#petit-beignet

[astromechs]

A, V, and X Pls 😊

A - Your current OTP(s)/OT3(s)/OTX(s)

not to be Like This, but scarletnovadevil (rich/matt/wanda), the ot3 i invented, has completely taken over my life. i will shout from the rooftops every single day about how these characters all really vibe so well together. it's about the shared experiences of trauma, mental illness, and self-loathing, but realizing that good things are still out there for you if you're willing to work at them — and if you have supportive, understanding, and loving people by your side.

V - 3 OTPs from 3 different fandoms

neo/trinity — the matrix series

katniss/peeta — the hunger games

marianne/heloise — portrait of a lady on fire, because this absolutely counts

X - top 5-10 characters who are yoUR PRECIOUS BABIES AND YOU WILL DIE DEFENDING THEM

ok i will give a smattering assortment of characters here, because i have a lot of favorites:

katniss everdeen (thg) — i don't see it as much anymore, but people were really out here coming for a traumatized teenage girl and calling her a sociopath because she was a lil blunt and not super nice, like... WHAT. anyway, katniss my best girl. named my cat after you. you're the best always. love how she was messy and real and not at all like an archetypal protagonist.

anakin skywalker (star wars) — ok. i know. ok. yes. he's done the war crimes and made horrible decisions in his life and i'm not going to excuse any of that. but the jedi were emotionally invalidating assholes and he was immensely traumatized and taken advantage of by an emotionally manipulative prick. i will always stand by anakin bye

sherlock holmes was one of my og blorbos and while he doesn't need defending necessarily, christ did the bbc show give people a weird perception of him. he's just a funky little weirdo who likes solving puzzles and hates cops, why are you all being weird

clark kent/superman — i have been constantly having to fend off the "lol he's boring" allegations for him ever since i can remember. sorry if you're so unimaginative that you cannot possibly think that a guy who's just genuinely a good person and uses his power to help people is interesting. i feel sorry for your life. (note, this also applies to other characters who fit into this general category of character, especially my beloved boy rich rider, who also has to fend off the "lol boring" allegations from time to time. BEGONE)

i feel like pretty much any comic book woman who does something out of line needs defending, but i'll use this space to defend some of my faves. so elektra likes a little murder, so what, she's sexy for that and i support women's rights as well as women's wrongs. if anyone comes for gamora it's on sight. i will also always stand up for wanda because everything she's done is justified, and it's not her fault that everyone in her life has completely failed her when she needed help. like, honestly fuck both the avengers and the x-men lol

as a bonus this needs to be said — i'm peter quill's defense lawyer, even for the war crimes 616 peter committed, but also, y'all. y'all. mcu peter quill didn't do anything wrong in infinity war, you're just dumb for still arguing about this FIVE YEARS LATER.

also for the holy love of god are peter parker and matt murdock horribly misinterpreted by fans, like, always. bad takes abound. i'm here to defend the honor of y'all's characterization as well as your bisexuality.

fandom meme!

[bebx]

pick a number by tapping on it. whoever you got is your roommate (no cheating)

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)

(7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12)

(13) (14) (15) (16) (17) (18)

(19) (20) (21) (22) (23) (24)

(25) (26) (27) (28) (29) (30)

who is your roommate?

no pressure tags: @foodiewithdahoodie @jcbbby @trekkitkat @queereldritch @cuethemulti @red-in-revenge @ohfallingdisco @eddiemunsons-missingnipple @josephfakingquinn @21deppstreet @jamiebowerserenity @maladaptive-jcb @sullxo @mobius-m-mobius @harringroveera @madamedepp @vecnasdollchild @bernajohnny @eddiemunsons80sbaby @jcbowerssmile @woefully-devoted @can-of-pringles @ikeepwatchinghelicopters @sillylittlerock @stopitbehaveyourself @runningupthatvecna @skeletal-sam @henrycreelvecna @violetrose-art @deliaqbower @alix-xer @bbgmunson @foxytonic @ladybower86 @petit-beignet @colbybrocksantidote @spookycheesestick @mirilyawrites @highwarlockofphilly @loki-is-my-kink-awakening @harringrove-heart @hargrovel @okilokiwithpurpose @eddiebillysteve @stevebillyart @lussiane333 @dudefrommywesterns @endgamebyler @llynwen @metalbenders-and-telepaths — if I didn’t tag you and you’d love to join, please do. everybody is welcome ♡

[mlplaysthesims]

Le Petit Crumb Bakery

Le Petit Crumb is a traditional bakery located in downtown Willow Creek and the perfect spot for your sims family to spend a Saturday morning dining on the beignets that Le Petit Crumb is famous for. Up above the bakery, you will find two fully furnished one-bedroom apartments, one that is sleek and sophisticated and the other that is a bit more cozy and quirky.

• Retail Lot • Bakery, Two One-Bedroom, Two-bath apartments • 30x40 • Built on the Movers and Shakers Gym Lot in Willow Creek • §190,703

EPs: High School Years, Snowy Escape, Eco Lifestyle, Island Living, Get Famous, Seasons, Cats & Dogs, City Living, Get Together, Get to Work

GPs: Dream Home Decorator, Realm of Magic, Jungle Adventure, Parenthood, Vampires, Dine Out, Spa Day

SPs: Paranormal, Nifty Knitting, Tiny Living, Moschino, Fitness Stuff, Bowling Night, Vintage Glamour, Backyard, Kids Room, Movie Night, Cool Kitchen, Backyard

Kits: Country Kitchen

Gallery ID: mlplaysthesims or #mlplaysthesims

Download: Patreon (Free)

[hermesserpent-stuff]

soooooo void!remy meeting the x men and being freaked is a love of mine. and him mistaking kurt for a weird vamp due to void things lol.

based on convos with @golden-buddle

tw: human trafficking, violence, child abuse

Remy clicks his tongue, fighting the urge to hiss and show off his teeth. He has to keep his poker face on. He had been working his way into gambling dens, digging down deeper and deeper, and now he has entered one of the darkest vilest gambling dens in the city. They dealt in things beyond the chump change of the rings that Remy preferred. No, this one deals in people. And not just people, but with a particular eye for vamps, mutants, and the young of both. 

He hates it. And the arch vampires of the city hate it. They had hired Blade to help them out clear out some of these dens of depravity. Which means Remy hunts them down and gets in and Blade and the rest come a knocking. 

Remy feels like his skin is itching as the proprietor of the establishment escorts Remy’s little group past the cages. Remy slips charged bits of paper into as many locks as he can. A little jolt and they would explode. He does not plan on things lasting long enough for him to actually to sit down and play a game of poker. He tenses as one of his many many explosions goes off. Well now. It seems someone tried rattling a cage. 

He hears the howl of Wolverine and the snikt of his claws coming into play as the sound of Deadpools endless pool of chatter springs.forth. Remy is ready to join in the chaos of the fight when he notices a little mutant girl being dragged down the stares through a door he thought was a wall. He makes a beeline for it, pulling out his favored bo staff to hit and explode any who tried to oppose him. 

The door leads to winding stairs that go deeper and deeper. He doggedly follows as the men take note that they have a prayer and start trying to do things that might slow him down. The little girl yowls and struggle, Remy spotting her fuzzy cat ears and tail as she struggles. One of the men hits her head and something in Remy snaps. He chucks a card forward, exploding the man's arm off. Then a silver knife finishes the job, lighting the vampire up.  He dispatches the other two with similar explosions lighting up the ill-lit room that surrounds them. He pants and the little girl stares as she sits on the floor. 

Remy pulls himself together and lowers himself to the floor.

“Hey mom petit. I'm not here to hurt.”

She sniffs the air. Probably has abilities similar to Logan's in the smell department.

“You smell like cat.”

She whispers and Remy smiles with no teeth.

“Sure do. Got a princess at home named Beignet. She's the sweetest fluffiest drop of midnight to come into my life. I would never hurt her. Or you.”

The girl seems to trust this, launching herself forward and burying her face in his neck.

“I don't want to hurt anymore. I always hurt.”

She begs and he gently pets her hair crooning lightly.

“Then Remy promises he gonna get you out. You got a name, mon petit?”

She noses his neck, sniffing and holding tighter. 

“They… they took it. Said I wasn't allowed to name myself. They called me Kitten.”

He wants to rip the world apart. Kill those men again and again. Names were important. Knowing his name was his helped keep him sane in the horridness of the void.

“I don't wanna call you something they made you take. What do you like to be called?”

She pauses, her little nails growing out into tiny claws that are sharp through his shirt. But not a threat. She is just scared.

“My momma called me Eleanor.”

He hums at the name.

“Alright. That's a pretty name, cher. Eleanor. I'm Remy.”

He gently pets her hair, and she noses his throat. He stands up with a playing card slotted into his free hand. She presses close, a light purr there as he spins and starts make his back to the stairs.

A man jumps out the block his path and Remy throws his charged card. He slides to the side as the man spits insults and tries to grab at the girl. She whimpers and presses closer into his chest, little pinpricks of blood coming out. He fires off another card and leaps up the stairs and around the man. He kicks his head and throws another charged card, blowing up his chest. Another man bursts into the stairwell and knocks him down. Remy keeps a tight grip on the little girl, determined to not let her down. He throws three cards at the staircase. But the guy dodges the cards and fires at Remy with a gun. Remy ducks down and throws a few more cards, hissing loudly as he shifts backwards away from the guy. His charged cards light up bright pink against the darkness, little flares of hope that explode in a ver familiar way. He gets a good shot on the man’s chest and he blows up.

Once more he tries to get to the stairs. Eyes flash in the darkness ahead of him and the smell of sulfur reaches his nose. Remy freezes, arms tight around the child that clings so fiercely to his chest, her cat ears pinned back at all the sound. In front of him stands a demon- or some sort of vamp? Either way, he does not know their allegiance and his throat fights down a sob of weariness. He just needs to finish breaking free of this hell, to meet up with Blade and Wolverine who he can hear ripping the place a few floors overhead. 

The blue vampire steps forward and Remy pulls out a cross and chucks it and hisses long and loud, showing off his teeth and stepping backwards. He is scared, so scared. The thing grips the cross, mouth opening slightly to say something right before the wood explodes. Remy’s feet are already moving when he hears a poof intermixed with the sound of an explosion. He skids to a stop at the sight of the vamp popping out in front of him.

“Hey, hey. Beruhige dich. Calm. We are on the same team. No need to disrespect the cross.”

The guy's hands go up showing three phalanges instead of the normal five. Remy hisses stepping back. This guy is fast. Too fast. Remy is too slow while carrying someone else, but he is not going to put her down. She whimpers and he gently pats her.

“It's okay Eleanor.”

He whispers, hand pulling out another weapon, a gun full of silver hollow points filled with garlic. The blue vamp loosens his posture, crouching down and curling his tail close. Tail? Maybe a really weird vampire.

“I dunno what game you be playin’ vamp, but if’n you be with the guys upstairs, we gonna have an issue real quick.”

Remy bites out, terror nipping at him. He was not supposed to be so far from the others. But he had been drawn in deeper at the chance of helping a child.

“Ah, mein Freund. Breath. I am not a vampire. I am like you and her. Mutant. Im here with some friends of mine. To help.”

A mutant? That… that actually makes more sense. That or the guy is a straight up demon. The little girl peeks out, arms still tight around Remy. 

“I see. Your group helps mutants… X-men?”

He knows the name from Wade’s friends who come around occasionally that he and Logan avoid. The girl would be safe with them. He would really like to avoid Charles Xavier, not needing to meet another terrifying telepath, no matter how sweet other mutants seemed on the guy. Logan is probably avoiding them for a different reason. 

“Ja! You know us!! We're the good guys!”

The guy cheers, tail swinging in presumable delight. The little girl’s eyes follow the tail, her own responding a little.

“Mmph. Remy will be believin’ he be seein’.”

“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. But we’ll make an exception for you, herr und frau. Now! Let the fuzzy elf help you out!”

The guy winks at the girl flicking his tail through the air and grinning. She lets out an amused sound and Remy finds himself relaxing.

“I'm Nightcrawler. And I can teleport. Let me port us out of here. Ja?”

Remy considers it, tucking his teeth away. He looks down at the little girl, who he does not want to scare more.

“What do we say cher? Do we trust a fuzzy elf?”

She sniffs the air and presses a little tighter into Remy.

“Uh-huh. Yess.”

She whispered, hissing the last syllable. He pats her head and nods.

“Alright. Get us out. To somewhere safe.”

Remy steps towards the mutant and Nightcrawler grips them both gently. Remy flinches at the poof noise and forces his eyes back open as the scent of sulfur hits his nose. He sees that they are right outside the doors of the gambling ring. He spots one of the vampire workers bolting out and Remy presses the little girl close, shielding her eyes and ears as he fires. The vampire lights up and explodes and Nightcrawler freezes. 

“You just-!”

“Don't feel bad. Bloodsucker was helpin’ hurt children. This weapon does not blow up normal folks. Just hurts like the devil.”

He hisses and then snaps his head to the side. Blade is there, sword wet with blood. Remy whistles, knowing that the vamp will be able to notice it even with the battle going on. Remy also notes that there are other people who are wearing outfits that have some shared designs. Remy keeps the girl on his hip and aims, firing to keep people away. Blade gets to his side and sniffs for wounds.

“Blood?”

Blade growls and Remy laughs.

“Aw, don't worry about Remy none! This sweet gal accidentally clawed me through my shirt.”

Eleanor makes a soft noise and he shushes her.

“And you shouldn't worry either, petit. I don't mind being clawed accidentally by you, cher.”

He gently pets her head and looks to Blade. Blade scrunches his nose. 

“We’re almost done cleaning it out. Cops are coming and these X-men are helping get the mutants somewhere safer. And some vamps are collecting the fledglings.”

Remy slowly nods.  Good. everyone was being taken care of. A few stragglers try to escape but he and Blade make sure they do not escape. Nightcrawler helps keep people from sneaking up on Remy and Remy keeps anyone from being able to touch the blue fur ball. Remy ends up sitting on a half wall next to the entrance. Eleanor is currently eating some of the Rolo’s that Remy had in his pocket, pressed against his chest with her legs tucked up against him. She seems to enjoy the caramel and chocolate, tugging on Remy’s sleeve to get more. He happily gives her more. Blade sits him on his left and Nightcrawler sits to his right. 

Nightcrawler speaks softly to him.

“The institute is a very safe place for mutants. She can learn there without people discriminating against her.”

Remy smoothes her hair down. He feels a little tense at the idea of just handing her over. She curls a little tighter into Remy while staring at Nightcrawler. 

“That'll be up to Eleanor. Watchu think? Remy’s happy to help you, but he's no good a teachin’.”

“But… what about you?”

She whispers, claws digging down into his shirt. He croons softly to her.

“I'll be okay.”

“He can come visit. I’ll give him the address and everything!”

Remy looks at Nightcrawler who looks genuine. 

“You'll help her?”

“All the best medicine and teaching. And protection. Xaivers is safe.”

He knows they are headed by the person who is the brother to Cassandra. It makes him nervous about going anywhere near.

“Will you visit Remy?”

She asks, hope in her voice.

“I-... I'll come, cher. Remy will come and visit. Keep an eye out for me on the edges petit.” 

“Or you could come too.”

“I got a place already.” 

He says with a shake of his head and scooches closer to Blade who hums pleasantly. Nightcrawler looks like he understands. Maybe. He presses a playing card gently into Eleanor’s hands and kisses her forehead before she goes with Nightcrawler. Blade gently rubs his nape with a firm hand and Remy leans into with a croon. 

[la-merlaison]

Louis XIII and his cooking adventures 🍴🥞

When it comes to our Louis XIII cult, I often refer to the king's iconic omelettes, but what about his other stuff? For example, he really loved sweets (like beignets or jams), but could he also cook them? The answer is YES, and that's not even all yet!

Louis was a curious child who's head was already filled with various interests and cooking became one of them when he was only ten years old at the time (which is quite unusual for a king). First ever case of the king cooking was recorded on february 11th of 1611, when he was preparing milk soups for the Duchess of Guise / Catherine of Cleves. So milk soup, most likely, could be Louis' very first dish made by himself!

Of course many kids have a sweet tooth and our precious omelette king was not an exception which I guess is why he started to learn how to cook mostly from recipes of sweets. Also, take a shot every time I say "sweets" or "cooking" (don't..) 🕊️

So, among 17th century royal sw- *ahem* DESSERTS we had in our menu – a jam, quince jelly, beignets (basically french donuts) and marzipans. In a well-known, among many of y'all Louis stalkers, journal of his doctor Jean Héroard I found some clear evidence of Louis XIII cooking some of these himself, so here it is feat. me periodically panicking over my own translation because my half-french friend is too busy atm and I don’t wanna bother them:

June 6th, 1611 — «He walks through the corridor from the study to the paneled gallery where he had an oven for making jams, he is amused to see how it's done.» I know it's not exactly him cooking, but I just wanted to leave it here :")

October 15th, 1612 — «Madame comes to see him; he has fun making jam with Mademoiselle de Vendôme»

January 29th, 1613 — «He often has fun making almond milk and marzipans at Madame's house.»

March 6th, 1615 — «It was very cold; he goes to the kitchen, makes omelettes, beignets, fried eggs; it was he who made them and ate a little of that he tasted.» Pretty sure the last few words could be translated better because it's always rather my terrible french or a little confusing way of Héroard's writing, so feel free to correct me.

February 3rd, 1616 — «He is preparing a small snack of dry jam for the queen, who must come to him at two o'clock. After going back to bed, he happily forms various battalions of his little silver men.»

February 5th, 1622 — «He leaves Saint-Germain, goes to Pontoise, where he enjoys making and eating beignets; while dining at Cormeille, he suddenly goes to the goblet in which he makes little cream puffs.» The original text says «petits choux au lait» and I have no idea what could that exactly be, but it seems like some sort of little éclair-like buns made of milk? Little cream puffs?? Maybe by «choux au lait» Jean meant «choux à la crème» which were invented back in 1540 in France.

I know you've been waiting for the quince jelly too, but unfortunately I couldn't find anything about the jelly :c Though, judging by what we've got here It's still quite possible Louis could cook quince jelly as well, hmm... Anyways, if you know something I don't know of the jelly mystery, hit me up!

In the future, this great love for desserts will be inherited by his son Philippe I, Duke of Orléans (brother of Louis XIV), who is also a very interesting character in history!!

In conclusion I must say that Louis not only had a sweet tooth, but also a big love for trying out different things, all this curiosity and pure excitement, even when it comes to something so simple and familiar like food, will never ever stop to fascinate me :"D

Btw speaking about Louis 'trying out different things', I of course still have a lot to share on this as well! Stay tuned and have a good day/night 💘💘💘

[xmen-xtraordinary-daycare]

I'm kinda stressed about tests and school right now, could I have some of Gambit's famous beignets and a hug please :,)

Gambit: Stressed? No need to worry, petit. Gambit's got you covered!

[He would give you one of his expertly made beignets. It smells delicious!]

Gambit: And a hug for the road.

[He would then give you a comforting hug- Well, he would hope it was comforting.]

Gambit: Listen, school's tough. Tests are awful. And sometimes it's best to take a break for a bit, no? And afterwards, the best thing you can do is try your best, mon ami. Gambit's proud of ya!

[desertdollranch]

Welcome to La Grande Pâtisserie

Grace Thomas is excited to announce that today is the grand opening of La Grande Pâtisserie! Everyone in Grace's hometown of Bentwick, Massachusetts, has been eagerly awaiting the debut of this authentic French pastry shop. There's nothing else like it anywhere in town! Bentwick prides itself on being a quaint little village with a high standard of living for its residents, so this is the perfect place for Grace to see her dream come to life.

In her third book, Grace Makes it Great, it's been a few months since Grace returned from her summer trip to Paris. In that time she has been working hard to make her bicycle-delivery-based baking business successful, but she realizes it may need to start growing much faster! Her grandparents' bakery may have to close down forever if it doesn't stop losing money and business to the local grocery store bakery. So, using what she learned while working at the patisserie in Paris, Grace teams up with her grandparents to turn their bakery into a beautiful, unique French pastry shop.

As for my part in all of this...... like Grace, this opening day is a dream come true. For inspiration, I based this on the bakery playset that was sold as part of her collection when she was the Girl of the Year in 2015. Her bakery was notable at the time for being the most expensive doll item ever released by American Girl, at $500.

(Later surpassed in 2020 by Joss Kendrick's surf bus, at $650).

Now, of course, nine years later, it's still very expensive when bought secondhand, even when it's sold without all the small accessories. I certainly couldn't ever justify spending that much on one single doll item. And why should I, when I can build something like this with my own two hands, for a lot cheaper? I've already built Caroline's parlor, three arcade video games, a skee ball lane, Kanani's shave ice stand, Grace's pastry cart and bistro set, bedrooms for Josefina and Kirsten, a greenhouse, Rebecca's phonograph, a few small pet habitats, and lots more for my dolls. I like having creative control that lets me expand on the things that interest me the most. I like making or collecting small accessories to supplement my projects. And I like that my renditions can be built at a more realistic scale. The bakery in Grace's collection is scaled so small that it looked more like a child's playhouse than a legit bakery, and so I was shooting for something scaled larger.

I've had Grace in my doll family for four years now, but it's only recently that I've felt like I have enough small accessories accumulated to make the whole thing look top-notch and full of detail. I also can't get out of my head the idea of making a little breakfast joint for my dolls and me to share breakfast and coffee with them on weekend mornings. I'm thinking maybe that will be accompanied by occasional videos showing Grace making breakfast for me and another doll. So keep an eye out for that!

If you haven't seen it already, you can browse Grace's hashtag to check out all the other things I've made and collected for her.

And here we are...... it's opening day!

So let's take a closer look at La Grande Pâtisserie. Grace is so eager to show off what's inside, and while she does that I'll explain how I made everything (not to take the magic away, but I always hope to inspire other crafty readers who may want to make their own doll stuff). This you see here is only a small part of the pâtisserie! I'll show you the front of the shop, the kitchen, and then the outdoor seating area.

When you walk in, the first thing you'll notice is the pastry case.

On the top row are the fancy cakes and macarons. The middle shelf has croissants, cupcakes, eclairs, and beignets. The bottom shelf has jelly donuts and petit fours (back row), plus a square of frosted gingerbread, cherry cheesecake, chocolate tart, raspberry tart, and madeleines.

These were all made by me, mostly with clay and puffy paint. A lot of them were based on the little pastries that were part of Grace's collection, some I made for other dolls and other occasions, and a few were based on real bakery treats.

The "glass" pastry case is clear plastic that comes from packaging material, including a few 18 inch-sized doll boxes. Whenever I buy something with this sort of strong but flexible clear plastic, I hoard it for future projects.

These three cakes were made from layers of foam board. This is a great material to work with because it's easier to cut than wood, very lightweight, can be shaped with sandpaper, and takes paint very well.

The jelly donut, eclair, and cupcake, all made from clay. The heart sprinkles were not made by me.

The cherry cheesecake. Those are wooden beads on top of the slice. I used a mixture of glue and food coloring to make the cherry sauce.

And the little berry macarons. The berries are made from seat cushion foam that I cut up and soaked in red paint.

The to-go bags (the small one has a croissant poking out) are printables that came from AmericanGirlIdeas.com. I made the croquembouche on the right, originally for Marie-Grace and Cécile. It's pretty big and doesn't fit in the pastry case.

I promise I will show off more contents of the pastry case when the dolls and I start having breakfast together!

Looking past the pastry case, here's the behind-the-counter setup.

The walls here are a large cardboard tri-fold that I spray painted aqua blue. Everything hanging on the walls is held there by Velcro that I superglued onto the tri-fold, so I can take them down and switch them around. You'll see why very soon.

The art on the walls all came from Pinterest, except for the painting of Provence on the upper left. That was made by an AI image generator. The red display shelves are foam board I painted. I made the menu in the middle (if I haven't said so already, I really love making my own printables/labels/packaging etc. It's the thing I look forward to the most when making doll stuff).

The three under-counter refrigerators are product pictures I found through a web search. They're glued onto a panel of foam board, which is glued onto a cardboard box to give it strength to hold the accessories on top. If you look closely, you can see little squares of Velcro in the upper left and right corners. That's there to attach another panel, which you will also see very soon.

The coffee maker was a thrift store find, but it originally came in a set of three toy appliances. This is so fun to play with. It really "brews" coffee; if you fill that little reservoir (covered with a sticker) with liquid and hit the button, it will dispense the liquid into the cup below while making coffee brewing noises. I made the coffee pot using this tutorial. Directly above the coffee maker is a shelf of white mugs, which I bought from Amazon.

On the left is the toaster. It makes real "toasting" noise and pops the toast up when the timer is done. The sticker on it and the coffee maker came from Farm and Feast: Gather Together with Friends and Food, an activity book & kit published by American Girl.

In between the toaster and the coffee maker is the waffle iron. I made that from a makeup compact.

I made the waffle from painted clay. And I only realized now that maybe the waffle should be lined up with the hinge and not at an angle....

Grace is demonstrating here how her machine can brew both pots of coffee AND shots of espresso!

Over here is the blender. The toy appliance set did originally have a a blender in some versions, but I've not found it at any thrift store and so I just made my own. This is made from two clear plastic cups, one for the base and one for the blending part. The lid, which by a beautiful coincidence was the perfect size, came from a fancy container of gelato, and there's a smaller metal lid on top of that. The little blade inside is just a metal wingnut glued to a metal washer. The base is painted pink and it's glued to a mason jar lid ring. I designed the button panel, and the buttons are pony beads painted black.

The little box of chocolates on the red shelf were made by me as well from clay and puffy paint.

Grace can make blended coffee and smoothies in the blender. The milk and orange juice containers are printables I found somewhere on Pinterest and can't remember where. I made the little yogurt from a Keurig coffee pod filled with clay and topped with some white puffy paint. The little plastic containers of blueberries and cherries came from a Make it Mini set. The bowl of fruit contains berries, peaches, and bananas, which I made. I did not make the grapes, but found them at a thrift store attached to a set of plastic napkin rings.

On the top shelf on the wall, Grace has displayed three baguettes and a bag of biscotti, which are twice-baked long cookies that pair nicely with coffee. These are all made by me. I designed the paper bags holding the baguettes, while the biscotti bag was a printable from American Girl Ideas.

I also made Grace's dress, based on the Opening-Night Outfit from her collection. (And if you notice that my Grace looks slightly different from other dolls, it's because I enhanced her freckles a bit).

Above her right shoulder, on the bottom red shelf, you can see the little pineapple cake that I made from a Make it Mini set. The little pineapple rings and cherries came in those tiny plastic containers next to the blender.

Now that you've seen the front of the shop, let's check out the kitchen!

As much as she loves working in all parts of the shop, Grace's favorite place to be is in the kitchen, using her hands, making the magic happen.

It was in the process of creating that Grace found her passion. She considers baking a form of artistic expression. Here she is trying out a new recipe for pain au chocolat, which is like a chocolate-filled croissant. I think this is what she might be serving me the next time I stop in for breakfast.

Some common ingredients she uses are flour, sugar, eggs, butter, vanilla, baking powder, nuts, and jam.

I made pretty much everything here, except the text on the labels, which also came from Farm and Feast. I also didn't make the label for the butter box. The little containers of baking powder and vanilla are my favorites. The vanilla extract bottle came with a Miniverse Make it Mini surprise package. I made the label for it as well. And the baking powder is just a tiny glass jar from Dollar Tree, with a label attached, which I did not design.

Here's a wide shot of the kitchen counter. She's got two ovens, a proofer/holding cabinet, and a few shelves for stainless steel dishes.

The counter here is actually the same one seen in the previous pictures, behind the pastry case. This panel with the ovens and dishes attaches with Velcro to the refrigerator panels. I just printed out the three pictures and glued them to the panel. The left side and middle panels were generated by an AI image maker based on my prompts, since I couldn't find a real picture of exactly what I was envisioning. The right side panel is a product photo of industrial double ovens.

On top of the counter, I've put a few mini kitchen tools: a stock pot, a colander, a box grater, and a stand mixer. Hanging on the wall are mixing spoons, spatulas, and an oven mitt.

All of these dishes and tools were thrift store finds, with the exception of the oven mitt, which came with Farm and Feast.

On the left is a stove top (another printed image) that attaches with Velcro onto the pink marble countertops, and that's her crepe pan in the picture on the left. It's a real cast iron pan that I was gifted this past Christmas, and as I thanked the giver all I could think of was how cute this would look in my doll-sized kitchen.

Grace's adorable cupcake shirt and black apron were not made by me, but are from her original collection.

Let's go look at the outdoor seating area.

This is the other side of the cardboard tri-fold. I spray painted this red and then printed out the windows and door image.

I also made Grace's shirt and skirt. It's based on Grace's Sightseeing Outfit from her collection.

The shop has an outdoor seating area where customers can bring their pastries, breakfast, or coffee and enjoy them in the open air.

This table is a revised version I made a few years ago for Grace, based on the bistro set from her collection. It is seriously such an easy craft, anyone can do it. I used an inexpensive marble-print cardboard cake board from Michael's, glued it onto a cardboard tube taken from a roll of paper towels, and glued that to the base which is made from a black plastic takeout container. I gave the tube some extra stability by gluing it inside of a prescription drug bottle. Then I painted the tube and bottle black; the base is black plastic.

The chair was a lot trickier. I made this a few years ago with flexible plastic-covered wire, and the seat is cardboard with a cushion glued to it. I really had to force that wire into shape, and used floral wire to hold it together. Then I spray painted it red.

Putting the red chair in front of the red storefront kind of makes it disappear, so I'll bring back some pictures of the first version of her bistro set that I made in 2020 (one of my earliest pandemic projects).

These pictures are from Grace's trip to Paris! She got lots of inspiration there for how she wants her own shop to look. Here she is eating at her aunt and uncle's La Pâtisserie.

The turquoise menu board is just foam board that I painted, with a dowel as the pole. At the time I made it, I didn't have a printer, and I usually just did all my printing at the library. But the library closed during lockdown, and so I had to freehand paint and draw everything! The tabletop here is painted as well, but I like the cake board version better.

The croissant, brie cheese, and berries are made from clay. The little Eiffel Tower is a foam board base and some of that rigid clear plastic for the menu holder. The cup came from Dollar Tree, and the green straw is actually a small leftover piece of that flexible wire the bistro chair is made from.

So that's everything! I spent very little money on all the supplies, and used upcycled materials as often as I could. This won't be the last you'll see of the shop. This was definitely a huge time investment, and so I'll be using it often from now on.

[sabinerondissime]

Ce matin c'était jour de marché au Brusc, un petit port de pêche du coin. L'occasion de sortir un peu, d'acheter des fruits du pays et de laisser renifler les derrières de tous les chiens passant à proximité à notre chien Spritz ! Il faisait déjà très chaud alors on ne s'est pas trop attardé. Le temps de remplir notre panier de cade et de divers beignets de courgettes et d'aubergines pour ce soir et nous sommes rentrés nous mettre au frais sous la clim !

[manyothermusingsofmine]

Food for Apology || Drabble

Fandom: Xmen

Warnings: None

Wordcount: 2553

Summary: Comforting an upset friend takes many forms, and sometimes you can really only talk about how you feel after getting some good food in your stomach first.

-------------------------------

"So the mission went poorly."

With a slight lean against the cabinets so he had a full look of the kitchen, Gambit had been keeping an eye on the foods he had made for dinner. Despite always making more than he thought he needed, there were plenty of people who would try anything from trickery to just straight up using their abilities to get an even bigger share despite most of them already being well fed for the evening. Besides, it was a fair assessment to make with how the last mission had gone according to everyone put on duty for it.

Miranda hadn’t been taking it well, so he had been on the look-out for anything in the kitchen that decided to miraculously start moving around; she hadn’t been physically seen since she was healed back up by Shadow. Gambit had fully expected some quippy remark in return to his statement, the newest addition to the team rarely leaving the chance to apply her sarcastic and dry sense of humor untaken.

Instead the floating plate holding a singular beignet that he had been talking to was sat down on the nearest cabinet with a clatter he could only describe as sounding annoyed and upset. He threw a quick glance its way, looking back to address the empty kitchen instead.

"Do ya wanna talk about it?"

The silence was a pretty loud 'no' in that regard.

"Well. There's no reason to sneak around the kitchen in full suited force," Gambit mused, adding a few more beignets to the plate that had been slammed down, "Gambit's not in the habit of rationing food based on mission success rate; this ain't bootcamp, petite. We take care of each other. If you do decide you want to talk, you'll know where to find me."

"Who are you talking to?" Shadow asked as she entered the kitchen, only to have the question answered as the plate started floating again and disappeared through the open door she just came from, "Oh. Well, there went my answer, I guess. … Any luck getting her to talk? Should I go after her, you think?"

He decided to not initiate conversation, looking up at the night above where stars had started to twinkle in the sky. It left both of them in silence for quite a while, until at some point it was her who grew uncomfortable with the quiet.

"Non,” Gambit replied while handing her a plate of food as well, “best we can do is keep her fed; it's called comfort food for a reason, chère. She'll talk when she's ready to."

It was probably, undoubtedly, weird to feel anything resembling relief at a floating plate coming down the hallway, but as Kurt watched it easily swirl around him to avoid collision it was kind of the only way he knew she was still around the mansion. For all anyone knew, Miranda could just decide to leave the place like this and no one but Logan would be any the wiser. He stood there, watching as the plate of beignets disappeared upstairs, debating for quite a while whether or not he should leave her to her own devices or go after her.

He eventually decided to do what he would want his friends to do if it were him in the situation; check on him. In a moment’s notice he was at the top of the stairs, following the faint scent of fresh food to her room just in time to see the plate vanish through the windows. Out of politeness that he couldn’t shake off even if he tried, he still knocked on the door and waited a minute before entering despite being fully aware she had left through the window.

Assessing the situation for a moment, he hopped up on the window sill, easily tossing himself further up to the flat part of the roof with all the grace of an acrobat, and without needing to use the thick plants that grew all over the walls of the building as a makeshift ladder. The plate stopped moving a few feet away from him, as far away as the flat part of the roof allowed her to get before running into more stone wall. He watched for a bit as it was set down, using it to get a feel for where she was relative to him and the walls, before going over and sitting down on the opposite side of the plate.

"What do you want, Kurt?" her voice was clipped, short, and she tried to feign an air of being unbothered that the tremble in her tone immediately disproved.

"To watch the stars."

"Must you do that in the exact same spot I picked? Actually, don't answer that. This is such a prime brooding spot I'm expecting Logan to show up any minute now."

"Why do you keep doing that?"

"What?"

"Deflect, dismiss and joke about your feelings as if doing so is the same as dealing with them?"

"Oh? What, would you prefer this?"

Her tone had become sharp and irritated, dropping her invisibility as soon as the last word left her mouth. Kurt just looked at her; taking in how the whites of her eyes had turned a faint red, the tears she had been crying by herself painting a picture of red patches under her eyes and over her cheeks. She didn’t give him any longer to respond to her question, flicking her veil back on as easily as pushing a light switch right.

"Ja, I would, actually," he said softly while watching a beignet disappear seemingly into nowhere, "I would prefer it if you didn't use your powers to run and hide away from those who care about you."

"I don't even prefer looking at this, so you'd be the first.”

It wasn’t even enough to make him flinch, the verbally biting way her emotions decided to come out. It only made his concern grow, the way she acted like these emotions made her lesser, somehow. It so clearly came from a sense of hurt that she didn’t want to face head on.

"Care?" she scoffed a little, "in the same way my coworkers did when I vanished and no one bothered to come look for me? Years of almost perfect attendance, and the one time I don't show up for two days in a row they stop my contract and don't even come for a wellness check. Some care that is. I doubt they even noticed. I have always been invisible, if not literally then figuratively. Nothing but a cog to be replaced when it becomes too much of a nuisance to repair."

"You're not a nuisance to us. To me," Kurt replied, leaning back on his arms to look up at the stars again, his tail lightly swishing around as he spoke.

"Not yet," she muttered, a hint of fear tinting the words

Silence lingered between them yet again, as Kurt thought of what to say to actually ease her worries. He thought back of the mission, of how she had frozen in the line of sight of the Sentinel. He didn't blame her for that at all, the big hunks of metal were terrifying even for a seasoned mutant to deal with. And while it had stung that she didn't wait for him on the other rooftop, it started to make sense why she had retreated on her own accord; sounded like 'by herself' had always been her way of dealing with things.

"You're afraid you’ll be left stranded out there when you need help the most."

From the way the food halted in midair, he assumed the statement had left her slack jawed. It had. In the flash of a moment a lot of emotions boiled up, refusing to be suppressed and bottled back up this time around.

"You have no idea what you're talking about, Kurt! You have no idea what it's like to always wait for the next moment you finally manage to annoy or bore someone enough that they'll leave! And now, added to that, the fact that I can't get out without help, that I can't even move out of the way of danger because my body doesn't listen to my input?! Oh, no, even worse, just fucking bail on the team entirely, great form Drifting, let's add cowardice and hypocrisy to the ever growing list of your damn flaws, fucking great!"

"I'm not mad at you."

"And somehow, that makes it worse. Because if you're not mad at my choices, what are you? Disappointed, upset?"

"… Ja, maybe a little bit disappointed, that you left. But, worried, mostly; worried that you got hurt further on the way. Concerned, that you didn’t seem to trust me when I told you I would come back."

Clearly that was an answer she didn't expect, as she didn't react to it. The air between them was thick with lingering tension, something the invisible mutant didn't know how to counter act or address without instinctively wanting to lighten the mood. The plate started to float again, being held in Kurt's general direction.

"Care for a beignet?"

An apologetic peace offering, the softened and ashamed tone in her voice more telling than anything. Letting out a soft huff, he accepted, easily swiping one of the treats from the plate with his tail and tossing it over to his hand.

"... You're right about one thing, Miranda; I don't know what it's like to be you. But, really, you think I haven't wished every now and then to be able to hide away from the shame of failure like you can? That I've never felt like a liability to the team and wished the ground would swallow me whole for a bad decision made in a tense situation? I didn’t calculate the timing of that last teleportation right, I took too long to call for back up, all I can do is apologize for that and try to do better next time."

The silence spoke volumes; she never considered that, and yet it seemed so obvious that some would be envious of how her powers allowed her to hide away from the world if she didn't want to deal with any of it.

"… All I hope is that you don’t really think of me, of anyone in here, as malicious or cruel enough to leave you out there on your own,” he only halted to actually eat the treat he had been offered, before continuing; "Unless they incapacitate me to a point where I can’t, I’ll always come get you. I promise."

".... I'm sorry," came the choked reply as she was still trying to fight back her tears- the fact that Kurt didn't see her didn't make it any easier to put her actual feelings on display, "I don't... I should've- I... sorry."

"It's okay."

Something gave out. Whether it was the energy to keep fighting against her tears, or that the mask meant to hide the emotions started to slip didn't matter. Her invisibility followed suit, flickering out as she couldn't keep up the concentration for it, revealing herself back to him. He took one look at her as the tears rolled down her face, shoving the plate aside to close the gap between them before pulling her into a hug. Gently pressing her head to his chest, he ran his hand over her hair while wrapping his other arm around her while silently allowing her to let all her feelings pour out of her.

He held her until the wild whirlpool of emotions stopped swirling, gently keeping her close as the coolness of the evening finally seemed to work its calming magic, only letting go when he was sure she calmed down by a significant amount

"Feel any better?"

"Yeah. Sort of. Thank you. And.. I’m sorry."

"Gern' geschehen. Apology accepted."

A different kind of silence fell between them, as she took a moment longer to linger in the comfort before finally lightly pushing herself out of his embrace.

"... Y’know, someone could've at least told me those fuckers are huge. That would've been a nice heads up."

"That's fair, sorry about that. And? Am I as soft and plushie like as you always imagined?" he laughed as that earned him an elbow to the side.

"Shut up. Wanna go see if there's any of these beignets left? Apparently, Gambit doesn't ration out food based on mission success. His words, not mine."

"If he did a lot of us would starve," Kurt replied with a chuckle, offering his hand for her to take, "come on. His food is always in high demand, so if we want to get lucky and get some left overs we have to move. And like it or not, I’m still faster."

“Somethin’ the matter, petite?”

“Show off.”

She had to admit he wasn’t exactly wrong, though. She couldn’t match the quick and easy way he brought her back to the kitchen, nor the way he dropped the empty plate off and convinced Remy with little but a pair of soulful puppy eyes and a polite request to give both of them more food. He left, leaving the two other mutants as Miranda told him she would be out in a minute. She leaned back on the cabinets beside the Cajun, not exactly wanting to face him completely; and he picked up on the vibe that she wanted to say something but had no idea how to start the conversation.

“I’m… sorry,” the way her voice trailed off and became much smaller on the final word made him quirk a brow; it read like the habit of someone who wasn’t used to her apology being enough to make amends.

“What for?”

“Snapping at you while you were just trying to help. Multiple times.”

“’S alright, heard plenty worse in my life.”

“You sure?”

“Oui, now, go on, get out of here. Our fuzzy friend didn’t swindle me out of an entire plate of beignets just to have them by himself, you know?”

“Oh come now, Gambit has yet to meet anyone capable of saying no to that face; seems to me like it’s working on you as well, non?”

She couldn’t help but chuckle at that, simply amused by witnessing that chain of events play out in real time. She did have to hand it to him, Kurt’s kindness got him far in a lot of things.

“How did he manage that, anyway? You’re growing soft on us, Remy?”

“How’s Shadow doing, Remy? Told her yet that what you feel for her runs far deeper than surface level attraction?” That was a clap back response he clearly hadn’t expected, as Miranda turned her head to look at how his red eyes widened with how pin point direct that had been. She gave him a small smirk as he awkwardly looked off and rubbed the back of his neck

“You’re not as slick as you think you are and unless you solve that little conundrum successfully, I’ll take your opinions on my relationships with a ton of salt, if that’s alright with you. Bye now,” and with that she left as the slight growl of her stomach ushered her to get some food.   

[hackoftheyear]

American Girl Doll inspired fake perfumes, Part 1

Molly- reading a long awaited letter in a sun warmed victory garden— but no turnips here! Dandelion and strawberry flowers, tomato vine, clean laundry drying on the line. Raspberry bush flowers and ripe raspberries make a juicy and rosey base with hints of greenery. 

Samantha- pink roses on white satin ribbon, thick icing on petit fours, an accord of creamy vanilla bean ice cream with a hint of salt and gingerbread. Base notes of gentle white musk and tonka bean. 

Marie Grace— A delicate china plate of sugar dusted beignets and rhubarb rose jam. A heart of medicinal lavender and a straw basket filled with magnolia flowers from the market. 

Cécile: apricot blossoms and thinly iced almond cakes. Airy violets and sparkling peonies play over a base of berry custard and velvet ribbons.  Felicity— A sugar cube on a slice of tart apple, the wind against your face as you ride your horse through a flowering meadow. A base of black tea and beeswax candles. 

[goldenraeofsun]

Day 20: Spa Day

“Specialty of clerics, druids and paladins, in Dungeons & Dragons,” Cas reads out loud, squinting at the paper laid flat against the kitchen table. He looks up at Dean, who shrugs.

“Metatron didn’t include DnD in your pop culture download?” Dean asks sympathetically.

Cas shakes head.

“Well, DnD is probably more counter culture if you want to get technical about it,” Sam says as he ferociously attacks the salad with a pair of tongs. Pieces of lettuce spray across the counter, and Sam sheepishly puts them back in the bowl, one by one.

“Nerd,” Dean coughs into his fist as he gives the pasta water a few hearty shakes of salt.

“Says the man who hung up his LARPing sword above his bed,” Sam retorts.

Dean points a wooden mixing spoon at him. “Gotta be ready for anything.”

"Seriously?"

"Did you forget I also sleep with a gun under my pillow?"

Cas shakes his head ruefully. "Your actions would make any gun safety advocate weep."

Dean grins. "Haven't shot myself yet."

Cas shoots him a flat look. "That's not nearly as reassuring as you think it is."

"You just don't know how to live, Cas." He turns back to the bubbling pasta pot. 

"The word you’re looking for is MAGIC," Sam says helpfully. 

"Thank you," Cas says as he writes down the correct answer. "Pastry dough used in crullers and beignets, five letters."

Sam shrugs. 

Dean spins around, eyebrows raised at the pair of them. "Really?"

Both give him blank stares in return.

"I've made you watch the Great British Bake Off five times!" As Cas frowns, no doubt sorting through his millennia of memories for Pastry Week, Dean says, "It's a choux pastry, babe."

Cas dutifully copies it down. "Did you know in French, petit choux is an outdated term of endearment?" At Dean's perplexed face, he adds, "Petit means small."

Dean rubs his chin. "Little dough ball? I guess that's cute. If you're talking about a baby or something, like a real round one." He helpfully mimes the correct shape with his hands.

"I believe it refers to choux as in a cabbage," Cas says.

"Why the hell would you bring cabbage into it?” Dean makes a face. “Fucking frog eaters."

"Cabbage is a very versatile vegetable," Sam points out. 

"You, shut up." Dean pours in three boxes of pasta into the boiling water. "Cabbage isn't versatile. It's gross."

Sam sets down his completed salad and takes a seat across from Cas at the kitchen table. 

"It's a staple in a wide variety of cuisines," Cas disagrees. 

"You're dead to me too."

Cas rolls his eyes and turns back to the crossword. Even though the answer comes to him in less than a second, he says aloud, "Quadrupedal combat vehicle in Star Wars films."

Dean perks up. "How many letters?"

"AT-ATs," Sam says as Dean glares. 

"I was just about to say that!"

Sam ignores him. "There are some clues that pop up all the time," Sam tells Cas. "Like AT-ATs, arena, Erie, Argo, Eden."

"Words with a high percentage of vowels," Cas surmises. 

"Yup." Sam cranes his neck, tilting his head to read Cas's puzzle upside down. "What's the theme?"

Cas points to the first long row of blank boxes. "Classic Wilson Pickett cover [1966].”

"Mustang Sally!" Dean sings into his wooden spoon, "now baby, guess you better slow your mustang down, oh yeah!"

Cas sits up straighter. "That song was in Miss Congeniality."

Dean groans as Sam's face turns half delighted, half incredulous. "You made him watch Miss Congeniality?"

Dean shakes his head. "It must've been part of Meta-"

Cas says at the same time, "You were hunting a siren with Eileen."

Sam doubles over laughing. 

"What's the next clue, cabbage man?" Dean demands loudly. 

Dutifully, Cas recites, "Top 10 funk hit from War with an iconic bass line [1975]."

Sam's brow creases. "Low Rider?"

Cas tilts his head, the description pinging his memory. "Like my car?"

Over the sound of pasta hitting the strainer, Dean chuckles. "Yeah, just like the pimpmobile."

Sam reads the next one, "Tracy Chapman hit with the line ‘I had a feeling I could be someone’ [1988]."

"Fast Car," Dean grunts as he throws the mostly water-free pasta back in the pot.

Cas dutifully jots down the answer before asking, "Janis Joplin’s final recording, which had an anticonsumerism message [1970]."

“Janis Joplin?” Dean repeats as he overturns the simmering alfredo sauce on top of the fettuccine. 

Sam plucks a tomato out of the salad. “It’s Mercedes Benz,” he says, reaching over to count out the letters. 

“The unifying clue for theme is Modern Music Staple that’s a punny description of 17– , 24–, 38 – and 48 – Across.”

“You got any letters?”

“A U _ O _ U N E”

“It’s Autotune,” Sam says, grinning. “Get it? Since all the answers are car songs?”

“Wordplay,” Cas sighs, wrinkling his nose. 

“You’ll get better,” Sam says bracingly as he reaches over to pat Cast on the arm. “That’s why you’re doing the crosswords, right?”

“What’s left?” Dean asks.

“Close Chica.”

“Amiga,” Sam says confidently. “I haven’t forgotten all my middle school Spanish.”

Dean sets the steaming bowl of pasta on the table. “Whatever you say, hombre.” He takes the dish towel slung over his shoulder and throws it in the direction of the butcher block table. “Put that away, Cas. Let’s eat!”

“I’m almost done,” Cas protests as Dean ladles out servings for everyone. “Outings devoted to relaxation and self care, seven letters.”

“Spa days,” Sam says, grabbing Dean’s plate and placing a portion of salad on the side.

“I’m gonna need a spa day after this,” Dean grumbles, “to wash all the nerdgasm juice off me.”

“You watch Jeopardy! every night, you massive hypocrite,” Sam says without looking up from his pasta.

“Alec always gets a pass.”

Cas frowns. “Just like Swayze?”

“Just like Swayze,” Dean confirms before he dumps half his salad onto Cas’s plate.

[transparentgentlemenmarker]

Kathy Bates born June 28 1948, Memphis, Tennessee is an American actress

Dolores

Misery

Taking off de Milos Forman en 1971. Reviens, Jimmy Dean, Reviens, avec Cher 1982, Le lendemain du crime avec Jane Fonda 1986, Dick Tracy 1990 avec Madonna. Mais c’est dans le rôle d’une psychopathe qu’elle va se faire connaître du public, en incarnant l’héroïne de Misery de Rob Reiner, adaptation du roman de Stephen King 1991. Ce rôle de vieille fille qui séquestre un écrivain lui vaut un Oscar. Elle jouera aussi en 1995 dans une autre adaptation de l’écrivain dans le rôle titre de Dolorès Claiborne de Taylor Hackford. Pour ne pas s’enfermer dans un seul genre, la même année que Misery, on peut la voir dans le joli film Beignets de tomates vertes où elle est nommée pour les Golden Globes. On peut la retrouver dans Diabolique avec Isabelle Adjani et Sharon Stone en 1996, Primary Colors de Mike Nichols en 1998, Titanic 1997 de James Cameron. Kathy s’essaie aussi à la réalisation en tournant des épisodes de Six Feet Under, série dans laquelle elle a un rôle récurrent et elle apporte sa contribution à la série Oz et NYPD Blues. En 2002 on peut la voir avec Jack Nicholson dans Monsieur Schmidt, elle rejoint en 2004 le casting du Tour du monde en 80 jours et dans plusieurs comédies romantiques teenages telles que Les ex de mon mec 2005, Playboy 2006. Elle prête sa voix dans différents films d’animation en 2007 comme Le petit monde de Charlotte, A la croisée des mondes, la Boussole d’or et Bee movie. Elle partage aussi l’affiche de Frère Noël aux côtés de Vince Vaughn et Paul Giamatti où elle interprète la mère Noël dans une comédie de David Dobkin avant de rejoindre le casting du romantique P.S. I love you, avec Hilary Swank. Kathy ne s'arrête jamais de tourner et on la retrouve dans des films de genres variés: elle est au casting du film de SF Le jour où la terre s'arrêta et enchaîne avec le drame Les noces rebelles aux côtés de Kate Winslet et Leonardo DiCaprio.

[ladyniniane]

Aaaand I did it and completed NaNoWriMo for the 6th time🎉🥳! It has been a eventful month between leaving work and moving homes, but I did it.

During this NaNo I:

-Finished my Fire Emblem fanfic after one year and 10 month spent on it.

-Wrote two chapters for my Shadow and Bone fanfic.

-Began another WIP (a sort of sequel of my FE fanfic).

Unlike last year, I won't try writing everyday until November 30th. I need to proofread some new chapters and to do some brainstorming for my future stories.

To celebrate this, here is some (quickly edited, and in French, as usual) mother and daughter fluff (featuring: adoption, a fallen woman finding a new purpose, a child who isn't exactly human and a dying ancient civilisation) from my newest WIP.

La pluie s’écrasait furieusement sur les murs, dégoulinait si fort sur les vitres que l'on ce serait cru sous l’eau. L’orage rendait Ismène fébrile. Ses doigts agrippaient sa jupe, ses yeux sombres contemplaient le déluge avec un mélange de peur et de fascination.

-Tu peux rester avec moi si tu veux, décida Anselma en tapotant la place à ses côtés.

Ismène lorgna le lit mais hésita.

-Tu es sûre ? Je ne suis pas un peu vieille pour ça ? 

Les autres ne lui avaient jamais proposé une chose pareille et elle aurait de toute façon refusé. Mais avec Anselma, c’était différent. 

-Bien sûr que non et j'ai moi aussi besoin d'être rassurée, rétorqua cette dernière avec une pointe d'espiéglerie. 

Cette petite semblait porter le poids du monde sur ses épaules mais était-ce vraiment surprenant ? 

Ismène retira ses souliers et se glissa à ses côtés. Le lit était suffisamment grand pour qu’elles ne se touchent pas. L’odeur des sachets aromatiques glissés sous l’oreiller leur emplit les narines. 

Anselma s’apprêta à souffler la chandelle mais Ismène tressaillit lorsqu’un éclair tomba tout proche. Le grondement parut ébranler les fondations de la maison. Ses doigts suivirent la courbe de la joue de l’enfant.

-Petite pomme…, murmura-t-elle. 

Un petit soleil s’alluma dans les yeux d’Ismène. La comparaison était venue spontanément à sa mère. Peut-être la rondeur, la douceur, le côté sucré lui rappelaient le fruit qui les avait rapprochées. 

Lorsqu’elle l’avait vue pour la première fois, Anselma avait cru à un mirage de la fièvre. Une enfant de onze ou douze ans, dans son beau costume étranger, qui l’observait depuis l’entrée de la porte. Avec son teint pâle et ses grands yeux sombres, elle ressemblait à un petit esprit. 

La jeune fille l’avait observée en silence, à moitié dissimulée et sans oser s’approcher. Anselma lui avait fait signe de s'approcher, craignant néanmoins que son visage à moitié mangé par les bandages ne l'effraie,y…mais l’enfant était venue. Elles n’avaient guère échangé de mots, si ce n’était des prénoms et des gestes. 

La maison était si calme qu’elle avait pensé que seuls les savants y vivaient. Lorsqu’elle avait demandé à Télésille : “y a-t-il d’autres enfants pour jouer avec elle ?”, la réponse de la mathématicienne était tombée en un couperet funeste : “il n’y a pas beaucoup d’enfants chez nous.”

Ismène était ensuite revenue et lui avait tendu telle une offrande une pomme coupée en quartiers fins. Anselma n’avait pendant un temps pu avaler que des soupes. L’idée de se laisser mourir de faim lui était venue. Sentir son corps fondre et de se dissoudre jusqu’à n’être plus rien était une fin appropriée pour elle.

Ses sauveurs veillaient cependant au grain et le potage nourrissait sa faim. Aussi avait-elle dévoré la pomme fraîche et croquante, à la fois pour plaire à Ismène et par envie. 

L'enfant était revenue tous les matins avec ses fruits méthodiquement coupés. Anselma en avait profité pour gagner doucement sa confiance. Et puisqu’elle avait mangé le bouillon et les pommes, elle avala ensuite leurs feuilletés aux amandes, leurs beignets au miel, leurs brioches ainsi que leurs pommes et leurs coings au four. 

-Pourquoi est-ce que tu es dans cet état ? questionna-t-elle 

-Ça me fait penser au déluge. Et ça me terrifie. 

Ismène se recroquevilla sur elle-même, une réaction surprenante pour une personne si grave. Ce mot était en lui seul une condamnation à mort. C’était là toute la particularité de la chose : Anselma prenait soin d’une descendante d’une ancienne civilisation anéantie par un cataclysme. D’une enfant humaine mais pas tout et fait et qui avait grandi au milieu de gens hantés, recevant leur terreur par procuration. 

Stephanos lui avait rapidement racontés les jours funestes. Ismène savait que c'était à cause de cela que leur monde avait volé en éclat et qu’ils étaient condamnés à la dissimulation et à l’errance.

-Le ciel est en colère, oui, mais il ne nous arrivera rien. Ce lit est un îlot de sécurité. 

Anselma ébourriffa les cheveux de sa fille. 

-Je sais, c’est du passé, admit cette dernière. 

-Maintenant dors, petite pomme. Tu verras qu’il fera beau demain. 

*

La pluie ne montrait aucun signe de s’arrêter. Anselma était drapée dans plusieurs châles. Une alléchante odeur lui parvint et elle mit de côté ses travaux d’aiguille. La fièvre avait reflué, lui permettant de continuer un peu. Elle haïssait ces jours de vacuité, clouée au lit, mais avait appris à s’en contenter. 

-Surprise !

Ismène apparut avec une assiette contenant une délicieuse pomme cuite avec quelques noix dessus. Elle la posa sur le support en bois qu’elles avaient fabriqué afin que sa mère puisse manger au lit.

-Oh, le soleil est revenu ! plaisanta la plus âgée. 

Les deux femmes mangèrent avec appétit, plongeant leurs cuillères dans la chair fondante. 

-Je crois que j’ai passé tant de temps dans ce lit qu’il est devenu une partie de moi.

“Il faudrait presque m’enterrer avec”. Anselma garda cependant cette réflexion morbide pour elle.

La guérisseuse posa sa main fraîche sur le front de sa mère. Au dehors, l’orage grondait toujours.

-Je pense que tu devrais aller mieux demain. Ta fièvre a un petit peu baissé. 

Anselma la remercia et but sa décoction. Le doux goût de la pomme restait sur ses lèvres. 

-Tu veux que je reste avec toi ? offrit la plus jeune, en souvenir de son enfance.

Anselma repoussa la courtepointe. Ce serait une bonne chose, ça les rassurerait toutes les deux. Mère et fille s’allongèrent, complice et rieuse, côté à côte. 

-Qu’’est-ce que c’est agréable d’être au chaud alors qu’il fait aussi mauvais ! s’exclama Anselma.

-Naí*, ce lit est un îlot de sécurité, compléta Ismène avec un sourire joyeux. 

*"Oui" en grec.

[toilou-norvetaxique2023]

Jour 31 - Nouvelle-Orléans

Un peu de mal à démarrer ce matin, plusieurs options de planning s'offraient à nous et nous n'arrivions pas à faire de choix 😅

Nous avons finalement opté pour une balade dans des quartiers que nous n'avions pas encore découverts.

On s'est arrêté dans le petit musée d'une association de préservation du patrimoine architectural, qui présente une exposition sur l'histoire de chaque quartier de la Nouvelle-Orléans.

Les échanges avec la guide se sont avérés très intéressants ! Elle nous a donné quelques recommandations pour notre programme du jour 😀

Passage par le quartier Central Business District pour rejoindre un petit café repéré par Antoine pour déjeuner : le Café Beignet. Comme son nom l'indique, les beignets sont leur spécialité, et ils sont très bons !

Nous arrivons ensuite au port, qui est plutôt industriel. Nous prenons un ferry pour traverser le Mississippi et découvrir la rive d'en face, vivement conseillée par la guide du matin.

Nous nous baladons dans le quartier d'Algiers Point jusqu'à ce que la pluie s'abatte sur nous 🌧️

Retour par le ferry dans le sens inverse et nous faisons une pause séchage au Café du Monde, autre institution de la Nouvelle-Orléans ☕️

Selfie trempés 🤳

[perduedansmatete]

aujourd'hui j'ai vu michel ocelot dans le ciné où j'allais tout le temps petite et où j'ai découvert azur et asmar je suis trop contente et grrr le prince vendeur de beignets dans la dernière histoire je suis amoureuse voilà

[desertdollranch]

Happy birthday, Cécile Rey!

Today, May 28th, Cécile turns ten years old.

This birthday is special, because her beloved brother Armand has returned from studying in France. The Rey family's cook, Mathilde, has a table full of Armand and Cécile's favorite festive foods.

There's an elegant croquembouche, fruit tarts, chocolate truffles, little decorated chocolate cakes, and fried beignets dusted with powdered sugar!

I made all of these based on the banquet table set from Cécile and Marie-Grace's retired collection.

The croquembouche (French for "crunch in mouth") is a tower of cream puffs.

Over here are the tiny pastries. The square cakes on the left are topped with real red rhinestones. The fruit tarts have colorful beads representing the berries.

I made the beignets a few years ago when Cécile and Marie-Grace were new to my collection. They're a classic New Orleans food that is still around today, most famously served by Café du Monde.

While these are based on the doll's collections, I didn't make the tiered cake and petit fours this time, but I probably will for a future occasion!