I’m not sure which one I like better. I do love the simplicity and ethnicity of the first (made in India!). But the second seems more lively with it’s different patterns.
Month: August 2009
freshly cut.
The other day my lovely husband brought me home some lovely freshly cut flowers. I found them after I awoke from my nap. They were on the bed next to me and wrapped in newspaper. He’s a special one for sure. For sure sure. His tale of how he procured them was also delightful to hear. Something to do with happening upon some unpaved roads in Cambodia and an old man who didn’t speak a lick of English but motioned to Greg with his head.
I love my husband. And I love this life we get to live and love together.
zuma.
Back in March when I told my sister that I was having a baby, she screamed with surprise, and then she cried. She was so happy. Almost immediately, well probably in that same week, she told me that she did not want to be called “Becky Aunty.” Rather, she said she would like to be called “Zuma.” The following products were designed by the one and only Becky Kurikeshu, also known as Zuma.
blackberry tea cake.
I made a cake to take to the beach a few weeks ago. I came across this raspberry buttermilk cake recipe on Smitten Kitchen’s blog and fell in love with the website for it’s simple yet savory everyday food. I liked how the writer + cook called this cake an everyday cake. After making it, I personally would like to call it a tea time cake, because it brings to mind relaxing tea, pretty napkins, a soft breeze and good laughs.
I used blackberries instead of raspberries, but really any berry will do — even cherries. It comes out very soft and flaky, so you don’t mind very much even if you have just a little bit more. Oh, and the the grated lemon zest is a nice touch too.
Raspberry Buttermilk Cake
from Smitten Kitchen
“You can just ignore the word “raspberry” up there and swap it up with any which berry you please, like blackberries or blueberries or bits of strawberries or all of the above. Makes one thin 9-inch cake, which might serve eight people, if you can pry it from first two people’s grasp.”
1 cup (130 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick (56 grams) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup (146 grams) plus 1 1/2 tablespoons (22 grams) sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (optional)
1 large (57 grams) egg
1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 cup fresh raspberries (about 5 oz)
Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside. In a larger bowl, beat butter and 2/3 cup (146 grams) sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about two minutes, then beat in vanilla and zest, if using. Add egg and beat well.
At low speed, mix in flour mixture in three batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, and mixing until just combined. Spoon batter into cake pan, smoothing top. Scatter raspberries evenly over top and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons (22 grams) sugar.
Bake until cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool to warm, 10 to 15 minutes more. Invert onto a plate.
22 weeks!
Today I am 22 weeks! My baby is the size of a spaghetti squash and almost weighs a pound!
“At 11 inches and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. Her lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and she’s even developing tiny tooth buds beneath her gums. Her eyes have formed, but her irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment.”
nature baby.
I absolutely love this store. It’s based in New Zealand and they make the most softest + all natural wool and merino cotton blankets for little ones. The cold won’t be so bad this winter…
friendship blanket.
Some of my dear, dear girlfriends from our Carbondale family sent a special gift with Jan when she came down for a visit a couple of weeks back. These gals thought it would be a neat idea to utilize the left-over yarn from Yohan’s blanket to crochet me a baby blanket! Awesomeness! I loved Yohan’s blanket, and now I get my own! : )
This earthy green blanket is somewhat different because it carries hints of blackberry purple throughout. Thanks to Jan, Ashley, Amma, Jill, Wanjiku, Rajani, Michelle, Sayaka and Lisa for all the hard work they put into this very meaningful and beautiful blanket. I love it, and I know my girly will feel safe and cozy in it too!
blueberry lemonade.
I came across a lovely recipe for blueberry lemonade on Nectar & Light’s blog — she also happens to be one of my favorite photographers.
Greg and I were in the mood for something refreshing after work today, so we squeezed some lemons, sugared some blueberries and we both had a cool glass of lemonade (with blueberries!).
smith babies.
The husband and I went to the beach this past weekend to see our wonderful family, and because we needed a break from all the hustle + bustle of being east coasters. We stayed at Greg’s parents’ airy beach home, which is practically on the beach — a 10 minute walk to the beach to be exact. The gals did some fabric shopping at a nearby quilt shop, and we also did some antiquing, where I picked up 2 really neat fruit crates to put all my fabrics in.
We also got into baby mode and began looking at childhood photos of Greg and Beth. Some of the shots were so good that I had to get a copy of them to frame some day when I come across the right frames. Greg’s mom used an SLR to capture these great photos. Today’s digital SLR’s don’t even compare to the richness and depth found in these photos. Photography by my mother-in-law, Sandy Smith.
susie mey 