Mermaid Tales

Weta Workshop artisans did a beautiful job creating this mermaid tale for double amputee Nadya. What an incredible experience for the designers and especially for Nadya. You can catch it in action here.

(photograph Weta Workshop)

Boden catalogue

I've noticed a significant drop-off in junk mail lately (esp. catalogues). They seem to be limited to those that I have actually ordered something from at some point in time. Well, surprise! A new catalogue appeared in my mailbox and I'm loving it. Boden, a british clothier (beware, british sizing!), has great mixtures of color, patterns, textures, and details. I wish I had a little spare cash, I would pick up something new - until then I will save the catalogue from the recycle bin.

(photograph Boden Catalogue)

Sun(ny)day naps.

When she naps in the sun she smiles with her eyes!

Happy Valentine's Day!

(illustration from Veer.com)

Lima Beans

As winter wears on, I start to crave fresh, non squash, vegetables I turn to the frozen food aisle and my absolute favorite is lima beans. Fix with a little olive oil, sea salt, and lots of fresh ground pepper. Yum!

Cottage Cheese Pancakes

This weekend I made my favorite pancake: cottage cheese. I had the [mis]fortune as a kid that my dad made pancakes every Saturday morning. By my teens I decided that I didn't like pancakes (although I still loved french toast and waffles). As an adult, I found two recipes for pancakes that I do like (the other is a swedish pancake). 

Cottage Cheese Pancakes:

6 eggs, separated

2 c. small curd cottage cheese

2/3 c. flour

2 T. sugar

1 t. salt

dash cinnamon

1/8 t. cream of tarter

oil spray for cooking

Garnish: sour cream, preserves, honey, powdered sugar

Beat together egg yolks, cottage cheese, flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. In another bowl beat the egg whites with cream of tarter until stuff, but not dry. Fold the beaten egg white gently into cheese mixture.

Drop the batter by large spoonfuls onto an oiled griddle or skillet. Fry the pancakes until golden brown on both sides until puffy. Serve at once with garnish. Serves 4 generously.

Tiny Kitchen

The Tiny Kitchen segments hosted by Jill Santopietro (a nytimes recipe tester) are encouraging, inspiring, and amusing. She prepares everything in her tiny ny city apartment, that is 11.5 sf (they must only be counting her usable counter!). The first video is for a Calvados cocktail: The Normandy (I've taste tested and it is delicious). I look forward to see what else she serves up. (image from New York Times)

Skip to my lou

A knock on my door signaled the delivery of my new shoes by the postman! Just before Thanksgiving my current favorite black slip-on-flats had an accident (the 'snap' fell off). I contacted the shoe company to see if I could have it repaired, alas no (they were last season), but they sent me these new shoes. I really liked the old pair, but these are close cousins and have recycled components in the soles and organic cotton lining. I just sprayed them for the NW rain and will soon be skipping to the library. Have a great weekend! (image from hushpuppies.com)

Cord Swarm

Cord Swarm by Ellen Lupton

This made me laugh - because of it's truism. With technological advancement we still haven't found a way to charge our portable devices in a clutter free, efficient way. I have two such power strips chez moi.

Blooming

I was disappointed last May when my christmas cactus didn't bloom... it normally blooms twice a year (May & November). I was blessed with gobs of blooms before christmas. I deadheaded the remaining blooms and when I returned in January, it was blooming again. I love these bright fuchsia blooms at my bedside.

Dinner at Eight

Dinner at Eight's marquee is a "who's who" of 1930's Hollywood, but Jean Harlow nearly stole the show (she had the best zingers). As evidenced by the billing, the movie cast is truly an ensemble, something rarely seen during the early Hollywood movie machine. I could gush about the plot, the direction, the acting, etc. but instead I insist that you watch this movie. (image: original movie poster)

Puppy Bowl V!

If you like cute and puppies then you'll love the Puppy Bowl aired on Animal Planet. I probably would have watched it if I had a tv or cable, but instead I must satisfy myself with clips. My favorite is the one of the chinese crested streaker! (image from animal.discovery.com)