A Special Day

I'm feeling the sort of what that I can't describe with anything other than A. A. Milne today...

And Ernest H. Shepard's illustrations are so beautiful...


Pooh had found Piglet, and they were walking back to the Hundred Acre Wood together.
"Piglet," said Pooh a little shyly, after they had walked for some time without saying anything.
"Yes, Pooh?"
"Do you remember when I said that a Respectful Pooh Song might be written about You Know What?"
"Did you, Pooh?" said Piglet, getting a little pink round the nose. "Oh, yes, I believe you did."
"It's been written, Piglet."
The pink went slowly up Piglet's nose to his ears, and settled there.
"Has it, Pooh?" he asked huskily. "About - about -- That Time When? --- Do you mean really written?"
"Yes, Piglet."
The tips of Piglet's ears glowed suddenly, and he tried to say something; but even after he had husked once or twice, nothing came out.

Laundry Day

So I know this seems really silly, but its a big deal for me every time I do my laundry. And after that lovely sunny Friday, Chicago delivered a thunderstormy weekend to remember, which gave me no excuse not to get my laundry done.

I am notoriously stubborn about laundry. And I've thought it over and it comes down to a few things... I hate matching socks. And I hate carrying bags of laundry, whether dirty or clean, to and from the laundry room. I find a good deal of pleasure in the little things like, dryer lint, dryer sheets, warm sheets, folding warm clothes, even loading and unloading the machines! All those things are strangely pleasant... but the socks... oh how I hate that part...

So anyway... I did it. (I've still got a few bags to hang up, but at least their folded!)

And I got a treat for my efforts! Inside a side pocket of a backpack that had a bunch of clothes in need of washing, I found... a surprise! A special treat!

A bag of Haribo Goldbaren gummi bears!!!

Now frankly, I'm a little embarrassed to say I don't remember exactly how this (unopened) bag of delicious sweet perfection managed to be forgotten inside my backpack, which I usually only use for overnight trips to the city... I love these little guys so much that any time I'm feeling impulsive (almost always) and I see a bag (not always), I indulge a little. Perhaps they have been waiting for me since the Chriskindlmarket...?

Look at how pretty they are!


I assure myself that whatever weirdness makes these little buddies so delicious, also probably makes them indestructible... I'm imagining an apocalyptic world filled with gummy bears and cockroaches now and it makes me want to make tiny miniatures for them to play on... Oh thats an hilarious mental picture!

Now I've gone on a hunt for gummy art.... check this out!

A Beautiful Day!

Today was such a lovely day! Eighty degrees out!

I started my day with an interview. I am 99% sure that I'm going to be in charge of the Family Fun Festival at Millennium Park this summer! They loved me and I loved them and I'll know for sure next week! (I'll keep you posted...)


And after that I sat at the Crown Fountain at the park and watched the little ones play in the water. There is nothing like water to bring people together. Its a wonderful force. And I sat next to the cutest family. Two little girls were running around in matching dresses, and their brother had a shirt to match as well. Their mom said grandma had made them all for the kids. Too sweet. I need a sewing machine and some lessons some day...
And I chuckled a little watching one poor, anxious mom insist that her little boy keep his shoes on (because the water is dirty), and not run (because running in dangerous)...

After that I wandered around downtown for a bit, entertaining myself and riding buses until I road back to my own neighborhood to take a walk at my local beach. I love being outside in the spring in this city. People come right out of the woodwork, and everyone is so happy just to get out and play, or walk, or lie in the shade. I've always loved people watching...

But I did forget something... I forgot that sun, plus fair skin, plus being outside... requires sunscreen. After so many months of winter, you sort of forget sunscreen exists...
I was wearing a pretty little sun dress! Which I'll remember for a few weeks now, courtesy of my very sunburned shoulders. (Note the little circle the bow on my dress made?)


Well, lesson learned! And now I'm remembering a long lost product called Aloe Vera....

A Belated Easter

I'd been so lazy getting my Easter pictures off my camera...
So since its still the Easter season, and I finally got around to it, I thought I'd share!

My Easter Lily. They really do look like trumpets, don't they?


Spring daffodils to brighten the apartment


A few special gifts for a few special friends.


(Isn't he handsome?)


A special gift from Papermoon! Thats a beautiful lily scented hand soap from Simple Scents Australia, and a handmade card that reads: I like the way... you stand out in a crowd. (See the pretty flowery egg in the nest? So cute! So sweet!)


Easter Dinner! Steak with mushrooms and onions, and roasted broccoli and red skin potatoes


And a butter lettuce, radish and feta salad


Happy belated Easter! God Bless!

Home on the prairie

I adore Little House on the Prairie. Yes. The television series from the 70s.


My dear friend always told me I'd love it, but I was initially hesitant... I thought I'd had my fill of prairie life. I grew up in South Dakota where our class took field trips to the Ingalls Homestead, and I certainly read the books.


I even got a bonnet from the Ingalls Homstead! It was just lovely. Deep blue with a bright red flower print and white ruffle trim. Quite pretty really... I wonder where its gone?

It got me thinking about prairie chic...


This matches Laura and Mary's church dresses from the first season! Do you think I could pull it off?

I'm in the middle of the fifth season, and I am proud to say that I believe its one of the better shows every made for television. Morally upright, proper, hilarious, dramatic! And its from the 70s, so every time someone starts bleeding its so terribly tacky looking in just the sort of way that makes it wonderful. My only complaint? I don't think there were rules about animal cruelty back then... I've definitely seen a rattle snake get its head blown off and watched a poor little bunny rabbit caught in a rabbit snare.

Oh, and I forgot to mention the best part....

...Michael Landon!

What a beautiful man. Charles Ingalls is a role model for good fathers and husbands everywhere, and just look at that incredible head of hair!

My decorating style

I took a decorating quiz on Sproost! This made me laugh so much! And I must say I find it shockingly accurate! Although one time the rooms it gave me as my examples were all cabins, which I of course liked, so it told me my style was 100% Mountain Lodge! So I recommend doing it a few times to see a good variety of rooms.

Here I am:
67% Traditional Country
17% Nantucket
16% Arts & Crafts

Traditional Country

Even if your backyard isn't acres of farmland and you don't actually have a cow out in the barn, your house sure brings you back to a time when that was the case for many.

You love spaces that feel casual and lived in. Furniture is practical and comfortable, and yet at the same time its very stylish. The best part of country style is how much it highlights collection and found objects. Antiques here, garage sale finds there and Aunt Milly's hand-me-downs throughout. Unique items that used to serve very practical purposes are now on display, and their history seems to permeate the home. Each space in the home seems to invite friends and family to come in and stay a while. There is a true sense of home felt throughout.

Nantucket

Oh how you love the beach! Who doesn't, right? And so your dream home is either perched in your favorite beach town, or you've brought that favorite beach town into your house.

Your art and accessories speak directly to the activities that are found at the beach. Pieces of driftwood you found here, pictures or paintings of the amazing views there. Things that remind you of the coast - surf boards or fishing boats - are found throughout the house. The feeling of the seaside is both abstract and literal in the design of your space. The fabrics are natural, cottons and linens and are light in color and touch. Much of the furniture is wood or wood framed (the lighter the better, think driftwood!) and wicker, when done right, is a must.

And since your true inspiration is the sea, the colors and textures in your home are the same that you would find at your favorite beach: white, light beiges and grays of the sand and driftwood, a variety of blues for the ocean and sky, and greens and vibrant blues of the sea glass� but the key is white! Your space should feel light and airy and give off the mood one has when at the beach: laid back!

Your furniture is comfortable and the layout is cozy. The more it reminds you of actually sitting on the warm sand, the better! And what do you do at the beach? Hang out with family and friends - and your home is just an extension of this play place. And though the space is filled with large white furniture, it somehow manages to feel both durable and casual.

Arts and Crafts

You tend to prefer simple to ornate and natural materials over man-made. Warm tones found in wood and brass make you feel comfortable, and good craftsmanship excites you like nothing else.

You enjoy patterns that highlight our natural surroundings such as plants and trees. You prefer rectilinear forms and straight lines, however you love to find intricate details (ooooh, stained glass!) where you least expect it.

Dripping in jewels

I like jewelry that looks like you ran through a spider web made of pearls and little bits of gorgeous got caught all over you...

As always, Anthropologie knows how to get me my fix...

A modest piece with a great name, the Plucked Fruit Necklace

My absolute favorite, the Old-and-New Necklace

The drippiest of them all, the Dew Point Necklace

I've got little wrists so if I wear a bangle I look like I'm playing dress up with Mom's stuff, so I prefer baubles, like this gorgeous number....

The magical, Enchanted Seeds Bracelet

And rings.... I almost never wear rings, but I think this one is so charming...

The aptly named, Gilded Posy Ring

Everything's Coming Up Roses!

I love spring. The sun is out, and it almost makes the winter worth while when you feel warm air again outside in Chicago. Its a time for renewal, and new beginnings. And roses!

Today another lovely gift arrived in the mail, a lovely rose colored wallet, but this time I knew who it was from! Someone I am accustomed to receiving real roses from: my daddy! When I was in plays growing up, for as long as I can remember, my dad would give me a dozen red roses after my performances. It is a very precious memory and makes roses very special to me.
And today a beautiful Rose Red leather wallet arrived! Its nothing fancy. In fact, it was actually something I received as a graduation present back in high school that Dad dug up and thought to send along to me. When I was in high school, I did not appreciate beautiful and useful things like red leather multi-pocketed wallets. My wallet in high school had velcro, and the Yellow Submarine Beatles cartoon on it...

I just attempted to track down said hideous wallet, but while there are apparently many ugly Beatles wallets in existence, my particular disaster has apparently even disappeared from the memory of the internet. All for the better, I suppose.
This throw rug is in fact slightly more attractive than what my taste for accessories landed me when I was seventeen...

Anyway, given yesterday I had bought myself a couple rosy little things, and I also have a well-worn pair of rose petal gloves which I adore, I thought I'd put together a little bouquet!

Everything really is coming up roses!

Wallet: Buxton (Target)
Blush: Benetint by benefit (Sephora)
Hand Lotion: Crabtree & Evelyn (")
Gloves: Tiny leather shop in Italy (Italy)
Rosewater: Jurlique (C.O. Bigelow)

Thank you Dad, and I love you!

A Lovely Tuesday!

What a grand Tuesday I have had! I took a little trip into the city to do some very girl shopping - a bit of an indulgence, but good for the soul nonetheless.


Here's a sampling of the soft and clean and wonderful smelling things I picked up today. Half of those little bottles are free samples too! I love tiny little samples of things, just for their itty bitty packaging. Those tiny round C.O.Bigelow containers are no bigger than buttons! Tiny lotion buttons.

Speaking of good for the soul, other than shopping, it is Holy Week, and I'm so happy I've been regularly attending mass during this Lenten season. It was indeed the perfect time to really delve into a spiritual relationship with the Lord. And I really enjoyed the reading today from my little black book:

Why is it so hard to open myself to God's grace? It's because it is a humbling thing to do - humbling in the sense that I have to admit that I want to be someone I can't be on my own.

Also, Vega really enjoyed the palm from Palm Sunday and is still chasing it all over the apartment... look at that incredulous stare... she's mad at me for disrupting her fun with the flash...
But the best part of my day was the surprise waiting for me when I got home! A few weeks ago I was day dreaming about beautiful aprons on here. Beautiful aprons of my dreams... And when I came home today, I had a gift in my mailbox from a very sweet Lula fan...

The red anthropologie apron!!! Isn't it beautiful!? What a kind gift! I was just floored! I feel so blessed and lucky, and flattered! Thank you so much!!!

I got so excited I put on my red heels to match and made dinner!

(although I was too tall in my kitchen with heels on and it was throwing off my food prep, so mostly I just took pretty pictures, danced around to some Feist and A Fine Frenzy in my pretty red outfit, then kicked off the heels and got to work in my new pretty apron!)

Here it is again.... just because I can't help myself....

Dinner was awesome...
roasted lots of veggies and pureed a portion for a cream-based sauce over pasta.

Here they are ready to be roasted:
Then I tossed the rest of the veggies in with the mix.

Sarah called it grown up mac and cheese when we made a similar dish last week, because its such a pretty shade of orange when you blend up the roasted peppers and garlic. mmmmm......

Hooray for a truly lovely Tuesday!