Algiers

On Friday night, Ben and Em and I went to the Algiers Coffee House. It is the kind of place where they let you order a pot of tea and sit for hours and hours, so that's what we did.

Weekend

I spent this weekend sitting at home, wearing cozy socks and eating peanut butter.

It was pretty clear early on that Irene was going to mostly pass us by, so there was also beer and dinners out and trips to go buy wine,

but mostly it was a whole lot of staying indoors, a lot of cooking,

and hanging with some of my favorite people.

Which is really the best kind of weekend, no?

Happy Monday!

It's freezing outside right now (it's 65 degrees-I do recognize that that won't feel so freezing come winter!), so I kind of forgot how hot it was this weekend. But man, that was a scorcher.

It was so hot, really the only thing I could do was go to the happy place and jump in the lake immediately. I had a dear friend from college in town, plus Emma was around, so of course we needed ring pops. Also, lemon slush. (Is that a uniquely New England summer treat? I am kind of getting the impression that it is.)

As it turns out, homemade granola is an excellent snack after a late night of dancing with your sister and her friends. (I'm still looking for the perfect recipe though- anyone have any suggestions?)

Once it cooled down, I got to have an Arnold Palmer, read my book, and write some letters at Hi-Rise. A weekend where I spend time at two of my happy places is a good weekend, indeed.

Happy Monday, Friends!

Happy Tuesday, friends!

Monday rushed in with a burst of productivity and before I knew it, I was going to bed without blogging. (Don't worry, the productivity has long since disappeared.)

Over the weekend, though, I got a little taste of what summer might feel like this year. Saturday, there was a two course (!!) brunch on the back porch, complete with popover breakfast sandwiches (spinach + fried egg + bacon + sharp cheddar on a popover = my new culinary obsession), and then, when we were still hungry, some biscuits. I spent all of Sunday outdoors, hiking, biking and gardening, and it was heavenly.

I am so, so ready for summer to begin.

Happy Monday, friends!

What a weekend. Saturday, there were no pictures. But there were nine and a half mile runs, plenty of iced coffee, and finally seeing ones' bestie for the first time in months. (Or maybe weeks. But it felt like years.)

Sunday was perfect. It started with a walk in the woods. Lily of the Valley were spotted, and they were magical, as always.

Sunday afternoon, Elizabeth came over and we baked up a storm. It started with a tart for a coworker's birthday, and then we needed to make an apple pie because who makes pies without also making an apple pie. Then, it's May which means it's practically sacrilege to bake without using rhubarb, so we also made a rhubarb coffee cake. Further testing is needed, but we may have found the coffee cake holy grail.

All in all, a very productive weekend.

How about you?

{Daffodils and brownies, all wrapped up}

Happy Friday, friends!

And while we're at it, happy March! If Daffodils don't symbolize spring's fast approach, I don't know what does.

This weekend is looking crazy- I think I'm going to make up for last weekend, when all I did was lie around, recuperating, by racing around like a chicken with my head cut off. All for good reason though- I've got lots of fun stuff to do!

How about you? Any fun adventures?

Well. This weekend didn't go quite as planned.



Friday afternoon, I came down with some sort of flu bug, and it hasn't left me alone yet. Which means that instead of checking things off my list like a madwoman, I instead spent the weekend alternating between my couch, my comfy chair, and my bed.

It's okay, though. I got completely caught up on Parenthood and magazine reading, and I got lots of rest, which my body definitely needed. I'm going to try to go into work today, but if that doesn't work so well, I'll be back home for more of the same.

Happy Monday, friends!

True confession: I may have stayed up until nearly 2 o'clock in the morning last night, knitting this hat.



Oops.

At least today is Friday, and I will get to sleep lots tonight. If all goes according to plan, by Monday I will have checked something big off twenty-five in twenty-five. Other than that, I'm laying low this weekend. How about you?

I am the opposite of a homebody.

Unless I have guests, I will happily spend as few waking hours in my house as is feasible. Which is why it was weird yesterday when I woke up and all I wanted to do was stay at home. So I did.

I ventured out for breakfast with my dad, but since I went less than two blocks from my house, I would say that doesn't really count.

I folded a lot of laundry. (I even broke out the iron!)

I couldn't stop thinking about oatmeal, so I had some for lunch. On the weekends I cook it in milk instead of water, and I put as much brown sugar on top as I want. It was perfect.

I finally put up the Abigail! letters that I bought in an antique shop right when I moved back to Boston. They lived above my windows in the last apartment, and I hadn't found the right spot for them in this one. Right by my bed is perfect.

I ended the night with Wives and Daughters, tea, and a chocolate snack.

It was the perfect homebody Sunday.

Happy Monday, friends!

p.s. I have done a terrible job getting caught up on birthday posts. Expect some more, especially one for a friend who has a birthday today!

Happy Tuesday!

{Yes. I do have two notebooks here. So what?}

Happy Tuesday, Friends!

I spent our Monday holiday surrounding myself with stationery products and coffee at Hi-Rise while contemplating my favorite Martin Luther King, Jr quotation. Is there a better way to spend an extra day off?* I think no.

*A day off that ISN'T a snow day, of course.

Happy Monday!

{Those are turnips! With pink insides! From the Somerville Wintertime Farmers' Market, my new favorite thing.}

It was an excellent weekend. Super relaxed, with lots of eating and running. And a fair amount of friends-ing, too. How about you?

Happy Monday!

The weekend was intense.



It may have gotten to the point where I renamed the to-do list I write in chalk on the back of my bedroom door the "freak out list" because on it I prioritized tasks by the level at which they were freaking me out.



But there was also a cookie exchange, organized by Dewey, where I got to meet all her cool friends and eat soup and have an excuse to make these. (Our family makes them every year; if we have a traditional Christmas dish, these weird but delicious toffee things are it.)



On Sunday, there was a walk with Mom. The woods are really beautiful this time of year, and you can see so much further than you can when all the trees are covered in leaves. We happened upon this spot, and it didn't really feel like we were only twenty minutes outside of Boston anymore. It was magical.

It's supposed to snow today, I'm having a telephone chat with an old friend this evening to talk about Graduate School, I have a new granny cart, and Christmas is on Saturday. Freak out lists aside, I think this week is going to be magical.

Happy Monday, friends!

Happy Monday!

Oh, what a weekend.

It did not start out particularly well. Saturday morning, I stayed in my pajamas until noon. (I think I am the only person in the world who cannot stand wearing pajamas for extended periods of time when not sleeping.) I was grumpy, and I had no idea what to do with myself.

It quickly turned around, though. A mocha may have been involved. As well as Salvadoran food and wine tasting with a friend who actually knows what she's talking about, which always makes it more fun. Plus, a really wonderful pinot noir at an affordable price? Yes please!

Saturday night was for Harry Potter. I hadn't seen any of the movies since the first one, and now I want to go back and watch them all- I loved it!

Sunday was all about a long run with a new running buddy and relaxing, as one should do on a Sunday. It ended with a glass of that pinot noir and episodes of Modern Family and Community with the roomie.

All in all, lovely times with lovely people. And a short week ahead, to boot!

Happy Monday, everyone!

p.s. I lost my camera two weeks ago, which is part of why I've been posting so little. I'm working on tracking it down, but my posts might be rather word-heavy in the next couple of weeks. Sorry!

p.p.s. I don't think you'd actually care about the pictures or lack thereof in my posts, but I thought I'd let you know anyway.

p.p.p.s. I just woke up, and I didn't get enough sleep last night. This can be made abundantly evident by the presence of three post scripts in my blog post. Sleep deprivation blogging: just don't do it!

Happy Monday!

Happy Monday, friends!

Over the weekend, the roomies and I had our pie-themed housewarming party. (Yes, we have lived there for a month and a half now and our house is quite warm already. I don't care.) We baked eight pies in preparation, and nearly killed each other in the process, but when Saturday night came around, we put everything out with the labels that I'd watercolored, poured ourselves glasses of champagne, and had a fun time showing our friends our new apartment. It was a really lovely evening.

Last night my friend Elizabeth and I made braised pork with three different kinds of peppers, and ate it with cheesy grits and delicious pinot noir. Elizabeth was one of my few foodie friends with whom I had never cooked before, and I foresee lots of cooking in the future. That pork was amazing, and I can't wait to have some of the leftovers for dinner, wrapped up in warm corn tortillas.

I have a feeling that this is going to be a good week, full of productivity, delicious food, and good weather. Happiest of Mondays to you all.

{High Line, September 2010}

Happy Friday, friends!

This weekend, I'm going wine tasting, music festival-ing, and farmers' market-ing. (Now that Emma's moved to Boston, I finally have a farmers' market buddy who lives in Somerville, gets up as early as I do AND likes to go to brunch!)

How about you? Any adventures?

p.s. Last weekend Lisel and I went to the High Line. It was gorgeous, and I'll have more pictures next week.

Sometimes, it is Thursday night, and you want some brownies.

So you make them, and you feel like Katherine Hepburn (they are her family recipe, after all), and then you are happy.

The End. Happy Friday, friends!

Picnics, playing in fountains, graduation parties, watermelon and mojitos at the boat club and perfect weather make for a fantastic memorial day weekend. I hope yours was wonderful, too.

*I took a little blog break because I was uninspired and grumpy, and something needed to change. It did just the trick. I missed you guys, though, and I'm so glad to be back.

Happy Friday!

{My new-to-me bike has a lion on it! I think it's my favorite thing about it. Besides the saddlebags.}

Happy Friday, everyone!

This weekend, I'm going to go for a bike ride, clean out my bedroom at my mom's, and finally get caught up on birthday posts.

I lead a thrilling life, it's true.

How about you? Do you have any adventures planned for the weekend?

The weekend started with breakfast on the back porch, and just got better from there.

There were trips to the BPL, pedicures, and the beginnings of a blog redesign. Going into work today was really hard- I started so many projects over the weekend, and I just wanted to go home to work on them. Alas, sometimes even I must act like a real grownup.

Tomorrow is a double birthday day- my dad AND my friend Marissa, and have tons to do at work. I'm busy busy busy.

Okay, getting loopy. Time for sleep. Good night!

Happy Friday, friends!

Tonight, Emily and Ben and I are going to go eat dumplings in Chinatown, then at 11 o'clock, I'm picking Lisel up at South Station, and we'll have a weekend of adventures. I can't wait!

How about you? Anything fun in store?

p.s. Aren't these ranunculus gorgeous? I'm sort of in love with them. Not to mention, they were only a dollar a stem!