Keeping Me Pre-Occupied

This week, I caught a nasty cold. It always seems at this time year, I get a cold that keeps me sick for at least 2-3 weeks.

It's not fun.
Luckily, this book has helped me enjoy staying in bed. I haven't loved a book so much since "The History of Love" or "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn." Thank you Ali for the fine recommendation.

A Little Craft

Last week, I got together with my girlfriend's for a Craft Night. I'm so glad we did. I have some very impressive crafter's as friends. Each were working on lovely pieces (of which, I hope they blog about- as all are definitely blog-worthy), and I decided to work on a Valentine's decoration.

I saw this and was totally inspired. (And, it seemed something I could actually create.) All you need: cupcake liners, thread, and a needle... voila! Valentine's Day garland.

Cup of Tea, Anyone?

I've already had two cups of Peppermint Tea today... this rainy weather is making me cold.

(This is one of my favorite tea-cups. Jeff gave it to me for Christmas; we also have a 'J' mug.)

A Morning of Covers

I love a good cover... don't you? Especially when it's by two of my favorite singers.

Listen to Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) cover Feist's "The Park" here. (Via)

And! Arcade Fire covers "Born in the USA" (Not the best audio... but, it's still pretty awesome.):



(Via)

To continue the circle, here's a cover of Arcade Fire's "My Body is a Cage" by Sara Lov. It's pretty.

Marching Band

I've really been digging this Swedish band. Listen here. Their sound makes me happy.

Jane Shoots + New Project

I've started a new project on Jane Shoots. Click here to take a look.

Playing With Polaroid

This tool is just too much fun.

"Tess of the D'Urbervilles"

I finally had some time last night to begin watching one of my favorite book adaptations. It aired here last week on PBS and is a two-part series. I watched the first part last night and absolutely love it. I've been thinking of Tess and Angel all day. (Seriously.)

Can't wait to finish the rest of the series this weekend... Check your PBS listings to see if you can DVR it. I highly recommend it. (Obviously.)

(Oh, I think the actress who played Tess was spot-on.)

Double Chocolate Tiramisu

So... for my recipe exchange this month, I signed-up for Dessert. Rather than bake cookies, which is a recipe that I always defer to, I wanted to do something different.

Jeff and I are obsessed with Tiramisu (by the way, Salt Lake's Stoneground's version is our favorite). So, I opted for a recipe without the alcohol or the coffee.

Thanks to Martha, I stumbled on this recipe.
Truth be told, the recipe looked easy enough, so I started making it, and began layering the ladyfingers when the recipe- the same one I had looked at about five times by now- totally confused me. I wasn't sure which elements she was referring to as the chocolate filling or the cocoa mixture. I was baffled.

But, by this point, I couldn't turn back, I was almost done layering. So, I wasn't sure that this recipe was going to turn out.

I stuck it in the refrigerator overnight, and give it a taste-test the next day- turns out, it wasn't so bad. I added the final element of cocoa powder to the top (Note: do not go crazy with this task. The result can end in inhaling too much of the powder and coughing will commence. Oops.) and cutting them up and placing them on a serving tray.

I was very nervous to take them to Recipe Club, but I did anyway... and, luckily, me fellow recipe-goers reassured me. I think they liked it. They seemed to like it. Thanks for the reassurance friends.

So, all in all, a confusing, yummy, messy recipe... but, still, pretty good. Find it here.

(Photo from Marthastewart.com. I also took pics, but they weren't half as pretty.)

Hilarious...

We thought this was oh-so-funny:



Gotta love Doogie!

Andrew Bird's Newest Release

You can stream Andrew Bird's newest album, "Noble Beast." I've been listening this afternoon and am really impressed with the album. I love the way he composes songs; he relies on the music so much more than the melody. And, the strings are GORGEOUS.

Listen via NPR here.

(Looks like Bird will be around for a chat tomorrow on NPR's Live Chat. Fun!)

Daytrotter and Thao

Thao Nguyen & The Get Down recorded a lovely session at Daytrotter.


I've listened to the recorded four songs again and again this afternoon. Good stuff!

Listen-in here.

More Saylor...

I finally finished looking through all of the photos I took of my new niece Saylor. These are some of my favorites... she's SO precious.

Loved It

We saw it:



And loved it.

(I particularly enjoy this trailer featuring Arcade Fire's "My Body is a Cage.")

Welcome 2009!

Hope you had a happy and safe New Year's...!

Here are some sights from the little shin-dig we threw:

Cheers to 2009!

Zooey+Ben? Who Knew.

Who else read this? I'm VERY surprised.

But, hope these two indie-love-birds really do make it!

Did You?

Did you have a good Christmas? We sure did. Here are some sights from our Christmas week. (I still feel like it's Christmas. Both Jeff and I have most of this week off. Yay.)

(My Snow-angel.)


(Me and our tree.)


(Just some of the snow we've been receiving.)


(The very tree that we'll soon be taking down.)

Hope it was a merry, merry time for you!

Little Babe

On Saturday, I took these photos of my new niece Saylor Blue... isn't she SO sweet?

I took these at my sister-in-law's home; she has the most beautiful light in their home... I LOVE this last photo of mom and baby...

Faves of 2008: #2 and #1

Sorry I wasn't able to get to my top picks last week... I really didn't intend to keep you on the edge of your seat... as I'm SURE you were...

#2: Mates of State: Rearrange Us

I really fell in love with this album. In fact, I fell so hard that it was on repeat for most of my summer. It also joined me on many work-out sessions.

Prior to this release, I could only handle Mates of States in small doses. To me, they always sounded like they were YELLING at each other. But, with Rearrange Us, I felt like their song-writing really matured into a nice balance of harmonies and back and forth banter- but always keeping the music in mind.

There are some really catchy tracks on this album. So many that it was difficult for me to pick just one favorite.

But... I LOVE "My Only Offer." I dare you not to tap your feet and/or sing-along. (Love to sing those harmonies!)

#1: Bon Iver: For Emma, Forever Ago

So... if you've read this blog over the past year, you'll know that this pick is no surprise. I utterly adore this album: it is SO beautiful.

With the first listen of this album, I had to get used to Justin Vernon's voice. He is definitely a tenor, and sometimes my voice strained and hurt listening to him hit those high notes. But, he does... so beautifully.

Also, this album has such a romantic idea to it. Just look at the name of the album, and a lot of the accompanying songs feel so fragile and personal. It's easy to get lost in the songs.

And to boot- doesn't the song-writing feel so genuine? I think so. There are so many beautiful phrases and thoughts shared in these songs.

My favorite track on this album is definitely "Skinny Love." I've listened to this track an uncountable amount of times. It gives me chills. I love it.

Thanks for reading about my picks for the year! I'm hoping next year I'll really be able to branch out and listen to much more diverse music. Here's to 2009!

Faves of 2008: #4 and #3

#4: Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin: Pershing

This album I was very slow to come around to. I had heard some of their tracks on the iTunes radio station I listen to and would write down the song names to listen more of later. Whenever I would quickly tune into other songs, I wasn't as impressed as my first initial listen. However, once I listened longer, I think I figured them out a little more.

Their sound feels really delicate to me. Maybe it was the way they recorded their album- sounds like it could be in a home studio- so I listened really carefully. (And turned it UP.) Sometimes they remind of Weezer. Sometimes they remind me of Rogue Wave. Sometimes they remind me of Buddy. Either way, I can't quite pin-point their sound, and that's why I like them.

Favorite song: "Think I Wanna Die" (SO catchy.)

#3: She & Him: Volume One

What a lovely project this is. I'm not sure M. Ward or Zooey D. realized the impact this album would have in the music world.

I love each and every song on this album. It reminds me of 1950 girl-y pop music (and I really was in the mood for that sound awhile ago). I really only have good things to say about this album, BUT, I do wish we could've heard more of M. Ward's charming voice. I know the man can play guitar, but in sweet duets with Zooey, I would've loved to hear more.

Favorite song: "Change is Hard" (I think.)

Tomorrow is the big moment... #2 and #1. Yay!