Crush-worthy.

I always seem to get celebrity-crushes on the funkiest people. This year's first dorky crush award goes to the awkwardly adorable, Adam Scott of Parks and Recreation. His grumpy but subtley sweet portrayal of Ben Wyatt, the state auditor is the most entertaining the show has been in months. And it's not like I don't already have crushes on all the other boys on this show (Paul Schneider ((Mark)) is my major crush from the last couple of years, but from other films, not so much P&R). Not to mention Andy (Chris Pratt), Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari), and Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) are all men to adore.

In my geeky, TV-fantasy world, Ben totally hooks up with Leslie (Amy Poehler) and they get married and work their way up the political ladder until they both run as each other's running mate (Leslie for Pres' and Ben for VP) in the 2020 Presidential elections!

Knope-Wyatt 2020!

-XO

Cruel and Unusual Punishment

Rarely do I see something that I feel as if I'm being cruelly toyed with because I can't afford it. But that's how this Madewell scarf makes me feel.

*POUT*

-XO

Picnics in the Park

This last weekend, my boyfriend and I went to Fort Mason for a picnic. We set up our blanket and food in the secret, shady, grove area above all the rest of the sun-goers. In return we got the entire area to ourselves for a good hour and a view of the Golden Gate bridge and bay.

For food, we packed a loaf of french bread, some fancy monterey jack cheese, a bag of red grapes, some garlic hummus, and a bottle of Owl House Red Wine.

Sunset Magazine has some great picnic ideas! (And cute inspiring picnic photos, like the one up above!)

-XO

The earth does not belong to Man; Man belongs to the earth.

Spokane was the smallest city to host a World's Fair. It was 1974 and my mom and grandparents were more than enthused about it being in their tiny, fair city. My grandfather, Oliver Ohde, was lucky enough to get to see all the exhibits the day before it officially opened. The next day, however, he passed away from heart failure. And so, being nearly ten years before I was born, and before my parents even met, I never got to meet him.

I suppose there's something about this Expo, and its remnants (the skeleton of the canvased pavillion still stands in River Front Park today, along the Spokane River), are part of my way of remembering him, even though we never met.

It also seems fitting that the entire theme of this World's Fair was conservation of the environment and working to better humanity's relationship with the earth. And so the quote, "The earth does not belong to Man; Man belongs to the earth," is one of the most poignantly sincere things I've ever heard.



-XO


All photos from on What Makes The Pie Shops Tick?'s Flikr.

A New Lesson in American Roots

Mumford & Sons - "Little Lion Man" from Mikey Levelle on Vimeo.

I love this song and I love their style. And best of all? This "Americana" style music is from a bunch of British boys.

-XO

Summer is for Yellow Dresses

Just like this one.

-XO

Mmmadeleines!

One of my favorite pastries are these mini sponge cakes from France. Rose-water Madeleines sound too good to pass up making, of course I'll need to pick up a special cake pan if I want them to turn out shell-shaped, like this one from Williams-Sonoma.




Thank you Cookie of the Day!

I have so many pastries to make this week! I think I'll try these as a warm-up to delicious coconut cupcakes from She Eats Bears that I'm going to make vegan!

-XO

Because I love sending cards, and these ones are especially adorable.

There are too many illustrations from Belle and Boo shop on Etsy for me to decide which one I heart the most. So I figured Belle and Boo's first meeting would be a good one to introduce everyone to this cute shop!

-XO