yesterday’s mail. i’m going to learn to crochet well if it kills me! also, i got my hands on three expired rolls of 36 exposure kodachrome. i’m very excited & i can’t wait to see the results!

we watched the stepford wives the other night. my mom told me i should watch it. i never had any idea what is was about & the title just never interested me. once she told me the jist, i knew i had to see it. the perfect amount of campy but it kept my interest all the way through. the men infuriated me & the women made me gasp. i’m sure lots of you have seen this already or maybe just the remake but it’s a must watch for those who haven’t.

i started making these the other day & finished them up with some ice cream for dessert last night. i haven’t had one because i’m scared i won’t like it. the cookies aren’t soft like store bought ones & i’m not sure i’m okay with that. i don’t know if i did something wrong? let me know what they turn out like if you make them, or already have made them. nick likes them though! here is the recipe:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon milk
2 to 2 1/2 pints strawberry ice cream, slightly softened

in a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt; set aside. in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, vanilla, and sugar. add eggs and milk, and mix until combined. add reserved flour mixture, and mix on low speed until incorporated, scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula at least once. divide the dough in half, and shape each half into a flat disk. wrap each disk in plastic wrap, and chill until firm, about 1 hour.

preheat the oven to 350 degrees. roll dough out on a lightly floured surface; use an offset spatula to unstick the dough every few turns of the rolling pin. roll dough to an 1/8-inch thickness. cut dough using a variety of heart-shaped cookie cutters from 2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter, making sure there is a top and bottom cookie for each sandwich. place hearts on a parchment-lined baking sheet; chill until firm, about 30 minutes. remove from refrigerator; use a fork to prick holes all over the surface of the cookies. bake until firm, 12 to 15 minutes. let cool slightly on baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

using half the cookies, spoon softened strawberry ice cream about 1/2 inch thick on each underside. place matching cookie on top of ice cream, top-side facing out. transfer immediately to freezer to harden; repeat with remaining ingredients. serve directly from the freezer. sandwiches can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for 3 to 4 days.

via marthastewart.com

today, we got up & opened little gifts we got each other. nick gave me rosemary’s necklace & fine little day’s rebuild square print! two things i’ve wanted so bad. he know’s me well. i gave him an pressed leaf initial badge from watersounds, a vintage clip-on bow tie & a game for his ps3. after that we went to have breakfast at our favourite neighbourhood diner, highland park diner. tonight we’re going to make a roast beast with veggies & mashed taters. i think that might be my favourite meal but i’ve never made it for myself. i got the instructions from dad & my fingers are crossed i don’t mess it up. i’m not much in the kitchen. i think after dinner we might turn the lights off, turn on our star lamp & watch the original of the stepford wives or rear window. or both!

i’m wishing that oven could be mine. we saw it as an estate sale. half of me goes to buy stuff & half of me goes to see the houses. sometimes they are really amazing old homes that have had the same people living there forever. i love when you can tell it’s like that. they always have the best stuff too because they never buy anything new. old people bought all their things when they were new in the house & if they broke, they fixed them. & then when they leave, i scoop it up & treasure it!

the donuts delite everybody can’t go unmentioned. we were driving by & i couldn’t believe how packed it was. it reminded me of pop tate’s chocklit shoppe from archie comics. i always wanted a place i could go & no matter what time a day it was a friend or more would be there ready to hang out & drink malts. also, when i read donuts delite everybody in my head, it’s in dr. nick riviera’s voice. anyway, we’re going to have to join the gang there sometime.

also, i thought i’d share this gem i found. adding photos to groups on flickr is my worst nightmare. a while ago i stumbled upon this awesome script! you can just hold command, select the groups you want to send the image to & hit send! then it lets you save the selection so the next time you just choose that & hit send. i have a saved one for my analog photos & cross stitch work so they go to the right groups.

i took these photos while we were driving to estate sales. the area we were in was really beautiful & it was a fresh snowfall. i don’t think i’ve ever pointed my camera at the sun before this but i’m glad i did & i might do it again. also, the first photo is the clearest image my camera has ever produced. i’ve been using a lot of random expired film that i find at estate sales lately. the rolls are the most unpredictable rolls i’ve ever had. one came out looking like i used a blue filter except for the indoor photos which were normal. this roll has a purple vignette around all the photos except a few, like these ones. & these are really clear compared to the extreme grain in the others from the same roll. i think this roll expired in 1994 or something.

i have a big problem. i LUST over jen’s crocheting. i have never been so jealous of anyone. & the photos she takes makes it that much better. i wish so much that i just knew how to crochet. i’ve fiddled with it but i can’t ever get the tension right & it just looks like a bunch of knots. she made me the most perfect tiny doilies in this past summer & i love them so much. i have to do something abou this. if anyone has any nice crochet books to suggest, please do.

see the kitty in the first one?

via lauren nassef

i could stare at this forever.

weathervanes used to be a popular topic when i was little. i’m not sure why we were always learning about them in school. then, i just never heard or talked about them for a really long time. when i saw this one i had a hard time remembering what it was called. windvane? WEATHERvane! i think it’s my favourite one i’ve seen.