:: bananaramalamadingdong ::

last night as i was falling asleep i thought about banana pudding ice cream that a friend had recently discovered. and i thought about turning that into an ice cream sandwich. with nilla wafers. and then i started thinking about making a whole ice cream sandwich dessert based on the traditional components of banana pudding. and i came up with this. i'm fine tuning the ingredient/method thoughts and will attempt making these sometime over the next week or so. once i've gone through the trial & error of actually making them, i'll update with what works (and what doesn't) since ingredients, methods and temperatures are all just rough ideas at this point.

barely bite sized banana pudding foster sandwich baked alaska.

("barely" because these might be huge.) we'll work on the name down the road.

soften banana ice cream. sandwich between nilla wafers. place on lined (parchment paper) baking sheet. place back in freezer.

prepare meringue (beat egg whites, slowly add sugar until stiff peaks form).

remove sandwiches from freezer. cover each sandwich with meringue, to the sheet/paper to create a complete seal. return to freezer for a couple of hours to set.

preheat oven to 425. remove sandwiches from freezer and place in oven (lowest shelf) until meringue is lightly browned.

top with caramel or bananas foster sauce (butter, cinnamon, brown sugar. rum/banana liquer if desired).

[random baked alaska photo]

* could also incorporate marshmallows. (maybe stuff sandwiches into marshmallows and roast them instead of using meringue?)

* could also add banana slices to the banana ice cream sandwich. or use vanilla ice cream with banana slices.

if you give this a shot, be sure to post comments with your successes and messes!

:: stars that laugh ::

i sent the below postsecret image to a friend in november 2007. she just forwarded me the email that it was in (for a completely unrelated reason). she had no idea how much i want to hear my grandfather's voice and how moved i'd be to see this picture right now. days after Poppy's passing, i ached to remember what he sounded like and assumed that as the hurt & grief subsided, i would remember his voice. i still don't. i can't conjure it no matter how hard i try. i wish there was a voicemail number i could call.

postsecret.com

"les gens on des ètoiles qui ne sont pas les mèmes...mais toutes ces ètoiles-là se taisent. toi, tu auras des ètoiles comme personne n'en a..."

in one of the stars i shall be living. in one of them i shall be laughing. and so it will be as if all the stars were laughing, when you look at the sky at night...you - only you - will have stars that can laugh! and when your sorrow is comforted (time soothes all sorrows) you will be content that you have known me...you will want to laugh with me. and you will sometimes open your window, so, for that pleasure..." from the little prince by antoine de saint-exupèry


maybe i'll just open my window.

:: unexpected repurposing ::

i absolutely love this locker-pantry idea and i want to do this in my kitchen. i wouldn't be able to inset them without taking space from my office, but there is a wall that would happily hide behind them. unfortunately, i don't think the look will be as finished/complete without it being a built-in, but i think some sort of surround and just the right color could make it work. now, just to find some old lockers and pick a paint color...

designspongeonline.com

:: from a couch-corner critic ::

i love awards shows - mostly for and because of the red carpet. the glitz, the glam, the horrible fashion blunders. i love the pre-shows, the show-show and the post-shows. especially at the grammys where i am likely to see people i know and where almost-anything is a little more easily accepted. the range is broader - you have rock, country, old hollywood, punk, undefined. and i love my time-honored position as a couch-corner (the best seat in the house) critic. here are some of my most notables - good or bad.

it almost seems unfair that someone virtually unrelated to the music business would win best dressed, but i think marissa miller looked hot in an easy and "effortless" way. it would have been cheesy for her to wear a gown like some of the nominees and performers.

taylor swift looked amazingly beautiful, but seemed more fitting for the oscars than the grammys. though, now that i think about it, with the exception of the obvious (lady gaga, brittany spears) and a handful of others who were more grammy-esque (the above marissa miller, miley cyrus, fergie) the women were a little less rock-n-roll and a little more sophisticated & glamorous. taylor's hair, makeup, jewelry and gown were incredible on her.

i think she's going to end up on some worst-dressed lists, but i thought katy perry looked great in this zac posen dress.

i don't love the gown (though it was much more telegenic than photogenic), but i do love rihanna's hair & makeup.

i can't believe i'm putting her on a positive list, but here's to miley cyrus. though, i'm really just looking at her - trying not to think of her voice, her dad, her age (do i even know her age?) or her teeth, for that matter - when i say that she looks great in this dress. i don't really like the cut-outs (or the jewelry), but i do like the style & shape for the occasion.

easily the worst dressed so far.

nicole kidman has always been creepy to me, but this just picture/pose absolutely takes the creepy cake.

:: an awards show junkie ::

gaga & elton john = cool surprise, good performance.

guiliana rancic's hair = so much better tonight than at the golden globes. this time you couldn't see how far back her hairline starts.

taylor swift = looks amazing. the surprise-face is getting old, but the humility and gratitude never will. "accepting an impossible dream."

beyonce = too forced. and an alanis morrisette cover?!

pink = wasn't looking forward to her performance because i assumed she'd sing a song that i'm already tired of, but it was well done. simple. i like that. but then again, i missed the very end.

best new artist = i am so excited for zac brown and all the guys - including the great folks behind the scene - for the win. they have worked really hard over the years and i hope they are soaking up every moment of this.

fergie = i would love it if fergie would one day bust out with the 'kids incorporated' theme song. that would be hilarious for us older folk.

taylor swift part 2 = i thought stevie nicks would ruin taylor's performance for me, but it was actually pretty magical. in that, taylor's magic spell made stevie's voice tolerable for a change. and by tolerable i mean almost, kind of, sort of drowned out in some parts.

3d, really? weird. maybe i'd feel differently if i had some glasses and wasn't getting dizzy from looking at the tv during this portion.


click here for a complete list of winners as they're announced.


i'm bored with this. off to do some fashion bashing.

:: i love bullet points so much ::

i just came across this blog. i love it. it's not really suitable for young eyes or work viewing, so considered yourself warned - there are a lot of penis pictures (sketches, not real ones). if you are offended by nudity or cussing then i don't recommend clicking on the link.

here are some of my favorite (non-penis) pictures from the blog. you shouldn't be offended by these. unless, perhaps, you have a hard time showing a little leg.

blog.theblakewright.com

:: stud finder ::

i picked one of these neat little umbra conceal bookshelves on my last athens (ga) shopping trip in september, but i've yet to locate a stud on which to hang it in a place where i would want to hang it. so far a waste of money, so i just like to think how lovely it is all by its bookless self on a shelf in the hall closet.

umbra.com

and speaking of finding (or not) a stud: i had a meeting with a financial advisor this afternoon. one subject that came up was whether (or not) i am in a relationship. another was to determine my plans/goals for spending in the future. i jokingly said i'm looking to buy a boat. he advised against such a poor investment. i said, "i'll just have to find some friends with boats." he said, "or a boyfriend with one."

:: lovely love ::

i would like to know someone who buys this gorgeous chair so that i could see it in real life. perhaps even sit on it and see if it feels as lovely as it looks. or maybe borrow it for an afternoon for that little corner in my living room that just begs for something this adorably fun!

anthropologie.com

:: love you more ::

yesterday i was listening to the ben folds album, rockin' the suburbs. the last track always takes me by surprise. it's a sneaky one. i never think about it until it's there in all it's quirky sweetness. some things, like that song and this gorgeous picture, are just so beautiful they hurt. in the best way.

jaarongreene.com

i don't get many things right the first time. in fact, i am told that a lot. now i know all the wrong turns, the stumbles and falls brought me here. and where was i before the day that i first saw your lovely face? now i see it everyday and i know that i am, i am, i am the luckiest.

what if i'd been born fifty years before you in a house on a street where you lived? maybe i'd be outside as you passed on your bike, would i know? and in a white sea of eyes i see one pair that i recognize and i know that i am, i am, i am the luckiest.

i love you more than i have ever found a way to say to you.

next door there's an old man who lived to his nineties and one day passed away in his sleep and his wife; she stayed for a couple of days and passed away. i'm sorry , i know that's a strange way to tell you that i know we belong, that i know that i am, i am, i am the luckiest.

"the luckiest" by ben folds



[click on the song title to hear the song]

:: what a ham ::

the big lump wrapped in gold foil, resting in the center of the table, could only be one thing. well, really, it could be a variety of gold foil wrapped things. but in our family, on easter or christmas (or just about any other big family gathering - especially those that included maunga lil and poppy art), is was only going to be one thing.

Honey Baked Ham. the real deal.

every time i take a bite of one of those slighty sweet, slightly salty slices of goodness, i am taken back to maunga & poppy's house in decatur. and i can't help but wish i had some lemon pepper seasoning, as that was the requisite topping for HBH leftovers.

and really, that's all this is about. i just ate a couple of slices of leftover honey baked ham (thanks to my sister for having me over for new year's dinner last night and sending me away with leftovers!) with no lemon pepper seasoning. it reminds me of that feeling you get when you walk out of your house and realize you forgot deodorant. it's not a necessity, but things just aren't the same without it.

:: michigan mittens ::

i just had an idea. make mittens with a map of michigan on them. i googled it - already exists. but just because someone else had the idea (and follow-through) first, doesn't mean i didn't have a great idea! mine were much more thought out and definitely cuter, anyway.

michiganmittens.com

:: i love lamp ::

squintlimited.com

:: fifty fifty ::

she is one of my favorite people. she is creative, clever and cooler than she thinks. she likes a lot of what i like. she sends me great links and enjoys the few i send her that she hasn't already seen. we've seen each other in person a grand total of 5 or 6 times in our approximately 5 year friendship, yet i talk to her more than most people i see on a weekly (if not daily) basis. we work together, we type together, we laugh together - we have probably even cried together.

she is averagely envoweled, but far from average. (me? i'm fifty fifty.)

she has a blog. and i like it.

she recently designed and made these MERRY CHRISTMAS / HAPPY HANUKKAH (check one or the other) cards, which i love.

averagelyenvoweled.blogspot.com

:: fingerprints on your heart & hand ::

this is absolutely the coolest idea for a wedding band i have ever seen. visually (outwardly) simple & understated, but what a neat symbolic connection underneath it all - wearing the most unique & identifiable feature of the one you love.

fabuluster.etsy.com

:: breath to fashion ::

i could try to put this in my own words, but i feel that they would only fall short. so i will borrow hers. and accessorize with my own.



I lived in the south of France for a longtime. The weather was beautiful. I was young. I was in love. I had a scooter, amazing friends, and all was well. I tore through tons of magazines. I loved fashion, but it still felt a bit far.

But I gotta add, the simple fact that I would walk around in heels in the middle of the day would make people turn and look. Suddenly the boys felt it was ok to whistle at me. That’ll turn you off a little. So I learned to dress myself relatively simply, just to avoid the hassle. I still felt like one of the best dressed girls on the street, and I was always looking for stylish friends, exciting boutiques, and inspiring women.

The day I first arrived in Paris was a true shock. I had been plenty of times before… but to live there, it’s a totally different thing. Suddenly, me, who was relatively at ease with my own style, I felt like I got my thought of “one of the best dressed girls on the street” shoved back down my throat. Good lesson.

I met impeccably stylish girls who were relaxed, cool, unique. Girls with the most amazing looks. The most resourceful girls who could find YSL at Zara prices. Super feminine girls that never asked for a second, “What’ll they think of me?”

For the first few months, I felt like a rough draft of a woman. But when you love fashion, you learn quick.

And today, it seems only natural for me to leave my house in 5 inch heels or in a bustier in the middle of the day, or even a shirt disguised as a dress, and yet none of it even raises the eyebrow of my newspaper guy on the street and so I wonder…

Has anything really changed? What gives breath to fashion when you live far from the fashion capitals of the world?

substitute paris for new york. and just visiting did the trick. it used to even be atlanta, though it seems that complacent and easy fashion has now taken root down there as here. either way, i know the feeling: "But I gotta add, the simple fact that I would walk around in heels in the middle of the day would make people turn and look. Suddenly the boys felt it was ok to whistle at me. That’ll turn you off a little. So I learned to dress myself relatively simply, just to avoid the hassle."

after my recent trips to the fashionable apple, i'm starting to return to the days when it seemed "only natural for me to leave my house in 5 inch heels or in a bustier in the middle of the day, or even a shirt disguised as a dress" but i'm still getting the raised eyebrows (a dress? what's the occasion?) and, more significantly, still not comfortable with that. but i'm on what is probably the 2nd draft - not rough or final - and as Garance says, "when you love fashion, you learn quick."



what gives breath to fashion when you live far from the fashion capitals of the world?

inspiration & aspiration

courage & confidence


humor & creativity


trial & error (or success)

garancedore.fr/en