Petite Insanities

I thought I'd share something from my childhood with you today. If you haven't tried Greek (or Turkish) coffee before you're in for a treat. It's creamy, sweet, strong and even a little bitter and super yummy. Here's what you'll need: a  Briki  {Greek coffee pot} Greek coffee sugar water one or more  demitasse  cups and saucers; to serve Let's discuss the ingredients before we begin. First, the briki comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. You can find many varieties in Greek markets and  online  here ,  here  and even  here . Any one will due however you  MUST  use a briki because it's an important part of the process when it comes to making the  foam . Also, keep in mind that they are tiny so make sure you buy the proper size for your needs {ie: 2, 4 or 6 demitasse cup pots}. Now for the coffee. It's all about personal taste but I recommend  Venizelos  (which I'm using in this tutorial) or  Loumidis . You can even get a  decaffeinated  

Rachele  over at  The Nearsighted Owl  has made a call to all bloggers to join her  Show Some Love Project . Her goal is to battle "negativity and criticism with one silly heart photo at a time."  [I'm in] xoxo

While my house sits in  disarray , I'm dreaming of beautiful, cozy spaces. Sometimes something as little as opening a window and letting in some light or rearranging your furniture is all you need to keep your home fresh. These spaces are my current inspirations... { perfection } {love these chevron floors} {love the white against the rustic wood} {these stairs are awesome} { this is the mantel I've been looking for } { a perfect space } { I heart this table } {loving this window seat} { this headboard is amazing } {fun idea for a kid's room...when we have one} { awesome idea } {this exposed brick is amazing} { chalkboard pantry } { love these wall tiles } Before discovering  pinerest , I've had most of these saved on my computer so unfortunately, I can't remember where a lot of them came from. However, I will definitely  pin  them now. What are some of your favorite spaces? Sécia

As an avid reader out in blogland, I find that I am always downloading and bookmarking my favorite photos and DIYs. My once organized desktop looks like a dumping ground for lovely but annoying everythings. So as a means to an end, I've just joined pinterest thanks to a fabulous  and  convincing post by  Lauren  and an invite from my buddy,  Andrea . I have YET to pin a single thing! I guess you could call it a fear of pinning for fear of yet more disorganization. The last thing I need in my life is more disorganization. My job, my life, my  sanity  requires that things be in their proper place in this world. It all started with the puppy. Then came the new house. Then came the day job at an unusual pace (as in a lack of time off when there usually was some). So, to pin or not to pin is the question.  Everyday I see so many things that make me swoon but are they truly pin-worthy?  Probably. I'm quite neurotic at times so my non-pinning fear will most

The arrow in this photo is pointing at me as I sit at my desk at work today. In response to my eating a cheeseburger this weekend, this is how my co-worker reminds me that I am in the final stretch of my diet and not to fail now. Thanks for the motivation, Christine. What would I ever do without you? xoxo

or how about three. {via: BHLDN } i found these little beauties while perusing Tabitha's blog. but it doesn't end with pretty dresses that i couldn't possibly justify buying. this platter is fantastic! i currently have quite the obsession with doilies and platters  and this is the best of both. What's your current love? Sécia

Finally, (I know, it took  forever ) here is my {awesome} banana bread recipe. Complete with walnuts  AND  dark chocolate chips. Those of you that know me ( like  in person) know that this is my trademark yummiest bread recipe. So here's what you need: 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour {sift before measuring} 2/3 cup sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 3 mashed  RIPE , {see photo below} medium bananas 1/3 cup margarine 2 tablespoons milk 2 eggs 1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional of course) 1/4 {give or take} cup dark chocolate; to make it more of a dessert bread {I actually prefer it without the chocolate but the hubby  LOVES  it so I make it that way because I  LOVE  him} Now let me first say that the key is to  SIFT .  Sift as if your life depended on it. And if you don't have a sifter...  buy  one! Not only do you need to sift the individual cups of flour BEFORE you measure them, but you also need to sift the flour a  second  time along with

Thanks, Luaces {aka Doe a Dear} for his nifty, new collar.

I walked into my office this morning to find... ...ZOMBIE SHOOTING GALLERY & The Zombie Autopsies ! Jenny, my work buddy and the sweetest girl ever, surprised me with the best gift ever. It's battery operated and comes complete with a laser gun! Gotta get my practice on for when the real zombie apocalypse comes. It's taking everything within my power to keep the book nerd in me from reading The Zombie Autopsies  right freakin' now! But I must get back to work as all good things are worth waiting for. I  ♥  yo u, Jenny.