Creole Wisdom

should you stop reading this blog due to the content?

Because along with my apron or purse. When I'm in the kitchen or at a restaurant I've got my camera with me, too.

I baked these for two reasons: I was craving them so badly.  And I just had to see that perfect color of purple that blueberries make when they are baked.

Just about died.

Recipe. So, I realize that it's the book link, and I think I should of added some type of crumble topping to these. I'll be back later with my mom's favorite/recommended recipe.  These were good, but not food orgasm. 

I felt like making:

Could not figure out for the life of me how to do those fish photos justice. I guess black cardstock is the way to go.  I am glad I have done more handwritten journaling in the past year.  I think it matters.  The layout (lo) on the right is the cover page for my senior year album.  I made four of these for all my college years.  Glad to have that done.  I kind of took the idea from Kevin and Amanda.

The layout below is from forever ago, like uh, maybe a year. I am so bad.  I found it in a drawer today [trifling!], so that needed to be finished up.  I hurried and added the journaling and secured a few things with glue dots. Love that green paper so much, it is much brighter than what I usually go for, but I am glad I went out on a limb.

Cannot tell you how much I love the lo on the left, and right!  Both were so fun to put together.  I used a bunch of fun fonts in the second one, all downloaded from da font.  Check it out, and they are all free, how neat is that?

Kind of threw this one together.  I think it's missing something, we'll see.  Sometimes I put lo's away after not finishing them- and then take them out six months or a year later just to add that finishing touch I could not figure out previously.  I used vellum on this.  Remember when vellum was really, really hot? I still love it.

This is my all time favorite photo from graduation: all the senior AOIIs and I. I just love it. Wanted to keep it simple, like I always do.  Originally I had some dark brown paper that had owls and clocks on it (how appropriate for a graduation layout), but it didn't help the photo stand out- so I nixed it.  Maybe I'll try it with a black and white version of the same photo.  We'll see. Those giant "{" are S.E.I, a company that I love. I thought for a while they might be disappearing, but they seem to be coming out with good stuff now, so that is good.

I did a similar lo to this last summer, about my trip to Boston.  I love the look of long, linear photos lined up in threes or fours.  Here I wanted to capture all the blues I noticed out east, sorry if the n*pples freak you out. It's art, okay?!? LOL!

I love when I get into a scrapbooking spurt. I love getting it done, using my stash, and learning more about my printer, which is almost as complicated and difficult as a two year old child.  That was fun.

we are/always

Boo-boo (yes, that's Kate) came over last week.  I was tired, it had been a long day, a day when I considered taking a mammoth nap once I pulled into the driveway (in the car. I know. sad)  But, she suggested dinner.  And I felt invigorated.

Here's what we whipped up, spinach and parm stuffed chicken.  Delightful. 

Can you see how good it was? I will certainly post the recipe readers.  Here it is, keep in mind this is not low-cal, but is anything really divine? No.  Plus there's the protein factor, so go into this guilt free:

You will need:
6 cups (6 ounces) fresh spinach
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup freshly grated parm cheese
Salt
Ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch of ground red pepper
2 chicken breasts, split (or just stuff under the skins, like I did)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Method:
•Preheat oven to 450 degrees
•Cook spinach, drain, and chop
•Melt butter, saute onion in pan and add mushrooms (for 5 minutes)
•Mix parm, salt, pepper, nutmeg, red pepper and spinach
•Add onions and mushrooms. Mix with fork
•Stuff mixture under skins/inside of chicken pieces
•Heat pan, add oil, and cook chicken 5 minutes on each side
•Transfer to baking dish, bake 20 minutes then turn and then 20 again
•Enjoy : )

And I love having friends that I can cook with.  I love Sunday dinners with Emma, and brownies with Karen, achieving "stiff peaks" with Katie... it is all good.

chicago album

As of recently–
•One mini album completed.  For my Chicago trip with J.  I love these Kolo albums, great quality, and let me tell you- the Boston album I created my Junior year in high school is sitting on my mother's coffee table, and it still looks good. Ta-da:

 

 

 •Quite simple to do. I just created layouts of photos in photoshop and then printed them on my Epson. Then, double sided tape + paper + die cuts.
•I am hoping to finally put together my "Week In The Life" soon.

in preparation: pink theme

I love pink. It's my favorite color. For my graduation party, I had to choose no other.  After all, the next big party I'll get to throw like this is a wedding, and how would a groom feel about hot pink? Not so hot.

Feast your eyes upon my "raspberry" colored themed graduation party...
Pink tableclothes under a sparkling white tent...
 

I even had to wear pink to my own party.  Can I just say how much I love this photo?  I am laughing (and so is J and Anne and her twin sister), but I forgot what about...

Dear readers, you really would of died had you seen the gorgeous flowers via farmer's market- which is a post in and of itself.  But really, most beautiful blossoms I have seen. 

Last, but never least- dad's amazing to-die-for grilled salmon (its own entry coming soon).  Perfection.  I wonder if there's even any left.  He out did himself, like always!

Stay tuned for parts 3-1,000 (just kidding) of my graduation party.  There is so much left to show you... the guests, desserts, dad's salmon miracle, the after party...

in preparation

I was so excited when I saw these boxes... don't you adore Pellegrino, too?

 

Then my mother started to whip up frosting in my pretty anthropologie bowls that reminds me of our dear blog friend who is still healing, Nie Nie.  We're making so many good treats for the party-

my graduation party.  while we were out running errands: grandma, grandpa bob, mom, and I the party company came and set up a gorgeous white tent, which I will decorate with white lights tomorrow.  this is getting good!

(no we did not do these yet, I had to google a picture to show you!)

the zero hour

From now until Sunday at 3pm I am: done with college, but not yet a college graduate.  It's the zero hour, and I plan to make the most of it.  A little update is in need:

This past weekend, something exciting came in the mail.  It was quite thrilling, actually...

so many memories of high school came floating back when I took this out of the package.  Except this time, it's a pretty white with a gold 2009.  I think you should get a little upgrade when you've got four years of undergraduate under your belt er. skirt. 

I also got to upgrade my bedroom at home a little bit, since I'll be living there this summer.  I'm excited to save money, spend time with family, and collect great garage sale finds/vintage stuff for my new apartment which I move into September 1st.  And the upgrade is: pretty curtains.  I know the lighting is bad, but I had to show you- I am so happy

Saturday, I went over to SAE (Sigma Alpha Epsilon) for a little photoshoot.  Their historian wanted to get a few photos taken, and here are some of my favorites.  You can see all of them, here.  It was such a treat, and so fun.

For mother's day, per mom's request we got breakfast at the Everyday Cafe.  At 7am.  Yes, it was hard.  Then we went to 9am mass, again, a struggle for me, but I pushed through the sleepiness!  Mom loved her new reed diffuser from Ampersand. 

Then I had the "hard" task of picking out swatches of fabric for the table cloths at my graduation party.  It's going to be really fabulous.  Cannot wait : )

basic math

photobooth + google + photoshop =

so, I've got some "kinks" I need to work out.  But I've got the hang of it.  I would love to print and hand cut this, but it's getting late.

I think my mother's day and father's day gifts are taken care of. 

And I have wanted to make these since I was a child.  I have always loved silhouettes. 

changing of the guards

J: (looking around my room @ AOII) you should some pictures of us in here
K: you're right. I need to do that.

about one month later i finally did it.

don't you love this frame? it's from anthropologie spring 2005. goodbye classical art hello cute picture to put on my nightstand.

do something.

It was getting out of control. I hadn't been creative in far, far, far too long.  So, instead of studying for a Tuesday midterm or writing a next Friday paper -to hell with it -I... sewed:
 
... a bag.  no pattern, no directions, just me and the Bernina (from Christmas 99, thanks dad).  I sat down with several yards of amy butler fabric that I had been saving for a yoga bag.  I could of made that, but didn't have my yoga mat to measure, and we all know how I am with math... so, purse it was.  I've been wanting a new bag, and so I put my new found philosophy into action: don't buy- make.  I love it.  I just need a few magnetic snaps and I'm good-

I never sew anything.  And if I do, it's with my mom there- who is like a vogue seamstress/knows everything.  I cannot wait to show this to her.  It's bomb.  It will fit my laptop, camera, books, and whatever else I could possibly tug around.