Mersydotes

It was a gloomy afternoon when I got home from work- and soooo humid!  Rain is threatening, and the weathermen on the radio are talking about the "biblical rain event" that's coming-yikes!  I tried some color therapy, but it just wasn't quite enough... So in order to cheer up, I had no choice but to make cookies (just followed the directions on the back of the Pamela's gluten-free baking mix package).    I've discovered that everything bakes better on parchment paper (which helps to make up for my lack of baking prowess!).  So I popped these into the oven. And they turned out crispy and chocolaty- let the rain come!  I'm ready!

It was a good morning today: A bowl of Greek yogurt with honey, coconut, and walnuts, a cup of tea, and a few pink granny squares for the W.I.P. I like the way they look like cotton candy. But I'm in a bit of a pickle...I've run out of dark blue yarn, and I've run out of solid pink yarn.  How am I going to finish my grannies?  I have all the squares planned out- which ones should be blue, which ones should be pink.   Maybe some peppermint-striped yarn?   

Here is another one of our essential glee (gluten-free) recipes- one that we come back to over and over again, because it's scrumptious!  I start with these rice noodles and this peanut marinade sauce, but any rice noodle and sauce will be great (you can definitely make your own sauce with tamari and rice vinegar and chile, etc.). Most of my recipes start with "take a whole bunch of stuff, and chop it up", but this time, there's a twist.  This time, you have to take a whole bunch of stuff... And chop the tofu and the scallions, but grate the cucumber and carrot!  Hee hee!  Tricky!   Then, boil a pot of water, take it off the burner, and soak the noodles for 10 minutes.  When they're all soaked, drain them and rinse them with cold water.  This step makes a big difference and ensures that the noodles won't stick together or get goopy. Now you're ready to mix in the sauce: And also mix in the veggies: Because we have a...

The generosity of artists on the web is amazing.  While I was looking around for cupcake toppers, I found all sorts of different paper craft sites which offered free downloads and templates.  I just couldn't resist, and I've been having fun cutting and gluing and folding- would you like to see?  (I've linked each caption to the site where I found the pattern.) There's a tiny angel looking over the coffee table now: A handy geometric desk cube:   A little pink spotted  fawn outside:

The cooler weather recently (highs only in the 90s), has filled the patio plants with new hope. In fact, there are two weeny tomatoes slowly ripening: A little blossom on the strawberry plant: And a few tiny peppers beginning to grow: Oooh...the anticipation!  Will there be a delicious strawberry?  Will those little tomatoes make for a delicious dinner?  What can I put the peppers in? I'm happy the plants are feeling optimistic!  I'll have to go and check on the "estate" soon!

Today is a momentous occasion- a day that will live on in crochet history... Would you like to see...? Today, I made my very first... Granny square! It was fun, it was easy, it was relaxing, it was cute... So I made 15 more! Soon I'll be ready to reveal W.I.P #3! Penny approves: Mama's granny squares are soft!  - Penny I never thought I'd make something called a "granny square", but I've decided to go ahead and hop on the "granny chic" train!  This opens up all sorts of new crochet possibilities...! 

(Today we have a beautiful guest post from my amazing mother who is an expert at photographing the beauty of nature.  Enjoy!) Clubtails & Snaketails & Emeralds & Sprites, Jewelwings & Bluets & Pennants & Gliders, Saddlebags & Pondhawks &   Spinylegs & Skimmers! Such delightful names for such an amazing group of insects - THE ODONATES! Rivaling any North American songbird, the dragonflies & damselflies of the mid-western United States display an endless spectrum of riotous color and a portfolio of radical patterns. Their dizzying aerial displays over open waters take the breath away and keep the head spinning! One need not travel to the tropics to reveal nature's exotic side, just peer into your own aquatic backyard!   Halloween Pennants "In Wheel" (Dragonflies are the only insects that mate this way!) Eastern Pondhawk Female (The Males are Blue!) Eastern Amberwing Male Obelisking (i....

I promised that I would share pictures of the "yummy" cupcakes when they were all baked and decorated, and here they are!  They are pink, and they are glee, which means that they're totally awesome!!!! Cute, no? Can you see the shimmer?  I sprinkled on a little bit of pearlescent shimmer powder. And how about those toppers? Ready for another surprise?  Just the other day I discovered a brand new section of the grocery store.  They just began selling the most amazing marshmallows from Spain- and they're $1 a package!  They have marshmallows in the shapes of cupcakes, ice cream cones, strawberries, and twists, but I bought the confettie ones: Couldn't resist putting a few on the cupcakes...   And they taste good, too!  There's some almond essence in the batter and in the icing- delicious! 

It was rainy this morning- and that was a-ok with me.  The cloudy skies made all of the plants glow a little greener, as if they were trying to do what they could to make up for the lack of sun.  But it was peaceful.    And I really enjoyed my little morning routine of making the best cup of coffee in the world!  It feels fancy, even though it's not- boiling the water, blending the beans, frothing the milk with my 2$ IKEA frother, sprinkling the cinnamon I got for free at the spice store.  It's a super special cup of coffee that doesn't cost anything at all, and I really enjoy my little routine!