Little Devil

I'm getting excited! Halloween is just around the corner. Somebody give me a bag full of candy!

Speaking of Halloween, when I was in North Adams, my mom and I found a doggy devil costume at Good Will for like $3. You know we couldn't resist!

As soon as we got home I squeezed Z into it. It was a little snug, but totally awesome. He's a wiggly little guy, so it was hard to get a photo.

Isn't he funny?

Today's Lost In Thoughts is all about Halloween, so make sure to check it out and tell me about your Halloween traditions!

A Miniature

When I was little, I was dragged to visited The Clark Art in Williamstown more times than I can count. While I didn't always enjoy the museum, I did love the sculpture of the ballerina - Degas' Little Dancer - that sits in the center of one of the galleries; seeing it was always the high point of field trips. The original was wax, but there were 74 cast in bronze [source]; it's one of the bronzes that I've grown to appreciate.

My family has a miniature replica that sits on a windowsill in the dining room.

I took this picture while I was home a few weeks ago. The lighting was just right.

*New holiday cards in my Etsy shop. Crane mobiles too!

A Fall Weekend

Hello! I hope you all had a great weekend.

Saturday, I folded 140 cranes to make two mobiles to sell in my Etsy shop (they'll be available later this week). We also went to see Where the Wild Things Are (oh my god, it was amazing) with friends. As we were leaving the theater we ran into a friend from college and his girlfriend. I can't even remember the last time we saw them. They joined our group and the six of us headed to a cozy little bar downtown to catch up and get out of the rain.

By Sunday morning the rain had cleared. I had some errands to run, so Eric and I took the camera on a little walk.

The weather was perfect for lolly gagging and admiring the pretty colors. The air smelled delightful, too, the way it's supposed to smell in the fall.

We made two unexpected stops:

1) Brookline Booksmith to read Where the Wild Things Are (to compare it to the movie, which is somehow the same but different). "Let the wild rumpus start!"

2) A funny little toy store that I've always wanted to visit, but is usually closed whenever I'm walking by. We actually made an amazing purchase, but I'll be writing about that another time on the Everything Little Miss blog.

So, great weekend. Tell me about yours. :)

[click the images to enlarge]

Just For Laughs

When I was home visiting my parents and my brother, we found some weird glasses. I can't quite remember where they came from, but I think they'd been in the lost and found pile at my dad's office for a long time. We took them home and Max put them on.

He looked hilarious. This picture is cracking me up! I am laughing out loud as I type (for real). I'm thinking about how much we were laughing during our little photo shoot; we had such a great time. He somehow manages to look charming in spite of the huge specks, but he looks incredibly silly at the same time.

*New holiday or anytime cards at Everything Little Miss: Peace Cranes. Check out the site and the shop.

October Snow

You know that part in The Sound of Music when Liesle says "weeeee" (right after she gets her first kiss)? Yeah, that's how I felt when I saw actual snow yesterday. I heard rumors of snow earlier in the week, but there was none in my neighborhood. So I was pretty excited yesterday afternoon when I saw it for real. Okay, so maybe you think mid-October is a little early for now, but I wasn't thinking about dates when I saw those big fluffy flakes spinning around.

What did I do? I opened my window to catch some snow on a piece of paper, like we used to do in elementary school. But I didn't have any black paper, so I opted for pink.

So pretty.

Then today it was gorgeously sunny. It looks like it's going to be a pretty warm week. Isn't weather interesting? I suppose that's why it's so often the topic in situations that call for small talk.

*Check my newest card on Everything Little Miss. It's a get well card, and it's perfect for this time of year when the flu's going around.

On A Blue Bench

I took this picture a few weeks ago, on Martha's Vineyard.

This spider web was quivering in the wind, like maybe it was cold. But the strands of the web held fast, and it didn't blow away. I wonder if it's still there and how long it will last.

Enjoy the weekend.

Working Hard

This week I am a busy little bee. The phone's been ringing off the hook for my day job, I've been designing letterhead for my dad in my spare time, and I've been adjusting to life back in Boston (translation: I still haven't unpacked from my week in North Adams and I'm half living out of a suitcase).

I've also been spending extra time in the kitchen. On Tuesday I baked oatmeal raisin cookie bars (I used butter instead of margarine and put all the dough into a 9"x13" pan to make the bars) for my very first book club meeting. Yesterday I made my first "lasagna." It was actually lasagna-style baked ziti (my substitution: elbows instead of ziti and ground turkey instead of beef). It was yummmmmmmy! Tonight I made chocolate chip cookies (weirdly, this was another first for me and I opted to omit the walnuts) for Eric to bring to a pot luck dessert meeting.

*It's Thursday. Know what that means? Lost In Thoughts, the Everything Little Miss weekly inspiration series, is all new!

Good Night

It's late. I should get to bed. Before I head to slumber land, here's a picture of a cucumber from my mom's garden.

Sweet dreams (of veggies).

Away For A Week

I spent last week in North Adams with my parents and brother. I always work from home, so I was able to stick pretty close to my normal routine. Since my parents were working and my brother was at school, I didn't even miss out on family time. We spent time together after work, and I ate a lot of yummy food.

One of the great things about working from my parents' house was the abundance of natural lighting. These bells were just begging to have their picture taken. Look at the rich hues.

But now I'm back in Boston! Today it was nice to work at my regular desk with all of my accessories right where they belong. But do you know what I missed more than my pencil holder and stapler? Eric. He's here, right where he belongs, too. Being home for a week was good for my soul, but it sure is good to be back.

Fairy Tale Setting

I've enjoyed working from my parents' house this week. I set myself up at the dining room table, right next to the bay window that looks out over the back yard. I love looking out the window and seeing trees (instead of a parking lot or more apartments). It feels extra relaxing.

I took this picture on Tuesday afternoon while I was wandering around our yard, just experiencing autumn. With the sun shining through the trees like that, I felt like I was in a fairy tale drawing.

Have a great weekend, everybody. I'm heading back to Boston on Sunday.

*Did you check out this week's Lost In Thoughts?

Hairpin Turn

The ride to North Adams from Greenfield on Sunday afternoon was just beautiful. The leaves are all changing colors, and I completely understand why some people drive all the way to New England in the fall just to check them out.

We got out of the car at the hairpin just to enjoy the view. Goodness. Pretty, right?

An Afternoon In Greenfield, MA

When we left Plymouth, VT on Sunday, we headed to Greenfield, MA. From there, Eric headed back to Boston and I spent the afternoon in Greenfield, MA with my dad. We walked around the town and had bite at The People's Pint (which was awesome; I highly recommend this place). I had a homemade raspberry-lime soda. Can you say delicious?

We saw a really, really small cafe. It was closed, so we didn't get to try it out. I don't know that we could both fit in it! Look at it compared to the car parked outside. Haha.

At 2-ish we headed over to Hope & Olive for a small party that my dad was invited to. I tagged along and spoke with some very nice folks. There were some hors d'oeuvres and one lady brought yummy chocolate mocha cupcakes. I generally don't like chocolate, coffee, or cake, so that's how good they were.

It was beautiful day, and I had a great time with my dad. After that we drove to North Adams; I'm working from home allllll week!

Vermont Weekend

We spent the weekend in Vermont on an HBS Section retreat. What on Earth does that even mean? Let me try to explain. Eric is in the HBS graduating class of 2011. There are about 1000 people in his class. Those people are divided up into lettered sections (Eric is in Section B) of about 90 people each. The 90 people in each section attended classes together for a few hours every day.

The weekend retreat to VT was a trip with just Section B. It was an opportunity for the students to spend more time together outside of the classroom, and for partners (like me) to meet and get to know other students and partners. Most of the people in Eric's section are single, but there were about 20 partners who were able to make it this weekend (we heard somebody flew in from Paris!).

We left Boston around 4 on Friday afternoon, and I finished my work in the car. I think we checked into the Hawk Inn & Mountain Resort around 7:30 that night. The resort was a little weird because we stayed in condos that weren't really near each other. The main parties were in a house which was at least a mile drive from our house. Walking wasn't really an option because we were basically on a mountain, it was pitch black at night (no street lights), and it was raining (sometimes pouring).

It rained all day Saturday, so outdoor activities weren't very appealing, but we still filled the day. In the morning we went to a breakfast that was arranged for students with partners. That was very nice, and I enjoyed meeting people in a quiet, comfortable place (there was a very loud party on Friday night). Eric and I set out on our own after that to go to the Simon Pearce glass blowing facility. We watched them make a fancy martini glass and a decorative pear. It was sort of magical. Saturday afternoon we played board games and at night there was a BBQ for the whole group.

We left pretty early Sunday morning, and I took pictures during the drive because it had finally stopped raining. You can see more on flickr.

Up & At 'Em

I went for a walk bright and early this morning. I left the apartment at 6:20. I knew that if I wanted to get any exercise today, I'd have to do it early. I also wanted to get a picture of the sunrise.

Yesterday the sunrise was bright pink and magnificent, but I didn't get outside in time to take a picture. Today, not so much. I had a great walk anyway, and I loved the chilly air on my cheeks. OH. MY. GOD. It's the best!

Plus, I photographed some romance.

This afternoon we're headed to Vermont for an HBS weekend retreat. I don't really know what's in store. I'm a little nervous because I won't know any of the 90 or so people who will be there (besides Eric, of course), but I'm sure I'll make friends.

Happy Friday. I hope you have a fantastically colorful fall weekend.

Q-tips

When Eric and I moved in together two years ago, I bought a q-tip jar. I'd always wanted one, because all the beautifully styled bathrooms in magazines seem to have them.

When it's time to refill the jar, I take my time aligning the q-tips so they fit in just right. Maybe it's obsessive, but I love the result.

My own glass q-tip jar. Sigh. :)

*Check out today's Lost In Thoughts!