A few good gems

Image via Lizzy Gadd

Sorry for the light posting as of late. As Annie mentioned earlier, things have been hectic in both of our households, and sometimes we need to step away from the computer to deal with real life (and real-life assignments). But fear not! I have gems for you today. They are bright and shiny and full of the hope O' the Internet. You know, that feeling that YOU COULD DO THAT. I feel that from time to time, and then I wander back over to my Netflix queue. But you! You could do it! I just feel it.

"Don't Dismiss the Humanities" --  "Our world is enriched when coders and marketers dazzle us with smartphones and tablets, but, by themselves, they are just slabs. It is the music, essay, entertainment and provocations that they access, spawned by the humanities, that animate them and us." Yeah! Power to the humanities!

I'm in awe of this back to school picnic. In days of yore I made a special first-day-of-school dinner, complete with a school bus cake (some years it was a pencil). I'm thinking I'll resurrect this tradition for this year. 

You can buy this nifty headboard at Urban Outfitters. But the DIY geek that lives deep inside me whispers, "You can do this." I'm thinking . . . guest room refresh.

I made this Simple Summertime Basil Chicken Curry with Coconut Ginger-Lime Rice for dinner this week. It was soooo good. Even though the recipe is simple, it definitely required more time than I generally like to spend on weeknight cooking. On the upside? It made tons of leftovers, so it was time well spent.

Image via halfbakedharvest.com

I'll admit I'm pretty taken with The Property Brothers. The New York Times gives an inside look at their life and their home in Las Vegas.

Have you listened to (and watched the video) for Meghan Trainor's "All About that Bass"? It's catchy and I have to say I'm thrilled with the message: "Every inch of you is perfect from the bottom to the top." (There is some, ahem, language . . . so beware).

Like many of you, I was deeply saddened by the death of Robin Williams. (I've watched Dead Poet's Society twice in the last week.) I've read lots of online tributes, which all seem to focus on the generosity of Robin Williams -- how buoyed up those around him. I thought this series of tweets by Norm MacDonald was a poignant look into William's special type of contribution.

That's it folks. Monday morning? SCHOOL. 

Yikes.