kreativ blog award

a long time ago i received the kreativ blog award from natsumi of the always beautiful blog natsumi nishizumi.

so, here's seven things about me, right now:

:: i am really excited about some old bed sheets i got from D's mom. still didn't decide what to make.

:: i'm in the middle of eat, pray, love, but i am not feeling so inspired right now. i think it might be because i'm jealous of the enormous amount of time this woman has to just explore herself, search for peace of mind. (maybe i need to look into that 10th commandment...)

:: i went to photograph poppies in our front yard the other day and found a big thyme growing in the middle of everything. what a sweet surprise.

:: i have been slowing down on the blogging, and especially on visiting/commenting on other blogs. i will catch up at some point, but it's been a busy time and a new season. (so i began a huge spring cleaning session to get rid of dirt, dust and spiderwebs, but most importantly, all the clutter and the stuff we don't use anymore: goodwill here i come...)

::  i have lived here in this house just over a year, and the sun setting behind our house never seizes to amaze me. i wonder if it ever will...

:: i am so excited about a print i got from the talented aris of the inspiring blog peekadoo. it's just waiting for my spring cleaning to be done with - and then it will get a good spot to hang.

:: i think pitanga might be the most beautiful little fruit i ever saw. that color, that shape. and i only saw it for the first time when i moved to this house. i am not too crazy about the taste, though, but might give it a go with some jam.

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i am not going to award anyone, since i have a feeling that everyone already got tagged on this. but if you didn't or if you just didn't get around to it yet, then please play along. for those of you that are just dying to know more about me (common, you know you want to :), there's more like this right here and here.

i am also not going to participate in today's corner view (see thing #4 up there), but i might catch up on the "typical architecture" later.

have a sweet day

some honest scraps

the lovely elisabelle of the beautiful blog on my way passed along some honest scraps. so, here we go, 10 randomly picked scraps that i might or might not have mentioned before..

:: i cannot follow a recipe when i cook. i always always end up adding or leaving out something. and i never make the exact same dish twice.
:: most people seem to think i am a very rational and patient person. i don't think so.
:: i don't really like to talk on the phone. except for that mind-blowing, deep and spontaneous hour-long talk with an old friend when both of you suddenly have the time, the place and the mojo.
:: i like to dress up, but when i finally get a chance, i probably won't be in the mood for it.
:: i am not sick very often, but when i am i feel deeply sorry for myself and crave pity.
:: i used to smoke a pack a day back in my roaring 20s.
:: if it didn't make me so tired and heavy the day after, i would drink so much more wine than i do. i love a glass (or three) to end the day. oh, the wine i will drink when the kids get older and i can claim back the nights and mornings...
:: i had three kids in less than two years. i don't always recommend this. it's pretty intense.
:: i love a good, bloody steak. like in really love. i guess i am carnivore at heart.
:: i used to always get there too early. today i am always late. i am still hoping to one day be on time.

i am passing it one to shokoofeh of a new simple something, aimee of artsyville, and april of picnic: if you want to, please come along. and that goes for everyone else who feels like sharing a few honest scraps.

corner view - books

this corner view is dedicated to the lovely and talented janis. see, a while back she tagged me with seven books for seven confidences. i am not sure what exactly that means, nevertheless, i didn't study literature for nothing. i love books and decided to choose seven of those books i love. so i have been having this on my mind for a long time now. what held me back? the fact that i seemed to come up with all the books that i don't have here with me. after seven years in israel i am still transporting books from my stash in my parents house to my house here. anyway, i decided to only pick books that i brought with me to israel. or bought here. so that i could show them in this photo.

one book is missing though: gone with the wind. i know it sounds corny, but i think this book is one of the books that made the biggest impression on me. i read it when i was 12 and was on a vacation from school. it was in my mom's bookshelves, divided into four books. till this day if i mention that gone with the wind reading session to my mom, she will say, with a sigh, "i wish i had removed the last book before you read it". because i was so devastated. completely and totally out of proportion. i just could not believe that it could go from the happy ending of book three, where she has husband, daughter and wealth, to the final ending, where she has lost most of it and is running through her nightmare come true.

i am still not sure why it blew me away so hard. i mean, it's just a book. and honestly it's not even that good a book. i think it was the fact that there was no mercy. that there is not always a happy ending. and because i read it right at the time where i started to feel that certain melancholy that is also a part of growing up. which i struggled to accept and live with as a teenager only to be silent and overwhelmed by it instead.

well, i don't have gone with the wind on my bookshelves, even though i would actually like to read it again. so, the ones i have, from the bottom:

sally mann: immediate family. along with cindy sherman i think she is among the modern female photographers that have made the biggest impression on me. and then i just love her porch. i dream of a porch like that.

doris lessing: the golden book. because it's clever. a timeless description of how hard it is to get all the important aspects of a female life to connect and work together.

anaïs nin: under en glasklokke (under a glas bell). i was in my late teens when i read this. and it made sense. she just seemed to describe so many of the things i felt, and at the same time opened a door to the mysterious world of adulthood.

dan turell: just a gigolo. i love the writing from this danish author. he is inspired by american beat literature, which i also love, and you feel it in the rhythm. he writes about copenhagen and vesterbro (the amazing area in copenhagen where i used to live), and i am fortunate enough to have heard him read live before he passed away. which was beautiful. he had a great voice and he had the beat.

siri hustvedt: what i loved. i only recently read this book. it's brilliant! i was totally blown away. if you didn't read it yet, please do. there are passages and parts of that book that are so intensely beautiful, inspiring and true. and on top of that it is so intriguing and clever, that you just cannot stop reading.

tom robbins: skinny legs and all. i read this in india back in the days of back-packing. and i loved it. then i moved to israel and i read it again. because i remembered how jerusalem was described and the role it played. and it was still funny. and clever.

saint-exupéry: den lille prince (le petit prins). because it's classic, beautiful and reaches across all ages.

for more books, stop by jane of spain daily.