Let's do some laundry

Growing up, my mom never let me do laundry.  I left for college without knowing how to work a washer.  I asked my mom numerous times to show me how to do laundry, but she's particular about things being done her way (I mean we all are at times, right?), so I usually didn't push the issue too hard.  Maybe that's why I like doing laundry and feel sort of oddly accomplished when I do it.  Plus, I'm a really awesome folder (no, seriously) and my tshirt piles are rather impressive. 

And maybe that's why I decided to make my own laundry detergent.  That plus hating how expensive detergent was and how fast it disappeared - and that I have a slight bit of hippy in me.  That's something my mom did teach me :)

So do you want to make your laundry detergent?  I used this tutorial and it was super easy.  You just need these 3 simple ingredients and a cheese grater.

Borax, Soap, Washing Soda



(I found both the Borax and Washing Soda at my grocery store, but I had to order the soap from Amazon - still easy and cheap).

You measure out 1 cup of both Borax and the washing soda, do a little lot of grating (this was the hardest part for me, which I think speaks for just how easy this is), put it in a bowl, mix it all up, and VOILA instant laundry detergent!  Depending on how much I use (you're supposed to use 1 tablespoon, but for smaller loads I just guestimate) it smells fresh but not perfumey, or just slightly lemony.  But I love lemon so it all works out.  Also, the boxes hold about 5 cups each and I've yet to make a dent in my first batch of dergent that I made back in April.  So awesome.

What about the dryer you ask?  Did I go all crazy there too?  You bet I did.  Enter dryer balls:

Wool Dryer Balls - Confetti Bright



These have replaced my dryer sheets.  They last years and years, help dry things faster by absorbing the water (they are made of super thick felted wool), and they're just plain fun.  I use 8 for big loads and 4 for smaller loads.  And I heart them.  I ordered my set from a shop on Etsy called Clean Sypria.  I saw numerous other shops selling them, but I liked that her listings include an awesome Q&A all about dryer balls and their benefits.  Plus you can get them scented if you want! (I didn't, but I might add some smell good some day).  Plus I never have to buy dryer sheets again!  Mother Earth and my wallet are both smiling right now.

Who knew laundry could be so much fun?!  Maybe that's why my mom held out on me all those years. 

PS: I have a good excuse for being MIA this time.  No really.  I'm moving to San Francisco.  More on that some other time.


Borax picture from Drugstore.com, Fels Naptha and Super Washing Soda pictures from Amazon.com, Wool Dryer Balls picture from Etsy.



i love lamp

A long, long time ago (last Christmas to be exact) I bought a brown vase with the intent of turning it into a lamp.  Then, a few weeks later I was strolling through Marshall's home section and found the very same vase (on clearance for $5!), only it was clear instead of brown.  Now I could have matching-but-not-too-matchy-matchy lamps.  Heck yes.

Fast forward to me finding this tutorial for how to make a knockoff lamp shade of this Anthropologie one:

Well Defined Ensemble Lamp (for a mere $388!!!!)

I was sold.  So back in April, after buying 2 lamp kits for Home Depot, 2 shades from Target, and 1 dictionary, I ended up with these bad boys:

Off...

and on!

The lamp kits were $10 each from Home Depot and although I did have to get different size "stoppers" to fit into my vases (which my dad drilled holes into when my parents visited in April), it was super easy to assemble.  The tutorial for the lamp shade was also super easy.  The only thing I did differently was instead of doing random ripped up pieces of paper I used strips (which made mine bubble just a bit instead of laying totally flat, but I tend to like the not-100%-perfect look).  So basically, I made 2 bed side table lamps that I love with this budget breakdown (I had to buy just about everything):

- 2 vases: $13

- 2 lamp kits: $20

- 2 lamp shades: $12

- 1 dictionary: $5

- (I'm not counting those other stoppers we had to get because they were only like 50 cents or something and my dad went to Home Depot without me)

Total cost: $50

Take that Anthropologie.

Oh and one other note: if you decide to do a similar lamp shade, be careful of the pages you choose.  I tried to pick ones that had words that had special meaing (North Carolina, Southeast, and baseball all made the cut) I accidentally included a page that has a word that starts with "chla" and ends with "mydia." Funny how that word and chivalry were on the same page.

what the hell is a crispelle?

Now that it's finally finally getting warmish around here (and my warm I mean on May 8 we're having spring - low to high 60s for all of next week) Will will be taking over the dinner duties.  Because he has an awesome grill and he likes to use it.  Good timing because I haven't really been in the cooking mood recently (although a new cookbook that just arrived might help me out).  And on top of it, the last cooking experience was um, not great.

Let me preface this and say I don't think this recipe is bad - it just didn't work out for me and I doubt I'll be trying it again.  But I am glad I gave it a shot. 

So anyways, it's Homemade Spinach Manicotti from Gina's Skinny Recipes. 

skinnytaste.com

Notes:

1)  I made the crispelles the night I intended to make the whole dish.  My bad.  Not only did I use up all my eggs on the crispelles only to remember I needed one for the filling, but I also struggled making these things.  It says you should make 16.  I ended up with 8.  Usually I'm okay with cutting a recipe in half like that, but since it was unintentional I just got off to a bad start.  Again, not the recipe's fault.

2)  My frozen crispelles were a) oddly hard to dethaw and b) difficult to work with since I lost the patience to let them completely dethaw.  Starting to understand why I'm weary of trying this one again?

3)  I bought bad marinara sauce.  I failed.

4)   They took way longer to cook than the recipe said.  Probably because my crispelles were too thick?  Maybe because the cooking gods just wanted to mess with me?

5)  I don't like the word crispelle.

6)  After everything was said and done, they were fine.  And fine, after over 24 hours of preparation just didn't do it for me.

To sum it up: I loved the idea of not-as-bad-for-me manicotti and I loved the idea of making my own shells, but turning into a dish I loved just didn't happen.  I really don't think it was the recipes fault - I mean it tasted like every other manicotti I've ever had - but just thinking about making this again tires me out.  Thank goodness for Will's grilling abilities.

family dinner

April felt like it lasted forever.  It also flew by.  First it was Will's birthday.  Then my parents came to visit!  Then Will and I went to Maine to visit my friends Meredith and Cain.  Then it was Easter and I flew down to NC for a long weekend.  I guess you could say it seemed to drag on because it just now started getting warm in good ol Connecticut.  I had to dig out my summer clothes from their bins in the garage just to have something to wear while I was down south.  Silly silly north.

I also did some cooking in April.  And some home decoring.

But first, let's start with a meal I whipped up while my parents were here.  I am a big fan of Mexican food and one thing my bubble in Connecticut does not have is yummy, simple, combo-filled, cheap Mexican food.  My particular favorite is chicken chimichangas.  So of course, when I found a Roast Chicken Chimichanga recipe from Cooking Light, I was sold.  Luckily, my parents aren't too picky - and are pretty fond of Mexican food themselves.

Picture from Cooking Light

My notes and/or changes:

1) I used a store-bought roasted rotisserie chicken because I thought the flavor would be nice - oh, and it was super easy

2) I used shredded monterey jack cheese because I couldn't find queso fresco cheese

3) I used black beans (Whole Foods Spicy Black Bleans) instead of refried beans and mashed them a bit 

4) I used wheat tortillas

5) Make sure you have all the ingredients you need before you start making.  I was happily rolling up chimichangas when all of a sudden I realized I had just 4 tortillas and not a full pack.  Luckily Dad drove down the road to the store and saved the day.

6) Speaking of tortillas, I ended up using 7 because I had enough chicken filling to do so.

Results: it was delicious!  We all really liked them.  They had a good flavor without being greasy or too heavy.  I would definitely do this again.  And I think my parents would too.

Click here for the recipe and nutrition info!

you have got to be kidding me

And on March 21, this happened.

Apparently Connecticut wants to get rid of me because really there's just no other explanation for it.

good morning yummy breakfast

Let's get this out there: I am not a morning person.  But I am a huge breakfast person.  I love it all the time.  I especially love eggs and turkey bacon. 

Even though I love breakfast, my usual weekday routine is pretty boring: Greek yogurt or oatmeal with almond butter and honey.  Although I love them both, sometimes I just want something that has a little more of a weekend-breakfast feel.  So when Cooking Light sent out an email last week that said "17 Grab-and-Go Quick Breakfast Recipes," I was beyond excited.

First recipe that I had to try:  Mini Frittatas with Ham and Cheese

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Note:  I used frozen turkey sausage instead of ham because I don't eat ham.  And I didn't use thyme because I apparently threw mine away, but I'm also not a huge fan of it (maybe why I threw it away?).

Pros:
- Easy!  Whenever something is easy, I automatically like it more.
- Seriously low in calories (which makes mid morning snacks so guilt-free)
- Tasty - the onions and sausage and cheese play really well off each other
- I have breakfast for a week!

Cons:
- Even though you do eat 3 of them (per serving), they are small little things
- Onions can be iffy in the morning, but they aren't too potent and I always have tea and/or water right after breakfast (and gum in my purse)

To sum it up: these make breakfast a little more fun and exciting!  And who doesn't like an exciting breakfast?

best snack ever

I love finding healthy snack ideas because a) I snack a lot and b) I don't want to eat something bad when I'm already sitting at a desk for 7+ hours a day.  So not fun.

So when I found this little diddy, I was thrilled!  Chickpeas?  Yes please.  Sweet?  Yes.  Spicy?  Of course!  Quick and easy?  Oh emm gee.

If you want something quick and easy and yummy and filling and wonderful, definitely make these spicy roasted chickpeas.

source

Highlights:
- Easy
- More fun than almonds (not that I don't love almonds, but I like variety even more)
- Filling!
- I look forward to my mid-afternoon snack
- I threw them on some spinach with walnuts and feta for a quick and easy salad

Cons:
- When they're gone I am just so sad

Click here for the recipe.  Do it now!

pretty shiny thing

My dad just called and this is how our conversation started:

Me: Hello
Dad: Hey what are you doing?
Me: Nothing
Dad: Um, you haven't blogged in a while.

Oh.  Right. 

So on that note, I have a coffee table to tell you about.  Get excited!

I know I mentioned the coffee table a few weeks ago, but this thing was/is a true labor of love.  Originally I wasn't a fan of the table because a) it was beat up and b) it's a half moon shape.  But the more I looked the more I realized I actually really like it's shape and tapered legs.  Plus it's free and it would give me something to practice staining on so it quickly became my favorite piece of furniture.

So when my dad came up over President's Day weekend, I put him to work.  He got to know the Norwalk Home Depot really well.

Here are some pictures of the wear and tear this table had been through (ps I took these with my phone in a garage with fluorescent lighting, so, yeah):

Sorry there's no picture of the shape yet, but pictures were always an after thought.  I was ready to attack this thing.

Step 1: strip all the stain and shellac and shiny layer off.  It was not pretty.  Once the stripper-stuff has set on the wood for a while, you strip it off with a scraper.  Here's an idea of how cool that was:

Pretty!  Clearly Dad was too busy for pictures as well.  Side note: this part is super smelly.  Like worry-about-your-brain-cells smelly.  We took multiple breaks since we were working in a closed garage with no ventilation at all.  More on that later.

Anyways, step 2 (which really might be like step 4 since we had to keep stripping that thing down) is sanding.  Sanding (with a sander) is so much fun yall.  I love it. 

This is about mid-way through the sanding.  We sanded and sanded and sanded some more until this thing was much lighter and felt like wood.

After wiping down with some mineral oil to get all the dust off, step 3 was to stain!  Hooray!  I wanted a nice medium brown color with a little bit of red and shine.  Lots and lots of shine.

On Tuesday morning when my dad had to leave, he didn't get to see the finished product because I locked the garage and had my keys in my room (and he left around 6am...) - oopsies.  So when I went down and checked it I was greeted with what we were afraid of: small hole-like spots where the stain had separated.  Check it out:

And a close-up:

After the 2nd coat we saw these spots but kept our fingers crossed that they would magically go away.  No such luck.  After looking back, we determined this most likely happened because a) it was in the 30s the day we stained and you're not supposed to stain below 50 apparently, b) there was no ventilation and um there's supposed to be adequate ventilation and c) you weren't supposed to do thick coats but um, I wanted instant gratification.  And one other thing to note is that we used a stain + polyurethane product instead of a separate spain and poly, so if we had used just stain this might have been different. 

Moving on.

Last week I got antsy and took this thing back out to the garage to work on it some more.  I sanded, re-stained, realized I needed to sand more so I wiped the stain off, sanded more, and stained for real.  And this is where we are now:

Say hello to our pretty pretty table!  He's almost done, but not quite.  A couple holes formed this time, but they are much less noticable so it's in the living room now and I'm seeing if it bothers me (and yeah, it's kind of bothering me).  Also, I realized the drawer and legs need one more coat - they just aren't as wonderfully shiny as the top.  And speaking of that - with so much shine, this thing reflects the TV like a lake reflects a sunset and it is so fun to look at.  Sometimes I catch myself watching the table and not the TV, but that might also be because I have a weird obsession with this table now. 

The good news is tomorrow it's supposed to be around 59 degrees (yeahhhh!!!) so I'll be out in the garage staining away.  Hopefully I'll have some finished pictures next week!

And that my friends is the story of my first staining experience.  Now I just sit around looking at furniture and dream about staining and painting.  Good news is I have a table from South Africa sitting in the garage just waiting for me to make it pretty.  Now I just really need Connecticut temps to not go back to the 40s next week.  Work with me CT.

chef mcneilldee

I'm baaaack.  For real this time.  The most recent move is just about complete and life is settling down again.  First a few updates:

- remember when I said my dad would come here for President's Day weekend as long as it didn't snow and work didn't get in the way?  Well he came!  And it ended up snowing.  Oops.

- Dad and I refinished a coffee table.  Pictures and details to come!

- while NC has been enjoying 75 degree weather, we've been enjoying 32 degree weather.  And in this case, enjoying also means loathing.

- I made a real dinner for the first time in months!

And that's what we're going to talk about.  KK gave me a new cookbook for Christmas and my first impression is YUM.  First though, let's talk about how hard it was to get the cookbook: she mailed it back in December, by mid-January I still didn't have it,  I talked to the Post Office - nada, Kristen gave me the tracking number, I called UPS. A lady tells me that they didn't realize it was a PO box address until it was at the warehouse, and since they couldn't deliver it there they "did some research" and found my last known address - aka the place I moved out of at the beginning of November.  So yes, I got to go back and visit the lovely family that now recognizes my name and saves my mail in the garage.  I promised them it would be the last time I dropped in on them.  Thumbs down UPS.

However, thumbs up for The Best of Clean Eating (which also happens to be the cookbook I gave Will's parents for Christmas!)

source

I decided my first recipe would be Quick White Bean and Spinach Ravioli.  Reasons:  I like recipes that say "quick," I like beans, I like spinach, and I like ravioli.  Sold! 

Quick White Bean and Spinach Ravioli

Serves: 4  Hands-on time: 15 minutes  Total time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
1/4 cup frozen chopped spinach
1/2 cup cannellini (white kidney) beans
1/2 cup reduced-fat ricotta cheese
2 tbsp shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
1/4 tsp kosher salt
32 square wonton wrappers
1 cup unsalted or reduced-sodium tomato sauce

(the elephant is my salt - and yes, I did get the elephant salt and pepper shakers for my birthday!)

1)  Fill a medium saucepan with hot water; cover and bring to a boil

2) While water is heating, defrost the spinach in a microwave. Once it's cooled a bit, squeeze as much water as possible out of it and place in the bowl of a food processor.  Add the beans, cheeses, and salt.  Process the mixture until smooth, approximately one minute. 

3)  Fill a small bowl with warm water.  Lay out 16 wonton wrappers.  Did your finger in the water and moisten edges of each wrapper.  Place 1 teaspoon of filling in center of each square.  From the leftover wrappers, take another wrapper, place it on top of the filling, and seal by pressing firmly along the edges of ravioli.  Repeat until all wrappers are gone or all filling is used.

4)  Gently place ravioli in boiling water and cook for approximately 2 minutes.  The ravioli is ready when you can see the green of the filling through the wrappers.  While pasta cooks, warm tomato sauce.  Drain pasta, place 4 on a plate, and top with sauce.

Nutrition info (for 4 ravioli and 1/4 cup sauce): calories 343, total fat 3g, sat fat 1g, carbs 60g, fiber 6g, sugar 4g, protein 18g, sodium 621 mg, cholesterol 17mg

My changes:

- I didn't use kosher salt because my kosher salt was in my car (clearly where it should be) and I was too lazy to walk out and get it

- I couldn't find wonton wrappers but did find whole wheat dumpling wrappers (at Whole Foods in the frozen Asian section).  Instead of using 2 per ravioli, I used just 1 and folded it over itself to make a semi-circle.  Oh and I just looked it up and these are healthier than wonton wrappers (especially when it comes to sodium) so I'll probably use these every time for this recipe.

- I wet the edges of each wrapper as I went instead of in the beginning.  I think they might dry out if you do it all at the beginning.

- So by the recipe you would think that you would end up with just 16 squares (or in my case semi-circles) right?  I ended up with 30.  I could have maybe scraped for 31.  And I totally followed directions so um, be prepared?

- My actual cooking time was about 25 minutes instead of 15.  Still not bad.

- I ate 7 dumplings instead of 4 so that makes it a little high in terms of calories and sodium (get whole wheat dumpling wrappers!), but I'll just take that into account tomorrow - when I eat leftovers for lunch.

Overall thoughts:  So good!  So good that I forgot to take a picture of the goodness.  It was yummy, filling, super easy, and oddly pride-boosting.  I mean I just made my own ravioli.  I feel awesome.  And full.  And excited for lunch tomorrow!  Make this recipe.  Just do it.

Last random anecdote:  Okay, so I went to my usual grocery store first before Whole Foods and accidentally left without paying for my deli turkey and cheese.  I was doing self-checkout and those items were in the seat of the cart and I was on the other end emptying my cart and ringing myself up.  Then a man in a wheelchair got in line behind me.  And after I bagged everything and finally spotted by missed items, I felt bad asking him to back out of line so I could get back over there.  But I did feel really bad.  Here's the kicker though: after making dinner I looked at my Whole Foods receipt and realized the lady forgot to ring up my dumpling wrappers and my miniature burrito!  This one is so not my fault because I only had 6 items total and I know I put all of them on the conveyor belt because I didn't have a basket.  Good news is I did give $1 to charity so maybe my karma is back in order.  Fingers crossed.

workin for the weekend(s)

Hey guess what! It might snow on my birthday.  If it snows enough that could mean yet another snow day, but if it doesn't then I'm just going to be an unhappy camper at work.

Forget snow though.  Here's what I'm looking forward to in the next few months:

February 8: My birthday!  My presents are going to open my presents for me while we Skype.  Almost like being there... only not.

February 13: American Idiot (starring Billie Joe!) with Will for V day.  Fifth Broadway play since moving to CT?  Point for Connecticut! (Don't ask how many points there are for not-Connecticut).

February 18 - 21: Dad might be visiting AND a 3-day weekend!  Caveat: it can't snow and Dad's work can't get in the way.  I worry about that whole "can't snow" part.

March 4 - 6:  Dallas!!!!!

More pictures of me and KK coming soon.

April 3: Will's birthday!  (there used to be a picture here but Will got mad and made me take it down.  Sore loser).

April 7 - 11:  Parents (hopefully) visiting!  I've found them the flights, they just need to bite the bullet.  I'm talking to you Dad.

April 15 - 17:  Finally visitng Meredith and Cain in Maine!  I can already taste all the yummy food.

April 21 - 24:  Most likely going home for Easter!

May 27 - 30:  NC for Beth's wedding, Memorial Day, and Pinehurst!

During the March dull you will most likely find me sleeping, begging the winter to leave, or popping up in Chicago.  "U neva know" (H McNeill quote).

professional mover?

No. I am not and nor will I ever be a professional mover.  If you had asked about 4 weeks ago if I thought I was good at moving, I would have said "Oh absolutely! I've done it enough that I better be good at it!" Ha. HA.  Moving took up an entire full weekend and then we lived with far too much furniture in the living room and boxes all over the bedroom for another 5 days.  Tonight things are finally falling into place, but man oh man, I am so glad I'm not a professional mover.

There will be pictures to come soon, but for now, the walls are still a bit too bare and the boxes are still a bit too many (although really 1 box is too many so it's not as terrible as it sounds).  But I do have a bright side.  One very big bright side!

First let's rewind.  If you don't read 1800 home design blogs aren't like me, you might not know that anyone and everyone is talking about cleaning house and getting rid of things that just aren't necessary/useful/remembered.  Just the other day, I read about someones mission to get rid of 50 things - and 4 pairs of shoes could only count as "one" thing.  Get the idea?  Well, at this point I am up to at least 38 things on my list of 50, but to be perfectly honest that equates to at least 131 actual items that are gone forever (I say at least 131 items because I wasn't counting when I attacked my bathroom and travel-size toiletries and things when flying into the trash/down the drain).  Just a few things that I will never see again:

- wrapping paper that I didn't like
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Johnny Depp version
- an Allison-sized (aka not Will-sized) white sofa
- a toilet paper holder (because one of the places we lived didn't have one?)
- an easel that never made it out of the bag (and was clearly far inferior to the one Will gave me for Christmas)
- a beaten up suitcase
- wooden spoons (if they weren't perfect, the texture made me cringe - anyone else?)
- a paper-storage-thing I got back in middle school that just got replaced by a much nicer folder holder thing
- a dingy dirty sheet set (um, gross)

Current things to be excited about:

- new bedding and new sheets!!
- DVD organizing baskets
- a free floor lamp courtesy of roommate Kyle
- hanging fun things on the wall
- spray painting and sanding and fixing

Anyways, I hope your Saturday was a bit more glorious than mine.  But having no life until this place is settled is going to be so darn worth it.

Pictures soon!

and this is only the beginning

Oh hello there.  Been a while?  Tell me about it.  Just a quick update:

- it snowed yesterday
- it snowed today
- it's sleeting, wintery mixing, and snowing through the night
- snow is on the forecast for tomorrow
- snow is on the forecast for Friday
- snow is on the forecast for Saturday

Plus side: when I'm sitting in my cube, it feels like I'm in a snow globe.  Down side: skidding through stop lights.

Real down side?  We're moving on Saturday.  And right now the path from our apartment to our cars is not a wide one, and there's at least a foot and half of snow on either side of said path (because the snow from the Christmas blizzard never ever got a chance to melt and it's just been piling on since then). 

Annnnnyways, packing is going so well!  I've filled one Goodwill bag full of clothes and am working on a second.  For those keeping track, that's a total of 4 trash bags plus one big Gap bag that have been/will be donated to Goodwill since November (and let's not forget all those clothes that went to Dress for Success).  The sad thing?  My closet is still a wee bit too full.  Eeks.  But I'm loving all this de-cluttering, trashing, and donating that's going on because clearly I needed it.

However, I have a problem and that problem is a shower curtain. Ever since last February, we haven't needed a shower curtain because we had a glass door at Belmont and now at Newfield we have weird glass "European" style doors (read: door only covers one half of the shower) so we have a basic liner covering the other half.  But now my friends we will need a shower curtain.  Fact: I was up until past 1 am on Monday night because I was afraid I'd never be able to find a shower curtain I liked.  After online searching for about 2 hours, I had found just 2 that were options and I was far from sold on either of them.  Two anxious days later and we might have just found something that will help me sleep pretty tonight:

Source

Hey there subtle yet pretty pattern in a color palette that doesn't scream "OMG I love Justin Bieber" or "I'm ready for my hip replacement guys!"  Let me tell you, it's not pretty out there in shower curtain land, but this one has the potential to be something special.  It's out of stock online, but it's supposedly in stock at my local Target so you can expect to find me there very soon. 

Want to see the rug I've been eyeing for far too long?  Okay!!

Source



Sorry that Anthro put a white rug on a white background, but I do love this dainty thing oh so much.  Good news: Will does too.  Because yes, his opinion matters.  And when I show him all potential shower curtain/rug options and he doesn't like one that I do and I pout he makes sure to remind me that his opinion matters.  Right.  This rug is a little pricey, but considering we don't need much else for the bathroom (and because I'll want this rug no matter what rug I get), I'm a-okay with it.

Thanks for listening to my troubles.  Maybe it's the snow, maybe it's the boxes, maybe it's all the plans running around and tripping into one another in my head, but I'm a little loopy tonight.  Okay, off to pack up my jewelry box, sewing box, and a random vase.

oy

It was seriously one of those weeks.  On Monday it started with something bad happening at work that was not our/my fault, but was on a campaign that I worked on.  On Tuesday it sounded like things could be resolving well but by Tuesday afternoon, that was clearly not the case.  On Wednesday we woke up to an extra foot of snow on the ground and an unexpected snow day - only because the building where my office is actually closed down.  However, I had to do some work from home and let's just say that's pretty hard to manage when you only have access to email.  On Thursday I finally gave up and cried.  In my cube.  Yeah.  I also postponed the conversation I wanted to have with my boss because I had a feeling those recent tears would not help my case.  On Friday I handled crisis 186 of the week and impatiently waited for 5 pm.  And that's all I'll say about it.

Now that it's the weekend, I can finally start to enjoy life again.  Some things I've been working on:

- Designing a 2011 calendar much like this one.  Had a little snafu this morning when my computer shut down for updates and I apparently forgot to save said calendar, but we're back in action and I plan on printing this baby out at a Kinkos soon.  Expect to see it in the new place.  Places I am already planning to check off: Seattle, Dallas, Chicago, Pinehurst, and Cary/Chapel Hill.  Here's to hoping I travel all sorts of places.

- Coasters.  They are wooden and I am obsessed.  So far I have sanded and wood puttied.  Today I plan on staining and next week I'll paint.  Hip hip hooray.

- Packing.  Yes, packing has commenced and I actually like it.  Along with my a bag of clothing that I am filling to take to Goodwill, I picked out 4 books to donate.  Purge people purge.

- Christmas shopping.  No seriously, I already found something for someone next year.  Yesss.  So ahead of the game.  Now if only it would come back in stock.

- Braving danger each and every day.  Because this is what we're dealing with here in snow plagued CT:

Ginormous icicles... 

...that are right above the door to our apartment. 

Everytime Will goes under he puts his arm over his head.  Every time I do I just to try to move quickly while not sliding on the 2 inches of ice right outside the door.  It's quite a feat.

Anyways, that's my life.  Nothing exciting or particularly great in the last week.  Here's to next week - and a much better one at that.

map me

Update: So in that dream bedroom I told you about, scratch the orange.  I want rust color accents.  Much like the ones in this beautiful map.

I felt like my one-day bedroom was missing something and I definitely just found that something.  You can find me dreaming about this pretty thing tonight.

Man, blue carpet is going to be way harder to deal with than I thought.

PS: Will just asked me where the green blue and plaid comforter is going?  "Is it going to the dry cleaners?"  "Are you turning it over to the stripe side?"  "Where is it going, Allison?"  Don't worry Will, all comforters go to heaven.

goodbye green and blue plaid comforter

One of things that I miss most since moving up to CT with Will is my awesome Queen size mattress that I bought at the beginning of my senior year of college.  Not only does it have a pillow top plus an extra memory foam pad, but I also got a sweet deal on it because, well, the man ringing me up wasn't the best at math and he was doing it by hand and... yeah.  Before you think I'm a terrible person, just know that my dad was sitting right beside me while this math went on and he didn't speak up either.  Okay maybe just a little bit terrible.

Anyways, getting to enjoy that bed for 7 nights - and plotting how to get it up here - combined with all this moving stuff (good news: we picked a place for January - July!), has made me think about how I would decorate the bedroom from almost scratch - if I could.  Then I remember the new place has faded royal-blue carpet in our bedroom so yeah, I won't be rushing on this because a) we'll be moving again in July and b) um, weird carpet. 

However, if I were to decorate the way I like, it would probably have this comforter



With a tufted headboard like this (but maybe in a darker taupe color?)

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And with decorative pillows out of this fabric (which lucky me, I already own!) and maybe other fabrics with punches of orange?

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And there would be a lamp similar to this, but made with the brown bulb vase I bought at TJ Maxx and maybe a tweed or burlap shade

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With this clock on my bed side table

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And a copper elephant that my dad is going to make will of course be found somewhere amongst all of this.

I will definitely be looking for that comforter to go on sale one day soon.  And now that I have a new work space to play in, I can totally make the vase lamp so it will be ready to go.  Another plus to moving is that it makes me want to go through everything and get rid of tons of clutter so I'm actually looking forward to moving this time.  Hopefully I can keep this positive attitude going strong.

the makings of a very fine kitchen

When I went home for Christmas (how sad is it going to be when I run out of stories that start with "When I went home for Christmas"?), I finally got to see the pretty little rug I ordered with a $25 credit from Gilt.  It was even better than I remembered.  Then, I spotted a framed Sevilla poster behind a dresser that my friend Kristen gave me a few years ago.  And then (it really helps if you do it in the Dude Where's My Car voice), I remembered that Will gave me a 10-piece pots and pans set last year and the handles are orange.  Let me show you why that matters.

Do you see what's happening here?  I'm already desigining my one-day kitchen (complete with bright white cabinets and dark wood floors because a girl can dream).  To make things even better, I already have a red tea pot, a large skillet with an orange bottem and a medium skillet with a red bottom.  I love when things come together so easily.  Knock on wood.

And just because I can, I might just add this to the mix.

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It is orange after all.

trace face

A few months ago I realized how much I like old maps and globes.  I even posted about an old North Carolina map that I saw on Ebay and my dad got it for me for Christmas!  Well, one day I was trying to brainstorm fun ways to display all the places Will and I have lived.  After all, once the 3rd move within Connecticut was scheduled, I thought it would be nice to keep track.  First I thought it would be fun to do keys, but then I realized we hadn't kept up with those.  So then I thought what about a map of each place?  But then I would have 3 Connecticut maps and let's get real, I only need one of those in my life.  Plus it would be a little too map-heavy since maps are so big.  Then I remembered post cards!  And that brings me to this:

There are 6 because I thought Will should be well represented and he lived in Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida all before the age of 9.  Way to rack up those states bud.  All of the post cards came from Ebay, and most were free shipping and under $2. 

Anyways, as beautiful as these are, I didn't want to just frame them and throw them up on the wall.  So instead, I did a little tracing:

I traced them all and intend to scan them, make them all the same size, maybe change the outline/background color, and then get them printed somewhere like Kinko's on card stock paper.  Hopefully it will look like it does in my head: simple yet interesting and professional (much more so than the current state for sure).  I'll keep you updated.

Oh, and I knew tracing would be easy because I remembered back in high school when we had these tracing tables that were made up of a transparent top with a light underneath.  Then I realized I don't own one of those tables and I stalled for about 2 months.  Until last night when I had a light bulb moment.  Welcome to my tracing station:



See?  All you need is 2 boxes, a miniature baby lamp that always made you think "What do you do with a lamp that size?," 2 bar stools (Christmas tablecloth is optional), kitchen chair, tape (to keep postcard and paper in place), and the glass from a frame.

Happy tracing!

girl needs to spray paint

Back in November my mom sent me a card and one of the things she wrote was, "I was thinking we should go to some second-hand shops while you're home."  If I told you this made me smile real big and do a little hop-skip right there in the post office, would you believe me?  You should, because I totally did.

Here are the goodies I picked up after we ventured out to 6 different thrift/second-hand/antique shops:

I love it all.  So much.  Anyone in the Pinehurst/Southern Pines/Aberdeen area, you should most definitely go to Adam's Thrift Shop and The Peddler in Pinebluff.  They are right beside each other and they have some super good deals. 

Anyways, I can't wait to spray paint the frame of that mirror and the big frame with the artwork (which I will be taking out).  I love big frames and mirrors but hardly ever buy any because they are usually so darn pricey.  The old milk bottle on the left will be a great simple vase for any flowers that you know, Will might bring home sometime.  Once all the other vases/flasks/bottles are spraypainted and attached to a piece of wood, the final piece will hopefully resemble something like this nifty little Stalagmite Vase from Urban Outfitters:

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And speaking of gluing, sanding, and spray painting, Will and I looked at a potential condo for us to live in January - July and Will is already referring to the garage as my "work space."  Heck yeah.

Price breakdown for thrift store finds:

Mirror: $10 (Adam's)

Milk jug: $1 (Adam's)

Five other bottles/vases: $5 (Adam's; Peddler; and Pasttimes, West End)

14 x 16 frame: $10 (Michael's Auction Gallary, Southern Pines - going out of business)

Oh and I almost forgot one!  My mom bought a carved wooden Santa half off at one thrift shop and she got to pick out a free DVD.  Since my mom doesn't do technology, she let me pick one out for myself.  The lady suggested I get Austin Powers or Cheaper by the Dozen.  Guess what I picked?

Oh yeah.  Take that Cheaper by the Dozen.

Anyways, Kate and Amy and I also went to TJ Maxx after having lunch one day.  This was a big thing for me because a) I love TJ Maxx and b) it was my first time going to the TJ at home.  My poor little hometown is just getting so big.  Two parts fun, one part sad, and one part terrifying. 

Moving on, here's what I scooped up there:

I've been looking for a nice little drinks/breakfast tray, so of course I snatched this one up for $8.  Then I found the nice big bulb vase that I'm going to turn into a lamp with a standard lamp kit from either Wal-Mart or Home Depot and a shade that I'll find somewhere along the way.  Also $8.  Then I got those two little frames.  The one in the back ($8) will stay as is, aka far away from spray paint, but the silver one in front is definitely getting the spray paint treatment.  I plan on doing this one day:

It's just so interesting to look at it.  So fun.  Oh and no worries, I've already started collecting frames for this little project:

All but that pretty little one second from the left will most definitely be spray painted.  I mean everyone loves a sunflower, but still.  That one will get spray painted white.  As for the 2 silver ones, I haven't decided on a color quite yet.  The frames on the ends are from Goodwill and were a total of $5.  Perfect.  Oh, and the "Food for the Southern Soul" sticker won't be staying there, but I figured safely storing it somewhere would be a great way for me to not lose it.  I put my thinking cap on for that one.



How great is it going to be when I get that work space?

month-by-month memories

I just saw this short and sweet list on Courtney's blog and decided to do one myself.  So here goes my list of 2010 highlights:

In January, I enjoyed an awesome roommate-free weekend that involved walking down the street to pick up a delicious Four Seasons pizza and watched lots of shows that are not boy-approved.

In February, I had a birthday and Will totally caught me off-guard by getting me a Wii and Wii Fit.  And we saw Mary Poppins on Broadway on Valentine's Day!

In March, I joined my new gym.

In April, I surprised my parents and showed up on their doorstep at 11:30 on a random Wednesday night.  Best. Surprise. Ever.

In May, we saw Promises Promises on Broadway.

In June, Natalie visited! Will and I went to Chicago (and fell in love with the place) for the very first time.  We also saw an Eagles concert!

Natalie and I at Rockefellar Plaza!

L to R: Eagles concert at Soldier Field; Standing in a glass box 103 stories high outside of Sears Tower!; View from the Sears Tower observation deck

In July, I had all 4 day weeks: I spent 2 weekends in a row with my parents (one in CT and one in Pennsylvania) and Will and I flew to California (my first time there!) for a fun-filled wedding weekend.

My mom (clearly) rocking out at a George Clinton concert

Flying into LAX!

In August, Kelcey came to visit!

We were at the bar til closing time... which, um, led me to sleeping in Gumby position outside Grand Central.  Still too soon to share that picture.



In September, Will and I spent Labor Day weekend at his parent's lakehouse with both of our families - and it was wonderful.  We also celebrated our 3 year, went on a dinner cruise, and we went to a Train concert!

In October, I went to the Bobby Cox tribute which was held during the second-to-last Braves game of the regular season.  And my parents were there too!  Also, Chris and JP stopped by CT for a short visit!

L to R: Lots of lots of former Braves players; It's not just Braves fans that are impressed by Bobby; Bobby's speech!

In November, Will's parents came for a visit! And Courtney came to visit too!  Then Will and I ate a ton of awesome food with his family at his grandma's beach house over Thanksgiving.  Bonus: it was 78 degrees. 

In December, we went to the Christmas Spectacular, I met Ginger, spent a wonderful week at home in North Carolina, and started getting excited for 2011.