So I'm pretty sure this blog is kind of dead. If you want to still see what I'm up to, I have a tumblr that you can feel free to bookmark/add to your reader/ignore at redwingblackbird.tumblr.com. It's mostly a design/photography/life inspiration blog but it has some original stuff occasionally as well.

500 miles of apple orchards 'til we meet

click to embiggen

I finally tried my first Joy the Baker recipe after reading her blog obsessively for a while: Fried Apple Cakes!

They were. So much more amazing than I was even anticipating. And the little bit of maple syrup with sour cream was. Amazing. Haha. I'm also thinking about just making up a bunch of batter for when I want some cause they were that good! I definitely need to try more of her recipes soon. <3

here comes the sun again...

Rhode Island bound...

This is my friend Abby and I:



We're pretty hilarious together. But that's not the point. The point is, Abby needs help. Your help, more specifically. Most post-grads, like myself, are facing one heck of a brick-wall job market, leaving us with entry level jobs at insurance companies, menial office jobs, or on the front lines of retail; three things no one wants. So now, we're turning to something that seemed like it was only for doctors, junior college professors, and those people on the History Channel with weird titles like "Nautical Science and Etymology Expert": grad school. However, grad school is a huge, expensive commitment and in order to decide if it's something Abby really wants to do, she's decided to take an intensive summer design course at the Rhode Island School of Design, or RISD, for short. While much more inexpensive than actual graduate school, she will still be incurring a huge bill... and this is where you come in.

Abby loves to knit. Not only that, but she's good at it, too! And she wants to do it for you! So, if you're so inclined, check out her blog demonstrating her skills, and drop her a line if you'd like to help her out by buying something. I know she'll appreciate it, and I appreciate it, too!

yes, this is really happening

I am in love. In love with Clif Bars. And to commemorate this, I'm going to review all of the flavors I've tried so far.



Let's start with where it all began, when I decided to buy a bulk box of 3 varieties from Costco.

Crunchy Peanut Butter Out of the 3 included in the variety pack, this one is, by far, my favorite. Awesome chunks of peanut and over all amazing. A classic. A

Chocolate Chip This may come as a surprise, but this is the worst one! Not really chocolate-chippey and has a weird glyceriny syrup all over. Edible, but kinda gross. D

Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch A nice combo of the Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip, but without the weird syrup. Has a mostly PB taste with flecks of chocolate chips. Okay, but nothing special. B

After suffering through 2 variety packs of the Chocolate Chip, I decided to start buying them individually from Trader Joe's. I realized that it's not that much more expensive to buy them that way, plus I can pick out any flavors I want. Here's what I tried...

Chocolate Brownie FANTASTIC. After trying this one, Chocolate Chip is dead to me. Seriously, if you want something chocolatey, Chocolate Brownie is for you. A-

Cool Mint Chocolate ALSO FANTASTIC. Basically the Chocolate Brownie but with the added amazingness of peppermint, which is probably my favorite chocolate combo ever right behind chocolate and coffee. A

Black Cherry Almond Meh. This one's just ok. I like the idea more than the execution. It could probably use a bit more cherry and a bit less almond. I think if I want a good cherry granola bar, I'll stick with Kashi's Cherry Dark Chocolate. C

Blueberry Crisp This is another really good one. When I first tried one, I thought it might be too sweet, but now I think it's just right. It's got almost a creamy texture which is a nice change of pace. B

Carrot Cake I've never been a big carrot cake person, but I decided on a whim to try one, and it turns out it's really good! I love spiced things that make me think of autumn and Halloween and this was just that. Maybe I'll have to try actual carrot cakes now? A

That's all I've tried so far. The rest are: Peanut Toffee Buzz, Chocolate Almond Fudge, Apricot, Oatmeal Walnut Raisin, Banana Nut Bread, Maple Nut, and White Chocolate Macadamia Nut. Trader Joe's only carries so many different types, so who know's if I'll ever get to try them all. I sure hope so, though. =D

a little color

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So. So. Excited.