Move

Take a gander at this creative video, in which the creator filmed one second of footage in each place he visited, then put it all together for a dose of awesome.

Watching this makes me more determined to see more of the world this year. Much more.

It is a new year, after all. Happy travels, 2012!

-Chelsea

Bits of happy

I'm making a habit of carefully noting the small things that are really beautiful, fun and lovely about life. The silliest things can bring me a lot of happiness. Why not enjoy it and share it with you? Why not, I tell you!

Here they are. This week's happy little things:

Making my own bubble tea. Note the bright happy colors of the cooked boba. Just bubble tea in general really, but making my own boba is especially satisfying.

This impressively cool chandelier made from medicine bottles hanging in a San Francisco store window.

Frozen yogurt dates with biological sisters and sisters-at-heart.

Walks through the country. Also the color green.

Food art at In-N-Out. I know this is funny, but really, it just makes me smile.

Mochi from Trader Joe's. They're so pretty and so cool and refreshing. You can't not be happy about that.

I just noticed that many of the things on this list involve food. Such a simple and universal pleasure, no?

Many happy returns,

Chelsea

30 New Things

illustration via anachronism

Trying new things is the best way to learn and grow. We love learning, we love growing and we love newness, so we're making a list of 30 New Things we want to do before we turn 30. Inspired by the lovely Sarah Von of Yes and Yes, our list is collaborative. Some of these things are new for only one or the other of us, but most will be new for both of us, so we're going to try to do these things together. It's kind of like a 5 year plan, but much more.... scattered? Piecemeal? Whimsical. Yes.

Just to be clear, neither of us is 30 years old yet. We have several years to go before we cross that particular milestone. We're still young, dang it!

Some of these are silly little things. Others are giant adventures or permanent decisions, hence the niceness in giving ourselves more than just one year to accomplish it all. The list is still a work in progress. Take a look.

30 New Things Before 30

*see the tops of the redwood trees
*learn how to make cheese
*write a fan letter
*go snowshoeing
*participate in traditional Catholic confession
*go rappelling
*go camping (for real, as an adult, with no fire-making/tent-pitching assistance)
*submit a poem or short story for publication
*perform at an open mic night
*visit South America
*visit Africa
*visit Australia (this will attain the over-arching goal of seeing all continents)
*start an Etsy shop
*swim with sharks... but in a protective cage, please
*hike Half Dome
*eat a truffle (the mushroom, not the candy)
*skydive
*climb a glacier
*see the Grand Canyon
*visit NYC as adults, not just 8th-grade-field-trippers
*go to the toy tricycle race in San Francisco
*attend a music festival. How have we not done that yet??
*go to a comedy club
*karaoke, for real. Wait, what is real karaoke?
*ride a dogsled
*try public speaking
*carry out an epic New Year's Eve plan (we talk big about NYE but never follow through)
*get a tattoo
*learn to knit

Anything new you want to accomplish this year? Or over the next couple of years? Have any suggestions for us? We still need to add a few things to this list. Inspire us!

Enjoy this rainy weather while we have it. It'll be 120 degrees before you know it.

Love,

Chelsea and Brandie

P.S. -We will keep you updated on our progress through these activities. Posts are promised for each completed activity, including the ones we've already crossed off. Yes, we started early. The early bird catches the worm, you know.

Why Pessimists Make the Best Optimists

Maybe pessimism isn't such a curse if multiple pessimists join forces. Somehow we pessimists turn our natural negativity around for good when we're together.

Quick disclaimer: Be warned, this opinion comes from the perspective of a serious pessimist. Two of them, really (so take it with as many grains of salt as you see fit).

We are two pessimists who’ve lived under one roof for several years now.  And when we say pessimist, we mean all the lovely second-hand glasses at our house are almost always half empty. You might think that this would be a recipe for miserable disaster. Picture two girls at home alone wallowing in despair, egging each other on into deeper depression, uselessness, and weepy movie marathons... terrible! 

But it’s not like that.

Just because we’re pessimistic does not mean we can't see the bright side. We can see it, and we like to see it. And just because we’re pessimists doesn’t mean that we don’t have joy. We laugh every day, and we love it.

And the thing is--even though we naturally take a negative viewpoint--there is another instinct that takes over sometimes, particularly if one of us is feeling down. We want to help each other feel better, so we instinctively take turns at holding a positive view.

Love is stronger than pessimism.

As fellow pessimists, we understand what it’s like to feel negative and why we react to situations the way we do. We also understand each other pretty well after 14 years of friendship.

For instance, when Brandie is giving a depressed Chelsea very reasonable advice and Chelsea glares at Brandie, Brandie understands that that glare means that she is listening, and she knows that her friend is right. If Chelsea lived with an optimist, that optimist friend might interpret that glare differently and have her feelings hurt, deciding to stop giving Chelsea advice (and thereby leaving Chelsea to wallow in her negativity). Brandie is neither offended nor deterred. She simply smiles back at her. And vice versa. 

We are so thankful that when one of us is down, the other is almost always ready to pick her up and shine some perspective on the situation.

In our experience, optimists always looks at the bright side, often making nice but largely-unhelpful statements like “this is happening for a reason,” or “it’s always darkest before the dawn,” or “this is a season,” or “I’m sure it’s not all bad,” or “don’t worry, be happy." This is sweet and well-intentioned, but pessimists like us don’t respond very well to nice generalizations like these.  Instead, we respond to reasonable arguments exposing the flaws in our own outlooks. Because we’re not just spouting off happy sayings at each other, we can logically determine what might be effective and helpful advice.

We love optimists. In fact, we depend on a few key optimists in our lives that bring us joy. We couldn't manage without them. But don’t count the pessimists out when you’re looking for the bright side. We can see what's in that glass just as well as you. :) 

--Brandie and Chelsea

Suggested Road Trip Playlist

Sometimes you just need a new music suggestion. So here's a post to get you out of your musical rut. Perhaps. Or maybe you already own all these songs. They're mostly old, but we think they're a great soundtrack for roadtripping. In any case, give them a listen in honor of the recently-concluded Railroad Revival Tour.

It's a long list, but can you really have too much good music?

The Cave--Mumford and Sons
Repo Man--Ray LaMontagne
Everlasting Light--The Black Keys
Shark in the Water--V.V. Brown
Murder in the City--Avett Brothers
The Way You Make Me Feel--Michael Jackson
Science & Faith--The Script
Closer--Kings of Leon
On Fire--Bruce Springsteen
Orange Sky--Alexi Murdoch
The Book of Love--Peter Gabriel
Cosmic Love--Florence + The Machine
Hard Sun--Eddie Vedder
Electric Feel--MGMT
Sigh No More--Mumford and Sons
Sweet Disposition--The Temper Trap
Fresh Feeling--Eels
Big Jumps--Emiliana Torrini
Lemonworld--The National
Equally Skilled--Jon Foreman
Home--Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Road Trip!

We are road tripping through the Southwest right now, with plans to see Mumford and Sons perform live tonight. We are having a lovely time! More to come on our travel adventures, but for now we leave you with a gorgeous thought-provoker from the Grand Canyon. Happy Easter!

"Her Morning Elegance"

This stop-motion animation is so cool! In a creepy, quirky kind of happy way. 

Experimental cookies and a delicious giveaways

Bananas and chocolate are a perfect pair. Indeed, even the most hard-hearted person melts a little bit at the taste of a chocolate-dipped frozen banana or a slice of fresh-from the oven banana bread with a cup of hot chocolate. And you know that there has got to be a reason that banana split sundaes are so famous.

So, logically, adding a mashed banana to a batch of chocolate chip cookies is the perfect way to jazz up an old favorite. One day we found ourselves with an over-ripe banana that we didn't want to waste, and banana chocolate chip cookies were born.

They're warm, gooey and perfectly sweet. Why didn't we think of this before?

We've experimented a lot with these cookies so far, adding oatmeal for a heartier cookie, adding cinnamon or more banana for a heightened banana-bread-esque taste. The last time we made these, we chopped up chocolate bars instead of using chips. They're really delicious in any variation.

Make these cookies yourself by following our recipe below (or experiment with your own chocolate chip cookie recipe).

And as our last (and regretfully belated) food-month giveaway, WIN a dozen fresh-baked handfuls of experimental perfection. Just comment on this post (tell us about a cooking experiment gone right or wrong) for a chance to win!

1 cup butter, softened

¾ cup brown sugar                                                                 

¾ cup granulated sugar

1-2 mashed ripe bananas

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 ¼ cup flour

1 cup quick oats (optional)

1 or 1 ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips

---

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter and sugars till fluffy. Add banana, eggs and vanilla; beat till smooth.  Add flour, salt, baking soda and mix thoroughly. Stir in chocolate chips and oats.  Drop batter in rounded spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

The first time I heard about these milkshakes, they were featured on a Travel Channel foods show. The description floored me. Could there really be such a thing? Toasted marshmallows are hot. Milkshakes are frozen. Intrigued by the contradiction, I determined instantly to make my own version. Brandie wasn’t so sure. The thought of sipping marshmallows through a straw, frozen, seemed too wrong. But I think I convinced her with this recipe.  Give it a try! You won’t be disappointed.

—-

Toasted Marshmallow Milkshakes

Like the ones from The Stand in NYC

(recipe adapted from this one at Gourmet.com)

One half gallon of high-quality vanilla bean ice cream (you may use more or less than a half gallon)

20 jumbo marshmallows plus more for garnish

One half cup of milk (more or less depending on desired consistency… I like mine super-thick, so I might use a little less)

Whipped cream

Seriously, that’s it!

—-

Toast the marshmallows. You can do this the old-school (and better) way, over an open fire. Or you can toast them in the oven on the broiler setting. Make them a deep golden brown. The toastier they are, the more potent the flavor (but don’t burn them).

Immediately blend the hot, toasted marshmallows in the blender till smooth. Whip them with about half the milk.

Add the vanilla ice cream and whip till blended.

Pour into glasses and garnish with whipped cream and a toasted marshmallow or two on top.

Sip slowly and enjoy!

Whimsical Art

This painting by Danny Roberts (who went to school with us both once-upon-a-time) of Igor + Andre for Chanel is still blowing our minds. Love it.

mute math maticians

Something that inspires us: MuteMath. These guys are absolutely amazing in concert, and we’re just dying to see them perform again. They are musical perfection plus contagious energy, and they fly through the air with the greatest of ease. Paul Meany and Co., if you are listening, please come on tour soon! 

The Great Chocolate Giveaway

Food. It’s constantly on our minds. A delicious meal or dessert can bring friends together, make us feel comforted, happy, content. It sustains our physical lives, marks our celebrations, sets day apart from day. If you’re a friend of mine, you know that my Facebook status is often an ode to some meal or dessert that captured my heart. Yes, for me, food is a passion.

Thus, we have christened February as “Food Month” here on Words and Whimsy. We’ll share recipes, photos, cooking tips and a little of the passion that drives us to that perfect piece of pie, amazing ethnic meal, or delectable chocolate dessert time and time again.

To kick off the celebration, we’re giving away a dozen rich, hand-dipped chocolate truffles. These truffles are infamous in our circle of friends and family. We’ve given them to our loved ones, used them as bribes, even sold them as a fund raiser for a mission trip to India. They are addictive in the best way.

So comment on this blog post during this next week. Just tell us what the best thing is that you’ve ever eaten, and you’ll be entered for a chance to win!

If you love chocolate, you will enjoy these truffles like a day of warm sunshine in the middle of winter. If you don’t love chocolate… well then, give them to someone who does. Valentine’s Day is coming up, and someone you love would surely appreciate a gift of delicious handmade chocolates.

Happy Food Month!

--Chelsea

P.S. –Thanks to Val for her inspiration and encouragement. 

P.P.S—To keep up with our Food Month giveaways and awesome recipes, be sure to follow us on Bloglovin’ by clicking on the lovely link on the left of this page, artwork courtesy of Danny Roberts.

Do-it-yourself fish tank

Our first bit of inspiration in 2011 is a neat do-it-yourself project. We love it when people get creative. It sparks our own imaginations. My little brother made this amazing fish tank out of an antique television set he found at the Auburn Street Fair. The on/off button even works the light for the tank. Pretty awesome, bro.


--Chelsea

This is us. We’ve been friends for 15 years now, so we tend to finish each other’s sentences. Perhaps we can finish some of yours as well.