Victorian White

I have been holding onto this article for a while, I always new I would live up high!

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2010/06/23/garden/20100624-chic-slideshow.html?emc=eta1

What does Gluten-free and Vegan look like?

It all started in April 2010, on my 24th Birthday, Sophia gifted me and Natale the "Flying Apron" cookbook and things have not been the same since...
Now for any family member's Birthday they get the pleasure of enjoying a gluten-free, wheat-free, soy-free, vegan, and naturally sweetened treat (usually prepared by my mom, Natalie, and me as their assistant).

This new family tradition has been met with some hesitance from the masses.

What does it taste like? Really there are NO eggs in this? Why are you on such a health kick?

To all the less brave people out there, don't fear this is not a life style change just an opportunity for something NEW and DELICIOUS. Here is one of our recent accomplishments...

lemon cake with lemon sugar frosting

http://www.flyingapron.com/

Tis the Season

The environment around us is changing. Spring to me is becoming the time for blooming, bees, and the dreaded seasonal allergies (=boogers).

This year I’m not as angry has I have been at mother nature for causing this discomfort, I am now 25, instead of complaining I am concentrating my efforts on the question of, what can I do to feel better?

This is what has worked for me:

(1)  THE Neti Pot, makes me not only feel better but I have found that I look less stuffy under my eyes.

(2)  Dandelion tea, this is said to help the liver function better, and for me it seems to fight off environmental irritants as well.

(3)  Getting out of the house, this may seems counter intuitive to go out in nature to find allergy relief, but for me avoiding dusk and cat hair is key.

(4)  Staying hydrated through the day, this has meant limiting coffee intake.

I have also taken inventory as to what products I put around my eyes. Pretty much no more $1.00 concealer from Target.

Even though allergies seem to be inevitable I will take them any day in exchange for flowers and sunshine.

xoxo

Spring Has Sprung

Today is the first day of SPRING. With the amount of sunshine today it actually seems possible that the cold months are behind us…

Today the new season has inspired me to catch up on chores here at the apartment (East Maple, duh). I was also reminded that I only have 3 months left here, at what will be know as the magical apartment which helped me to graduate with a college degree. I feel privileged to have lived here and am sad to say goodbye to the place, but the apartment is used to friends leaving after they graduate, actually it probably wouldn’t let me stay if I wanted to!  The passing of the torch must continue…

Dear future residents,

           The bedroom must always remain white as this reflected purity, tranquility, and inspires the mind to wonder.

        Above all this apartment is for learning, and Marley and I have spent countless hours hard at work here.

      In door plants will save your sanity in the winter, trust me.

      Finally you must protect the building from all the crazies who walk through the alley. It seems because the building resonates wisdom that it is often sought after from those less fortunate.

XOXO 

My Bike Is Cooler Than Your Bike

Actually all bikes are “cool’ but mine has more style… 

Growing up bikes were IT. They took you to school, the Handy Mart, Dairy Queen, and all the way to Jami and Stefanie’s block. Bikes were our trusty steeds that gave us freedom and allowed us to grow up in merry Mountlake Terrace. I am sure kids still ride bikes today (?) but they are not as carefree as we were.

Out there today there are CRAZY bike riders who ride everywhere. I know this because biking to the YMCA is the thing to do, especially before you fit the cardio room, something I will never understand. Don’t you commute on a bike so you don’t have to work out?

But when will the U.S. catch on to bicycle planning around the world. Like in Muenster, Germany where riding a bike is safe, efficient, and cool…

Don’t worry there is hope (me, Jeff Guinn, and Danny Huth) and great companies like Alta who make me want to ride my bike all the way to Portland and thank them for making it safe for bikes to hit the road again.

Laughing Out Loud

It is the beginning of another winter storm up here in Bellingham and while I am in hibernation mode I am being completely entertained by Anthony Bourdain's newest book, 

The last book I read of his was his first, Kitchen Confidential, which described his adventurous and rebellious rise to become a "chef". Medium raw is very different in that it tells the story of what is going on in our culture's cuisine. Some topics include: school lunches, Top Chef, exclusive NYC restaurant stars, and the struggle between Bourdain's daughter and Ronald Mc Donald. 

I was especially entertained with his insight into vegetarianism and how him and PETA have similar beliefs...

"PETA doesn't want stressed animals to be cruelly crowded into sheds, ankle-deep in their own crap, because they don't want any animals to die -ever- and basically think that chickens should, in time, gain the right to vote. I don't want animals stressed or crowded or treated cruelly or inhumanely because that makes them probably less delicious. And, often, less safe to eat."

Even though I am busy with readings for my three courses this quarter I find myself rushing through homework to sit down and be entertained by the former loose cannon, Anthony Bourdain.