cool stuff i like

Happy Friday! Look at my orchids! Specifically, look at the big orchid bloom. That there is representative of some patience, my friends. This particular orchid plant hasn't bloomed in over four years! I've almost tossed it several times. But I kept it because it was the first orchid plant I ever purchased, and I just kept it as a green plant, even thought it hadn't bloomed in ages. And look at that perfect blossom! All of my orchid plants are in bloom right now. I wish I could make a claim as some kind of orchid whisperer but it's not me. It's the window. My plants loooooove this window. I water once a week, I don't fertilize, and sometimes I move them down from the sill in the summer if it gets too much direct sun, but that's it! And I wait. Sometimes I wait for a long time, but what's amazing about orchids is that when in bloom, they last for weeks and weeks and weeks.


After a two week hiatus, I rustled up some cool stuff:

This is an amazing looking book list. As in I seriously want to read (and re-read) every book on the list. And YES to 'The Secret History', one of my favorite books of all time.

A house in the Japanese countryside. There's hardly any furniture in this house! And I love it!

The best thing I read this week. "....sometimes when I love something sooooo much, my eyes sweat."

 White walls or no? I say sure. What I say no to is beige. Ours are beige. Bleh. #firstworldproblems

We're making this Irish Soda Bread recipe this year for St. Patrick's Day.

This was also a great read.

Why have I never heard of this? Sheet pan pancakes.

5 cups of tea.

New things coming to IKEA in April.


Cool Book of the Week: 'Flowers Are Calling' by Rita Gray and Kenard Pak is a little book I saw at a local book shop not long ago that stopped me in mid stride. It was so sweet! I'm so longing for spring, and even though it seems nowhere near on the horizon, I'm still feeling very drawn to all things springy and flowery right now. The art is SUBLIME - a sort of brushed matte watercolor look. Each page is beauty beauty beauty - and the book takes the reader through the interplay of animals and insects and plants and flowers...all co-existing together harmoniously. There are also pages that give specific details on particular plants and flowers. A hybrid of sorts between gentle story and nature-related facts. Poetically lyrical and such a visual treat!

Have a lovely weekend! What are you eating, watching, reading? I'm eating Girl Scout Cookies. (curse this time of year) And I'm watching 'Big, Little Lies' - SUPER GOOD. And I'm trying desperately to finish the last couple of chapters of 'Wolf Hall' - I've been paused on the last 50 pages for 3 months, I need to just FINISH IT.

~Melissa