Science & Comment Friday

That's right, I said "science" on this blog. So there's a full moon this weekend and it's making me feel all creeped out and this week is super twilight-zone-ey. Science, or superstition?

You guys, I have to tell you I got really excited when I read this article yesterday - they have discovered evidence that some dinosaurs were....ORANGE. And also that they might've had feathers! I don't know why but since forever I've always wondered how they knew what color dinosaurs were, and turns out they were just guessing until now! Fascinatin'.

Also have you seen these new pictures from Mars? They are RAD:


{more on HuffPost, via Insp.DC}

No mindblowing List & Comm today other than: what are your weekend plans? I have a work hh, a party, and hopefully the ushe: laundry/tv/crafts/groceries. Tell me what y'all are up to!

Full Moon Weird Week

Y'all, when did I get busy? Weird. I actually have more than one social engagement planned this week...like, 4. What's up with that? I guess it's like they say, when you stop looking, all that stuff sorta just comes along! So yeah the blog has suffered. But I hope to be able to work on some superawesome blogworthy crafts this weekend while catching up on tivo, y'know, like old times.

Just a medley of things I've found interesting on THE WEB lately:

What a charming party this woman planned for her Grandmother's 90th Birthday. I'm a sucker for garlands and old timey photos. {from Inchmark}

Love the vulgar positivity of this print by Pen. {via Melissa Loves}

Ummm...I totally want a custom $1,895 LED coffee table made by Because We Can. {via Shelterrific}

They might as well call this series "Brooke's Fantasy" instead of "Craft Spaces". In love with the idea of having a tiny gingerbread-like cottage to do crafts in. {via Craftzine}

When Life Gives You Venison...

Make Venison Reubens!

So I guess the cohab and our landlord were chattin' it up about, y'know...huntin', one day...and...on Sunday our landlord brought us some of his awesome HAUL of good ole Pennsylvania venison. WTF. It was totally random and really cool. Check this out:

Let me explain this spread:
You have your venison hot dogs, summer sausage, summer cheese sausage, tenderloin, breakfast sausage, ground venison, ham-like cured venison, corned-beef-like cured venison, and last but not least, jerky. And the jerky is awesome, in case you were wondering. Don't you want a venison reuben right now?! Well you should come over because we have got a lot of this stuff.

Our landlord RULES! Stay tuned for the venison tenderloin post. We're trying to narrow down what recipe we want to make, it's gun be good!

Weekend Re-Cap: Awesome

StirFriday!

My Wal-mart organizational materials got here - so I cleaned out my closet. If you know me, you realize this is pretty much my favorite thing ever. I couldn't stop staring at how great my closet looked afterwards (wish I'd taken a "before" pic). Thanks to sterilite now my off-season shoes won't get all dustified and it looks so much neater! I got those wicker baskets to hold my scarves and hats. I was completley tired of rifling through my shelf to find stuff. How good does this closet look?!?! Ahhhh...love organizing.

Saturday I watched a lot of bad tv and drank a bunch of Stumptown (so great - thanks, cohab!). Then I went up to Baltiscratch with Drew to be her moral bridesmaid shopping support as we braved Devil's Bridal (that place is hell). We had to recover from the barrage of non-natural fabrics and eyeball-assaulting tulle so we hit up AC Moore Crafts, Michael's and TGIFridays. Just another day in Maryland! It was so much fun, we got a lot of fabulous craft loot, I am so stoked to make my valentine's earrings!

Today my Dad was in town on business, and he was able to come over and take us to Soviet UnSafeway so we could stock up on "heavy stuff" as long as he had a car. Score! Then we went to Old Ebbitt Grill and had awesome dinner. We each got dessert and they were all so yum. Cappuccino brownie, chocolate chip bread pudding, and pear crumble. YEAH.

I am wrapping up this weekend sitting here in my new UW snuggie (we ended up with a surplus after xmas). Keene and I have matching ones now. I'm thinking these will be our new tailgate attire next Fall. JEALOUS?!?!?!

Snuggie Time! Hope you guys had a great weekend, too :)

List/Comment Friday: Beat the Winter Blues

I've been whining about it forever...it's the ole familiar Winter "slump" I get. Do y'all get this way too? Ok probs not if you live somewhere without seasons (Luh-key!). But every January I start to fantasize about what it feels like to have sun on my face again and go out without a jacket (ok in Seattle: go out with a "light jacket").


photo by Nicole Herriott via Epicute.

A few ways I get through January/February/March:
1. Hot chocolate, lattes, coffee, irish coffee, peppermint schnapps (that went from wholesome to not-so-much)
2. TV. It's true, gotta have the tivo this time of year. I'm starting to miss my Netflix subscription too.
3. Over dressing to stay warm. I just hate being cold so I've been overbundlin' to avoid hearing myself complain about the weather.
4. Sleep a lot, sleep in, try and sleep away all these dark winter hours.
5. Concentrate on the owl who "hoot"s in our neighborhood. He's back, he's hootin' every morning and it makes waking up to no sun a little easier.
6. Shop and buy things. Need I say more?
7. Read. I have so many books to get through!

Ok now I'm stumped. Do you guys have any good ideas? How do you get through this yucky Winter time?

AOTD: Micah Max

HAPPY THURSDAY, YOU GUYS!

I thought we all might be needing a little...

and...

{via Swissmiss by artist Micah Max}

Stuff I want to make: Wednesday installment

GARLANDS. Heart ones.

This would be cute in my window. {via CRAFT from Oh So Crafty}


This would be cute at a bridal shower and/or weddin'. {via Poppytalk from CoriKindred}

Weekday Dinners

I haven't been posting many recipes lately but I swear we've been cooking! It's just that now that we both have work/school we've scaled our dinners back to more basic, less time-consuming stuff. I think we've still managed to eat awesome though :)

Just recently we've started to add "StirFriday" to our week (in addition to Taco Tuesday). Stir-fry is an old stand-by. I know there isn't really a whole lot earth-shattering about this recipe but this one has a bit of a twist in that it calls for orange juice and ginger to fancy things up. I really liked it, and would probably do it again adding a few more veggies. {directions on RecipeMogul}


Add this to the list of bajilion reasons why I am such a lucky girl: my man made this awesome pineapple curry chicken for us! It was really good, and thinking about it is totally making me want it again. If the cohab keeps making all these awesome dinners he's going to get stuck doing all the cooking! {similar to this recipe but sans peppers but added cabbage and sour cream}



One last stand-by that I pretty much make ALL the time: spaghetti/bolognese sauce. I don't really have a recipe for this since I start with this bolognese recipe and then add/subtract depending on how I want the sauce. I pretty much just add things until I think it tastes/looks right. I make A TON (obvs) and then freeze the rest for later and it's super handy on nights we don't want to cook. Danget, I've loved spag since I was like...8. It was my favorite thing to order. It's still awesome.

PS. Can you tell which pic was taken with the new nikon? Yeah, so much fancier.

AOTD: been a while

It's been too long since I did some Art of the Day. So if you're at work today, I thought I'd cheer you up with a few fabulous works by cool people. (I don't think I've EVER had mlk day off, what's up with that?)

Cool birch forests...Lisa Congdon. {via Poppytalk}


For the typography nerds...Little Factory. {via SSC}


Wood carving, a pretty rad medium...Ben Turnbull. {via SSC}


I love me some paper art...Jen Collins. {via SSC}


"Large-scale fiber works" made of painted galvanized steel and recyclable high-tenacity polyester braided twine netting...Janet Echelman. {via CRAFT} (I LOVE these)

List & Comment Friday: House Hunters

As I was saying, watching shows where people look for homes and then "hating" on them is one of our favorite pass times. CLEARLY it is just jealously but still, the cohab and I are really convinced we are smarter than the average buyer, even though we have no experience with real estate and have never owned a home. STILL! These dumb dumbs that go house shopping...yikes. I thought I'd compile a list of the top mistakes I think these people make when they're "house hunting" and that I would (of course) have the logical mind to never do (ha, I know I'll be laughing at this post later in life).

1. Shopping out of their price range (and inevitably falling in love with their "dream home" that they don't need) and then selling their souls to get that home.

2. Being turned off by carpet, paint, clutter, decorations. DUH! This is the #1 rule of house hunting! Don't let minor cosmetic changes mask what might really be there! Add the cost of the improvements onto the price tag. I would expect with a first home that you may have a little work ahead of you (not a lot, but some, imo).

3. Thinking they need their first home to be their dream home. Granted, I want my starter home to be one that I love, but I don't expect it to be my dream home right out the gate.

4. Compromising on pretty much everything to get MORE SPACE. What. Is. Up. With. That. I mean, we live in about 8-900 glorious square feet, and I want a walk-in closet more than anyone. BUT - why do people always sacrifice everything they want once they get a taste of a giant bathroom?

5. Compromising on the location. Same thing. It seems like a mistake to move further away from public transportation just to "get more for your money". I see how that seems logical, getting more square feet per dollar, but your property is instantly less desirable if it's in the boonies! (maybe that's just me though).

I admit that when the day comes that we are ready to house hunt, we'll have a budget and that budget is going to dictate most of our decisions, and I'm sure compromising on this and that to not live in a run-down shack is going to make total sense. But more often than not we're just yelling at the TV watching people get all excited over GRANITE and turned off by a 70's light fixture. Drives me crazy!

What mistakes have YOU made, or do you think other people make when they buy?

Things I Want To Make

I love this "stacked wood fireplace" idea. I think a lot of apartments would be supercute if they just had a fireplace! The expense here would be mostly supplies, and you'd need a saw and handy-person around to help out. Other than that it looks sortof attainable!
{from Small Notebook}

A fabulous idea for 2010: felt re-usable wrapping "envelopes". These would be easy/cheap to make and you can create a variety of sizes for books, dvs, cds and use them year after year. Or give them as part of your cool gift! {from Heart of Light}

I totally want to turn one of my ugly sweaters into a fancy "caplet" like this chick did. How cute and easy/cheap is that? I love that you could also wear it as a scarf or hood, because that would be super handy. {from My Mama Made It via Craft}

I was watching House Hunters and getting all pissy at it (a favorite pass time in our home is hating on HH) because this lady was all, "this loft isn't big enough for my studio" and I was all, "OMG shut up that would be an AWESOME craft room". Some day. Things will be orderly and color-categorized. {Organized Craft Room via AT}

Yeah, I totally want to make some "Faux Fur Leg Muffs" - I would wear them! Seriously! {LegVogue's Etsy Shop}

More of the January Slump

It is 29 degrees this morning which is feeling quite toasty compared to the last two weeks! OMG you guys, I am soooo looking forward to the day THAT UGLY SNOW PILE that I have passed every day since BEFORE we left for xmas is finally melted. Coming from Seattle I don't think I've ever seen a snow pile last for more than 3 days straight.

So with this whole "diet" thing (I hate to call it a diet because really it's just "stop eating and drinking like a damn fool all the time") I have been struggling to come up with different ways to deal with life when I'm bummed out. My old stand-by of "make something yummy" isn't there any more. But you know what? January has really gotten me down and sometimes you just have to say "screw that". And brownies were on sale at Safeway for $1.99.

So I took this:


And added these:


And then I had a brownie. I've been craving a brownie for about 2 weeks now. I hardly ever crave sweets so when I do I think I really must want it. I poured some rum over this brownie too. I wish I'd had some ice cream to go with it but then again I think it's a good thing we didn't have any.

I really do feel happier today. Fancy that!

List & Comm: BRUNCH

Frigid, frosty, cruel ole *January* has got me thinking about...breakfast. Ok more like it's Friday and I'm already thinking about how great my Saturday sleep-in is going to be. But I just love me some brunch. Who doesn't?


photo by treborinato via Epicute.

My list of favorite things to have for breakfast:
1. Mimosas
1. A good ole Denver omelet
2. BACON
3. Anything that incorporates cheese and eggs into a casserole
4. Croissants
5. Bloody Marys
6. Cinnamon rolls
7. Coffee (good coffee)
8. Bagels, w/lox and cr. cheese
9. Crab cake eggs benedict (when done right, obvs)
10. Crepes
11. Berries
12. French toast
13. Monte Cristo sandwiches
14. Things with gravy

What's your favorite thing to have for breakfast?

1001 Posts!!!

RECONIZE. I just realized that last one was my 1,000th post. Yee-haw!

This is what I need right now:

Some bright colorful art that reminds me of summer. {via SSC from Luba roniss' flickr stream}

Christmas Leftovers

Oi vey. I've been sick, peeps! It's no fun, but I think I'm on the mend. Remember when I was all "postivity mcpositiveness"? Yeah, then it hit me: it's January. When the holidays are over and the days are short and dark and I can't remember what it's like to feel warm sun. So that whole "living in the moment" is not working right now! I think I'll live in the past for a bit....remember Christmas? I do. It was awesome. I ate a lot. And laughed a lot and had good times with friends and family...

I had to put up a pic of my Mysty! She is just chillin' on Christmas mornin'. Like she do.

One of my favorite presents: my Grandma gave Court and I these pretty bags that have been hers for a very long time. This one's mine and Court's was a chocolate iridescent rectangle clutch. Grandma also put very thoughtful little items inside. I cried!

How crazy is it that Court got me this headband too that matches PERFECTLY?

I made Court a "Warholized" portrait. Here she is doin' "the Courtney". She's so cute!

The tree. It looked really classy!

Guide for 2010

"Are you happy?", an H/34 project, and a collaboration between David Meiklejohn and Alex Koplin. {originally via MirrorMirror}

Hey You Guys!
How is 2010 treatin' ya so far? I am loving it. Despite it being below freezing here (11* w/wind chill) and catching a new cold (what up with that!). I have many fun life changes and plans coming up in 2010, and I'm completely excited to see how they all play out. Usually I freak out a little bit when I sense "the winds of change" but this time I am just floatin' along. Change is good! *repeat mantra*repeat mantra*

Party in the U.S.A.!!!!

Gawd dammit I love NEW YEARS!!! Fresh slate. Completion of a whole year. We made it! Time for a brand new start! I know it's just a date on a calendar but it still feels good. I also like that New Years can be classy and I like dressy winterwear and glitter and fireworks and indulgent food. And counting down. And champagne.

Here we go with the 2010 Resolutions:
* Lose 20 (more!) lbs.
* Work on being happy and at peace with where I am in the moment. Work on having a more positive attitude.
* Give more compliments.
* Take more photos with MY NEW NIKON!!!

Here's how I did with 2009:
* No more seconds for dinner - slowed that down a bit, with a 3-month Summer slip off the wagon.
* Live more freely and relax - still need to work on this, A LOT.
* Get a job - got one! (with a 3-month Summer hiatus)

How'd you guys do in 2009 and what are your new goals for '10?