11/14/13 11/14/13

Mouthful of Forevers

I think my heart stopped when I read this. xo n.

I am not the first person you loved.You are not the first person I looked atwith a mouthful of forevers. Wehave both known loss like the sharp edgesof a knife. We have both lived with lipsmore scar tissue than skin. Our love cameunannounced in the middle of the night.Our love came when we’d given upon asking love to come. I thinkthat has to be partof its miracle.This is how we heal.I will kiss you like forgiveness. Youwill hold me like I’m hope. Our armswill bandage and we will press promisesbetween us like flowers in a book.I will write sonnets to the salt of sweaton your skin. I will write novels to the scarof your nose. I will write a dictionaryof all the words I have used tryingto describe the way it feels to have finally,finally found you.And I will not be afraidof your scars.I know sometimesit’s still hard to let me see youin all your cracked perfection,but please know:whether it’s the days you burnmore brilliant than the sunor the nights you collapse into my lapyour body broken into a thousand questions,you are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.I will love you when you are a still day.I will love you when you are a hurricane.

— Clementine von Radics, “Mouthful of Forevers”

11/9/13 11/9/13

List of Books I Read In 2013

So much happened in twenty-thirteenfor weeks at a time a book in my hand went unseen!It's all now a blurand I'm left with this list,and a life as a voyager.[Err, there's my cheesy attempt at rhyme.]And here is my list of the books I read.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Beautiful Redemption by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices, #3) by Cassandra Clare
Inferno by Dan Brown
The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle, #1) by Maggie Stiefvater
The Novelist by L.L. Barkat
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chobsky
The Lords of Salem by Rob Zombie with B.K. Evenson (couldn't finish this one.)
The Curiosities: A Collection of Stories by Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, and Brenna Yovanoff
Havisham by Ronald Frame
The Selection by Kiera Kass
The Prince A Selection Novella by Kiera Kass
Lament by Maggie Stiefvater
The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle
A Great and Terrible Beauty (Gemma Doyle, #1) by Libba Bray
Rebel Angels (Gemma Doyle, #2) by Libba Bray
The Sweet Far Thing (Gemma Doyle, #3) by Libba Bray
When Stars Die by Amber Skye Forbes (in the middle of this one as of 11/9/13)
Interview with a Vampire: A Novel by Anne Rice
Memnock The Devil by Anne Rice
The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice
The Vampire Armand by Anne Rice
The Queen of the Dammed by Anne Rice
The Tale of the Body Thief by Anne Rice
Night Pleasures by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Illuminata by Marianne Williamson

Over the summer I reread the Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles series as well as Stephen Chbosky's Perks of Being A Wallflower. I wanted to see if I'd still like them as an adult as opposed to a teen. I still do.I don't want to finish out this year with out having read at least two more. We'll see how that goes.

Of course all of these books can be found on Amazon.

11/3/13 11/3/13

NaNoWriMo, An "Illuminata" Prayer & Earl Grey "London Fog Latte" Recipe

Whew! The last two weeks of October feel like a daze! My husband was tasked for a surprise deployment and so he's off doing Air Force things and I was swamped with volunteer obligations, and making my boys Halloween costumes. I also had to help my younger son transform a cardboard box into a Police Car for his Kindergarten's Transportation parade that conveniently took place on Halloween. Last night my boys actually got to celebrate Halloween and show off their Minecraft costumes. They had a great time and their costumes garnered a lot of attention from kids and grownups a like so I was happy they were happy.I can not believe we're already three days into November and I've not written a single word for NaNoWriMo! My friend Michelle challenged me to write the 50,000 word goal in five days, yes it's absolutely insane but apparently there are a lot of us who are keen for the challenge, all you need do is Google, Five Day Novel (#50K5DAYS). I'm going to start that on Tuesday or Wednesday, but today I will be jumping into NaNoWriMo today! Yay!I cleared off my desk of all the crafting stuff that had accumulated and tidied up my office and I'm ready to go! I made myself a homemade London Fog Latte ( at Starbucks ask for the London Fog Latte, if you get a blank stare from your barista, simply ask for an Earl Grey Latte with a shot of vanilla syrup.) I've got my playlist cued and just recited this prayer I love by Marianne Williamson who in my opinion is a profound writer of prayers, via her book Illuminata: A Return to Prayer. This prayer speaks to me and I like to recite it before I begin writing as I've found it helps me relax and clear my mind of all the clutter. I thought I'd share it with you just in case you were feeling stressed out over the 50K word count goal!This prayer is listed as a "deliverance" prayer in Illuminata if you've got a copy and want to look it up for yourself.It reads:

Dear God,

Deliver me to my passion.Deliver me to my brilliance. Deliver me to my intelligence. Deliver me to my depth. Deliver me to my nobility. Deliver me to my beauty. Deliver me to my power to heal.Deliver me to You. Amen.

~Marriane Williamson

Happy Writing!

11/3/13 11/3/13

NaNoWriMo, An "Illuminata" Prayer & Earl Grey "London Fog Latte" Recipe

Dear God,

~Marriane Williamson

Happy Writing!

10/20/13 10/20/13

Cuban Flan Recipe [one]

There are a few ways I've made flan. My sister in law first taught me to make flan the way her mother taught her and since then I've asked other more experienced flan makers for their own recipes and what I've discovered is that there is more than one way to make a "traditional" Cuban flan.In getting ready for Noche Buena in the coming weeks I'll be sharing these flan recipes. I'll leave it to you to decide which you prefer.Ingredients: ½ cup sugar1/4 teaspoon lemon juice (fresh is best)1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk14 oz. of water (use the can from the sweetened condensed milk)1 Tbsp. Vanilla extract1 whole egg, beaten4 egg yolks, beatenGround Cinnamon (for sprinkling)Tools needed: Sauce panMold or dish for flanSifterLarge pan to create a baño-maria (bain-marie)Aluminum foilElectric hand or stand mixer (makes things easier but not an absolute)Step 1. Make the caramel coating.Heat the sugar in small saucepan with the lemon juice squeeze of lemon juice. Gently roll the pan to mix the melting sugar. When the sugar mixture turns a golden brown remove from heat and pour the caramelized sugar into your flan mold (or molds if using ones for a single serving ) rolling the caramel up and around the sides of your mold. Set aside and let cool until it hardens and turns smooth.Step 2. Prepare the flan.In a large bowl add the sweetened condensed milk and water blend until smooth. To do so you can use an electric mixer, a stand mixer if you have one or go "old school" and use your muscles.Next add the eggs and the vanilla and mix together until well blended.Pour the egg mixture into your mold use a sifter to catch any bits of egg that didn't blend. If you skip this step your flan will have cooked bits of egg that will mess with the flan's texture. (Trust me.)Sprinkle with cinnamon.Next cover your "mold-dish" with aluminum foil. Make the foil as tight and secure as you possibly can get it.Place your flan in an ovenproof dish or baking pan and fill with hot water to about half-way up the sides.Step 3. BakeBake for 45 minutes, at 350 degrees or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. While your flan bakes watch the water level as it can evaporate. If this occurs simply add more hot water.Step 4. Chilltime!Once fully baked remove the flan from your oven and let it cool at room temperature, then refrigerate it until it's cold. You can leave this overnight or until you're ready to serve.When ready to serve run a knife around the edges of the flan and invert it onto a platter or if you used small molds onto a small dish (just make sure it's got plenty of room for the caramel.Enjoy!

10/16/13 10/16/13

So many books...so little time.

Every time I walk into a library or bookstore I'm immediately struck by the fact that I couldn't possibly read all the books there ever were in the span of my lifetime...but I can certainly try to make a dent.Here are a few books I'll be reading this month.Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy by Helen FieldingWhen Stars Die by Amber Skye ForbesThe Raven Cycle #2: The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

10/13/13 10/13/13

Home Tour: Living Room [Halloween Edition]

Allow me to preface this post by saying, I feel dumb even including "Halloween" in the title because I have, like...5 Halloween related decor pieces that make up the sum of my ghoulish decor. I know I had more, and I'm positive it got lost somewhere crossing the Atlantic. Sadly I believe this to be the case for my Autumn decor in general as well as some of my Christmas cheer!Getting on, I began taking photographs of my living room to share with a friend, when I thought "Oh blog post!"I think it's cool to see what other spaces look like, and homes in other countries. Here is a look into my Italian living room.This is actually a garland I made from old sheets, and a dress from Old Navy that had a stain I couldn't get out. I'm using it as a radiator cover and a nesting place for some Fall-ish things. Above that sign used to hang my collection of vintage plates. However the walls hate me and they (mostly) fell down.I purchased this Halloween themed pennant banner at Target a few years ago. [I miss Target.] The white round table in the corner I thrifted when we lived in Virginia and painted it white. The table and chairs (and pretty much everything else in this space is via Ikea). I'll show you the tiered tray I made and the cutting board I stained in a future post as I failed to snap those details. console table ikea, fall decor, wire baskets, white pumpkin decor, shabby chic, cottage, halloween, decor This console table I scored at a bargain here in Italy from another Air Force family who was PCS'g. Those grey buckets were a thrift store find from Pottery Barn Kids, originally they were pink. The starfish dish is a gift for my Mom I've not yet sent. I really love the silver candelabras with the burlap shades that have script on them. I scooped those up when I had a coupon for Hobby Lobby online.The walls in my home are concrete a.k.a. my Kryptonite. My husband spent all day drilling the holes. I only got one chance at this arrangement and so it had to be just right. I plan on sharing how I got it so in a future post. As for the pictures they are all pretty dated 2009, right before we sold our home in Virginia. I do have to admit that it's sort of sweet to have the reminder of when my boys were teeny-tiny. I'll update a few of them. The center "eye chart" I made in about ten minutes. I used one of my favorite E.E. Cummings poems.I love these pillows. The green ones I scored on clearance at Target [have I mentioned that I miss Target?]. The chevron pillowcases I purchased at Hobby Lobby online. I found the pillows to go inside them at a local grocery store called Coop.I am very pleased with my Ikea Ektorp sofas. They are so easy to maintain, and really don't get all that dirty, even with my bouncy boys.This is a very SPOOKY porcelain pumpkin set on some very good books. I love using books as decorating pieces. haunted house, scary books, anne rice violin, using books to decorate My haunted house. It's filled with things that go bump in the night. I brought down a few scary stories from my library to set the mood. I figured I couldn't go wrong with Anne Rice.This lovely vintage dresser I purchased a few months ago for $25. I painted it a lovely shade of grey. I'm still debating on the knobs. Party of me likes them just the way they are because up close they have a nice patina to them, and part of me wants to spray paint them white. For now it serving it's intended purpose as linen storage quite well.That's it for my living room and dining area. Hope you enjoyed it!xo,nicoleSave