summer in athens is time to be creative. it's time to read, garden, journal, yoga, and listen. it's time for myself and it's time for good company.  my lovely roommate and i just started driving yesterday and ended up with some fabulous shots in the country side. here are some of our favorites...

            henna.

    something about frolicking in a field is so very whimsical to me. we also did some henna tattoos the other day. tres magnifique! i think we are going to start working on a collaborative collection so we can have a gallery showing sometime this summer as well, mucho mixed media with lots of pastel-y color family pieces for sure. it feels good to have creative energy flowing all around you, i'm more productive that way. here are some tunes for the moods...

Intro - The XX
The Stroller - Jaill

     
    went out to take some photos today. the weather is beautiful. i can't wait for spring and summer and the projects they will bring. wine and watercolor starts tonight. i'll post some of them up here if i like them enough. here are some old summer photographs that make me smile, and get me in the mood.

 

  

  

all of these were taken in chautauqua, 

my favorite place to be in the summer!

summer flora.

summer insects, at the pool.

    on a more del.icio.us note, i wanted to share one of my favorite snacks that i had today, compliments of my wonderful friend and master of dietetics, amy.  if you don't like cottage cheese don't worry, can't really taste it. i accompanied this snack with an applepear, which i just recently tried. weird concept, but pretty refreshing. mmm. try one!

          ingredients: 

                 -low fat cottage cheese 

                 -black lentils 

                 -cumin (pepper and salt are optional)

    simmer the lentils for about an hour, or you can just get the pre-cooked ones from the store, then add 1/2 cup of them to every 1 cup of cottage cheese you use, roughly half the amount of cottage cheese.  now just mix them together and add as much cumin as you want for taste (I usually use a little over a table spoon per 2 cups of cottage cheese). make sure it is well mixed, and voila! i use this concoction as a dip for pita chips, but you can also spread it on pita bread or make it into a wrap. it's a fantastically satiating, protein-packed little snack.  i make big batches at a time and store it in tupperware in the fridge for an in-a-rush meal. nom nom nom.