making lilac sugar {photographs + links}

O Me! O Life!
Oh me! Oh life! of the questions of these recurring,
Of the endless trains of the faithless, of cities fill’d with the foolish,
Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish than I, and who more faithless?)
Of eyes that vainly crave the light, of the objects mean, of the struggle ever renew’d,
Of the poor results of all, of the plodding and sordid crowds I see around me,
Of the empty and useless years of the rest, with the rest me intertwined,
The question, O me! so sad, recurring—What good amid these, O me, O life?

Answer.
That you are here—that life exists and identity,
That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.
-Walt Whitman

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Lilac sugar wasn’t planned, but after it happened, I wondered if the fates hadn’t aligned it. There in our backyard the apple tree blossoms were falling, scattering themselves among us, making a carpet for our bare feet. Our lilac shrub seemed to  bloom before our eyes, and my two littles couldn’t resist those purple beauties, tempted by their sweet perfume and soft color. As I was brought bouquet after bouquet, I remembered this beautiful post and suggested we should make lilac sugar. My son took off to his favorite tree declaring pirates were far too busy for that sort of thing, but my daughter danced around me, sure that a princess-fairy* had time. And so we now have a jar of lilac sugar that is eager to add some verses to our baking.

{and then some links for your weekend}

Lilac sugar, of course. Happy Birthday, Walt Whitman! (Read Leaves of Grass here for free). This post was all over my facebook – and I’m pretty sure it will be me one day. Naptime picnic date! (I love this blog.) This ice cream looks amazing. So does this one. And these nachos! And this pizza! Yes! I really cannot get enough of this song this week. I really like these plates. I don’t know if you’ve heard of Artisan Magazine, but if you have an ipad it’s free! and lovely! and I have a little piece in this issue. Check them out here.

*I’m keeping quiet on Arrested Development right now. There might have to be a post down the road, but I feel the series needs a re-watching before I’ll give my two-cents.

*a princess-fairy is a princess who is also a fairy. This, of course, is the best of both worlds, and Ms. [W] is 98% sure that this combination of perfection is possible.

*Thanks to Kelsey for reminding me of this verse from Whitman.