17 Things I Hope I’ve Taught My Sister In Her 17 Years

Hi! How are you? Today is a pretty special day at my house… Today is my beautiful sister’s 17^th birthday! Can you believe she is already 17 years old? I still think of her as being 5. Perpetually five years old…can you imagine?

I know what we usually do here. I mix butter and sugar and flour together, along with whatever else I find in my kitchen, and magical things happen (most of the time). Then I try to make things look pretty and take pictures. All of this is followed by storytelling. We’ve got a good system going.

We’re going to mix it up today. There is no butter. No sugar. No flour. No recipe. Stay with me. I think you’ll like this.

Sis turns 17 today. So it only makes sense that, as her older sister, I list 17 things that I hope she’s learned in her 17 years.

1. Pie is breakfast. Pie is, in fact, the best breakfast.

2. If someone’s name is “Bill”, it’s not because it’s short for “Billiam”.

3. You can’t have too many magazine collages hanging in your room.

4. Do what you love to do. Say what you want to say.

5. The little things make life sweet. Buy yourself flowers. Paint your nails, and then repaint them. Put Nutella on everything. Hang Christmas lights everywhere. Stroll up and down the New Jersey boardwalk at night, even if Mom doesn’t think it’s a good idea (what could go wrong??).

Chocolate Madeleines

Some things go really well together. Like best friends and Saturday nights.

Outdoor restaurant seating and live music and spontaneous dancing.

Every appetizer on the menu and hungry kids.

Strawberries and limes. (And tequila. And ice.)

Sunday mornings and brunch.

Chocolate and madeleines. If you aren’t familiar with madeleines, they’re little shell shaped cookie/sponge cake things. Every time I’ve made them they’ve tasted more like cake than cookies, but many people classify them as cookies. Either way, they’re perfect.

Banana Streusel Muffins

My brother is home from LDAC. I am so, so, so thankful.

Home isn’t just a house or a city or a country, although it can be. Angers was home for a while.

And few places have felt more like home than Nice.

For me, home is family. Best friends. The kitchen. Brothers and sisters.

It doesn’t matter where you call home. As long as everyone is loved and safe and together, that’s home. And since everyone loves to have muffins at home, let’s make banana streusel muffins. Ok? Ok!

Lemon Yogurt Cake

I know it’s hard to believe, but sometimes I don’t have anything to say. So today, we’ll let life do the talking. And we’ll end our day by making this light and airy lemon yogurt cake.

The trail I run on at home. Isn’t it so pretty? It’s so much more pleasant when it’s not 100 degrees out.

Most exciting news ever–my best friend Tiffany is an aunt now! Meet baby Nolan!

A day in the life of Sis and I: unexpected Fourth of July fireworks in the parking lot of our favorite store. It doesn’t get much better than this.

The books I’m currently reading:

The books I should be reading–oh hey student teaching and American Lit class. I’ll get around to reading you as soon as I’m done flipping through cookbooks and food memoirs.

Letters from my brother. Only one more week of LDAC and then he’s home!

Late night lemon yogurt cake. Life is good. Take pictures of pretty things. Smile. Eat sweet treats. Repeat.

Cranberry Chocolate Chip Biscotti

This morning I plopped myself on the couch, iced coffee in hand, as I researched recipes and edited photos with the Tour de France coverage in the background.

Ok, maybe I was watching the athlete profiles of all these cute cyclists and listening to the British accent of this TdF newscaster while cookbooks were scattered around my living room and my Macbook was open. No judgement.

A few minutes later my alarm went off, urging me to turn off the TV and get ready for work.

Watching these cyclists reminds me of one of my favorite [non-food related] things about France: the fact that almost every store is closed on Sundays.

That is not the case in America. I know, because I work in retail. And I have worked many a Sunday.

I wish I could sit around and watch Tour de France and Olympic trials and drink iced coffee all day.  I know it is totally oxymoronic to sit on my butt and watch athletes train for the biggest athletic events EVER. Even still, I wish that was my agenda for today.

It’s not. But that’s ok, because we have to work so we can make money to buy groceries to make things like cranberry chocolate chip biscotti.

I’d say it’s worth it.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

When I was younger, my dad used to call me “Little Mary Underfoot”. I was always (always) in the way. Standing in front of the refrigerator when he needed to open it. Haphazardly placing my chair in the middle of a hallway. Walking, then randomly stopping so Dad would run into me. Deciding to move past each other at the same time, forcing Dad to trip over me.

Twenty two years later and not much has changed. He still calls me that, just not as frequently. Probably because I don’t live at home anymore.

A glimpse into a few more of my non-talents:

I have terrible timing. Like deciding to turn on the stove AND the oven on the hottest day of the year. By the way, my house has no air-conditioning.

I can feel my make up melting off.

I’m also pretty good at making messes. I’m less talented at cleaning them up. Don’t believe me? Ask my mom. Or my roommate.

Oh, and I find that my mouth moves quicker than my brain. I try to think before I speak, but it doesn’t always happen. I should get an A for effort, though.

I’m also finding that I have a hard time making healthy treats. Almost everyone I know is trying to lose weight or, at the very least eat healthier, so I made a valiant effort to assist people in their weight loss goals by making granola bars. The consistency is like a Quaker chewy bar; I’d even say they taste kind of cake-y. Either way, these granola bars are a great source of energy for an afternoon pick-me-up.

I’ll keep working on the whole healthy treats thing. And I’ll try to stay out of everybody’s way while I’m doing it. Happy Friday!

Snickerdoodle Coffee Cake

Do you know what we need more of in this world?

People who are passionate.

Love-what-you-do, radiate-happiness, inspire-change, set-the-world-on-fire passionate.

Life is too short to not do what you want to do. Maybe that means doing taxes. Or coaching t-ball. Or folding laundry. Or teaching biology. Or sharpening pencils. Or greeting customers at Meijer. Or whipping up drinks at Starbucks.

Whatever it is, don’t be ashamed. Own it.

Let’s not bash other people and their talents. I need somebody to do my taxes, coach t-ball to my future kids, teach them biology, and greet me at Meijer. I certainly need somebody to make my frappuccinos.  I think I can fold my own laundry and sharpen my own pencils, but if there is somebody who likes doing those things, then go for it.

We don’t need more passive people. We need more passionate people.

Ponder this over snickerdoodle coffee cake.