fancying.

i have been dreaming of a new kitchen lately.

the subway tile on this one is awesome.

as, is the entire rest of this kitchen.

who can come over and style my shelves like these?

{from the city sage}

more subway tile.

and that island.

and the shelves going across the window.

love it all.

{from skona hem via desire to inspire}

high ceilings and brick floors.

can i add those to my wish list also?

{from a well traveled woman}

ok, this one.

this is where i want to feed my family.

again with the high ceiling... come on.

and that chalkboard backsplash.

how would one ever decide?

{from the style files}

those gorgeous windows.

(thanks to the high ceiling).

oh, kitchens, you are beautiful.

{from T Magazine for the New York Times}

rain.

there is nothing more glorious than rain in the desert.

especially, when your kids have the day off and you can sit around in pajamas, drinking coffee, reading books and being lazy with the windows open and that wonderful smell filling the house.

and babies always nap better on rainy days.

happy monday, ya'll.

here and there.

a wonderful lazy week, laying around, reading books, playing in the yard, "shooting some hoops" and just generally being together.

buttermilk.

i received this banana bread recipe from a friend and, i kid you not, it is the very best banana bread i have ever tasted.  i am quite convinced it is thanks to the buttermilk.  i strongly believe buttermilk makes all baked goods that much better.  we've also used this recipe to make banana muffins and sprinkled a little granola on top.  nothing makes my kids more excited (ok, a wee exaggeration) than a plate of banana muffins waiting for them when they get home from school.  make them today.  i promise, you won't be sorry.  well, unless you are on a diet. then you might be sorry...

2 eggs
1/3 cup buttermilk
2 mashed overripe bananas (i even use 3 or 4 sometimes)
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 and grease your bread pan. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, bananas, vanilla and buttermilk and mix well. In a separate bowl mix dry ingredients and then add to wet and mix until well incorporated. (I am very lazy and reluctant to dirty another bowl so I usually just dump everything into my stand mixer together.) Bake until the top doesn't jiggle when you give the pan a good shake. Sorry I don't have an exact time frame for you...I also think the addition of nuts or chocolate chips or even a cream cheese icing would be delicious if you want to get fancy!

j.d. salinger

i must admit, i have kind of been spoiling myself lately.

letting the dishes sit a little longer to steal away some time with a good book.

and coffee.

what a perfect pair you are, books and coffee.

dot is happy to crawl around and play as long as i am right there, so it's not like i could be getting something else done anyway (i justify...)

now i can't help but put down one of my favorite excerpts from j.d. salinger's "raise high the roof beam, carpenters" right here, so i can always come back to it...

"I've been reading a miscellany of Vedanta all day.  Marriage partners are to serve each other.  Elevate, help, teach, strengthen each other, but above all serve.  Raise their children honorably, lovingly, and with detachment.  A child is a guest in the house, to be loved and respected - never possessed since he belongs to God.  How wonderful, how sane, how beautifully difficult, and therefore true."

and a quick one from "seymour: an introduction"...

"If sentiment doesn't ultimately make fibbers of some people, their natural abominable memories almost certainly will."

oh, memory, you are a funny thing.

but that discussion can be for another day...

i have found myself in the middle of a few books at a time lately...

how about you?

read anything good lately that you would definitely recommend?

fancying.

i think if i had this print in my house,

it would just make me feel great.

{from etsy shop jimmy marble}

i feel i must have this dress for my little dot.

i mean, seriously? 

how cute is that freaking dress?

{from boden}

because little animals in mini party hats never get old.

awesome.

{from the alison show}

i still love this oldie, but goodie.

i have been wanting it in my house for too long now.

it's time to just do it.

{from etsy shop aardvarkonsea}

good morning.

this is the face i wake up to every morning.

you won't be hearing any complaints from me...

even if, as my husband points out, i also woke up to her at 12:14, 1:37, 2:06, 3:58... 

you get the picture.

she doesn't sleep a lot.

but she sure is cute, right?

now let's pour some coffee and get this week started.