keeping it casual.

plaid is what the fashion industry has been forcing us to accept as "trendy" this fall. so why are we not LINING OUR PANTS with plaid? i always enjoy it in small amounts and that application of it is perfect. and you get to show a little bit of leg as well!

sautons!

jumpers. i'm really surprised that these haven't come back into fashion since they made a slight revist in the 1980s. i remember wearing them, but they were not as chic as these. i cannot take my eyes off from the lady in the yellow shirt & black/grey plaid. that belt she's posing for us is killing me, it's so punk rock with that large saftey pin buckle. and those straps! geometric styling always makes my heart swoon. the more angles, the better! the other ladies are not cutting it for me today. i might have considered the blue embroidered one, especially with that amazing shirt with the starched popped collar, but punk rock sally came along and stole my heart.

brrr!

where is fall this year?



these are definitely for us active ladies, especially those of us who have to throw snowballs. there is so much about her ski jacket that i adore; the cinched waist, impeccably folded over collar and quilted lining. and don't forget about our sunglasses clad lass. she's ready to be outside to keep an eye on her little ones while they toboggan down the hill in the backyard. i'm not too fond of that jacket, but i'd take her sunglasses any day!

wackiness.

what happened a few weeks ago was so out of this world and what better way to deal with it than to make a "crazy" cake? chocolate cures the soul, as well as visiting friends, watching old movies and sharing your craziness with them! unfortunately, the cake was SO scrumptious that i was unable to get a photo of it before it was completely inhaled. not only is this recipe great to make for vegans, no one will suspect that there are no eggs or animal fat in it. it's simply leavened by the chemical reaction between the baking soda and acidic liquid. it is definitely one of the moistest, can't resist to have seconds cakes i've ever made. i found this recipe in a couple of old spiral bound fundraising cookbooks that i have, one from 1957 for a church and the other from 1975 that was from my grandmother that i never met due to her untimely death. there are a few handwritten recipes in the latter one that i MUST try if i can decipher her handwritting. and now, here is a variation of this cake for your enjoyment!

"Wacky" or "Crazy" Chocolate Cake
3 Cups flour
2 Cups sugar
6 Tbsp. cocoa
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 Cups water
3/4 Cup oil (vegetable, canola, etc.)
2 Tbsp. vinegar*
2 tsp. vanilla

*you can substitute the same amount of freshly squeezed lemon juice or apple cider vinegar.

preheat oven to 350 F. grease a 13x9 inch pan and set aside. in a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. mix the dry ingredients thoroughly. add water, oil, vinegar and vanilla. mix on medium speed until there are no lumps in the batter. immediately pour the batter into pan* and bake for 40 minutes.

*DO NOT let this batter sit around or the chemical reaction will end before it starts baking. you don't want to end up with a flat cake in the end, right?

it's sweater time!

sorry for the delay in posting. i'm attempting to update this at least twice a week but the drama that was thrown at me last week haulted everything in my life to a standstill. everything is much, MUCH better now and life goes on...



i LOVE fall weather and it is finally starting to get a little bit chilly out. i ventured to the thrift store the other day trying to find a nice vintage cardigan, but no such luck. i tried on a few but they were all too frumpy. only if i could have that lovely light blue one pictured. i'm looking through my archives of vintage knitting patterns from vogue to find something similar to knit up myself because i'll probably never find my dream cardigan. now time to find a yarn that is worthy of being knit into such an amazing piece of warmness!