pride and prejudice, and a poem!

(best read with your favorite p&p song : ) )




i have a cure for empty walls

and empy halls, and hearts:

set them on the ball-room floor

and wait until the music starts

feeling so very heavy and so light,

the feet scuttling in such sweet patterns

and drifting as each other's delight,

take me, take me far into the night.

i watched the most recent version of pride and prejudice with keira knightly, and though it was not perfect, it simply was. i am some parts through the book, and so i cannot speak from a book-perspective, but i do think that the movie brings up a very strong motif. 

one of the song on the soundtrack is titled "Liz on top of the World". and i feel that that is so important a theme... like she had filled herself up with herself and so she was at the top of her world. and i do think that the romantic love in Austen's novel's is just that, but perhaps there is more to it... as if the endings when the character's fall in love is symbolic of themselves having gotten to know themselves. kinda? i'm beginning to think that true love in her novels comes at the end for a reason similar to that. 

they were on top of the world.








xx
-a.b

On two poems, long overdue

Here are two original poems, hope you like them! : )

gone

I once fell asleep

When I woke in dream, 

it had gone.

How long had I slept?

"Oh it has been long."

Dearest, they told me,

You've gone far along;

A new sun has risen 

and birds aren't in song,

Fields were full

Of seating gold grain

And now all they feel

is sleeting cold rain.

It was hard to see--

But I had missed the beauty.

the home

I woke my self up this morning. 

I had dreampt of water growing on stone all night long,

a stone in front of a great house.

I get the sense that it is

very old, this house.

As I look down on the winding vines, 

I feel a fairy-push;

a push on me.

Indeed it is old,

to a kindred spirit:

home for sprouting magic.

the met and beyond

i travelled to NYC this weekend with my good friend, Aryion, and we had an amazing weekend! it was very sunny and beautiful, though we spent a lot of time in a glorious bookstore called Strand. those 3 hours spent there are a blur; but i remember something about seeing many cute boys wearing very cute loafers, oh, and buying a john keats poetry book! heheh, what more...what more...

the Metropolitan Museum of Art was as amazing as EVER! if you've never been: go, go, go! you will never be disappointed there, everything is so magical. so, i also got to taking some people photos, as we people watched on the steps of the Met. are they any good? they are unedited, so they are just plain and natural. i hope they are cute! 

xx
-A

my birthday, emerson, and affixing our arrows

i am kaelyn before abi

moon before sun

grass before soil

walk before run

today is my birthday, and its been the best birthday i've ever had, even though i was reluctant to turn 18, which in my mind is a very very awkward age (i prefer 17, or 19). it has been a really surprising day, and even though the effects are wearing off because i am absolutely exhausted, i still feel my choice of yesterday (or what feels like yester-year) of falling in love with myself, who i am, my body, my thoughts, my words, has continued into today. i feel like, renewed, almost, and stronger. 

it was funny because as my mom and i were spending some time in Barnes and Noble, waiting for some time to pass, she crept off to try and find me a card. i'm ansy so i went to follow her and she gave up the secret with a smile and put back a card she had been looking at, that had some quotation on it. i then perused another completely different brand of cards (i love cards) and go, 'Oh! Look at this one!' ad sure enough i pick up a card with the same quotation! -- deeming it fate, that was my birthday card (we're always a bit unorthodox, and so i sometimes don't get cards, and sometimes pick them out!) 

my sister got me a ton of beautiful fair trade treats, like chocolate and 'volcano' rice. the card she wrote me had me in tears, and since she and i have started sharing relevant and amazing quotations on cards to eachother, there were indeed two beautiful ones here. one:

"Affix to the bow the sharp arrow of devotional worship; then, with mind absorbed and heart melted in love, draw the arrow and hit the mark-- the imperishable Absolute." (mundaka unpanishad)

she even drew me a beautiful little cartoon, that i think i may want to get as my first tattoo! 

well anyways, thanks for reading, if you did. i really enjoy writing heartfelt posts : )

have a lovely week

p.s, my banjo comes in the mail tomorrow! i'm so excited! anyone know any cool tips for teaching oneself the banjo?

xx

happy valentine's day!

hello everyone! happy valentines day! i'm just heading back from ready Delightfully Tacky's post about the worth of loving your own self on this day, and i am in total agreement with that! she shared this wonderful video with Eve Ensler speaking about loving your body / self, and i thought i would share it too! i think its so super important to feel strong and empowered and live and love yourself in the now, because if not now, then when? when we get that next outfit, when we have clearer skin? we just need to be okay with everything underneath it all; with ourselves! 

and i'll share some pictures of things that are sweet as well, and because Laura Marling and her music and UP have a special place in my heart : ) Laura Marling is so strong and eloquent in voicing her thoughts and emotions through music; i really think i draw a lot of inspiration from her when i listen to the power of her music, and when i see the intellect and heart of her character in interviews. 

take a listen to Laura's Sophia!

xx

Vegan, soy-free lemon-maple scones... yum!

this evening i really wanted to try and make scones... i found a delicious-looking vegan recipe here, but since i am trying to go soy-free, i adapted it a bit because i had coconut alternatives. they came out SO delicious, so so good. give them a go if your'e aching for something to go with your afternoon tea : ) ! 




what you'll need: 
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- zest of one lemon
- 1/3 cup coconut butter
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/2 cup light coconut milk (start with this much, then perhaps add more later if dough is too dry)
- parchment paper

greatest coconut milk

i recommend this brand, its given me no trouble so far as a substitute! 

what you do: 
- Pre-heat oven to 400 f
- mix dry ingredients together (flour, powder, salt, zest)
- mix wet ingredients together separately, of course. (juice, syrup, milk)
- after whisking the dry ingredients together, cut in coconut butter, until the mix is damp and crumbly
-add in the wet ingredients
- using your hands, mold the dough together (but don't overdo it, just until it is all mixed)
- if too dry, add more coconut milk. if too wet, add flour

then: 
- on a floured clean surface, roll the dough out 3/4" inch
- using a cookie-cutter, or a glass, cut out small circles (approx. 2 1/2" across)
- place on a cookie sheet, on top of parchment paper

before going in! (optional)
glaze: 
- around 2 tablespoons maple syrup in a bowl, adding powdered sugar until it is a fine mix
- using a fork or brush, drizzle this over scones for a thin layer
- add finely chopped almonds on top


bake for around 12 minutes & enjoy! 

i recommend this book for tea-ing & sconing. its so cute! 

1 2 3 4 5 6 
soo these pictures are so cool! The Mordor-related ones made me crack up to no end, and the other ones are really sweet, especially the one with sam, frodo, and smeagol. the last (country winston marshall)... he's my hero-- what a talented guy! i ordered a banjo from a trusty site and hopefully it will come by next week : ) ! its my birthday present from the fam... i'm so excited!


xx

"To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art." - La Rochefoucauld

Vegan meatball alternative "Bean-far beanballs" 

(my own touch, tee-hee)

I haven't blogged from my creative space inside myself, my own abi, in a while. i've been feeling discouraged by a lot of things, namely my lack of creativity, and how i've been comparing my small little blog to the ones with over a thousand followers... and that doesn't work! i realized one cool thing i have going is my vegan diet, and since i refuse to eat processed foods, its getting pretty creative! so here goes, i hope i can post a recipe often, and tell me what you think! i wonder if i can do a recipe and something else?? well i'll see! xx, enjoy. i really liked this one.

* * * 

 I found an amazing vegan cookbook called Veganomicon. i adapted their "beanball" recipe. 

what you'll need (according to my successful adaptation):

- 20 oz of cooked kidney beans (around a cup and a quarter). i used both kidney beans and white beans, but be careful: the white beans make them fall apart more easily

- 1 tablespoon of soy-sauce

-2 tablespoons of tomato paste (freeze to keep any unused for later recipes)

-2 tablespoons olive oil 

-2 cloves of garlic, finely minced

-a little less than 1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest ( i found it to be strong in the mix, so if you love lemons, go for as much as you'd like)

-1/2 cup bread crumbs ( i recommend medium sized, not finely grated)

-1/4 cup whole wheat flour

-1/2- 1/4 teaspoon of your favorite flavoring, such as parsely, dried oregano, dried thyme

what you do:

mash the kidney beans in a mixing bowl with a fork or other medium until you have a smooth mix (BUT make sure you can still tell they are kidney beans, don't mash too much)

-add the soy sauce, tomato paste, olive oil, garlic, lemon zest, bread crumbs, flour, herbs 

-use a fork to mix everything together

-knead the mixture until it is well-blended and firm

-roll the balls into walnut-sized balls

to cook: 

-preheat large skillet over medium heat with about 1/4 inch of olive oil

-cook for around 15 minutes. 

(-the recipe book says you can coat them in marinara sauce after cooking once, then throw them back in for another 15 minutes. i didn't do this) 

sorry the pictures are  a mess, my canon goes for a holiday in my house every couple of days! 

ENJOY! 

spring always has me insatiably ready for anything; its like this mix of knowing its still cold and yet physically anticipating warmer weather-- its so exciting! it always makes me day dream about era-drama films and about travelling to other countries... almost like i can smell them! ... sounds strange right? but its something about the air; sometimes its too cold, but during spring's most magical moments, its like starting a new year all over again. and then i imagine i'll walk into a an english forest, or be in a flowery field with a figure like a young (in his nice days) heathcliff walking near.  : )! 

i especially keep thinking about the possibility of going to college in ireland.. i mean, it seems like a dream for me, always envisioning myself going to other countries as a kid. by society's calendar, i'm going to be an 'adult' soon, turning 18 the day after valentine's day. i guess the destination is the journey, eh? if thats my destination, then everything up till then i want to fully embrace and use to help myself grow as a person. well, thats how i see it. thanks for reading my rant, : ) i know winter's still here, but before we know it spring will spring! 

is spring special for anyone else?

xx

this song is so super beautiful, have a listen! 

1

winston's quite the amazing banjo player; anytime any of them perform its unbelievable to watch. i hope one day i can see them live!! 

"hold on to what you believe"

1 2 3 4 5 

i personally am a huge fan of darwin, and his sketches and sketches of that flavor are so gripping for some reason-- thought i'd share! : ) listen to this song! its so beautiful. she's awesome!

hope you all have a lovely week. i got into the irish university i applied to!!! eeeeeeee 

: ) 

xx

week of inspiration

love is all we need

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8


these are some things i've found during the past week... all so cool!


the first is of children who dressed as Mahatma Gandhi for a peace march in Kolkata, January 29th 2012. i teared up a bit... its so sweet and empowering


and i just found this out but apparently some of Scotland is itching for an independence referendum "in defiance of British government proposals." interesting, i'd like to see what becomes of it-- this picture is just great photojournalism. 


and how beautiful are these terrariums? they're so sweet! also, head on over to saipua for stunning pictures of flowers and the like. AND for number 8, my favorite blog, go here. Jo is such a beautiful gal, and the photographs her partner takes are really really quite lovely. 




xx