Jack White’s guacamole

jack white's guacamole // a thousand threads
Much to Jack White’s apparent dismay, the details of his tour rider leaked out last week — but since we love a man who loves good guac, we thought they were sort of charming.

After hearing the story on NPR, we mixed up a batch — a little skeptical about the lack of garlic, but excited nonetheless. And we almost ate the whole thing standing over the bowl. All the while musing over whether the crew treats it like a contest at each stop, keeping track of who can make it best.

(As it turns out, they do.)

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Hot milk punch

hot milk punch // a thousand threads
It sounds harsh, but lately I’ve been feeling stiff and uninspired – paralyzed even.

It’s cold, the house is on the market, work is all maybes and what ifs, and every next step seems to be waiting for something else to get out of the way. Mostly I’m impatient. Which, I suppose, is a good feeling, since I know there are good things to come.

But my skin is dry and I can’t help itching for spring… waiting, for me, has never been the best part.

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Self portrait project // 3 + Links

52 self portraits // a thousand threads
There was a moment there last week where I thought we might be on the verge of spring… warm air, a forecast free from snow.

I was even fooled, for at least a second, into stepping outside without a coat.

But so much for all of that. It looks like Phil was right again, so today we’re spending the day inside, cuddled up under all the blankets we have. Not such a bad way to spend a Valentines weekend…

But then, that’s next week’s portrait.

For now — that fleeting moment of hope.

52 self portraits // a thousand threads

How to write a super fast first book draft.

Owl warning.

40 facts for the 40th of Blood on the Tracks.

Caramelized crepes.

Social — in politics — is a great way to get people hooked on email.

Joni.

This pretty apartment. (Those floors.)

Naming your business.

 

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Potato chip cookies

potato chip cookies // a thousand threads
Sunday morning, Mark and I woke up early to poke and prod our already-staged home into submission – a process that, naturally, involved making cookies… otherwise known as small delicious “buy our house, please” bribes.

I’m assuming the open house went well… muddy tracks implied that someone must’ve come. But since it might’ve come off as creepy to leer at potential buyers from the corner, judging their reluctance to consume a few extra calories as a personal slight against our home and the whole of our world view, we went to the gym.

… partially because we hadn’t been all week and partially because cookie dough is my kryptonite. Also, apparently, fully-baked cookies, of which I’ve had five a day since these were baked.

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Salted chocolate raspberry stout doughnuts with DuClaw

salted chocolate raspberry stout doughnuts // a thousand threads
I’m always a little torn on Valentines Day. Should we celebrate, is it a greeting card holiday, blah, blah, blah.

Any reason to go out for a romantic dinner, though, is one I can’t generally bring myself to be down on… or stay in for a romantic dinner. Or stay in for doughnuts and beer… because let’s just be honest, the gloomiest gloom of winter is upon us and all I really want is doughnuts and beer. (We’ve covered this.)

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Self portrait project // 2 + Friday link love

52 self portraits // a thousand threads52 self portraits // a thousand threads
I’m willing to bet now that these photos — taken on our way to visit that not so superb owl (depending on how you look at it) — commemorate the very last moment that I was awake and not working this week… even at the Super Bowl itself, where this loser spent most of the evening enveloped in research on sequestration and the upcoming president’s budget.

This week has been so very busy that now that Friday has come and the budget work is gone, I feel like I might just fade into a light coma for the weekend… someone can deliver me doughnuts and beer and I’ll commune with the spirit of Homer Simpson.

Now if only I had a toasty warm beach…

Anyone else itching hard for a vacation? I know I keep talking about it, but it’s that time of year.

Reading blogs vs. making a living off of a blog.

Mexican avocados.

This gorgeous midcentury renovation.

We have way too many chairs already, and still I want more.

Lefse.

12 Twitter marketing secrets.

These sound suspiciously healthy, but delicious.

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Shaved brussels sprout salad with currants and bacon vinaigrette

shaved brussels sprout salad with currants and bacon vinaigrette // a thousand threads
Say what you want about brussels sprouts, everything — and I mean everything — is better with bacon.

Not that I’m not a fan of the sprouts, but it never hurts to do a little doctoring up. And let’s be honest… green veggies have never been my thing.

I want them to be my thing. I really do. In fact until I was at least 20 years old I thought I loved the sprouts…

I mean, my grandma’s sprouts were delicious. Nevermind that they were smothered in butter and cheese.

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Self portrait project + Friday links

52 self portraits // a thousand threads
I’m not sure if you’ve ever had the pleasure of staging your house, or of living in a staged house while it’s on the market, but let me tell you, it is a treat.

The rugs are gone, the liquor is gone, and all traces of human existence have been wiped out of sight… it’s a sterile, highly regimented sort of existence, something akin to boot camp or rehab.

But it does look beautiful… almost beautiful enough to make me sad that we’ve put it up for sale. Our first real family home…

… but only long enough to start to think, and dream, about what’s to come. A new, light-filled kitchen, a peaceful single-family home, a real yard! I’m trying not to get ahead of myself, so much could still happen. But what’s certain is that there are many, many exciting things to come. And that makes me look forward to the weekend just all that much more!

Before I go running full speed out the door though, Mark and I thought we’d try out a new project this week.

… over the past few years, this blog has truly stoked our mutual love for photography. We’ve learned and grown so much together, but we’re still learning more every day. And each discipline has its own special set of rules and creative boundaries to break… so we thought we’d play with one we haven’t explored as much: portraiture.

Building on our “52 dates” project, we’d love to take “52 self portraits” — just us and our little camera clicker, trying not to embarrass ourselves completely, and maybe even trying to make a little art…

I have to admit — this one scares me a whole lot more than the dates. Keeping things creative will be a weekly challenge, and generally I like to hide my face in photos. But it’s a challenge we’d like to explore, so let us know what you think!

We’re excited to push ourselves to think up a new shot to go with each Friday’s links, but we want you to have just as much fun with it as we are, so if you think you might dig it, let us know.

And enjoy the weekend ahead!!

… keep your fingers crossed that someone falls in love with our little house and the liquor comes back soon!

5 breakups for a healthier, happier you.

Oh man… these.

And these.

7 free tools for tracking blog post performance.

Super versatile pieces of furniture for every home.

Home perfection.

That looks about right.

Words that could conceivably be used to describe both the Super Bowl and a superb owl.

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Grapefruit cardamom rum cake

grapefruit cardamom rum cake // a thousand threads
It’s about this time each year that we cold weather dwellers start dreaming about a getaway. You know the drill… white sandy beaches, little umbrellas, 10lbs of rum cake… it all sounds too good to be true. Especially when the dumb dreary blizzards don’t even turn out to be worth their weight.

That is, unless you happen to cruise out of Baltimore just in time to meet a cold front that extends all the way to the Caribbean. Add a justbarelynotbroken, recently operated on arm that makes a soak in the spa look less than friendly, and you might just find yourself scrapping the sand to hole up with fourteen documentaries and a slab of midnight pizza in your sweet, warm, gently swaying room on the sea… such was the story of our first, and only, cruise.

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New roads

new roads // a thousand threads
Things are changing fast in these parts, not the seasons, of course — winter always does seem to stick around — but certainly everything else.

Last week, Mark was in the midst of interviewing for a job that we didn’t want to get our hopes up over when the price on a home we’ve been watching intently suddenly dropped.

I’ll be the first to say that the home is a total mess…. but it has the bones of a true beauty. Mid-century perfection hiding under a year or sixty of carpeted bathrooms and crumbling brick… it could be our dream home. So we jumped. Neveryoumind the challenge of qualifying for a loan on just one full income…

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