Nineteen Days

It's that time of year again. Baha'is around the world are preparing for that special time of spiritual renewal--the Baha'i Fast. Nineteen days of fasting during which we make a special effort to turn our focus inward, refreshing our hearts and re-invigorating our spirits through reflection and prayer.

Sarah-J (left); Ramin Hosseini (right)

During the past three years one of the highlights of the fasting period has been following, and participating in, the Nineteen Days blog--a collaborative photography project created by Amy and Leila that enlists photographers from across the globe in sharing reflections on the Fast and beautiful images taken daily at dawn and dusk, some of which I've included here.

.leili (above)

Tomorrow Nineteen Days enters its fourth year, with an incredible line up of photographers from every corner of the world. I hope you'll join us.

.leila (left); elliot|v (right)

Nineteen Days

For nineteen days every March, just before the start of spring, Baha'is all around the world make a special effort to turn our attention from the daily details that so often occupy our thougts, and instead focus inward, allowing reflection and prayer to refresh the heart and re-invigorate the spirit.

For the past three years Amy and Leila have engaged in an inspiring photography project during this special nineteen day period, collaborating with photographers from around the world to take photos at dawn and dusk and share them along with a quote and a reflection on the Nineteen Days website. Last year's collaboration was so successful that it has been turned into this beautiful book (available here!)


This year's collaboration is well under way, with stunning images, beautiful quotations and thoughtful reflections coming from all corners of the globe. Yesterday was my day to participate, and it made me wish I had the initiative not just for a single day, but at every dawn and dusk, to walk outside and examine my surroundings for some beauty and inspiration. On yesterday's walks, this is what I found to share.

My dawn:


My dusk:

Spotlight: The Uniform Project

Last week a good friend (whose snazzy redesigned blog can be found here) shared with me the website for The Uniform Project, and ever since I have been eagerly anticipating Sheena's daily updates.

The basic idea: Sheena has selected a uniform and will wear it for 365 days straight--an ambitious exercise in sustainability and creativity. She accessorizes with items donated, thrifted and previously owned and manages to take the versatility of the little black dress to whole new dimensions. There are few who could pull off something like this but Sheena does it with great style. As if that's not amazing enough, her efforts go towards a good cause--fund-raising for the purchase of uniforms for a girl's school in India. Read more about it here.

Check out The Uniform Project--you may just get hooked too.

Clockwise from top: Executive chic; Bon voyage at the pier; Cause I'm gonna be a dancer; Friday I'm in love.

Caramels and Care Packages

Whew. You know how life can become crazily busy sometimes, even for just a few days? And then all of a sudden you return to normalcy and are faced with a mountain of emails you have not yet had time to read, voicemails you have managed to ignore, laundry you haven't bothered to fold, and suitcases that won't be unpacked for a month? Maybe it's just me...

Finally things have died down a bit and I have a moment to pop in and share a wonderful recipe that I recently made excellent use of during the Pay it Forward giveaway.


These chewy gooey beauties are Pecan Maple Caramels, recipe courtesy of The Chocolate Gourmand. I came across the recipe months ago and have been thinking of them ever since. Finally this summer I convinced myself I needed a candy thermometer, and I had the last piece of the puzzle necessary to make my pecan maple dream a reality.

They were actually really, really good. Quite a shock for me, in light of previous candy-making disasters, including a batch of "fudge" some years ago that had to be broken with a hammer and chisel just to fit it into the trash bin.

The recipe is not difficult, but be prepared for a good 1/2 hour of constant stirring over the hot stove before the caramel reaches the right temperature. After leaving the caramel to set overnight I cut it into squares and wrapped them in wax paper for easy transportation to my Pay it Forward recipients--the lovely ladies behind Ultra Fine Flair, For the Love of Food, and Angry Asian Creations. Apparently they survived the mailing well, making for excellent holiday gift possibilities.

Try them out and let me know what you think! (And if you want to get in on the Pay it Forward fun, wander on over to For the Love of Food, she may just have a spot left for some lucky commenter.)

Pay it Forward

Hi there dear reader, you are in luck. Today is the day I decided to post about the lovely gift I received from Deb over at Bonbon Oiseau, and that means the time has come for me to Pay it Forward.

Let me explain. Last weekend while browsing through some favorite blogs, I came across this post on Bonbon Oiseau. Deb (inspired by the lovely Camille from Rtemis: Huntress of Epicurian Delights) was starting a Pay it Forward chain. She pledged to send something nifty to the first three bloggers who commented on her post if they would, in turn, share the love and pay it forward. Now, who would not want to receive something nifty from a bloggy friend, especially if she happens to be an incredibly talented jewelry designer? I was lucky enough to be the first commenter and yesterday I received this sweet necklace. Thank you Deb!


Now the time has come to pass it on. Here are the rules for the Pay it Forward Gift Exchange:

I agree to send something fun, cute, and nice to the first 3 blog owners who post a comment on this entry. In turn, those three will post this information and pick 3 people they want to send something to and so on. Unfortunately, due to postage costs, I can only pay it forward within the United States. If you are interested in participating, be one of the first 3 blog owners to leave a comment!

You have to promise that you will then post about this on your blog, link to me, and then send something to the first three people who comment on your blog so that this continues. When the first three have commented I will email you a request for your shipping address and I will send out something that I hope will make you smile!

Things That Make You Go "Hmmm..."

The Google search terms that lead people to my blog. That is something that makes me go "hmmm...."

I use Google Analytics to track my blog's statistics, and I always get a good chuckle out of the things people are searching for that somehow lead them here. These are some of my favorites from the past few months. Knowing what's in my archives, I have a feeling these Google searchers may not have found what they were looking for.

• chicken footprints (um, what?)

• women with power (should I be flattered that this led to my blog?)

• Montreal without gloves (I can respond to this: BAD BAD IDEA)

• yellow kitchens fight more (Is this a Feng Shui thing? Like blue bedrooms are calming?)
  

• barbie kebat (some variety of international Barbie?)
  

• Arthur Ashe nosebleed photo (lots of photos here, but not that one)

• banana sabzi (a fruity twist on the savory Persian stew, qormeh sabzi?)
  

• new apartments on the beanstalk (Jack? Is that you?)
  

• i need Korean chef (me too, my friend, me too)

CLICK June: Yellow for Bri

It is terrifying to me that cancer has touched the life of almost everyone I know in some way or another. Has it always been that way? Or does it seem to others as well that it becomes more and more prevalent as years pass? Fortunately people are paying attention and countless dollars are contributed each year to help scientists, hospitals, and individual patients pursue a cure. Still, cancer will at some point confront someone we know--all the more reason we should make every effort to address it however we can. It's one of the reasons I ran two marathons with Team in Training, an organization dedicated to raising funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

This is on my mind right now because few weeks back I received a very thrilling email asking me to be one of the judges for the June Edition of CLICK, an aptly named food photography event that is hosted every month by Jugalbandi (a blog that inspires me in two of my very favorite things: cooking and photography).

This month's CLICK is far more than just a food photography contest, however. Bee and Jai, the talented twosome behind Jugalbandi, are combining CLICK with a fundraiser in support of a close friend and fellow blogger, Bri Brownlow (author of Figs With Bri), who is currently fighting Stage IV cancer.

Bri was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 28, two and a half years ago. After a mastectomy, chemo, and two years apparently in remission the cancer is back and has metastasized to other parts of her body. Bri lost her own mother to breast cancer when she was just a girl, and now she's fighting that same battle. More about it here.

The fundraiser that Jugalbandi is hosting in conjunction with the June edition of CLICK will help Bri and her family meet her out-of-pocket medical costs for one year. The goal is $12,000.

As a way of supporting Bri, various photographers, chefs, and other talented friends have donated some incredible items that will be raffled off as part of the fundraiser (personally, I have my eye on that Gorillapod). Every donation will go towards a raffle ticket for the item of your choice, and the funds will go directly to Bri.

CLICK has a different theme every month, and this month's CLICK theme was Bri's own choice: Yellow--the color of hope, which through the work of Lance Armstrong's LiveStrong Foundation, has come to signify the fight against cancer. I know that all you photographers out there could do amazing and creative things with that theme. Below is my first attempt:


The deadline for submitting a photograph for CLICK is June 30, 2008, and you will be able to view all the entries here. The fundraiser will extend until July 15, 2008.

Please check out Jugalbandi for more information and support this campaign by participating in the fundraising raffle, submitting a photo on the theme of Yellow for CLICK, and by encouraging others to do the same.

We're rooting for you Bri.