elephantine

some etsy faves

1. olive little painting / 2. love you cards / 3. handwoven rug / 4. carved stoneware pots / 5. enamel kettle

these days

Many thanks for all the heartfelt comments on the last post.

The house feels so much emptier, but I have been keeping myself busy. I've donated some old books and clothes and deep cleaned the fridge. I've been catching up with friends. I've been paying so much attention to Rufus that he's sick of me, which just makes me want to cuddle him more, because he's even cuter when he's grumpy. And I've gone on walks when there have been warm days. There is color everywhere, all sorts of flowers sneaking out of the green. It seems like only yesterday there were none at all.

goodbye bodhi

We had to say goodbye to Bodhi a few days ago.

He had been having health problems for months, but I didn't mention it here, because I just couldn't. I don't know – maybe I thought there was a chance he would get better. But there were too many problems, including a cancerous mass that was discovered when he mysteriously came down with pneumonia, and then there were issues with his spine, which eventually meant he could hardly stand up on his own or walk down the stairs without falling. We took care of him the best we could, but when his personality faded, and when he lost his appetite and stopped wagging his tail and stopped caring about his toys, we understood that it was time.

I'll be taking this week off from blogging, but I'll be back next week.

a few faves...

...from pinterest: this shed, these yardwork gloves {via The SoHo}, this terrarium, and these fudgesicles.

two for today

mini banana muffins

I would bake banana bread all the time if it wasn't so easy to overindulge in. If there's a freshly baked loaf sitting on the kitchen counter, I can't keep my hands off it. So, unsurprisingly, when I made a test batch of these mini banana muffins a few weeks ago, the same thing happened. "Just one more," I kept saying, popping another into my mouth. Again and again. Luckily this time around I have no choice but to leave them be, because I baked them for my best friend's baby shower tomorrow. (It's her first! It's a boy!)

Mini Banana Muffins (makes 48 mini muffins)
recipe from All Recipes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 large ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350°F. If using liners, place them in a muffin pan. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine bananas, sugar, egg, and melted butter. Fold in the flour mixture, and mix until smooth. Fill the muffin liners* and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (And, of course, you can make these as regular sized muffins too; they'll just need to stay in the oven longer.)

*it's a good idea to do a single test muffin to avoid under/over filling an entire pan of muffins!

best books of april

My favorite book this last month was The Old Man and the Sea. Now that I think about it, isn't it often read in high school? But I'm glad I didn't read it then, because a younger version of myself would've likely written it off as dull. The current me loved how pure and precise it was. Here are all my favorites from April...

The Forest for the Trees by Betsy Lerner

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway (cover image from here)

Joy in the Morning by Betty Smith

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

The Master Butchers Singing Club by Louise Erdrich

Anthem by Ayn Rand

two for today

Two good things today: the prettiness of windblown blossoms everywhere, and my new pair of Avarcas arriving in the mail. (I haven't bought any new shoes for a long time, and I think these will be perfect for the spring & summer. Mine are the Classic Style Strap in brown.)

The Simple Things

The lovely folks at The Simple Things interviewed me about living in Seattle, and I'm super excited to see it in the April issue. Such a sweet magazine, and it's cool to see my photos in print, too. (You can take a peek at the issue here.)

Hope you have a wonderful weekend.

this week's flowers

Just came home with these – my favorite are the ruffled white parrot tulips. Rufus, of course, checked them out as well.