Monday, August 20, 2012

my roots have grown but I don't know where they are


That's right, *two* posts in a row with song lyrics as the title. So what? I've been busy. Moving is stressful, y'all! Some bumps in the road have made it more trying than I'd hoped. But we (along with the wonderful support of our families) have righted the wagon and are counting the days. Only 9 until we leave!

Which reminds me, I need to keep packing. Now that some of the bigger things are taken care of, the little last-minute details keep coming, but I just chip away at them as best as I can.

By the way, I miss you guys! I promise this blog will be a little more happenin' (is that still a thing? No? It's not 1998 any more?) after September 4. Besides, I'll have to take a ton of pictures of my new place, adventures around town, little home decor projects I have lined up, and maybe definitely a special feature about the road trip.

Are you looking for any design inspiration for your new space? Want to revamp your current space? May I suggest these very cost effective projects: an awesome coat rack to bring the outdoors into your city apartment, make some simple cork coasters to save your tabletops, or a starry sky mobile (I love mobiles--I made one using origami birds and would love to add another!).

I hope you had a great weekend--cherish these last few weeks of summer!

Monday, August 13, 2012

walking on sunshine

...and a convenient man made path.

Please enjoy these photos, taken at the Lincoln Park Nature Walk this weekend.  We're saying goodbye to all of our favorite Chicago spots.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

pizza for breakfast


If you don't like pizza, you can probably just stop reading this right now and check back for my next post. Because I love pizza (and its cousin-- pizza rolls). I've been spoiled living in Chicago, where pizza is a second religion. After the move (only 22 days?!?!) Michael's Pizzeria down the street, where cheap pizza and cheap pitchers of beer are considered a great date night for us, will be sorely missed.  I am skeptical about pizza in California. Do they even have pizzerias? My pizza consumption may be limited to the ones I make myself. Any information you might have on this pressing matter is appreciated.

I appreciate both "pizza for breakfast" and "breakfast pizza" but posting about the former would make this blog less legit (it's very legit right now). So I will share this recipe for "breakfast pizza" that will allow you to justify to your parents, roommate, whoever, that it is completely acceptable to eat pizza before 10am.



Breakfast Pizza
makes 2 personal sized pizzas

1 tube of store bought biscuits (mine had 6 biscuits in the tube)
1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp pizza sauce
1/4 cup cooked spinach
2 eggs
approx. 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
parmesan cheese, for sprinkling
crumbled cooked bacon (I cheated & used bacon bits, because I had some leftover), for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Scramble the eggs and set aside. Use three of the biscuits, and press to form a large circle. Transfer to a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick spray and bake for 6-7 minutes.  Remove sheet from the oven, and spread toppings on crust. The order I used was: cream cheese, pizza sauce, spinach, eggs, sprinkle of mozzarella. *Remember that this recipe makes two pizzas (using 3 biscuits per pizza crust), so ingredients will be divided in two. * Bake for an additional 4-5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and crust is beginning to turn golden brown. Top with a sprinkle of bacon and dust with parmesan.

For the record, I have nothing against cold leftover pizza in the morning, if that's your thing. Sometimes it's mine.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Inspired by: lady folks

Two weeks ago, I spent a hot Sunday at the Square Roots Festival. I didn't take any photos worth posting, just enjoyed the music and company. The festival is a joint venture between the Lincoln Square Chamber of Commerce & the Old Town School of Folk Music (where Dane took his accordion lessons!). We soaked in the sounds several great folksy-bluesy-rock bands (including Elephant Revival and Bailey Dee's Rockabilly Roundup), & went to a couple more offbeat programs--the Woody Guthrie sing along provided music and lyrics to about a dozen of his songs and encouraged the audience to bring their own instruments, and the jug band jam may have included the highest energy, zaniest musicians I have ever seen. How zany? The Jewish harmonica player was wearing a Smurf print shirt and matching Smurf print yarmulke.

I have eclectic music tastes, but I really love folk and folk inspired music. Little known fact: I write music as a hobby. I started by putting some Leonard Cohen poems to simple guitar strums a few years ago and grew from there. I haven't written in a while because I enjoy writing music on the piano more than guitar (and my guitar skills are very very basic) and it's difficult to own a piano when you're 25 and rent an apartment. But today during work, a new little piece of lyrics popped into my head, and I may just have to write a little tune to keep them company.

This kind of music is perfect for lazy summer days and driving with the windows down. Here are some folksy musicians I've been Spotifying (I can and will use that as a verb).


Brandi Carlile's new album Bear Creek is one of my favorite recent releases.The songs are so fun and nostalgic, and I love that album artwork.


You may not have heard of Kelly Hogan, but if you're a fan of this folksy kind of music, odds are you've heard her. She's performed and recorded with Neko Case, Andrew Bird, Jakob Dylan, Mavis Staples, and many, many more.


I saw The Head and the Heart at the Metro this past year, and the quintet has to be one of the best live shows I've ever seen (they have a great lady vocalist/violinist, Charity Thielen, so they make the list).

Of course, I'm still listening to my old standbys-- Dolly, June, Emmylou, Linda, and Joan. What's on your current rotation?