where the magic happens.

as you know, i've been thinking a lot about writing lately, and to some extent i've also been pondering writing spaces. this one, photographed by the lovely and talented laure joliet for the new york times, is so pretty, isn't it? i can't get enough of the way the light is streaming through the stained glass windows.

loving: keri russell's brooklyn brownstone.

i'm not going to lie, i have a bit of a girl crush on keri russell, her effortless personal style and, now, her home. these pictures from elle decor have been making the blog rounds, but i couldn't resist cataloging them here, as well. they're just so pretty.

photos by william waldron for elle decor

baked!: summery lemon squares ( + my lemon love)

i think that if i were forced to pick my all-time favorite citrus, lemon would be it -- and in fact, lemon would probably be my all-time favorite fruit, too. i realize this may sound odd coming from a born-and-bred florida girl -- i mean, we love our oranges here -- but from taste to scent, lemon is my number one.

i went to a barbecue at one of my best friends' homes over memorial day weekend, and when i asked what to bring for dessert (because we all know i'm always going to bring dessert), she suggested lemon squares. so after poking around for recipes on the internet, i finally settled on deb's adaptation of ina's lemon squares.

i wasn't disappointed. these bars look and taste like summer. they're the perfect mix of tart and sweet, and the sift of powdered sugar that tops them puts them right over the edge. plus, they're so easy to whip up -- honestly, the hardest part is waiting for the sugar-cookie crust to cool completely.

oh, and full disclosure: the deb version of this treat is more equal in the crust-to-filling department than ina's, and she recommends shortening the cooking time. i somehow missed that note and left them in my oven longer than i should have, and they were still perfect -- maybe a touch more, um, solid than they would be with a shorter bake time, but lacking nothing in the flavor and texture department. make them!

the weekend + committing to...

happy monday, everyone -- how were your weekends? mine was great; i got to try out a new restaurant -- euphemia haye -- as part of savor sarasota restaurant week, spend time with friends and purge a bunch of clothes from my closet (!). also, my car seems to be properly functioning again, and i managed to try a new workout -- piloxing -- that i think is going to become part of my regular routine. oh! and my best friend and i won $100 from a dollar scratch-off lotto ticket -- she bought me one as a present and i won, so we split (which is our deal with things like this). an auspicious start to a new week, i hope.

and speaking of, the next seven days are going to be busy, but i'm looking forward to them -- and also looking forward to getting back on the right track on the health front. the end of last week brought with it multiple lunches and dinners for work, and while i love food and eating, meals like that right on top of one another make me feel kind of gross. also, my sweet tooth has been out of control lately, as evidenced by the fact that i found myself standing in front of the fridge on saturday night eating caramel sauce (that i'd made for another baking project) out of its container with a spoon.

um, yeah.

anyway, i think my sweet tooth is the perfect way to segue into this week's five commitments, which are as follows:

+ less sugar. obviously.

+ more yoga, which i'm so into right now.

+ portion control. i'm good at eating sensible portions when cooking for myself, but i tend to forget proper portions when i'm out. so: work on that. and i have the opportunity to do so at a dinner tonight. will report back.

+ you know that saying about dressing for the job you want? i need to step out of my jeans and into some skirts, dresses and regular pants. i work in a creative field so jeans are ok, but purging my closet this weekend -- and reading kendi's tips about assessing and shopping -- has started to make me rethink my work style philosophy.

+ stop and appreciate the beauty around me whenever possible. the drive up longboat key to the restaurant on saturday night was so beautiful i almost got choked up -- beachy homes on one side, the gulf on the other, all glowing in the light of the setting sun. sometimes i forget how beautiful sarasota is.

i promise to be a better blogger this week, and will be back with a new baked!, a new scenes from sarasota and possibly a new book "review," too. until tomorrow, friends.

photo by .natasha., who has the most beautiful flickr i think i've ever seen.

deep breaths.

sorry i've been so quiet this week -- it's been insanely busy around here. i was in naples all day yesterday for work, played catch-up on everything i missed today, have a work lunch and dinner tomorrow, a schedule for the weekend already...and in the midst of it all, my car decided to break down, so a large chunk of change flew out the window this afternoon.

see? busy! (although admittedly mostly good busy. minus the car thing.)

i probably won't be posting again until friday, so until then, i hope your weeks have been ridiculously good and are flying by. and i hope you enjoy this images -- it looks like a breath of fresh air feels, yes?

photo: valerie chiang