*Whew*

Well, this day has not been without its...moments. The yucky kind. Now all I want to do is simmer down with Maisie Dobbs...and i think that can happen, thank goodness.
Here is a poem on the aftermath of a stressful situation:

The whispered rustle of a fading woe
(Goes fast for one who walks tip-toe)--
The deeper breathing of a calming mind
(Slow-paddles for'ard, refusing to rewind
To scenes of high-strung pathos, self-imposed,
Or frames of guilty love--
to visit those
First undermines the resolution's chill,
Wakes dormant tension--then presents the bill.)

Today's photos are: 1) trouble, the happy sleepy kitty 2) daniel and i with yummy margaritas daniel made! 3) christi and i with the same! 4) the "pretty in pink" roll from yokozuma downtown. YUM YUM YUM! it was basically like eating dessert, which is my favorite. highly recommended (we substituted normal salmon for spicy salmon, though...)

Blueberry-Cacao Nib Scones

Well, it was a fun weekend of race watching! As well as chatting with April at Doubleshot, eating Andolini's pizza (and garlic knots and cannoli) with some friends and cyclists from st louis/wisconsin, actually riding my bike several days in a row... :) Oh, and a garage sale where i got a larger french press for $1!!! Daniel raced on Saturday and did Awesome despite having had to wake up at 4:30 and being exhausted! :( work, work, work. i managed to get a couple pictures of him racing, but as you can see, the quality/closeness isn't that great.
The felties are a box o' chocolates quartet, nestled inside a box from Glacier Chocolatier (who handed out free chocolates at some point during saturday's race--thank you thank you thank you!).
Sunday morning breakfast was homemade buttermilk scones (no picture, as they are all consumed) with blueberries and cacao nibs. Here is the recipe, as simple as I can make it:

1. Mix together: 2 c flour, 1/4 c sugar, 1 3/4 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp cinnamon.
2. Cut in: 1 stick of cold, unsalted butter.
3. Stir in 1/4 c cacao nibs and 1/4 c fresh blueberries.
4. Stir in 3/4 c cold buttermilk.
5. Turn dough onto floured surface and knead a few times before shaping into a disc about 1" thick. Cut dough into 8 wedges and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
6. Bake at 425 F for 14-17 min.
7. Eat with margarine (or butter of course!) and honey!

Remember that it is very important not to overmix scone dough! Also, this is a nice versatile recipe (that i may've posted before?)--the original called for orange zest and dried cherries--i omitted those in favor of the cinnamon, nibs, and bluebs.

Alright, it's time to start the day! woo-hoo! oh, and the question of the day is: how do you pronounce the "cacao" in "cacao nibs"?? :)

Summer Bouquet!

Tulsa Tough this weekend!!! WOO-HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! starting tomorrow evening! Come watch! www.tulsatough.com for info!

A Wizard, A Scaredy-Cat, and some SWEET Icecream!

Hello!
I am taking the afternoon off...that is, I am going to relax by...um...first, folding laundry...and then reading Maisie Dobbs, which I just started!
Also, I am planning on eating lots of ice cream this summer, mainly because they just keep coming out with intriguing new flavors!! Like this Bluebunny "I do, I do! Wedding Cake" flavor complete with a raspberry swirl and REAL BITS OF CAKE! :) I assume I already raved on here about the Ben and Jerry's Red Velvet Cake ice cream? If not, shame on me! So good!
Next up on the photo line-up, two little sketches that amused me; and a paper doll wizard! outfit 1: old-school wizard; outfit 2: modern-day magician (evelyn, i'll probably send him along to you someday to keep feltie Gandalf company :)

And finally, what turned out to be a totally depressing poem about a fearful little nameless guy. i think i keep writing poems about fear, and that is because...i need to learn to drive on the highway comfortably again, and to not worry about things like people despising me to eternity if i bite into a pizza (as opposed to tearing bites off with a fork) and am left with bits of sauce or mushrooms in my teeth.

Some folks love surprises,
But I'm not that kind of chap--
At any moment, all my nerves
Are just about to snap.
So please don't yell "SURPRISE!" or "BOO!"
For birthdays or for fun,
Cause if you do, I tell you true,
My time on earth is done.
I've always been this anxious,
Even as a little child--
My first words were, "Help!" "SOS!"--
I never learned to smile.
But, to my credit, I have never
Suffered scrapes or scars,
Or broke a bone while climbing up
A tree to reach the stars.
I've lived a life of safety, which
Is why I make this plea:
Despise, vex, pity, I don't care,
Just PLEASE don't startle me!

Chocolate Cake and Baby Brontosaurus!

Howdy!

First item on the agenda: I am in LOVE with the "yummy breakfast" keychains, and there are also "yummy desserts" and "yummy donuts"! Anyway, there is a chance to win them here: http://www.mypapercrane.com/blog/?p=4319
And it's easy, you just have to leave a comment saying what your favorite dessert is! Check out MyPaperCrane's blog/etsy shop for some adorable toy creations! (my felties are jealous :( ;)

Well, I decided to share with you a cake recipe! Because I have been enjoying this particular cake Far too much all week (cake for breakfast...dessert...breakfast again...dessert post-lunch...) and want to distribute the temptation. It is a chocolate cake recipe from Rose's Heavenly Cakes by Rose Levy Beranbaum. The recipe in her book is titled "Chocolate Layer Cake with Caramel Ganache," but since my "inspiration" for making cake in the first place was an over-abundance of cream cheese and powdered sugar (=cream cheese frosting!), i left off the ganache, and it ended up just a single-layer chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting. So. Chocolate Cake:

Mix together, then let cool to room temperature:
1/2 c plus 1 T cocoa powder
1/2 c boiling water

Whisk together, in separate bowl:
2 large eggs
3 T water
1 1/2 vanilla

In bowl of electric mixer, combine:
1 1/2 c plus 1 T cake flour
1 c sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Add, to dry ingredients, and beat for 1 1/2 min:
8 T unsalted butter
2 T canola oil
cocoa mixture.

Finally, in two additions, add the egg mixture, beating for 30 seconds and scraping down the bowl in-between additions.

Pour evenly into a 9" pan greased and lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 F for 30-40 min. Let cool, and frost!

(The reason I chose this recipe is that it didn't use milk/sour cream/1/2 and 1/2...all those dairy ingredients cakes often call for that are most likely absent from my fridge.)

Next, I have to point out that I did NOT make that latte above. :( It is one of Isaiah's from Doubleshot. SO BEAUTIFUL AND DELICIOUS i wanted to share it! I never learned how to make that design. poo.

And, in picture #3: Can you spot the furry Izzy bottom? silly girl was playing in my closet.

And finally, i actually drew a couple quick illustrations for today's poem! It is a cautionary tale (don't bite balloons) concluding with a shout-out to all dentists (do floss!):

Baby brontosaurus bit
Into a blue balloon.
It popped, and he shot skyward,
Falling back--into a swoon.
His mother couldn't find him--
She despaired that he was dead,
And destined to be dinner,
Stuck between two slabs of bread!
"A brontosaurus sandwich--it's not RIGHT!
We're near extinct!
Oh, WHO would be so heartless?
Why, oh why, won't people THINK?!"
But soon, her son was stirring;
He woke, ravenous and cross.
He ate the poor, limp, blue balloon
(Which he found difficult to floss.)

Gardening!

Good Monday Morning!

Just wanted to share some photos of the garden! And to mention that Daniel did WONDERFULLY in his race on Turkey Mountain yesterday (1st place and only one tiny wreck! :) good job! If you're in Tulsa, you won't want to miss the Tulsa Tough next weekend, even if it's hot, hot, hot outside! (water and sunscreen. and more water.)

the other picture that is obviously not of a garden is of our latest Random Shirts from woot.com! robot-themed this time and absolutely lovely! :) quite wearable. (unfortunately the lighting was bad so you can't really see them anyway...)

oh, here is a new word: hiddelicious. it's a combo of hideous and delicious, and describes a chocolate cake i baked this weekend :)

and now, before daniel comes over to pick me up for our weekly Doubleshot outing (i'm thinking 'latte' today!), let's see if i can eke out a poem:

"A garden is a growing place,
And I'll destroy them all!
I HATE the THOUGHT of growing,
Since I'm but two-inches tall!
If ev'rything stayed stunted,
Never rose far from the ground,
I'd be much happier! Indeed,
My mind might still be sound!
But gardens torture me, they do!
They drive me to despair--
That little seeds should turn to trees--
It's more than I can bear!
So I'll destroy the gardens, yes!
With floods and bugs and fire!
So plant your seeds--but hark, indeed:
They'll sprout, but get no higher!"

It's JUNE thank GOODNESS!

Hello! wow, i am spacing out and don't know what to write!
i'll just explain the pictures:
1. a latte! i made it. mainly, i'm just happy/puffed-up proud that i can still pour a rosette even though i don't get to do it much anymore :(
2, 4, 5. More magnets-to-be! Daniel came up with the ideas for the last two, and may i just say, he is mighty clever with the puns and quite a good artist besides! (though he won't let me post pictures of his drawings. poo. :(
3. Scarf that Christi knitted for daniel! it's beautiful and green! yay!

today, i finally bought plants for our garden! basil, mint, cilantro, parsley, lavendar, cucumbers (eeks-yay!), 2 shasta daisies (red and orange), and 1 hibiscus (a beautiful plant with several blooms for only 2.98!!). let's hope they survive these hot hot months!

and here is a song written today (it's been so long! and somehow i have this chord progression/melody stuck in my head that comes out whenever i intend to write a new song, and today i didn't realize it was a repeat until i'd already started, grrr.)
i think it's trying to say too much--and is therefore a complete confusion--but the main themes are about 1) God creating good things even though He knows we may use them for ill. (more clearly: his ways are not our ways.) 2) though it may be confusing trying to figure out Why things are the way they are, we can trust that we are loved in the midst of what may look like chaos. it's probably not finished.

I.
More than stars
They build constellations,
Raising quests
For revelation
We are not here all alone.
When I lost faith the stars shone.
Why risk
Misinterpretation--
False judgment
Or lost consolation?
Orion reminds me I'm not alone:
Child, be brave, I will lead you home.

II.
More than a woman,
More than man--
Two, now one,
Joined heart and hand.
"The sum is greater"--I don't know why,
When both parts are broken and terrified.
Why risk pain?
Is this ring prison?
Why create
Such a tangled affair?
Learning to love, we are not alone--
"Darling, I trust you, I'm yours alone."

III.
What a King
Can tame such chaos?
In such wildness
Sustain us?
Why do I act like I'm all alone,
Using others to build my own self a throne?

Why use death to build a kingdom?
Why risk what
You know you'll lose?
Your ways are nothing close to my own,
I don't understand, but you'll lead me home.