Lemonade Extravaganza

Two weeks ago, Nathan and I shot our friends Kathryn and Rami's wedding in Iowa. It was one of the most spectacular and special events I've been to in a really long time.


Kathryn's main color was yellow, with white and navy accents. Lemons (being the perfect shade of yellow) had a major role to play, in decorations,


place cards,


and beverages.


Ever since the wedding, we've been very into lemonade.
The traditional ratio for lemonade is one part sugar to one part water to one part lemon juice (plus extra water to dilute).
I took a lazy (or some might say smart) route and used bottled lemon juice.


If you have a few minutes, it's worth it to make simple syrup* with the water and sugar-- just combine equal parts water and sugar in a small saucepan over med-high heat. Stir occasionally until the water becomes clear, and the sugar is dissolved. Presto! *Be sure to use two parts simple syrup to one part lemon juice for your lemonade base.

OK, this weekend, we may have gone overboard, because we decided to make three different types of lemonade.


Lemonade #1: Strawberry Basil, based on this recipe.
I used our immersion blender, but I bet you'd be OK using a food processor or traditional blender.


Lemonade #2: Cucumber, based on this recipe.
I did use Sprite to top off the drink, with a little less simple syrup, so it wasn't overly sweet.
The longer you let the lemon juice and simple syrup stand with the cucumbers, the more "cucumbery" the flavor will be. I let ours stand for maybe an hour and it was delish.


Lemonade #3: Spiked Lemonade w/ Mint based on this recipe. The only real change was that I muddled mint with the simple syrup before I put it all together. (I also used ready-made vanilla vodka rather than making my own.)


All of the recipes were a smashing success. My favorite was the strawberry basil and Nathan's favorite was the cucumber.

If you have another lemonade recipe, feel free to share, because I suspect this will be the summer of lemonade.

My little dream of a Summer Mixtape* Club

*and by Mixtape, I mean MixCD.

I just finished making my Summer Mixtape*, which is an annual tradition for me. I always love to share copies of Summer Mixtapes* every year with friends.

In fact, I have a dream that one day, enough of my friends will make their own Summer Mixtapes* that we'll form a Summer Mixtape* Club, and everyone will trade with each other. Just imagine, hearing new bands, remembering old music, agreeing that some of the songs are fantastic, skipping others. It's a beautiful picture, no? You might think I'm kidding, but I'm really not. So far, I have one friend who made a Mixtape* this year. Thanks, DB! You're not only a charter member, I nominate you as club president.


(This is what our Summer Mixtape Club offerings might have looked like circa 1987.)


Anyway, here's who made the cut for me this year:
1. Kids - MGMT
2. Against All Odds - The Postal Service (cover of Phil Collins)
3. The W.A.N.D. - The Flaming Lips
4. Your Love - The Outfield
5. Streamlined - Slow Runner
6. Cosmic Love - Florence and the Machine
7. Caring is Creepy - The Shins
8. Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime - Beck (cover of The Korgis)
9. 1901 - Phoenix
10. The Funeral - Band of Horses
11. District Sleeps Alone Tonight - The Postal Service
12. Your Cloud - Tori Amos
13. Subterranean Homesick Alien - Radiohead
14. Hometown Glory (Live) - Adele
15. The World at Large - Modest Mouse
16. Midnight Train to Georgia - Gladys Knight and the Pips

I created a Pandora Radio station based on these songs. Feel free to listen in, if you want, and help me give "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" to songs that pop up.

According to Rob Gordon, there are specific rules for making a Mixtape.



I couldn't find the exact clip I was looking for...
so, instead, let's all just watch John Cusack in the scene that made every red-blooded American girl fall in love with him.



Mixtapes*. Summer. John Cusack. Pure heaven!

Friday Favorites vol. 14

1. pretty flats
Pointy or round, with bows or sparkles, my feet always appreciate alternating flats with heels.






2. argyle socks





3. quilts
Honestly, quilts aren't exactly my or my hubs' style. (We're much more mid-century modern.) That said, these quilts are so warm and homey, what's not to like?




I really love this yo-yo quilt. Yo-yo quilts are the fast and easy way to make a quilt, because they're not quilts at all, more like a coverlet. I'm thinking of making one! Here's a video showing how to make the yo-yos, and here's one of many online guides that explains how to put it all together.


4. homemade cookies



My personal favorite cookie is the much-underrated, and hard-to-find Oatmeal Chocolate Chip.


And although I never make them (who knows why?) I have a special, soft spot in my heart for chocolate chip cookie bars. These were like crack at church potluck dessert tables. Those of you who came into contact with any number of church potluck dessert tables growing up know exactly what I mean.



5. underwater photography

Whether really high-end/couture stuff like this, in a blackened tank


or just for fun, I love underwater photography.


It's so ethereal!
Plus, they did it on America's Next Top Model, so you just know it's a good idea.

"Art is what makes us human."

Yesterday we watched this incredible documentary called The Rape of Europa.


It's an amazing film about the rescue and return of thousands of great works of art stolen by the Nazis. This is a compelling story from World War II that I-- for one-- had never heard before.

Toward the end, a man in the film says,
“Art belongs to humanity. Without it we are savages – we fight, we eat, we sleep. Art is what makes us human.”
I thought about it, nodded to myself, looked over at Nathan, who was editing photos. He said, without looking up, "I believe that." Yes. I couldn't agree more.
Art. Beauty. Expression. That is what makes us human.

I could never choose my most favorite art piece, but I'll share some photos from one of my favorite art installations at the Chinati Foundation in Marfa, Texas.



100 untitled mill-aluminum works by Donald Judd. All of the boxes have the same exact dimensions on the outside, but as you get closer, you see that each one has a unique interior, (and I don't care if this is cheesy or not) but it makes me think of how everyone on Earth is different. This picture cannot capture the magnificence.

(Here you can see Nathan walking on the other side of one.)

What are your favorite art pieces?

In a Paris Review interview, William Kennedy says...

Hemingway's line was that everything changes as it moves; and that that is what makes the movement that makes the story. Once you let a character speak or act you now know that he acts this way and no other. You dwell on why this is so and you move forward to the next page. This is my method. I'm not interested in formulating a plot to which characters are added like ribbons on a prize cow. The character is the key and when he does something which is new, something you didn't know about or expect, then the story percolates. If I knew, at the beginning, how the book was going to end, I would probably never finish.

I used to think that 5'5" was the perfect height.

It sounds good, right? Five five.
I'm 5'4".

But I discovered in the meantime that there are a lot of fabulous ladies who share my height.

Queen Elizabeth


Claudette Colbert


Sarah Jessica Parker (She's been my imaginary BFF for years.)


Mae West


Elizabeth Taylor


Ginger Rogers


You can find out who else sees the world from your point of view (quite literally) here and here.
You can also see a visual comparison of your height with others here. Fun!

Friday Favourites

1. Hazelnut lattes
are my favorite fancy coffee drink since college. I used to take turns with vanilla, almond, hazelnut, etc., but no longer. Hazelnut is it for me.






2. gaps between front teeth







3. trains






4. Tarte cheek stain
I used to think that blush was for old ladies. Then one day I realized I wasn't really rocking the whole pale face look as much as impersonating a vampire. A little color isn't such a bad thing, and this cheek stain by Tarte is the best way to get that gorgeous flush.




5. belts over cardies




Allow me to introduce my gorgeous friend Kendi.

You may already follow her hilarious and fabulous style blog, Kendi Everyday. We've been friends with Kendi's husband, Bryan, for about ten years. They're also photographers, and Bryan is second-shooting a wedding with Nathan this weekend. Can't wait to see them, celebrate Bryan's birthday and catch up! (in that order)

Two months late on news THIS big?

Girls, brace yourself. Anthro is launching a bridal line in the spring of 2011! It was announced two months ago, and apparently I missed the news. As a Anthro-card-carrying loyalist, I feel like I'm falling down on the job.

The not-yet named bridal line will feature heirloom wedding gowns (does that mean designer? vintage? Pardon me while I consult Google), bridesmaid dresses, accessories and gifts in the Anthro-style, sure to make every red-blooded American girl weak in the knees. Wedding gowns will retail between $750 - $5000. Don't let the price tag get you down, because I saved the best for last. In addition to a wedding site, Anthro will open a few bridal stores in select cities. Actual stores...

What will the gowns look like? That's the big question here.

This is purely conjecture, but I predict...



and maybe...



In addition to Anthro's signature dreamy boho-chic, maybe they'll even offer some more classically tailored dresses, like something worn by the gorgeous Jackie O.



OK. This summer, Nathan and I will celebrate our tenth anniversary(!), so I'm not in the market. But for all you girls who are, I hope that you find the absolute perfect dress. Maybe you'll even find it at Anthropologie!

So sorry that I've been out the last few days, lovely friends.

But I have a really, really good excuse.
I helped Nathan second shoot this weekend in Iowa, and everything came off without a hitch*. I'd describe this feeling as a happiness hangover.

Going back to work tomorrow isn't even that bad, because it's the last day of school before summer break.

What are you up to this summer?

I intend to:
1. work on my writing

(This isn't me. My hair is shorter, I use my Macbook Pro instead of writing by hand, and in summer, I normally sit inside in the air conditioning at coffeeshops when I write. But cute dress, huh?)

2. work out every day**


3. turn off our cable***


4. take a photography class


5. go see old movies at the Paramount



*other than one small episode that included taking some detail shots inside a tent where the air was rather humid, causing the Nikon 17-55 lens to fog up, when time the groom's brother-in-law suggested (ever so brilliantly) that we put said fogged-up lens into a hot car to bake out the moisture. It totally worked, and he totally saved the day.

** or as often as I can (excluding sick days or days I'm too busy writing, a.k.a. writing more than four hours a day)

*** not to worry, because we already have our TV hooked up to our internet, which means we can keep up with most shows we care about and in the meantime, watch lots of great things on iTunes and Netflix Watch Instantly. Goodbye, Cable! No hard feelings.