well, i'm back

 |lax airport, goodye to L.A, alfred, sunset at dublin airport|

 I'm going to be honest with you. The plane ride/airport experience was a total nightmare. I've come to believe that long airplane trips, especially overnight ones, are pretty much one of the worst things in the world. There were two good things about it, though - I got to watch Jane Eyre and Sherlock Holmes on the plane, and I got to hear British accents everywhere during the layover in London...

 And plane rides are always worth it in the end.

 |Every time I see this picture I'm reminded of how scared I was for my camera to be so close to the water|

 We've been home for almost four weeks, which is hard to believe. It's been busy - the first week or two we unpacked and got everything in order, and then Caleb and I got back into school-work. It may take a while to really get used to living here again. California, I have to admit, after all my worries beforehand, was awesome. I met some of the loveliest people in the whole world, had some of the funnest (totally a word!) days, and I know I'll miss a lot of things. It's a strange mix of being overjoyed to be home, and missing my big sister and friends back in America.

  I may have to do school through the summer, but I'm still looking forward to it - I've made my summer reading-list, I've got some projects pinned on my pinterest that I'd hoping to work on, I'm planning on doing a photo-a-day thing for July, and I'm definitely going to try to blog more now that things have settled down a bit.

  Well, goodbye for now, have a lovely Thursday!
   

  P.S - if you can guess which movie/book I am quoting in the title, you earn awesome-points :)

currently:                                                                                                                   

listening to: my father's father by the civil wars                                                          

reading: inkheart by cornelia funke                                                                             

obsessing over: les miserables...the radio theatre, the musical, and this new trailer. 

bid the forest floor goodbye

 Remember me? I'm that girl who used to take pictures and write on this blog. I'm the girl from Ireland who left to live in California for a year, something she was kind of freaking out about. And I'm that girl who's, unbelievably, going back home soon.

 

 |Gotta love instagram, right?|

 Here's a list of things I need to say. Because lists just make everything simpler.

1. I have no idea why I stopped posting. It's kinda weird. Oops.

2. I'm so glad to be blogging again; I had forgotten how much I loved it.

3. I really am going home soon. 2 weeks. It's kinda crazy. I'm really happy about it!

4. As much as I hate to admit it, I know that when I'm home, I'm going to miss California and the lovely people here. A lot.

  

5. I'm completely out of practice when it comes to blogging...so bear with me please!

6. And also, Team Peeta. Just thought I'd make that certain right away.

|I love the roses here. Even when taken with a cell phone, they're still beautiful.|

 Just a short post for now, but it's a good start right? In the next few weeks I'll be busy packing and getting ready to go, and trying to squeeze as much time as possible hanging out with my friends here. And then when I get home - I have a lot of catching up to do on here!

|Can anyone guess where this was taken??|

 Loving:

This song

This book

This movie

 

grey skies

    I was almost convinced that California didn't have an Autumn. It was 95 degrees, not a cloud in the sky, the leaves were not turning vivid reds and yellows but just a dull grey-brown.

 Then one day I woke to find the sky a soft, pale grey. It was raining, but not hard. And it was cold. Blanket and hot cocoa kind of cold. Perfect. This is the Autumn I know and love.

  I figured it wouldn't last, so I tried to make the most of it by drinking lots tea, reading a good book, and going outside to do some Autumn-photography with a pumpkin - some of the best things to do during this beloved season.

  It really didn't last - the next day was back to bright blue skies and hot, summer-y weather again. But even still, somehow it officially feels like Autumn now. A different kind of Autumn, certainly, but still an Autumn. Pumpkin patches, Fall parties, colorful scarves, fallen leaves (despite their dullness), reading, more reading, and of course - slightly cooler weather. Just slightly.


 What's your Autumn been like so far?

far away ago

 Those few days we spent in California last May seem ridiculously long ago. I can only really remember the half of it, and more would have been lost too, if I hadn't tried to capture it.


  That's why I love photography - it's capturing those moments that would have been forgotten and those memories that would have been less vividly remembered. I'm still a complete beginner; rarely to my photos turn out exactly how I wanted them. But this summer I just kept taking and taking more pictures. Consequently, the thousands of photos were rather a pain to sort through. But it was worth it. Because each click of the camera meant more memories captured. And each click of the camera meant another thing to never forget.


There are tons of examples of that throughout the summer-folders on my computer. From that perfect Snapple-drinking day, to the marvelous Iowa sunsets, and that lovely day in Minnesota. And even that time in California at the beginning of it all was filled with happy things. For Instance:



Example #1: My sister's graduation. I might just have had my camera up to my face the whole time.

[nervous/excited/bored graduates]

 Example #2: That place with the cool rocks. I have no idea what that place was called or where it was, but it was extremely cool.

Example #3: All those windmills on the way to Arizona from California. I'm not exaggerating when I say there seriously must have been hundreds of them. It was quite a strange sight and I decided that it was worth mentioning.

 Seriously.

 Currently -

Reading: The Sword by Bryan Liftin.

Listening to: Firefly by Jimmy Needham.

Loving: Iced Pumpkin Spice Lattes. Bestest.

Love,

pumpkin cookies.

 Autumn is the season for delicious, cinnamon-y pumpkin treats.

 One of my family's favorite pumpkin treats are 'iced pumpkin cookies'. They are not exactly like cookies at all - they are sort of like muffins in a more cookie-like shape - but that doesn't really matter. What matters is that they are incredible. And have lots of cinnamon in them. And there's icing too. And you need to make them.

 
  Here's how.

   { recipe below}

I .After turning on your favorite playlist, set the oven to 350 F (175 C) degrees. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, soda, and salt.

II. Then stir in the cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice - two of the best-smelling things in the world. Set mixture aside.

 III. In a separate bowl, cream together the sugar and butter.

|pureed pumpkin. not exactly lovely looking stuff. ew!|

VI. Stir in the pumpkin, egg, and vanilla.

V. Gently stir into dry ingredients until combined. Don't over-stir!

VI. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto baking sheet.

VII. Set a timer for 15 minutes. They'll most likely take a bit longer, but it's a good time to check them. Meanwhile, go sit down with a good book while the maid cleans up the mess you made. Or maybe not.

VIII. By now, the whole house will be smelling like cinnamon, and you may start feeling nostalgic. Or possibly just hungry. Anyway, let them cool for a few minutes on a cooling rack, while you make the icing.

IX. With a fork, carefully drizzle on the icing. Or you could dunk them. It's up to you, really. 

And that's it! Pretty simple recipe - but they are truly the perfect Autumn treat.

Iced Pumpkin Cookies

   (makes about 14 cookies)

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the icing:

• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Have a lovely day,

a taste of home

  World Market made my day.

  Now, it must be said, America has some very nice sweets. But sometimes, I miss some of the sweets from back home. Nothing can really beat fruit pastels, buttons, or even chocolate-covered digestive biscuits. Sometimes I can't help but miss seeing all the familiar brands like 'cadburys' and 'the natural confectionery sweet company' (despite the long name).

  And that, my friends, is why World Market made my day. They sell foreign foods. Including some British/Irish sweets. And one day for a treat, we got some.

|oh my goodness.|

|the spellings on the wrapper made me happy. colours = colors, flavours = flavors.|

|kinder is actually german, not irish or british. but you can buy it in ireland, and it's like my favorite chocolate. ever. and haribo is german too, i believe. but still.|

 Those of you who are in Ireland are probably thinking I've gone crazy for posting about ordinary sweets like these. Guys, if you were away from them for four months, you'd understand. :)



  Besides sweets, the week has been filled with school-work, reading, henna, Jane Eyre, 80 degree weather, and lots of other wonderful things. I was really beginning to think California would perpetually be 108 degrees so this is rather great.

 
 

highlights.

   I do believe that I will forever remember the summer of 2011 as being absolutely crazy. My family and I went to so many places, saw so many people, and did more stuff than I ever thought could possibly be squished into one season. But, it was lovely.

 There's some things about this summer that really stand out. First there's those small, simple things that make a day sweeter - and then there's those big, never-to-be-forgotten things that for months afterwords you're still super excited about. This is a list of both of those kinds. The highlights of the summer.

six flags

Snapple

swimming pools

 flip-flops

new books

zip-lines

 chalk

Owatonna

bubbles

flowers

sunsets

the owl city concert

chickfila

cousins

the biggest aquarium in the world

 

lemonade

 letters

Mr. Timn 

watermelon

chipmunks

fireworks

beaches

air conditioning (what would we do without it?)

  After three months of traveling all over this enormous nation, we are now living in our house-for-the-year in California. Things are not so hectic, I'm exceedingly glad that I no longer have to live out of a suitcase. Furloughs are fun, but they don't exactly make for a 'peaceful and relaxing' summer!

 And now? Summer is over, Autumn's arrived. School began Tuesday, and so far I'm enjoying it. At the same time as mourning over the fact that summer is behind us, I'm starting to get excited for autumn-ish things - pumpkin pies, cooler weather, and all the autumn colors :)



  What were some of the highlights of your summer?