Confession:

So, I have this very-bad (and highly-addictive) habit of browsing through beautiful websites, and taking screen-captures of pretty things. It sounds like a pleasant, harmless, and innocent pastime…(but, when your desktop begins to get cluttered with random images and folders labeled things like “Pretties”…or “Random Pretties”….or “Nice Colors”….It’s a sign that things have gone a little far.)

Anyways- I have decided to share a few of my little online-treasure-finds with you all…(and yes. One day I aspire to recreate these….when I have a lot of time….or no life. (whichever one comes first).

….*actually, if I stopped looking at pretty things, and actually tried to make them. I may have some success….



Project #1:

(felt-squirrel-tea-kettle-cover)

I realize that in order for this to be a practical project, I would first have to own a tea kettle. (but, really…minor detail.) And how could you not love something like this?....a fuzzy little forest creature just perched so friendly on top of your stove(?)



Project #2:

(coffee-bag-amazingness)

This is probably the most practical (and feasible) of the three projects…(the only issue would be the aquisition of a coffee-bean-bag.) however- the payoff would definitely be well-worth it. (How cool would I be, walking down the streets of Pittsburgh with this thing!?....especially since I am pretty sure every other 20-something female here only owns namebrand (or very large and shiny) purses/bags.)



Project #3:

(toilet-paper-roll-wall-art)

Ok…in all honesty, THIS project is never going to happen. (and if it did…I’m pretty sure the results would just be disastrous) BUT HOW COOL IS THAT!?!?!



Well…it’s almost the weekend. Maybe I’ll find myself a tea kettle and start sewing a squirrel….(I mean, what else could I possibly do?)

aaaaaand, it happened:

i woke up this morning....and THIS was what i saw out of my bedroom window:

white-ness! lots and lots of it...

*please note the "cross-wall" extending out of our garage? ...yeah. i have no clue.
*also- take a good look at those steps. i have a very strong suspicion that i will find myself falling down them at least once this winter. ice+darkness+(my not-so-good-coordination) = recipe for stair-descending disaster.



and this is the lovely view from my kitchen window, of the park across the street...

(don't be fooled by the the little bit of shrubbery-poking it's head above the railing. that is actually the most enormous bush i have ever seen....and yes. i do live on the second story...so, that is a huge. huge. huge. bush.)



alright. this is my last post about snow, i promise!


(well....for a while at least)

how can you not love life...

(when this is your weather forcast)



oh.....i love snow.....!!!!!!!!!

for your viewing pleasure:

so, i realize that halloween has come and gone (and we are very much in the month of november now)…but I was downloading pictures from my camera last night, saw these…and decided that they just had to be shared (despite the fact that Halloween is very much over.). but- my neighbors still have their giant glowing jack-o-lantern suspended from the third story of their house…and my other neighbors still have the enormous inflatable dead witch on their porch, so I figured- I can at least post some Halloween pictures(?)

(side note: I have discovered that people really get into Halloween around here…my street has looked like a glowing orange version of Christmas for the past month…It’s endearing, but it kindof creeps me out a bit…) I just hope they stay this excited about the holidays in december….

anyways. (as professional-working-adults) of course we all decided it was very necessary to dress up for work on Friday…(please note tony’s costume- which I think was intended for a two-year-old) Carlyn is pippi-longstockings, and I’m supposed to be the Sun•Maid (I realize my lack of a bonnet kindof kills the costume. but, believe it or not…I don’t have an abundance of bonnets just laying around the house)

pippi. thomas. sun•maid.

we definitely all went out to olive garden for lunch looking like this.
and our waitress asked us if we were preschool teachers.
(…I’m not really sure if i understand how our costumes allude to the fact that we teach small children? but, we definitely were the only people in the entire restaurant who were dressed up.)

(uh....i don't think we were ready for this picture.)

but the best Halloween-costume-award definitely goes to little chub-chub. (our boss’s kids came by in their costumes…) and, really- how can you not fall in love with that little frog!

note to self:

the next time you eat a hotdog, don't underestimate the potential of the mustard....



(suddenly i have this inexplicable desire to create mustard-art...on disguisting food products.)

spatchulas and miss sun•maid

so…at some point last year I managed to break my ice-scraper.
now- that’s not entirely tragic when you’re living in northwest Arkansas (where ice and snow is usually minimal)…and you live within walking distance of pretty much all of your life-activities.

however. the tragedy really sets in when you no longer live in northwest Arkansas, and instead- are living in a somewhat more frigid climate (where it snows, and ices... in October.)

so, for the past few days I have spent some extra quality time with the Volvo in the morning…and my trusty little spatula has done an acceptable job of substituting for an ice-scraper. (but, trust me: there is a reason that they sell ice-scrapers instead of spatulas. they work MUCH better.)

anyways- this morning (once again) I was out in front off my house, with my trusty spatula, de-icing the windshield…when I realized that the trashman (across the street) was definitely watching me.

now- (as an avid people-watcher) I really have no problem when people decide to return the favor, and I am the “watchee” instead of the “watcher”….BUT, trash-man was very obviously watching me. (we may want to use the term “stare” here.)

of course. I really can’t blame the guy…because (as it is Halloween today) I am not in normal-people-go-to-work-clothes. let’s just say that today I look a little bit more like the Sun•Maid Raisin Lady than I normally would on an average work day….

and really. who wouldn’t stare at the raisin-lady, using a large silver spatula, to get the ice off of her car.

(so, I said hello to the not-so-descreet-people-watching-trashman. and explained that yes, in fact, I was using a spatula on my car.) he wished me the best of luck, and then hopped on a large trash truck that miraculously appeared about that same time… and I’m pretty sure he told the truckdriver about the Sun•Maid Raisin Lady with the spatula…because there was definitely some goose-necking from the driver’s seat.

so, anyways.
happy Halloween everyone.

why i love wednesdays...

I know that for most people, Wednesdays are usually regarded as the nasty-hump-day...that drags on...in the middle of the week....(and, admittedly- i used to be one of those people.) But, since my recent relocation to Pittsburgh (well, Bellevue to be more exact)...Wednesdays have become my little nugget of joy in the middle of the week.
(*did i really just say "nugget of joy"?....well. it's true. and i'm not really sure how else to describe it...)

So, on Wednesday mornings- my street gets swept. (which, i realize, does not sound exciting. at all.) But- this means that the little volvo must be removed by 8:00 am....or else it will be towed. (by who, or where, i don't know---but, i figure that is the kind of thing i don't ever want to find out) So, since i have this awkward 1/2 hour on wednesday mornings, when i don't have to leave for work yet- but i can't have my car parked in front of my apartment, i decided i needed to develop an alternate morning plan...

And that is why Wednesday is my muffin and coffee morning. I drive down the street to my favorite little pittsburgh-coffee-shop (which specializes in coffee/tea/art/old books/*and waffles on sunday.) <--seriously, could this place get much better? They make the best muffins i've ever had...and every Wednesday morning i try whatever new flavor they've made that day. So far i've had fresh-peach (with lots of cinnamon and nutmeg), fresh-rasberry, toasted coconut/pinapple, and today's new flavor: pumpkin and applesauce. There really is not a more perfect way to start a Wednesday than with a steaming mug of really good coffee, a hot, fresh, muffin, and a few chapters out of a good book. And today--(and finishing my pumpkin-applesauce muffin....which tasted like the perfect holiday kind of breakfast...)--i drove to work in SNOW. yep. can you believe it? giant flakes of white, fluffy, goodness. this is going to be a great day....