Daydreaming about Europe and life drama

This week I feel slightly insane or maybe "all over the place" is a better way to describe it. We had a busy weekend, I had very little time to work and now I'm running behind trying to catch up which is so not ideal considering my week ahead. I guess it doesn't help that I've spent forever looking at pictures that remind me of Paris- but it does mean that you get to see these pictures (tell me i'm not crazy, tell me they want to make you go to Paris RIGHT NOW).

 

This weekend I baked the entire weekend. We had friends over on Saturday for tea (and then happily they stayed for lunch) so I baked (being the wonderful domestic goddess that I am) Cinnabons (a recipe from my best friend) which were sensational and everyone was super impressed (because no one really thought that Cinnabons could be made) and I also made brownies which turned out to be pretty crud. This is my brownie problem, everything is fine until I put them in the oven for the "required amount of time" then after this time, when I take them out, the top is black and the brownie underneath is still sloshing around in the pan. So how on earth do I cook the mixture through without burning the top (and in the "required time")? I made Cinnabons again on Sunday so now I'm all Cinnaboned out- and my kitchen smells like cinnamon which is never a bad thing.

   

I promised a biscuit recipe a while ago and so here it is: 

[recipe for the most amazing vanilla biscuits ever] 

Ingredients 

200g butter, softened 

1 cup (200g) castor sugar 

1 egg, lightly beaten 

3 cups (420g) flour 

1 tsp (5ml) vanilla essence 

-Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Grease a baking tray 

-In a bowl with an electric mixer cream the butter and castor sugar. Add the egg flour and vanilla essence. Mix until combined. 

-Shape the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for an hour before using. 

-Dust the work surface with flour and roll out the cookie dough to the preferred thickness. 

-Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown. 

-Decorate with royal icing 

Royal icing 

Ingredients 

2 egg whites 

21/2 cups (350g) icing sugar sifted 

juice of 1/2 a lemon 

-In a bowl with an electric mixer beat the egg whites, icing sugar and lemon juice together 

-Start on low speed and increase the speed as the mixture gets smoother 

-If the mixture is too dry add more egg white 

I hope it brings you much eating happiness

   

I knew this week would feel bitty and odd- Graham left for a conference yesterday and I'm leaving for Cape Town tomorrow to apply for my French Visa (party time) and then we're racing back to Durban to be here for a show on Friday night. On top of this my delightful lecturers have saved all the enormous tests for next week and the following week (I have a test the day before we leave for Europe- apparently I won't be studying for that one). Argh it's all a bit overwhelming at the moment.

   

In other happier news- it's Spring! Spring sounds like it should be a really nice season but in reality it's pretty crud. In Cape Town Spring isn't very different from winter and in Durban Spring seems to be the ONLY time in the year that the wind blows like mad (In case anyone is wondering- Autumn definitely wins for the best season of the year) I'm tired of this "cold" Durban weather and impatiently wait for Summer every single day (will take this statement back when I'm dying in the summer heat wave).

 

Did I mention it's 2 and a bit weeks to Paris and Amsterdam?

quickie post

Just a quick post before bed!I've just finished an article for the student blog I write for; It's on beauty and what women perceive beauty to be-an issue I'm going to look at seriously this year (fair warning)In other news, valentines day this year has got me way more stressed out than usual. Its almost midnight and I'm still not done with my secret but not disgustingly-romantic plans. drat.

[I'm not going to catch you before so happy valentines day for tomorrow. I hope all your dreams come true and you get to ride magical unicorns e.t.c.]
The link to my post on being beautiful: http://www.vview.co.za/2012/02/what-is-beauty/

not blogging about him

I've refrained from blogging because everything I want to say is about him-and that would be boring for you to read right?- (continues anyway) he left everything here, his car, his clothes, his guitar. Sometimes I forget that he's gone and come home thinking that he's waiting for me inside. Those are sad days. [When you spend everyday with someone, its hard to know how to function properly when they're gone.]

It's 3 days (i counted that on my fingers) 'till camp. I want to be excited about it but i'm too worried to look forward to a week away from home. I am, however, looking forward to seeing people I haven't seen in forever-people I love. Everything has been a bit mixed up lately, there have been too many strong emotions in my brain and now i think its a bit tired.

[today-one year]today is special because we've been going out for 10months. this is an achievement for me (everyday is an achievement for me)

2days ago I finished the inheritance series. I'm not sure if i can recommend it-some parts were good, but mostly it just reminded me of lord of the rings and how much better lord of the rings is. (can you wish some lovely weather on capetown?)

too much tea

"I will cling to that old rugged cross & exchange it someday for a crown"
Good afternoon. I am feeling seriously energetic today as always on the first day of term...you dont need to be too concerned though, it usually fades by tuesday. Hm, whats new? The last term of the year- only 9 weeks and then im on vacation for forever! Until January. whatever.

[Im going to let you in on a secret and tell you that I've been wearing the same jersey for 3days straight, I should wash it and preserve its cashmere-ness] How sweet is this list?

Last week my dad got home from Mongolia and he brought us panda chocolates, argh now I want a panda, or atleast to stroke one.
Ah its cupcake monday! but as of now-ish the cupcakes are going to apper on the new blog! [yay new blog] http://anobviousobsession.blogspot.com/

cold weather musings

Dear thursday: why have you come so soon? Its raining and miserable [the best kind of weather] and I therefore do not feel guilty about eating half the nutella, or drinking 3cups of tea in 2hours. Yesterday G and I went to watch the Hangover2. heck, in the future I will stay away from all movies involving Asian strip club scenes. [reflects] we have actually watched so many movies this week. On Monday we watched Fight Club which was really brilliant but had way too much blood in. [wishes she could watch tangled now but know that there are a million m&m biscuits in the kitchen waiting to be baked]

As a side note, I've pretty much made it in life-today J used me as an example in his sermon, well he used my "fairy hair that glows golden in the sunlight" in his sermon but whatever I felt pretty special :)
x

a winters tale

Friday morning - i love study days; you get to wake up late, mill around, make lovely breakfasts,go for a run, watch all the movies you have saved on pvr, read. Anything but study
[some pretty friday pictures]

In two weeks time its ministry week again-this year I'm going to Durban- I'm super excited about it. But the week following that, oh heck no [takes several deep breaths]

[is distracted by the weather] today is one of those winter days where, from inside, it looks like summer outside but the moment you go outside your face goes numb from the cold.

listening to: adele [a new obsession]
eating: my third orange this morning
painting: my nails dark red, sitting in the sunshine
feeling: happy [im seeing G later and really, to see this much sunshine in winter in capetown would make anyone happy]

peace out x

i have dreams of orca whales and owls

sunday night. have i ever mentioned how perfect sunday nights are? well tonight is perfect. iwish you could see the stars over here. beautiful.
[dear life: may i have her glasses? i want to be awesome like that]

this week has been full of tea, and crazy hot days[which bring out the sweat in people and just make it awkward],and princess movies, over-eating, under-eating, too little sleep, picnics in the forest, amazing cupcakes, happiness, beautiful nailpolish, the best chocolate cake i have ever tasted, secrets, a princess dress, hot rain, braais, love, a play at maynardville, dreaming, awkward conversations that turned out not to be that awkward at all, pizza, madagascar, hebrew, procrastination,
lemonade, guilt, laughter, perfume, butterflies, best friends, baking, mishaps, singing, the beach, new people, wonderful people, orca whales and owls.

so im going on camp tomorrow. cupcake monday post in advance. [irene lady. you are super amazing]

night children

[saying nothing and everything]

But there's something in the air
They share a look in silence and everything is understood

[spent the day watching gossip girl with pix. i feel so happy to have seen her twice in a week. this never happens. Ive been living on mr blueberry. maybe getting it was a bad idea. the weather is perfect tea weather.]

have a good fridaynight*

you make me feel like im living in a teenage dream

themost perfect day in the whole world is upon us. Summer is so close you can taste it in the air. Im off for 2 days whooop whoop. andddd now i am going to live in the sunshine until it disappears and then ill go punish the bike. lalalala

[some awesome person in the complex has turned his music up really loud and people are jamming to it outside. perfect.]
im off to eat watermelon* bye

they were the kind of girls who put too many marshmallows in their hotchocolate

goodevening children. Today bleh. what can I say about today? well it was made up of too little sleep because of my greek exam [which i failed anyway]

spending hours on tumblr afterwards to try and recover from my exam

[wishes]

and a happy cupcake monday

I am now going to spend the rest of my evening stalking e-online and drinking milo* a good way to spend a monday night

don't you ask me if its love my dear

[a new obsession]

Talk all the talk with a poet's style
Tongue like electric, eyes like a child
Buy all your wives and the classic cars
Live like a savior, live like the stars

Talk all the talk with a model's smile
Tongue like electric, eyes like a child
Buy all your highs and the classic cars
Die on the front page, just like the stars

The big screens, the plastic-made dreams
Say you don't want it, say you don't want it
It's our world, the picture-book girls
Say you don't want it, say you don't want it
Don't you ask me if it's love my dear
Love don't really mean a thing round here
The fake scenes the plastic-made dreams
Say you don't want it, say you don't want it

Pace all the rooms with a jealous style
Tongue like electric, eyes like a child
Paint all your soul with the grand designs
Reach like a savior, your heart on the line

The big screens, the plastic-made dreams
Say you don't want it, say you don't want it
It's our world, the picture-book girls
Say you don't want it, say you don't want it

Don't you ask me if it's love my dear
Love don't really mean a thing round here
The fake scenes the plastic-made dreams
Say you don't want it, say you don't want it

[goodnight all]

our hearts always hunger for

happy thursday people! one more day 'till the weekend :) and -how exciting is this- tomorrow the movie "the girl with the dragon tattoo" comes out. yay. For the past 2 days i have just had lectures on Islam. It has been the most amazing, thought-provoking experience. today was especially lovely because we had the yummiest lunch ever. and we sang this song- which is now my new favourite song

Wonderful, merciful Savior
Precious Redeemer and friend
Who would have thought that a lamb could
Rescue the souls of men
Oh, You rescue the souls of men

Counselor, Comforter, Keeper
Spirit we long to embrace
You offer hope when our hearts have
Hopelessly lost the way
Oh, we hopelessly lost the way

You are the one that we praise
You are the one we adore
You give the healing and grace
Our hearts always hunger for
Oh, our hearts always hunger for

Almighty, infinite Father
Faithfully loving Your own
Here in our weakness You find us
Falling before Your throne
Oh, we're falling before Your throne

have a smashing rest-of-your-thursday*

and I love the sugar

my favourite page in Glamour is the,

"Hey it's okay..." page. and it's just felt like one of those days,

so here are some of the best ones (or the ones I can relate to the most)
Hey it's okay to...
1. set three alarms in the morning and sleep through all of them
2. to go into a store you know you can't afford, but pretend you can
3. to refuse to wear string bikini bottoms for the fear that someone will pull them right off
4. to occasionally need to sing the alphabet in your head or count on your fingers
5. to be kind of afraid of whatever's in the kiddie pool
6. to insist on sending SMSses with the correct spelling and grammar. 'L8R' is not a word in the English dictionary!
7. to wear long pants to avoid shaving your legs
8. to not trust any man who wears cover up
9. to believe that a hot bath and a cup of tea can solve any problem
10. to sometimes quote movies to get your point across

night all x

200th post

on saturday my parents bought 2 bottles of lemonade concentrate, and so lemonade is more plentiful than water in my house . [its 2 days until my sister gets home] at the moment ilove:wearing my sisters beautiful watch, pesto with pasta,the girl with the dragon tattoo, wearing my shirt tucked into my jeans and my kiwi flavoured shampoo.

Romeo (to a Servingman): What lady is that which doth enrich the hand
Of yonder knight?

Servingman: I know not, sir.

Romeo: Oh, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!
It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night

Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope’s ear,
Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear.
So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows
As yonder lady o'er her fellows shows.

The measure done, I’ll watch her place of stand,
And, touching hers, make blessèd my rude hand.
Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight!
For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night.