My name is Jeralyn....I love writing, reading, art, music, dance, fashion, food, yoga, health and the environment, studying culture, and travel. I love LOVE; that is my favorite thing by far. I am a 20 year old college student studying English, Secondary Education, Creative Writing, and possibly cultural anthropology (considering it).
This blog is devoted to love and relationships themselves, but also everything I fall in love with; such as people, ideas, quotes, pictures, songs, ideas, articles, thoughts, tips, advice, etc. Always be passionate about everything; always be passionate about yourself. I fall in love with the world every day, and I enjoy being vivacious, happy, and positive. This world is full of enough pain, complications, and disappointments. Find something to be thankful for everyday. Life isn't always about the perfections, but the imperfections and unique characteristics that make our lives beautiful.
I pour my heart and soul into this blog and I hope you can relate to it.
Oh, and my email is jeralyndwile@gmail.com in case you want to write me!
My boyfriend and I just watched this movie the other night (probably my 100th time), and I laughed hilariously…as usual. Don Knotts was such a funny guy; the faces he makes are priceless. Old movies can be so enjoyable…If you haven’t seen this classic, you really should.
“Love is one of the answers humankind invented to stare death in the face: time ceases to be a measure, and we can briefly know paradise.”
—Octavio Paz
I JUST FINISHED READING:
Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
As a winner of the Pulitzer Prize, I figured that this book must be incredible and I picked it up (also because it was assigned for my class). And, as it turns out, it IS incredible and I think everyone should read it. The powerful short stories come together to tell one giant tale of love…Whether its love lost, love-of-self, family love, passionate love, unrequited love, etc. It is all there and its powerful guys…I mean, you’ll probably cry. I did.
Here’s what I think you should do: Go to Barnes and Noble (or your favorite book seller) and just read the first short story titled, “A temporary matter”. It’s amazing…And if you’re not sold after reading that one, then don’t get the book. But if it reaches down and touches your soul, like it did mine, then buy it. Add it to your collection. Read it with a box of tissues.
Four-Layer Pumpkin Cake with Orange-Cream Cheese Frosting
A relatively intense process may be worth it to create this beautiful cake. I think that it would be a great conversation piece for the family-thanksgiving get together. It’s new, unique, creative, and delicious. Give it a try…
Cake:
Frosting:
For cake:
Position rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 350°F. Spray two 9-inch cake pans with 1 1/2-inch sides with nonstick spray. Line bottoms with parchment; spray parchment.
Whisk flour and next 4 ingredients in large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in another large bowl until smooth. Beat in brown sugar. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend between additions. Beat in pumpkin. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture in 3 additions alternately with milk in 2 additions, beating to blend between additions. Divide batter between pans.
Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool in pans on rack 15 minutes. Run knife around cakes to loosen. Invert cakes onto racks. Remove parchment. Using tart pan bottom as aid, turn cakes over onto racks, top sides up, and cool completely. DO AHEAD:Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap cakes in plastic and store at room temperature.
For frosting:
Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Add cream cheese and orange peel; beat until smooth. Add powdered sugar and beat on low speed until smooth.
Trim rounded tops from cakes. Using long serrated knife, cut each cake horizontally in half. Place 1 cake layer, cut side up, on large platter. Spoon 2/3 cup frosting atop cake in dollops; spread to edges. Repeat 2 more times with cake and frosting; top with remaining cake layer, cut side down. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake (layer will be thin). DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover with cake dome; chill. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.
Decorate cake with walnuts and serve.
* A spice blend that usually contains ground fennel seeds, Szechuan peppercorns, cinnamon, star anise, and cloves; available in the spice section of most supermarkets.
I just saw the trailer for this movie that comes out in the beginning of December, and I actually think it looks really good. I’m usually not a big fan of Tobey Maguire, but this is a strange role for him and it could be really great. We’ll see…
I’m not going to write out the movie description I found because it pretty much tells the ENTIRE plot and I’d rather you were surprised…but if curious, check out this link. The description is there AND the trailers so watch it…
What do you think?
By Leo Babauta
Finding the ideal working habits that will allow me to write as consistently as possible is always something I’m exploring as a writer.
As I’ve said before, I try to make it a habit to write first thing in the morning. It helps me to focus and ensure that I’m getting my writing done.
I love reading about my favorite writers and what writing habits led to their success. Below, I share with you some of my favorite writers’ work habits … and it’s obvious that there’s no single way to success. Some like to write a certain number of words or pages every day, others were happy to write a page or a sentence. Some liked to write long-hand, others did it on index cards. Some wrote standing up, others lying down.
There’s no one way that works. Do what works for you (and share it in the comments!). But maybe you’ll get some inspiration from these greats, as I have.
1. Stephen King. In his book On Writing, King says that he writes 10 pages a day without fail, even on holidays. That’s a lot of writing each day, and it has led to some incredible results: King is one of the most prolific writers of our time.
2. Ernest Hemingway. By contrast with King, “Papa” Hemingway wrote 500 words a day. That’s not bad, though. Hemingway, like me, woke early to write to avoid the heat and to write in peace and quiet. Interestingly, though Hemingway is famous for his alcoholism, he said he never wrote while drunk.
3. Vladimir Nabokov. The author of such great novels as Lolita, Pale Fire and Ada did his writing standing up, and all on index cards. This allowed him to write scenes non-sequentially, as he could re-arrange the cards as he wished. His novel Ada took up more than 2,000 cards.
4. Truman Capote. The author of “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and “In Cold Blood” claimed to be a “completely horizontal author.” He said he had to write lying down, in bed or on a couch, with a cigarette and coffee. The coffee would switch to tea, then sherry, then martinis, as the day wore on. He wrote his first and second drafts in longhand, in pencil. And even his third draft, done on a typewriter, would be done in bed — with the typewriter balanced on his knees.
5. Philip Roth. One of the greatest living American writers, Roth works standing up, pacing around as he thinks. He claimed to walk half a mile for every page he writes. He separates his work life from personal life, and doesn’t write where he lives — he has a studio built away from his house. He works at a lectern that doesn’t face the view of his studio window, to avoid distraction.
6. James Joyce. In the pantheon of great writers of the last century, Joyce looms large. And while more prolific writers set themselves a word or page limit, Joyce prided himself in taking his time with each sentence. A famous story has a friend asking Joyce in the street if he’d had a good day writing. Yes, Joyce replied happily. How much had he written? Three sentences, Joyce told him.
7. Joyce Carol Oates. This extremely prolific writer (see her bibliography on her Wikipedia page!) has won numerous awards, including the National Book Award. She writes in longhand, and while she doesn’t have a formal schedule, she says she prefers to write in the morning, before breakfast. She’s a creative writing professor, and on the days she teaches, she says she writes for an hour or 45 minutes before leaving for her first class. On other days, when the writing is going well, she can work for hours without a break — and has breakfast at 2 or 3 in the afternoon!
Great advice. Reblogging as a note to self.
These look delicious! And my sister loves anything that has maple flavoring so I know she would like them…Maybe I’ll make them for her special on Christmas morning. That would be a nice treat…
oil, for frying all-purpose flour
powder pureePreheat oil in a large Dutch oven to 375 degrees F.
Whisk dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
Whisk eggs, yolk, buttermilk, pumpkin puree, melted butter and almond extract together in another large bowl until smooth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and thoroughly mix together using a wooden spoon. The dough will be very sticky.
Dust your countertop and hands with flour. Using your hands pat out dough to 1/2-inch thickness. Dip a 3-inch round cutter in flour and cut out donuts. Cut out center of donuts with 3/4-inch cutter. Gather scraps and re-roll. Continue cutting out donuts.
Fry donuts, in hot oil, until golden brown and crisp, approximately 1 minute per side. Drain on wire rack over sheet tray to cool.
Once cool, dust with cinnamon sugar, if desired, or dip tops of the donuts into the Maple Syrup Glaze. Also, a butter knife can be used to spread on the glaze.
Maple Syrup Glaze:
In a small bowl, combine confectioners’ sugar, maple extract and milk; stir well. Add additional milk, if needed, to reach desired consistency. Drizzle over donuts.
Food Network.
