Monday, August 30, 2010

Vacation - The End

Last day off was full of chores and shopping... now I'm back at it with a BUSY week & a massive craving for a latte.







1) Car Wash 2) It's still the 90's at Burlington Coat Factory 3) New blanket 4) Turquoise Foo Dog 4) The End

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Vacation - Day 8

Yesterday was a lazy lazy day... starting to ease out of vacation mode.







1) Goyle is too cool for school 2) Sushi 3) Triple Color Roll* & Eel Roll 4) Ginger sittin' up 5) Bedside Books

*I almost always get the same thing at the sushi place: Spicy Crab and Tempura Shrimp. Last night I tried a new roll - Triple Color Roll - Spicy crab, spicy shrimp, mango, seaweed salad wrapped in pink soybean paper & topped w/fried taro chips & eel sauce. It was good.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Things that make me go hmmm...

A few times in my life , I've had moments of absolute clarity
When for few, brief seconds, the silence drowns out the noise
and i can feel... rather than think.
when things seem so sharp.
and the world seems so fresh.
it's as though it had all just come into existence.

I can never make these moments last...
I cling to them, but like everything, they fade.
I've lived my life on these moments.
They pull me back to the present.
And I realize that everything...
is exactly the way it's meant to be.

Quote from the movie: A Single Man

The Week in Links

That time again... recipes galore in this week's links:

Gazpacho

Poblano Chicken Salad

Tomatoes and Frico

Red Shiso Shochu and a Cocktail

Catalan Tomato Bread (Swear I don't really like tomatoes but they look delicious to me this week)

Non-recipe stuff:

Wall of Bikes

Shell Bench

House in the trees

New kick-ass front door at the Brick

Love this space... especially the white floors

I would like a wall of firewood so my fires can last past 11:00

This would be perfect for people who have no room for a bedside table

Geninne's new art studio has a great view

Vacation - Day 7







1) Goyle's AM sunbathing 2) Breakfast in the park 3) Little Ladybug Friend 4) Video Installation at Art Museum 5) Mr. Peanut Graffiti

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Vacation - Day 6







1) Naptime 2) My bedroom is now so clean, it glows 3) If I had to describe West Point Market in one word, that word would be: Condiments 4) Mmmm, Mmmm, toasty 5) Fire, fire

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Vacation - Day 5

Uh, oh... it's closer to the end of vacation then it is to the beginning. Better make the next 4 days worth it! Today was fantastic... besides getting an omelette w/mushrooms *and* tomatoes in it, two things I don't particularly like, later I also ordered something different then my usual dish at the Mexican restaurant! CRAZY! Heh. Plus, there was a field trip to the Cleveland Botanical Garden:








1) "You lookin' at me?" 2) Wisteria Light Tricks 3) Medusa 4) Flutterby 5) Karma Chameleon

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Vacation - Day 4

Hey I got out of the house today! For more than food... hee. Morning hike, afternoon movie, and a drink w/the dentist (who does not hate me for flaking on Lady Gaga)... I took many photos today but mostly on the hike. I'm sharing more than five. :D











1) Someone carved a chair in a fallen tree... It looked like a throne & I really wanted to sit in it & sing, "I am the king of the foooor-eeeest!" all Wizard of Oz like
2) But Goyle is the real King of the Forest
3) This was my first hike in my Vibrams & I highly approve of "barefoot" hiking
4) I sat here for a few minutes because I love the sound of water moving over rocks
5) The texture of this rock was mesmerizing... had to capture it
6) The kids exploring while I take in the sights & sounds
7) Stretching towards sunshine
8) Blurry Me
9) Went to see "Eat Pray Love" ... I didn't dislike it, it was OK. But I found myself very distracted by Julia Roberts doing her usual Julia Roberts thing. Yeah, I'm sticking with: "It was OK."

Monday, August 23, 2010

Vacation - Day 3







1) Summer of garden neglect 2) AM showers at 4:30 PM 3) Reading 3191Q while puppy looks bored 4) Food, Mama? 5) Fish Tacos*

*Recipe from Everyday Food (they didn't have red cabbage at the grocery so I just used regular)

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Vacation - Day 2







1) Breakfast Part One 2) Breakfast Part Two 3) Lounging 4) Fly Hunting 5) Walking on Castle

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Last Week's Links

Look, I should not have claimed I would get these links up on Friday... because Friday days are for working & Friday nights are for chilling out. So... sometime between Friday & Sunday, I will post my google reader starred posts, mmkay? Here's what I liked last week:

I'm contemplating a new tattoo... and feathers are moving to the top of my idea list at a rapid pace: here, here & here (last photo) are some inspiration pix.

Also thinking of some planters for my patio: Door Sixteen shows us how it's done.

I admittedly own 4 of these books already... but they aren't as pretty.

Is the (lamestream) media ALL liberal & stuff? Nope... that's BS. In reality, the giant corporations that run the media just spin spin spin the news whatever way creates enough drama to hook us. Because they are money obsessed whores... Point being, they need some warning labels.

I wanna Swiss flag.

I want this book...

Had them before & much prefer them to the orange floor glow of my 50 year old floors... we'll see if I am brave enough for white floors in the future.

LOVE this outdoor lamp.

Add this to my list of movies to see...

Thinking of painting some pet portraits while on vacay... these ones are good inspiration.

Vacation

Today was my 1st day of vacation... going to try to post 5 photos everyday while I'm off. Here are today's pix:






1) Feather web 2) Goyle playing ball 3) Ginger out of breath 4) Great book 5) Delicious drink

Friday, August 13, 2010

What I liked this week...

It's Friday link day a day late!

I dunno, prolly 3 pairs of glasses are enough. But I was reminded of Warby Parker glasses by this post from Oh Joy! Thought I would share them, too.

Saw this kickass "backyard hangout" last year on Apartment Therapy... still loving it. Massively.

DIY paperbacks into hardbacks

I have this idea for a community project... and this Map Book is perfect for it.

I tried earlier this year to makeover chairs w/some of that weird plasticy coating... it didn't work. The Vintage Cabin has waaay more patience than I and now has a nice chair/table set for her porch.

Along with Root Beer liquor & Jalapeno tequila... add this Gingersnap liquor to the list of booze I want to try.

I'm not sure which makes me giddier... these leaf cutouts or these pencil carvings

And finally, this beautiful video has been all over & it makes me smile every time I watch it:

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Chew Toys

About 3 years ago, I bought 2 brand new sofas. A month or so later, I bought a puppy named Goyle. Guess how that worked out? Needless to say, by the time I bought my house last year, I had 0 sofas. I've been making do with a very cool & comfy round vintage chair I bought a few years back. The problem is that I have 60 lbs of puppies who want to hang out on this chair with me... and that wasn't very comfy. Plus the cushion is now in pieces in another room. Goyle.

In my basement is another thrifting score - a knockoff Case Study Daybed. It's also cushion-less but that one isn't Goyle's fault. The cushions smelled like someone smoked 4000 packs of cigarettes on while sitting on them. No amount of Fabreeze would cure them so they went into the trash. The plan was to buy new cushions & fabric & switch out the peg legs for hairpin legs and voila! New couch.

Oh projects, why do you have to be so projecty?

I haven't really been looking for a new sofa because I have other $$$ priorities. I do, however, sit on most of the sofas when I'm at a store that sells such things (Crate & Barrel, West Elm, DWR, etc.). In my opinion, West Elm has not solved the comfy part of the perfect couch equation. The Petrie Sofa from Crate & Barrel has been my dream sofa since it came out. But that's $400 more than I paid for both the sofas that my dog ate! Last time I was there, I also sat on the Shelter Sofa. Holy smokes, that is one comfortable couch. But WHOA... $3K?! Nope. So, you know... a new couch prolly wasn't happening anytime soon.

Until...

Monday, on my 48th trip to Home Depot for my fence project, I stopped into my favorite local used furniture store that's closed on Sundays when I'm usually feeling thrifty. I was looking for a little mid-century dresser for a CD/DVD storage idea I have stuck in my head. No dresser. But a TV stand/cabinet for $25!! On my way to tell the guy to dig it out for me, something caught my eye.

"Oh," I said (to myself), "I like the shape of that chair." Walks over to chair. "HOLY SHIT! There's a matching sofa! And they're both ADORABLE!! Look at those cute legs! And they're in great shape! And, they look so clean!" (sniff) "They don't stink!" Lifts up sofa cushion. "Fuck. Sleeper Sofa. Those are HEAVY and friends & family won't help move them." Sits on sofa all pouty like. "Wait. I just moved. I'm not moving anywhere anytime soon (I hope) and plus, I hire movers when I move." Looks at price. "$169 for the set!?" To store guy, "Do you deliver?"

They deliver. :D