Book Report: The Little Prince

Sometime you read something and your heart just connects. Sometimes you read something and for hours you are lost in though, spacey even, figuring out how to adjust to the world as you know it after because it's not the same. It won't ever be quite the same.  

The Little Prince got me. Through and through. I put off reading it for a while, that happens when things are cult classics for me. I get wary and wonder why. But this one I loved, fully and deeply. 

Sometimes things come to you at just the right time. Sometimes you decide to sit in the children's section of Barnes and Noble in a seat that's almost too small and you decide to read. First to preview, and then you can't put it down. It's not such a long story after all. And then you sit there in a slight daze, and you wonder how many people you can tell about this new thing you just discovered, because it needs to be shared. And you hope that others find it as beautiful and you did. But even if they don't, you have to try.

Oh Little Prince. Thank you. I'll take some time to admire the stars and listen to my heart tonight.

xoxo

On Repeat - Cups

Watching Pitch Perfect generally puts me in an awesome mood. You know how stoked I was to find this music video? So stoked. 

So now I'm sharing it with you.

xoxo

On Repeat - Wagon Wheel

Things have been a little country around here lately. Okay, a lot country. It's basically all I listen to. When I'm in the car, when I'm writing, when I go out I'm pretty reluctant to go to any bar that isn't a country bar... that's where I'm at.

I think there has been a hint of that on here... first Hunter Hayes, then Ella Mae Bowen and now Darius Rucker. 

Here's the thing about Darius. I didn't want to like him. I hated Hootie and the Blowfish. Severely. But this song, this cover/remake he does is so good. Maybe I just have a soft spot in it in my head because I see so many couples two stepin out on the dance floor to it. And that's adorable. Or maybe I like it because he's good, this is a good spot for him. 

Whatever the reason, this song is on repeat.

xoxo

52 Dishes: 16-20/52 Playing Catch Up

I've been playing a little bit of catch up lately with this project. I had a whole 11 days with a glorious kitchen and great appliances so I made a few things. I found myself a little burned out after I made about 5 different things in a few days so I took a break but I'm getting closer, closing the gap and what not. 

This last week and a half (ish) I made:

16: Baked French Toast

I bought a baguette and cut it into pieces and let them sit out overnight to get them a little stale. I think it might have been even better if I had waited a little longer but I was impatient. I really liked this cold too, but I like pancakes, crepes and french toast cold later anyway. Also, I was suppose to have the buttered side of the bread on the top with the sugar which probably would have caramelized it more. Oh well, still was delicious. Will definitely make this again.

17: Pizza Dough

I made this while I was house sitting because my sister has this awesome electric mixer which was just what I needed. I am not good at kneading dough and that thing is a pro. I liked the dough better than ones that I have before. I liked it better than the packages you get at trader joes, and those are pretty good, but I'm still not convinced. I want a thinner crust overall, but one that puffs up a little more at the edges. I think I'll probably try a couple more before the year is through. 

18: Spinach, onion and Mushroom Pizza, no cheese

There was no new recipe for this one, it's just my favorite kind of pizza. I was going to make pizza sauce myself but didn't find a good rustic tomato/artisan pizza sauce. Something else to work on this year. Maybe I'll do that with arugula. Yum.

19: Salmon, Asparagus and a Baked Potato

This is kind of the same as the packets I made with tilapia but I don't care. I am counting it. Especially because this is the first time I cooked asparagus. It's my new favorite vegetable. 

20: S'mores Pockets

Oh my gosh, so much went into make these. The actual recipe is super easy but I bought the ingredients and decided to make them on a girl's night I had. I put them in the pantry and went off to go dancing one night and I came home and didn't notice that they were gone. Fast forward to the next afternoon when I am looking for all my ingredients for each dish I wanted to make and I couldn't find the marshmallows or the chocolate chips anywhere. I then had a flashback to a small piece of plastic wrap I had found by the back door where Zeus sleeps, so I run into the other room where he "hides" things that he tears up and sure enough there was shredded plastic wrap all over. And then there was the full bag of chocolate chips with a small hole in it. Marshmallows gone, chocolate still okay. I was very thankful that he didn't eat the chocolate and found the whole thing pretty funny. So then on the day of girl's night I had a friend pick up marshmallows but then I added like 5 other things for her to pick up and by the time she got to my house she had forgotten the marshmallows so I had to ask another friend that was coming for them. Sigh. But eventually the marshmallows arrived and these were made.

They are delicious. But they are sneakily rich. I don't suggest eating 4 after having a margarita... unless you have a strong stomach that won't hate you later. I had a s'more hang over the next day, couldn't even look at the remaining treats. I probably won't ever eat them again honestly, but they were good. That one time. Well, four times. I recommend them to people with self control. 

So there was my first round of catch up, I'm not sure I'll do that many in a short time again any time soon, I'll probably just double up most weeks, but we'll see. Need to get inspired again. 

What have you been cooking?

xoxo

On Repeat - I Need a Hero

I've been watching the newer version of Footloose quite frequently and this song always gets me. Her voice is gorgeous. I love this cover. Love, love, love it. 

Up where the mountains meet the heavens above
Out where the lightning splits the sea
I could swear that there's someone somewhere watching me
Through the wind and the chill and the rain
And the storm and the raging flood
Oh, his approach is like a fire in my blood

I’ll meet a hero
And then we’ll dance 'til the morning light
Dreaming, he'll lead me
Held tight,
Tonight’s the night

Have you seen the newer version of Footloose? Did you like it at all?

xoxo

Lovely Links

via

Sometimes I think I could just live in an Airstream Trailer. But it would have to look like this guy's does.

A healthy way to end a relationship ::: Break Up Parties

Been feeling stuck like me lately? Time to make small changes? ::: 10 Ways to Get Your Act Together

A post I come back to every now and again ::: In Praise of the Unplanned Career


What posts have caught your eye lately?

xoxo

52 Dishes: 15/52 Orzo, Corn and Avocado Salad

Dish 15 was a nice light, delicious summer dish. I'm not sure if it's actually a summer dish but it seems perfect to me because it's light, has corn and goes well with some chicken or by itself. I'm pretty sure those aren't the actual qualifications of a summer dish, but it sounded good to me. It's also pretty simple to make. Simple is what I like when cooking. One of the goals of this project was to get myself out of a meal rut which consisted of burritos, egg sandwiches, and noodles with meat sauce. Any time I thought about eating at home I would feel bored or burned out about my choices so I would opt to go get something at a drive through. 

That's where recipes like this one come in, they aren't hard, they don't take much time, there are plenty of leftovers (for this dish I cut the recipe in half and still had too much, hashtag singlegirlproblems), they are healthy, AND they are delicious too!

Orzo, Corn and Avocado Salad

I didn't have any trouble with the recipe, I think I could have cooked the orzo a little less, still working on perfect al dente with pastas. 

The recipe called for a small amount of cilantro which is a bummer because now I have a heap of cilantro and don't have another recipe I want to use it in... curses!

Was it good? Yes. Will I make this again sometime? Most likely!

What about you, what have you been cooking (or craving) lately?

xoxo

Little Reminders

via

I am reminding myself of this daily, no, hourly. Work is slowing down and it's time to find a new job which often sends me into a tailspin, but I'm doing it. Sometimes with a margarita at my side. Sometimes I have to stop, pick up a pen and open a blank page in my journal and just write out my goal for the perfect life and write until I feel it, and the hope for it. Sometimes I just have to get away and take a shower, eat some food, drink some water or dance around a bit. Sometimes the worry sticks hard and my tongue feels like it's swelling and I wonder how I'm going to possibly pay for anything. 

But I keep coming back to this... I have better uses for my imagination. Worry does nothing but waste time and energy. 

I am promising here, to use my imagination for more good than not. Even if it starts off at 51% to 49%. I'm going to keep doing this, keep pushing, keep dancing and drinking margaritas if I have to. Keep cooking and blogging, keep reading and taking pictures of anything pretty. Imagination will be for good, not evil. It's time for the impossible to have a fighting chance.

xoxo

Lovely Links

found here

A cause to donate to ::: No Matter How Small (via Haley at Mushaboom)

Two photo classes I signed up for ::: The M & Study of Light

Emma and Elsie write about their adventures in book writing ::: Getting a Book Deal

Two dishes I'll have to add to my 52 in 52 ::: Broccoli Pasta Salad & Blackberry Cobbler

Something I've been doing a lot lately ::: Imagine Your Perfect Day

What posts and things have caught your eye lately?

xoxo

Required Reading: Summer List

A month or two ago Dani over at Sometimes Sweet posted a Summer Reading list and ever since then I've been meaning to do my own. Then she posted another reading list this week and I was reminded and re-inspired to make mine. 

The problem is, I have so many books to recommend. Fiction, YA Lit, Memoir (ish), Self Improvement... see my dilemma? 

It's okay though, I decided on upbeat* reading since it's summer. Most of these, heck, all of these are easy, quick reads if you want them to be. They can also be nice slow reads, something to savor. Either way I think you might just like them. Here's a little intro for each:

Happier At Home - I've already recommended this here, but it works well for summer too, so I figured I would put it here again. I loved the Happiness Project, love it. Read it twice, got ideas for my life... her second book was full of more ideas. I think we could all benefit from a Happiness Project or two. I haven't embarked on a year long journey like Gretchen but I stay inspired by her none the less.

The Queen of Babble - This book is cute and fun and reminds me of The Shopaholic Series but with a little less anxiety because the main character isn't spending like crazy. A quick read, something for the pool or the beach... or the couch, or a lazy morning in bed.

You Are a Badass - I cannot say enough good things about this book. I recommend it to anyone that is wondering what's next or needs a little (or a lot of) encouragement. I'm on my third reading and I have a feeling I'm going to make a not sheet to look back on. Maybe just open the book randomly on days I have a harder start. I will recommend this book up and down and all around.

The Lucky One - It may just be because I am watching the movie that came from this book but this is one of my favorites by Nicholas Sparks. The Notebook definitely wins top spot, and now that I think about it, Dear John probably comes in second, but this might just be second and a half. If you have seen the movie, know that the book is better. I mean, I don't hate the movie, but the book is definitely better.

An Abundance of Katherines and Paper Towns - I've sang John Green's praises on just about every book of his. I would say read any and all of them. I put these on the summer reading list for a reason though, they are both road trip books and summer is made for road trips. I can't pick which of Green's books are my favorite, both of these, on second read, battled for a top spot with The Fault in Our Stars and Looking For Alaska. So, do yourself a favor, and read ANY of his books. Any of them.

I have a huge stack of books I need to get through before I get another but I'm always taking suggestions, my good reads to read list is almost overwhelming but I can't help but add to it still. So give me some titles, what are you reading?

xoxo

*minus a few parts in The Lucky One, but what do you expect with Nicholas Sparks?