Puppies and Pancakes

Things I Know About My Baby

2011-08-12T18:24:00.000-07:00

Ela is just over one week old. I don't know anything about her at all. And yet, I know everything about her. I made her and carried her and brought her into the world. She's oddly familiar and strangely foreign.

She likes to sleep with her hands up by her ears.

She's going to be strong and smart. She's trying desperately (and nearly succeeding) to hold up her head. She's found her thumb to suck.

Those dimples come from her daddy.

She's fairly easy-going (hopefully that sticks!).

When she wakes up she's content to look around, waggle her arms and flail her legs.

Her smile is crooked--just like her mama's and her great-great grandpa's.

Miss Elanor, I'm looking forward to learning all about you over the next days, weeks, months, and years. You will be a lifetime of discovery.

Introducing Elanor Grace

2011-08-11T16:23:00.000-07:00

One week old, today.

Another Post About My Boobs

2011-08-02T07:19:00.000-07:00

Because it's a little depressing that we're still here waiting, I'll share another story about my pregnant boobs. So far they've been a great source of entertainment for others throughout the pregnancy (hopefully, they're as good of a source of food for the baby!).

At last week's appointment I saw my midwife's partner. They trade off a visit near the end of term for each patient, just in case you end up being delivered by the other. This midwife was very nice, very focused on educating her patients, and very very midwify. I've heard that she's an excellent breastfeeding educator so I asked a few questions to take advantage of her knowledge. The rest of the visit then went like this:

Her: "Well, how are your nipples?"

Me: "Uh, fine, thank you."

Her: "Do they work?"

Me: "Uh, yes...?"

Her: "Have you tried expressing breastmilk?"

Me: Look of horror and shock

Her: "Want me to try?"

Me: Much bigger look of horror. "Uh, no, that's ok."

Her: "C'mon..."

Me: "No!"

Her: "Well, at least let me see them."

Me: "uhhhhhhh. What?"

Her: "Lemme see." Reaching for my boobs.

Me: Look of terror. Glance helplessly at Husband, who is snickering loudly in the corner.

Me: "What do you want to do? What are you wanting me to do?" Protecting my boobs with my hand.

Me: "No, it's ok. Really. I'm good."

Her: Moving my hand aside and uncovering a boob. Then, poking, prodding and moving around my nipple. For why, I have no idea!

Her: "Ok, well you look like you'll be fine."

Me: "Uhhhhhhh."

Husband, later, after she left the room: "Wow. You really didn't want to show that woman your boob!"

The Great Wait

2011-07-30T20:45:00.000-07:00

Here I sit. Bouncing on my exercise ball because it's the most comfy place to rest. Sitting. Bouncing. Waiting.

At my last midwife appointment half a week ago she predicted that the baby would be here any day. For those who care, at that point I was 80% effaced and 4 cm dilated. As a point of reference for those of you who haven't had kids... many (most?) people get to the hospital in active labor when they're about 4 cm dilated. I've been this way for a week. And 2 cm for a week before that.

I'm ready. But I wasn't. Up until the last day or so I had so many things still to do. Work was crazy busy and I just couldn't get caught up--much less get ahead. My house was a mess. The baby room wasn't done. I still had to pack a bag for the hospital and finish washing clothes.

Now I'm ready. Some of those things are done. Some aren't. But none seem important anymore. The things that must be ready are. The rest don't matter.

Here I sit. Time sits too. Still and hot, like it should in the middle of summer. Except this year, when day could be the day. I expected to spend these last nine months full of joy and excitement. Full of plans and dreams. And I have... kinda. It's been different than I expected. More apprehension. Fewer dreams. Perhaps I'm just not that sentimental, but I tend to live more in the now and less in the future. And NOW is when the future and the now should meet and become the perfect time to greet this little person for real.

Blueberries

2011-07-11T11:58:00.000-07:00

After picking nearly 12 pounds of blueberries at 7 a.m. yesterday morning, we turned a few of them into a summer berry tart.

As of 7 a.m. this morning, only a few slices remain.

Flying By

2011-07-08T08:49:00.000-07:00

I keep half-composing blog posts in my head. Sometimes I even jot down a few lines on a piece of paper or on the ipad. And then life moves on and the half-finished thoughts get stuck somewhere in limbo.

I want to talk about all the work we've been doing on the house and how it's finally coming together.

I want to ask about the things I need for this baby that I don't know about yet, or haven't realized I should get ready in advance.

I want to show all of the things we've made for the baby and the baby's room. Things that are pretty. Things that are useful. Things that we hope will be treasured and enjoyed--at least by us, even if she doesn't care.

I want to talk about The Fear. And the strange lack thereof.

I want to complain a bit about the heat and the pains and the fact that I thought when everyone warned me that the last month was hell that they were just exaggerating. For the record, they were most definitely not.

But there is work. So very, very much work. And projects at home. And laundry. And puppies and husbands to care for. Gardens to weed and admire. And occasionally, just a few moments to sit down and put up my feet.

Happy Biiiiiirrrrrthday, Dear Husband...

2011-06-21T11:36:00.000-07:00

My husband is quite the accomplished chef. He used to do a majority of the cooking at our home until I got knocked up, and now for some reason I seem to do all of it. (That is most definitely the topic of another post, however.) I've been the baker in the family--except for cake which is back under his expertise.

This year, for his birthday, I decided to surprise him by making a cake. I made this one, but with blackberry flavoring and using blackberries for most of the coloring and using the blackberry mint jam we made last summer for the filling. I also made a whipped cream frosting, which turned the whole thing into a kind of blackberry shortcake.Quite delicious and amazingly successful for my first layered cake ever.

We devoured it over the weekend when my family was in town visiting. My dad's birthday was also this weekend so we had plenty to celebrate.

Happy birthday, husband! I love you bunches and you're worth every minute of the many, many hours I spent on your cake.

2011-06-19T14:18:00.000-07:00

Dear baby,

Please stop trying to exit my uterus through the right side (probably your left). There is no way out there. If you hang on for six more week I'm pretty sure you'll be able to find your way down and out. Thank you, baby.

Love and more love,
Mama

A Baby Skunk

2011-05-24T13:26:00.000-07:00

Is there any reason I shouldn't buy this for the tiny human?

Baby Skunk outfit from The Gap

Reasons to buy it come more easily:
1. It's a skunk outfit. For a baby.
2. It's on sale.
3. Looks cozy for winter.
4. Babies probably smell bad sometimes. So do skunks.
5. It would be a baby dressed like an animal.
6. What else?

Update: Here's a good reason--it's out of stock in the bigger sizes. :(

Leaving My Heart On the Freeway

2011-05-19T21:50:00.000-07:00

I woke up in the middle of the night sobbing. Full on sobs with tear streaming down my face.

We were driving in a city, on our way to a movie. Inexplicably, we were in the back seat with my sister and my parents were driving. The puppies were with us, sitting on our laps and walking around. As is always the case in dreams things were off. The car seemed large because the puppies were in the way, but there was still plenty of room for them to move about. At one point, the Husband let them outside of the car on their leashes so they could potty.

But then, at a stoplight, he couldn't handle it anymore. He kicked the pups out of the car just before the light turned green and my parents pulled forward, off the freeway with a left turn and across an overpass, then continuing on a busy street with many lanes.

I stared at the puppies through the back window of the car as we drove away. It was horrible. Those sad, confused faces. They tried to follow, but we left so fast. I cried and yelled. Somehow I got out of the car and was standing in the middle of the busy lanes, calling for my Loki.

That's where I woke up with my heart hurting and my eyes dripping. For a minute, the Husband patted my back and soothed me over and over. Finally I was able to sputter out, "you left the dogs in the middle of the freeway!" At which point he snorted, laughed, rolled over and went back to sleep.

I know. It's completely ridiculous. But it was horrible and sad and overwhelming.

Intellectually, I know that I will love the baby more than the puppies. But in my heart it's hard to imagine. I love them more fiercely than I've loved anything or anyone before. They need me. They rely on me. I'm their person. Like I will be for the baby. How terrifying to think that the thought of losing the rascals is enough to nearly cause me hysterics... what's going to happen when the tiny human isn't safe inside of me anymore? My heart may break every single day.

Summer Dreamin'

2011-05-05T13:36:00.000-07:00

As a kid summer was always my favorite season. I enjoyed school, so it wasn't so much that--it was just that we could be outside all the time. We took vacations, we went camping, we swam for hours and hours in the pool at our apartment complex, we could go barefoot everywhere.

While this summer will be different from most, and the tiny human's arrival smack dab in the middle means I have no idea what to really expect, these are the things I wish I could stick on my summer to-do list:

Go on my family's week-long waterski trip on Lake Shasta
Plant and tend to our garden (will it warm up enough for that this year? doesn't appear to be the case)
Take at least two backpacking trips in the Wallowas
Go car camping
Hike somewhere (Jubilee Lake? Southfork?) frequently
Take Husband on a weekend golf trip at a resort (golf for him, spa for me--win win!)
Finish painting bedroom and rest of upstairs
Barbeque on the newly-improved patio
Have a yard sale
Take long evening bike rides
Visit the Farmer's Market nearly every Saturday
Spend time with my sister in Seattle--doing touristy things that we never do
Clean and organize the entire garage
Creating oodles of new jewelry to get a head start on the holiday selling season

Wonder how many of these I will be able to accomplish?

Outnumbered

2011-05-03T13:35:00.000-07:00

We're soon to be outnumbered, the Husband and I. As I've been struggling to make space for my (larger) self on the couch between two sleeping mutts, or when I rush to feed the mutts while cooking for the Husband and me, or when I have to rouse two snuggly mutts off the bed so I can find room for the plethora of pillows now required for me to sleep... Well, I'm realizing that we're running out of space, out of hands, and out of the majority.

The giant dog children and the tiny human child will be three... and we are just two.

The Olden Days

2011-04-13T17:59:00.000-07:00

How does one go about teaching a kid all the things she needs to know? How did I learn the things I know? How do I pass those down to her?

I was thinking about this last week while sitting in a meeting where there was much singing. Mostly hymns. Older hymns for the most part. I came in late and did not end up with a song book, which was ok, because I knew the words to most of the songs. Well, at least the first and last verse--if we sang the ones in the middle it was more of a crap shoot.

We didn't sing religious songs at home that much, that I remember. Did I pick them up in church, or at camp, or in choir? I don't know. If you had asked, I never would have answered that I knew the words to those songs, but it seems some things sink in and stick with you.

These are the things I wonder how to teach my daughter. The things that make her a part of our family, of our religion, our culture. The things that she won't know she's learned, or that won't make a difference until she's grown and startled to discover it was inside her all along.

We Do Not Always Sleep With Dogs

2011-04-10T16:37:00.000-07:00

When I was looking through photos of the puppies the other day I noticed 1) we have a ridiculous number of photos of our dogs, and 2) that Husband really likes taking photos of the puppies and I snuggling together. In case anyone else finds themselves with overly loving, snuggly dogs, I wanted to share so you felt less alone.

These are just a few that I found (what, this is my blog and I can withhold all the ones with weird drool and not enough clothing if I want to). It was fun to see all of the changes in the last three years--starting with my old house, to the Husband's house when I first moved in, to now.

Loki and the Ball

2011-04-09T20:36:00.000-07:00

I stole these pictures off of the Husband's phone. He and the Loki dog seem to love nothing more than playing catch (well, Loki loves to catch balls and Husband likes to catch the catch on film). The last two are my favorites.

A Girl

2011-03-30T10:18:00.000-07:00

We are having a girl.

A GIRL, internets, a g i r l.

I've been fortunate to waver evenly on the gender fence... did I want a boy because they generally seem easier to raise? Or a girl because they're what I'm more familiar with, having only a sister? But now I no longer have to wonder as it will be a girl, equally full of ruffles and giant flowered headbands as of dirt and tools.

And although I thought I knew, I find myself wondering... how in the world does one go about raising a girl?

Spring Shoes

2011-03-29T13:16:00.000-07:00

It's nearly spring and I'm longing for at least one of these to join my closet this year.

Seychelles

Born

Leifsdottir

Diane von Furstenberg

They would make me feel better about the horrid lack of cute maternity clothes that I have.

More Things No One Tells You (or, maybe shouldn't?)

2011-02-28T15:07:00.000-08:00

I just had my second favorite conversation with a co-worker about pregnancy-related things. After providing some motherly advice that was all quite useful, if not new, since most everyone else has told me the same things, she goes on to lean in and lower her voice.

"Here's something you should know," she says quietly in the hallway of our busy workplace. "After you have the baby and if you breastfeed, well, just know that if you have an orgasm you'll shoot milk everywhere."

She went on to say that she tries to tell people that now so they aren't surprised like she was.

If the mothers in my office keep this up, there should be very few things I'm not prepared for, right?

And So It Begins

2011-02-18T08:36:00.000-08:00

Some weeks ago I was walking out of a meeting and down the hallway at work when a co-worker popped up next to me. She had started several months ago and we didn't work closely together so although I liked her, I'd only met her a handful of times.

"It's come to my attention that you're expecting," she says.

"Uhhhh."

"Yeah. I mean, I noticed that you were a few weeks ago and I just wanted to say congratulations!" she continues in a lovely, loud voice.

"You noticed? What do you mean you noticed?" I say, pulling my long cardigan a bit closer around me. At this point I'm a little confused. I mean, I could barely tell when I was dressed for work. How could she?

"Well, uh," and here she gestures to my chest, "those boobs? The ones that look like they could feed the whole world? They're kind of obvious."

Ahhhhh, and so it begins. So, feel free. Talk about my boobs. Apparently, my knocked up body is available for public comment. Hooray!

An Etsy Valentine

2011-01-29T18:45:00.000-08:00

I spend a lot of time on Etsy, obviously, what with my love for handmade items and my own jewelry shop. And while I'm not at all a fan of Valentine's Day, I do like a little love. Here are some fun things I've spotted recently.

Retro Love You by Vintage Scraps

Sign of Love by Hey Harriet

Valentine Greeting Card by Oh Geez!

Binary Heart by The Wallaboo Prints

Say It

2011-01-25T18:37:00.000-08:00

I saw this on A Cup of Jo today and thought it was pretty awesome. So if you haven't seen it, here 'tis.

Welcoming the New Year

2011-01-03T13:35:00.000-08:00

I am not a big proponent of new year's resolutions. It surprises me every year, since I like very few things more than making a nice, tidy list. Perhaps it's stubbornness... why should I make a resolution list just because other people are? It could be that I avoid introspection whenever possible. Maybe it's fear of failure.

Most likely it's just that I don't want to, so I don't.

I am, however, looking forward to this new year in a way I rarely do. 2010 was a good year... the best I've had to date. But it was a hard year. We celebrated our first anniversary. We did not have a honeymoon period like so many seem to have. We struggled. Hard. Things have been easing up lately and I hope that continues into this year. Maybe our two hard heads are learning to avoid smashing into each other as hard.

We've made strides this year on leading a more simple life. I want to surround myself with things that I love. That are beautiful. I want to rid myself of everything else. We have so much stuff. Too much stuff. It's too much clutter, takes too much space, too much money, too much time. This year I plan to weed through as much as possible with a ruthless purpose.

We are beginning to re-learn to garden and this year we have big plans to expand and improve upon our fledgling front-yard garden. Perhaps I'll finally make time to add additional landscaping to help it blend in, rather than stick out.

The end of 2010 saw me completely and utterly burned out, in a way I can hardly remember ever being before. That cannot happen again. I don't know how to keep more balanced, but I hope to learn. I want time to read a book, or take a long walk, or cook a complicated meal with the Husband. I NEED that time.

This year looks to be a continuation of that last, and the one before. A year in which to grow. To become more wise, more patient, more kind. To continue building our family and our life. And that's all the resolution I need.

Holiday Shopping

2010-11-29T14:54:00.000-08:00

Um, so, some slightly shameful self-promotion here today. I'm participating in Etsy's Cyber Monday promotion by offering 10 percent off everything in my store until midnight. To get the discount, just use the code CYBERMONDAY when you check out.

Also, because so many of the items in my shop are made-to-order in your size or special color requests they take awhile to make. In order to make sure your gifts arrive by Christmas, I need to have your order by Sunday, Dec. 12.

Sadly, and happily, I suppose, my favorite earrings already sold today even though I just put them up for sale yesterday. I was kind of hoping no one would want them so I could keep them. But that's ok. I won't tell you what my other favorites are so you won't feel bad about buying them!

And, you can follow me on Twitter or Facebook if you want more updates about new items or holiday specials.

Thankful for Snow

2010-11-28T20:55:00.000-08:00

1. I love the snow. I'm glad it's been snowing all weekend.
2. My car drives amazingly well in the snow, thank goodness.

3. We were supposed to go tree hunting today, but Husband had a migraine so we went to a tree farm in town instead. I haven't picked out a tree that way since I was a kid.
4. Decorating a tree takes longer than I remembered.
5. So does hanging Christmas lights. Especially in the freezing cold.

6. My husband's family is much quieter than mine at Thanksgiving dinner. And they don't eat nearly as much.

7. It took three whole days off of work for me to relax and finally feel peaceful. Now I have to go to work in the morning.

8. Making jewelry always takes longer than I expect as well. I wanted to be ahead for the holiday shopping season, but of course, I'm behind.

9. And that is all I can remember. Happy Thanksgiving to you.

Some New Jewelry

2010-11-18T17:32:00.000-08:00

I've had some recent success (and some failures) lately with my jewelry business, Mischief by Loki. I've been creating a wholesale line of more simple, replicable, affordable pieces, while continuing to reveal my favorite one-of-a-kind creations. Here are a few of the things I've made lately...

Have you joined me on Facebook? I do giveaways and sneak peeks and discounts and other random things there.

Product Placement... So Wrong

2010-11-16T19:21:00.000-08:00

When I watched these clips today I literally cried from the painfulness. I am not even joking. Watch. Cry. You're welcome.

Blessings of Food

2010-11-15T20:32:00.000-08:00

Husband loves to cook. He caters events on the side and every week be makes a meal for 30 or so people from the local university for their meeting. He's rarely happier than when he's aproned up, buzzing around the kitchen, tasting little bits of this and that.

This works out well for me, as you can imagine.

The last few months have been horrible. I've been swamped at work, so much so that I often want to walk out at nine in the morning and crawl into bed at home because I'm drowning under the weight of what must be done right away. I'm teaching a class--for the first time ever--and find myself woefully unprepared for the task. My jewelry business is requiring massive amounts of time and the to-do list continues to grow. The organization for which I am chair of the board of directors is having a big event in one week. The house is messier than I like it and I have dozens of half-finished projects laying around. I'm so overwhelmed that simply functioning is becoming more than I can manage on some days.

But. But. The point is that I stumble downstairs each morning to find porridge ready or toast buttered. I have hot coffee or tea in a to-go mug by my purse. Many times I find a lunch packed and placed IN my giant purse ready to be carted to work. In the evenings I mumble something that I have a craving for and an hour later (or often less), it shows up, nicely plated, in front of my computer or on my studio desk. It's a miracle. And it's delicious.

I married a cook. And it's the best decision I've ever made.

September in Retrospect

2010-10-11T11:01:00.000-07:00

Life is busy. The months are flying past before I even have a moment to enjoy them. The Husband let the puppy and I sleep in yesterday, which was much needed.

Work is becoming overwhelming and I'm not sure how to catch up, though the upcoming projects are very exciting.

This is my third week of teaching an upper division public relations class at a local university. Teaching is super hard work. Any university professors out there--how do I not feel like such an idiot while speaking to a bunch of students? Also, how can I make a two-hour evening class more interesting?

We canned a bunch of things from our garden and the farmer's market. I've never canned anything before so the jars of garden salsa, blackberry and peach jam, and the peach slices make me feel like quite the amazing housewife. The fact that Husband was equally involved makes him pretty amazing too.

Physical therapy has been helping my shoulder but I re-damaged it doing the assigned exercises and my PT has canceled the past two weeks for emergency reasons. Now my head and shoulder are hurting so bad it's hard to concentrate. I miss yoga.

It's finally almost cool enough to wear my favorite boots. I love warm socks and boots and once it finally gets chilly (if you can consider 60 degrees chilly) I put them on and don't go back to pumps and other work shoes until May.

We went to Disneyland, which has always been my favorite place (blame my parents for that). It was a weekday at the end of September so the park was virtually empty except for all the moms and strollers. Mostly locals who can come for part of a day for a playdate. This is near the end of the day when things diminished into my modeling an awesome pirate hat that I couldn't justify buying.

And now. Now it's halfway through October already. And I want to start fresh.

Sunsetting our First Year

2010-09-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

We have been married one whole year.

I have not been blogging much.

The two are related a bit, but not really.

It's been a really tough year, full of big decisions and big fights and big adjustments and big amounts of being way too busy. Some things I can talk about, of course, and other things I either don't want to, or I can't find the words to say what I need to. So I don't say anything. But I'm here, keeping up on you all. And perhaps I'll be here more often in the future.

Meanwhile, I took these pictures last weekend during our sort-of anniversary trip to the coast. We had such beautiful evenings, as you can see.

One Year Ago Today...

2010-09-07T08:29:00.000-07:00

... we were with all of these lovely people celebrating the start of our marriage.

Photo courtesy of the amazing Ben Blood, of course.

A Perfect View

2010-08-18T21:51:00.000-07:00

The puppies love sitting out on the hot tub in the evenings. It's out on a landing outside our bedroom and looks as though it's on the roof of our house. I often find Loki laying with his head hanging over the edge of the roof, looking at... something. Lyla likes to spy on the squirrels.

Just wait puppies. Only a few more months and it will be cool enough for me to actually sit IN the hot tub. Then you'll be out of luck.

Bra Shopping

2010-08-16T20:20:00.000-07:00

I would guess just about every women shuddered reading the title of this post. On a shopping scale, looking for a bra is less fun that swimming suit shopping and slightly more fun than trying to find the perfect jeans.

The last time I went bra shopping I picked about a dozen bras in my size and took them into the fitting room where none (NONE!) fit. The perky little blond working there offered to do a bra fitting/sizing thing on me so I took her up on it. After wrangling that little measuring tape around my body in a multitude of directions she announced that I was definitely wearing the wrong size and needed to go up at least a cup size.

SO determined to take home something that actually fit I bought two bras that day in the giant-boob size she said I was. One fit really well, actually, and I liked it a lot. The other one I tried on again at home for Husband. His response: "That looks like a giant old lady with saggy boobs bra." Obviously, that one went back.

This weekend I picked up a few of my favorite panties and decided to grab a bra while I was there. My new regular size was nowhere to be found, of course, as it's rather obscure. Another perky, curly blond came over to help me look and when she heard what size I was looking for she immediately pulled me into the changing area and held a cup up to my boob.

"See, that's what I thought! You're not nearly that big. You're definitely wearing too large of a bra. You need this one instead," she chirps.

Okaaaaay.

At this point I'm trying to cover my frustration so I try on the size she recommended--my old regular size. The instant I had the thing on it was painfully obvious that it was not the correct size. Perky Girl came in then to look and stood there for a second with pursed lips before announcing that, "You really are full-chested aren't you?"

Apparently I'm destined to wear old lady bras forever.

Tomato Onslaught & Salsa

2010-08-15T20:08:00.000-07:00

Remember when I talked about our tomato tree? It's now a tomato forest.

A couple of days ago I went out and picked a big basket full of little red cherry tomatoes. Yesterday I picked another bowl full and I expect I'll get a bunch tomorrow.

Husband doesn't like little tomatoes so I've been trying to eat them all myself (not counting the three big containers we've given away so far), but there are really only so many tomatoes one girl can eat. Since none of our big tomatoes have ripened yet we've resorted to making cherry tomato salsa with cilantro and pepper from our garden.

Cherry Tomato Salsa
Handful or so of cherry tomatoes
Half of a sweet onion
Half of a garden salsa pepper or jalepeno
Handful of cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste
T sugar

You can cut it up by hand, of course, but we've been throwing everything in the food processor and blending it together then grabbing a bag of chips, some of my homemade guacamole and the salsa and watching back episodes of Mad Men.

To sex or not to sex

2010-08-02T22:56:00.000-07:00

Me: Do you think we're having more sex because we're getting along better right now? Or do you think we're getting along because we're, you know, getting it on?

Husband: We're getting along better, which makes you happier, which means more sex.

Me: I thought it was the other way around.

Husband: Could be.

What do you think? Is there a cause and effect relationship?

Hawaiian Luau

2010-08-01T08:35:00.000-07:00

My favorite friends are moving to Hawaii today. I'd like to be melodramatic and say that my days of having friends randomly drop by and then stay all evening, steal my candy and love on my dogs are over... but that would be silly. And, let's face it, wouldn't make me feel much better.

Before they left a group of our friends threw a low-key luau as a sending off. It looked like this.

Miss you already, a little bit. But we've already started pricing plane tickets. Yippee!

Friday Flutter: Wood? Doily? Yes, please!

2010-07-30T09:15:00.000-07:00

Ok, I am not usually a doily person but this I love.

pssst... there are wood doily coasters too!

Photo via Uncommon

A Summer Walk

2010-07-27T19:57:00.000-07:00

I like taking walks. I never used to, but when I got a wiggling bundle of energy named Loki I started walking--every day. At first it was really hot and he used to plop down in any puddle of water he could find or try to escape into the neighbor's sprinklers. And then it was really cold and we'd bundle up and get sopping wet and come home and cuddle until we warmed up.

When Husband and I first started dating Loki was the entire focus of my life outside work* so we spent many a date walking. My house is in an old part of town so we'd walk through old tree-lined streets looking at the architecture and landscaping and talking about houses we'd like to have someday. I loved that we could walk, and talk, and hold hands.

Then we got married and I learned that Husband hates walking. Really. Can't stand it. Fusses every time anyone says the word "walk" and pouts whenever we start out. We live in a not-nearly-as-nice part of town now and there's not as much to look out.

But sometimes, just sometimes, we go out of town and we walk, and talk, and hold hands. And it's nice.

*long story. Maybe I'll get there someday.

Puppies and Puddles

2010-07-26T22:45:00.001-07:00

Lyla Lou had a bath tonight. Which she hates.

That may or may not have been the reason for the giant* puddle of pee on Husband's side of the bed that we found when heading to sleep.

But I guarantee that led to us sleeping here.

*and by giant I mean great lakes quantities of urine. Huge. Epic. I wouldn't have guessed she could hold that much.

Quite the Show

2010-07-26T15:18:00.000-07:00

Obviously I should look at myself fully in the mirror before leaving the house. It is now nearing the end of the workday and I have realized that this bra with this shirt... well, let's just say that anyone taller than my 5'3" has a direct shot down my v-neck to my belly button.

Great. Just great.

Growin' Tomato Trees

2010-07-23T08:15:00.000-07:00

See this tomato ~~plant~~ tree? I'm holding it up because it got too heavy and flopped over. See how it's taller than I am... even while two feet on the top are actually leaning over onto itself? Yeah, we are going to have a TON of tomatoes.

This weekend I plan to do nothing. Ok, so I actually plan to do a lot of things but none of them are vital and none of them require long trips or house guests or staying overnight anywhere, which will be a fabulous change from the last six weeks or so. Ahhhhhh, weekends.

Luckiest At Last Love Theme

2010-07-21T15:48:00.000-07:00

I've been listening to our wedding playlist at work this week. Before the wedding I picked out a bunch of songs that I loved, slapped them together on the ipod, and took it to the wedding. It was easy... but not. I wanted the right songs. The ones that had stories behind them. The ones that fit the feel of the day. And the ones that I would hear later and immediately think of our wedding, our story and our life.

This week it's been like a balm on my heart.

Damn, she's smooth

2010-07-19T12:14:00.000-07:00

At my hair appointment last week the lovely girl who has cut my hair for years and years now says this:

"I was sitting outside at Starbucks last week between appointments and I saw this girl walking across Main Street. I was admiring her hair, thinking how perfectly it was cut. It was surprising because usually I pick cuts apart in my head. Then she turned and I realized it was you!"

To which I replied, "Damn, you're smooth!"

Friday Flutter: Dogs

2010-07-16T07:32:00.000-07:00

A Friday collection of some fun Etsy items I found that make me think of my puppies.

Custom dog silhouette by Happy Thought

Dog nose imprint by Rock My World Inc

A beautiful lapiz paw print that was cut for me by Tom at Harnessed Earth

Adorable dachshund chasing its tail in this ring by Mooshy Gooshies

Puppy love enamel ring by Marmar (Husband once bought me the necklace that matches this)

Garden, part 1

2010-07-13T14:17:00.000-07:00

The first pictures I remembered to take of our garden this year.

Since I took these photos about two weeks ago the tomato has turned a lovely shade of red and been eaten. The green pepper is sitting on the counter and we took a bag of zucchini to Husband's sister this weekend.

Yummy!

Hmmmm

2010-07-12T19:08:00.000-07:00

We pass this sign every time we drive to Seattle and Husband has always wanted a picture of it. This time I was ready and as we got near I had the camera out and poised to snap a photo.*

If you don't know the area it's not nearly as funny, so let me give a brief background. Palm Springs is, of course, warm and lovely and lush and wealthy. Yakima is, well, none of those things. It's in the hot, dry center of Washington State and its main claim to fame is an amazingly high rate of gang-related crimes.

*Unfortunately the shot was poorly timed as we passed these giant posts right as I hit the button. There's always next time.

Backpacking

2010-07-06T19:44:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling like a lazy blogger this week so here are pictures of our backpacking trip this weekend.

Fun times.

On Marriage Being Hard

2010-07-01T11:39:00.000-07:00

As always, Meg has impeccable timing. While I'm bitching over here about how marriage isn't all rainbows and puppies, some other lovely people are struggling with the same things.

I know a lot of people have great marriages.* But I have to say, knowing that other people wonder if they're cut out for this marriage thing too... well it makes me hopeful, actually. Hopeful that we're not as lost as it seems. Hopeful that we'll sort some of this out. And hopeful that even when I sleep on the couch or don't speak to my husband for 24 hours (on purpose so I don't explode) that maybe I'm not the horrible person that I feel.

Or, maybe I am?

*Or are at least more secret about their not-so-greatness.

All Alone Over Here

2010-06-30T14:36:00.000-07:00

I haven't been blogging much. I haven't had much to say, mostly because I've been struggling a lot. This has been a really tough week.* Amongst other things, I've been swamped at work. I've had jewelry orders to fill and extra pieces to make for a shop in town who is beginning to carry my designs. There are Big Decisions to make. We're going backpacking this weekend and it's the first time we've gone since we were kids so there are plans to make and supplies to purchase. My sister is staying with me while she attends some teacher-type classes. My head aches. I'm building a website and have no idea how to actually do that. The house is filthy. And we're only wearing clean clothes because my lovely sister did the washing this week.

But that's just normal stuff to complain about. What's most frustrating is the total lack of understanding and support from the Husband. If he went to bed every night crying because of exhaustion and way too much to do in far too little time, I'd like to think I'd pat his head and snuggle him and offer to help with some small tasks. I think I would get him coffee in the morning and buy him a special treat just 'cause. I'm sure I wouldn't laugh at him or ignore him or blow his stress off because it's "not real work."

Wouldn't you?

And that's not really the point. The point is that even if I am being ridiculous or even if things will calm down, it doesn't change how completely overwhelmed I feel with everything RIGHT NOW. And right now I could use someone to share it with... which I guess is you lovely ladies instead.

I always heard (and still hear) about how marriage is the best thing ever and how now you'll always have a partner and someone to support you. But it's certainly not all it's cracked up to be.**

*OK, a really tough month or two.
**and on that note... am I really the only newly married person who can't figure out why in the world she got married in the first place? It seems unlikely that I am, but since I haven't found anyone else like that... perhaps I am?

Living in Catalog Land

2010-06-28T12:42:00.000-07:00

I love design and decoration and renovation and painting everything I can get my hands on (ok, actually I detest painting very strongly, but I still seem to do an awful lot of it). My reader is full of design blogs and I enjoy dreaming about all the things my home will be some day when I get a few minutes free to work on it.

But still. Sometimes all the inspiration files and catalogs look a bit... ridiculous, right? If you agree you'll love Catalog Living. I just heard about this site and its wickedly funny writer who tells stories about the people who live in the overly styled photos in major catalogs.

Weekends

2010-06-27T11:36:00.001-07:00

Things weekends should always include:

BBQ
Picnics
Friends
Walks
New shoes
Good sermons
Coffee
Mexican food
Tired puppies
Gardening
Exciting books
Organizing part of the house
Apricot cobbler

What else should we have done this weekend?

Gilt Shopping

2010-06-23T09:42:00.000-07:00

It's really no secret that I like to shop. I love clothes and shoes and bags (and hair products, but that's a different story). Living in my little rural town there is not a lot of clothes shopping to be done locally so I end up shopping online or waiting until I visit a big city where I then feel like I have to get a whole season's worth of clothing all at once.

Kelsie Dagger sandals that are almost-but-not-quite perfect for an upcoming wedding

Awhile ago I was introduced to Gilt. It's one of those invitation-only sale sites that's mostly out of my price range. But since the husband and I are trying to stick to our budget and keep a tight hold on unexpected expenses, I've started stalking the site for good deals. I might go months without getting anything, but then I find the perfect pair of shoes or my favorite jeans (yay for jeans that actually fit!) or my favorite face products and then I stock up.

Twinkle by Wenlan dress I want today.

If you want to sign up, you can use my code: http://www.gilt.com/invite/kristispurgeon

A Birthday Weekend Haiku

2010-06-22T08:06:00.000-07:00

family visit

pancakes and ice cream today
ride away on a bike

Fork Me?

2010-06-15T13:09:00.001-07:00

Looking through my phone today I found this picture from a trip to Pier 1:

Clearly this was a thrilling find for my chef husband. And no, they did not come home with us.

Carpet Shmarpet

2010-06-13T21:26:00.000-07:00

I intended to have a nice, relaxing weekend while some friends were visiting from out of town. And then I happened to mention that our next house project was ripping out the carpet in the living room. He looked at his watch and said, "well, we have an hour til lunch. Shall we get started?"

Friday Flutter: Gifts

2010-06-11T09:42:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking a lot about gifts lately. June seems to be the season for gift-giving. My dad's birthday, my mother-in-law's birthday, Father's Day, Husband's birthday, my friend Shawna's birthday, a friend's birthday (party tonight... no gift in hand yet!), wedding receptions, and on and on. Ahhhhh! So I've been spending a bunch of time on Etsy looking for gifts. Here are some things currently in my favorites file*

Father's Day card from Monkey Mind Design (I bought this for my dad this year)

It's a teapot! And a clock! Two of my favorite things by Decoylab Shop.

These would be perfect for my dachshund-loving friend.

Wedding gift, perhaps? Vessels and Wares has some amazing pottery.

Father's Day? Wedding? Birthday? Yes, a shameless plug for something I made. But hey, who doesn't want a gift made by me? :)

And this one would be for me, of course. Because I'm that crazy puppy-loving lady who wants a needle felted replica of my dogs.

*Unfortunately, not necessarily for the people listed above. So my search continues.

Things I Have Learned and Relearned this Week

2010-06-10T15:58:00.000-07:00

1. Dogs don't like it when their people forget to buy dog food before the old food runs out.
2. Husbands like plump wives as much as skinny ones.
3. While buying/making Father's Day gifts it is never a good idea to forget about the mother-in-law birthday that precedes it.
4. P90X makes you sore. Really sore.
5. Dinners should always be eaten on the deck.
6. You get more done when you neglect to sign into TweetDeck.
7. If you don't want a third dog, don't send husbands pictures of cute puppies at the shelter. Apparently they are just big marshmallows when it comes to puppy faces. (I should know this. It's how I ended up with my second dog.)
8. Neighbors can make you very grumpy.
9. Good haircuts are always worth it.

Image of napping husband and Lyla by me and my iphone.

Ugh.

2010-06-08T16:22:00.000-07:00

I went to the doctor today. I haven't been to the doctor in forever and it seemed time to find a new doc, check in, and address a couple of issues.

So that part went fine, more or less. But here's the thing--they put me on a scale. I NEVER step on a scale. I'm not sure we even have one at home. Not because I'm not worried about my weight or because I'm afraid of scales, but because I judge my size by how my clothes fit more than a specific weight.

Except, you guys, now I'm officially huge! Ok, so that part isn't true. But I'm fatter than I've ever been and much bigger than I want to be. When exactly did that happen?

It's very annoying.

So although I've been lacking the motivation, I must start exercising more. Not just walking the mutts, but actual sweat-breaking, out-of-breath making, too-sore-to-move exercising. Now. Today. And I shall check in here now and again so you all can yell at me if I'm not being hardcore. Ok?

Who Has Bits?

2010-06-03T12:22:00.000-07:00

So this is a fun week in blogger world. Meg is talking about sex and Cate is talking about vaginas. You really should go join the conversation if you haven't already.

And I really am curious... what do you have? We mostly have "bits" around our house now, for boy and girl "private parts." However, growing up it wasn't a topic of discussion and if you had to refer to that area you said "pee pee." I always thought that was weird because that was also what you did from that area. Hmmmm.

Incidentally, I suppose it wasn't NEVER discussed. My mom was watching a TV show once when I was a little older that must have been about how parents don't use real words when talking to their kids and how sexuality should be a comfortable topic. I remember oh-so-clearly when she came into the bedroom where I was folding the laundry and started talking about how she has always been clear about things like vaginas and vulvas and whatnots. And she wanted me to agree that she had, in fact, been a good mom by talking about those things as we grew up. I agreed but mostly so she'd stop saying these horrible words that she had never, ever used around me before.

Just to be clear... she IS a good mom. But she certainly had not been as clear about sexual things as I think she thought she had.

And one last thought... if you didn't learn that stuff from your parents, where did you learn it? I didn't have girl friends who talked about sex. At all. I learned everything I know about sex and "bits" from a previous boyfriend and now from my husband. Does that seem weird to anyone else?

Grown-up Graduation Gifts

2010-06-03T07:07:00.000-07:00

It's graduation season. All around me people are graduating... mostly from college now that I'm getting old. Many from grad school (thank God I'm done with that too!) and some are just ending one year to enjoy the break before school starts again next year.

I've never really understood graduation presents. I get that it's a big deal and people want to celebrate. I guess I just never expected any gifts for completing something that I always expected to do. But, that's not really the point.

The point is that I only remember four graduation gifts ever. When I graduated from high school my parents bought be a nice DSL Canon camera. I used that thing like crazy until a few years later when film became, well, obsolete. I also got a set of giant Costco towels from some church friends who had graduated from college only a few years before. They were right--big towels are very handy in a dorm.

My college graduation gifts are less useful, perhaps, and yet much more meaningful. My oldest family friends (these are the people who claimed my sister and I as their so-called daughters when we were just wee things*) gave me the Dr. Seuss book "Oh, the Places You'll Go," which I thought very suitable.

And my mom's best friend (my other family**) gave me the best gift of all.

Isn't that fun? She told me that it should be a reminder that we're never too old to play and that hopefully work would always be something I enjoyed. It has sat on my desk at every job (ok, that's only three) I've had since college.

Any other clever graduation gifts I should keep in mind for future events?

*Our family had great friends--mostly from church--when we were little. Funny though, they were family friends but they didn't always have kids. In this case, their son is probably the person I've been friends with longest in my life. I think we met when I was four.

**Again, apparently I have lots of adopted families. I don't see many of them anymore. How does one go about creating new adopted families to go with this new baby family of mine?

Summer BBQ

2010-06-02T09:27:00.000-07:00

Today it's raining. AGAIN.

But last night was just cloudy and a bit breezy. Warm enough I could wear pants, sandals and a tank top and only be a little goosebumpy.

So we barbecued on the little gas grill and ate on the patio. Tofu kebabs with sweet onions and mushrooms and red pepper and zucchini (not yet from the garden) marinated in a yummy teriyaki sauce.

It was my idea, but the Husband made it.

And then we took the puppies for a long walk. It was a tiny slice of summer but it should hold me over until all this stupid rain goes away.

A Blogger Music Swap

2010-05-29T09:58:00.000-07:00

Awhile ago A. from Accordions and Lace decided it was time to go old school and make a mixed tape. But even better, she decided to get a bunch of lovely bloggers in on the fun. So 40-ish bloggers signed up for her Mix CD Exchange and carefully arranged songs, created cover art, and sent music flying around the world.

I received a cd from Anna in the UK. You can see the mix she sent me here.

And my music went to the lovely Jessica of Valetsine fame. I pulled together the songs I've been listening to the most recently. Many of them were also on our wedding ipod playlist.

"Washed by the Water" by Needtobreathe
"I Feel It All" by Feist
"Lemonade" by Chris Rice
"The More" by downhere
"It's Good to Be in Love" by Frou Frou
"Such Great Heights" by Iron & Wine
"Over the Rainbow" by Ingrid Michaelson
"Paris" by Yael Naim
"The Riddle" by Five for Fighting
"The Way I Am (live on WERS)" by Ingrid Michaelson
"Painting by Chagall" by The Weepies
"Let's Do the Things We Normally Do" by Dido
"Sweet Pea" by Amos Lee
"Above You, Below Me" by Badly Drawn Boy
"Endless Song of Hapiness" by Yael Naim
"Divine Romance" by Phil Wickham
"World Spins Madly On" by The Weepies
"Dare You to Move" by Switchfoot
"Feels Like Home" by Randy Newman
"Awake" by Josh Groban
"Stones Under Rushing Water" by Needtobreathe

Thanks, A., for the great idea! And what do you guys think? Anyone who listens to music similar to this... any good artists I don't know about yet?

Friday Flutter: Work Clothes

2010-05-28T13:04:00.000-07:00

We are headed to Seattle this weekend to see our respective sisters and to go shopping. Judging from the trouble I have finding clothes for work each morning I have come to the conclusion that I have almost no work appropriate summer-ish clothes. So, using the very small budget I have for clothes I'm trying to find cute work clothes at standard mall stores since they're probably all having Memorial Day sales.

From my internet pre-shopping scouting, here are a few things I'm looking at:

Ann Taylor Loft

J. Crew

The Limited (this one is hard to see here but it's really cute in person)

Ann Taylor

Hopefully it's a success and I find things that fit, are good for work, and don't cost much!

Just Living

2010-05-25T11:52:00.000-07:00

I have absolutely nothing exciting going on right now. And nothing to say.* I've worked the last two weekends, I've been annoyed at the dogs and the husband, the house needs to be cleaned, jewelry needs to be photographed, and there are literally no plates or bowls in the cupboard. And all I want to do is sit down and finish the book I'm reading. Ugh.

But here is a picture of the place we go to walk the mutts. Loki likes nothing better than to chase tennis balls around until they're horribly slobbery and gross. Although normally terribly clumsy, he makes some fantastic leaps to capture the elusive ball. I tried to catch them on my iphone and this was the best I could get--and of course, it was the one where he missed the ball. Silly dog.

*Truly. Husband has been amazed at the quietness.

Slothing About

2010-05-21T20:52:00.000-07:00

Anna posted this on Door Sixteen today and I wanted to share. Because, you know, it's the perfect way to start a weekend.

Meet the sloths from Amphibian Avenger on Vimeo.

Nicknames

2010-05-19T22:00:00.000-07:00

We call our dogs a whole mess of names: Lyla Lou, Loki Boo, sweet pea, stinky, piss & vinegar, puppy, tweedle dee & tweedle dum, lokabohk, trouble and other things I can't think of right now.

Husband and I call each other, well, Husband and Wife. Seriously. The most frequent thing you'd probably here in our house is me hollering "Husbaaaannndddd!" when I need his help with something. And from him "wiiIIIIffe" with a long sign, usually when I've gone on a cleaning rampage.

We don't really call each other anything else. And we rarely call each other by name. Weird, eh?

I've heard some talk about adjusting to calling your partner by a title like husband or wife. Obviously that's never been an issue for us. But what I don't know is why. I didn't like the term "boyfriend" and I never used "fiance". But "husband"? Sign me up!

Taking My Mule for a Walk

2010-05-16T20:53:00.000-07:00

We walked down to the store this afternoon. It was hot and sticky today so we decided Loki could carry the loot. It's hard to get him to stay still for pictures, but doesn't he look hilarious? We're in training for summer camping trips.

Boy Razors

2010-05-13T10:58:00.000-07:00

I shaved my legs this morning with the Husband's razor. That is only notable because I shall never use another razor again. Why is it that the men have such superior tools in this area? Are my legs not supposed to be smooth and soft?

Husband, you should stock up on razor blades. We're going to need them.

A Stampede of Balloons

2010-05-10T15:23:00.000-07:00

Very early in the morning on Mother's Day each year a dozen giant balloons launch into the sky. This annual Balloon Stampede is one of my favorite spring events so I was super disappointed when I woke up at 4 a.m. Sunday morning with a headache so bad I thought I was going to throw up. By the time I was able to drag myself out of bed two and a half hours later the early morning launch was over.

We chased a few balloons out of town and managed to capture a few pictures before my unwieldy camera battery died.

The launch really is the best part. Here are a couple of pictures from two years ago.

A Spring Picnic

2010-05-09T16:37:00.000-07:00

Finally! A day warm enough for an outdoor picnic. I forgot to take pictures of the actual picnic, of course, but we joined friends up on a bluff looking over the fields and valley for yummy bread, fresh fruit and veggies. And these--which were our contribution to the lunch.

Creamy lavender-flavored something-or-other than Husband made topped with strawberries. Ah-mazing! And yummy chocolate and mint. And the crust was super. I stole the crust and chocolate recipe from here.

Hyperbole and a Half

2010-05-06T12:57:00.000-07:00

This may be yet another one of those things that everyone else knows about except me. But in case there's someone else who hasn't read the funny things on this website yet... you really should.

Now excuse me while I go wipe the tears of laughter out of my eyes...

Bathroom Rain

2010-05-05T15:00:00.000-07:00

Isn't this the best shower ever?

One of these days we're going to demolish our upstairs bathroom and expand it into the closet so it's actually big enough for two people. Some day.

Image via emmas designblog via The Selby.

Wet Weekend Walk

2010-05-03T12:03:00.000-07:00

Ahhhhh, the Northwest. Although I live in the dry deserty part of Washington State, we are still prone to wet weather that tries to ruin our weekend plans. But this time we won.

We took our new car (YAY! New car! Big enough for the mutts, us, and friends) for its first outdoor adventure this weekend. It started to pour as soon as we arrived so we picnicked in the back.

Our brave friends Summer and Michael trekked through mud puddles and on-again-off-again showers.

This is the flat part. At the beginning. When we were still mostly dry.

Loki tried to avoid having his picture taken with me.

And miles later when we returned Husband showed his love for the new car by... licking it?

And then we went home and drank hot drinks, took a nap, and played a new board game. I'm sure we won the day afterall.

Sleep

2010-04-23T08:48:00.000-07:00

I am so very tired this week. I'm really a bed at 10 p.m. kind of girl. I need at least eight hours of sleep every night or I get very, very grumpy.

But this week, not so much. I've been up 'til midnight every night trying to get things ready for this jewelry show. I've never done anything like this so I was trying to put together displays and then once I got that pulled together I realized how very sparse it looked... so, off to make more pieces.

Now I just have a few more things to create and then I have to price and tag and add descriptions to each piece. And finalize the displays. And make food. And prep change and receipts and order forms and polish the pieces and I have no idea what else.

Soooo tired...

So I'll be back next week. Happier and well-rested. I hope.

Photo of my exhausted puppies. Back when they were tiny, obviously.

Vintage Photos

2010-04-20T11:10:00.000-07:00

I don't know if you follow the Sartorialist but he's been doing a reader submitted Vintage Photo Contest. It's been fun to see people's relatives and look at the places they've been and the things they wore.

At our wedding we had a folding screen set up that held a display of photos. A couple of Husband and I, but mostly our parent's and grandparent's wedding pictures and photos of further-back relatives. This was one of my favorites:

That's my great-grandma Alice (my dad's mom's mom) and her first husband. And that's her car, that she owned before they got married. How fun is that?

I remember coming to visit my aunt and grandma Alice when she was very old. At the time, we lived in California and she lived in Washington. In fact, in the very town I'm living in now. Family history can be as fun as family photos.

HOTNESS

2010-04-19T09:03:00.000-07:00

My friend Shawna (of the upcoming wedding I keep talking about) just posted a sneak peek of her engagement photos, taken this weekend.

Holy crap.

You have to go look. Seriously. Isn't she pretty much the hottest thing you've ever seen? And the planes! And the sexy guy! And the shoes! Ah!

Photo via Shawna, via True Love Photo.

First Jewelry Party

2010-04-15T14:48:00.000-07:00

Next weekend I'm having my first jewelry party. It's at my friend's house and it's a brunch-type thing where people can come have some food and look through my pieces (and hopefully buy some Mother's Day gifts).

And I'm totally terrified. What if they hate it? What if they talk smack about the prices (which are way too low, by the way, but I'm somehow physically incapable of raising them)? What if we go to all this work and then no one buys anything? What if no one comes?

What She Said

2010-04-12T15:56:00.000-07:00

You know how sometimes you want to say something, but you can't quite figure out how to make it sound right? And then someone else says it way better than you would ever be able to?*

Yeah. So the always-eloquent Lauren wrote this post that I've been muddling around for awhile. So I'm going to stop pretending to write it and send you there instead.

*And on that note, MWK: "The Nest" showed up in my box this week. I have half a dozen rants I've started but none of them quite so well as you could do. Please, please, please tell me you found the same articles as horrifying as I did. In fact, email me and we'll commiserate.

Too Many Identities

2010-04-12T08:26:00.000-07:00

I started this blog just after I got married. I had been so blessed in the month or two prior to our wedding when I found amazing blogs by amazing women who were just getting married, or who had recently walked through the experience. I wanted to join in, even though I didn't know what I would have to add. Now I've made super amazing friends and I love sharing pieces of my life with otherwise total strangers.

Shortly after the wedding I also jumped into selling my jewelry on Etsy. (What? Take on too many things all at once? That doesn't sound like me AT ALL). I'm really trying to make a go of that because, 1) it allows me to be creative in a way that doesn't involve tearing our house apart; 2) it's fun; 3) I get to share pretty things with people; 4) wouldn't be awesome if I actually started to make money on this?

Now I have my regular life, my blog life, my jewelry business life... and they all have their own set of friends and responsibilities and rules. Twitter accounts, email accounts, facebook pages and fan pages, shop sites, flickr and picasa... there's too much!

So what's the point?

They're going to have to meld before I go crazy. I need to be one person, with one identity, in all those spots (a little hard, mind you, because I use my maiden name in everything except my jewelry business). That means I'll have to give up some anonymity on this blog and that I'll have to share some jewelry-related things here as well. I promise not to turn this into a marketing piece and I hope we can still be friends. I'll be just the same... just with the extra post here and there about stuff I'm doing to run my business, the creative process, and the occasional update about new products. I hope that's ok.

A Mother's Love

2010-04-08T10:37:00.000-07:00

My mom just texted this to me:

Laundry Room Surprise

2010-04-07T16:02:00.000-07:00

I totally forgot to show you guys my husband's mad carpentry skills. When I was on a trip for work a couple weeks ago he decided to finish a long overdue house project: the Laundry Room.

It's really not a room at all, but just a closet in the kitchen with bi-fold doors. He proceeded to take it all apart to prime the walls to get rid of the hideous green that the kitchen used to be and paint it to match the rest of the kitchen. (He forgot to take a before picture and amazingly enough we can't find one from anytime in the years he's lived in the house. But trust me, it was always messy. And crowded. And green. Very green.)

Then he put in a counter top which added an amazing amount of space to the closet. Seriously, I can't believe how much bigger it feels. And the level of organization! Love. it.

He also put in a shelf.

The most amazing part is that the day I got home from my trip was also the day his parents arrived for a long weekend visit. The house went from mostly clean, to a complete disaster, back to quite clean. I was superbly impressed! Especially because he kept it all a secret while I was gone.

There's a bit more to do. Husband ran out of time to paint the shelf and counter a glossy white and I have some accessorizing plans floating around in my head.

But much improved, yes?

Breakfast at the Lake

2010-04-06T21:45:00.000-07:00

This weekend as I was snuggling with Husband in the morning, he asked if I wanted to get up and walk the dogs. If you don't know my husband you may not be as surprised as I was at the question. He loves our dogs (I think) but he bitches and moans about them constantly... especially their incessant need for TONS of exercise.

On the way to the lake we drove through Starbucks to pick up coffee and oatmeal as a special indulgence (not because it's necessarily good, but because it involved no cooking or cleanup). Halfway around the lake we stopped to eat on a little bench overlooking the water.

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T06:34:00.000-07:00

"Awake, thou wintry earth-- Fling off thy sadness! Fair vernal flowers, laugh forth Your ancient gladness! Christ is risen."
~Thomas Blackburn

Photo via Peonies and Polaroids on her Etsy shop.

Found: Lace Jewelry by White Owl

2010-04-02T13:57:00.000-07:00

Normally I wouldn't have said this is my style. But oh. my. goodness. I can't even tell you how much I'm lusting after these lace necklaces on White Owl's Etsy shop. And the earrings. Oh, the earrings. (Husband, are you reading this? This is what I want for my next random gift!)

Two more things: 1) I wish I had been brilliant enough to think up something like this. 2) Am I the only one who hasn't seen or heard of this shop yet?

Photos via White Owl.

Why Can I Never Get Enough of These Baby Animals?

2010-04-01T12:16:00.000-07:00

So you know how very much I love the baby animal prints, right? There's a new one. It's fantastic. And there's a video about it. You should watch. At the very least click through to about halfway and see this little guy:

I may have to add him to my ever-growing collection of these gorgeous prints.

Image via the ever-amazing Sharon Montrose.

Black Dress, part II

2010-03-31T08:28:00.000-07:00

I have tried to take pictures of myself in my new dress but believe me, you do not want to see them. It would probably help if I was using something other than my iphone camera... but still. So here is the picture of the dress online instead:

And other than the fact that I fill out the top, um, quite a bit more, it fits the rest of me quite like this. Classic? Classy? Timeless? I think so. Sexy? Not so sure. What do you think?

a 'Stache

2010-03-26T16:42:00.000-07:00

In the interest of torturing my dogs as much as they torture me, wouldn't this be ridiculously fun?

I'm sure my dogs would only chew the ends, thus depriving me of the fun of taking pictures of them with a mustache. But still.

Photo via the Blah, Blah, Blahg, via muttropolis

Dress Success, part I

2010-03-26T08:08:00.000-07:00

I found a black dress! When I was visiting my parents in California earlier this week my mom and I stopped by Nordstrom where I tried on every black dress in my size. I ended up purchasing the very first one I tried on. It's nothing like what I was looking for... and yet it's oh-so-lovely.*

Pictures to follow after I try it on and have Husband take some.

*Shawna, please don't hate it! I don't want to have to start over. :)

Black Dresses

2010-03-19T09:47:00.000-07:00

I need a black dress.

That shouldn’t be hard, right? I mean, The Little Black Dress is iconic. It’s everywhere. But not the dress I want. My lovely friend is getting married in July and has asked all seven (I know right? Seven?! Poor thing) bridesmaids to wear knee-ish length black dresses. For which I completely love her. Or would, if I could find one.

I ordered* a beautiful one on sale, and when it arrived the material wasn’t nearly as nice as it looked online. And then, the zipper didn’t work well. So I returned it. Then I bought another** which I thought would be fantastic, except that it just doesn’t work with my body. It’s non-refundable though, but I can’t wear it. Believe me, it’s not appropriate. If you’re taller than I am (5’3”) and a little more straight in shape, email me, because I need to get this dress to someone who can wear it.

What I really want is a 50’s style party dress, a la Audrey Hepburn. Which, obviously, doesn’t exist.

So here’s what I’m looking at right now:

Maggy London Stretch Satin Sheath at Nordstrom

J. Crew Silk Tricotine Cecelia

Imagine this one without the feathers and knee-length. Perfect. via Ikahn Vintage on Etsy.

Like this but a little fancier? via Audrey and Grace on Etsy.

The J.Crew one is my favorite so far because it seems so... basic. Multi-functional. Help?!?! Where should I expand my search to? What hidden shopping secrets do you have?

*Yes, ordered. I live in the sticks where I have to drive 45 minutes to the next town to a Target or Costco. Or anything, really. It's a cute town, really it is. And I love it. Unless I need something mainstream in which case I have to drive four hours to Seattle.

**Both were J. Crew but they're not on the site anymore and I remember the names of them to show you.

Coffee Table Love

2010-03-09T14:23:00.000-08:00

I went to this new consignment shop in my town the other day. Back behind the counter I spotted a strange and oddly intriguing mid-century coffee table that I couldn't quite figure out. It appeared to be a nesting coffee table, but that didn't see quite right. Then I saw that it had six legs, which also seemed strange. Finally, the sales girl showed me that it was a swiveling coffee table. The top and bottom were attached near one end and could rotate independently of each other.

Did you see that? I said SWIVEL.

Not sure I'd ever been so excited about something before.

They wanted $200 for the table which was more than I wanted to spend. It needed a little work so I thought about trying to talk them down, but instead sadly went home. But you know how sometimes you can't get an object, or movie, or idea out of your head? And you just know it's good and that you really, really need it?

So I called Husband on my way home from work and told him I was stopping by to pick it up. Except, when I arrived the sales girl said they had sold it THAT DAY. Nooooo!

When I got home I saw this:

Yes, Husband was the secret purchaser. And he talked down the price. And it had been mismarked. So he brought home my new love for only $100.*

*and the price of the lovely daffodils he picked up and had sitting there. He's a good husband, yes?

Six Months Ago

2010-03-08T10:28:00.000-08:00

Six months ago these were the views from our balcony.

Shouldn't honeymoons be a yearly thing?

Found: Etsy Bike Clock

2010-03-02T10:41:00.000-08:00

Isn't this clock fantastic?

I just found it on the Etsy shop 1.by.liz. Liz makes all these clocks by hand from reclaimed bicycle parts. I am definitely getting one for my dad for Father's Day (hooray for planning ahead!).

My dad loves cycling. We used to go on long rides when my sister and I were kids. Then, he'd leave us at the house and continue on for a "real" ride. We grew up knowing more about cycling and the Tour de France than any other sport.

In fact, when I studied in London one summer I snuck away to Paris for about 30 hours, just to see the final stage of the the Tour and watch Lance Armstrong win again. I brought my dad back a shirt and a Tour pendant that I found.

He's going to love it--I hope!

Photo: via 1.by.liz's etsy shop.

Things I Like About My Husband

2010-03-01T10:40:00.000-08:00

Husband and I have been fighting a lot. An awful lot.

In the past I've found that thinking nice thoughts or doing nice things for someone makes me like them more. So, I submit this short and not-exhaustive list of things I love about my husband.

1. He is an excellent cook.
2. He has super sexy legs.
3. He brings me coffee in the morning before leaving for work.
4. He picked up all the puppy poops today with my even asking.
5. He believes in my far more than I do.
6. He acts like a little kid a lot.
7. He loves me bunches.
8. He sweet talks the girl puppy when he thinks I'm not listening.
9. He unties all my knots and fixes my messes.
10. He finds things when I lose them--no matter what crazy place they were left in. It's amazing.
11. He occasionally surprises me with treats or flowers or cards.
12. He thinks I'm sexy, even when I look hideous.
13. He heats up a hot pad for my feet every night in the winter.
14. He is a great dresser.

Death

2010-02-28T20:40:00.000-08:00

My uncle's wife is dying. My mom hasn't called yet this evening so I assume that means she's still living. But certainly not for long. She's had a vigorous cancer for awhile now and recently took a turn for the worse.

Truthfully, I don't know her very well. In fact, I don't know my uncle that well either* but every interaction with them has been wonderful. They are just the sweetest, nicest people. They live big and love big and give big.

And now they're suffering deeply. And my uncle, who has had a rough life, finally found the right woman--the best woman. And he's just taking care of her as she dies.

I don't really have a point here. Except to pray for my uncle, if you're the praying type. And to go hug your love, if he or she is still around.

*Except for my immediate family, I do not come from a close-knit clan.

Hey, look! I'm crafty!

2010-02-22T20:28:00.000-08:00

Apparently I have skills that are only newly being discovered. So I just wanted to announce to you all that I'M CRAFTY. As in, I am actually able to make and create something with my hands from start to finish.*

Case in point: this pillow.

I haven't been able to find just the right fabric for pillows for our house which was really annoying me because, seriously, how hard should that be? So I found some fantastic modern looking fabric in all the right colors.

And this weekend I washed it, ironed it, cut it, sewed it, and stuffed it. It's like a miracle!

Then, I was so overwhelmed with my new found skill that I hemmed these curtains that I had planned to create using that iron-on hemming stuff. And I made it fancy by adding this nifty coordinating fabric at the top. Yes, it's kind of girly. But it's our office/storage room/someday to be a nursery if we live here that long room.**

*My sister pointed out that I make jewelry, which she considers crafty. I consider it to be more fabrication, more art. But I suppose it's not worth quibbling over.

**Ignore the hideousness that is the rest of the room. I'm cleaning it tomorrow because we have plans to paint it all this weekend before my in-law's visit mid-March.

Photos by me and Husband

Paint stripes

2010-02-19T09:02:00.000-08:00

I'm generally not a stripe person but recently I've been loving the look of wide, painted stripes.

Photo: Design*Sponge

Photo: Young House Love

The trouble is that there really aren't any good places to paint them in our house. The two rooms where I think it would look fantastic already have lots of wainscoting... and that just seems like way too much. Our upstairs bathroom would work but I don't want to paint it since we're planning to completely rip it out and expand it into the next room over.

But this one, this I can imagine. It's my favorite. Same color, different sheens. This would even look good in a subtle white or grey tone on tone, don't you think?

Photo: Apartment Therapy

Google Wedding Tools

2010-02-15T20:04:00.000-08:00

Seriously? Now? Nearly six months AFTER my wedding? C'mon!

I know this isn't a wedding blog. But I know you all are familiar with the horrors of wedding planning and have fairly recently been through it. Me too. No fun, eh?

So now for a tiny rant: Today I saw that Google launched a set of wedding planning tools through Google Docs and Style Me Pretty. I ended up making most of these forms myself, but already-made versions would have been oh-so-much better.

And DEFINITELY better than anything to do with The Knot, which was a pretty much wedding hell.

A Tale of Two Rings

2010-02-14T22:19:00.000-08:00

I'm finally finding a little time to practice my metalwork. Today I organized my supplies, re-sanded and oiled my work bench (no more slivers--hooray!) and finished taking pictures of a couple of pieces. It felt nice to do something creative again.

This ring is a smaller version of the one I made Husband for his wedding band. Now I have one too! I'll make it custom to whatever size the customer wants, so I think I'll keep this one.

This one is just fun. My lovely friend Mindy wants it, though, so it looks like I'll be back in my studio sawing and hammering and oxidizing later this week.

For the ring people out there... what kind of ring would you like to see? Wide or narrow? Plain or decorative? Plain sterling silver or set with stones? It's hard to know which of my design ideas to start on so I'd love the advice!

This are our rings at the wedding.

Pictures by me. Except the wedding photo, taken by the always-amazing Ben Blood.

Valentine's Day

2010-02-12T13:32:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty much against Valentine's Day. I don't believe in it. Husband is much more romantic than I, so I tried to be careful when explaining that I don't want over the top expressions of love or a giant bouquet of flowers delivered to my office or chocolates or whatever. That has always seemed silly to me. I'd love a card or a sweet note. Coffee in bed. Fresh nearly-spring flowers for the brunch we're having on Sunday. Something normal and fresh and lovely. Something like the I Love You things that he does for me everyday.

The one nice thing about Valentine's Day this year? In the past I've said the same thing but everyone wrote it off as "oh, but you're just saying that because you're single." They may not believe me still, but at least they can't use that excuse anymore!

A Delightful Day

2010-02-07T21:27:00.000-08:00

I woke up early, but then lounged in bed for an hour while Husband ran to the store for bread to make french toast. He also took the puppies for a gallop by the creek and when he returned I had tired puppies to snuggle with and fresh Dutch Bros. coffee to enjoy.

Later I spray painted a bunch of random fixtures and hooks. The people he bought the house from must have LOVED gold, for it's everywhere. We're slowly changing it everything to brushed nickel, which seems small but has a huge impact--on the house and our wallets! So I spray painted a bunch of things a matte silver today and they look quite lovely. Hooray for thriftiness!

I made some changes to my Etsy shop and fashioned a few pieces of jewelry that I'm quite proud of. Trying to actually make something of this shop is time-consuming. But occasionally, like today, I make something really lovely!

And finally, I read a book and ate the homemade pizza that Husband made (and cleaned up after later!!!!).

And now, it's off to bed.

The Best Tart EVER

2010-02-04T14:42:00.000-08:00

I'm having a super-strong craving for this tart:

I'm not a fan of wedding cake so we chose to have this fruit tart at our wedding instead. The super thing about this was that the giant tart was for us and we got equally delicious small tarts for everyone else.

We got married in Port Townsend, Wash., (six hours from where we live--a very good and very bad idea!) and a couple of months before the wedding we went over to check on a few things. We stopped at this little bakery-hole-in-the-wall and I ordered a fruit tart and coffee.

Oh. my. goodness.

I had never tasted anything so amazing in my whole life. So there it was: one easy wedding decision out of the way.

Today has been dreary and cold and this whole week and pretty much sucked. So I'm dreaming of vanilla bean custard and fresh fruits and flaky crusts.