i heart brownies - valentine's day redeemed

valentine's day has redeemed itself just a bit. our lovely little neighbours brought us not only cute valentines, but knocked at our door with a plate of adorable brownie hearts. i think four year olds can teach us a lot about love.

honest thoughts about valentine's day

i have to be honest here. i've never been a huge fan of valentine's day. okay okay, in elementary school i MAY have had a love of the stack of tacky store-bought cards i gave and received in class. i may have loved it very much. but as an adult, not so much. and it has nothing to do with the state of my love-life. when i am in a relationship, i am weary of the holiday just as much as when i'm single and lonely.

i do appreciate the celebration of love. i just think its stupid to cram it into this one day, produce so much wasteful - and tacky - things and decorations and etc, with the notion that it is THE day to tell your loved ones how much you love them. who needs creative ways to show your love when you can do it on valentines day with pre-packaged love manufactured by someone else?


last year at this time, i was in asia visiting my parents. i had a few friends over to do some baking, and since it was nearing valentine's day, we got a bit festive with our pies. (random note: making pie in a tropical climate, even with heavy air-conditioning, is a bit of a mess. cold butter doesn't stay cold very long so you have to work quickly!) i really need to do fun & creative things with and for the people i care about more often. if valentine's day gives you that push to do fun & creative things with and for the people you care about, that really is great. just try to do it a couple other times during the year too!



if you are one who hearts this day, do please have a happy valentines day!

if you are one who is cynical, have a happy monday, and show your loved ones you love them all week! i will start off my week by baking bread for my sister, inviting my brother over for coffee, and picking up my boyfriend from the airport.

birthday dinner (part 2 of my birthday)

part 2 of my birthday:

birthday dinner cooking

birthday wine, birthday bread, birthday flowers

birthday dinner (fish, yummy roasted veggies, bread)

birthday cupcakes

birthday fun?

birthday jamie oliver :) (my first ever jamie oliver book. SO excited)

birthday camera bag (from here )

birthday aftermath

part 2 of my birthday day was just as lovely as part 1. i am very blessed. now i have a whole year to give back all the love i've received this year. maybe jamie oliver can help me. :)