let your heart be light...

whether you have snow or sun hope your weekend is happy.
monday we had 55 degrees and there was a deluge of rain. it washed away the snow. the grass looked so much sadder without its blanket of white. then yesterday there were snow squalls, blizzard like, that covered the ground again in white. today it is sooo cold but bright and sunny. the kind of day when you wake to frost covering the windows. you need to wear lots of layers, but lots of layers make me feel safe and comforted. you have to admit there is something really charming about really cold days. since i was a little girl i loved the first cold breath outside, the feeling of my nose and cheeks turning red and stinging, then the comforting rush of warm when you walk back inside.
stay warm. xo

this is the thing....

something to get you moving on hump day...a mashup of the top 20 billboard hits of 2009.




something to distract you from the gray days of january...



















and sending some love... xo

rainy days and mondays...

today i watched the rain come down and down and down.

little letters...

dear sun
thanks for coming out today.

dear andrew,
thanks for chatting with me.

dear sushi place
thanks for the best gyoza ever.

dear christine
thanks for always making me laugh.

dear fridge,
thanks for being big enough to hold my pictures and even a few groceries.

dear bed with fresh clean sheets and big fluffy quilts,
you are like heaven.

dear hair stylist
thanks for the shampoo and conditioner you are better than prozac.

dear trader joe's,
thanks for awesome french lemonade.

dear sirius radio
i love the pulse.

sweet dreams. xo

a good moment...

there are some days when the morning sun warms your spirit and you find yourself dancing along while doing your morning routines. everything is going along exactly as planned... today started out so nice and how it ended up so lousy is ... well... i guess just one of those things... so to fix it up i made french onion soup with crusty bread and tons of cheese, then some chocolate moulten lava cakes. now if that won't turn a day around i don't know what will... ok well it didn't really turn the day around but it was really tasty. xo

...words by the sweet audrey hepburn...

I was born with an enormous need for affection, and a terrible need to give it.”
- Audrey Hepburn

You could always tell what kind of a person a man thinks you are by the earrings he gives you. I must say, the mind reels."
- Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly"



Pick the day. Enjoy it - to the hilt.
The day as it comes. People as they come . . .
The past, I think, has helped me appreciate the present and I don't want to spoil any of it by fretting about the future." - Audrey Hepburn

xo

baked scampi 432

ingredients
1 cup butter
2 tablespoons prepared dijon-style mustard
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
2 pounds medium raw shrimp, shelled, deveined, with tails attached

directions
preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
in a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, and parsley. when the butter melts completely, remove from heat.
arrange shrimp in a shallow baking dish. pour the butter mixture over the shrimp.
at this point you can sprinkle on some panko breadcrmbs for a little crunch.
bake in preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until the shrimp are pink and opaque.

serve over pasta ...
and of course, pour yourself some wine.
it is amazing ! xo