Tonight You Belong To Me

Due to my excessive lack of time management skills, my Valentine's post is not ready to be posted tonight. To make up for it, here is a video of the cutest duet you'll see all week.



Your heart just melted a little and I'm not even sorry.

Red Velvet Crinkles and a Baking Video

Boy do I have a treat for you today. As you should know by now, we are quickly approaching my favorite holiday. (Re: this post, that post, and also this one)

Three cheers for Valentine's Day. *wiggles eyebrows*

Since we have four weeks until the actual day, I'm going to post something Valentine-themed every Thursday until Friday the 14th.

This week is a cookie recipe that I found on Cooking Classy. Have you ever had chocolate crinkles? I discovered these yummies in college. If you don't know, they are a chewy chocolate cookie with a beautifully-crackled powdered sugar top.  I saw this red velvet version at Panera Bread the other day and decided to make some myself in honor of the holiday. It creates a more cake-like cookie than traditional crinkle recipes but it tastes just as divine as a slice of the cake it is named for. 

It's got a light moist texture, that lovely crinkled coating, and white chocolate chips inside to compliment the mild cocoa flavor.  

They also photograph beautifully. In case that's important to you.  

Anyway, I did something a little different and made a video while I was baking. (Again, recipe found here.) I filmed the first half using a tripod and then my mom volunteered her hands so I could operate the camera for the second half (In case you notice the sudden appearance of a wedding ring. It's not mine.) 

I've never done this before so please forgive any unfocused parts and how awkward my voice sounds.  Nothing makes you hate the sound of your own voice more than recording voiceovers, I learned.  I am usually way less serious and bored-sounding in conversation.  Oh well, at least we know I'm not cut out for radio!

Well, what did you think? Should I do more baking tutorial videos or is my time on YouTube something that needs to be quietly put away in a drawer? And most relevant, will you be making these cookies??  All important questions.

That's all for this week! See you next Thursday, lovebirds! 

xx

P.S. Past Valentine's Day cookie recipes: heart-shaped Lofthouse cookies and chocolate mint sandwiches

Paperman

Have you seen Paperman, Disney's latest short film? It was just released in full on Youtube yesterday and it's the sweetest thing I've seen all week. Take a look:



...sigh...

My Five Favorite YouTube Videos

Today’s post is prompted by the 20-Something Bloggers January Blog Carnival: blog your favorite YouTube video.

YouTube is my go-to source when I want something to make me smile. From videos of fainting goats to clips of babies laughing, it’s easy to find cheerful content.  My absolute favorite videos are shorts by comedy groups. I can watch the same sketch fifty times and kill myself laughing every time.  As an avid fan of the site since 2006, picking my favorite video is like picking a favorite child: I just can’t, I love them all for different reasons. Not that I have children…but you know what I mean…

So instead of making an impossible choice, here are my top FIVE YouTube videos. Spoiler alert, they’re all comedy sketches. In fact, chances are good that I may have already blogged about one or two of them.

+ “Boys Will Be Girls” by The Harvard Sailing Team

Every. Single. One of my girl friends knows and can quote this video by heart. Pretty much everything made by the talented comedy group known as The Harvard Sailing Team is hilarious and endlessly quotable. But this is unquestionably their most popular one.  OMG you haven’t seen it? Where have you been living, under a stupid rock?

+ “Things you CAN’T do when you’re NOT in a pool” by Don’t Be That Guy Films

Another great duo that produces hilarious shorts on YouTube: Don’t Be That Guy Films. Again, many great videos but this one is my favorite. It makes me laugh every time.

+ "Man vs Toddler" by Barats and Bereta

I can’t make a post about YouTube videos without mentioning something by Barats and Bereta. They're like the original YouTube duo. This video still slays me.

+ “Leaves” by runawaybox

Runaway Box hasn’t made videos in a really long time so I’m not sure they’re still a thing but every time I get nostalgic for fall I watch this video and it makes me laugh. Who doesn't have this urge when they walk by a yard of fallen leaves?

More of my favorites from Runaway Box include any of the episodes from the Elevator Show series.

+ “Progression of a Mad Hatter” by Derrick Comedy 

My siblings and I are constantly quoting this to one another. This video has been around for almost 7 years and still anytime anyone asks me “How was work?” I immediately want to respond, “Sliiimy. What’s for dessert?” Don't worry, I usually restrain myself. 

Derrick Comedy has a ton of other videos but a large portion of them are not what one would consider family-friendly. Even this one gets rather dark at the end. But it’s ok. I love you Square Face.

Honorable mentions: Donut Pirate by Jeffery Dallas/Julian Smith and any Potter Puppet Pals video by Neil Cicierega

The 20SB January blog carnival is sponsored by WIGS, the #1 channel for scripted drama on YouTube. You can watch the video of their popular network stars talking about their favorite YouTube videos here.

Do you have any favorite YouTube videos I should watch? 

Scenes from the Road: Video

Made it to Boston a couple of days ago. In between settling in and starting my new job, I made a video of the footage and photos I took on my road trip out here.
Enjoy.


Roadtrip. from Ellie Carolus on Vimeo.

Wordless Wednesday

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Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Things I Love This Week

Happy Friday, darlings! 

The thing that always makes my week better, no matter what, is getting OUTSIDE.
Photos from a recent afternoon in the lakeside village of Lutry:

 Other pleasantries:

• Floating sky lanterns 
• Penny farthings
• iPhoto books
• Bouquets of pink ranunculus, white tea roses, and anemones
• Roasted chicken tacos with avocado, onion, cilantro, and lime
• Classic striped birthday candles
• Wrought iron headboards
• Anthropologie shoes
• A bright yellow Kitchen Aid stand mixer
• Dubstep
• Fishtail braids
• Packages from Texas
• T-strap Mary Jane heels
• Silk cocoon string lights from Muji 
• vintage campaign buttons
• Evian designer glass bottles
• Stacks of letters tied with ribbon
• Cailler chocolate
• This video. This lamb is cracking me up.

Get out there and seize the weekend, you crazy kids.

La Belle Paysage - VIDEO

Still trying to get out of my head and into a blog post. 

I don't know where my rhythm has gone or when it will come back but for the moment, I will spending lots of time outside.  The minute I step out of the house, the glimpse of sky and earth is like a breeze that clears out the clutter in my head.  

Today, took a little ride in the countryside with a small child by my side. No, this is not the start of a country song.

The village is a claustrophobic cluster of houses and barns and tractors and flower boxes but just past the horse farm, you break out into wide open fields. In the valley of the hills is the main north-south motor way of Switzerland, yet cars glide by without making any noise, respecting my need for quiet. Across the valley is a jumbled huddle of red tile roofs and the sharp peak of a clock tower, marking another village, though slightly larger. The Jura Mountains create a ring around the horizon but only when the view is not hemmed in by the fog. It's a dynamic landscape that defies description, but that doesn't stop me from trying.

Today's jaunt outdoors was a glorious excursion into the late afternoon sun.  Rather unexpectedly, it began to snow in the sunlight and everything was cast in an ethereal glow. What I can't write, I film, so what follows is a rather hastily edited video of our walk, set to a Carla Bruni tune.

A few qualifications:
1) I'm not Jean-Luc Godard so this is not cinematic greatness.
2) Filming while on a scooter, probably not the best idea. At one point I fell off. I'm sure you'll figure that out.
3) My fingers are in the shot to block the glare of the sun, which my highly-technical Flip can't handle. 4) Whatever, enjoy it.