Under Consideration

Montauk

2009-11-12T22:01:00.015-05:00

There is something special about visiting the beach in the off-season.

Perhaps it's the wide open vistas of windswept sand and bleached driftwood without a soul in sight.

The thrill of solitude after months spent in close quarters with millions of other New Yorkers.

And, of course, what can compare with the joy of feeling the wind in your hair and sand beneath your paws?

Turquoise

2009-08-22T10:25:00.008-04:00

1. Grass on turquoise, 2. Turquoise, 3. Mosaic in Turquoise and Rust, 4. Lady of Turquoise, 5. turquoise Cuff 2, 6. turquoise and cream, 7. Terra cotta - Turquoise, 8. Turquoise door - Albuquerque Old Town, 9. Turquoise Tunnel Silhouette, 10. Ma che vuole questa???, 11. Firstborn, 12. my new turquoise sidetable....., 13. turquoise and gold, 14. three leaves on turquoise, 15. Oxidation in Turquoise, 16. Turquoise Dream

There is just something about the color turquoise that makes me think of sunny skies, salty ocean breezes, the soft rustle of palm trees and a tall glass of something frosty.

What about you? What colors evoke a picture in your mind?

Summer in the City: The High Line

2009-08-20T12:23:00.003-04:00

One of the last things I ever expected to see winding through the rooftops of lower Manhattan--about level with the pigeons, power lines and escaped helium balloons--is a pathway bordered with prairie grasses and wildflowers, but New York City never ceases to amaze.

The High Line is an abandoned elevated train track that has been refurbished and landscaped and opened to city dwellers for strolling, watching the sun set over the Hudson River, and yes, even napping.

The old train tracks have been preserved and the landscaping makes it appear as if nature has begun to reassert herself, eclipsing the rusty leftovers of the modern world.

As you walk, the bustle of the city dims to a low hum. If you listen carefully, you can actually hear songbirds. And somehow, (though you know you must be dreaming this one) it feels like you might even be breathing fresh air.

A few more photos here.

Summer in the City: Times Square

2009-08-10T00:24:00.005-04:00

Times Square might just be my least favorite spot in New York City. Noisy, crowded and full of tourists taking those leisurely strolls that are so foreign to speedy city walkers, I usually just keep my head down and try to dodge the human traffic as I walk through the neighborhood as fast as I possibly can.

Nonetheless, Times Square is the picture many bring to mind when they imagine this fair city. It's where the ball drops to ring in the new year. It's the classic movie scene-setter--that image that tells us "Aha, now we're in New York City!" When someone hums "Start spreading the news...." don't you visualize those Broadway lights that make Times Square so famous?

For that reason, a couple of weekends ago when I was passing through the sweaty crush of Times Square, I decided to stop. Stop dodging and weaving through the tourists. Stop ducking to avoid people selling me I (heart) NY T-shirts. Stop saying "No, I'm not interested..." to anyone and everyone who approached me about anything and everything. I just stopped. I took it in. I tried to remember that, pretty soon, I won't be in this city anymore and I had better start appreciating, even the things I typically avoid.

The lights, the color, the sheer overwhelming visual stimulation assaulting you from every side. That is Times Square.

Perhaps it was because I was with a first-time visitor to New York who was in awe of everything we passed. Perhaps I was on a high inspired by the Broadway musical we had just seen. Perhaps I need to stop and appreciate more often. But for a few moments that one evening, Times Square seemed pretty incredible.

Into the Light

2009-07-31T00:02:00.000-04:00

Have you ever lost a blog post? Drafted it, added your photos, maybe even checked for typos, and then never posted it? Let it languish among your drafts for a while and then eventually just forgotten you ever wrote it?

That's what happened to this post. Last summer I had a teeny little obsession with lens flare. Out and about on a sunny day with a camera, I couldn't resist turning my lens towards the sun to see what scattering of light I could capture. I collected a few of my favorite shots to share here, and then they somehow disappeared into the morass of draft posts I have going on at any given time.

Finding this unfinished post in the middle of another (sometimes) sunny summer, remembering the wonder of seeing the sun cast its rays across an image just so, makes me think lens flare might just be an obsession worth revisiting.

While I'm at it perhaps I should revisit my unfinished draft posts once in a while too. Who knows what other good stuff might be in there...

Spotlight: The Uniform Project

2009-07-28T21:37:00.006-04:00

Last week a good friend (whose snazzy redesigned blog can be found here) shared with me the website for The Uniform Project, and ever since I have been eagerly anticipating Sheena's daily updates.

The basic idea: Sheena has selected a uniform and will wear it for 365 days straight--an ambitious exercise in sustainability and creativity. She accessorizes with items donated, thrifted and previously owned and manages to take the versatility of the little black dress to whole new dimensions. There are few who could pull off something like this but Sheena does it with great style. As if that's not amazing enough, her efforts go towards a good cause--fund-raising for the purchase of uniforms for a girl's school in India. Read more about it here.

Check out The Uniform Project--you may just get hooked too.

Clockwise from top: Executive chic; Bon voyage at the pier; Cause I'm gonna be a dancer; Friday I'm in love.

Summer in the City: Coney Island

2009-07-23T10:22:00.000-04:00

The other day I posted about the fact that I'm counting down my days in New York City and am trying to pack as many quintessential New York experiences as possible into my last months here. I thought Coney Island might be a good place to start.

I know the very name conjures visions of crowded beaches, amusement park rides alive with lights and music, and all manner of odd characters prowling the boardwalk. Coney Island is a undoubtedly a colorful mixture of images. Some of them are iconic, like the famous Wonder Wheel and the Coney Island Cyclone--rides that have been around since the 1920s.

Others are more...shall we say...tawdry, but nonetheless part of Coney Island's unique blend of entertainment and oddity.

I confess, I don't go in for the crowded beach/amusement park scene, so I made my Coney Island visit early in the season when the shores were still empty, waiting for the throngs of summer tourists and city day-trippers. Even though it was not high season, I feel like I got a taste of the Coney Island magic. Do you feel a bit of it too?

Chicago is...

2009-07-21T11:40:00.006-04:00

(Cloud Gate, sculpture by Anish Kapoor, Millenium Park, Chicago)

My kind of town, Chicago is...

At least that's how Frank Sinatra felt, and I'm hoping the same will be true for me because that's where we are off to. In just a few short months we will be relocating from New York City to Chicago (or, more accurately, the Chicago suburbs). That leaves me just a few more months to enjoy life as a resident of New York City to the fullest, and to prepare myself to embrace a new hometown.

With that in mind, I'm creating two lists. Because who doesn't love a good list?

First, a list of things I must do before leaving NYC. Places to visit or re-visit. Sights to photograph. Restaurants to enjoy. Parks to picnic in. Museums I have yet to explore.

Second, a Welcome to Chicago list. What are the sights, sounds and tastes that every resident of Chicago should experience? How should I go about getting to know the Windy City? As you can see, I have already visited at least one Chicago highlight, a dazzling sculpture affectionately nicknamed The Bean. So one down, many to go.

Those of you who have loved, lived in or visited these two beautiful cities--help me say goodbye to one and hello to the other. What do you think should be on my lists?

Bella Italia

2009-07-07T23:02:00.004-04:00

I visited Italy for the first time a couple of months ago. I was only there a week, but somehow, two months later, I am still daydreaming about the rolling green hills, picturesque city streets and one very memorable plate of asparagus risotto.

The scenery was stunning. The Italians were warm and welcoming. I took to saying "grazie mille" like a fish to water. And the food was so. darn. good. So good that I have no photographs of it. It was all eaten too fast. So good that I began to wonder whether fresh mozzarella might have been the key to the Renaissance.

And the gelato. Pardon me while I swoon at the memory.

Quick, somebody remind me again why I live here and not there?

From ancient Roman civilization to the churches, frescos and fountains of the Renaissance, we all know that the richness of Italy's history is staggering.

So rich, in fact, that artifacts which would be priceless ancient treasures anywhere else in the world are left lying by the railroad tracks. In Italy they're just the extras.

But the most memorable aspects of the trip remain the little details. Geraniums in a window in Verona. A bulldog sunning himself on a balcony over a small piazza in Venice. A tiny white Fiat 500 sandwiched into a parking spot about the size of my coffee table.

An elderly gentleman boarding a tram in Rome with his briefcase and fedora. Giant wheels of cheese and mountains of salami pouring out of the stalls in the Florence central market. Ornate doorknobs, rain-slicked cobblestones, and lines of laundry hanging against a blue sky.

Puppy Love

2009-06-15T00:36:00.010-04:00

A while back I posted about an expected new addition to our family. About a month ago Hazel finally joined us, and she has turned our lives completely upside-down. All the carpets have been temporarily rolled up, doggie barriers have been erected in strategic locations throughout the apartment, my nightly Law & Order fix has been replaced with The Dog Whisperer, and I've been getting up before 7 a.m.

In short, things are all topsy-turvy.

She is half golden retriever, half poodle. They call them golden-doodles. I wish I were kidding.

She is a clumsy, shoe-chewing, tail-wagging fuzzball.

But she turns those sweet brown eyes your way, and her puppy exuberance is so infectious, that playing fetch and getting drooled on suddenly seems like a perfectly thrilling way to pass an evening.

We named her Hazel after the lead character in Richard Adams' classic novel Watership Down, which Ash and I both read in the spring and loved.

(We initially thought of naming her "Fiver" for another character in the book, but that was rapidly shot down by a number of critics. I think the words "worst dog name in history" may have been mentioned. Suffice it to say we won't be sharing the names of our future children.)

But Hazel suits her, don't you think?

Welcome to the family, Hazel.

Two Cities by the Sea

2009-06-14T22:02:00.002-04:00

In April we spent nine days visiting the Baha'i holy places in Haifa and Akka, two cities on the edge of the Mediterranean that hold a special significance for all Baha'is.

In Akka we walked the paths of history through the ancient city, following in footsteps made over a century ago.

In the rooms, the courtyards, and the gardens we passed through in Haifa and Akka, the air is heavy with the weight of the prayers and thoughts of hundreds of thousands of visitors to these sacred places.

We had time to reflect, to remember our loved ones, to soak in the beauty, to breathe those Mediterranean breezes touched ever so slightly with the scent of roses, and to refresh our minds and hearts.

More photos on Flickr.

Back to Blogging

2009-05-29T19:41:00.001-04:00

This may not come as a surprise, but I have been getting some grief about my lack of blog posts lately. The other day someone was telling me that the construction of certain gargantuan seagoing freight ships takes about six months. My brother turned to me and said, "Hey Elizabeth, that's about how long it takes you to write a blog post."

Point taken.

And there is plenty to share, so I have no excuse. There are photos being processed and posts in the works, and you will be seeing more of me here very soon. Truly. Cross my heart.

Here's the Question...

2009-04-04T12:51:00.005-04:00

What does it take to draw a blogger out of a long winter hibernation? The arrival of spring? With the all the warm weather, improved lighting and flowery photo-ops that the season brings? Eh. I don't know if that's quite enough.

A sweet face like this one? Maybe, just maybe...

Back to Programming As Usual

2008-12-20T20:25:00.013-05:00

Now that travel photos have been shared, I can return to posting about the mundane, and occasionally wonderful, details of daily life. As winter has deepened, as the snow has fallen, the icicles have lengthened and the days have gotten ever shorter, here's what's been going on:

Plenty of cappuccino drinking. Can't do winter without it.

Most definitely some baking.Wintertime just cries out for warm pies, crumbles, and New York Times chocolate chip cookies.

Intense board gaming. Specifically Settlers of Catan. Who wants to go out when you can build an empire while sitting at your dining room table?

Holiday-light appreciating. They are almost enough to make one forget how chilly and dreary the weather is.

Guest blogging. I have been taking photos every morning and evening this week to contribute to Amy's photo blog, Every Morn and Eve. (Needless to say, I am in talented company, so the pressure is on!)

And finally, that coziest of winter activities, knitting. Latest off the needles is this cowl, knitted with some soft and fuzzy Malabrigo chunky yarn in the appropriately-titled color of Polar Morn. (A big thank you to Parikha at sixoneseven for the pattern!) This cozy wonder is already warming the neck of a good friend, and there is a second cowl now in the works. (A bit of cowl obsession has developed over here at Under Consideration this season, so you will surely see more of them in the coming months.)

What wintery activities have you been up to? How do you pass the time when it's cold outside?

The Heart and Soul

2008-12-11T00:03:00.000-05:00

Wildlife adventures and beautiful scenery are all well and good, but people give a place its heart and soul. It is the photographs of the men, women, and especially children I interacted with that are the best reflection of the warmth and friendliness I love most about Nepal.

What a country of beautiful faces.

A country of diversity.

Of shy smiles.

And irresistible cheeks.

And little boys wanting to play with the big kids. (Photo courtesy of Ash)

A country of curiosity.

And warm welcomes.

And just a little bit of camera-shyness.

It is a country filled with playfulness.

And amateur photographers. (Video also courtesy of Ash. Thanks Ash!)

And distinguished gentlemen.

Nepal is a country of eager models.

A place where everyone wants to join the fun.

A place where everyone is welcome.

On Safari

2008-12-05T09:48:00.001-05:00

Only about 100 miles south of the Himalayas, a completely different world exists. A world of flatlands, lush jungles, palm trees, broad meandering rivers, and rice paddies stretching into the distance.

The south of Nepal is also home to all manner of wildlife, like this Asian rhinocerous that stood silently contemplating our jeep for a moment before crashing off into the brush.

Royal bengal tigers are also native to the region, though due to their nocturnal nature (and decades of determined poaching) they are rarely seen. The tiger below (eyeing me hungrily through the rather flimsy wooden bars of his enclosure) was captured by the Wildlife Service after he and his mother terrorized some local villages.

There is no better way to see the jungle that from the back of an elephant.

The elephants were very friendly with us. They didn't bat an eye when we ungracefully scrambled up their trunks to ride on their backs, even giving us a helpful lift. I found them remarkably beautiful, with deep, wise eyes framed by incredibly long lashes.

This little baby elephant was particularly feisty and eager to play. It's all fun and games until a 400-pound 8-month-old mistakenly steps on one's foot. Ouch!

Coming up: the last post of my Nepal series.

The Himalayas

2008-11-30T21:36:00.003-05:00

There was something surreal, almost magical, about trekking in the Himalayas. Our journey began with many hours of intensive four-wheel-driving on winding roads through rolling foothills, past villages, across crumbling pathways washed out by monsoon avalanches, and occasionally stopping for a herd of goats or stubborn water buffalo sunning himself in the middle of the road.

We began the first day of our trek in the fertile high hills with the warm midday sun warming our shoulders and the delicate beauty of Langtang peak shimmering in the distance.

As the hours and days went by we gained altitude, passing through temperate bamboo forests and into wooded alpine slopes, thick with old growth trees and hanging moss. As we climbed, lost in our own meditations, we couldn't help but marvel at the ethereal beauty of the scenery.

Eventually we left the forests behind, pushing beyond the tree line to the high plateaus, beckoned by the mountains.

It was a magical landscape, rocky and cold, where the air began to feel thinner and the fog would roll in at a moment's notice eclipsing our path, where an occasional yak would appear suddenly out of the mist to watch us go by.

As we climbed to the highest point on our trek, gasping for breath in that rarefied air, the whole world was spread out beneath us. The forbidding magnificence of the mountains, those sheer faces of ice and rock, was everywhere we turned.

Prayer flags wave in the high winds at the top of many of Nepal's hills and mountains. It is said the prayers written on them are carried away by the wind to spread peace and compassion throughout the world. I think a few of those peaceful and compassionate prayers may have caught hold of me on their way, setting my mind at rest and refreshing me in heart and spirit as I took in the all the beauty of the Himalayas.

(This photo above was taken by my very talented brother, Grady.)

Next post: On Safari

Where I've Been

2008-11-23T23:03:00.003-05:00

As you may have noticed, I've been on vacation from blogging for the last two months. Many thanks for your sweet comments checking in on me and for optimistically keeping me in your RSS feed!

I have been intending to post for a couple of weeks now, but there is just so much to catch up on I hardly know where to begin. The last two months have been a whirlwind of planning for travel, actually traveling, and post-travel withdrawal. The travel in question? A trip to Nepal. Or as I like to call it "the homeland." I grew up there and though I've lived in many places since, it firmly occupies the "home" spot in my heart. Even after two weeks back in New York City, I'm not sure I have the words to describe what a joy it was to be there again after many years away. So I'll let photos do the talking, starting with a few of the capital: Kathmandu.

The eyes of Buddha, Swayambunath Stupa.

Prayer flags blowing in the breeze, Thamel.

Candles lit in celebration of a holy day.

The Old City, Kathmandu Durbar Square.

Beans and lentils for sale in the market.

Two friends keep a shopkeeper company in the bead market.

A mother and son sell colored powder for the Tihar festival.

Father and son, selling flower garlands.

Looking out over the river with Pashupati Temple in the background.

A happy-looking cow kneels in a temple doorway.

Snacks for sale on the temple steps.

A sculpted lion sticks a tongue out at passersby, Swayambunath.

A woman carries a basket of greens on her back.

Goodbye, Kathmandu.
Next post: pictures from the Himalayas.

Mother Nature's Paintbrush

2008-09-23T21:28:00.002-04:00

Beauty upon beauty. That was my weekend.

It is difficult to outshine the works of the world's great artists, but my visit to the Museum of Modern Art on Saturday may just have been topped by a trip to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden on Sunday.

Mother Nature has an incredible palette to work with.

The Museum of Modern Art

2008-09-21T17:44:00.012-04:00

I love New York City. Truly I do. Though I may grumble about small kitchens and fire-escape gardening and lack of natural beauty, there is no place like it. In reality, we New Yorkers are extremely spoiled by the mosaic of diversity, culture and artistic expression that surrounds us as we walk the city streets day by day.

Even so, at least once a week I think "If only I took better advantage of all New York City has to offer..."

Which is why I am so pleased with myself anytime I manage to enjoy one of New York's special attractions, be it Di Fara pizza or the Museum of Modern Art.

Saturday afternoon I was drawn uptown by the promise of Van Gogh and good conversation. As I browsed the MOMA's new Van Gogh exhibit with some friends and wandered through gallery after gallery of stunning artwork, I found myself fascinated by the different ways in which people observed the art on the walls.

The woman above stood mesmirized, unmoving, in front of Picasso's Les Demoiselles D'Avignon for a good five minutes.

Some people wandered, glancing for a few seconds at a painting here, a sculpture there. Others read every word about every work of art. A few just sat on the banquettes and gazed at their favorites.

And then there were those who roamed about with their cameras snapping photos of what everyone else was doing; viewing the people and the art through the camera lens. Captured moments, both distant and intimate.

Caramels and Care Packages

2008-09-18T18:41:00.000-04:00

Whew. You know how life can become crazily busy sometimes, even for just a few days? And then all of a sudden you return to normalcy and are faced with a mountain of emails you have not yet had time to read, voicemails you have managed to ignore, laundry you haven't bothered to fold, and suitcases that won't be unpacked for a month? Maybe it's just me...

Finally things have died down a bit and I have a moment to pop in and share a wonderful recipe that I recently made excellent use of during the Pay it Forward giveaway.

These chewy gooey beauties are Pecan Maple Caramels, recipe courtesy of The Chocolate Gourmand. I came across the recipe months ago and have been thinking of them ever since. Finally this summer I convinced myself I needed a candy thermometer, and I had the last piece of the puzzle necessary to make my pecan maple dream a reality.

They were actually really, really good. Quite a shock for me, in light of previous candy-making disasters, including a batch of "fudge" some years ago that had to be broken with a hammer and chisel just to fit it into the trash bin.

The recipe is not difficult, but be prepared for a good 1/2 hour of constant stirring over the hot stove before the caramel reaches the right temperature. After leaving the caramel to set overnight I cut it into squares and wrapped them in wax paper for easy transportation to my Pay it Forward recipients--the lovely ladies behind Ultra Fine Flair, For the Love of Food, and Angry Asian Creations. Apparently they survived the mailing well, making for excellent holiday gift possibilities.

Try them out and let me know what you think! (And if you want to get in on the Pay it Forward fun, wander on over to For the Love of Food, she may just have a spot left for some lucky commenter.)

Summer's End

2008-09-04T12:35:00.002-04:00

Is it just me, or does each summer seem to pass even faster than the summer before? June, July and August just flew by this year. Every year I make grand plans to take advantage of the many exciting activities in New York City during the summer, and every year I barely scratch the surface.

Summer is more or less at an end, and I wish I had made more of it. More long lunches, more time in the park, more sweet corn, more popsicles, and more pesto made from the basil secretly being grown on our fire escape. More of a summer tan might have been nice too.

Fortunately Labor Day Weekend went a long way towards making me feel I enjoyed summer to the fullest.

Saturday was a day outdoors, mostly spent bicycling around Brooklyn. A planned trip to Coney Island with friends for a little sunset photography was aborted when one bike needed emergency repair, so we consoled ourselves instead by going to Di Fara to try out some of the top-rated (and most difficult to get to) pizza in New York City.

What an experience. By all appearances, the pizza place has barely changed in the past 60 years since it's owner, Dom DeMarco, has been making pizzas there. You can see him in the photo below (on the left). Dom makes all the pizzas himself, and has been making them so long he has no qualms about reaching his bare hands into the million degree pizza oven to push around the pans and check the done-ness of the pizzas. One young family member assists Dom in taking orders and bringing out big buckets of fresh mozzarella.

I learned plenty about the history of the place by reading all the articles pasted on the wall, because after all we did have a two hour wait for our pie. I'm not kidding! Granted, Saturday night at 6 p.m. on Labor Day weekend was probably not the best time to go, but once we had invested an hour of waiting time, we were not about to turn back. The swarms of people milling around on the sidewalk and in the tiny waiting area kept telling us, "It's worth it!" The pizza was very, very delicious, but after a two hour wait my tastebuds were somewhat dulled by my ravenous hunger, so I'm not sure I can be objective. (For a far more eloquent review, check out The Amateur Gourmet blogging about his transcendent Di Fara experience.)

Sunday I had the day all to myself and I wandered around Brooklyn with my camera enjoying the sun, snapping pictures, and stopping in a few of my favorite little shops like Fact and Fancy and Blue Ribbon General Store to pick up pretty notecards. I ended the afternoon in Fort Greene Park reading a very satisfying book. Does it get any better?

Monday I spent one of the nicest afternoons possible in Gillian's lovely backyard, enjoying delicious food, excellent conversation, great music, and lots of new friends.

And, because no weekend is complete without a little something constructive, I took a few hours to finish up my Pay it Forward suprises (can't share what they were because not everyone has received them yet!). One got hand-delivered and the others went into the mail. (If you missed getting in on the Pay it Forward fun here, wander on over to Lollychops. She is hosting her own and may just have something left for one lucky commenter!)

And I finally, finally finished the scarf for my husband that I have been working on since March--just in time to welcome him home from a long trip. Only six months in the making--that might actually be a knitting project record for me! For my next craft project (already begun) I'm concentrating on something smaller!

Happy End of Summer everyone, and thank you for all your sweet comments on my last post. Stay tuned for the first post in Project Recipe Book this weekend!

A Project in the Making: My Grandmother's Recipe Book

2008-08-30T01:24:00.000-04:00

For years I've had an idea for a very special project brewing in my mind. I posted about it last winter. My project outline is something like this:

Get my hands on my grandmother's recipe book.
Cook all the recipes in it (and take pictures of the process).
Create a proper cookbook out of it using Blurb or Tastebook and give them as gifts to my family members.

In all honesty, I visualized this whole project based on nothing more than a glimpse of the overstuffed, disintegrating recipe book when I was young; memories of some of my grandmother's tasty dishes; and family conversation about the gourmet meals she was known for. I had no real recollection of what the book, this stuff of family legend, actually looked like.

When it was brought up from Tennessee for me this summer by the most reliable of couriers (Thanks Mom!), and I carefully, reverently, leafed through the pages, what I found was far more than a recipe book.

The leather-bound book, as it turns out, belonged first to my great-grandmother and begins with a clipping that she pasted in:

1920. 88 years ago this collection of recipes was begun. Sticking out between the pages of pasted-in clippings and scrawled measurements were thank you notes, shopping lists, and even a drawing done in a sweet child's hand; a note from my aunt to her grandma, my great-grandmother.

I was suddenly in awe of the history I held in my hands, terrified of tearing the brittle, crumbling pages, or of causing this new-found treasure to disintegrate altogether. How could I even flip through the book, much less cook the recipes from it? So I kept it in a padded envelope for a month. Safe. Protected.

Still, I could not resist the charm of its whimsical drawings and the very intriguing recipes I came across. I mean, something called "Knock 'em Dead Pie" is clearly just begging to be made.

So, I won't hold back any longer. This is it. I am embarking on Project Recipe Book. I'll be sharing regular updates here, and likely asking for suggestions as I attempt to decipher recipes and track down ingredients. It will take time, I know. Grandmother had a lot of recipes. Wish me luck.

Pay it Forward

2008-08-27T01:18:00.007-04:00

Hi there dear reader, you are in luck. Today is the day I decided to post about the lovely gift I received from Deb over at Bonbon Oiseau, and that means the time has come for me to Pay it Forward.

Let me explain. Last weekend while browsing through some favorite blogs, I came across this post on Bonbon Oiseau. Deb (inspired by the lovely Camille from Rtemis: Huntress of Epicurian Delights) was starting a Pay it Forward chain. She pledged to send something nifty to the first three bloggers who commented on her post if they would, in turn, share the love and pay it forward. Now, who would not want to receive something nifty from a bloggy friend, especially if she happens to be an incredibly talented jewelry designer? I was lucky enough to be the first commenter and yesterday I received this sweet necklace. Thank you Deb!

Now the time has come to pass it on. Here are the rules for the Pay it Forward Gift Exchange:

I agree to send something fun, cute, and nice to the first 3 blog owners who post a comment on this entry. In turn, those three will post this information and pick 3 people they want to send something to and so on. Unfortunately, due to postage costs, I can only pay it forward within the United States. If you are interested in participating, be one of the first 3 blog owners to leave a comment!

You have to promise that you will then post about this on your blog, link to me, and then send something to the first three people who comment on your blog so that this continues. When the first three have commented I will email you a request for your shipping address and I will send out something that I hope will make you smile!

Portrait Practice

2008-08-21T23:58:00.005-04:00

When you feel like taking a few portrait shots but have nobody around to pose for you, it's okay to improvise, right?