 2 Tbsp of butter for the filling, and spread evenly across the surface of the dough, leaving a 1/2 inch margin on one of the short sides. Then spread the cinnamon-cocoa sugar evenly across the buttery dough.
7. Starting at the short end without the margin, roll the dough like a jellyroll. Once completely rolled, seal the seam with wet fingers.
8. Mark your cuts, then cut into 9 rolls. Place them in a greased square baking pan. Cover, and let rise until they have double in size, about an hour.
9. Preheat the oven to 375F, and bake the rolls for 15-20 minutes.
10. While baking, prepare the glaze: Brown the butter by cooking over medium heat, stirring regularly, until it begins to smell nutty and you see little gold flecks along the bottom. Add in the  the milk, vanilla and sugar to create a thin glaze, keeping it on low heat until the buns are ready.
11. Remove the buns from the oven, and let cool about 10 minutes. Drizzle the glaze over top while they are still warm. Allow them to cool in the pan, and then transfer to a cooling rack or plate to serve.

Serve these immediately, while warm or store in the fridge in an air tight container for up to 2 days. Warm in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds before eating. My mom likes to unwrap and spread some softened butter onto the cinnamon side, but if you're impatient like me, just bite right into it!

Bedroom + Repurposed Dinette Set

When I moved in with my boyfriend, we tried to have very few redundancies. I wouldn't let him buy a bed, because I knew that once I got there we'd be using mine (because it's amazing, and nearly brand new). He was totally fine with sleeping on a futon mattress on the floor for three months, but he wouldn't budge on a dining set.

I didn't fight too hard, my tiny table and two chairs weren't exactly a major purchase for me. I got them at Target for just over $100. My mother and I built them in my old living room. However, when I got here, that meant we had an extra table and two chairs and no real use for them.

The place is too small for multiple eating areas. It's a tiny two-bedroom apartment, after all. So a breakfast nook, while adorable, was out of the question. For awhile, the table sat as a placeholder for the boy's desk in the spare bedroom/office, but as encouragement for him to actually get a desk, I wanted to get it out of there.

So here are what I came up with:

In the bedroom, we had a little extra space. One thing we needed was a place to throw extra pillows and blankets from the bed while sleeping. In the warm evening hours, the boy doesn't like having the heavy comforter on the bed, but I need it once the temperature drops. The floor wasn't working. So I took the two chairs, and placed them sideways beside the bed, covered them with an old curtain, and some throws and we had a bench. It's now a perfect place to pull on socks, helps the pup hop off our extremely tall bed, and serves as a resting spot for the comforter.

The table was still a little trouble. Back in Arizona, though, I was spoiled with an overabundance of bathroom storage. Here, we have a tiny linen closet, almost no counter space next to the sink, and no medicine cabinet at all. So, I decided to turn the table into a makeshift vanity. It's missing a mirror, but works really well as a place for me to store my make-up, necklaces, and hair ribbons. My little ottoman (an impulse purchase back when I got my couch) makes a perfect stool, especially trimmed with an otherwise underused pashmina scarf.

Steal my look with similar pieces: Custom photo to canvas print | Teal and brown floral bedspread | Teal patterned blackout curtains | Turtle candle holder | Wreck This Journal

I Miss My Guitar

I've never really learned to play the guitar.

However, I kind of love my guitar. I got it when I was 16 for Christmas, and even though I never took lessons, I sort of taught myself a little bit. Recently though, my guitar has been babysat by my sister M, which means I don't get to see it much.

Introducing Fandoms

I hear it all the time from my friends, "I can't date him if he doesn't watch Firefly" or "How have you never seen Doctor Who - we're not friends!"

Ask anyone I know, and they'll tell you Disney is my biggest fandom!

This is one school of thought to which I just can't subscribe. See, the thing is, I love introducing people to new fandoms. It's a brilliant feeling watching them watch or play or just be a part of something I love.

... Then Comes Marriage

My sister is getting married in July.

B's engagement ring

Well, I have two sisters. M is already married, but it seems so natural for her. She and her husband, W, have been together a total of twelve years, five-and-a-half of which they have been married. I might my brother-in-law when I was twelve. He's been around for literally half my life, and through most of my important accomplishments.

Time Travel

Actual travel, just as fulfilling.

We are constantly time-traveling. I don’t mean that joke about moving forward in time one second per second. I certainly am not talking about relativity and complex Einsteinian physics. I simply mean that in our minds, we live certain moments outside of the time continuum with which we most often associate.

I first read Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five when I was fifteen, and like Billy Pilgrim, I often find myself unstuck in time. There are mornings where I awaken unsure if yesterday really occurred - and not just when the preceding day’s event were monumental. I’ve had dreams that involved living through an average Tuesday, and awoken to discover it was that morning.

Existential Crises

“I had an existential crises today,” is probably not a phrase that you hear often. Really, most of us describe these moments as nervous breakdowns or episodes. However, I believe there is a huge separation between the “what am I doing with myself?” breakdown (that I probably have weekly, at this point) and a true feeling of be obsolete and unmonumental.

The last time I had an existential crisis was the summer of 2009. I was working at a summer camp, and some coworkers and I had a couple hours off in the evening. Being in the middle of nowhere, New Hampshire, we decided to just go for a walk through the woods.

At that same summer camp, but during the day.