52 dates // 14

wayne white exhibit // 52 dates // a thousand threads
The date // A visit to Wayne White’s exhibit at York College.

“Follow your heart, and your pleasure in art. Don’t do what you think is going to be making you money, or what you’re parents want you to do, or what that beautiful girl or guy thinks you should be doing. Do what you love. It’s going to lead to where you want to go. Go out there and make the world more beautiful. I know you can.” — Wayne White, “Beauty is Embarrassing”

Mark and I have both been so inspired by Wayne White’s life and work that when we heard he would be doing a one month residency at York College, just a little over an hour up the road, we knew we had to go. Wayne himself gave a talk on Wednesday that I’m sad we couldn’t make, but I was ecstatic just to get to see his exhibit.

We went late on Saturday — meaning we were a little late to see his new Civil War exhibit (we’ll have to make another trip of it — maybe with Austin next time), but also meaning we had the whole place to ourselves…

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8 Comments | Posted on: April 7, 2014 | Category: 52 Dates, Adventures

Wanderlust

// a thousand threads
I’m trying to concentrate on serious things. I am. But I keep feeling my fingers creep over to the search bar to plan…

Yesterday we made it official — later this year, we’re planning to take a trip to Ireland and the south of France. Ireland with my family. (My great grandfather grew up in County Cork, and my father’s never been, so it’s something of a requirement that we get him there eventually. I’m so happy to say that we’ll finally be able to make it happen.) And France for us. (A short getaway to the sun and the sand and the lavender fields of the south. We haven’t left the country since our honeymoon, and we’re both feeling the itch for a nice, relaxing getaway.)

So you’ll excuse me if I can’t quite concentrate on the task at hand. My head is already on a plane, dreaming of the beautiful places I can’t wait to see.

Have you been to either place? I’d love to have your recommendations if you have! I’ve been to Ireland once but it’s been quite some time, and I’ve never been to the south of France.

/////

Eye the Fresh Exchange’s updates from Spain — more fuel for my wanderlust.

Buy this perfect, easy spring/summer dress.

I’ve been dying to make a copper clothing rack like this for a while.

Bake this awesome chickpea tofu.

/////

Frustrated that women continue to have such a hard time competing in professional kitchens, but inspired by this profile of Barbara Lynch.

Joy the Baker is brilliant (and on point).

Reflections from Maria Popova of Brain Pickings on 7 years of blogging.

This home.

9 Comments | Posted on: April 4, 2014 | Category: Life, Link Love

Triple chocolate chip cookie dough cake

triple chocolate chip cookie dough cake // a thousand threads
When faced with the age old question of pie vs. cake, I come down firmly on the side of pie. Sweet, fruity, flaky pie gets my vote every time.

But that’s not to say that cake can’t be great. A nice, dense olive oil cake can certainly make me swoon, and I think we can all agree that a birthday party just isn’t a birthday party without a pile of sparkly candles on top of a big tall chocolate cake with cookie dough inside — especially when you’re counting on those candles to usher in a wish as important as this.

And while I’ll admit that I’m less inclined to bake a cake than a pastry or pie, I’ll also tell you that this guy was a very, very good cake.

A bit of a Frankenstein, yes — but the kind of Frankenstein that’s filled with light, airy whipped buttercream and rich, moist chocolate cake dotted with cookie dough and melty chocolate chips.

Let’s just say I wouldn’t recommend it often — but if you are gonna have cake, it had better be a really great cake. And I think this one fits the bill.

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12 Comments | Posted on: April 3, 2014 | Category: Recipes

DIY silk tie dyed Easter eggs

diy silk dyed easter eggs // a thousand threads
I’ve always had a little bit of an obsession with untraditional Easter eggs. Drawn on, painted on, glittered and taped… whatever you can think of, I’m usually down. As a kid, I spent every April with a big ball of wax and what looked like a chemistry kit — I had the coolest Ukrainian eggs on the block.

(Insert jealous oohs and ahhs here.)

This year I thought about pulling out the kit, strutting my fancy stuff for the family (I know they would’ve died of excitement) but then I started wondering… what else is out there in the world of eggs? What if there’s something super cool I haven’t tried? Something I haven’t even heard of!

And — much to my delight — the answer was yes. There was something cool I hadn’t even heard of.

As it turns out, you can die eggs with nothing more than a silk tie and a big pot of water. (Okay you need like two more things, but my mind is blown.) It’s easy, they look great — and if you’re doing it with kids, they’ll love that they get to unwrap the finished eggs like a present.

There’s also a slight chance that this project might afford you an excuse to do a little thrifting.

What I’m saying is that I can see absolutely zero reason not to drop everything and do this right now.

Okay well maybe you need the instructions first… (but then really, thrifting… go.)

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16 Comments | Posted on: April 1, 2014 | Category: Decor, DIY, Holidays

52 dates // 13

52 dates // a thousand threads
The date // Escaping the cold and the rain.

I’m not entirely sure that this qualifies as a date, but we did spend almost the whole weekend together, under the covers with a cup of hot cocoa, trying to pretend it wasn’t still snowing outside.

And for a while there, it wasn’t. It was just a downpour of rain. Then Mark went and mentioned how crazy it would be if all of that rain were snow and I swear he jinxed us all.

But that’s okay, we had a nice weekend, warm inside… we only ventured out a couple of times for supplies, yoga and a trip to the gym, and in between we started watching True Detective, which has me totally hooked. Anyone out there watch?

Don’t tell me how it ends! But do tell me how your weekend was!

3 Comments | Posted on: March 31, 2014 | Category: 52 Dates, Adventures

Eight years old

// a thousand threads// a thousand threads
Our little dude is practically an adult today — at least that’s how I’ve always felt about eight.

Those pictures were taken only about a year and a half ago, but looking at him now it feels like light years. Light years since he’s carried an arm full of stuffed animals. Light years since that front tooth grew in. Light years since he was still tiny enough to pick up and love, instead of reaching almost all the way up to my shoulder, feeling more and more like a teenager every day. Light years and no time at all… and in just eight more he’ll be driving.

In a lot of ways, I miss the baby who toddled into my life at a year and a half. But I also adore the tiny person he’s become, who still sees the world in black and white like the pictures above, simple… at least for a little bit longer.

A week ago I asked him if he’d like to learn to play the guitar. “I can play the guitar,” he said, a little confused. He’s been “playing” one since he was two. “Well, the thing is there are chords and… you remember how we talked about learning to use the camera and you thought it was just point and shoot but then I showed you there was more to learn?” I explained to him what he didn’t realize, and then stopped to think how much I wish I still had the confidence to proclaim I didn’t need any extra instruction in something I loved.

That confidence, that ability to hear beautiful music when all you’re doing is strumming away, it fades when we start to grow up. Insecurity starts to creep in. One part of me wants to keep him tiny and protect him forever, protect him from all of those things in a bubble that keeps the perfect bit of wonder he still has alive and well… but another part of me can’t wait to meet the grown-up he’ll become.

I’m sure I’ll always miss his tiny feet, hanging out of a pack as we wandered through the woods, but I’m in awe of how smart he’s become, how strong, running ahead of us and leaving us in the dust. It’s the reason that we try to remind ourselves to stay present now. To remember this moment, this person who’s practically an adult, but still very much our little guy… and who won’t be the same for long.

The moments are fleeting, but the good news is that they’re replaced by days and months and years that only get better with age.

3 Comments | Posted on: March 27, 2014 | Category: Life

Setting a workday schedule (so you can relax)

breathe // a thousand threads
I’ll admit, lately I’ve been repeating that phrase a lot, trying to remind myself to take a break. When you’ve got a lot going on, it can be easy to fall into the busy trap and never stop to come up for air. And I’m always looking for a way to squeeze just that much more in — which can be terrible if you fill the available time with more work, but amazing if you use that free time to take a breath and enjoy a few moments of silence. So, in honor of silence, here’s one new way I’ve managed to squeak out a little extra time, and leave work at work.

By setting a schedule and sticking to it, I’m able to cut down on a lot of the distractions I’d normally get lost in — Pinterest, I’m looking at you. And once I’ve ticked everything off the list, that’s it. I can stop and relax, knowing that everything is done.

Of course each day varies with its own more specific tasks, but with my work flow all laid out I’m able to concentrate on my to do list and actually get something done, instead of falling into the black hole of social media that can suck me in for hours.

MY WORKDAY SCHEDULE

Morning //
// Finish anything urgent or on a tight deadline.
// Read the news, catch up, and schedule tweets for the day. (30 minutes)
// Post blog post to Google+, Facebook, and Pinterest. (5 minutes)

Daytime //
// DO NOT continue to stare at social media. It’s hands off for now.
// Respond to ALL email. (30 minutes)
// Get shit done. (Exactly how it’s worded in my schedule.)

Evening //
// Read blogs, say hi to friends. (30 minutes)
// Play on Pinterest. (30 minutes)

For me, this schedule runs from train time in the morning to train time at night (the biggest part of my commute). Once I’m home, I usually circle back to work on the blog — such is the life — but if I’ve stuck to my schedule I can do it without any worries hanging over my head from the day. I know I have my emails out of the way, my social media under control, and I’ve made a big dent in the rest of my work. If there’s something left over, it can wait until the next day when I’ll do it all again.

8 Comments | Posted on: March 26, 2014 | Category: Business, Life, Tips and Tricks

Fresh carrot, avocado and orange salad

fresh carrot, avocado and orange salad // a thousand threads
It still doesn’t look much like spring out there, but they tell me it is so, stubbornly, I’ve pulled out my sandals and started craving bright lovely fresh things like this fresh carrot, avocado and orange salad.

I’ve mentioned before that I’m not a fan of healthy tasting food. The thing is, despite the bevy of carb and sugar-loaded goodness I usually share here (and my general inclination toward pie and/or cereal for dinner) I actually am kind of a healthy person. But that doesn’t mean I like for my healthy food to taste like cardboard. So, Mark and I have (and are always building) our own little arsenal of tasty things that we wouldn’t mind eating any day of the week. We go back to our little list regularly, for things like baked salmon and tempeh tacos, and this week, we added a new recipe that’s bound for heavy rotation, especially as long as this gorgeous winter citrus holds out.

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5 Comments | Posted on: March 25, 2014 | Category: Recipes

52 dates // 12

52 dates // a thousand threads
The date // 1/2 price bottles of wine at Monocacy Crossing.
The food // Mussels, steak, arugula salad and crab & corn fritters — all amazing. My diet is not thanking me today.

One of our favorite places in Frederick, just down the road from our house, is a restaurant called Monocacy Crossing. It’s a cute little cabin on the side of the road with a cozy warm bar and a gorgeous sunny patio, depending on the season. Everything they make is delicious, and as an added bonus, on Sundays they have 1/2 price bottles of wine.

So after a busy week, Mark and I decided to hole up in that cozy warm bar and share a bottle and a tasty meal.

And super bonus — we caught the end of that great Kentucky upset while we were at it, probably the one and only win I actually picked.

Tell me, how was your weekend! Did you fill out a bracket this year?

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4 Comments | Posted on: March 24, 2014 | Category: 52 Dates, Adventures

Happy Friday!

// a thousand threads
Lately my brain is on hyperdrive with so many plans. Plans for this blog, plans for our home, plans for making plans… it’s hard to keep up and more often than not I find myself wishing there were more hours in the day. But it’s exciting too.

This weekend we’ll be working to turn some of those plans into a reality that I can’t wait to share. I know I’ve been mercilessly teasing our little business venture for a while now and you’re probably ready to punch me in the face if I don’t get around to sharing soon, but let’s just say there’s some major test kitchen action going on at our house these days, and I wish you could all move closer to me so you could tell me what you think.

Really though, it’s a lovely neighborhood.

Now tell me, what plans do you have for the lovely spring weekend ahead?

/////

Eye this walk in closet perfection.

Buy a bathing suit (It’s almost that time!)

Make these adorable Easter treat bags.

Bake this crazy caprese mac ‘n’ cheese.

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Elsie’s optimistic thoughts on the future of blogging.

On being busy.

This totally ridiculous-perfect home.

This app for speed reading.

Still pretty sure some of these are lies.

Everything about Orn Hansen x Hackwith Design House.

6 Comments | Posted on: March 21, 2014 | Category: Life, Link Love

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