i {heart} friday

really early tomorrow morning we'll be leaving for tomball (yay!!!), so please excuse my lack of blog posts, as i won't have access to a computer. i hope that also explains why i'm doing my i heart post today!

i heart this black bag

i really, really heart this elephant!!

i heart this clutch (btw - just a warning. i'm on a real yellow kick right now!)

how cute is this flying pig?! he reminds me so much of baby wilber.

i really heart these paris cards. i love them!!

i heart this adorable bird! i love the vintage fabric on the front.

i heart this address file

i heart this print! i love the colors - really fun and springy.

i hope everyone has a great weekend! i'll try to post when we get back about our trip. :)

ciao,

carlotta

sorry

sorry, dear readers. things are just catching up with me too fast! i've decided i'm going to discontinue mischievous monday...i wouldn't (and haven't) be able to keep up! but i will, however, keep i heart fridays.

i wanted to post a few of my favorite blogs....

the haystack needle i know that i've posted about it before but i'm in love with it!

simplesong has neat ideas and things (clothes, furniture, etc)

stephmodo is similar to simplesong, but i really like it as well.

lovelydesign is so cool! she makes these amazing paper goods and such (i'm inclined to her address files), and has a really nice blog as well.

and lastly, but not the least!,

orangette is a (food) jouranlist who used to write for the tulsa world. she has a brand new book that was just published, a homemade life

i'm so happy

because grace has decided to call us today! everybody voted after church - we had to quickly rush out :) - and we got the call less than an hour ago from pastor that the vote was unanimous. we'll get the official call on call day, late next month (i'm not sure of the exact date).

on friday we're going tomball german heritage festival (from march 26-29), which my dad started in 2001 with only about 20 people. now it's so much bigger, with several towns and it grows every year (last year it was about 35,000). it's basically a "german" (if you know what i mean! :o]) fair. my dad usually comes for it so he can do a service in german and english, but this year the whole family is coming. it will be my first since 2005 when we moved away! i so excited to see my best friend and her family, and of course my grandma, but i'm also excited for tghf (the festival). i can't wait!!

i {heart} friday

ok, so i changed to name from funky friday to i {heart} friday. so, without further to do....welcome to my first episode of i {heart} friday!

i {heart} these paper lanterns from pbteen

i heart this vanity from pbteen

i heart this necklace...so simple but attractive, too. i heart this door. if i ever have a grey house, i am so going to paint the front door bright yellow! i heart this poster. yellow makes me happy.

i heart this poster, too!

i heart this bedroom from pbteen. i love how they mix purple, black, and white.

i heart this bedroom, too (also from pbteen. have you gotten the memo yet that i love pb teen?? :p). i love the beige, blue, white, and pink together.

i heart this handmade pillow.

i heart this map. what a clever idea! maybe i should cut out a heart of paris from an old map and frame it....sigh. me and my decoration ideas. :)

thank you for tuning into....i {heart} friday!

i {heart} this cake!!!

if you like lemons, you will adore this cake!!! i could seriously eat it all by myself - it's that good. this recipe is up there with the brownies, and things have to be very, very good for me to put them up with chocolate! :p

lemon pudding cake

you can have the best of both worlds-airy, light cake and gooey pudding, cooking together in the same baking dish.

you will need:

-two large lemons

-1/4 cup all-purpose flour

-1/4 rounded teaspoon salt

-3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar (i used 1/2 cup - 3/4 cup was too sweet for me, but you can experiment.)

-3 large eggs, separated

-1 1/3 cups whole milk

what you do:

-preheat the oven to 350

-finely grate 1 tablespoon zest from the lemons, then squeeze 1/4 cup plus tablespoons juice.

-in a separate large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar. whisk together egg yolks, milk, zest, and juice in a small bowl and add to the flour mixture, whisking until just combined.

-beat whites in another large bowl with an electric mixer until they hold soft peaks. beat in remaining 1/4 cup sugar, a little at a time, and continue to beat until whites hold stiff, glossy peaks. whisk about 1/4 of the whites into the batter to lighten, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly (batter will be thin).

-pour into a buttered 1 1/2-quart ceramic gratin or other shallow baking dish and bake in a hot water bath until puffed and golden-brown, about 40-45 minutes.

serve warm or at room temperature. enjoy!

i {heart} this post

if you're obsessed with paris (like i still am! :p) you should check out this post from the haystack needle blog. this is probably one of my favorite posts of all time!

mischievous monday

i'm starting at least two new things on my blog - right now i'm going to do mischievous mondays and funky fridays. mondays will be randomness (:o]) and funky friday will be about things that i like and other random stuff. :) maybe i should do an i wish wednesday?? that would be kind of fun. by the way annoucement, annoucement: i'm banning all capitals letters at least for the time being. heehee

somebody got a halo... :o)

these people really scare me. hmm....can anyone guess who they are?? (guilty giggle)

so does this dude. please tell me i don't know her.

this girl definitely has some mischievous blood in her.

hmm...i think a purple tutu and a little fairy crown would complete the ensamble. what do you think? :p

and one last thing:

25 fun things to do in an elevator!

1. When there's only one other person in the elevator, tap them on the shoulder and then pretend it wasn't you.

2. Push the buttons and pretend they give you a shock. Smile, and go back for more.

3. Ask if you can push the button for other people, but push the wrong ones.

4. Call the Psychic Hotline from your cell phone and ask if they know what floor your on.

5. Hold the doors open and say your waiting for a friend. After a while, let the doors close, and say, "Hi Greg. How's your day been?"

6. Drop a pen and wait until someone goes to pick it up, then scream, "That's mine!"

7. Bring a camera and take pictures of everyone in the elevator.

8. Move your desk into the elevator and whenever anyone gets on, ask if they have an appointment.

9. Lay down the twister mat and ask people if they would like to play.

10. Leave a box in the corner, and when someone gets on, ask them if they can hear ticking.

11. Pretend you are a flight attendant and review emergency procedures and exits with the passengers.

12. Ask, "Did you feel that?"

13. Stand really close to someone, sniffing them occasionally.

14. When the doors close, announce to the others, "It's okay, don't panic, they open again!"

15. Swat at flies that don't exist.

16. Tell people that you can see their aura.

17. Call out, "Group Hug!" and then enforce it.

18. Grimace painfully while smacking your forehead and muttering, "Shut up, all of you, just shut up!"

19. Crack open your briefcase or purse, and while peering inside, ask, "Got enough air in there?"

20. Stand silently and motionless in the corner, facing the wall, without getting off.

21. Stare at another passenger for a while, then announce in horror, "Your one of THEM!" and back away slowly.

22. Wear a puppet on your hand and use it to talk to the other passergers.

23. Listen to the elevator walls with your stethoscope.

24. Make explosion noises when anyone presses a button.

25. Stare, grinning.

maybe i need to try some of these tricks! heehee i hope you enjoyed the first episode of mischievous monday!

ciao,

carlotta

today i got...

...braces. 

It wasn't too bad getting them on (pain wise), but my orthodontist said it will probably start feeling sore later (and they DO!!), and that will last 2-3 days. I'm going to have to wear them for about 2 years, and then 1 more year after I get them off with a retainer.

j peterman's photo contest

I just stumbled upon the J. Peterman photo contest today. The requirements are: Entry must be an original photo of your travel experience, created by you, with a description of the photo. All Entries must be uploaded on this site from Jan. 25 through Mar. 12, 2009 (ET).

The prizes are: third place $500, second place $1,000, and first place $2,000! AND the great thing is that you can enter in as many photos as you want! Above are some of the photos I entered. Hurry up! The contest ends at midnight on Thursday, March 12.

25 random things about me

I have heard that everyone has been doing this on Facebook...and since I don't have an account (but I really want one!!) I'm just going to do it on here. 1} I love onions in any form!!!! 2} I'm obsessed with Paris right now 3} I've been to Germany 10 times (and counting!) 4} I love chocolate - but that's not a surprise to anyone who knows me well :) 5} I have an iPod 6} I want to be a photographer specializing in black and white pictures 7} When I was in fifth grade someone asked me if I had started school yet. I was mortified! 8} I play the piano 9} I have 5 siblings 10} Pizza is my favorite food 11} I've had too many sleepovers to count 12} I've had this blog for 2 1/2 years 13} I like the 60s 14} I have a really good guy friend (not a boyfriend. PLEASE do not confuse! :D) 15} I think the Beatles are cool 16} I have the design for my future room all planned our even though we haven't even bought a house yet 17} My cat got into our dryer and my mom almost started it with her in there 18} I'm proud (VERY PROUD!) to be a Texan (and I'll always remain a Texas girl at heart!) 19} I DO NOT like Latin 20} I'm going to look completely different tomorrow afternoon (if you've been reading my blog, you'll know what I'm talking about!) 21} I like decorating & redecorating 22} Most of my family is in Germany 23} Geranium (paint from Benjamin Moore :D) is my favorite color 24} I love, LOVE thunderstorms. 25} I like retro stuff I really should go back to doing school (oh joy.)....Hope you all are doing ok! ciao, carlotta

breakfast at tiffany's

I love this picture....in my future room I want to get this poster. Life has been (and is!) pretty busy. On Tuesday I'm taking the National Latin Exam and I'm getting braces....Hopefully I'll do well on the NLE! I'm really nervous....

camp lutherhoma

I am so sorry I have been negligent on my blog! Wow...a full week since I last posted - those are from the days of the lazy girl blogger! :) Over the weekend (Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday morning) we were at a retreat with about 20 other people at Camp Lutherhoma, in Tahlequah, OK (to see where it is on the map click here. Tahlequah is actually the capital of the Cherokee nation - all the street signs where in Cherokee!). There were 3 people from my confirmation class, and it was really nice to get some 'bonding' time with them. It's hard to get to know someone well when you only see them for 20 minutes at church. It was so much fun, even thought it was in the 30s, cold, and snowy (but not enough to play in...). The weird thing is 2 days before it was in the 80s and sunny! But we still had a great time. We had a cabin with the girls on one side and the boys on the other, and we had a 'main' room with a kitchen, fireplace, and heating. I am so thankful that we had the cabin - otherwise I would have pretty much frozen to death! There were rock climbing and archery as activities. But were fun, but our hands were so cold after rock climbing that a patch of ice felt warm! On Sunday morning my dad conducted a service, and we went home after that. I really should get myself off the computer. Tomorrow I have a test in Latin and I still haven't studied. And I need to finish the rest of my homework. And I need to prepare for the National Latin Exam, which is this Tuesday (The same day as I get my braces! I can't believe it's already been a year - I remember when I posted about it. It felt like yesterday!). So there are some reasons why I need to get off the computer. Now, instead of talking about it, I'm going go through with it! ciao, carlotta