Happy Halloween...

pictures are not so great. hard to get anyone to stand still.

so much excitement. and our biggest crowd yet :)

littles


and bigs


i love my community. and it is growing! which makes us all so very happy.

e was a gypsy. and k - who had been dreaming of this costume since june - arrietty!



i managed to get everything sewn up before my departure - and d made amazing props while i was away. the giant clothespeg (found online) hair clip only lasted so long... unfortunately it was too heavy.



hope you had a happy and safe holiday. xo

auf wiedersehen berlin

my hotel was great.

and the breakfasts have been yum. this, i could get used to.

to the airport...

last day...

a visit to museum island.

neues museum





berlin dom









dhm





and a last goodbye.





it was harder to leave this exhibition than I expected. but looking forward to being home with my peeps.

i will bring them here, to this city, someday. soon.

today & tonight

blue sky.











and a 775th birthday celebration.









a party at the rathaus with the burgermeister. {d, that sentence is for you.} and an amazing fire installation. happy birthday berlin.



another birthday to commemorate tomorrow.

then home sweet home.

walking berlin

{i do love L.A. i really do. but a city to walk in. to discover something around every corner. makes me so very happy. and to top it off its autumn. really autumn. winter feels so close.}





























it is cold. the sky grey to white. i thought it just might snow. the light so completely different than at home.

käthe kollwitz museum :: kaiser wilhelm gedachniskirch :: berlin zoo :: rosa luxemburg memorial

i ended the day back at the kaiser wilhelm with the bach cantata 109.

a walk back to my hotel. and a glass of wine. not bad at all.

back in berlin

straight from the airport to a lecture to a reception and now to my hotel.

i'm back here for a week - taking in a symposium - and staying to celebrate what would have been a birthday.

{on an alec baldwin kick, i watched to rome with love and rock of ages. he's that good.}

52 cookies :: week 38 :: butterscotch blondies

today was the first cool day after another heat wave. i held off baking in anticipation of today.



Butterscotch Blondies
via Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything

8 tbsp butter, melted
1 c brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
pinch salt
1 c all-purpose flour

Butter an 8×8 pan. Preheat oven to 350 F.

Mix melted butter with brown sugar – beat until smooth. Beat in egg and then vanilla.
Add salt, stir in flour. Mix in any additions (below).

Pour into prepared pan. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until just set in the middle. Cool on rack before cutting. (of course you'll see above we couldn't wait...)

We went with a "Magic" variation and added: 1/2 c toasted walnuts and 1/2 c chocolate chips.

*****

K: These cookies are so good. The blondies are so chocolaty. I like them sooooo much ... the walnuts tast so good with the chocolate... MMMMMmmmmm, MMMMMmmmmm,mm mmmmmm

E: Mmmmmmmm! These cookies are awesome! They have such a unique flavor. I ::heart:: them!

D: Great change up, these blondes are yummy, crumbly, sweet, buttery, and just right for this changing temperature moment that just might usher in autumn. The fall. Hmmm, it is just a cookie, but a cookie might become our leader.

I'm gonna come out and say it, "Binders full of cookies!!!"



perfect day for blondies, tall glasses of milk, and just hanging out.

i'm back to germany this week. lots to do before i leave.

freeze frame

i wish i could hold on to time. 11 is so very amazing. caught between 8 and 15. literally and figuratively. i cherish the little girl and am head over heels with the young woman appearing.

i looked at her yesterday as she was clearing her breakfast dishes and wanted to hold on forever. as exciting as the future looks - things are just moving so very quickly.

i love that she is confident. and determined. and i love that she is still a kid. and is happy being so. we have time.



(for the love of camera phones & fake glasses.)

::

photo Hank Connell

interesting article on flipping krisels

::

can't help myself...