It has been snowing all day today. It is nearly 7 pm and I just stepped outside to see that the snow is really coming down, now. It's a wonder there will be any school tomorrow. On days like today, with slightly stormy weather, I like to make the house cozy inside. I thought that scones would be just the thing. I've been baking cranberry orange scones for years. I love them, they are a family favorite. However, I like to change and try new things every now and then. My recipe tends to be very sweet. I wanted more authenticish scones. I found a recipe on Pinterest from BBC Good Food for "Ultimate Scones." Well, I figured the BBC would be a good place to find a true scone recipe and with a name like "Ultimate Scones" I felt that I couldn't go wrong. These are delicious. I did need to adjust the recipe and convert the measurements, but it was worth it. Here is the original recipe- http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1729/ultimate-scones The next time you find grey skies outside, bake these and brew some Earl Grey Tea, you'll thank me later.
A pile of stage and technical make-up instruction books. That I recently acquired.
I might have mentioned before that I studied Visual and Performing Art when I was in college. It involved a lot of art/ film history, improvisational method, design, studio art and jazz hands! I kept things in balance by studying science too. Do science and art go together? It depends on who you ask, but for me it was essential to my being awesome. At any rate, I have a nice collection of beauty make-up books, Kevin Aucoin, Bobbi Brown, etc. and I wanted to add to the mix. These books are usually very expensive, but I lucked out and found all of these for less than $10.00. I also managed to get more costume design books thrown in the mix, too. These will be very useful in the Fall for some posts that I intend to do.
This past year, I've observed the importance in maintaining hobbies or even developing new ones. Through hobbies, you gain more skills, you can meet like minded people, you can make things that are useful, you can find ways to save money by making things on your own. Most importantly, you stay connected to that little piece of you that makes you smile. I've had friends who never new that they could be fantastic cooks until they decided to branch out and try new recipes. I've seen friends discover that they love to bake cakes. What is so wonderful about it is that they get a confidence boost and it is so good for their self-esteem. There is this big myth that you grow up and suddenly, your hair is amazing and your make-up is always perfect, your skin is suddenly flawless and everything is perfect. What a big lie! The sad thing is, somewhere between college and the road to a career, we got so busy that we forgot about our hobbies. Some people think hobbies are frivolous and even dorky. Well yes, most of my hobbies are dorky; but at my age I don't care about trying to impress the big man on campus.
I like to sew quilts and rag dolls. I like to read Victorian literature and I love Shakespeare. I like to sew dresses, make hand bags, build costumes and do experimental make-up. I like playing outside in the woods because I love the smell of ferns, pine and lichen on trees. I still do ballet barre exercises, because I'm a bit a a fancy pants princess and it keeps me in shape. I like my silly dance music, 80's retro, 90's boy and girl bands. I like dorky British anything and tall & skinny Irish men. I still get super excited/giddy and even squeal at the sight of a glacial erratic, because Geology is and always will be my jam. I love the smell of old books, which is why I always buy second hands books. I am at an age now, where my sequined covered freak flag is always flying high, flapping in the wind and I'm totally cool with it. So, if you had a hobby that you lost touch with and you feel a little lonely without it, hop back on that train. Whether your hobby was drawing unicorns, writing dark stories, painting,
D & D, what have you, snap back into what makes you happy. You could even try a new hobby; who knows, you might be an excellent clog dancer!
Until next time~ Toodahloo!
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