oldies and red velvet. otherwise known as l.o.v.e. ;)

what i really want right now [no matter that it's 9:39pm] is to play all my versions of dream a little dream of me loud on my laptop speakers, perhaps to the 90, and start making a batch of red velvet cupcakes.
in a superbly clean kitchen.
fact is, i will be shutting my laptop down around 10:30, and heading for bed.
and right now, caleb is cleaning the kitchen; or rather, washing dishes and putting them away noisily while music plays in his earbuds. most likely disciple's newest album on his ipod.

image found here

you know what, this song is also playing during one of my favorite parts in leap year.....heh;) i just remembered that.

today i have been literally bombarded with red velvet cupcakes.
i'm starting to take it as a sign i need to make them. soon.
1. i forgot who, but i saw a link for annie eats' recipe post of the lovelies.
2. natalie shared a let's dish link for the lovely things.
3. and then another blogger lady, our transatlantic love, posted about the lovely stuff in her latest post.
4. in my blogger dashboard, give a girl a cookie had posted lovely yummies too!! ---methinks i'm going to use her recipe:)

so you see there.
torture, i say. torture.
and i have yet to make that cinnamon bread from take heart!
i know. blast it. bad me.
i'm going to, and asap. i promise.
random wonderful news: tonight i started craving coffee. as in, for more than the customary 2 seconds. i was even imagining pouring a bit of milk into it....and sipping hot, dark roast, mahogany by caribou....oh my. but it was after 7, so i wasn't about to brew it and lose sleep tonight when i need to get rest. to get fully better.
:)
but. it's good news. ;)
who knows? maybe i'll be brewing some tomorrow.
oh! and heather's church sells coffee.....so i bought a 1lb bag of a lovely dark roast that she get for me there. gosh, she's just my awesome little coffee resource. i never go grocery shopping, so i never get to the coffee aisle, and when i go to a coffee shop most times i don't have 10-14 dollars in my pocket for a good, large bag of whole bean. she's pretty irreplaceable. and i'm working on putting her and dear steph into my 'the peoples' page. darnit, but it's still under construction, so i'm so sorry if any of you've clicked on it and it's faulty right now!!

{can't wait to post this new recipe anna tried tonight!! 

inspired by our visit to noodles & co. yummers. mhmm}

i really love doris day's version of dream a little dream of me.
and i really can't believe i'm blogging for the second night in a row.
this is another sure sign i'm getting better.
more inspiration and no fog of sickness. ;) good things!!

so.....
over tonight until wednesday, we're supposed to get between 8-12 inches of snow. not as bad a forecast as some have, but still. that's quite a bit of snow. and i stay inside 90% of the time, so it doesn't really affect me. but the boys are loving it, because they do several neighbor's driveways, etc. business, ya know. this is white gold falling from the sky. ;)

okay, so i love these earrings. and the single strand of pearls.

and i really like the shade it's faded to since the 16th when i dyed it. it's not such a black-brown. :) a bit more natural.......i love it. :)
i took this last night on my webcam; that's why the bad quality, but still. it was my first night feeling pretty well, and i happened to have a bit of makeup on and jewelry on since it was sunday and anna and i went to meet heather and steph at starbucks in the afternoon for a while.
sorry.
that was such a run-on sentence.
"you're stuck on the old-fashioned, aren't you, beka?" lyd smiles and asks me this, once she complained about my playing dream a little dream of me on repeat. so i clicked on doris' name in my media player and her song singin' in the rain started playing. :)
yep.
stuck on the oldies.

.....ooooh, now it's on by the light of the silvery moon. what a love-dove song. heh. :)
a personal favorite is cheek by cheek. doris day does it really well, but ...frank sinatra's version? oh yes:)

something to cry for. oh yay. :]

so hallmark had this lovely film airing tonight.

the lost valentine

we like to see the two good ones per year that they put out...usually they're worth seeing. and rewatching.
like magic of ordinary days.
they did good with that one; it's anna's favorite book and movie.
now......i really liked this one.
i mean, i'll never be able to listen to the song dream a little dream of me ever again without crying my head off. seriously.
oh wait. i'm listening to it now, and my tears are dry....um nevermind? but if i was sitting alone, with a cup of coffee, all alone --did i mention that?-- and this song was playing, i might start crying.

along with the song being imprinted memory, and i'll always narrow my eyes in distaste for fake eyelashes. as if i didn't before? hahahhaha. that's beside the point.
it made me cry.
and it was sweet.
and i really liked the movie.
i did, i did.
and since i was sitting next to ben the whole time and he didn't say anything, i'm most thankful for that.
i prefer silence when there's a tear-worthy scene going on.
though we did have some banter of our own, him and i.
we both hated her eyelashes.
i mean, look at this lady:

please tell me i'm not the only one who thinks her bangs are too long for her to be simultaneously trying for the pitch black eye look. please. i mean, she was pretty decently good at acting. i wasn't bugged by anything but her too-long bangs and her too-dark eye makeup. like really, lady?! tame it down. mmkthanks. i like to see the main character's eyes. not be staring at hair that has so many products in it to make it have wonderful unreal body. heh. no thanks.
but good thing this lady was mostly likable. i hate when actresses aren't likable. heh.
/rant.
sorry.

so... it made me cry.
big time. more than any normal sad movie has had the history of making me cry.
but there was something that happened at the end for the modern couple that mirrored the 40's couple...and it bugged me. they were not alike, and i personally don't think the modern couple deserved the right to be mirroring something as lovely as what the 40's couple did. and as the freaking end of the freaking movie? please. don't be corny. i don't mean to be getting bitter-sounding, but maybe one of anna's points is getting to me subconsciously. urgh. once in a while it seems as though singleness is like a thorn in the flesh/side. most other times, it's perfectly fine!! heck, even wonderful.
okay, i'm being pathetic. sorry again. i just have to get it out to someone, ya know? because anna already knows all i have to say on this matter.

so back to the eyelashes?
the ending was happening. happy-sappy little thing for the modern couple. the sacred 40's couple thing starts happening....you'll know what i mean if/when you watch it yourself.
ben, whispering: "maybe her eyelashes will melt off."
me: "hah. they should've earlier, when she was crying."
him: "hmm. true."
so we waited and soon enough a few seconds later the credits started rolling.
i hopped off the huge la-z-boy chair, tears still wet and all over my face, and howled at the ceiling and urghed. "why did they have to end it like that?!?!!?!"
okay, so i wasn't truly outraged or anything.
oh but maybe i was.
let's nevermind that and just go watch it again.
not.
we'll wait a few weeks, then push stop at the end before it cuts from the gramma watering her rose bushes to the modern couple. yeah. that's what we'll do.
a few times, the movie seemed to take on a notebookesque air.

and this is what anna has to say about it:
the lost valentine is a most excellent movie.
a. if you want to cry.
b. if you want to be reminded to the extreme that you are most single.
c. if you want to cry some more.
d. do they even make guys (the 40's guy) that good, honorable, noble & cute?
e. it's a good cry.
f. that is all I have to say.

i'm going to bid you adieu.
need to go take another potion....so i wake up even better than today. morning and right before i go to sleep seem to be the lowest points of the day for me and coughing's relationship. bleh. i'm so kicking this.
goodnight!! ♥

oh, and p.s. no offense at all to the lovely normal not-too-sappy romances of you lovely normal ladies out there. i love you. really i do. it's just these movies that get to me once in a while. and really, i'm not all that bitter.
i promise. ;)

♥ ♥ ♥

i just might not be looking forward to valentines thanks to this blasted movie. valentines day is the day after my birthday, how horrid!! okay. i'll stop ranting again....soon.....but maybe i was born to rant....okay....i get the point. i'll go to sleep now....

a journey of sorts. heh. :]

ya know, winter is the best time to do things different.
spice it up.
make some changes that you...can control. heh. ;)

september 14, reddish highlights. 

november 1, 2010. outside lowe's, waiting on some family members to come out so we can go home. yeah, i remember that much. the reddish highlights are way faded by the time of this picture.

november 9, dark hair try-out #1.
yeah, i guess i should explain the look rachel's going for here: grammy's glasses...um...that's all i can say. she's an odd bird. and i live with her. imagine that. but, ya know, i love my sisters. :)

december 10....i'd have to go back in my journals to see if i wrote this one down.
it looks kinda highlight-y. hmmmm. what's more, however i chose to edit this picture was kind of odd....not my normal settings at all....

december 17. seriously. looks a world different from the one before this. straaaange.

december 26 2010. yeah....you have the honor of witnessing me covered in the dye. yippee.

this time, a medium-light brown with a hint of red to it.

here's another shot (at jen and craig's wedding) with that shade of reddish-brown. i quite liked that color:)

january 14, i dyed it dark. dark dark.
the dye photos for this are horrendous. therefore....uh yeah. heh:) i shall spare you, aren't you excited! ;)

there are small parts i miss about being blonde.
does that make sense?
well, i miss the highlights. ^^

too bad i can't remember which hair dye job this was....or was it my normal? no. i think not. this particular photo dates back to december 1. ah. this would be the 1st brunette try, faded quite a bit. i quite like the shade it was here...hmm.

p.s. after i dyed it dark on the 14th of this month, i put in some layers using this video as my inspiration/technique. last time i had my hair cut by miss joann, i wanted something different, so she did a blunt cut hacking off about 4 inches, and some longer-type bangs. all of which i wanted. by january, heck yeah, i was totally wanting some layers. so...i did it. of course with the scape goat of going back to miss joann to fix it if it turned out ill. heh;) but i loved how it turned out.

so. what a fascinating post.
i'm about done. it's 10:57pm and i need to go steam myself.
and...what does steam myself mean?
it means i put a few cups of near-boiling water in a huge stainless steel bowl, put a few drops of this awesome multi-purpose essential oil blend in, drape a towel over my head, and breathe deep for a few really really long moments. :)
it's been helping get rid of this cough/infection thingy.
i just started doing it today; did it two times today. now for a third. and after that....sleep.
g'night:)

ambitions. [what i want to do in the next week.]

there should be things to talk about, right?
people should make interesting things happen even if they're not going outside much these days.
right?!
that way they can blog about it.....as i aspire to do:)
well, i have some ambitions for the next week or so.
i want to make this cinnamon bread posted by the darling danielle. i want to make it asap, peoples.
i want to find an awesome recipe that never fails, and make some sort of awesome monster cookies. --any suggestions/favorites??
i want....to get rid of this cough, once and for all.
i want my side/ribs to heal up from that pulled muscle i woke up with last friday. which, reminds me--earlier, i remembered that thursday night while anna and rach did yoga with jillian michael's dvd, my back was out of whack that day so i did some bicycle sit-ups. ummm....when i do those, once i get going, there comes a point where i suddenly seem to hit a wall and run out of everything needed. oxygen, muscles, energy, brainpower. el-oh-el. but really. so...that happened that night, and i'm wondering if that's part of the cause---besides all the coughing, of course. :\

tomorrow i'm going to make a huge batch of that broccoli potato hot dish with french-fried-onions on top; enough to make two pans. (two different meals taken care of right there, yippee.)
i haven't taken pictures in days. days and days. since the 22nd. that's crazy. weird. strange. not good.

anyways, i need to get off here and find a huge mug to make some green tea in. and i need to take some more potions for this cough. (hahahacoughcoughahaha)
interesting news: i had my first cup of coffee today. first cup since around lunchtime on sunday, working in the kitchen at church pulling espresso shots. fun stuff.
so i used a bit of almond milk in my coffee today, aye? because i wasn't in the mood for straight up black. another interesting fact is, the reason why i didn't use regular milk --cow's milk-- in my coffee is this: i'd be hacking up crap not long after. dairy gives me phlegm and aggravates the sickness when i'm under the weather. ugh, right? yeah. 

 aww, look! it's from april 2010... actually, there's a post that goes with this. interesting stuff. ;)

....alrighty. i'm off to get some tea. hopefully there's water in the teakettle.

beautiful things...

9:40pm
it's saturday night.
half of the family doesn't feel too well.
i'm reading "the case of the tender cheeping chickies" to lyd.
it's a hank the cowdog book.
love them.
it's been a while since we read any of the books though.
wonderful thing to do in the winter: read.
a lot.
:)
this song? amazingness.
♥
p.s.
11:01pm monday night
today was really something else.
movies --primeval, persuasion-- and laying around taking it easy.
i'm hoping and praying tomorrow's going to be much better. goodnight. :)
~~~
All this pain
I wonder if I’ll even find my way
I wonder if my life could really change at all
All this earth
Could all that is lost ever be found
Could a garden come up from this ground at all

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

All around
Hope is springing up from this old ground
Out of chaos life is being found in You

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

You make me new, You are making me new
You make me new, You are making me new

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us
[Gungor; Beautiful Things]

artistic endeavors: tolkien.

so on this fine, fine day in september--the 24th, to be exact-- i was making coffee.
it was cold coffee, probably saved leftover stuff from the morning brew... perfect afternoon pick-me-up in the late summer. ;)

mmmm. who doesn't like seeing the white stuff they pour into their milk curl around blend into a beautiful shade of caramel?

hmm. i was doing dishes that day, i guess??
i kinda like the different textures here.

obviously, i started this day out really right.
this was after midnight on the 24th. ;)
apples and cheese? amazing!
really. medium sharp cheddar.
yes.
i believe those were granny smiths.....
oh my. now i'm craving that.

ahh.
this is torture.
it's been around 0 degrees or below lately..... boohoo.
okay. we'll just get to the painting.

i think it speaks for itself.
but i can't tell you how many times lyd has asked me, "beka, what does that mean exactly??"
"well," i tell her, "if you don't get it, you don't get it. the older you get, the more you'll get it."
smile.
:)
yeah, i really do tell her that.
for nearly everything she can't understand. heh.

little girls, sun sparkles, and lemon bars.

once upon a time, a little girl was rearranging the magnetic words on the fridge.
she didn't like the camera too much; turned around and walked on her heel after the first photo was taken.

:)

what? i just like the cold window. 

can you tell me why you're taking pictures of me when i just told you no-no-no? 

mmm, yes. fresh coffee and a lemon bar made by miss sarah. lovely:)

yeah, sorry about this. ;)

also, sorry for the view of need-to-be-cleaned windows, but really? the sky was pretty clear, the sun was out, and the breeze was blowing snowflakes around. those snowflakes sparkled. i was trying to capture that without stepping outside in the 12-degree-cold weather. well, it's better than yesterday--which was 0. yeah. freakin' 0. :\
nasty fact for the day: this is the second day in a row....i'm pretty sure i pulled a muscle by my right front rib cage. yowzers. it hurts to cough. and oh boy, do i cough throughout the day. still getting rid of this cough thing; tea should be prescribed for later, and more vitamin stuff.
good thing is: i feel absolutely fine. good, even. coughing once every 10 minutes or so isn't that bad. no stuffy nose, no headache, no sore throat, thank God.

there! i'm not trying to be a stalker and photograph our neighbor's siding that needs to be replaced with something not wood, but if you click on the picture, it'll get big and you can see the sparkles of the snow. really. :) it's the sharp-white dots. heheh.

justin, sarah, and eliyah came over today for lunch. after house hunting in town with a realtor. :) they've lived more than an hour away for the past few years, so this is kind of exciting. plus the fact that they might need help fixing up/painting inside. :) :)

:) tired cutie.

..... 

wow. so tired. 
i have an awesome apron, yes? rachel surprise me with it for christmas. it's from etsy. :)

well, i'm off to watch the last half of the bbc emma. :) strange fact: the other day, while us girls curled up on the couch and la-z-boy chairs watching the first half, at one point lyd said emma's (romala garai) smile is much like mine. that is, when i'm smiling for real. when i'm happy.
heh.
wow.
ooookay, lyd. whatever you say.

i'm about to start chapter 4 of crazy love, by francis chan, and it's wonderful! definitely recommend it. plus, there's a blog anna found that helps you discuss the book, chapter by chapter. pretty awesome.
i'm thinking of the next canvas to paint. i already have one primed.
with hot coffee in a thermos, i bid you adieu. ;)
i hope you have a lovely saturday afternoon.
remember the small, good things in life. have gratitude for them.

tacos. :)

this was thursday, when anna came over with the kiddos.

reese loved the olives and beans. heh:)

anna lost the recipe, so she went on memory for these tacos she had when she was up north with friends:)

rise, peppers, tomatoes....mexican seasoning, and in another smaller pot, black beans, whatever else you think would be yummy. like mushrooms. ;)
layer it all on a tortilla --first of all, sprinkle cheese on the tortilla if you want, and put that tortilla in a skillet on a good, heated stovetop. melt that cheese. ;) it's amazing done that way. second, black beans. third, rice stuff. fourth, salad on top. it's good to get some big tortillas for this meal, so you can fit it all in (or just be careful in the balance of everything you put in it) and roll it up with one end tucked in.
delish.
and quite filling, with the rice and beans. very good, altogether.

we had the leftovers of the taco stuff today for lunch. so good. it's undeniable. :)
.....today:

this morning, danny saw me opening the bag of mahogany and plugging in the grinder....
he got so excited.
it's not my fault, right?
mmm, okay, it is. but it's not the worst thing to get excited about...and at least he knows he's "too wittle" to drink coffee. ;)

yeah, he sometimes can be kind of adorable. :D

"where camera? take a, a picture of ma toes!" 
ah, i remember the days of wearing footie pajamas.
simple days. hahah.

.... :)
for some reason, after this fun time in the kitchen, later he developed quite the arrogant/fussy attitude. it was exactly the way he gets once his mom is in the house. loud, finicky, fussy, bossy... he had a nap later, but woke up with the same attitude! urgh. usually naps cure him. and he's normally quite easy-going. it's weird. he better not do that tomorrow, because i was getting quite irritated and annoyed at him today. i don't normally get too annoyed at kids, because heck, they're kids! but his behaviour was totally unacceptable.
/rant on moody child behaviour.

waiting for it to brew....he's watching caleb make some apple carrot whatever juice in the juicer. :)

by noontime, i had the kitchen pretty darn good looking. better than it has since last week, truthfully. ;) what can i say? i'm gaining back my reputation for cleanest kitchen of the siblings. hah.

yeah, let's just say it isn't in quite that good shape after dad and anna made salmon patties for dinner with tartar sauce and peas.

A child can teach an adult three things:
to be happy for no reason,
to always be busy with something,
and to know how to demand with all his might that which he desires.
[Paulo Coelho]

wordless friday: making coffee with danny:)

...he was excited to help brew coffee. first of all, grind the beans. fun, noisy work. always listen to beka when shhe says stop. heheheh. i don't want powder. but he did good:) this was yesterday.

you gonna pour miwk?

i howd the coffee with you, beka. cheeeese!