The Lone Star State

As I sit here I am enjoying the scents of the evening...freshly mown grass, moist springtime air, and the skillet apple pie surrendering to the heat of the oven.  The room is filled with the sounds of the dryer tossing the damp clothes that lie within, I Love Lucy playing in the background, and my wonderful puppy chewing on her "chewy".  And I can also hear the sound of the birds coming in through the barely opened window, while at the same time my computer screen blatantly notifies me of its ever-draining battery.  As I sit here enjoying the present, I smile and reminisce on times past.  I have been blessed to travel to many exotic (well, exotic to me) places in Europe, including Italy, England, Germany, France, and Switzerland.  I have traveled to 17 states of the United States including Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Arkansas, Kansas, California, New York, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Alabama, Florida, Wisconsin, Virginia, New Jersey, Maryland, New Mexico, and Hawaii; as well as Washington, D.C.  I love every minute of travel.  Period.  The thrill begins when the trip is proposed.  Immediately, I begin pondering and confirming what clothes, electronic devices, and activities I will take.  It does not matter what type of travel it is, plane, train, or automobile, I enjoy it all.  People-watching while waiting at an airport or gazing at the scenery that blurs past the car window are equally exciting.  Once arriving at the destination the true planned fun begins.  I pull out my camera and take it just about everywhere allowed.  The days to be filled with activities varying from the exciting to the relaxing are all well anticipated and enjoyed.  The different locations and cultures I encounter and the unusual types of foods I discover always make each trip memorable and unique.  However, I always enjoy, and look forward to, the time when I walk through my front door and am back in my own surroundings.

I believe that each year, month, day, hour, minute, and second of our lives are precious gifts from God which we should value and cherish.  I try to document and preserve as many of our fun family outings, trips, and day-to-day activities that I can in my memory, assisted by my beloved camera.  My camera was be-gifted to me by my dad during Christmas of 2008.  I am a proud owner of a Nikon D70, an "electronic memory-capturing device" I use for artistic experiments, capturing the vivacity and beauty of nature, and the candid expressions of my family and friends.  Ever since I acquired my camera, I have taken it on numerous travels and used it as best I knew how do document my time and adventures.

My family and I visited a variety of the counties, cities, and countrysides of Texas during Spring Break of this year.  We were pleased to see the first signs of spring...timidly appearing and declaring their stay late into summer, the beautiful flowers and plants of the Lone Star State are abundant and unique.

These are only a few images captured during our recent adventure.

To view my full gallery, click here.

A Day in Paris . . . Deep in the Heart of Texas

I had the most enjoyable time living the afternoon as if I were in Paris.  No, I did not visit the famous City of Lights today, but rather, I spent the day exposed to familiar aspects of a Parisian's life.


To start off this European experience, my mother, a friend, and I enjoyed lunch at a fabulous and delicious soufflé-specializing restaurant, Rise No.1.  As we strolled through the massive and beautiful wooden door, the beauty of the space and the mouthwatering aroma was captivating.  This cozy restaurant is filled with charming trinkets, books, tables, chairs, and household items mostly all available for purchase.  Once seated, the delectable menu was revealed.  There were a few curious items mentioned on the 
menu, most noticeably, Marshmallow Soup. Needless to say, this menu item raised a few eyebrows amongst those at our table.  Our "garcon" (French for waiter) promptly cleared up the cloud of confusion, clarifying that the soup in question was actually a creamy carrot and tomato soup topped ornately with marshmallow-resembling, mini goat-cheese soufflés.  Our dining experience consisted of the marshmallow soup (it was superb!), baby green salad (the dressing was out of this world!), seasonal crab soufflé (perfectly flavored and utterly delicious), creamy spinach soufflé (wonderfully delightful), and the pièce de résistance, the perfectly fluffy and sweet chocolate soufflé (photo taken by Debbi Robertson) accompanied by a creamy and rich cappuccino (photo taken by me).  Needless to say, this charming bistro is one that I hope to visit many more times in the future.

Directly following this delightful lunch, we were honored to witness the matinée performance of the passionate, slightly humorous, and exhilarating stage performance of The Phantom of the Opera.  The vivaciously-colored costumes, vocal and dancing abilities of all the performers, and thrilling music enhanced the live Paris-inspired performance.  My mother and I were able to see the London stage production of The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty's Theatre a few years back when we traveled to England and Europe.  Seeing this beautifully crafted story and musical score in person truly brings this emotional story to an all new height.

As I sit here tonight, recording the happenings of my day, reminiscing the memories that were made and experiences that were had, I remain most thankful.  If ever you find yourself in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, I hope you will take time to enjoy a delicious soufflé.  Be inspired to branch out and enjoy our surroundings.  You never know what trinket or treasure you may discover.  Regardless of your findings, memories shall always be made.

With love,
K


"Think of me, think of me fondly, when we've said goodbye. Remember me once in a while, please promise me you'll try.  When you find that, once again, you long to take your heart back and be free, if you ever find a moment, spare a thought for me." ~ The Phantom of the Opera

Be Jeweled

Crazy 'dos, funky clothes, and wild patterns may be a few things we associate with generations past.  Today we laugh and grow red in embarrassment as we reminisce and look back upon the photographic evidence of our succumb to the fads of days gone by.  Many of the artifacts existing from those eras are valued as antiques at most - cherished and treasured in many homes as family heirlooms - and nothing in the mix is considered modern or stylish for today.   What if there was a way to to use collected material from the past to make a beautiful, unique, and creative piece of art which could be used in your home regardless of style and decor? 

This simple, elegant, and beautiful type of embellishment is very easy to do and lasts for a lifetime!

Supplies Needed:

- any non-decorative straight-edged frame (any size you desire, be certain you have enough material to completely cover the frame when choosing frame size) (can be wood, metal or plastic, and any color however, silver, gold, and black work well as a nice neutral)

- antique jewelry (anything and everything applies!  earrings, necklace pendants, and lone jewels such as rhinestones, pearls, and beads, etc. all work wonderfully)

- shells (optional) - (intersperse your frame with a mixture of antique jewelry and shells from your last beach vacation.  this is a wonderful way to add a rustic texture and differing patterns to your creation)

- wire-cutters

- hot glue gun and glue refills

- rubbing alcohol and cotton balls

How To:

1.  Find an area in your house or craft room to construct your creation.  Finding a flat surface such as a table, and laying a protective piece of cardboard or an old towel over the area where you will be working is useful in keeping the surface of your table clean and free of hot glue.

2. Decide on a color/theme for your frame.  Answer questions such as, what color of jewelry do I have the most of?  Where will I place my frame?  What will be in my frame?  (For example, we have made a white/cream/tan toned frame, a jewel toned from (using rich reds, greens, and blues), a pastel colored frame, and a beach toned frame (using blues, tans, whites, and shells) all from the jewelry and shells we have collected over the years.)

3.  Sort out your jewelry according to color, type of metal, shape, etc.  Make sure to keep pairs together (such as earrings) - its helps when deciding what piece of jewelry to put where to keep the look of your frame balanced.

4.  Once you have decided on a style for your frame, and have all of the apparatus needed gathered, clean the face and edges of your frame with the rubbing alcohol and cottons balls.  This takes off any film or grit residing on your frame that might prohibit the gluing process.

5.  Determine the orientation for your frame.  Portrait or landscape - either way, it will be beautiful!

6.  Decide on a header/centerpiece for your frame.  Using one of the most bulky pieces of jewelry you have that coordinates with the other colors to be included on the frame works wonderfully as a header.  If you are using shells on your frame, these can also make stunning centerpieces. 

7.  Establish your corners.  Try to find prominent (but not too big) pieces that are similar or identical to use on the four corners.  

8.  Fill in the gaps.  Once you have your centerpiece glued down with hot glue and your corners established, fill in the sides of your frame with pieces of antique jewelry (and shells).  Vary the pieces in size, hue, tone, and texture to add visual interest.

9. Once you have finished all of your gluing, make sure your frame has no hot glue strings.  Print a picture, lovely quote, or simply put a piece of decorative paper inside your frame to call it finished!


Helpful tips and tricks:
- use the wire-cutters when necessary to take of the backs of earrings, pins, etc.  You can also use the wire-cutters to bend the metal or fasteners of pieces of jewelry to make the piece fit better.
- layer and overlap pieces of jewelry for visual interest and dimension
- do not leave one single part of your frame visible.  Completely encrust your frame filling odd and small spaces with store-bought pearls or lone gems.
- use frames that are flat, that do not have curves or decorative wood-work (this will make your gluing and design process a lot simpler!)
- if you do not have any antique jewelry lying around your house, you can often get good deals on bulk selections of antique jewelry at estate sales, garage sells, and even on eBay!


"Gold there is, and rubies in abundance, but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel."

Fresh and Delicious Lime Sherbet

The quintessential sherbet is a cross between sorbet (a dessert consisting of frozen fruit juice or flavored water and sugar) and ice cream (usually containing more fat and milk product), containing fruit, sugar, and dairy but no egg yolks.  Like its foreign cousin, sorbet, sherbet should taste vibrant and fresh.  In the case of sherbet, however, its assertive flavor is tempered by the creamy addition of dairy.  Ideally, it is as smooth as ice cream but devoid of ice cream's richness and weight.


Fresh and Delicious Lime Sherbet
Ingredients
1 T grated lime zest from 1 to 2 lemons
1 c granulated sugar
2 T granulated sugar
1/8 t salt
2/3 c fresh squeezed lime juice mixed with 1 1/2 c water
2/3 c heavy whipping cream


Instructions
1. Process zest, sugar, and salt in food processor until damp, ten to fifteen 1-second pulses. With machine running, add lime juice/water mixture in slow, steady stream; continue to process until sugar is fully dissolved, about 1 minute. Strain mixture through nonreactive fine-mesh strainer into medium bowl; stir in Triple Sec, then cover with plastic wrap and chill in freezer until very cold, about 40 degrees, 30 to 60 minutes. (Alternatively, set bowl over larger bowl containing ice water.) Do not let mixture freeze.


2. When mixture is cold, using whisk, whip cream in a chilled medium bowl until soft peaks form. Whisking constantly, add juice mixture in steady stream, pouring against edge of bowl. Immediately start ice cream machine and add juice/cream mixture to canister; churn until sherbet has texture of soft-serve ice cream, 25 to 30 minutes. 


3.  Remove canister from machine and transfer sherbet to storage container; press plastic wrap directly against surface of sherbet and freeze until firm, at least 3 hours. (Can be wrapped well in plastic wrap and frozen for up to one week.) To serve, let sherbet stand at room temperature until slightly softened.  Enjoy!


--recipe courtesy Cooks Illustrated--


"What hunger is in relation to food, zest is in relation to life"

In the beginning . . .

Hello my friends and fellow bloggers. I am a Christian student who desires to spread the word of God and inspire others to be creative and the best they can be. With this blog I hope to inspire you in many areas of life. There is much beauty in the world, beauty that is often overlooked. The little things in life should bring much joy and happiness and I hope to remind you, through this blog, to stop and smell the roses, appreciate the simple things in life, and never take for granted the things we have been blessed with.
My blog, Kits and Kaboodles, will contain, as the title suggest, a little bit of this and a little bit of that - recipes, photography ideas and inspirations, craft ideas, reading suggestions, and anything else my blog followers would request I research, give insight on, or explore.
I hope you enjoy reading this blog and taking this journey with me!
Lots of love,
Karlie


"Every day is the start of something beautiful"