Christmas =]

I felt like i raked it in this Christmas, I was truly happy with almost every item I received.

I got a twin sheet set from shabby chic for when I get my bunk bed...I know it's childish but I'm really looking forward to the bunk bed, it means there will be more space for me and my room-mate.

 I also got mary kay satin lips set. It comes with lip mask and lip balm. I like it a lot because it scrubs off all the dead skin on  your lips- but you have to be careful, too much use will dry your lips out. I also got some cherry lip gloss which I love as well.

 I also got some new ear buds in my favorite color! Green!

And I got this really good smelling perfume from my cousin, Emi! =]

for some reason the picture of that one wont upload correctly...oh well. It's a nice scent, reminds me of something- but I'm not sure what.

-Abigail

A Star In My Hands

"We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand ... and melting like a snowflake. Let us use it before it is too late."

- Marie Beynon Ray

 "Nature is full of genius, full of the divinity; so that not a snowflake escapes its fashioning hand."

- Henry David Thoreau

I've been making paper snowflakes for Christmas time to hang from my bedroom ceiling! I've already hung about five but I think I'm going to pull them down and add colored glitter to them. My bedroom wall is a pastel pink so the snowflakes will stand out more with a little color and sparkle.

Here's how you can make one just fold like so and snip away! 

Happy Snowflake Making! 


-Liliai

The New Tea Place

-Liliai

Such A Pretty Cage

"Our modern society is engaged in polishing and decorating the cage in which man is kept imprisoned." 
-Swami Nirmalananda

There is so much truth to this quote.
 
Decorating Tip: Liven up potpourri with nostalgic objects.
Example picture: I made mine more interesting by adding an old set of pearls from my grandmother and some dice I enjoyed playing with when I was a kid.

-Liliai

After the Temporary Madness

"Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossom had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two."

- Captain Corelli's Mandolin.

I like this quote a lot :)

-Liliai

An Imaginary Voyage

"There is a great deal of poetry and fine sentiment in a chest of tea." 

~Ralph Waldo Emerson, Letters and Social Aims

"Each cup of tea represents an imaginary voyage." ~Catherine Douzel

I had a tea party not too long ago with my sisters, my nephews, and Jocko (the monkey).

Jocko is one of the best tea-mates. He sits in his quiet resolve with a very matter of fact look upon his face generally. Every so often we look over and his tea cup is empty... and for a fraction of a second we are awed, and then we wonder who drank Jocko's tea...

-Lili

I Love Robots!

I saw a post on http://muchlove-anna.blogspot.com/ called Much Love Monday, and at the end of her post (which was beautiful I might add) she asks that you make a post about something you love for Much Love Monday and I thought I'd like to do that.

So here it is:

I Love Robots! 

-Liliai

The Asthmatic: Poetry

The Asthmatic

Waning in the artifice of punctual game

Subdued, I expose my vitality.

and you're sterling for the blame.

Inadequate to perceive a resolve.

but like antiquity, wholly the same.

Scurry the blood and lesiure fear.

Dissolving into disconsolation.

The asthmatic riotously clear.

Forbidden be my stance afar,

but matchless to ensare me near.

Dismantle the incarnadine gauze,

My heart's pan-optic is sealed obscure.

A spoonful of that stillborn applause,

broad respiration, and high-strung woe.

Then accounted for i reposed in its jaws.

-Liliai

She Wears A Mask: Vice

"Vices are their own punishment."

-Aesop

"Vices are often habits rather than passions."

-Antoine Rivarol

"A few vices are sufficient to darken many virtues."

-Plutarch

"Vice knows she's ugly, she puts on her mask."

-Benjamin Franklin

I recently have been listening to the band dead poetic and their song Vices is really beautiful to me. Have a listen to it and a couple other songs of theirs:

"Feeling cold, feeling empty. Set the stage, where you want me.
And this crowd right before me doesn’t care that I’m dying.
And the audience stands with their eyes fixed on the preconceived version of me.
I’m so betrayed by your hopes, but I will not hide myself for your peace of mind.

Oh, but Child. I’ve got Vices like any other man.

Raise a boy to a cynic. Take his love, and then let it turn into something passionate.
Something sick, something rabid.
And I vent to keep myself from caving. I don’t hate you, I just hate where I’m heading.
I’m left here asking, when did I trade in my bleeding heart for a selfish win?

Oh, but Mother. I’ve got Vices like any other man.
Vices that you’re not used to. Vices that’ll make you think less of me.

Leave me numb. Leave me jaded. She’s a dream, I just play dead.
I’ve been blessed, I’ve been hated. She’s the constant, and I’m her addict.
She’s the only peace in this world, uneasy.
While I bite my tongue to keep from breaking the heart that I’ve spent my whole life seeking.
The only heart I’ve ever needed.

Oh, but Lover. I’ve got Vices like any other man.
Vices that you’re not used to. Vices that’ll make you think...
Oh, but Lover. I’ve got Vices like any other man.
Vices that you’re not used to. Vices that’ll make you think less of me. Less of me.

Feeling cold, feeling empty. I am low, unworthy.
Bleed the God. Bleed the blessing. Like a vulture feasting.
I’ll exist as if I don’t feel conviction of my ignorance to my perfect prison.
But I feel the stabs on my wrists and ankles every time I try...

To forget you. To forget you.

Oh, but Jesus. I’ve got Vices like any other man.
Vices that you’re so used to. Vices that won’t make you think less of me."

-Vices, Dead Poetic

-Liliai

~ Beautiful Soup ~

"Beautiful soup! Who cares for fish, game or any other dish? Who would not give all else for two pennyworth of beautiful soup?"
- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

"A first-rate soup is more creative than a second-rate painting."
- Abraham Maslow

"Only the pure of heart can make good soup"

- Beethoven

The other night I was watching Chocolat. So I was all decked out with a couple boxes of chocolate.

I found these to be particularly delightful, and they can found for at wal-mart for $5:

I was all set for a chocolatey night until I saw a character in the movie eating soup, and it dawned on me that there was an entire bottle of pinot grigio in the kitchen. One of my favorite things to put in soup is wine. So I had to have some soup with pinot grigio in it naturally.

So I just made a soup off the top of my head. I thought it turned out excellent and my dad loved it too! I'd like for someone to try it out and give me some feedback though so here is the recipe:

~ Beautiful Soup ~

Ingredients:

Chicken Broth

Pinot Grigio

Red Potatoes x4

Red Onion x1

Sprig of fresh rosemary

4 slices thick cut applewood smoked bacon

Salt

Cayenne pepper

Olive Oil

Portabella Mushrooms

Garlic

Dice potatoes, onions, and mushrooms up and then brown them with some olive oil in a skillet. Add rosemary, salt, pepper, and pinot grigio to taste before completely browned.

(mushrooms not shown in this picture)

Brown bacon by itself.

Once everything is browned put in a soup pot and fill with 2 cans of chicken broth. Add pinot grigio, red pepper, salt, and more rosemary to the broth to taste. Cook at medium low to medium heat for 20 minutes, adding garlic near the end of the 20 minutes (I did it at around 18 min) so that it doesnt become bitter.

Have a fun and inspiring day :)

-Liliai