Beauty No. 9

Sometimes we pass beautiful things everyday without even noticing them.

Lately I have been noticing doors. It seems that European countries take a little more time on their front doors, it is the first impression of someone's home after all. I guess it is easy to pass up something like a door as something beautiful. We use them everyday, they become a necessary part of our lives. I think that it is interesting that the necessary things are the most overlooked when it comes to beauty, yet they are the things that really make our lives beautiful. Furniture, lighting, cutlery, electricity, windows, doors, toothbrushes, etc.... Your life would be noticeably different without one of these simple things that we take for granted every single day. These things are beautiful within themselves because they provide the canvas for extraordinary things. So next time you are looking for something beautiful in your life, take a look at something extra ordinary and maybe it will have an extraordinary impact on your day and maybe your way of thinking.

Beauty No. 8

Today was one of the first days that hasn't rained! Also, it was above 45 degrees! We had to do somehting nice outside today so we went on a bike ride and had a picnic today! It was absolutely perfect! It was about 75 degrees, the sun was shinning, and where we had our picnic there was a man playing old violin tunes. It was picture perfect!

A day of Sunshine
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
    

O gift of God! O perfect day:
Whereon shall no man work, but play;
Whereon it is enough for me,
Not to be doing, but to be!

Through every fibre of my brain,
Through every nerve, through every vein,
I feel the electric thrill, the touch
Of life, that seems almost too much.

I hear the wind among the trees
Playing celestial symphonies;
I see the branches downward bent,
Like keys of some great instrument.

And over me unrolls on high
The splendid scenery of the sky,
Where though a sapphire sea the sun
Sails like a golden galleon,

Towards yonder cloud-land in the West,
Towards yonder Islands of the Blest,
Whose steep sierra far uplifts
Its craggy summits white with drifts.

Blow, winds! and waft through all the rooms
The snow-flakes of the cherry-blooms!
Blow, winds! and bend within my reach
The fiery blossoms of the peach!

O Life and Love! O happy throng
Of thoughts, whose only speech is song!
O heart of man! canst thou not be
Blithe as the air is, and as free?      

Here are some of the pictures, these are my favorite ones from today!




This was our lunch! Water, Salami, Camabert, Pistachio spread, Walnut bread, and Ameretto cookies!

 

 

 

 

 

Doesn't this look so Romantic?

Beauty No. 7

How to make wonderful candied almonds!

What you need:

2 cups almonds

1 cup brown sugar (white sugar works as well)

1/2 cup water

1 tea spoon cinnamon

Sauce pan

Baking sheet lined with parchment paper

Directions:

Put sugar, water and cinnamon into a sauce pan. Stir together and turn the heat on the stove to medium heat. Once the ingredients begin to boil add the 2 cups of almonds. Using a wooden spatula stir the almonds and sugar for about 8 - 10 minutes.

For the majority of the stirring process the mixture will have a liquid texture. 8 minutes into the stirring process the mixture will take on a sticky texture. Shortly after this, all liquid will dissolve and a powder will form on the almonds. Once this happens remove immediately from the pan. Place on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Separate the almonds from one another and let them cool for at least 15 minutes!

Simple breakdown:

1. Sugar, water and cinnamon into sauce pan.

2. Add the almonds once mixture boils

3. Stir for 8 - 10 minutes.

4. Remove from pan onto the baking sheet once mixture becomes powdery.

5. Cool for 15 minutes before eating.

ENJOY!!!!!!!!

Beauty No. 6

The Rainy Day

The day is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
The vine still clings to the mouldering wall,
But at every gust the dead leaves fall,
And the day is dark and dreary.

My life is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
My thoughts still cling to the mouldering Past,
But the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast,
And the days are dark and dreary.

Be still, sad heart! and cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary.

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow