brother moe

Harrison picked up my mom's guitar about two years ago and started to pick up songs just by ear immediately.  He started taking lessons shortly after, and although that helped, he had a natural talent and it was clear that he was going to be great, lessons or not.  After a while, I started to receive phone calls from him - "what blink182 song should I learn?"  "give me another song to figure out!".  Then he'd call me back about an hour later, and play the song perfectly for me over the phone.  To hear my little brother play the songs that I grew up listening to, and in turn, he was forced to listen to, being played over the phone for me was an indescribable feeling.

Last September, Harry created a YouTube channel playing covers of songs that his friends and (nagging) sisters requested.  With every song he recorded, I was more amazed and continued to ask myself how this was my little brother.  For Christmas, he recorded a nine song cover CD to give as gifts.  We all hung on to each song as it played and I don't think there was a dry eye in the room while we listened to the twenty minute CD.  The song above is the first he has written (for his girlfriend, aw!) thus far.  He makes me more proud every day and I still can't believe the amazing voice that comes through my car speakers when I'm playing his CD is that of my little brother,  my little bud growing up, the goofy, sweet little boy I would babysit and care for.

Harry - Keep it up.  You are amazing and you have something really special, a true gift.  I am so unbelievably proud and lucky to be able to say I'm your sister.  I love you, bud!

fifty people, one question

Where would you wish to wake up tomorrow?


Fifty People, One Question: Brooklyn from Fifty People, One Question on Vimeo.

I adore the woman with the red baret.

Fifty people, one question is a project I came across a while ago, and really fell in love with.  The videos are pretty self explanatory - fifty different people, one location, one question.  They only have five videos now, but each time I watch one of the videos, a new person or a new answer will stand out to me.  They're all beautiful, but my favorites are the "If you could wake up anywhere" videos in Brooklyn and in London (the boy with the curly hair at the beginning of the London video breaks my heart every single time).

If I could wake up anywhere tomorrow?  I thought about this for quite a while, and I thought about how much I would love to wake up in Boston, one of my favorite cities, or how I'd love to start my day to the sound of the waves and the cool wind while camping on the beach somewhere, or that I'd like to awake somewhere in Europe and see the sights there.  But honestly, after giving it some thought - I would want to wake up in my own bed with Kevin.  Not because I don't long for these other places in the world, or wish to explore other scenery, but because I'm so excited and content to wake up here, in my beautiful little home in LA, with the person I love more than anything and with the people I hold so dearly so close by.  I truly anticipate what each day will bring and what new experiences and opportunities will come my way.  I'm really loving my life, the people that I share my days with and what I'm doing right here, right now.  So if I could wake up anywhere, it would be in my lovely bed, with the warm sun shining in through my window.  Because I really wouldn't want to be anywhere else and miss a moment of this wonderful life I have been so lucky to live.

she & him

The count down is on - three weeks until my sister and I go see She & Him!

As excited as for the show, I'm more excited to go with my sister and for her to see them live. When I told her we were going for her birthday, her excitement was so painfully wonderful, I just can't forget it. I love She & Him, but my sister really loves them, so being able to go with her will be divine.

chris bonney

I'm really enamored with Chris Bonney's photography. His use of light, texture and color is unreal and his range of work is extremely impressive and very inspiring. To really top it off, he's a very nice and knowledgeable man that gave me some great advice for my art.

spring

I'm so thrilled spring is here. I welcome it with open arms - wonderful weather, the beginning of longer days, delicious fruit and gorgeous flowers.

boys

Kevin and Schoen at Gainey Ranch.

lavender madeleines

When I was a kid, I always hated the fact that I liked the taste of madeleine cookies and tried to hide the fact that I liked them at all. I think it was because I just had a hate for the name Madeline. My entire life, I've been called everything BUT Madison - Maggie (when I went by nothing but Maddie), Natalie, Marjorie, Maybellene (I've got that one maybe five times in my life and I always hoped people got it from the Chuck Berry song, rather than the makeup), Marissa, and the most common, Madeline. I don't know why it bothered me so much as a kid. Maybe because I thought my name was so unique, or maybe I thought people weren't listening. I'm not sure.

Anyway...I always hated that I liked madeleines, but now that I'm over my whole name crisis, I love love love them. I'm very excited, tonight I ordered some Lavender Honey to make the Lavender Madeleine recipe below. I think these will be so wonderful with a cup of earl grey tea. In the meantime, while I patiently wait for my honey to come, I will make some more regular old madeleines.

Madeleines with Lavender Honey

9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter
4 large egg whites, room temperature
1 1/3 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/4 cup almond flour or almond meal
1 tablespoon lavender honey

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter each madeleine mold in pan and dust with flour, tapping out excess. Melt 9 tablespoons unsalted butter in medium skillet over medium heat. Cook until butter turns golden brown, stirring often, 3 or 4 minutes. Set browned butter aside

Using electric mixer, beat egg whites, sugar, all purpose flour, and almond flour is medium bowl until mixture is blended and smooth. Place honey in small microwave-safe bowl. Heat just to warm, 5 - 10 seconds (I'll do this on the stove, I suppose, seeing that we're microwaveless). Beat honey into batter. Add browned butter; beat to blend. Spoon 1 tablespoon batter into each prepared madeleine mold.

Bake madeleines until tops are just dry and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 12 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Gently tap madeleines out of molds. Place on rack to cool slightly. Serve madeleines warm.

Recipe from Bon Appetit Magazine

recipe cards

I've been meaning to make over the recipe box that my Great Grandma gave me years ago for quite some time now. I'd like to paste all of her hand written family recipes on nice cards that won't fall apart like the current ones are doing and then actually write up all of my recipes, rather then just keeping a notebook full of paper clippings and print outs like I have now. I'm madly in love with these recipe cards, and think they have inspired me to finally take on this project.

dorthea lange

"Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still."

-Dorthea Lange

guinea

This kills me every time I look at it. I'm starting to think I should purchase a print.


By the unbelievably talented (seriously, take a look at his work) Corey Arnold