Wednesday, March 30, 2011

birthday flowers...

my 31st birthday was last friday...i didn't make a big deal of it because, well, turning 31 is a bit underwhelming. but the boyfriend sent these gorgeous flowers to the office on my special day, and i've been waking up every morning to the site & smell of them and i've had a smile on my face this whole week...

recycled & repurposed...

i saw this outside of a deli/convenience store down near hingham this morning while i was down there for a site visit. it's a bench made from old hockey sticks, isn't that cool? this would be a great idea for a man cave/ sports room someday...

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

wake up & jam out...

a friend just sent this to me...turn up the volume and wait for the 20th second of the video to watch this little girl snap out of her sleepy state to jamb with the beats...

Monday, March 28, 2011

playing in my head...

lovin' the avett brothers today while i work at my desk...



She keeps it simple
And I am thankful for her kind of lovin'
'Cause it's simple

No longer do we wonder if we're together
We're way past that
And I've already asked her
So in January we're gettin' married

She's talkin' to me with her voice
Down so low I barely hear her
But I know what she's sayin'
I understand because my heart and hers are the same
And in January we're gettin' married

And I was sick with heartache
And she was sick like Audrey Hepburn when I met her
But we would both surrender

True love is not the kind of thing you should turn down
Don't ever turn it down

I hope that I don't sound to insane when I say
There is darkness all around us
I don't feel weak but I do need sometimes for her to protect me
And reconnect me to the beauty that I'm missin'
And in January we're gettin' married

No longer does it matter what circumstances we were born in
She knows which birds are singin'
And the names of the trees where they're performin' in the mornin
And in January we're gettin' married
Come January let's get married

quotable...

anything fried is a friend of mine...


the boyfriend and i had blackstrap bbq last night, a great bbq joint in winthrop owned & operated by a few old restaurant industry friends of mine. aside from the fact that i love all things southern, food included, i just had to give a shout out to the most amazing fried pickles i've ever had in my life. think of a marriage between your favorite dill pickle and the crispy fried chicken coating...yummm.

i found this recipe i might try myself one day...

ingredients:

1 pint sliced dill pickles, undrained
1 large egg, beaten lightly
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour AND 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
2 teaspoons ground red pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
vegetable oil

directions:

1. drain pickles, reserving 2/3 cups pickle juice. press pickles between paper towels
2. combine 2/3 cups pickle juice, egg, 1 tablespoon flour and hot sauce. stir well and set aside
3. combine 1 1/2 cups flour with ground red pepper, garlic powder, salt and paprika
4. dip pickles in egg mixture, then dredge in flour mixture
5. fry coated pickles in 375 degree oil until golden brown. drain on paper towel.
6. serve with ranch dressing, of course!


Wednesday, March 23, 2011

give your toes some love...

best color for your toes this upcoming spring you ask? essie's peach daiquiri. i had mine painted last week and adore it...

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

arms, legs, abs, oh my...


this summer i would like to look like jennifer aniston; i want her arms, her abs, and her legs...



however, one small problem...i do not go to the gym. i used to go every single day during college (so like 10 years ago). and i do go to yoga now, but not religiously like i should. so what i need is something i can do at home, each night, without having to leave the comfort of my living room. i saw these workouts in the april issue of women's health magazine...i'm going to tape them to my refrigerator and get to work starting tomorrow...hopefully come memorial day my body will be bathing suit worthy...




shirt dress crazed...

umm, can we just look at what my friend darby did to a $20 walmart dress with some new buttons? it makes this dress look 5x's more expensive that it really is, very impressive...


i am totally obsessed with this idea now, so of course i spent a better part of my day trying to figure out how i could do the exact same thing. unfortunately the walmart dress is sold out, figures. so here are some alternatives i like...

Monday, March 21, 2011

80 never looked so good...



over the weekend my great uncle bobby turned 80, he is the younger brother of my maternal grandfather. bobby is a total ham, very funny even at 80...

(uncle bobby, grandpa, and their sister merry's husband uncle tom)

both sets of families attending his new york celebration and it was so wonderful to see not only my own first cousins, but my second and third cousins as well. both my grandfather and uncle bobby had 5 children of their own, so there are lots of children & grandchildren for the young family! it's a side of the family i haven't spent much time with but i'm hoping to see more of them in the near future...

Friday, March 18, 2011

got books?...



i love to read. when i moved into my current apartment i couldn't wait to fill up my floor to ceiling bookshelves with all the books i had read, a visual archive of all the words & stories that have passed through my brain. i love getting into bed with a book, turning the page, bookmarking the last one read before my eyes can't stay open a moment longer.

but now my bookshelves are full, like really full. and i don't love every book i've ever read, so why keep them there to collect dust? so i've decided to donate them to a place called got books. they are a local MA organization that saves millions of books every year from filling up landfills and donates books to troops, teachers, children, etc...AND, the best part is they'll even come pick up the books for FREE! now i can't wait to clear my shelves...to make room for new books of course! unless i get a kindle for my birthday (hint, hint boyfriend)...


Thursday, March 17, 2011

popped the question...

an old family friend (the son of one of my parents oldest friends) just got engaged yesterday and i couldn't be more thrilled for him. here's an awesome photo of drew, me and my sister circa 1989...


i always knew it would take a special lady to put up with his shinannigans, and elizabeth is just that to drew...even though i haven't met her & can't wait to, i can just tell she's awesome.
here's the whole proposal drew caught on tape in their back yard. turn up the volume so you can here how sweet his words are to her...and i LOVE her comment at the end!...

congratulations drew & elizabeth!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

manning up...


i recently read a brief review of this book, manning up: how the rise of women have turned men into boys by kay hymowitz, the other day and have to admit i was a little intrigued...

Hymowitz's "man-child" theory—guys, she says, are stuck in a stage of perennial boydom ("preadulthood," she calls it) because they see no incentive to get it together. Think Adam Sandler, Seth Rogan, guys who spend Saturday nights drinking beer and playing Halo, while their girlfriends are out earning Ph.D.s. "Why grow up?" they think. There's simply no reason to. "Between his lack of familial responsibilities, his relative affluence, and an entertainment media devoted to his every pleasure, the single young man can live in pig's heaven," Hymowitz writes. Perhaps one of her readers put the sentiment more succinctly: In the modern culture, "Men are disposable."
this idea of delayed adulthood fascinates me, oddly enough.

several months ago i read a similar article (and for the life of me can't remember where i stashed it but know i mailed it to a few of my girlfriends) about men our age not being able to deal (emmotional/mentally/whatever) with how strong & powerful women today have become, therefor they are starting to question what exactly their roles are these days in our lives...seeing as we don't need them to provide for us in the traditional sense of the word anyway, what's the point of them having to grow up at all, right?

i think i'll out this on my reading list for this summer!




the family dogs...

over the weekend i went down to tennessee to help my parents pack up their house & work their yard sale. yup, they are moving back east after nearly 15 years of being southerners. i am most excited about these two moving closer though, although i don't think these country dogs are going to like city living too much. meet zip & posey...


another family member who will be staying with us (possibly) for a month early this summer is my sister & brother-in-law's dog, brisby, also known as 'the worm hunter' or 'van gogh'. check out his new backpack for hikes with his mom & dad, so cool right?...


penny spent the weekend with her daddy & sister maple. she was very happy to sleep in the big bed & run around the yard all weekend while i was away. the boyfriend was just commenting last night on what a 'good girl' she's grown up to be. here she is giving the camera a little wink...


and this bozo, hank, heaven help him, is going to 'good manner' classes at the animal rescue league starting next tuesday night, because, well, he has NO manners whatsoever! i don't have high hopes that he'll be an honor student or anything, this boy is TROUBLE...


a quote for the boyfriend...

i loved, loved, loved this quote that was posted on one of my favorite blogs recently, wide open spaces. this one is for you boyfriend...

Monday, March 14, 2011

patty cake, patty cake...

if i were any sort of baker i might attempt this st. patty's day cake, but i'm not, so i won't...

Friday, March 11, 2011

a table & chairs...

it's official, i am selling my current dining room table & chairs. i've been trying to make a decision for a long time now on what to get and think i've finally made up my mind.

meet my new dining table, west elms industrial dining table...



it's going to be paired with 6 of these pier 1 dana parsons dining chairs, which i will eventually find the perfect fabric to slip cover with...



if you're local & interested in buying my dining room table & chairs let me know...i'll post some pictures of them up here soon.

and then there was light...

i'm swooning over niche modern lighting right about now...

sending prayers...

praying for the people of japan today after and 8.9 magnitude earthquake hit, causing this horrible tsunami to come rushing on shore ...

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

bird brains...

i have no idea why i found these bird videos so funny...



playing dead...

i come across this scene often these days, penny playing dead so hank will leave her alone. poor dog...

a new life...

i often see pieces at auctions or antique shows that i would love to repurpose, but don't usually have the first clue how to. and then i was introduced to hardware interiors, a custom furniture design studio in toronto...now these guys know what they're doing...

like these old card catalogue drawers made into a side table, lovin' it...


living done right...

i love my fellow boston designer/blogger erin gates of elements of style, like seriously, girl crush. i feel like every time she posts something i immediately must re-post it on my blog because it's so amazing. case in point, her lifestyle lust: emersonmade post today. i've blogged about emersonmade before, but you can never have enough of this dynamic dou in my opinion....



here are a few goodies from their shop i wouldn't mind adding to my life...