Baking!

So last weekend, while we were snowed in, I made a point of trying to bake (I don't typically find myself in the kitchen). I was extremely proud of myself for pulling off coconut macaroons (although the fella cried the whole time) and pannekoeken!!!! (alright... apparently I made pannekoek (singular), but I call it pannekoeken (plural) b/c that's what I've called it all my life.)

Here is the naked pannekoek (put powdered sugar on them, folks!)...

And we actually ate it!!!


Like I mentioned, my fella cried over the coconut macaroons b/c he HATES coconut (wouldn't even try them, the poor dear). But they were good... I promise.

(coconut... yum!)

I'm leaving you with the happy cookie. The lone gingerbread man that made my evening (even when my fella came by and bit his head off while I was explaining that he was my favorite-faced cookie). :)

We'll miss you happy cookie!!!

Snow, cars, and commas!

Well.

We have ourselves a good old-fashioned winter here in the North. Lots of snow, to the point where you can't see around the snow that is piled on the street corners and every time you pull out of a parking lot or a cross-street you're saying a little prayer and hoping you're wearing clean undies.

You also have to pray that when you get stuck, someone will happen along to help you get your teeny car turned around and over the snow drifts. I made the mistake of thinking my car could make it up a hill and then got stuck with my car turned perpendicular to the road. Thankfully, two kiddos from the local college helped push me out. Thanks fellas!

Aww.... nice people running around in down coats and snow pants. :)

So... I get antsy during the winter months. Less running around, less sunlight, less happy.

What ends up happening is that I pace our apartment, glare at my fella, and feel sorry for myself. BARFOLA!

Anyone else hear the rumor that the latest edition of the CMS (Chicago Manual of Style) is doing away with the serial comma (oxford comma)!? Writing that sentence about feeling sorry for myself made me think of that sad concept. I haven't looked into it--it makes me shudder.

I would have a hard time transitioning to that if that's what the CMS actually did. And I won't do it until my job's house style changes over.

I like my commas.

Our friend, the moth.

I mentioned in a previous post that I have a strong dislike for butterfly imagery (the dreaded butterfly--dun, dun, duunnn!)... yeah, don't like it at all. It's lame and prissy. Nothing against the actual insect--just the imagery... Barf.

Now, to clarify... I do like moths. Moths are gorgeous with just the right amount of creepy mixed in...

And some look like rabbits... another plus....

I have yet to find moth jewelry when I go to antique stores... so I'm not sure what's out there as far as moth-paraphernalia... the few I found online don't fit in my "don't buy anything" budget. Bummer.

Here's a few things I found online...

These two fall in the "bunny-moth" category.


The gold-dipped moth should be a bunny-moth, but isn't for some reason. Not cute enough?


Mothman Prophecy anyone? Too creepy.

The shoulder-percher is from the etsy shop: BlueTerracotta (very nice!)

What is this blog???

I keep going back and forth with this lovely, albeit slow, blog. Originally it was to show off any great thrift finds and perhaps showcase some pairings--so a fashion blog? Unfortunately, I am not ready to take the plunge as a fashion-style-a-day blog which I think is the best type of fashion blog (where you can actually see their charming faces). Yeah... I prefer some anonymity... or perhaps I'm worried about representing myself as a fashion-person, when I am far, far from one...

To bury that one in the deep blue shiny sea (wait... bury?) I forced myself to admit that I need to try to squelch the urge to buy more things (seriously, I'm drowning in clothes and accessories) no matter how inexpensive they are.

**A real economic "triumph" for me was shopping in a fabulous antique store and bypassing not one, not two, but THREE items of jewelry each under $4. Wowzas**

Of course, the above triumph might have been because I wasn't in the mood to shop. I think you have to be in the right frame of mind to go thrifting and to spend money on things you don't need... so my willpower shouldn't get all the credit... heh... ahem.

So yeah... it seemed that a fashion/new things blog seemed destined for failure.

THEN I thought I could try my hand at an uber-amateur sewing blog--as I am currently trying for a "no-new-clothes" year.... although apparently that doesn't stretch to shoes. :\

I have a hand-me-down Singer sewing machine and am determined to figure out how to alter the clothes that I already have (for better fit/new styles) if I feel a desperate need for something new/better fitting. BUT... that seems to have also fallen to the wayside... just a pile of projects on our dining room table. So that doesn't appear to be my blog-calling either.... (even though I love reading the sewing blogs! Amazing! Male Pattern Boldness is my current favorite... Gertie's Guide is wonderful too).

So yeah... I think the best thing for me to do is to ignore any semblance of rhyme or reason and just post whatever the h I want to post.

So if you are reading this--welcome... and how in the world did you stumble here? For now, I am going to pretend that I have some invisible readers. Hi, babies!

New Camera...Hooray!

After my brick of a digital camera kicked the bucket I purchased a new digital camera off of Woot.com. I still need to buy a memory card, but I've been able to take a few photos on the internal memory (approx. 10-12 photos). B keeps yelling at me to go out and buy a memory card... but this makes me be a little more careful of the photos I do take.


If anyone ends up reading this blog--remember when we couldn't just erase and re-record photos? Fun-saver cameras were my favorite. You had to make sure you didn't advance the roll until you were ready to take a photo... otherwise you inevitably get photos of the interior of pockets or backpacks. I also remember a great photo of the side of my foot after I dropped the fun-saver and it took the picture when it hit the floor.

Anyway, here are a few shots I took of the leaves around my and B's place.







My goal is that mid-February I can look at these pictures and remind myself that it WILL GET BETTER!!!







I'm really not looking forward to the middle-o-winter blahs. Here are some earlier, more-summery pictures from B's camera (I think mine is waaay better!).

Weekend events and a budget

Well, I've got to stick to a budget... sometime...

I spent the weekend celebrating the marriage of two of my good friends.

The Dreaded Butterfly

For some reason the most abundant and available figural pins are butterflies. Lame. I don't know why, but I have never liked butterfly pins AND THEY ARE EVERYWHERE!!!

I really wish I could like them, but they are just too damn girlie. I am girlie enough as it is, I don't need some delicate insect on my shoulder. When I say I'm girlie, I should clarify...I love dressing up, scream when I see centipedes, and get really excited if bunnies are hanging out in the backyard. That's how I'm girlie. I am fairly tall--and not delicate. The fact that centipedes scare me is laughable, and I usually lumber over the average sized lady (but I think that is pretty cool). I am also not that graceful and I have no ankles. Anyway, for some reason butterflies bug me (ha). So it might be that an actual butterfly represents grace and delicacy...and I'm jealous? It might also be that girls get butterfly tattoos ALL THE TIME--it's like saying you're a sweet badass. Too sweet for me!

Anyhoo--I do not buy them, but I have two in my collection (both gifts). I'm sure whomever inherits my pins will love them more than the others--because apparently I'm one of the few people who doesn't like butterfly pins. :|

One of the perks...

...of being known as a pin lady: free pins!!!

I work in an office with many women and most of them notice my pins--usually enough to tell me about their great aunt's collection or upcoming garage sales.

Not long ago one of my coworkers handed me a plastic baggie filled with a collection of gorgeous pins. A relative of hers had passed away and no one in the family was interested in claiming the pins--apparently she rescued them from being tossed!















I made a point to wear them and thank her again (and again!)--how thoughtful! What a great perk of being known as the pin lady!


The two in this last shot are my favorite of the bunch. I included the butterfly because it was part of the set... but ooof, the only butterfly pins I own have been gifts.

A little about the blog...

Today is gorgeous so my fella and I took a vacation day and spent the afternoon walking around the neighborhood--stopping for ice cream (chocolate banana for me) and hanging out by the bluffs. I also started this blog. I'm hoping my writing will benefit.

At this point I'm thinking that this blog will host a collection of pictures and stories of treasures and things that I have found (and will find). I use shopping as a way to relax... and inevitably find some fun pieces in a stack of not-so-happy things.

I forget which came first: the turquoise seagull or the bronze one. All I remember was finding the second at an antique store for less than $3 and realizing I had its brother at home!!! Eee!! I'm curious about these as there are no markings on them. Anyone recognize them?

Pin Addict

I am a recovering pin addict. Enameled flower pins to be precise. It started with a daisy pin of my mother's and spiraled into spending hours upon hours in antique stores. I had two requirements:
1) the flower should be as obnoxious as possible
2) the pin had to be cheap

Cheap for me was/is anything under $5, but it would be difficult for me to spend $5 on a pin that wasn't loud and obnoxious.

I say I'm recovering because I'm less inclined to buy flower pins right now. Mainly because I'm developing a love for more modern shapes, because wearing more than one at a time gives my fella ulcers, and because I don't have enough room!

Here is one example of an attempt to display my collection (taken about a year ago): The OLD BIRD CAGE! I stuffed it with pillow stuffing and a soft-pink fabric (super girly!) There was even a good bow on top. I'd recommend using a lot of stuffing so you have some resistance when you place your pins. I liked it. I could see all of them at once (which is good if you fall victim to buying similar pieces) and I thought the birdcage looked really great in my super girly room.


A year later, I'm living with my fella in his red and chocolate brown one bedroom. Between the two of us and my cat we don't have room in the bedroom for a birdcage. So I put the birdcage in the basement for the day we move out and into a bigger place. My pins are packed into an old silverware box--pictured below--and atop my dresser.