My View Wednesday

Cherry blossoms = spring = happy. 

Perspective

Jeff and I were really taken with an article we read on the weekend about the Berliner Philharmoniker. The orchestra took a fantastically innovative approach to their marketing posters this year:

all images courtesy of the Berliner Philharmoniker via Behance Network  

In case you're wondering, the images are taken on the insides of a violin, flute, cello (2) and pipe organ. Aren't they beautiful? You can only imagine how Jeff, who designs robotic mini cameras by day and musical instruments by hobby, is absolutely "humming" about this. 

Flower Power

I don't read many blogs, but there are a few home design and fashion blogs I enjoy. Blog reading hasn't happened for many months, and it's been fun to begin slowly catching up with my morning coffee. This spring, it seems that the "new" trend is a floral one. Flowered chintz is everywhere- on pillows, curtains, bedding, wallpaper and upholstery. I have to admit, it's not a trend I am very excited to see again... maybe because it's less than 5 years since I parted with a floral chintz sofa (that I had grown tired of long before it left my living room). I think it will take a long time before I'm willing to welcome a large piece of furniture with flowers back into my life.

Or so I thought... until I saw photos from Kate Spade's Spring 2012 fashion show. Kate Spade designs the most cheerily bright and beautiful purses, accessories and shoes. The purses alone have caused me much drooling over the past decade as they are just wonderful. The Kate Spade line recently expanded to include fashion and THIS-
a custom chintz Vespa scooter. As a long-time lover of Vespas, I have to admit that this use of flowers really does make me smile.
 

Image courtesy of Kate Spade

Notice the matching helmet and dressing room wallpaper.  I think this is truly travelling in style. 

Toward Easter Part 3: An Anniversary

A year ago today, most of us can remember being completely horrified by images reaching us of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.  In the days after this tragedy, one of the humanitarian efforts was a movement called "Sing for Japan".  The idea behind this movement was for choirs around the world to surround Japan with singing, and hold concerts to raise money for relief.  Japanese conductor-composer Ko Matshida offered four compositions for any choir to use in this effort.

Today marks the first anniversary of the disaster. In remembrance, we wanted to share one of these pieces, Contate Domino, sung by the Singapore Youth Choir in July 2011 and conducted by the composer. A score of the piece is available here if you want to follow along.

The text translates as follows:

        Sing to the Lord a new song: sing to the Lord, all the earth.
        Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.
        For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods.
        For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.
        Honor and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
        Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it.

 

Other kinds of recipes

I mentioned several weeks ago that I use a lot of home made cleaning products. Yesterday, I mixed up fresh batches of my favourite cleaning solutions and began tackling the fine layer of dust that has settled in my house (Jeff has been too busy studying for his Professional Engineering certification exams next month and getting me through the end of my thesis to worry about such things). Cleaning is satisfying work, especially because results are immediate.  Here are my three favourite "recipes": 


Wood Floor Cleaner 
1 gallon hot water
1/2 cup vinegar
5 drops tea tree oil
Mix the ingredients together, dip in your mop (we use something like this) and squeeze until almost dry. Mop as usual. On our wood and laminate floors, this solution dries streak free.


Tub, Tile and Shower Door Cleaner 
1 part water
2 parts vinegar
I mix this in a small spray bottle and keep it right in the shower. While the bathroom does smell like a dill pickle while you're cleaning, vinegar dries odourless and the scent quickly disappears. It works particularly well on acrylic tubs that are very susceptible to scratches from abrasive cleaners.


All-Purpose Counter and Surface Spray

from Gorgeously Green
32-ounce opaque plastic spray bottle

2 cups water
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon pure castile soap (I use Dr. Bonner's Peppermint. It's readily available at any health food shop)
3/4 cup hydrogen peroxide
20 drops tea tree oil 
20 drops of lavender or lemongrass essential oil
Fill a large 32-ounce plastic spray bottle with the water. Add the vinegar, castile soap, hydrogen peroxide, and oils. Shake well. Use as you would any surface cleaning spray- I use it in my kitchen.

Cinnamon Buns

While I have still have some work to do tying up the consulting end of my thesis project, I feel like I need slowly make a return to "normal" life (instead of cave into temptation to sit and stare at the wall). To kick this off, I made cinnamon buns. These great buns have become one of my signature dishes, and the smell of them baking really did make me feel that a small amount of normalcy has returned to my life.

adapted from All Recipes
Yield: 16 buns

1 cup milk (or almond or soy milk)

1/2 cup white sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast

1/3 cup margarine, melted
2 eggs 
1 teaspoon salt
4 1/2 cups bread flour
margarine for spreading
~ 1/2 cup brown sugar
~ 1 tsp. cinnamon
1 apple, diced finely

If using a bread machine, place ingredients in the bread pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer, and process through the dough cycle. 

If mixing by hand, heat the milk until very warm and add to a large mixing bowl. Take 1 teaspoon of sugar from the measured half cup, and stir it into the warm milk. Stir in the yeast and allow to proof until it resembles a creamy foam, about 10 minutes. Mix in margarine and remaining sugar, and stir well. 

In a separate bowl, beat eggs until frothy. Add a tablespoon of the warm yeast mixture into the eggs and mix well; then add the eggs into the yeast mixture. Mix in salt and add flour, one cup at a time, stirring until dough forms. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic (I use the dough hook of my Kitchen Aid mixer and "knead" for 10 minutes). 

Place into an oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. 

Once the dough has doubled or has completed a bread machine dough cycle, turn it onto a lightly floured surface, cover with a towel and let rest for 10 minutes. As I find it easier to work with smaller amounts of dough, at this point I cut the dough in half; roll one half of the dough into a rectangle about 16 x 12 inches. Spread with a thin and even layer of margarine, then sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. I use about 1/4 cup of brown sugar and heaping 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon for each half of dough but adjust according to your preference. Top with half of the diced apple, then roll up the dough and cut into 8 2-inch segments. Arrange buns in greased pie plate; repeat with the other half of the dough. 

Cover both plates of buns and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 40 minutes. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees so that it is hot when the buns have completed rising. Uncover buns and bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. We find them delicious without icing, but ice if you wish. Enjoy!

Sign of Spring

On Saturday, Jeff took this photo of rhododendrons blooming in his parent's garden - our bushes are about to erupt into blossom as well. This winter has felt especially long to me and I'm so happy to welcome spring.

End of a long road

This sums up how I have felt about graduate school for the past two years... and today at 5:38 AM, I got to add the last line.

From this Etsy Shop

After handing in my last and final paper, I have finished my master's degree.

I have to say... this ending is bitter-sweet. I have so enjoyed being in the graduate school bubble of reading, ideas and discussion- I have loved the challenge of learning and the ways I have been personally challenged to consider and think about how I see the world. I have also made some very close friends in school and it will be sad not interacting with them all several times a week. I will really miss that. 

I'm going to take a few days off to catch up on sleep, watch a movie, and try and get rid of a nasty cold that has plagued me since New Years (seriously). And then... I'm not sure. I'll let you know.

P.S. Happy birthday to my dad and my mum-in-law, who both get to blow out candles and eat cake today.