Easter Pretties

You probably know this already, but I am pretty fond of holidays. While the ordinary days can be just as special (and sometimes better), I love the anticipation, excitement and preparation that goes into a holiday. Looking forward to something is always the best part, and I love opportunities to look forward to something.

Easter is pretty much the most joyful holiday of the year, and as well as celebrating Jesus and the wondrous things He has done, it gives us an excuse to dress up and eat nice things. ;)

Decorating Easter eggs happens infrequently in our house, depending if someone remembered to pick up the dye... or not. But this year we had the materials on hand, and I decided to be ambitious. After googling Easter egg inspiration until I thought I would pass out (have you SEEN how many great ideas there are?) and collecting boxes of glitter, trim, gemstones and you name it, I thought I  had everything under control. Apparently, I just don't have much patience for the dyeing part. Or the glue gun.

By the time 4 of the 5 were mostly done, I had run out of steam, and the poor red one was left in its imperfectly dyed state (although I always think that the plain ones are gorgeous, too). The others turned out fairly interesting, and I am rather fond of the teal-blue "vase" egg. It's blown, so I can use it as a decoration for as long as I want without it going bad.

All in all, an interesting experience, and I will try to do better next year. ;)

Then comes the desserts, which I always decide on at the last minute, and are always an adventure, since I rarely make the same thing twice. Experimenting is great when something comes out perfect and you can be proud of it, but the disappointments are twice as bad.

This Panna Cotta looked better than it tasted in my opinion. It was super easy and didn't give me any trouble (basically you throw like 4 ingredients into the fridge and... ta da!) but it essentially tasted liked plain whipped cream. Not bad when it's doused in strawberries, but not exactly what I hoped it would be. ;)

Ahh... the Boston Creme Pie. This did come out satisfactorily, although the first filling went crazy on me and ended up in a sponge-y ball, and the second one could have been a bit firmer. But I didn't really care, since it ran out so prettily and was delish when it was dripped all over the pie. Definitely a really, really yummy cake (if I do say so myself ;) and one that I will be making again. I do want to get the hang of that filling.

No pictures of my Easter outfit, unfortunately. I wore a maxi dress that I got at a boutique in Pasadena, CA, and I expect it will become a wardrobe staple. Definitely a favorite. 

So tell me, how did you and your family spend Easter? Any fun traditions or baking adventures? I'd love to hear about them! :)

He is risen. Hallelujah!

-Amanda

Read More

A quick California recap

Yay, Amanda is finally getting around to the promised California photos! I've landed smack into the middle of a major writing project and expect the next two months to be pretty busy as I try to keep up with all the different adventures and distractions. Am I the only one who wishes every day was twice as long and that we were able to explore and pursue 6+ different careers? There's way too much to learn and enjoy in one lifetime! It's so exciting! :)

Anyway, I literally have tons of pictures from my trip, so I've just selected some of the main events and favorites. We stayed for part of the trip in Pasadena, which is a really nice area. The building in the picture above is called The Castle Green. I have no idea exactly what it is, but we spied it one of our walks and thought it was stunning and magical. 

One thing for sure, I absolutely fell in love with the diverse trees and foliage everywhere in Cali. Some places it absolutely looked like fantasy land. Lovely...

One of the perks of having an Uncle who's a bigwig at Disney... a studio tour! :) It was super neat seeing soundstages that so many classic movies have been filmed on, and loads of original props and memorabilia. Yes, that is the wardrobe. Pretty cool.

Most of the items on display were props or hats, but there were a few costumes on display that I was really excited to see. While I thought that Prince of Persia was a rather lame movie, I did like the costumes (seeing the details in real life is always amazing).

Also, this dress from Alice in Wonderland was fantastic. One of the best movies I saw last year and I loved the costume design. (Colleen Atwood won an Academy Award for her work on the movie.)

Another perk - Disneyland! I went to DisneyWorld in Florida when I was three and remember very little, so this was almost like the first time. It sure is a magical place and I am a big fan of everything but the line for Space Mountain (although it's worth it ;). I also loved all the pretty and unique shops (check out the art nouveau display window on the right). And when everything was lit up at night... just so pretty.

Santa Monica Pier is such a fun place to go... and such a tourist trap. :) The park was closed for a private party, but it was a gorgeous day and the beaches were exquisite. I love to watching people enjoy themselves and there were lots of happy faces here. Cari and I walked for miles, ate fish tacos and avoided a few weirdos. I also put my feet in the Pacific Ocean for the first time and there was a huge quantity of good-looking guys around. Not really my type, but still... ;)

And since I was craving frozen yogurt for some strange reason (considering I couldn't even remember if I'd ever had it before) we found a little self-serve place called "The Yogurt Shop." I tried every one of the dozen flavors, took about six and loaded it with fruit and peppermint patties. Seriously one of the best things about CA is the frozen yogurt shops. We hit another one later and it confirmed that I am kind of seriously in love.

A walk with my two young cousins in their hometown took us on a pretty and mysterious path along a wall that had doors from dozens of backyards... so I took a lot of pictures of doors. I especially like this one, with all the ivy. Very Secret Garden.

Oh yes and IN-N-OUT BURGER. I usually wouldn't recommend something like this, but really, you gotta go. The menu is super simple and it's drive-through at its most delicious. Make sure you ask for animal fries, with onions. Trust me. :)

Ok, so my favorite place in the whole state is Redondo Beach and I would actually consider living there for a while. (Gasp! This from a staunch New Englander?) It's quiet, peaceful and feels so "local," rather than all tourist-y like the other places along the coast. The waves were huge and we saw such a stunning sunset.  I would be in a serious state of bliss if I could get an apartment right near the water, watch the waves, and write books. :)

Anyway, that's all for tonight! I've put all the Hollywood stuff together in another post and will try and get it up before too long. Thanks for your patience and, as always, taking the time to stop by. :)

-Amanda

Read More

Back from CA

Hey everyone! I got back safe and sound from my California adventure on Tuesday morning (I love Virgin Airlines!) and am happy to report that things are going really well for my extended family who've had the health concerns. I was able to enjoy some fun times with my younger cousins and also got to see a bit of Hollywood, Santa Monica and Redondo Beach (which is now my favorite place in all of CA).

And it was lovely to come back to spring weather here in Mass. So nice to be rid of snow (as much as I loved it) and be able to forget heavy winter coats and boots (for the most part). Weather in California was moody, but we did have some days in the 80s, and I must admit that I am kind of looking forward to that happening here.

I'm hoping to post some fun highlights from the trip over the next week or two, but please be patient! The weeks leading up to the trip were crazy and now that I'm home I'm already diving into some major projects that will keep me hopping well into the summer. Life never stops moving, does it?

___________________________________________________

Now for randomness... I dug through some drafts that I had here on Blogger and realized that I never got around to posting these outfit photos from January and February. And even though we are now like so over the winter season, I wanted to share them anyway... mostly just because it's hysterical how much snow we had. :)

Shooting photos in over a foot of snow is really a pain, since most of my usual "sets" are buried and far from the path. The above photos were taken on a path after a lot of background and lighting failures. This red scoop-neck tee and black cardigan are two favorites of mine, as well as the skirt and boots, which I've owned for years and have served me well. The jewelry is from Bekah's wedding.

 

These pictures were shot on Valentine's Day and I had to wrap my awesome new boots in plastic bags to protect them while I plowed through the 3 feet of snow around the swing. It was a little bit crazy, but worth it. I'm wearing a dress that is new for me, but actually belonged to my favorite fiddler, Hanneke Cassel (yes I get her old stuff! :), along with some skinny jeans, accessories and a sweater. The haircut was also brand new - it hadn't been trimmed in 9 months (way too long).

Whew! Now that I finally got those pictures up I can move into the warmer seasons for real. Here's to summer weather and clothing!

-Amanda xo

P.S. How is everyone? Anything exciting happen in the past two weeks? :)

Read More