"Life is the total sum of what you do with the moments given you." - Erwin Mcmanus

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Orange Fights

Today was a good day! I got my homework in on time, recited this poem for my American Literature class, laughed a lot during lunch and got to eat a delicious brownie! In addition Abby and I had a hilarious orange peel fight while using photobooth.
     



 Good times. Also, our friends came over and we got to practice volleyball! Life is beautiful!

-Emily

Monday, January 25, 2010

Musical Mondays


I lurve this song!
I wish I could play the violin like this. I think I'm going to start taking lessons again. Huzzah!

Have a lovely Monday!

-Emily

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Cupcakes! (round three)

Sooooo this week's cupcake adventure was carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and toasted coconut on top!

I have to admit I was a little apprehensive, I'm not one for mixing vegetables and sweets (in fact, I've never even eaten carrot cake), but I figured as long as Martha Stewart endorsed it, it must be good.

And I'm happy to report, my faith in Mrs. Stewart was rewarded. These cupcakes were delicious, the spice cake flavor mixed with tangy (homemade) cream cheese frosting (my favorite kind) was perfect, and the coconut just added to the delicious-ness. Yum!

here is the final product:


Shout out to my super talented friend Rebecca who was co-chef again this week.

Stayed tuned for round 4!

~Katie

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Old school crush




We grew up watching Gregory Peck as Atticus, in To Kill A Mockingbird. But I'd never really seen him in anything else, until i stumbled across some less father-ly pictures (thanks to pigeon.toed).

And my goodness, he is good looking!

~Katie
 


Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Smile!



How good are you at reading people? Can you tell the difference between a genuine smile and an imposter smile?

My one of my psychology professors sent us a little experiment to test our smile deciphering abilities.

So far our smile detecting abilities stand as follows:  Abby- 15/20
                                                                                  Katie- 16/20
                                                                                  Mom- 18/20

See how well you do!

~Katie

Wonderment


Photo by Joseph Saxton 


Isn't this photograph lovely? It makes me wonder. I wonder who she is, what her life is like, and what she faces. 


"We are perishing for want of wonder, not want of wonders." 
- G.K. Chesterton

-Emily


Monday, January 18, 2010

Musical Mondays



Paper Route rocks my socks off! They're brilliant! This song is one of my favorites by them. Enjoy!

- Emily
Today we're going to the gym. I fully enjoy the thought of working out. And the post workout high. Just not working out with other people there. Which is not good when you have a YMCA membership. I realize I need to work off my pudge... I just wish I could still eat cupcakes that my sister keeps tempting me with, and not see anyone when I workout. Is that so much to ask for? Well, maybe it is. Sigh.

On a better note, today I finished memorizing O Captain! My Captain! by Walt Whitman. I feel a little accomplished. Not much though. I'm feeling pretty lethargic. Hopefully we'll finally get around to painting my room... but i don't think thats going to happen.

I just found this picture of Katie, our little cousin Rachel and myself. It makes me happy. Ah... sometimes I wish I still had my long hair.

 
I hope everyone had a happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Dad!
We love you very very very much!





Cupcakes round 2

I had such fun with my cupcakes last week, I've decided to make cupcakes a weekly tradition! I'll be baking my way through this book (with fun decorating experiments from this book).

Last night my friend Rebecca and I made chocolate chip cupcakes. While not as pretty as my little fish bowls they were much richer and tastier because we made both the cake and the icing from scratch (vs. neither with the fish bowls).

Our final product turned out like this:






Stay tuned for round 3 next week!

~Katie

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

The Road Not Taken



The Road Not Taken
By Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

I'm memorizing this poem for my American Literature class. I hope somewhere ages and ages hence, I will be able to say, "I took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."

- Emily

Photo taken by moi

Monday, January 11, 2010

Musical Mondays

I love this song by Bon Iver! It's wintry and beautiful! I hope you all have a lovely Monday.


P.S. Here's an awesome sauce video to check out as well!

- Emily

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Thoughts

"Her own thoughts and reflections were habitually her best companions."
- Jane Austen's Mansfield Park


These past few days, the above quote has applied to my life. I've been thinking a lot about the future, God's will for my life and who he wants me to be. Why does growing up have to be so hard? 

But on another note, my family recently joined the YMCA and I'm really enjoying it! I'm trying to be more physically active this year. I just hope the motivation remains and doesn't fade. Also, I love impromptu dance parties! They're radtastical!

One more thing, i really want this dress. Yay for Christmas money! 

- Emily




Saturday, January 9, 2010

Hello Cupcake!

I had absolutely nothing planning for today, and i pretty much did absolutely nothing, until, after an embarrassingly long nap i dragged myself out of bed to do something productive.

My productivity took the form of cupcakes, i received this book for christmas and was eager to try my hand at cupcake-ing(?).


Three hours, a bunch of burnt pralines, and black food coloring all over my hands later i ended up with....



Two dozen tiny fish bowls!
I'm very proud.
And very tired, who knew baking was so labor intensive? (Obviously not me.)

Anyhoo, hope your weekend is awesome!

~Katie

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Musings on a Thursday afternoon

I think we are entering another baby boom.  it seems as though half the people i know are pregnant or recently had a baby, or are getting married (which, in my book, is one step closer to procreation).

and then there's me, who seems to be lagging behind. while my peers are off planning weddings and decorating nurseries, here i sit feeling very much like the younger sister who gets left at home while everyone else goes out to the movies.

don't get me wrong, i'm not at all looking to have a child (at any point in the near future) and i'm content with my single status too, i just wish everyone else would slow down.

i realize that last statement sounded very selfish, it just boggles my mind that people my age are out doing such grown up things. when did we all become such adults?

i did get a letter from aarp the other day...maybe it was a sign.


~katie

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Bonster!

I got the first two seasons of Arrested Development for Christmas and am absolutely loving them! It took me a while to get used to the humor again, but once I did I remembered why I liked this series so much. If you have never watched this hilarious comedy about an absurdly awkward family, I highly recommend it!


~Katie

Monday, January 4, 2010

Musical Mondays

Currently it is 19 degrees here in Charlotte. Being a cold natured person, I'm not exactly enjoying the weather, but I'm surviving. Here's a beautiful song by Feist to warm up your Monday!




- Emily

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Girls Night

The sisters went out to dinner and a movie a few nights ago, just the 3 of us. It's pretty rare that all 3 of us and just the 3 of us go out together, we had a lovely time.

We saw The Young Victoria which was incredibly sweet and the costuming was brilliant!



And we had dinner at Nothing But Noodles, which is one of my favorite places (i loooove pasta).

It was a very nice evening, I love having sisters! It's like having built in best friends.

P.S. Sorry about the lack of holiday pictures, things have been rather crazy around here (with my g-ma moving in).

P.P.S. Happy New Year! We wish you a wonderful 2010!
~Katie