ergh.

Ever have one of those days...? I had one today. NOTHING worked.  I didn't get much done.  Very, very frustrating.  Especially since I started the day all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. I did not see a basically wasted day coming.   But this is making me happier!:

So cool, right?  Its from Anna the Red's Bento Factory blog.  She catalogues her amazing bento box creations on her blog.  There's even one of the Spirited Away characters.  So great.  I do a lot of cooking and tend to take special care in how everything looks and is plated ( ahem, picked that up from Top Chef.)  But obviously this is taking it to a whole other level.  Even past your typical, awesome bento box presentation.  I think I'd have a hard time eating these though.  It'd be kind of heart breaking, wouldn't it?  Or just super fun...Thanks Shelterrific for the tip. 

And... Another late birthday post.  Happy, happy birthday, Mr Henry Lincoln Jr.  

I miss you and your lady friend.

Happy Un-Birthday Jane!

Oops I meant to post this earlier.  Happy Birthday Lady!  I'm so happy to be living closer to you now!  Its so nice... We have know eachother for over fifteen years now.  Craziness.  Remember back in high school when we were all cool and wore Dr. Martin combat boots?

Hot.

Hmm Actually it seems I'm wearing some lame sneakers... and ankle socks? awesome.

I'm glad you liked your gifties...

Happy Birthday Mum!

My parents friends took this photo of them in Providence during the blizzard of 1978.  They were helping dig out cars covered in snow.  Anyhow, I just love this picture. 

Here's my mom last summer at my sister's wedding:

Another one of my favorites.

I love you, Mom.  Have a wonderful day!  See you later at your birthday dinner...

A Very Merry Un-birthday to Sammy!

My lovely brother Sam's birthday was a few weeks ago in August. I didn't have it together then to do any posts at all, but it wasn't until after posting about my sister's birthday last week, I realized I missed his!

Happy Birthday Sam! Happy Golden Birthday: 23 on the 23rd!

 

Sam is an amazing photographer, among other things. He shot our sister's wedding and these photos are his as well. You can see more of his work at Flickr.

Happy Birthday Ms Faith!

Happy birthday dear sister!   Not only are we both magically on the same coast, we're only an hour away from each other!  I'm so glad. Lady, this has been a big year for you.  Have a wonderful birthday!!

 

Birthday Falafel

So it was my birthday a couple weeks ago. And you know, it was just lovely. Yummy brunch, farmer's market, picnic in the park of falafel with margaritas-to-go and uh, sangria, and I believe there were a few drinks after. Fun fun fun.

For a while now, I've used birthdays as a time to take stock of my life. New Years resolutions have always felt a bit forced and a little arbitrary. Maybe its the winter thing. But reflecting on my birthday, which happily falls in the spring, makes much more sense to me. And for the first time in a while, I'm pretty happy with the way things are going. There has been some real growth, personally and professionally. There are some big projects under my belt, a couple wrapping up and a few to look forward to. I'm really excited for this new year.

 

Cheesecake! Twice.

This past week I made cheesecake twice.  Which is funny because I'd only made it once before a few years ago. And though it was pretty well received, and not too, too scary, I've shied away from it since.  But to comply with a birthday request I made it again.  I used this Gingersnap-Pear Cheesecake recipe from Real Simple  and didn't stray too much from it.   It was so easy and was completely delicious!  (The only annoying part was making the gingersnap crust. --Which wouldn't be a big deal but I don't have a food processor.  I know; it's sad. ) It was enjoyed by all and the best end to a birthday meal of pork loin, curried apples with barley, mashed sweet potatoes and salad.  

Birthday Cheesecake  Birthday meal

We also had a cheese course before hand.  Yikes.  The birthday boy said it was like Thanksgiving.  Such compliments! We all rolled home.     

Anyhow it was so easy that we decided to have another one the other night.  It was Valentine's Day so we deserved another one.   I used low fat cream cheese, which was basically just to make me feel better mentally, as I'm sure it didn't make much of a dent calorie-wise.  We used the same recipe, but this time made a chocolate one. --Basically just added powered baking cocoa.  It probably would have been better with a graham cracker crust, but there weren't any crackers, so gingersnaps with more powdered baking cocoa ended up doing the trick:  

cheesecake2.JPG
 
cheesecake1.JPG