I Been On

Howdy Lush Scouts!

I wanted to apologize for my prolonged absence from posting. I've been real busy what with these folks (my mom and dad) visiting:

And taking me lots of places including here:

And helping me find a frame to make this happen:

Bringing this (and a table too) to help with the storage issues in my kitchen:

But most importantly, they needed to hand deliver this special present from my niece:

But I'm back now. I too got my tax returns and blew it all on some new furniture for my apartment! (I currently sleep on a mattress on the floor.) I will try to take some before and after photos so you can see the mess that exists now, and the slightly more functional mess that will happen later. 

In happier news, there is new Beyonce, and though I'm of the opinion that it's just a hype-song for her new album, I can definitely get down. Take a listen for yourselves below!

Keep on keepin' on,

cait

Friday's Awesome Five

1. Devendra Banhart--well-known for being my spirit animal, the former hubby of Natalie Portman, and an amazing psychadelic folk star--put out a new album this week! I had no idea it was coming, so what if I don't keep up on music that well?! Mala came out on Tuesday, and definitely does not disappoint. I think that this AV Club article hits the nail on the head, this time Devendra gave us a nice combination of his humorous lyrics and beautiful dreamy songs. My personal favorite is "Your Fine Petting Duck," a teasingly sweet-yet-sour duet that even ends with a sexy little electronic riff that I definitely didn't see coming. You can listen to the whole album on NPR's First Listen, or just loop it constantly at work via spotify (guilty!). And last but not least, you can swoon over Devendra holding a dog here:

2. Homemade brown sugar is a thing?! A customer I spoke to at work today casually mentioned that she makes her own and she blew my mind! This is going on my to-do list for sure. Bakergirl has a super do-able looking recipe for it, if two ingredients even count as a recipe, and I am very excited to give it a try. Guess I'll just have to bake a ton to get rid of all the sugar I have now... Oh well! ;)
How to Make Homemade Brown Sugar

3. Maybe partying will help. Makes sense to me, lush scouts, maaaakes sense to me. From my fav streetwear site PLNDR.com. Is it summer yet?

4. GOT MY TAX RETURN!!!

5. More new music?! That's right, the next single from She & Him just dropped, from their upcoming Volume III. Not sure where they get off never coming up with new album names, but its really really hard to stay mad at them.

Love you're a strange fella,

gu

Fat and Happy | Empty-Cupboard Crepes

Greetings Lush Scouts! Man, have I got a treat for you! 

You know those days when you have like nothing fresh in the fridge and nothing in the freezer and nothing good in the cupboards you're just... hungry? Yeah. Me too. And that's the beauty of these empty-cupboard crepes. As long as you have some kind of flour (even the gluten free kinds), they're possible.

I chose to use flour, water, an egg, sugar, and butter. But you can use milk, milk substitute, skip the egg, use brown sugar, skip the sugar for savory crepes, use margerine, use oil, skip the oils, whatever you want! You just freestyle, and as long as post-mixing you have a very thin batter, you'll be good to go.

Grease your pan with butter/margerine/oil/spray oil or use a nonstick pan, and get ready to practice those flipping skills. If you're as good as me you can flip your crepes in the air. NO SPATULA REQUIRED. It takes skills though. 

Watch while your pile of crepes grows and grows! This is the most difficult part though: not eating all the crepes as you make them. You have to save at least some to put all the condiments you own on!

Marmelade! Jalepenos! Jam! Cream Cheese!

And you have something totally delicious and easy to make but way more impressive than normal dinner! 

Flip it! Flip it good!

Cait

Locals Only | Second Saturdayz

BIG NEWS, Lush Scouts! Tomorrow is not just any Saturday, it is also one of our favorite days of the month: Time for Tacoma's oh-so-amazing Second Saturdayz! Cait and I are among its longest-attending fans, having started our regular monthly trip as early as the second-ever Second Saturdayz--which just so happens to have been this January. In these beautiful past two months we've watched the number of vendors multiply, the buzz spread around the crafting corners in town, the attendance skyrocket, our wallets deplete, and our homes become more adorable! This event is part flea market, part antique store, part ETSY treasure trove. If you're in the market for lovely vintage items (some refurbished or repurposed for you oh-so-hip home, of course), or at the very least if you're in search of a pleasant place to drink your maybe-a-little-hungover coffee, this is definitely the place to go.

As if it couldn't get any better, they're even super awesome people! This month the event is going to open an hour early, so that from 8-9 am you can get first dibs on all the goods AND your $10 entrance fee will go towards a charity helping children affected by HIV/AIDS. I told you, AWESOME! Admission after 9 am is $5, and in our experience there are candy bowls and badass people aplenty to make it worth your while even if a purchase isn't in the budget this month. Second Saturdayz goes down in the old post office building downtown, right off Pacific Ave at 1102 A St, so don't be surprised if you find yourself in a sweet old safe. Again, just speaking from experience.

Want to see what we've picked up so far? You got it:

Here we go mistaking clouds for mountains,

gu