july, july

i went home. it was wonderful. even though i got very very sick. but family+friends+bbq's were plenty, catch-ups with old friends, cabin trips and baking with my mom. 

1. bbq on the front deck with family

2. brother before he went away to be a doctor for 3 months

3. cake my aunt brought, classy on a paper towel

4. backyard picnic table

5. pup on the way to the cabin

6. cabin couch and knitted quilts

7. how we used to light our cabin at night

8. by the pond, nowhere more peaceful

9. mismatched cushions

10. the trees have faces

11. moon in the sky

12. perfect view

13. perfect reflection

i'll leave you with these two songs that i cannot stop listening to.

i hope your summers are wonderful <3

love love

chocolate hazelnut butter and the sweetest mail

hello hello dolls!

oh i just have to start by saying i am so happy today. i am bursting with it. good music, good weather and good company have all contributed to this day, and i am absolutely loving it. 

i went on a little thrifting adventure, walked all around the city by myself and then hiked signal hill with my brother. it was wonderful.

this little post is to share with you a recipe for chocolate hazelnut butter and a gorgeous package i received a few weeks ago that i've yet to share!

for the chocolate hazelnut butter i followed this recipe. it was super simple.

you basically toast hazelnuts for a few minutes until they smell amazing, then whir them away in the food processor until they're nut-buttery.

then you add some cocoa powder, a bit of oil and a bit of honey and whir a bit more and voila! delicious chocolate hazelnut butter. my only complaint about this recipe is it didn't make enough! i will definitely be doubling it next time.

i pretty much ate most of it straight from the little jar with a spoon. but some of it made it on top of my oats a few mornings, and i did microwave a wrap with peanut butter and the chocolate hazelnut butter which, needless to say, was unreal.

now onto my package! the ever so lovely sarah sent me this a few weeks ago and i can't say i wasn't like a kid at christmas when i got the postal slip in my mailbox to go pick it up.

i was at a coffee shop right after i went to the post office and picked it up and was going to wait until i got home to open it but i literally could not, haha. so i opened it while sipping a caramel macchiato and every time i pulled something new out i was happier and happier!

sarah sent me a lovely card, a little notebook (which i'm still trying to decide what to use it for! i'm so fussy about new notebooks), a tiny polaroid of her hanging paper cranes, a lovely notecard and envelope and a bunch of paper cranes for myself! they're on all different patterned paper and i can't wait to hang them in my room like she has done in the little polaroid.

i have to take a minute here and thank sarah for this beautiful package. over the past few months she has become one of my closest blog friends and i absolutely adore reading her blog whenever she updates. we also follow one another on twitter now, and i have to thank modern technology's brilliance for allowing two people who live so far apart to be able to connect like we have! it's magical. so thank you a million times sarah for being such a great friend and loyal reader. 

and i have to say thank you to everyone else who shows up here too. it blows my mind that people read this, it really does! i get so excited to discover new blogs and meet new people. 

my happy day has turned me into a sap, it would seem.

i hope you are all having as amazing a day as i have, and that you are full of love and light.

love, love, love xx

cast photos and a graduation

ahhhhh!! i'm so sorry i've been away for so long again! i started a second job and have met so many new people so between work and going out (in addition to losing my internet for two weeks) i haven't been on the computer much. and sadly i haven't been taking many photos lately either. 

ismene was a success! we had a great turnout for the shows and every night was flawless. it was an amazing experience, the people i worked with were all unbelievable actors. (yes, i was in pajamas for 99% of the show. and yes, it was as awesome as it sounds).

mike, the only guy in the show, had the second largest role - and it was only his second play ever! he was also in the fights with me, and he had only three lines in that play in january. to say he is talented is an understatement!

we had a pretty low-key cast party involving chips, salsa, skittles and of course some celebration champagne. i'm always sad to stop working with people at the end of a show's run, but at the same time i am grateful for all that i learned from them and start to look forward to new auditions and new plays in the future. 

i recently sent in my resume and head shot to a company filming in newfoundland in the fall, so i'm hoping to hear back within the next few days whether or not i'll get an audition! fingers crossed!

in addition to the play, another exciting thing happened recently - my brother graduated from medical school and is now officially a doctor! i'm so proud of him it's ridiculous. he is the most well adapted guy i know, he is an amazing student and hard worker but also knows how to have a really good time. he's currently in nashville for bonnaroo.. receiving his texts about the country music award red carpet (which he was across the street from) and knowing he's seen amazing performers like florence and the machine, mumford and sons, arcade fire, robyn, eminem.. (the list goes on and on forever) makes me incredibly jealous. but of course i'm happy for him, he really has his life on track and i can only hope someday i'm as well traveled and set as he is!

my family all came in for the graduation and we had several nights and days of fun together. it was the longest my parents have visited in quite a while so i really loved it. 

(sorry for the photos with the little yellow date - i didn't have my camera with me and borrowed my aunt's pictures from facebook! but it was too important an event not to share :) 

i'm going to stop here because this post is getting a bit long! 

i do have another post planned for as soon as possible - the lovely sarah sent me the most beautiful package and i can't wait to show it to you! it made my day, so i'll be back soon with that.

i hope you're all well and fine - i'll try to catch up on blog reading this week when i get a few spare minutes!

love love love

ps - if you want to keep up with me when i'm away from the blog, feel free to follow me on twitter! 

twenty-one

today i turned twenty-one!

we also got a blizzard and i was practically snowed in my apartment.
i got an owl mug and a funny looking cake with almond icing too sweet to eat -

it was perfect.

tomorrow i go for sushi and to a dance party

celebrations are just beginning

love love lovee <3

things that make me happy

 

family <3 friends <3 kiwi (my diabetic, arthritic, almost blind, savage but ridiculously cute dog) <3 good books <3 christmas lights <3 baking <3 being around people <3 laura secord pistachio chocolates <3 pistachios <3 etsy <3 travel <3 planning <3 bbm (i might be a little addicted) <3 snowflake pancake breakfasts with mom <3 the color of the world when there's new white snow on the ground <3 sunsets <3 when friends are happy <3 sisters getting engaged! <3 waking up early on christmas morning <3 when you know you've given a perfect present <3 homemade candycane steamers <3 a new year just around the corner <3

see you all in 2011!

so much love <3