Sunday, January 23, 2011

Stuffed with French Toast

It's been a weekend of indulgence. I had my favorite breakfast two days in a row.

On Saturday, my friend Cindy introduced me to a wonderful little breakfast cafe called Kekes. It's near the SPCA of Central Florida, where we spend many mornings playing with cats and helping them get adopted. Covered in cat fur and feline love, we wandered into this chic little bistro to discover the deliciousness of French toast. Well, I had French toast - stuffed banana pecan caramel, to be exact. 

And it was amazing. 

Today, Jolyon and James experimented in the kitchen and concocted an equally tasty French toast recipe - with bananas and powdered sugar to boot!

If only every weekend's breakfasts could be this delicious.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Poetic Photographer

I take a lot of pictures. I’m that person at social gatherings, the person you need to warn, “please don’t put this on Facebook” or, “this isn’t going online, right?” In fact, my husband has grumbled numerous times that our life is “too public” due to my obsession with photo-sharing and posting to online albums.


I see nothing wrong with this. Maybe it’s my inner poet, but I love capturing those precious, raw moments of people just… being. And I love sharing this with others. The way we live is becoming more and more collaborative and I’m fueled with passion for the future.

Lately, though, I’ve focused my attention on inanimate objects and scenery. I’d love to take a day trip somewhere beautiful to just wander and take photos. I used to do this when I was writing nature essays in college, and it was exhilarating to connect with my creative side – the side that feels most like me. For now, though, I seek the beauty in my own neighborhood.

I know I’ve touted my Droid X’s vast capabilities, but I do have iPhone app envy. There are so many fantastic photo apps for the iPhone. Take my friend Jane, for example. She’s been posting extraordinary photos to her art blog, leaving me in a pile of drool as I scroll through them. Of course, she’s also an incredibly talented artist and has a great eye for what makes a phenomenal photo.

This makes me want to take a digital photography class. I should add that to my must-do list.
Anyway, one of my crafting goals for myself this year is to create a photojournal that collectively tells a story. I have a few ideas floating around, but I haven’t decided if I’ll go the traditional scrapbook-style route, or if I’ll use my favorite online photobook site – MyPublisher.com. I’m running out of wall space in my house for hanging photos, so it’s time to start channeling my ideas into books.



**********
If you're reading this via Facebook Notes, check out the real deal on my blog.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Sweet Serendipity

I've never been all that into music. It's not that I don't like music, I just don't seek it out, download it, or share tunes and lyrics with people.

Until today.

I've received a lot of bad news this week. The kind of news that makes your heart ache for others, leaving you feeling especially helpless. I've offered up a prayer or two for each situation, hoping comfort and peace will find its way into their hearts. While driving home from work today, and still dwelling on one situation in particular, a song came on the radio that I hadn't heard before. And I listen to the same station on my morning and evening commute, so the amount of replays tends to rank high on the annoying scale.

But this beat was pure (Can beat be pure? I've never reviewed music before.) and the lyrics were full of hope and inspiration. At least for me.

Maybe you'll think so, too.

Lee DeWyze's Sweet Serendipity
Video
Lyrics