Day 344: Blondies Do Have More Fun

I know what you're thinking after reading Days 341, 342, and 343, assuming you did, which you should and if you haven't, do it now.

You're probably wondering how is Stephanie going top winning credit card roulette, hanging out with the geeks of freaks of DragonCon and spending the day at a NASCAR race with a celebrity and friend with Day 344's new activity?

And the answer is: She doesn't. She doesn't even try. She basks in the Monday-after glow of an amazing weekend.

And she bakes brownies.

Actually, these were Blondies, and I'd never made them before. Day 344's thing I've never done before was to bake Blondies, the white chocolate version of the brownie.

I know, not terribly inventive or groundbreaking, but I never promised big things everyday.

Thankfully, when I'm all tapped out on blog ideas, I have my friends to lean on. Like, for example, Olivia. In addition to making me want to drink wine, go on beautiful trips and high tail it back to Charleston and never look back, my cyber-friend Olivia's blog everyday musings most makes me want to bake beautiful creations and take lovely pictures of them.

One of her favorite things to bake is brownies, which is one of the reasons I liked her right away. There really isn't a better dessert than a brownie, in my opinion. Olivia loves them too, and is always experimenting with different flavors. I consulted her blog for the recipe and went to work.

Again, completing this task wasn't all that awesome, because while I may lack creativity in decorating, arranging flowers and taking pictures, I can bake my ass off. In fact, a guy that I work with was surprised to find out that I was just 29. He said, "Really? You're not even 30? You bake like you're 60." I decided to take that as a compliment.

I mean, baking is just following directions, but I happen to follow directions VERY well. These blondies were (sorry, I have to use this word) moist and delicious. White chocolate, butter, sugar, what could go wrong?

Well, for me, the only thing that was wrong with mine, was the presentation. I brought them to work to share and I had to chuckle when I put them on display. I knew they were good, but they just looked so sad.

Yeah, those beautiful blondies placed perfectly in the le cruset dish? Those are Olivia's blondies. And these redneck blondies, looking as if they were haphazardly thrown into some tinfoil, are mine.

Hey, I can't be good at everything.

Day 311: Blog Love

On Day 311, I fell in love.

It's just at the beginning stages, but her name is Olivia and she is perfection.

Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, take it easy, pervs. Not like that. Sorry to disappoint, but that's not that kind of love I'm talking about here.

And to be honest, I'm not even sure it's love at all, but probably more like adoration, admiration and maybe even a little infatuation.

After 311 days of pouring myself into my very own, Day 311's thing I've never done before was to fall in love with someone else's blog.

Olivia Rae, or, http://www.olivia-rae.com/.

I know, lame post, and maybe you're right. I set out on Day 311 to turn Project 29 to 30, averaging at the time around 100 hits a day, into a money-making venture, by setting up AdSense for Blogspot.

Not surprising, just like when I try to install Google Analytics on Day 120, I was unsuccessful installing the application and when I realized I didn't know how to "disable the cookies," (WTF does that mean?), I instead spent time acquainting myself with the handful of people who had elected to "follow," Project 29 to 30.

My followers. My people.

That is how I found Olivia, who by my stroke of good luck, had decided to join the Project 29 to 30 crazy train weeks before. When I clicked on her profile, and then onto her blog, I was immediately mesmerized by an endless supply of beautiful photographs of everything from travel book-worthy landscapes to 5-Star restaurant-quality foods.

Olivia's blog, "everyday musings," is all about the things that she loves: cooking, traveling, living in Charleston, and being with her family and friends. She is effortlessly cool, naturally beautiful and appears to be a great cook; though seemingly far more elegant than I, she enjoys the same things that I do: warm sea breezes, Charleston sunsets and brownies of all varieties.

Oh yeah, and did I mention she makes cake stands, is the Food & Travel Editor for Southern Flourish magazine?

And she's a student at College of Charleston?

When I was in college, if I wasn't in class or sleeping, I wasn't doing terribly productive, wildly creative things. I was probably hanging out, or drinking keg beer, or thinking about what costume I was going to wear to my sorority's next social function.

Not Olivia. When she's not in class, probably studying something romantic and lovely, she's planning gorgeous vacations, baking scrumptious cakes, posing for the cover of magazines, or is just being awesome.

Creepy, right? All this talk about a girl I don't know?

Maybe, but I couldn't help but think, as I was brainstorming ways Olivia and I could hang out the next time I'm in Charleston (Does that make me a stalker?), that I had, in starting my own blog, joined a little subculture of people who like me, are sharing their lives with their friends, families, and in this case, perfect strangers. I liked the idea, as I became engaged with her life, that she had also been engaged by mine; and I wondered what I had said that amused or touched her enough to want to follow my journey. Completely obsessed I opted to "follow" her blog right back.

I strongly recommend you do the same.

Her photographs of the greatest city on earth are enough to warrant taking a look. But everyday musings also showcases Olivia's funny videos and all the brownie recipes you could ever need. She's wonderfully artistic and I get the sense she is wise beyond her 21 years. Plus, she's far more selective in her story-telling, and I mean that in the best way. She blogs the way that it's supposed to be done: in real time, with quick stories, and plenty of visual aides. No senseless rambling like mine.

I can't even blog correctly. Damn.

But Olivia can. And does.