a dilemma.

  

  

  

i have owls. so many owls, everywhere. i have been collecting them for years and i love them. this is not my dilemma. the trouble i'm having is deciding whether or not to pack them today. i'm having a little trouble getting going on the packing because of the general stress of moving and the fact that i'm extremely easily distractable/distracted... this afternoon i realized that there are little owls everywhere and they would be so simple to pack away and upon completion i would feel like i'd really accomplished something because there would be so many empty spaces in the house... but then i realized how much i would miss them for the next few weeks, between now and getting moved and un-packed. maybe i should pack something i don't love or look at as much, like extra linens or the junk drawer.

when it's cold outside...

... just turn on the oven!

we made experimental oatmeal-coconut-pecan cookies,

and they are yummmmmy!

here's what we used:

1 cup of whole wheat flour

1/2 cup of buckwheat flour

1/4 cup of almond meal

1 tsp of baking soda

1/2 tsp of sea salt

1 tbsp of cinnamon

2 1/2 cups of oats

1 cup of shredded coconut

1 cup of butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup rice milk

1 tbsp of lemon juice

1 tbsp of vanilla extract

1 tbsp of molasses 

and here's how we did it:

first combine the dry ingredients,

then mix the butter and sugar until light & fluffy,

then add to that the remaining non-dry ingredients and mix well,

then mix in the dry ingredients.

scoop out onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake

at 375˙ for 10-12 minutes.

oh, we also baked shrinky-dink charms!

isn't she cute?!!

hope we're not the only ones having fun and keeping warm today.

a favorite photograph

from a recent-ish goldfrapp photoshoot

local etsy favorite:

berkley illustration

ryan berkley is the artist behind these fabulous prints that make me smile and he resides right here in portland. so cool.

bare with me...

...i'm a few posts behind, so i'm gonna mash 'em all together.

the original plan was to follow this post with a series of posts about all the sweetness i've been experiencing lately, but i got distracted by all the sweetness and then it was my birthday... so this will have to do.

i recently received a very charming looking bag of homemade chai tea as a gift. it smelled so incredible i wanted to eat it and wear it and sprinkle it all over the house so that everything would smell that good. i resisted all of the above and brewed a cup instead, and the taste was every bit as delicious as the aroma. look how beautiful it is...

homemade gifts are the sweetest kind.

it's been raining and raining and raining here for days and days and days. it's the nw, it's why everything is so pretty, you get used to it, and you go to the park anyway, and it's FUN!

you can use your jacket to keep your bum dry while sliding.

and take surprisingly awesome photos with your cell phone.

playing outside is oh so sweet.

the night before my birthday, i fell asleep to the sound of things clanking and crashing in the kitchen... i just assumed the boys were making a midnight snack. but when i woke up the next morning, this was on the table...

isn't it the most miraculous birthday cake you've ever ever seen?!! it's the very same camille rose garcia owl i have tattooed on my shoulder {except mine is not crying, but this is true to the original artwork}

what sweet boys. and the frosting... soooooo sweet.

i recently posted about a giveaway that tille over at shewaitsforwhispers was doing and i was one of the lucky winners!! this was unexplainably exciting to me, and then i received this bundle of treats and i was all squealy and smiley and bouncing off the walls.

this terribly fun package arrived at my house on my birthday, how sweet is that?!

more birthday loot. i like owls, can ya tell??

and get a load of this! my momma ordered me my very own pair of these...

they'll be here in a few weeks and i am on pins and needles.

it was a very sweet week. 

{there's actually more, but i'm saving it for later}