maybe it will never stop raining and we'll have to start traveling by canoe...

the past few days in boston have been oh-so-dreary and wet. all i want to do is nap, read or sip hot coffee in a cute cafe.

but these gray days also remind me to slow down a little. there is something so amazing about stepping outside into the pouring rain and taking a really deep breath. the air feels so clean and available. have you ever done this? it's really energizing and a great way to experience that rain smell.

i also love the idea that the sidewalks are getting a good rinse. call me crazy, but everything just feels cleaner after a huge rain shower, right? :)

peek-a-boo.

believe it or not, i stumbled upon these two pictures independently.

you. are. welcome.

(photo credits: yihuisu and sean marc lee)

norwegian boller.

last night i baked my first batch of norwegian boller, which are basically sweet, cardamom rolls. they are a staple in norway, a lot like the chocolate chip cookie is to americans. during lent, norwegians slice them in half and fill them with whipped cream or custard. hellooooo deliciousness.

below is the recipe i used and also here is the post that inspired this project (which you should all go read now, because it's a charmingly accurate portrait of norwegian culture).

ingredients:

2 1/2 cups of warm milk (about 90-100 degrees F)

1 stick of butter, melted

1 cup of sugar

2 tbs active dry yeast

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cardamom

5 1/2 cups of all purpose flour

1 egg white (egg white is used to brush the rolls - makes them shiny!)

note: sometimes people add raisins. but as you all know, i don't like raisins in my rolls or cookies, so i left them out.

directions:

in a large bowl, combine the warm milk, butter, sugar and yeast and then allow the mixture to stand for about 10 minutes. stir in the salt and cardamom, and then slowly stir in all the flour. (this is also when you can add the raisins. ew.) the dough should still be a little sticky at this point. cover the bowl with a tea towel and then let it sit and rise for about an hour (or until it has roughly doubled in size). preheat your oven to 350 and then knead the dough briefly. divide the dough into about 14-15 chunks and then roll them into golf ball size rolls. put them on a greased cookie sheet and then let them rise again for another 30 minutes. brush them with an egg white and then bake for 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown. serve plain, with butter or whipped cream, (or if you're really brave, with brown goat cheese). dig in.

who wants to try one? come on over!

p.s. i ate four last night and have already eaten two this morning. it's a good thing they have no calories.

(photo credit: five and spice)

miscellaneous thoughts...

• last night i took one look at the dirty dishes in the sink, and walked away. some nights that's just what you have to do, you know?

• this morning, as i sipped my coffee, i smiled at a recent picture of my niece. she's growing up so fast. it feels like she was brought home from the hospital yesterday. sigh. i hate time.

• my yoga teacher paints her toe nails in outrageous colors, and then puts glitter on top. it makes for a nice distraction when she walks by (because all you can see is her feet anyway, since you're... well, upside down).

• we booked our honeymoon tickets the other night. woot! i keep hoping that they'll say: "mr. and mrs. c" when we check-in at the airport. if not, i may have to nonchalantly say something like: "my husband and i were wondering if you could confirm our gate number?" because that doesn't sound silly or anything.

• some people say they have dreamed about their wedding since they were a little girl. honestly, i must have a terrible memory, because i have no recollection of that. i will confess, however, that i think i decided i wanted to be a mama as soon as i came out of the womb.

• finally, tonight i am baking, doing laundry, and cleaning. and you know what? i can't wait.

happy wednesday!

(photo credit: ffion)

a lovely tune for my lovely readers.

(kandi by one eskimo)

yesterday i ate a whole block of cheese.

a couple of years ago, i lived in a tiny one bedroom apartment across the street from the world's most amazing little cheese shop. every week or so, i would buy a chunk of gruyère or boerenkaas and some crackers, and that would be my dinner. ah, the life of a single lady.

well, yesterday i went back, snapped a few pictures, and left with a big, beautiful chunk of deliciousness. and when i got home... well, let's just say, it's a good thing simon wasn't home, because it wasn't pretty. i consumed more cheese than any person should eat in a whole week.

to make myself feel better, i also ate a pear and a blood orange...

... but i still feel full.

so, tell me, what's your favorite guilty pleasure dinner? do you ever just eat cheese too? :)

p.s. the shop has its own blog if you're curious.

a rainy day in boston.

just a few pictures from this very wet day. :)

letterpress candles.

it's still raining cats and dogs in boston, so all i can think about is hot tea, candles and curling up with a good book.

these lovely little beeswax candles from bee and bird are made out of vintage letterpress blocks. aren't they so sweet? i can just imagine how romantic they would look on a table at a wedding.

the positives.

so, as some of you know, this week was a little bit blergy for me. nothing in particular happened; just lots of little things added up.

well, poor simon had to hear me whine all week, so when he came home last night he immediately launched the "grumpiness recovery program."

part one, focus on the positives:

1. we are planning a mini-moon to chicago next month. we're going to explore the windy city for a few days and eat our weight in pizza. (chicago recommendations welcome!)

2. tomorrow we are going to visit some friends who have a new puppy. i can't wait to meet him.

3. whenever we talk about growing old together, simon busts out this heavy new england "old man" voice and talks about "kids these days". it makes me laugh so hard. i love him.

part two is to have fun: we're going to eat mexican food tonight, watch a silly movie tomorrow, take lots of pictures and maybe, just maybe... bake some red velvet cupcakes.

(photo credit: antufev)

etsy treasury.

today i was lucky enough to snag a treasury list on etsy! if you've ever tried to create one, you know how hard it is to get the timing right.

here is a glimpse of the items i chose, and you can click here to see it in its entirety. (it expires in two days.)

silver spoon garden markers.

some days i dream about having a garden, and planting flowers, herbs, and vegetables to my heart's content. wouldn't these silver spoon garden markers be such a sweet way to keep track of everything? (available at daisy chestnut.)

ideas worth spreading.

last night i spent over an hour catching up on new ted talks. 

ted, which stands for technology, entertainment, design, is a small nonprofit devoted to ideas worth spreading. ted.com features incredible videos of lectures from the world's most inspired thinkers. they believe in the "power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and ultimately the world."

if you've never been to the site, you are in for a real treat! but i warn you, hours seem to pass very quickly when you're watching.

last night i was very moved and inspired by the lecture called the opportunity of adversity by aimee mullins. aimee was born without fibular bones, and had both of her legs amputated when she was an infant. she has gone on to model, act, and break records in the paralympics. her energy, grace and voice are incredibly powerful. i highly recommend it.

have any of you been to the ted.com site before? if so, what's your favorite lecture?

tiny reminder.

some days it's best to just take a really. deep. breath... and remember that you have everything you need, and that you are exactly where you are meant to be.

(and if that doesn't work... there's always ice cream.)

(photo credit: fan gab)

i'm not even sure where to begin.

confession: i am completely obsessed with this image. i can't stop staring at it and dreaming dreaming dreaming that some day i'll be able to do that.

i think in yoga terminology it's called a modified scorpion hand stand (maybe). isn't it amazing? sigh.

now it's officially filed under "lifetime yoga goal," which also seconds as the much-needed kick in the butt to get to yoga class tonight.

do you have any lofty, and seemingly impossible goals, or is it just me? :) pray tell.

(photo credit: sandy)

decomposition notebooks.

good morning, friends!

i have always loved the classic black and white, marbled composition book. but have you seen these clever de-composition notebooks? unlike their predecessor they're made from 100% post consumer-waste recycled paper, produced using bio-gas, processed chlorine-free and printed in soy ink.

i have two: one of them is for late-night ideas, reminders and random scribblings... the other one remains blank and full of potential. (i love having empty notebooks lying around. there is something so exciting about prospect of putting a pen to the first page of a blank notebook...)

(photo credits and available for purchase at bookbinders)

some day i will learn to take pictures of things other than coffee cups.

remember how i recently told you i want to learn how to take better pictures? well, i have a secret... my father is a photographer. and i've always been curious about photography, (and love looking at his work) but i've never really spent much time on it.

you're probably thinking i should have him teach me, right? yes, but he lives in norway, and we only see each other for short visits here and there. and we're usually too busy talking about life and drinking wine to focus on photography. :)

truth be told, i was hoping it would just come naturally to me. maybe it's genetic, right? hm, maybe not.

every day i'm so inspired by all the artists, designers and photographers in the blogosphere. i love it when bloggers share bits and pieces of their lives through photography. you are all so talented!

so, i'm curious, do you have any tips? tricks up your sleeves? genius recommendations for where to begin? thank you!
xo.

p.s. simon and i both recently got mugs with our initials on them from anthropologie. aren't they fun?

fjäll räven backpacks.

as some of you know, norway and sweden are huge rivals. we both claim to be the best scandinavian country, but it's so silly because obviously norway is better! :)

that being said, it turns out sweden manufactures these amazing fjäll räven backpacks, which i am currently obsessed with. so, maybe sweden isn't so bad afterall.*

i actually saw fjäll räven backpacks for sale at the ace hotel in portland, but resisted buying one because it was so pricey. (nina hides her head in regret.) oh, i want one so badly!

what's so funny is that growing up in scandinavia these backpacks were everywhere! absolutely everywhere. i remember thinking that they were so ubiquitous that they couldn't possibly be "cool". not to mention that at that time in my life, things from the u.s. seemed so much cooler. (nina bangs her head on the wall).

oh how times change. now that i'm here in boston and in love with these backpacks, i have charged my mother with finding one for me in norway. go, mom, go! i know you can do it.

now tell me, do any of you have one? no, wait. i take it back. i don't want to know.

* just kidding. stockholm is one of my favorite cities in the world.