Survey Sunday

I thought I'd ease into my week of daily blogging by answering a cute survey that Holly posted on her blog this weekend. Enjoy.

1. What is the latest piece of artwork you have purchased?
Sadly, I haven't purchased anything in a little while, the last thing I bought was this print from Art and Ghosts back in January...but that's going to have to soon change.

2. What's a recipe you have been dying to try, but haven't got around to it yet?
Actually Dan and I have tried a couple of new recipes lately, our favourite being these bean burritos from Martha Stewart. We altered the recipe a little bit and used half pinto beans and half refried pinto beans, with local organic cheese and sour cream...yumm!

3. Post a photo from your flickr favorites that is inspiring to you at the moment.

Simple and moody and lovely. Found here.

4. What's something you have been enjoying as of late?
Tara Whitney's blog/photos. Such amazing inspiration!! I can't stop browsing through all of her shoots, she is amazing. It really makes me want to go out and take pictures. Also, Slushies.

5. What's something you would like to try?
Sewing something other than a blanket, maybe just some simple curtains or pillow covers or a sink skirt. Also, I would like to try and learn how to fancy up my blog.

6. What's something you're looking forward to in June?
Going home for a lobster boil next weekend, more warm weather, planting flowers and taking more pictures.

And now a few of my own...

7. Post a few of your own favourite shots from the last few days...

(altered a bit in Photoshop)

8. What's something you've been thinking a lot about lately?
Babies, of course, but also taking action and changing the course of my future when it comes to my work and career.

9. What was the last dream you had that you remember?
Last night or the night before I had a totally weird and random dream where I was watching the Season Premier of LOST Season 6 and for some odd reason Jack (Matthew Fox) was buck naked and super buff, but they were showing everything (full frontal), and he was running around with Kate for some reason, but he was naked, and hotter than Sawyer, he was that buff. Other crazy things were happening too (there were 2 islands I think), but I remember MSN-ing Heather to let her know that Jack was naked on the show and that he was hotter than Sawyer, but I wouldn't give her any other spoilers...crazy, I know.

10. What is something you wish you could be doing right now?
Taking pictures with Heather/my sister/anyone who would allow me to take pictures of them. Seriously, it's all I want to do lately.

Well that's all for now. Feel free to play along and leave a comment with a link once you do!

Happy Sunny Sunday everyone!

Ok, I do suck.

I don't know why I can't get my lazy butt to blog more, I think that next week I am going to force myself to blog every.single.day. Because I really do enjoy it, but like everything else I tend to like doing, I hate STARTING it. Once I get going I'm ok but it's just that initial step that's hard.

So in order to make it a bit easier on myself today, I shall turn to my trusty friend, the Lists.

What I've been up to:

Taking pictures of Shimi/myself ~ It was soo hot out last Friday and Saturday, so we spent alot of time outside, and since there's not much else to photograph in my neighbourhood, I followed Shimi around and we had a little photoshoot together. She was in the fields (above) and amost-stuck in the trees (below). Quite the adventure for a little kitten.

Watching the 2nd Season of Breaking Bad with hubs

Going to bed between 10:00-10:30 most nights (quite early for me!)

What's been inspiring me lately:

Sewing~Man, do I want to sew! I've been seeing so many cute ideas lately, I really can't wait until I get my hands on a machine (next weekend) and get started on some projects. I have the fabrics picked out for my 2nd blanket (they are the same line as the one I'm currently finishing up, except in boy colours, which is what I want.)

(I'll be getting rid of the girlier ones, I'm only getting 8 instead of 12)

I also have my eye on these adorable fabrics for an upcoming baby blanket gift (the receiver doesn't read this blog as far as I know so I can show the fabrics here.) I'm thinking it's gender neutral enough, and once I know the sex I'll back it with a gender distinct colour, and if I don't know, I'll back it with cream.

And I really want to make a fabric banner for some reason, I think it's an easy way to brighten up a space, and I can use scraps of materials I have lying around:

(found this here)

And even though this is probably too advanced for me, I'd love to have a reason to make one of these adorable shirt dresses, re-purposed from a men's button down shirt. I found the project through Emily's blog, and I love the idea of re-purposing clothes to make new clothes, especially for kids. One day if I become a super-mama, I will definitely attempt to make some baby/toddler clothes.

"Creative mother" blogs~ I'm really enjoying blogs about creative moms/families who make life as fun and artisitic for their children as possible. Everything they do in their homes is wonderful, simple, crafty, organic and lovely. Real life Martha Stewart. Rachel, who is one of these mamas, recently posted about Ashley Ann's blog and I must say I'm hooked on the gorgeous images and wonderful family. Other "family" blogs are also interesting me lately, including Soule Mama, Simple Moms , and others that I discover along the way. It just reinforces the fact that this is the life I want to live, I can see it in my head more clearly everyday, and I just can't wait for it to get here.

What I've been working on scrap wise:

This "secret" project~I can only show a little sneak of it now, but I hope to post the entire thing soon:

Not much else!~ This week was really tough for me, I just couldn't get anything started. I'm hoping that this weekend will get my mojo going again.

What's on my To-Do List this weekeend/week:

Laundry~ Hopefully on the line...



Play with Photoshop~ I finally got it on my computer and I fiddled around with it a little bit last night, but I still have LOTS to learn. I'm excited though about learning and giving that extra little pop to my photos. I'll probably be posting some experimentations next week, so stay tuned. Also, does anyone know of any good tutorials for the basics, and tips on improving portraits in particular?

Go to the Market~'Cause our bean burritos were just not the same without Foxhill cheese.

Work on my 52Qs~At the very least work on the one that asks for my to-do list for the week!

Blog every day~ I'm thinking I may need to plan this out in order to accomplish it....

Get my passport pictures and application passed in~A little over 2 months until Italy!

Look on Kijiji for a dining room table~Now that we have gotten rid of the old TV and entertainment centre, our living room/dining room is looking EMPTY, so I'm going to see if I can find an inexpensive table. The decorating bug has stuck me again, so I'm thinking some thrifting/decor projects may be in order soon.

Bring my lunch to work every day~ This is the first week in forever (or maybe just ever) that I didn't buy my lunch once all week. I'm very impressed and it wasn't that hard, all it took was a little planning (mainly just making meals in the evening that had enough leftover for lunch the next day.) Buying out is one of the unecessary expenses that I want to cut out of my life, so I think that I've got a good start.

Randoms:

Editing Class~ It's looking very likely that I'll be taking an Editing class at Mount Saint Vincent University in the Fall, and I'm quite excited. Work is probably going to cover the costs, and even though I'm not a fan of school this is big step towards the direction I want to take in my potential career. I'm also hoping to take some other courses in the Fall as well (under my own dime), so it should be a busy and exciting season!

Eggies are a movin'~Not to give TMI, but my first round of Clomid went very well, it did exactly what it was supposed to, so I'm hopeful that things will start moving along soon.

Friends~ I miss all of them. Anna, Heather, Sara, my sister, I'm really missing spending time with these wonderful ladies. Generally I prefer to be alone or just with Dan, but lately I've been missing my friends. I'm hopefully going to see Sara next week, and I'll see my sister next weekend, so at least I'll get some time in with a few of them. The other two I will just have to "virtually" hangout with more. Sara and Daf be warned though: I will be (photo)shooting you!

Well that's all for this Friday edition of blogging, stay tuned starting Sunday, I will be back in full force, mark my words!

Bonne fin de semaine.

It's sunny and warm and I'm stuck inside...

I am happy to say that we are finally getting to nice weather (I know I say "finally" a lot, but around here good weather is so fleeting that it never feels like it's really "here"...yes I'm a typical Maritimer who likes to talk/bitch about the weather.) Unfortunately I am stuck in the office again, though I'm thinking that an iced coffee break may be called upon soon. Today the Department is having a BBQ to say thank you for all the work we've done for the H1N1 flu, so that's nice, free food is always good. Still, I'd rather be outside.

Not too much new to report in the Flynnie world. We've been laying pretty low, just hanging out on the deck and spending time together. Last weekend Dan's friend Dylan and his wife came up for the night, which was nice, we went to the Farmer's Market in the morning, then out to supper and a movie (Star Trek...again...I love it.) It was a long weekend but like I said, we didn't do much, and it was nice.

Dan has recently decided to change his "look", and I must say I quite like it. Behold, from long and shaggy and clean shaven (which is how I've known him for the last 6 years), to short and bearded:

(ignore his evil glare in the 2nd shot)

Besides the fact that it pricks when I kiss him, I think the look works quite well for him. My bearded boy :)

I've been scrapping a bit more lately, though no new layouts to share. Instead I bought a D-ring binder and re-organized some of my layouts. This is probably only 1/4 of all the layouts I have, which is insane to look at when you pile them all up...this is where my time goes?! (though, really, I can't think of a better place...)

So yes, I still need another binder or 2, but I'm definitely making the switch from post-bound, it's so much better.

I also got a little further ahead with my 52Qs, I think that I'm now over half done the questions, hopefully I'll catch up to the rest soon. I love this project (and Emily's questions), and the size I chose is perfect (5.5X7.5 cards), I can whip them out quicker than most layouts, which makes them feel more real and organic for some reason, I try to let myself play a bit more with these, and so far it's been fun. Here are the three I did over the last couple of days:

Question 11: What keeps me up at night?
Question 13: What was my best/worst hair experience?
Question 20: What is your latest obsession?

So yes, that's been my scrapping lately, but I'm currently working on a secret project that I'm quite excited about, I'll share more when it's safe...

I also though it would be fun to show what I've been reading lately, since I just noticed that there's definitely a theme going on...

Yeah, no time for fiction for me. Self help/awareness books all the way. I finished "You Are Here" and posted about it here a few weeks ago, and now I'm reading the other 2 books at the same time, which is good because they compliment each other well. "Your Money or Your Life" has changed my perspective on money somewhat, and has made me realize that I need to be smart not only with my money, but also with my time, and that I should consider the link between my money/spending and my time ( or 'life energy', as they say.) Though I can't say I love the book (it was written in the early 90s for yuppies, for sure, and it annoys me how it assumes you are a materialistic idiot), it has definitely given me something to think about. With us trying to save for a house right now it has given me that extra little push to work harder at it.

Also, I've been having a huge issue with my job lately, I can't stand it most of the time, actually, and I've been trying to think of ways that I can "cut the cubicle umbilical cord", and someone recommended that I read "What Colour is Your Parachute?". It's mostly about how to find a job but at the end there's an activity that helps you find your "dream" job, based on your skills, interests, etc. Fortunately, a few weeks ago an idea hit me all of a sudden and it all seemed so clear as to what I should do next in my career path, so this activity came along at just the right time. I know what I want, but it's a bit scary, quite unknown, and will require some preparation/work on my/our part, but I'm totally excited and motivated to do it, so I hope I'll be able to share more once things start falling into place (it's going to take about a year to set up I think, it won't be until we move home, so there's still a long way to go yet...)

So I guess the questions I will ask now, then, are: How do you find the courage to take risks, especially when it comes to your career? Has anyone out there broken free from the cube farms, and how did you do it? Has anyone read these books?

Well, I dare day it's coffee time. Hoping for a relaxing and sunny weekend, hope yours is as well!

Ps-This blogging once a week business has got to stop, ok? Ok.

Proof...

...that I actually scrapbook from time to time. I haven't been nearly as productive lately, not sure why, I was working on my 365 mini for so long that all my other projects fell by the wayside. Got this one done tonight though, it's for the One Little Word Challenge, which was the word "Two". I love these pictures of Heather and I, they were the last ones we took together before she moved out West in Feb...yes I miss her.

This layout is based on Sketch 133 from Pencil Lines, though I altered it a bit. Sometimes I just need that extra little boost to get me going, you know? I used one of the Shabby Chic journaling tags I won from The Creative Type Challenge, they are so cool, and just the right size for me! I also used another one of those home made grid transparencies that I love so much, and a bunch of other stuff too :)

I'm thiiiiis close to finishing another one of my 52Qs, I've been really slacking in those lately, I gotta catch up! And the Effer Dare this time looks super fun, your "signature piece/jewelery". If any of you have noticed from my pics, I wear my 7 silver rings all.the.time. They never come off, so this will be quite easy/fun for me to do. Hopefully I'll be posting those later this weekend :)

Well I better get cleaning, we are having some (unexpected) visitors coming for the weekend, and the place is a mess! Should be fun though, I heard talk of a brewery tour...

Happy long weekend everyone! (or at least the Canadians...)

The last 6 days in pictures...

*Trip home to Sussex last weekend, which meant walks in the graveyard with the dogs (I know it sounds creepy, but it's one of the prettiest places ever, really, I love it up there.) Working on my blanket and scrap projects (no pics), driving out to the country to look at a house, seeing Star Trek (rockin') with the parents.

**Finishing the base of my 365 mini, finally. Working on dating, labeling, adding titles and journaling next.

***Finally enjoying some real sunshine and nice weather. Barbecue out on the deck with Dan. Deciding to walk to the store to get stuff to make smore and eating them as the sun went down.

****Taking pictures of myself and Shimi in the yard (she looks like a little lioness in the grass, sitting so proud.)

That about sums up life this week. Here's hoping for a nice weekend!

Happy Thursday!

(Oh, and watching I'm LOST TONIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! )

What am I, like 19??

Pic-March 2005

So, once upon a time there was a girl named Geneviève, who lived a very good and very lucky life. She had a nice home, a nice family, nice friends, an all around nice life. She went through school, easily enough (sometimes too easily) and then left home to go to University, like most people did at her age. Now, this is usually the point in the story where Geneviève would say that she "found herself", and that through her experiences in University and the life that goes with it, she came out knowing who she was and what she wanted to do with her life. Unfortunately for this story and its heroine, Geneviève was too quick in thinking that she needed to grow up and subconciously (or conciously, it is unclear) skipped over this part of the journey. No discoveries were made because she truly thought she already knew what she wanted with life, her career, her choices. She was set, ahead of her other early-20s friends and classmates, who she assumed were immature and just couldn't 'get it together'.

And so this façade remained with her throughout her 4 years at University, through her first real heartbreak and then through her eventual meeting with her true love-and future husband, through travels, foolish spending, plans accomplished and plans unfulfilled, until the near present day. Once Geneviève became a 'real' adult, however (out of school, working a 'real' job, married, bills and responsibility), her façade slowly started to show cracks. Things weren't turning out how she had expected, and she started to realize, a bit too slowly and with much malaise, that she didn't really know who she was or what she wanted, that, in fact, her 26-year old priorities had changed from her 19-year old priorities, and that she was slowly sinking into a life she did not want. This wasn't just a fad or trend she was feeling, it was REAL. Small changes were creeping into her life that she did not expect; the strong need to return home, the desire to have children above all else, the realization that a cushy government job wasn't her dream job after all, that she wanted to live simply, creatively and fully, that she wanted to be free of her debts, and others.

And so the story ends here, with a 26-year old who is suddenly faced with the consequences of her arrested development: a quarter-life crisis. Where the story will go, no one knows...but she hopes to find out soon.

Green Streak

So, a few months ago I won this book on Dani's blog, and while I was happy (it was the first thing I'd won online, ever!) I can't say that I was super excited or anxious to read the book she was sending me. It was about the environment. About how we are all connected. About how what we do matters. It sounded kinda hokey to me. I didn't think it would change anything about my life, except that I could finally say that I read a book about "being green". So I put off reading it for a few months and instead read "The Chamber" for the 10th time (seriously, it's an addiction.) Anyway, once I finished my old beat up paperback, I figured I would check this one out, just to see. And it has been on my mind ever since.

This book is not only written in a way that most people can easily understand and relate to (it's actually kind of funny at some parts), it really brings home the concept of how every little thing we do, good or bad for the environment, has an effect on the Earth and on our fellow creatures, human and non-human alike. We ARE all connected, which, considering the Internet and the whole 'global village' phenomena of the last 15 years or so, shouldn't be so hard to imagine. I think that most of the time we think we are connected virtually, or through communication, but never actually physically connected. But we are. Our environement is. What I do here in Canada has an effect on what goes on in the Pacific Ocean, China, Africa and the Artic. This is the point he really brings home throughout You Are Here.

The book is basically broken down into different trips that the author takes to various places around the world, and he discusses one environmental topic (but sometimes more) relating to the place he's in. In India he talks about our e-waste and trash in general, in the Amazon he talks about deforestation, in Alaska he talks about global warming, and so on. He ties it all together though, and through scientific facts and, well, common sense, he explains how our lifestyle as we know it today is harming the planet and how unless we make some major (and some not so major changes), we won't be able to sustain it, for ourselves let alone for future generations.

The part that I really liked was how he stressed that individual actions CAN make a difference, because (and this is what we need to realize) if everyone did these seemingly insignificant changes, it would make a big difference in the world. Maybe 1 person turning off their lights when they leave the room won't make a huge difference, but if everyone in Canada did it, well, then we'd see some results, and that would benefit everyone in the world, not just in Canada. We need to work together, and everyone needs to pitch in.

I would say that before I read this book I was "green concious." Over the past year or so I've been thinking more and more about what I can do for the environement (partly because it's become so popular in the media, but also just from my own personal feelings), but this book has really inspired me to not only think about making some changes to my lifestyle, but to actually make them. So I thought I would list all the things I'm already doing to help the environment, and also list what I could do better.

What I already do: Use reusable grocery bags (the best decision I've made in awhile!)

What I could do better: I need to remember to bring these bags to ALL stores, not just the grocery store. Wal-Mart, convenience stores, clothing stores all use plastic bags and they can really add up. For heaven sakes, my purse is about the size of 2 plastic bags, I should just be stuffing what I get into my purse!! (after I've paid, of course.) From now on, I will try to remember to say "no bag thank you" when I shop.

What I already do: Turn off the lights when I leave the house.

What I could do better: Turn off/Unplug all appliances that aren't being used. This one is kind of tough, I can't imagine having to plug in the TV or computer everytime I want to use it, but I will start out small and work my way up (unplugging my hair dryer in the morning, and the lamp in my room.)

What I already do: Wash my clothes in cold water.

What I could do better: Use my clothes line more (I tend to use it in only absolutely perfect conditions), or, in the winter, use a clothing rack instead of my dryer.

What I already do: Turn off the water when I brush my teeth.

What I could do better: Conserve more water. The water chapter of the book was one of the most interesting...and scary. Living in Canada (on the Coast in a fairly rural area) I never really considered a lack of freshwater, but it's going tobe a major issue for the next generation, or even later in my own, unless something is done soon. So from now on, I'm going to follow the "yellow, let it mellow" rule for my toilet (TMI? Sorry), I'm going to attempt shorter showers, collect rainwater to water my flowers and, when we get our own house, install low-flow toilets/showers/taps.

What I already do: Take the bus to work.

What I could do better: I could walk during the summer months, or bike. I could also attempt to shop closer to home, instead of going out to the big box stores 15 mins away. I can also not let my car idle, even while in the drive-thru, and if we were to ever buy a second car, we could make sure to buy a hybrid.

What I already do: Buy organic apples at the store (umm, yeah, just apples.)

What I could do better: Start buying locally/organically. I'm super excited about this one, because the whole idea of transporting food and the cost of doing it (the environmental cost, but also the monetary cost) makes absolutely no sense to me. Why would I want to buy apples from the States or even Ontario when I live one hour away from some of the best orchards in the country?! Why can't they be made available in my grocery store chain? So, I talked it over with Dan, and starting on our next grocery trip, we are going to buy our meat, dairy, eggs, bread and produce from a local farmer's market and only buy canned goods/prepared food/foods that I can't get locally, like bananas, from the grocery store. Now, of course, I will have to look into the difference in price when doing this, but if it is at all possible for us to afford it, I would really like to make this one happen. One trip to the grocery store during the week, and one trip to the famer's market on Saturdays. Sounds ideal to me. Also, I would like to try and grow some of my food, like herbs and veggies. Saves money and the trip!

What I already do: Buy 2nd hand clothes (and give my clothes back to 2nd hand stores).

What I could do better: When I do buy new clothes like socks and underwear, see if I can buy organic/fair trade and labour brands.

What I already do: Recycle.

What I could do better: Recycle better. I'm really good about recycling plastic and glass bottles and food boxes (cereal, etc), but I'm not so great about recycling paper, which is a huge waste. I need to put a little box/bin next to my garbage bin and mark it as "paper" so that I can get into the habit (and also get into the habit of recycling my scrapping papers too!) Also, before it comes to recycling, I need to reduce what I use. Reduce the amount of packaging I buy when possible (this one hit hard, I can't remember exactly how much it is but over 50% of the trash we throw out is packaging.) Choose products that have as little packaging as possible, even if it's something that you can recycle.

Well, I could go on and on, but those are just a few examples. I hope that I've maybe given you something to think about, and I haven't scared you away from thinking green. It's really not that hard. If I can do it, then anyone can...really ('cause, trust me, I am the least "hippie" person you'll meet, so it's not about going totally granola.) At first you are "hyperaware" of everything you do (which is good), but after awhile it will become (or so I hope) like second nature (which is better.) And if we pick up these good habits now, then our children will pick them up as well, naturally, so hopefully they won't have to deal with the same issues that we do. We all need to stop the "someone else will do it" and "it won't make a difference" attitudes we have when it comes to the environment, suck it up, and do our part. Get others to do their parts as well. Spread awareness. Read this book. Go green!

How "green" would you say you are? Has anyone else read this book? I'd love to hear your comments!

G.

Some green Flickr Favs as of late:

1. Weinheim, 2. jump shots never get old., 3. Little Mac, 4. spring is in the air, 5. falling for you, 6. Untitled, 7. Parkhouse Hill #1, 8. How many stanzas in the springtime breeze?, 9. Floating colors.... Created with fd's Flickr Toys." hash_id="3507462239">1. Weinheim, 2. jump shots never get old., 3. Little Mac, 4. spring is in the air, 5. falling for you, 6. Untitled, 7. Parkhouse Hill #1, 8. How many stanzas in the springtime breeze?, 9. Floating colors....

(One last thing, this was a good link I read on Earth Day. Alot of the same things I mentioned above are listed as tips, and she included tons of links as well: 40 Tips to Go Green at Home - Simple Moms)

(Back to regularly scheduled blogging next week)

Oh me oh my it's May!!

Seriously, where did April go? Seems like we were just talking about Spring getting here, and now soon we'll be talking about Summer getting here! Insane. Also insane? My severe lack of time realization. Sometimes the days can just drag on uncontrollably, but then, equally so, they can fly by and I wonder why the heck I didn't get anything done. This week has been busy for us for some reason, so I haven't had any time to do the normal things, like clean, laundry, sweep, bake, blog or craft (the fun stuff in life...well, maybe except for cleaning the bathroom.) I'm glad to say though that we were busy with some other fun stuff...after months of searching, I finally, finally, got my new sideboard on Monday night, and I LOVE it. Behold:

Sorry for the nighttime flash pics, I was too excited to wait 'til morning!

It's from the 1950s, has 3 sliding doors and 3 compartments, 2 of the compartments have shelves and one has a divided drawer, it's cherry wood, and except for a few scratches and water rings on the top, it's in great condition! (The middle legs aren't original, they were put on after, but because we are putting our TV on it we didn't think it would be a good idea to remove them, it's not ideal but it doesn't look too bad.) It was a leftover from an estate sale, so they were selling it for really cheap, I got it for 30$ (plus 30$ to delivery it home) One of the best deals of my young thrifting life for sure! Once I cleaned it up, we set it up in the living room and it was ready for a new TV! So on Tuesday, after a bit of research, we went out and got a new Sharp 37" HD flatscreen TV. It's great, much bigger than our other TV, yet it's lighter and more stylish, which was the main thing for me :) So on Wednesday night we set it all up together, and after making poor Dan move the living room around 3 times, we got it somewhat set up:

Yeah, totally not impressive. Buuuut, at least I know which wall I wanted it to go on and how I wanted the TV set on the sideboard (off to one side as opposed to centered.) All our DVDS and board games and Dan's Nintendo stuff is stored in the compartments, and our other entertinament centre and TV are ready to be sold. We still have to get a better power bar so that we can hide all the cables behind the unit, find a way to make the awful bunny ears less obvious, and decide what will go on it (I just took these photos from my wall collage on the other side of the room. I want there to be minimal stuff on it, a few prints and maybe something else, but mostly just a clean surface.) The bones are finally done in the living room, now it's just time to pretty it up :) I'm not sure what I want to do above the TV, I originally was thinking of doing another wall collage with various prints and frames, salon-style, to try and blend the TV into the wall so that it looks like just another print, but then the idea hit of making a fabric banner to put above it, but I'm not sure which I will go with yet. Does anyone have any suggestions? I have an area of wall about 4 feet tall (from the top of the TV to the ceiling) by 7 feet wide to fill. Any suggestions would be grrreat!

Also, as a "bonus" piece, the sideboard came with a top shelf unit which originally had an ugly backboard and tiled mirrors (she used it to house her china and things), but it wasn't attached to the sideboard, so I brought it home, removed the backing, and now it's sitting in my dining room (which is sans dining set at the moment.) At first I thought I wouldn't want to keep it, but now looking at it it's kind of a cute shelf:

Since I took this picture I moved it over to the far left and added a little vintage chair next to it, along with some baskets and books and things. I think that maybe once I start a collection of plates or cups or whatever, I might put them here. So yes, 2 pieces of furniture in one! Score!

So that's been the excitement around here. Last weekend was almost everything I expected, we were outside for about 75% of the time, which was nice, and although I didn't get my Slushie, I got 2 iced coffees and a trip to the ChickenBurger, so I was happy. Here are a few pics from the weekend:

Love or death stare? I can't tell.

Urban gardener.

One of the things that has been bugging me the most about this week is that I haven't been able to scrap at all. I printed the rest of my 365s (120 shots!), so I have them ready to go, and I've had a layout sitting on my desk for about 2 weeks now, just waiting to be glued down. It was originally for TAIF, but I missed it, so there you go. This layout is from last week, it is another one that was sitting on my desk for months (literally), so I was glad to finally get it done.

Yeah. It's decent. Just glad it's not a zombie layout, wandering around aimlessly without a heart or soul (in this case, a title and journaling.)

Ok well I guess that's enough rambling. I'm looking at lots of decor sites, trying to find inexpensive ways to make my house a bit cuter. Things with fabric and prints and crafts. Things that are DYI and easy and weekend-ready and inexpensive. Things like sink skirts (for some odd odd reason I've really been wanting to add a sink skirt to my kitchen...weird, huh?)Any favourite ideas for cute decorating on the cheap?

Hope to be back this weekend with some eye candy inspo! (It's supposed to rain this weekend so I won't be as absent as last weekend.)

(Oh, I also got some news about my whole TTC thing, but you can read about that over here.)