Mission: Failed

Yesterday morning I set out on a mission. And I totally failed. oh well, it happens. 

I headed over to DeLafayette Avenue in downtown Boston fully intending to photograph dancers in line for the So You Think You Can Dance auditions. I don't know if I was too late, if nobody in Boston wanted to try out, or if they were all inside registering and keeping warm and dry, but there was nobody there! On TV the lines are always down the block and around the corner. I did see two large bouncer-looking men standing outside an open door with a very tiny sign that said "So You Think You Can Dance Auditions," but they were intimidating and I was afraid to take a picture. 

Since I was downtown I decided to do some walking around. I stopped by a really old cemetery, called the Central Burying Ground, within Boston Common. I'd never been there before, and it was really cool. I'll probably go back. 

Then I made my way over to Charles Street and passed the Make Way For Ducklings sculpture.

I went to a super cute stationary store called Rugg Road Paper Company and had a nice little chat with owner. 

When I left, I took a picture of Black Ink's (neighbors with the paper store) window display, because it featured gnomes. I didn't go in, but I've been there many other times and it's always fun.

Finally I made my way over to the Library to pick up a few books that I had on hold. Then I got on the T and made my way home. 

So even though my mission was technically a failure, I'd say the outing was actually very successful! I enjoyed myself immensely (in spite of the cold, damp, dreary weather). 

Memorial Day Parade

On Memorial Day I finally got to see my brother in his Marching Band uniform (still haven't seem him in the Concert Band outfit, which has a bow tie!). He played the snare drum with pizazz. 

The Drury High School Band looked pretty spiffy, and was part of the small parade that marched down Main Street and Eagle Street to the memorial. It was sweet, and a boy gave me a little flag (which now resides in our kitchen). It was a gorgeous day for a parade to honor those who have served our country.  

After the parade, while we were waiting for the band to return to the drop-off/pick-up point, my mom and I walked around the old railroad tracks. I got grease all over my shoe, but I didn't notice until Tuesday when I completely ruined our white-ish rug. Awwww nuts! There are now 3 disgusting brown  stains, and I don't know how to remove them. Resolve did nothing. Help! Any suggestions?  

If you haven't checked yet, Lost In Thoughts #7 is up at Everything Little Miss. I love when you comment over there too! Did you know that you can also subscribe to the feed and become a fan on Facebook? 

Forgot To Post Yesterday!

Okay. I totally spaced yesterday. I was busy making things and I lost track of time. I'll post something spiffy later today. Right now I'm headed out on a mission and I'm bringing my camera with me. If all goes well (or even remotely well), I'll tell you all about it when I return!

This photo was taken in North Adams over the weekend. I love dandelions. Such fun. 

In the meantime, check out today's awesome edition of Lost In Thoughts over at Everything Little Miss.

Poppy Orange

These guys are blooming at my parents' house. It's really no surprise that I totally love poppies. Just look at that beautiful orange!

I was home for a bachelorette party and bridal shower. I didn't bring my camera to either event because I knew that everybody else would take pictures (I was right). I did have a good time though! I was excited to spend time with the bride-to-be (she lives in Florida, so it's a rare event). She looked beautiful and happy. I also got to spend time with Sara (car ride there and back & both parties), so we did a lot of catching up. Fun! 

The weekend was extra wonderful because I spent oodles of time with my family. I rode bikes with Max, joked with Emma, and had great talks with my parents. I even saw two of my aunts briefly! 

I took 331 pictures in 4 days, so I'll be sharing the good ones over the next couple of days. But here is one I took today, because my plant did flower while I was away! 

About To Bloom

I'm going home tomorrow, to my parent's house. I have a bachelorette party & bridal shower to attend. I'm really looking forward to the car ride with Sara, because I haven't seen her in over a month! And I can't wait to be with my whole family.

BUT! My little plant looks like it's going to bloom without me. Oh dear. I hope it's still flowering when I get back. And it's actually not so little anymore. It's 33" tall!

And it's Thursday again, so don't forget to check out today's Lost In Thoughts. :)

I don't know if I'll get a chance to post while I'm home. In any event, happy loooong weekend!

Our Answers To The Quiz

Thank you to those who participated in my mini quiz yesterday! If you still want to get in on the action, just scroll down and leave your answers in the comments.  :) 

It's not fair for me to ask the questions and not answer them myself, is it? No way! Below you'll find my answers in pink and Eric's in blue. Enjoy!

1. What's the perfect temperature?
   Mid-70s, 73 - 77. I can handle hotter, as long as it's not humid OR there's some place very close by to swim. I just hate to sweat. 
   
   80s and blazing sun because it's awesome.
   
   
2. How many siblings do you have?
   I'm the oldest of 3. Emily is 5 years younger, and Max is 11 years younger. 
   
   2 younger brothers.
   
   
3. Are you a morning person?
   Oh yes! Always have been. If I sleep past 7:30 I feel like I'm missing the day (weekends included). If the sun's out, I want to be part of it. 
   
   Not really.
   
   
4. Do you have a hobby or favorite pastime? What is it?
   Folding origami cranes? Haha. I like so many things: walks with Eric, reading, photography, watching movies, SKIING, stopping to smell the flowers, spending time with family & friends, graphic design.
   
   My pastime is making fun of my girlfriend.
   Real pastime: reading "boring" non-fiction books.
    
5. What's your favorite cereal?
   Chex (rice or corn). I also like Cheerios and Corn Flakes! And Honey Bunches of Oats, which looks like it's my wildest choice. I like the plain cerals because I don't like my milk to get a sweet flavor. And like to add banana slices. 
   
   Cinnamon Toast Crunch
   
   
6. Do you enjoy a meal or snack that's a little (or a lot) weird?
   Okay here it is: a peanut butter and jelly sanwhich with a kosher dill pickel on the side accompanied by a tall, cold glass of chocolate milk (made in the blender so it's frothy). 
   
   Plain iceberg lettuce.
   
   
7. Tell me about your best friend(s).
   I have a few. They listen without judging, give me support when I need it, and they each have very different ways of making me laugh. They make me feel comfortable and loved.
   
   I have several best friends. One, I live with. A few from high school, and a handful from college. 
   
   
8. About how many books do you read each month?
   I guess it depends. If I pick up a few young adult fiction books one month, my numbers definitely jump because I sometimes read those in one or two days. But I'm going to guess that I average 2 or 3 books per month.
   
   One. (Ed. Note: because they're long and boring)
   
   
9. What's you're favorite blog?
   I have several, but the ones I love the most belong to my family and friends. 
   
   Everything Little Miss
   
   
10. Do you have a motto or favorite quote?
    "Nothing is worth more than this day." -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
    
    I have several.
    
    "We're on a mission from God" -Blues Brothers
    "Not so!" -Best In Show
    
    I'll leave it at two otherwise I could go on forever.

Now I'll answer your questions: 

Are you as excited to see me as I am to see you this weekend?? :)  -Sara
Yes! In fact, I almost left the same question on your blog yesterday. Can't wait!

What's your favorite moment of the day?  -Jamie
I love the moments when I suddenly get a great idea for a design. I also love any moment that involves laughter.

Are you going to answer these questions?  -Cara
Indeed. See above! :)

If you could pick one moment in time to go back to and relive, what would it be?  -GreenJello
It would probably be 11 days after I graduated from college (and my health insurance coverage ended). I was roller skating around Eric's pool and fell and broke my arm. If I could relive that moment I would throw myself into the pool to avoid the broken bone. If I were to relive a moment exactly as it happened, I think I'd say my first kiss because it was so surprising and sweet. 

Thanks for playing!

Random Tuesday Thoughts: Quiz

If you read this blog regularly, you've probably noticed that I'm posting today's Random Tuesday Thoughts later than I usually do. That's because I wasn't going to participate today; I was just going to do a regular post. But then I visited my best friend's blog, and I borrowed her idea (thanks Sara) and thought I could make it a little random. 

Everyday I write about what I'm doing. Me, me, me (and Eric). Today I want to know more about you, the readers. So I'm making up a little quiz, and I'd love for you to answer in the comments! I'll see if I can keep the questions random. Oh and people, I want details! Not just "yes" or "no." I want "73 is the perfect temperature because it's warm enough for short sleeves but doesn't make me sweat when I'm just standing around!" Hahaha. Happy answering:

1. What's the perfect temperature?
2. How many siblings do you have?
3. Are you a morning person?
4. Do you have a hobby or favorite pastime? What is it?
5. What's your favorite cereal?
6. Do you enjoy a meal or snack that's a little (or a lot) weird?
7. Tell me about your best friend(s).
8. About how many books do you read each month?
9. What's you're favorite blog?
10. Do you have a motto or favorite quote?
11. Do you have any questions for me? 

Play! It'll be such fun! :) This exercise makes me think of the quizzes in teen magazines. Maybe if you answer all the questions you'll find your love match! 

And don't forget to check out The Un Mom for totally random thoughts.

Chilly Weekend

On Saturday, Eric and I went to the SoWa Open Market in Boston. I wanted to go for two reasons. 1) My friend, Jennifer Hill, had a tent and I knew she'd be showing her beautiful new animal alphabet prints, and 2) I wanted to check it out because one day I want to have a tent at markets like this! We didn't end up staying too long because it was see-your-breath-cold and seriously foggy! 

I stupidly forgot to take a picture of Jennifer in her cute little tent, but it was really fun to see her there. We wandered around and looked at the things people had to offer. Vintage clothes, magnets, photos, maps, pastries, pens, clocks, antiques - there was quite a selection. Just down the street there was also a nice looking farmer's market. We ended up eating a late lunch downtown. 

Sunday we spent way too much money. We bought a Dyson (not at full price, but still). Yikes! It was totally worth it though. The vacuum we had was an abomination. I'm telling you, it didn't do anything. We decided on this particular vacuum because it looked small enough to fit in our tiny broom closet (it does! it's amazing!) and powerful enough to actually clean our carpets. There were some other small vacuums that cost less (not much less), but they seemed too expensive for their features. Hahahaha, I can't believe how much I just wrote about a vacuum, but I'm pretty excited. I think this will really help with our dust problem. The rug looks amazing!
 

Carnival

When we went to visit Emma and Will in Amherst on Saturday, the carnival was in town. Do you remember how awesome it was when the carnival would come? I remember it being a big deal until I got to high school (and even then I thought it was a big deal, but that was really uncool so I pretended I didn't care and missed out on all the fun). There were a two sides to the fun:

1) the rides!!!

2) the carnies 

So the rides are a given, right? But there was something thrilling and off-limits about being so close to the fabled carnies. You knew in your gut that your parents didn't want you to grow up and be a carnival worker. They always looked a little bedraggled and like they were covered in a layer of filth. I'm not sure if they were really like that, of if I just saw them that way because that's what I expected to see. I remember getting a serious case of the giggles if one of them actually spoke to me! I was scared, yet proud that they'd singled me out. 

The carnival was extra cool in middle school, because you'd get a bunch of friends together and then get dropped off. No parents! Unnecessary screaming and swearing ensued, just because we could (I have to admit, I didn't swear because it's never been my style, but my friends sure did). I remember whispering plans and passing notes about what time we'd be meeting at the gravitron. The teachers probably hated the carnival. But come on, how cool was it to have plans at night? Answer: very cool. 

Some other amazing things about the carnival: fried dough, twinkling bright lights, tickets instead of cash inside the metal fences, prizes, and searching desperately for a pay phone and a dime at the end of the night to call for a ride (no cell phones in 1996!). The carnival was also a sign that summer was near. Sweet, sweet summer. 

What's your best memory of the carnival? Did it come to your town? 

P.S. I wrote about the carnival because today's Lost In Thoughts is all about nostalgia, so check it out!

Toothbrush By Preserve

Maybe this is a weird thing to write about, but I adore my new toothbrush! We were in need of replacements, so I just peeked into the health and beauty aisle while we were at Whole Foods picking up some veggies last week. There was a sale on the Preserve brand, so I tossed 2 into our basket. Even before the sale they were no more expensive than many of your standard choices. 

They're made of recycled plastic and you can return it to the company to re-recycle! Very cool. Plus, the bristles are really soft! I've really enjoyed brushing my teeth lately. 

On a different note, I turned the photos of my sister's dance performance into a short (14 second) video. Click here to see it.

Random Tuesday Thoughts

It's Tuesday. I write everything I'm thinking without transitional paragraphs. You know the drill. 

I've had Chineese food 4 nights in a row (tonight will be number 5). On Friday, I wanted to order in so I could have an egg roll and some hot & sour soup. Of course we had leftovers in our fridge when we left for Amherst Saturday morning. That night I went out to dinner with my family, to Chineese. Sunday night I went out to dinner with Eric's family, also to Chineese. Last night we ate the leftovers from Friday night. Tonight we'll eat what's left from Sunday. Good thing everything we ordered was completely delicious, but I don't think I'll be asking for Chineese again till next month!

When you guys comment, I love it. I get so happy that you've taken time out of your day to visit my blog, especially because you're comments are sweet. What I don't get is why the commentors on some blogs get so out of control. Why are they so emotionally invested in criticising a person they've never met? If they don't like the blog, or the post, they certainly don't have to read it. And the defenders of the blogger's honor can be just as bad, because they make snide remarks about the "attackers." Didn't their moms ever teach them that if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all? On the other hand, the comments can be a real hoot. All I'm saying is I don't get why these people care so much! Any ideas?

My least favorite chore is putting my clothes away. What's yours?

Open question to the ladies: Black tie. What the heck is it? It's pretty obvious what men are supposed to wear (duh, it's called black tie!). But what about women? Over the course of Eric's time at HBS, we will be invited to a few black tie events, and I have no idea what I'll wear. Should I bust out my prom dress from 2001? What's a cocktail dress, and is that appropriate? Okay, here's the real kicker: Eric owns one tux and he will wear it  to each and every black tie event. Maybe he'll change his cuff links or pocket square, but he's basically set. But I won't be able to re-wear a dress; that would be blasphemous (right?)! Help me ladies, I need it. 

My mom gave me a bunch of those tropical drink umbrellas for my birthday in March. Yesterday morning I got the urge to string them all together and make a little hanging mobile type thing. I'm feelsing fairly festive with my party umbrellas blowing in the warm May breeze. 


Check out The Un Mom for more totally random thoughts.

Lilacs: Purple + Green

Can we just stop for a minute and be amazed by nature? Wow! Mother Nature sure knows how to make me appreciate the little things. When I'm walking down the street and there's a lilac bush bending over a fence, I can't help but stop and take in that delightful scent for a few seconds. They remind me of my childhood and of home. I find them comforting and I wish I could get our apartment to smell like that. 

Lately, I've been on a purple kick. It's not generally my color of choice (orange, remember?), but every spring I fall in love all over again. Not only with purple and lilacs, but with so many things: the smells of freshly cut grass, BBQs, and flowers, and of course colors like the brand new green of buds, popping fuschias and yellows, and understated whites. 

When I have a house, I think I might turn the yard into a forest because there are so many trees that are glorious in the spring (and I want them all).

Family Weekend

Yesterday Eric and I drove out to UMass to see my sister, Emily, dance. We met my parents and brother there. This is her first semester as a member of the Stage Crew Dance Team, and my family's first time seeing her dance with this team. It's not easy to become a member of the Stage Crew team, and I'm so proud of her. She was wonderful and beautiful. The whole team was great, and you can tell the girls work hard. 

They performed in the Mullins Center as part of the 22nd annual Color in the Cage event. Stage Crew was really only one of 3 dance acts. The other performers were members of color guard or baton twirling teams. I've never been to anything like that, but some of the stunts (is that the right word?) were very impressive. A lot of it made me giggle, I'll be honest, but I appreciate these people putting themselves out there and participating. It certainly doesn't look easy. 

While we were at UMass we also got to see Eric's youngest brother, Will. We took him to lunch at Antonio's (yum) and before we left he got us soft serve ice cream from the dining hall. That was a mistake. While he was getting the ice cream, it started to rain. And by rain I definitely mean downpour, torrentially. We had to wait a bit before we could actually get to the car, and even then we had to make a mad dash. It was fun, but sort of ruined our good-bye.  

Since we got to see my parents, I brought the Mother's Day gift I made for my mom. Yep, more cranes. I made her a mobile of 100 cranes. There are 5 strands, and each has 20 different colored cranes (the same 20 colors on each strand, but no duplicates per strand). I folded all of the cranes on Tuesday, and I strung them all together on Thursday. 

Right now Eric is out with his mom, just spending the day with her in Boston. He's taking her out to lunch and anywhere she wants to go. I'm going to go enjoy the sunshine.

Happy Mother's Day & happy weekend! 

Did You Ever Notice?

I admit it! I'm a paper crane addict! Whenever I have scraps of paper and nothing better to do, I automatically fold little cranes. Candy wrappers work too (especially Hershey's Kisses). I created some new cards for my shop with that obsession in mind. Oh and if you love The Wizard of Oz, you might want to check these out. 

I'm so excited about tomorrow. We're going to see my sister dance! We're meeting my family at UMass and we'll get to see Eric's brother, Will, too. Plus, I get to give my mom her Mother's Day gift. 

Letters From Gramma

click images for larger views

Early last week I mentioned that I was working a top secret project that I'd reveal on May 7. Today is my gramma's birthday, and I wanted the book I made for her to be a surprise. It totally was too! She wrote me the sweetest email after she received the gift. 

When I was in college, I asked my gramma to write to me about her life as a child and as a young woman. She sent me a series of emails that are very special to both of us. Since the first one, I've wanted to make some sort of book to preserve them, and this year I did it. Thanks to blurb, it's easy to make a professional book! 

I added photos (many of which my Uncle snuck out of the house and scanned for me) of family members to the letters, and now the stories have faces to go along with the names. I really love the book, and I know my gramma does too. 

Pictured (top to bottom): I wrapped the gift in pretty paper and attached a small hand drawn birthday card, the cover of the book shows my gramma on her wedding day (the dress is gorgeous and a lovely shade of brown), and the dedication page has my favorite picture of my gramma and me (as a baby, obviously).  

Happy birthday gramma. xoxo. 

Smoking Cigars

Eric smokes cigars. Not every single day, but fairly frequently. I think it's a disgusting habit, but I try not to bug him about it too much because it's something he does with his dad. It's like a bonding thing, I suppose. I don't mind as much in the spring and summer when they can smoke outside, because at least then I can join in on the conversation. I have to sit upwind, or else I feel ill. This past weekend I failed and had a stomach ache for quite a long time. 

What do you think of cigars?

Random Tuesday Thoughts

Good morning! 

Last night I went to my very first networking event. I'm naturally pretty shy, so as the event drew near, I became more and more anxious. I purposely went alone so that I'd have to talk to people I didn't know, and I think that was a good idea. I have no problem talking to people one-on-one, it's just finding that person to start the conversation with that makes my heart pound. Anyway, I actually had a very nice time and met a number of interesting people. It's a monthly event and I think I'll become a regular because it's a great way to promote Everything Little Miss and make contacts for possible job opportunities.

Semi-related is the fact that I had to leave my "office" to go to said event. I used to cross the street and take the train everyday. I think I've lost my street crossing skills. I don't know the timing of the lights anymore! Ahhh. 

Oh oh! I learned how to drive a stick on Saturday! Eric recently had his car raised to normal height (the girl he bought it from had it all customized and lowered so that every minor bump felt like a crater and pot holes were nightmares) when he had to replace some parts (I have no idea which ones - struts??). But the change in the car meant I could learn to drive it without worrying about leaving the bottom of the car behind me on the road somewhere. I did pretty well too, and I drove on a real road with real traffic. I still need to master starting from a stop, because right now it's a pretty slow start, but I'll get there!

For the past 4 weeks I've been taking an e-course with Holly Becker of Decor8, and yesterday was the last day. It was called Blogging Your Way and it really helped me feel more confident about my blogs. I'm going to miss signing in on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Holly might offer this class again or offer a different class; I highly recommend signing up (check out the class badge in the right sidebar)!

This is getting pretty long, so I'll save the rest of the items on my list for next week. I'll leave you with this: On Saturday morning we went to Keezers and Eric bought a tux (yes, it's for HBS events). I totally found it and I deserve a finder's fee. It was $99, but if you look online, a new one goes for $1,784! Holy hello, I'm good. I don't have a picture of him in the tux yet (still needs  to be hemmed, but he looks REALLY handsome), but here's a photo of the store (if you need a men's suit or tux, this is the place). 

Check out The Un Mom for more totally random thoughts.

Sunday Night Party

A few weeks ago I designed an invitation for a friend's enagement party,and last night was the big event. It was a traditional (I think) Pakistani enagement party. That means that most of the time I had no idea what was going on or what anybody was saying, but I really enjoyed observing from the sidelines. Everybody was dressed beautifully and the food was delicious.

The party gave the couple a chance to officially announce their engagement in front of family and a few close friends. They exchanged "rings" (she received a beautiful solitaire engagement ring and he received a fancy watch), and then family members fed them colorful sweets (I'm not yet sure about the significance of that). Afterwards, they took millions of pictures. It was totally adorable how everybody was included in a photo-op with the bride- and groom-to-be. I'm guessing there will be billions of pictures at the wedding (can't wait!). 

In the photo: the bride & groom are seated and the groom's brother is feeding the bride one of the sweets. The little boy is the bride's nephew.

The Proust Questionnaire

A while ago, I Suwanee posted about a book called The Proust Questionnaire. It took about 5 seconds for me to become completely smitten and covet my very own copy. I follwed a link to Vanity Fair to see celebrities' answers to the questions, and that just made me want the book all the more.  Luckily, I had a handy-dandy gift certificate to Barnes & Nobel, and I picked up my book last week (they had to order it special just for me!). 

So what the heck is this questionnaire all about? Personality. When you answer the questions the asker learns a little more about you. Proust didn't invent the questionnaire, but he did make it popular. 

I haven't yet had time to read the book cover-to-cover, but I will. It's such a gorgeous book; much taller than I expected for some reason, and so deliciously pink. And it has one of those built-in bookmarks! It's yellow! It's luxurious. Swoon.

My plan for the weekend is to answer some of the questions and learn a bit more about myself. Can't wait! Happy weekend everybody.

Oh one last thing! Pretty Neat Designs featured my Oxalis Card Set in a post about gift ideas for Mother's Day!