It's All About Balance

When I have a super healthy smoothie for breakfast I think it's appropriate to have cake for lunch and I am not the only one.

Birthday Brownies

My boyfriend has invented the ultimate gift for all female colleagues who celebrate their birthday at the office: birthday brownies. As a bonus he decorates them in a way that suits the birthday girl, in this case with drunken cats barfing magic rainbow puke. (I came up with that theme and I'm proud of it :) Because I haven't eaten a crumb of these brownies I decided to bake a little something for myself, this chocolate orange cream cheese pound cake. It's not as wildly decorated, but it does taste GOOD. I'm going to make love to it for the rest of the week.

Now We Wait

Seems like spring has finally come our way. I love to watch how nature revives as the days grow longer. Sowed some seeds today, cress as you can see in the picture, and a few flower bulbs, can't wait for them to sprout!

Sweet Agaric

The past couple of days I spent on this project. It began with something I saw on Pinterest. There was a picture of kids painting with M&M's. They put them in a bowl with water and the water got the color of the M&M's and the candies themselves turned white. As you can see in the picture. I found this really interesting and wanted to know more about the dyes. This is what I found on Wikipedia:

Red M&M's currently contain Allura Red AC (FD&C Red #40, E129). In Europe, Allura Red AC is not recommended for consumption by children. It is banned in Denmark, Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, and Norway.[10] Instead, Cochineal (E120) is used in the red shells.
Allura Red AC is a red azo dye that goes by several names including: Allura Red, Food Red 17, C.I. 16035, FD&C Red 40.
In Europe, Allura Red AC is not recommended for consumption by children. It is banned in Denmark, Belgium, France and Switzerland, and was also banned in Swedenuntil the country joined the European Union in 1994.[11] The European Union approves Allura Red AC as a food colorant, but EU countries' local laws banning food colorants are preserved.[12] In Norway, it was banned between 1978 and 2001, a period in which azo dyes were only legally used in alcoholic beverages and some fish products.[13]
In the United States, Allura Red AC is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in cosmetics, drugs, and food. It is used in some tattoo inks and is used in many products, such as soft drinks, children's medications, and cotton candy. On June 30, 2010, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) called for the FDA to ban Red 40. Executive Director Michael Jacobson said, "These synthetic chemicals do absolutely nothing to improve the nutritional quality or safety of foods, but trigger behavior problems in children and, possibly, cancer in anybody."[14]

The red dye apparently isn't that good for you, to illustrate that I arranged the props as a fly agaric, which also is not recommended for consumption.

Time for a Change

I don't want to spend my days almost brain-dead making sandwiches, for 9 hours a day. I mean, I do like a good sandwich and I would love to make a few, if only I could get creative and make up new combinations in stead of following routines others instruct me. It would also help if people would appreciate my care for making them a good meal and not take me for granted.

I could invest all that time in developing myself and doing something I love. So there, I quit my job at the bagels shop! To celebrate I made myself a sandwich I  used to eat as a child sometimes: gouda cheese and strawberry confiture.

(made this drawing when I was bored during a long day at work)

Ukulele Lady

Encouraged by my father I'm teaching myself to play the ukulele. As I am a little girl with small hands the ukulele is easier to play than a guitar. I practice songs by The Beatles, such as Something and When I'm Sixty-Four and Hey Ya by Outkast. I still find it quite difficult, but I am glad with the little progress I make each day. Okay, now I'm off to give my sore fingertips an ice bath!

Rootlets

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Last autumn, when these hydrangea flowers were cut off by the gardener, I rescued them from the garbage and put them in a vase. Out of habit I put them in water, it wasn't necessary, since the flowers were all dried, but I hadn't really thought about it. I just kept them this way and they still look beautiful. But a few weeks ago I noticed they were growing little rootlets. I accidentally rooted the hydrangeas! I probably should plant them, now what should perk up my table? Tulips? 

Close-up

The Quest

..for the perfect wardrobe goes on and on. It's the same thing as my never-ending search for the perfect skin, but I'll talk about that some other time. I have this dream where I have a closet filled with the most beautiful garments and that I'll never again stand in front of it having nothing to wear. Perfect basics, good quality materials, some authentic treasures that can take an outfit to a whole new level of coolitude. Maybe i will get there one day, but I'm afraid that just at the point the perfect wardrobe is almost complete garments will start to fall apart. As I am one of those who wears her favorites days (or even weeks!) in a row, it could easily happen. But I should not worry about these things, just take it step by step and now watch for the perfect marinière, or bag, or ballet flats..

Birthday Boy

I made this drawing of my boyfriend years ago, when we were just good friends. He still is my best friend, but in the meantime he has also become my lover. Today is his birthday and I thought perhaps I should make a new drawing of him. One that resembles him as he is now, the best mate, lover and man I've ever had. Happy Birthday!

Tulips

My mother put the tulips inside when it started to freeze again. Although, now it is above zero, the flowers remain inside. I'm thinking of doing this at my place, I love the idea of an early spring in my living room.

Hello

A great family, amazing friends and the best boyfriend I could ever imagine. Yep, I love my life. The only thing missing is the perfect job.. Until that job is in sight this is the place I will post the stuff I wish I'd get paid for.