27 March 2010

30 Day Song Challenge - Day 15

a song that describes you

Hmmm. Okay, I've got it:

"Walk on the Ocean" by Toad the Wet Sprocket.

I've been lucky, because I've always really liked the majority of the music that my parents listen to. U2, Simon & Garfunkel, the Indigo Girls...I like it all.

But Toad the Wet Sprocket has always had a special place in my heart. We would jump in the car and start driving to Hilton Head. Dad would stop down the street from our house for coffee at Starbucks/Bread Co/wherever, and then we were off. The first CD mom popped in the CD player was Toad's Fear.

we spotted the ocean at the head of the trail
where are we going, so far away
and somebody told me that this is the place
where everything's better, everything's safe

(sorry Bridgett, I copied your format - I like the Italic look)

Even as a seven-year-old, I knew that this song was bigger than me. The week in Hilton Head felt SO safe - we were on our own little piece of beach, in our own little beach house. Besides the first big shopping trip on the Saturday we got into town, we rarely left the house, except to buy souvenirs at Black Market. Everyone was so happy and content and relaxed.

I say that this song describes myself because it has helped shape me into the person I am today, I think...maybe not in a huge way, but somehow. It just has.

we don't even have pictures
just memories to hold
they grow sweeter each season
as we slowly grow old...

26 March 2010

30 Day Song Challenge - Day 14

a song that no one would expect you to love...

This is a rough one. I really enjoy most kinds of music - besides country and certain kinds of rap - and I'm not afraid to talk about it. Yes, the majority of music that I spend time listening to may put me in the "hipster" category but really...I still listen to Nobody's Angel and N*Sync sometimes, too. And Lauryn Hill. And Blackalicious. And Miles Davis, and Nirvana, and even DJ Shadow (leftover from the ex-boyfriend...)

And I don't mind talking about it. I don't hide the type of music I listen to.

So...I don't know what to pick for this day.

Okay, wait, I got it. I was singing "Get Up, Stand Up" by Bob Marley the other day and Pete said, "what is that song?" and I told him and he seemed a little confused, that 1) I knew all the words to a Bob Marley song and 2) that I listened to reggae.

I love reggae. It reminds me of Hilton Head.

25 March 2010

30 Day Song Challenge - Day 13

a song that is a guilty pleasure...

Since it's fresh in my mind (and Pete's) - "I'mma Be" by The Black Eyed Peas.

I love it.

So I told Pete that he should listen to it. And he did - and he pulled up the lyrics to the song, too. And then made fun of me for the next couple of hours and said, "this isn't music!"

Pete is kind of a snot when it comes to music. Oh wait, I mean hipster.

Anyways. It's a guilty pleasure song. I still really like it, even if it "isn't music."

After all, he likes The Pogues.

Mom's Birthday

My mom turned 53 a few days ago (she probably doesn't want the world to know that; oh well) and to celebrate, mom, dad, Pete and I went to the Terrace View cafe, which overlooks City Garden in downtown St. Louis.

City Garden is gorgeous - it's fun to walk around and play in the water (if it's warm enough, which it wasn't on March 19th). But I still took some pictures of all of us playing.

Oh, and Terrace View wasn't that great. Overpriced. And our waitress was kind of...garish.


me and my parents (blurry, I know...)


pete and dad by one of the big sculptures


sitting on the bunny


leaving the bunny

I love City Garden. Can't wait until it gets nicer out (aka summer) so I can play there, like this:




[i have no clue what's happening here with my arms...]

24 March 2010

30 Day Song Challenge - Day 12

Kind of.

day 12 - a song from a band that you hate.

Okay, I first thought that I would have a difficult time thinking of a good tune. But then I remembered - I hate the Pogues.

Coincidentally, The Pogues are one of Pete's favorite bands. Not top 5, and probably not even top 10, but he likes them.

When Pete and I first met, he and Steve were heavily in a Pogues phase - probably a month or so after the initial meeting. I HATED getting in the car with them, because almost inevitably, Rum Sodomy & the Lash would be playing through the CD player.

They're Irish, and they sound Irish. Okay, let me rephrase that - they sound like drunken idiots. And remember, I am 0% Irish. We never celebrated St. Patrick's Day growing up, other than at school. Sometimes my mom made corned beef, if she felt like it. I've never been to Ireland. Prior to this year, I had never been to the St. Patrick's Day parade. No one in my family cared. This is was probably my first big experience with anything Irish, other than popular culture making fun of them for being drunk all the time. [Have you seen the Family Guy episode when Peter goes to Ireland to find his dad? HYSTERICAL.]

Shane McGowan is the lead singer of the band, and from what Pete has told me, he's a complete idiot. I thought he was dead, but apparently he's still alive. I just asked Pete, "Shane McGowan's dead, right?" and he said, "nope! He just got a new set of teeth!"

I rest my case. Pogues, I'm sorry, but I think I can say I hate you. And I'm not even going to pick a single song - I just completely dislike your entire ALBUM.

My Garden

I guess I can't quite call it a garden. Okay, it's seedlings in egg cartons. Still cool, though! Check it out! I'm so excited to eat things I've grown...


cilantro!


lettuce! (the big ones are lettuce and there are some smaller sprouts behind it that are tomatoes)


carrots and onions! and something else and I forgot what because I'm not at home right now


oregano and parsley and other stuff that I forgot about...again



And while on the topic of flowers, I've still been buying fresh flowers every month - purple tulips from Trader Joe's. Tulips may be my new fave. Sorry the picture is so washed out; I took seven or eight different ones and it must just be the light in the apartment.

Peg Board!

Another craft project. I'm so awesome, I know. I really do feel like I've been crossing things off of the list...

Anyway. I decided a long time ago I wanted to make a pegboard for my kitchen. Pete helped (which was awesome because since it ended up so big I don't think I would have been able to do it myself) and we got it all done in one afternoon, from buying the supplies to getting it up on the wall to hanging pots and pans from it.

Behold! Construction cone orange!


[the whole pegboard is now filled up but there were dirty dishes in the dishwasher from the night before...it looks better when it's completely full!]



I love it! And while we did have some setbacks (Pete bought the wrong kind of screws, so...we kind of messed up the kitchen wall. It will have to be repaired before I move out), it came together really well, and hey! Four days later and it's still on the wall (knock on wood).

It wasn't terribly hard to create. We used a couple different tutorials I found online (this one, this one, and this one), made a list of supplies, and headed to Home Depot, which had everything we needed - including a SWEET section of JUST pegboard accessories, like special hooks and holders and containers. If you do a project like this, GO TO HOME DEPOT and find that aisle (or ask someone). It made all the difference.

I wanted to do a photo tutorial, but I always forget to take enough pictures along the way. If you want more detailed instructions, shoot me an email and I will make sure you have some more specific information.

We bought some wood. Pete cut the wood on the balcony.


At the same time, I spray painted the peg-boards (we got two that measured two-feet-by-four-feet).



Then we used the cut wood pieces to create a framed behind the bright pegboard.



Then Pete drilled screws and washers through the hole in the pegboard into the wood, making them all fit together (thanks for letting us borrow your drill, Kyle!)


Then we mounted it on the wall, Pete screwed the pieces into where the stabilizer things were, and we hung the stuff on it.

Easy peasy! It was fun and every time I walk into my kitchen, it makes me happy.

The 30-Day Song Challenge

I first heard about the 30 Day Song Challenge through tumblr and since I couldn't quite trace it back to its source (the one frustrating thing about tumblr), I did some research and found this blog post, which states all of the days and the song topics for the days.

Feel free to play along at home!

I'm a bit behind, but I'll catch up. Apparently we are on day 11. So, here are my song picks thus far:

Day 1 - your favorite song.

Thinking about this, over the years I have probably proclaimed over 100 songs to be "my favorite song". And I still have no idea which song is really, truly my favorite. According to iTunes, my most played song is "The Dress Looks Nice On You" by Sufjan Stevens, but I don't think that's my favorite song. "The Wind" by Cat Stevens has, over the period of 17 years of my life (that's right, I distinctly remember listening to it when I was 4 or 5 years old) helped me to meditate and relax for the one minute and forty-three seconds that it lasts. This one is tough and will require further thought processing.

Day 2 - your least favorite song.

Hah, I was just talking to one of the people I work with about this yesterday. You know Fall Out Boy, and that one song that goes, "we're going down, down, blah blah blah blah blah"? It literally makes me ill. When I hear that song on the radio when I'm driving, I feel nauseous. And while my sister and I rarely agree on music, she feels the same way! So, that song by Fall Out Boy is my pick. I think it's called "Sugar We're Going Down" or something...

Day 3 - a song that makes you happy.

"Elephant Gun", by Beirut. Hands down. My mood is instantly improved and I lose myself in the music for a few moments.

Day 4 - a song that makes you sad.

I love this song - "The Way I Feel Inside", by the Zombies - but it's used in the most heartbreaking way in The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou so it kind of makes me sad when I hear it.

Day 5 - a song that reminds you of someone.

I first introduced my friend Mary to The Format senior year of high school, when we were editing a senior class video. She really loved "Give it Up", which is all about graduating from high school and leaving home and coming back and seeing the people that stuck around. I am one of those people that stuck around - and so is she. Every time I hear it I think of her and our senior year.

Day 6 - a song that reminds you of somewhere.

"Introduction" by Chicago - a band that my parents listened to in college, and then listened to as I grew up. I love Chicago (the band) and any time I hear it, I think of Chicago (the city) because dad would think he was so clever. We would drive up to Chicago and he would say, "hey! let's listen to Chicago, since that's where we're going!"

Day 7 - a song that reminds you of a certain event.

"Do You Realize??" - by the Flaming Lips. I've seen them live twice, and it is literally impossible for me to hear that song and not think about the live shows - once with my friend Rob at the Pageant in St. Louis, and once at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago with Pete. I was literally moved to tears both times - the confetti and the lighting and the big vocals and the words...oh it just gets me.

Day 8 - a song that you know all the words to.

If only I remember things on tests as well as I remember song lyrics. Right now, and it's surprising, I'll say "Doo Wop (That Thing)" by Lauryn Hill. My friend Tim burned me a mix CD and that was one of the songs. When it came on my CD player, Pete and I were in the car together and I sang/rapped all the lyrics and Pete was really, really surprised. My dad used to listen to The Fugees so he bought me the Lauryn Hill cd that she won five Grammys for when I was in grade school. It's. So. Good.

Day 9 - a song that you can dance to.

Another hands down - "Queen Bitch" by David Bowie. I don't know what kind of "dancing" we're talking about here, but whenever I hear it I get moving.

Day 10 - a song that makes you fall asleep.

"Winning a Battle, Losing the War" by Kings of Convenience. I listened to that album (Quiet is the New Loud) EVERY NIGHT to fall asleep as a junior and senior in high school. This is the first song on the album, and I usually fell asleep by the seventh or eighth, but I know this song the best, since I was always completely awake for it. But it was the wind-down song - I knew to chill out and go to sleep once I pressed play on the stereo. [NOTE: I turned this song on as I am writing this blog post, and it's 12:29 AM and it is making me sleeeeepy.]

Day 11 - a song from your favorite band.

I don't know who my favorite band is. Let's say The Decemberists (an answer I've been giving since senior year of high school-ish). A song I pick from them is "Red Right Ankle". I love it. It was one of the first songs I heard by them that really, really caught my attention and listening to it with Pete (when we met, I found out that he really liked the Decemberists, too...) has just made it better.

Phew! Now I HAVE to update everyday so you can not be on the edge of your seats to find out what my other choices are.

22 March 2010

Eat Pray Love

Have you read the book? It's so, SO good. If I wasn't trying to read a ton of new books (or if I didn't have a stack of them in my room from the library that are almost overdue), I would totally re-read it right now.

Because it has been made into a movie and there is a trailer for it. And just watching the trailer makes me want to read the book soooooo bad.

When Pete first told me that Julia Roberts was playing the lead I wasn't too excited. I'm not a huge Julia Roberts fan - mostly because her lip freaks me out - but she looks like she will be perfect for the role.

Bask.

20 March 2010

April! April! April!

I am so, so, SO excited for April. It's going to be busy but there are SO MANY THINGS that I am looking forward to. Here's a looksie at my calendar for the month:

April 1-2 Pete and I will be heading to Chicago (to celebrate Easter with my family) a little early so we can spend some time in the city
April 3 - Bridal shower #1! Peluso-Hoffman family. I'm so excited to catch up with the gals in the family
April 7 - Jen Chapin is having another concert at my parents' house. Yes, Jen Chapin is related to Harry Chapin (she's his daughter). She was in town last September? November? Something like that, and it was so much fun
April 10 - Rosemary and I are going to spend ALL DAY thrifting in Belleville. When I went to her adorable house a week or so ago, she had all these pretty things. When I found out that she had gotten a lot of those lovely things whilst thrifting, we set up a date to do so
April 11 - MS Volunteer walk in St. Louis. I'm excited to spend a whole day volunteering, for one thing, but I'm also excited that Pete and I will be getting Disneyland tickets out of it!
April 15 - my 22nd birthday! Can't believe I'll be 22. Also on this day, Pete and my parents and I will be having a tasting at Windows on Washington, our reception place venue for the wedding.
April 18 - engagement pictures! I have some dresses and cute flats. I'm ready.
April 21 - Pete and I have decided (and were admitted, after being on the waitlist for two months) that we are going to partake in Fair Shares this season! It's a CSA. Lots of food every week. Can't wait to be eating locally, organically, and healthy
April 24 - seeing Sea Wolf and The Album Leaf at the Luminary Arts Center. Both great bands, and a great venue

So. That's pretty much what I have so far. See, I have reasons to be excited. Oh, and besides all of the above, I'll be in the process of looking even harder for a job, being only three months away from a wedding, and waiting for my pending graduation (May 15). Once May starts, I only have one day of school, then two exams, then a whole WEEK off before my graduation! I'm looking forward to that week off. Hopefully it'll be one last hurrah before "real life" starts.

Also. Pete and I made a peg-board for the kitchen today. Pictures to come tomorrow. Since we had borrowed our friend Kyle's drill, we also put up the coat-rack I made, and a towel bar in the bathroom. Pictures of those things will be tomorrow, too! And my vegetable garden seeds are sprouting! It's just such a special time!

17 March 2010

Hilton Head Island

It's late. And as I type this, it's 2:27 AM. But I can't sleep.

I am addicted to HomeAway. That's really where all of this started. Me and Pete's friend Emma told us yesterday that her family spent the past weekend in a friend's cabin, and the cabin had a hot-tub.

So I totally wanted to copy off of her, for a number of reasons:
1. I enjoy being in nature. For small periods of time. Having a cabin in the woods is the perfect balance.
2. I like hot-tubs.

So I started doing some research on HomeAway. I would tell you, "if you haven't been to HomeAway, check it out". But then don't come back here and blame me if you suddenly look at your clock and it's five hours later.

My family and I (mom, dad, sister, me) would drive to Hilton Head Island every summer, and to get there, we had to pass through the Smokies. I LOVE the Smokies. They're beautiful. As the years went on, we would try to stop at some pivotal Smokies places, like in Chattanooga (yes, I have been on the Chattanooga Choo Choo and it was one of the coolest experiences of my life!). But most of the time we just drove through. There would be lots of fog. Mom would be freaking out. Dad would be telling her to calm down. Typical Hoffman family scenario.

So I thought right away that I wanted to find a cabin somewhere in the Smokies. Which was great, because there are like over 2,000 results on HomeAway. So I spent the better part of my very, very late evening looking at those.

The thing about HomeAway is that you can look for property ANYWHERE. Seriously. There are even some properties that are available in St. Louis. One is in an apartment building that is a few blocks from SLU, across from the Walgreen's on Lindell. It's insane because the pictures make it look so nice.

But anyways, after looking at beautiful cabins in the woods and pictures of little black bear cubs that wander onto property, I was reminded of my other favorite kind of nature: the beach.

So I clicked on the little "SC" on the map of the US on the homepage.

And then I clicked on "Hilton Head Island".

And then I clicked on "Forest Beach", because with the exception of one summer out of (an estimated) 10 - 11 years, we stayed at the same house at 19 Dune Lane. Maybe it was 17 Dune Lane.

And the memories came flooding back.

And I lost it. Because I started the next phase of going down on the Paxil and everything (seriously, EVERYTHING) makes me cry. I cried at Kayaks today because I looked at Pete, and he just said, "I'm so happy that you're excited to eat s'mores!" and I started bawling. So embarassing.

I had some amazing times in Hilton Head. Someday, I am going to scan a ton of Hoffman family pictures onto my laptop but until then I just have pictures from the last time we all went, which was the summer of 2007. I was 19.

Okay, I just started looking through pictures and tearing up again. But damn it, I WILL WRITE THIS POST AND NOT RUIN MY KEYBOARD BY CRYING UPON IT.



You may have to adjust your computer screen, but this is a picture of the ocean with the moon reflecting on it. Every night we would take walks on the beach (the beach was the backyard of the house we always rented), throw our shoes off, and run around. When we were little, all the daddies bought fireworks in Tenneessee and ran down to the beach to shoot them off. The moms and kids would watch from the porch and wait to see the dads running up the walk to hide from the beach patrol-men. Mr. Robbins would smoke a cigar; sometimes my dad would join him. Katherine and I would always walk together, because we were best buds. Mrs. Robbins and my mom were always sooooo sloooooooooow and would be several paces behind us.



This is me double-fisting Mondo drinks, which are super popular down in the South at places like Publix and Lion's Choice and (of course) Piggly Wiggly. They're tougher to find up here, although Schnucks sometimes has them. I always spot them in the aisles and smile. Katherine is behind me, being a goofball. And I know I am not at my most attractive in the above picture but it ALWAYS makes me laugh.


Hoffman family - mom with her glass of wine, dad with his beer bottle nestled in the sand behind him, my hair all mussed by the sand and surf, and Emme just looking relatively normal. Taken on one of the night walks.


This is the view from the screened-in porch. Seriously, like I said - the beach was our backyard.


The road we drove down to get to the house. This was, hands down, always the most exciting part of the trip. You could smell the saltwater and hear the seagulls and see glimpses of the ocean between houses. We couldn't wait for mom and dad to park the car so we could run around the house and get onto the sand.


Another favorite part, and also a tradition: the renting schedule starts on a Saturday, so on Saturday night the dads and all the kids go to a grocery store (looks like we went to Bi-Lo) and buy a toooooon of food for the whole week. It's awesome. And the dads took us so we could get whatever we wanted. Like huge boxes of Pop-Tarts and fruit snacks. And moms couldn't tell us not to eat it, because we were on vacation.


The parents almost always woke up early every morning to catch the sunrise, but the kids only did once the whole week. It's so reaffirming. And just beautiful (cue the tears.)


This was our spot. Just a handful of chairs and blankets and good books and towels. Sometimes we were in the ocean, sometimes we were sitting on the beach reading. And may I add, the Atlantic Ocean is ALWAYS the perfect temperature in July and August. And we stayed on a private beach, so we always had plenty of rooms to ourselves.


Twilight walk; Katherine.


Our house is the little brown guy. When we first started renting it in 1994/5 (I think that was the first year we went), all the houses looked like that. But as we came back the following summer, more and more houses like the one on the right were popping up. The one we always stayed in was the ONLY (I'm serious) house that was still that size on the private Forest Beach. And that was almost three years ago. I wonder if it's still there.


Ha. I LOVE this picture. On a night walk. Us girls were always freaking out because since it's pitch black and there's no lights, you can't see what you're about to step on. There are always stray jellyfish that wash up but still have their charges, and all different sizes of crabs. So Katherine and I were walking behind my sister and her friend who came with us, and we decided to be little buttheads and yell, "OH MY GOD LOOK OUT THERE'S A JELLYFISH RIGHT THERE!" And then I took a picture. I have never seen my sister move so fast. It was the best. night. ever.

OH. I just realized that while I don't have the actual pictures on my computer, I have an album on facebook that are all pictures from the previous Hilton Head trip we took in 2005. Allow me to share. Okay there are actually only two good pictures.


Mr. Robbins woke up to fish early every morning, and the week that we were there in 2005, this egret hung out with him. It was pretty cool.

Okay. Before I show you this next one, remember a few things.

1. It was taken five years ago. I did not suddenly lose 50 pounds.
2. No, I was not sick. I just hadn't grown into my baby-bearing hips.
3. This was the WORST. SUNBURN. OF. MY. LIFE.



It sucked. That night, when my dad took the picture, I was all, "haha this is so funny looking but I'm not in any pain!" And then around 4:30 in the morning, I woke up and felt like there were little pin-pricks all over my body. I went into the sitting room and watched The Trouble With Angels three times in a row and just cried. I dumped a bunch of aloe vera all over me. Nothing helped. My dad actually took a really hilarious picture of me the next morning getting ice out of the freezer...YES I HAVE IT.



Shiny aloe all over my face. Loosest t-shirt in the house (dad's). I am clearly very unhappy.

And you know, it was just so dumb. AND it was the day after we got there. So Sunday I went on the beach with no sunscreen on because it was overcast (idiot) so I didn't think I needed it. I went into the ocean and was about waist deep when my stomach really, really started itching. So I kept clawing at it, and then a few hours later Mrs. Robbins said, " OH MY GOD YOU ARE BRIGHT RED...EVERYWHERE!"

I hardly went outside that week. Miserable.

I originally wanted to write this post and talk about all the changes that happened to me over the years, as we went on our family vacations. But that's just too feelings-y so I'll save it for another day. Hope you enjoy these sleepless pictures!!

16 March 2010

Something AMAZING, I Guess!

This is incredible. Holly Klein cross-stitched all of the characters and set pieces by hand, then scanned them into a computer and animated them into a short movie.

Maggie and Mildred from Holly Klein on Vimeo.



Also, it's really sweet.

Courtesy of my friend Maggie!

15 March 2010

20 Questions

Copied from Bridgett, again...

1. Explain what ended your last relationship?

Like Bridgett, I did. After listening to everyone close to me say, "really? you're still with him?" for over a year. It took awhile but I'm glad it happened eventually, for obvious reasons...

2. When was the last time you shaved?

Yikes...probably at least two weeks ago. I get lazy in the winter.

3. What were you doing this morning at 8 a.m.?

I think I was still asleep at that time. I woke up at 8:30ish to write a paper, that I am currently procrastinating on.

4. What were you doing 15 minutes ago?

Writing said paper.

5. Some things you are excited about?

I'm excited about going up to Chicago in a few weeks. It's been since October since I've seen my family. I'm also excited-slash-terrified for graduation, which is two months from today. Also excited about my future, whatever it may bring.

6. What is your favorite flavor of JELL-O?

Cherry, hands down. I like cherry flavored whatever.

7. Your prom night, what do you remember about it?

I had a cute pink dress that I LOVED and another girl had the same one (I looked better, I was way skinny and the dress was one of those straight-up-and-down numbers, and she had some junk in the trunk). I loved having one last hurrah with my girlfriends. I love dancing. One of my good friends was prom queen and it was really exciting. Me and my friend Lara attempted to convince a lot of our classmates to vote for "Love and Some Verses" by Iron & Wine as one of the slow songs played during the night but only six people voted for it. My friend Mary and I got our hair done at Oliver's Studio beforehand and got lunch at Soda Fountain Square (RIP) all gussied up. Prom was only four years ago for me...I guess I remember a lot.

8. Do you have any famous ancestors?

Not that I'm aware of. My grandpa, when he served in World War II, met Humphrey Bogart. That's all I've got.

9. Last thing received in the mail?

I got my new Real Simple magazine (it's so thick! Ahhh!) and the census papers. Makes me feel official.

10. How many different beverages have you had today?

I had a juicebox at work today (remember, I work at a grade school), and also lots of water.

11. Do you ever leave messages on people’s answering machine?

Oh yeah. They're long and winded and people usually call me back and say, "your message was so funny! I laughed!" when I hadn't intended that...

12. Do you draw your name in the sand when you go to the beach?

I don't think I ever have.

13. Any plans for Friday night?

It's my mom's birthday. Apparently my dad has some ideas for the evening, but he hasn't told me anything yet.

14. Do you like what the ocean does to your hair?

YES. So cute. I even bought some sea salt spray from Bath and Body Works in high school in hopes it would give me beach hair. It didn't.

15. Have you ever received one of those big tins of 3 different popcorns?

My dad used to get one from work every year.

16. Do you re-use towels after you shower?

...I wash my towels every two weeks. Does that answer the question? I shower more than once every two weeks...

17. Describe your keychain(s)?

Currently my keys are all on a SLU landyard thing, and I'm sporting only one keychain - a piece of toast. It's cute.

18. Where do you keep your change?

Some in my car, when I think to put it in there, but mostly in a huge snifter glass on my desk.

19. When was the last time you spoke in front of a large group of people?

I gave a presentation in my class of 30ish people. I suppose the last LARGE group of people speaking engagement was when I giving a retreat and there were 200ish seniors from various high schools a year or so ago.

20. What kind of winter coat do you own?

Black wool. Lots of straps and buttons and cute stuff. I like it.



Ugh. I guess I should finish my paper now.

14 March 2010

Two New Craft Projects

I miss spring break.

It was so awesome. I slept in until like 9:30 every morning, and then woke up, ate breakfast, and crafted or watched Seinfeld or ran errands or planned my garden.

I worked on a few different craft projects, and I completed two of them.

One was a coat rack, which I originally posted about here. I saw this on design*sponge, and fell in love immediately. AND, I even had the same Snow & Graham paper used in the tutorial! Perfect.

I changed some of the things - I didn't have any spray fixative, so I just used Mod Podge. And instead of hunting for vintage and mismatched hooks, I just bought five new ones from Home Depot. And I didn't have a drill, but Pete found a rotary tool in a box of tools that his uncle had given him, so I drilled some shallow holes and then screwed those screws in by hand.


this is how it looks on the back


i folded the paper on the corners down like a present


finished product!


The second project I worked on was a table that I had inherited from me and Pete's friends, Emma and Kyle. We helped them move a month or two ago, and they had a list of furniture they didn't want anymore. And this table was one of them. It's a perfect size for my apartment and currently lives in the teeny-tiny entry hall. I sanded, primed, and painted it last week. I love the bright pop of color, even though the pictures don't really show that it's very bright...





Macarons Round II



Okay, okay - so I tried a different recipe this time (Bakerella's, as a matter of fact), and they turned out SO. MUCH. BETTER.

They were delicious. Pete ate, like, all of them.

Here are some pictures. They weren't all the same size so some of them looked a little lopsided when put together, but I still think they're pretty gorgeous. And please excuse the quality of the pictures. I still haven't 100% figured out the macro function on my new camera, which seems like it should be easy but the button never works! Ugh.





I (obviously) didn't use food coloring, and this time I just decided to buy slivered almonds and grind them myself, which worked out super well. And as a filling, instead of making anything, I just slathered raspberry jam in between the two cookies. Delicious!

I'm really excited to experiment with more flavors and colors and different fillings.

Rehearsal Dinner Dresses

I want to wear a cute short dress for the rehearsal dinner on July 9, because my wedding dress is long (it's gorgeous, but remember, I wanted a short wedding dress for awhile). And it is very, very hard to make a decision on which one to get.

Here's what I've got so far:


stones throw dress from free people


wool knee length dress from shabby apple


red and white striped circo dress from shabby apple


kennebunkport dress from modcloth


nettie floral dress from urban outfitters


lake district dress from modcloth (currently sold out...sad)


the colleen dress from modcloth (also currently sold out)


homegrown dress from anthropologie


drifting by dress from anthropologie


cute polka dot dress from overstock

Help me pick, people!! Please! Any feedback is appreciated. Because I don't know what to do.