Vintage Pretties

Happy Thanksgiving!

The weather has been turning this week, from the bright, brisk feeling of mid Autumn to the cold and quiet time of Thanksgiving.  I love that the weather reflects the time when we take a moment from our lives to think about our blessings and what we truly value.

This year, I will thank God for these things & so much more:

Glenn, my phenomenal husband, who loves me for who I am & is absolutely my rock. 

Hope, the bright shiny thing that lights up my every day.  I can't believe that you came from me.

My parents, who showed me that family is the thing that you can always count on.  And, they read to me every night and we had a family dinner every night.  What a great example to me.

My sister, best sisterfriend ever.  And, she gave me Rainer, the sweet, charming, strawberry blond nephew that has my heart.

Glenn's job, the thing that has kept us afloat as I find my way.

The world of possibilities that are at my feet every day.  What a lucky girl.

The peace and abundance of living in the United States.  Even with the difficulties, poverty & injustice that still exist in our land, we not only have it so much better than the rest of the world, but we also have a system that embraces constant improvement.

I hope that you & your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Seriously, All I Want Is Some Grass on My Lawn

This summer was a killer for our lawn, which was pathetic to start with.  What started out as patchy is now entirely weeds. I don't mean some clover mixed in with grass.  I mean, there isn't any grass, only this weird, spreading weed.

It suddenly came to my attention this past weekend that if we are going to re-seed the lawn, we have to do it NOW, before the heavy frosts come. We are not gardening folks, but the lawn is pathetic & we need a fix, quick. But, what to do with these weeds?  I decided that we needed to remove them by digging them up. Then, we could get a load of topsoil, some seed, water it & be done with the thing.  Just needed to get rid of those weeds first. I decided to dig up the weeds with a shovel.  The entire yard.  Seemed like a simple plan. 2 days of shoveling & one quarter of the yard later, I decided to go to our friendly local hardware store to see if I could find a better method than the shovel.

As I asked the saleslady for advice on a tool, she looked at me in horror & cried that I shouldn't be removing the weeds at all. No indeed.  I need to be creating a foundation.  According to her, a foundation requires a ph test, whatever stuff is necessary to correct the ph, two kinds of topsoil, grass seed, fertilizer, and proper mowing.  She suggested that I contact our local extension service, take some classes from them & get that ph test right away. Growing a lawn is serious business indeed. I meekly left the store with a ph test & a hoe (just in case I decided to go at the weeds after all).

I got home and promptly broke the ph testing tool.  Not on purpose, of course.  Things are just continuing on the same path this project has been on so far...leading me straight to banging my head against the wall. 

I'm sure that hardware lady is right.  I'm sure a lawn like that photo above (from a gardening website, incidentally.  doesn't resemble my lawn in the least) does take all of the effort that she laid out & more.  But all I want is just a little grass.  Just a little.  No more bare brown dirt.  No more unidentifyable weeds.  Just enough so that neighborhood kids won't snicker & laugh as they pass our house. 

My Picnic Basket

I was recently thinking about how my picnic basket is one of my favorite possessions.  Glenn gave it to me on the one year anniversary of our first date & it has since been part of so many wonderful times & good memories.

(image from Eddie from Ohio website)

She has come with us to numerous warm starlit night concerts at Wolf Trap National Park.

Been with us as we've enjoyed many-a glass of wine at our favorite local afternoon escape from life.

(photo from the National Park Service website)

And came along for hikes in the National Park that happens to practically be in our backyard.

It will come along with us this fall when we go picking pumpkins in the country and then will have to rest for the season. Or...writing this, I'm inspired to suggest a fall hike & picnic...I wonder if I can talk Glenn into it?

 

Box From Amazon

"The Wells Fargo man is a-comin' down the street, I wonder what it could be??"

Do you all remember that song from The Music Man?  I feel like that every time that I get a package in the mail, even if I'm the one who placed the order.  Especially deliveries from Amazon, because Amazon orders are always treats.  I collect my rewards certificates from our credit card to use for the kind of things that I would never buy myself normally.  Hardcover books, fancy accessories, twenty dollar bottles of bath gel, luxury soaps, really anything that has struck my fancy in an expensive store but I can't afford.

Yesterday's box was a treasure trove of things just for me.  Cath Kidston, Crabtree & Evelyn, Mistral, and Jamie Oliver's newest cookbook.  SO excited about the last one. 

When I get a new cookbook, I mark the recipes that I would like to try with tabs so that I may easily refer to them when planning my menus. I ran out of tabs with this book!  I lurve Jamie (his three cheese risotto is to die for) & this book is looks so good.

I'm particularly in love with the idea of having an old fashioned English Sunday roast dinner...beef with horseradish, roasted potatoes & parsnips, & Yorkshire pudding.  Funny story...I had never heard of parsnips until I was 21 & had just arrived in England for my semester abroad.  When I was told that they would be served for dinner, I had not only to ask what they were ("a vegetable" was the answer), but what food "family" they were part of....green? root?  like lettuce? radish? potato?

I will update once I've made some recipes to give the low-down on the book.

The Job Hunt As Entertainment

As most of my blogging friends know, I've been out of work & looking for a new position since last November.  While the job hunt can be stressful, I've learned to find humor where I can.  In particular, in the daily job postings around the internet.

Some are downright funny, as in the ad seeking a Chik-Fil-A Cow Mascot.  OK, so Chik-Fil-A needs a mascot.  But, the ad promised that this position "was the start of an exciting career!"

Others are puzzling, such as the ad for a full time dryer vent cleaner.  Really?  Cleaning dryer vents is a full time job??? And, I know that these are desperate times, but you've really got to need work to pursue cleaning dryer vents for 40 hours a week.

Still others are ironic, such as the ad for a position in which they required a person who is "DETAL ORIENTED"...caps theirs, not mine.

Some ads make you realize that you live in a really strange part of the country, such as the very serious ad for a specialist in weapons of mass destruction.  And, that I've lived here for too long because the ad didn't originally seem particularly strange to me.

Others give me the creeps such as today's ad for an Asian Heroin Database Manager.  I don't know what that is, but just typing that on my blog is sure to get some fun hits from the Google search engine.

Spring Is On It's Way....

The January Glums

Every year it's the same & try as I have in the past to ignore it, it's true.  January is full of the glums. The sun is at sunset through the entire day (I'd really rather it just be gray, honestly, if I can't have real sunshine) & the purpose of Christmastime has disappeared in a blink.

Yesterday, I decided to give myself a break.  January is hard & since I don't have to be anywhere right now or doing anything right now (still unemployed), I didn't make myself do either.  Mid morning, I took the most ridiculous bath, with the water almost to the top of the tub & not one, but two kinds of bubble bath 

 

The raspberry smells so good & the tangerine makes great bubbles :) I pedicured my feet so they are usually soft for January. 

After lunch, I went to Borders, in search of British home magazines.  They were out (horror!), but I browsed & felt happy just to be there in the middle of the day.

That evening, we had a fire in the fireplace & I even did yoga.  I went to be so happy & so much less glum than I've been in weeks. I even feel up to doing some housework today!

The Best of 2009

At this time of the year, magazines & newspapers all seem to be doing a year-end wrap up -- the best, the worst, etc.  I'm going to do a "Best Of" list for my year, in approximately chronological order....

June to October: Spending Time in the foothills of the Shenandoahs picking berries & pumpkins at Hollin Farms & enjoying the wine at Barrel Oak Winery. 

July: The birth of my precious nephew, Rainer.  Terri & Ezra, you did good.

July: My iPhone. Love it.  Nuff Said.

 

August: Going to the beach.  I'd forgotten how relaxing it is to sit & watch the waves.

January - December: Experimenting with paper arts, outside of scrapbooking

October: Buying a tripod.  The best thing that I've done for my blog.  The thing that has allowed me to open an Etsy store.  You can't sell on the internet without a great picture.

November: Losing my job.  I say this totally without spite or ill will.  It was a good job & I love my former co-workers.  But, I am so much happier now.  So much calmer, so much more peaceful, less stressed.  A better Mommy.  I know that I've got to find work in the long term, just so that we can retire someday, but right now, I'm grateful for this opportunity to re-think things.

November: Opening an Etsy Store.  I had been doing preliminary work to get one started before I lost my job & the timing turned out beautifully. It has been the best thing so far.  I have a lot of ideas & will be working to increase my stock, improve my look & start making my packaging special.  I'm very excited to work on it in the new year.

 

Every Day: The opportunity to spend each & every day of my life with these two people:

 

I hope that you had a wonderful 2009.  Another "best of" for me was to get to know all of the amazing people that I've had the opportunity to "meet" through blogging. Thank you for your friendship & constant inspiration.

Happy 2010 to all of you!!!!

Answered Prayers

So, I've been debating over whether to write this post for a week now, because it's pretty far off what I normally share.  But, it's such a huge thing in my life, I'm going to put it out there.

I've been praying to God for two things over the past few months & I got very clear answers to my prayers last week.  One prayer was for test results to come back normal for one of the dearest & most important people in my life.  And, THANK YOU GOD, they came back normal!

The other prayer was for guidance on the direction of my life.  Help in finding a way to spend more time with my family, find a means to help support our family that is also personally fulfilling.  Spend less time on my commute.  Do more of the important stuff, less of the filler. Should I stay at my job? Should I look for something else? If something else, what? 

Last Thursday, God sent me a clear message.  I lost my job.  Should I stay at my job?  God answered that pretty clearly!  But, now I'm trying to figure out what to do with what God has given me -- an opportunity. I'm at a crossroads, but what do I do with this gift? What will work best for me & my family?  I'm a big believer that what you want & need is obtainable if you are creative enough.  Dear God, if you are a blog reader, please send me some extra guidance :)

Thank you, my dear blogging friends, for reading this & always being so supportive.  Next post, back to the normally scheduled blogging :)

Things that I *Heart*

A few of the things that make me super happy recently...

This scent smells like fall to me.  I have it burning in my family room from September to Thanksgiving.

Tootsie Pops! Remember these?  They have become my favorite mid day sweet.

I just tried Tarte cheek stain for the first time, after reading so many places how wonderful it is.  It lives up to the promises!  It goes on perfectly & never looks powdery or unnatural.

I just got this as a sample from Sephora & I'm really amazed at the difference it makes.  I read about it in the book How Not to Look Old (you laugh, but I used several suggestions in the book & have gotten many compliments) & I was doubtful about whether it was really necessary.  Especially at about $30 a pop.  But, after trying it, I'd pay that.  It works.

 

This beauty is my bible.  It's just a blank notebook (the prettiest blank notebook though, right??) , but I carry it everywhere.  My to-dos go in here, lists of books to read, Christmas & gift ideas for family, ideas on what to have for dinner. I scribble in it on the train & then leave it open at home to remind myself of what I need to do.

 

If you've heard Love Song then you know about her, but I just love, love, love the entire CD.  Her voice, lyrics -- love them.  Can't wait until she goes on tour again.  

 

I know, I posted about it before, but have to post it again.  My iPhone has changed my life.  No, really. I mean, not in a spiritual fashion or anything that will re-direct my existence, but it makes my life so.much.easier.  I can answer emails at any time.  I can look up information the moment that I need it.  I can listen to Sara B. whenever I want.  I don't think that I need to say more.

I would *LOVE* to hear what is making you happy right now, or the things that you've had your eye on in catalogs or stores!  It's so fun to see what other like-minded people are doing or wishing for. :)