SPRING planning

Right now we have snow on the ground, and I am SO over it. Honestly, I think I've been over it since November. It's been a LONG winter to say the least. But it's officially spring now and I think it's time to start planning a garden, a vegetable garden.

This will be the second spring and summer in my home. I'm excited to get my hands dirty again and learn from my mistakes. Last year I planted tomatoes, basil, yellow peppers (one yellow pepper!), lavender and mint. The tomatoes took over the bed with the lavender and mint, so those were pretty much lost.

 I didn't harvest these until October. I hope some of my veggies are ready before then this year.

I'm hoping to plant: zucchini, cherry/grape tomatoes, full size tomatoes, peppers, basil, lemon, garlic, string beans, mint, rosemary and I guess that's all. Bay City is in Zone 5B, limiting some of the things I can grow due to a short summer, but I don't feel like my list is lacking. I didn't plant until the first week of June last year, after we went plant shopping on Memorial Day weekend. It's a late start.

I'm looking at different websites for seeds, and I'm kind of overwhelmed. Michigan Bulb doesn't have any of the veggies I'm looking for, except garlic. The Seeds of Change website has all the things I'm looking for, but I'm intimidated by the number of seeds they send you. I could get 25 THOUSAND basil seeds for just eleven dollars! As I started shopping the site more, I found that the zone hardiness was published in the catalog but not online. I also realized/remembered that we have several fantastic nurseries around this area, and it would be best to support local businesses. Now I'm wondering if they are open and selling seeds to plant yet. I think I'll have to do some investigating.

I love the idea of this tomato trellis, one of the things I struggled with last summer/fall was harvesting my tomatoes before they rotted or having them fully ripen because the weren't getting enough sun or were too close to the ground. Maybe this trellis would solve that problem?

Another element of my yard adventure this spring and summer will be getting familiar with my new ecomposter.

It's no longer in the living room, but it's still not outside due to the (stupid) snow. We have started a little compost can in the kitchen. It's going to take a long time to fill up this guy!

I guess I just wanted to get some thoughts in place about all of my yard projects. It's going to be fun to learn how to grow my garden and my green thumb!

Oh, and I'm already making a note to plant bulbs this fall, for early spring beauty in twenty12.

I'd be.

If I were a month, I’d be July.

If I were a day of the week, I’d be Saturday.

If I were a time of day, I’d be 7 pm.

If I were a planet, I’d be Earth.

If I were a sea animal, I’d be a whale, Killer or Blue.

If I were a direction, I’d be forward.

If I were a piece of furniture, I’d be a Manhattan Chair from Pottery Barn.

If I were a liquid, I’d be a cab, probably Redwood Creek.

If I were a gemstone, I’d be a ruby

If I were a tree, I’d be a birch.

If I were a flower, I’d be a sunflower.

If I were a kind of weather, I’d be 75 degrees and sunny, with a light breeze.

If I were a musical instrument, I’d be a piano.

If I were a color, I’d be orange.

If I were an emotion, I’d be happy.

If I were a fruit, I’d be a blueberry.

If I were a sound, I’d be laughter.

If I were a car, I’d be a VW bug, classic.

If I were a food, I’d be a caprese salad.

If I were a place, I'd be my backyard.

If I were a material, I’d be cotton.

If I were a taste, I’d be garlic.

If I were a scent, I’d be sunshine on skin.

If I were an animal, I’d be a sweet kitty cat.

If I were an object, I’d be your favorite coffee mug.

If I were a body part, I’d be a smile.

If I were a facial expression, I’d be the look of love.

If I were a pair of shoes, I’d be Old Navy flip flops.
If I were a song, I’d be:

barilla babies

I suppose it doesn't matter if the commercial isn't in English, it's the sweet scenes that I really want you to see.



Jasmine of An Experiment in Poverty reminded me of these sweet little babies.



The first (and only?) time Matt and I saw this commercial, I was lucky enough it was on DVR and we watched these babies over and over! I'm sure Matt enjoyed it just as much. ;)

If you are looking for who makes these outfits, click here. I'm still on the outlook for the commercial in English.

Can I have triplets?!

proposal idea

Engagement in Hay instead of hay I read day. And I had a brilliant dream, that I would be proposed to during a photo shoot, so the moment would be captured. Of course, now I would be suspicious and have in essence ruined the idea. boo me.

photos via ever ours

today, we fill in the the blanks

"Today is Friday: the day we fill blanks." love that.

1.   My most prized possession is  probably my home as whole, I've put a lot of work into it with my family. I look forward to starting new projects soon, and making a home with Matt when he moves in. It's going to be fun incorporating his style/furniture!

2.  If I could be one age for the rest of my life, I would want to be I always say seven, spending the summer on the lake with my summer bff Jill, there's just something ideal about that age. I had an incredible imagination and could play for hours, I still can but there was something incredibly innocent and fun about that age. I'm also excited to see how the next few years play out, life is full of possibilities right now. 

3.  The best way to spend a weekend is sleeping in, veg, catch up on the Soup if we didn't watch it Friday night, cook something yummy, maybe a bit of shopping, more yummy food, catching up on my google reader, a bit of cleaning, yard projects if it's warm, house projects if it's chilly (this weekend I'm tackling my ridiculous craft room), lots of snuggling, pjs, movies or tv series catch up, ugh I love weekends! And then there's the weekend when you get to go away, almost counting the days to Chicago!

4.  My outlook on life is take everything in stride and with a smile. I smile a lot, I feel lucky to have a positive attitude about life and the ability to find joy in many situations. Don't get me wrong, I get crabby, a lot but I know I'm being ridiculous. 

5.  If you want to annoy me, just be unfriendly or ignorant. If everyone had a bigger heart, I think we'd be better off as a world. 

6.  I am completely defenseless when it comes to food and laziness, an awful combination.

7.  When dressing for the day one should  put on whatever makes them feel happy and pretty (or handsome in the case of gents). Don't worry about rules, just worry about what looks most flattering on your body and what makes you feel good. I think I'm going to go with Lauren's response here, she put it really well.

now you.

TFA - Follow Up

As I spend more time posting on my blog, I like checking my stats. I notice a lot of my traffic comes from my Teach for America posts. I thought I'd write a little follow up post. I sub

I'll know more as of the ninth after they complete the phone interviews and release the details of the locations and the sample teaching session. A sample teaching session, five minutes in front of 12 other interviewees and the panel.

My interview was in March of 2009. I prepared a sample teaching session discussing how to conduct an interview. I figured since I had the background from my producion education and the topic could be applied to any interview it would work well. It was probably a pretty decent sample lecture.

Before the interview I read a fewTeach for America books, sorry I can't remember which ones and learned about the program. I also read a bit of Savage Inequalities, worth the read, if you get the chance.

The biggest thing I remember about that day was how NERVOUS I was. All I could focus on were the nerves. I thought I would forget my lecture, that I wouldn't have the right answers to the interview questions or that I would be the least qualified person in the room. Or all three things.

Maybe all of those things could have happened, but if I would have just taken a deep breath and focused on the opporunity and experience I might have walked away with a different outcome. Or not but I would have enjoyed the experience more. I was so nervous, I barely remember it.

I wasn't accepted to Teach for America. I'm not sure that I fit who they were looking for. I still wonder if I would have been open to a high need area if I would have been accepted. It worked out for the best. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me! And GOOD LUCK!

edit: My best advice, BREATHE. Don't psych yourself out. I tried chilling the night before with some meditation, but stay so wrapped up in my own head it didn't work. I've learned since then a large part of any interview is your personality, and to be true to that and yourself. Oh and maybe check out this post from Yes & Yes, chill the eff out.

Sarah Kay

Seriously, I want to be her when I grow up.

Wow. 

"no matter that i have inhibitions to fill all my pockets, i keep trying."

46:57 / pace 15:07

Yesterday I ran (jogged/walk) my first 5k. I finished in 46:57, at a pace 15:07. 8 weeks ago, I wasn't doing ANYTHING! If I can do it, get off my ass, you can do it.

(So You Think You Can Dance version, 67 days until the season premier!) When this song came on I was able to kick up my walking speed to the beat. Maybe if I'd just listened to this on repeat, I could have finished in 45 minutes. There's always next time! Because, that' the thing, now that I've started I NEED to keep it up.

I was able to run the race with a great group of women, my train4change mates. It makes a world of difference to have people cheering me on from the sidelines, and cheering my mediocre time. :) The slowest and the youngest of the group. More about them in an upcoming post and what this train4change thing actually is. 70 days until the triathalon!!!

I'm rounding out today's post with two giveaways:
one. Lomography from the Dainty Squid.
two. Organized Simplicity and Magnets from Lisa Leonard Designs.

993 % to goal   .   50 kits   .   $54,594   .   http://www.forjapanwithlove.com/

starry sunday

so dreamy, bienenkiste

 next winter i'm definitely dyeing my hair, the messes i make.

Kelly Rae's Oprah Story. Sheena's (of the little read house) art of doing nothing. Leigh (of Curly Girl) getting ready to open BIG Marmalade's doors.

“Defunding Planned Parenthood to prevent abortions is a lot like outlawing umbrellas to prevent rain.”
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial board. (via loveyourchaos) (via the messes i make)

some day i want to run a b&b. the top image reignighted that dream.

loving this sweet and beautiful couple. another amazing couple, elsie featured all of jeremy's artwork for they reappear.

my goal for st pat's race.

"

"a letter to the man i'll dance with long after the guests have gone and the dance floor is little more than worn wood and wet grass" Meg writes letters to her future husband, among other things, check out her blog. another

Milk Toof never fails to make me think too cute, at least once! Sweet momma love from Blogging Dangerously. oh, Portland. Elsie's dream realized. I bookmarked several recipes from choosing raw, I'm interested in exploring it, not that I'd ever fully go. I've got all the goodies to make this soup, it's not raw. 

yes please.

that's all for now friends, I need to hit the hay (I'm writing this Saturday night) because tomorrow is the 5k and my train for change buds will be here at 10am. it's going to be a goooood day.

 

 

really Being Human?

 now you.

1.   The best deal I've ever gotten is  oh, I'm not even sure. I deal shop but I guess I've never gotten anything truly memorable...

2.  If I were hosting a dinner party and could invite people from my fantasy guest list it would include people who could keep the conversation going, because I'd be super nervous. I'm enjoying this question though, usually I avoid it. Here we go. Kelly Rae Roberts, Leigh of Curly Girl, Elsie & LA (especially as a pair) because these women have all followed their dreams in a creative world. I'd love to soak up their passion and joy and learn all I could from them. So that's one dinner party I would love to host, I'm sure there are others. Lauren's list was great, be sure to check it out.

3.  Something that inspires me are the women above, the women in my family, a clear blue sky, sunshine, clouds, thunderstorms, my love, really the list is probably endless. I need to grab that inspiration more often.

4.  If I could only choose to eat one flavor of food for the rest of eternity (sweet, salty, spicy, bitter....) I would have to go with well there are fourfive recognized flavors by the chef community, thank you Top Chef (hootie hoo forever!) sweet, bitter, sour, salty, umami. I thought my answer was going to be umami, but as I read about it apparently it only works when on of the four other flavors are present. I'll go with salt then, not that I really should have questioned this. I'm a salt fiend. rambling.

5.  I dream about so much. I've been having whack-o dreams at night, about random stuff. They always involve the people in my life in odd situations. Or I'm trying to think of a name of a Teen Mom and I can't figure out if I had the conversation in real life or my dreams. It was Chelsea. Currently during the waking hours I'm dreaming about the warm weather that's right outside the door or at least right around the corner, future plans with Matt, a weekend in Chicago, what I want to be when I grow up (today it's a nutritionist/food activist, a mom, bed and breakfast owner, or maybe this, this is ok.)

6.  My weekend will be spent, well I'm so glad you asked. On Sunday, I will be running (please think of this term loosely, more walking bits of jogging) my first organized race, the Bay City, St. Pat's 5k. I'm excited. I'm more excited for the Oatmeal Party/Power Breakfast I'm hosting at my house for my train4change mates. And then there's the beer after the race. But first, Saturday, will be spent with my love, I think we'll walk downtown and do some window shopping. I'm in a shopping mood. I don't even want to look at my budget. A bit of mall shopping too, it's the Gap corps Give & Get weekend, a perfect opportunity for my annual flipflop purchase. I'd like to cook something yummy and grocery shop. My Google reader needs some serious attention. Of course, house cleaning's got to happen pre-oatmeal party. I'm looking forward to this busy weekend. I'm sure we'll work some downtime in there too.

7.  If I could only  watch one movie or TV show for the rest of my life, it would be something dramatic but that makes me laugh like, this is really out there, Being Human. 

Not quite silence...

"So far we´ve raised $29,020 for Shelter Box USA.

- Utterly Engaged & Ever Ours"

From what I tried to understand of their tax forms 92% of your donation goes directly to the kits. That is enough for almost 27 Shelter Boxes, each contains a disaster relief tent for an extended family, blankets, water storage and purification equipment, cooking utensils, a stove, a basic tool kit, a children’s activity pack and other vital items. Utterly Engaged & Ever Ours set their goal at 5 Shelter Boxes. I can't imagine what it will be to by the end of the day or the end of the month.

I've got a thing for clapping.

#16 My brightest Diamond - Be my husband
From Lights Out Episode 5.

Fill in the Blank Friday

 From Lauren/The Little Things We Do

1.   My biggest accomplishment in life thus far is buying my own home and following my heart.

2.  My favorite place to sit in my house is definitely the couch.

3.  My fashion philosophy is pretty non-existent. I wear what looks most comfortable and fitting for the day. I love t-shirts and jeans but love dresses and pretty shoes too. Hopefully this weekend I'll really get my closet organized and laundry finished and can put together more interesting outfits, mostly to highlight three new pairs of shoes, all still in their boxes.

4.  Something every girl should have is confidence in who they are and really comfy shoes.

5.  If you looked in my purse right now you'd find.... a lot of printouts, I'd like to try some new recipes this weekend, the basics, a pen and receipts from baby shopping, I think we found the right one ;).

6.  My favorite music right now is ... yesterday I listened to My Brightest Diamond. I love Lauren's answer of The Civil Wars, that's my kind of sound.

 

7.  My favorite part of my body is my smile, eyes, freckles. 

to my...

While searching for a song that played on Lights Out episode five (see music/mixtape Monday post on Monday), I stumbled across this article from one of the creators (I totally just forgot how to spell that word) of the To My Husband tumblr. I posted quotes for Husband & Wife on this week's Starry RoundUp (Yes? No?) Check it out, now there are two more to my's...

http://tomy50cats.tumblr.com/

TRUE: YOU ARE ON A DIET please don’t whine. its for your own good.
FUNNY: A TRAVELING WE WILL GO If we’re leaving on a jetplane, I’m buying you a seat. None of that riding with the other animals business.

http://toyourhusband.tumblr.com/

DUDE We are never not talking shit about you.

To clarify, because I was confused at first, this the wife's manfriend not girlfriend. I like how these could be interchangeable for the husbands or the wives. We'll see how this one grow, I'm not super impressed.

where you lay your head

I am having a crisis in bedding. {There's no such thing as an entertainment emergency.}

I need to find something that suits Matt and I, doesn't feel too fancyschmancy, but isn't too young. We spent several hours on Friday evening searching the major department stores, but I (both of us) get nervous when it comes to making such a major commitment to something we aren't IN LOVE WITH. Then this past weekend there were several posts that excited me.

 

PETER FASANO via LOVELY MORNING.

BASAWA, 100% Linen

This is my favorite. It's a fabric sample though, not a sheet set.

 AURA via DECOR8

Partially it's the styling that I love so.

anthropologie. toast. urban outfitters.

urban. anthro lotus. anthro filigree.

(particularly the the urban and anthro lotus together.)

Still I have hesitations, and they still come from fear of choosing the wrong pattern and spending too much money or putting together the wrong set. Also, I have a pillow top mattress and that just complicates things. What if it's too small?! ugh. Why must buying a bedding set be so intimidating?!

I want to create an beautiful bed. I want my bed to be a place I look forward to diving into, that is a place I want to spend hours just relaxing in. It needs to feel like home. I feel that way about the company I share my bed with most weekends and I'd like the bed to reflect that.

What do you have? How do you find the balance between buying an adult bedding set that's not too foofy? Where do you shop to avoid spending half a paycheck?

a girl without freckles

is like a night without stars / is like a blog without links.

someone recently found this post by searching for a girl with freckles and then i saw this image from dazzling luxury.

so there you go... isn't it lovely. {original source unknown please comment if known}

still working on a title for this feature ya'll. but please, don't despair, your links are here. way more than last time, I starred more know I'd be sharing but then became overwhelmed with so many. How about "unnecessary but usually lovely distractions"?

cosmic/ache

so many great recipes this week and new food blogs to follow thanks to the bloggies. 

from left to right, top to bottom: pesto stuffed shells. spaghetti with lemon & olive oil. meatball sub. carmel & seasalt brownies. grasshopper pie. blood orange & olive oil cake. meyer lemon & rosemary lemonade. soba noodles with parsley pesto.

 i could eat them from this. Kylied Johnson at Anthropologie via decor8

while wearing this scalloped dress. from dear creatures via skunkboy creatures.

 juniper valentine of the beautiful papyrus cards has blog now! this is first red head she's posted (I think)!

YOU SHOULD: SAY GO. (seth godin) expect love (the frenemy). get lost (kelly rae). explore (on creature comforts projects galleries). learn to sew (LA).  dream, definitely dream (katie daisy). manage your time (rachel wilkerson). pare it down so you don't look crazy (urban weeds).   hope (neon gypsy).

get inked.

throw a party.

because i need something to distract me from the unfairness that it's apparently summer in florida already.

kelle hampton, enjoying the small things. her photos are beautiful and her daughters a delight.

TO MY HUSBAND: Going to bed angry - Fuck that weak ass shit. We’re gonna stay up and fight.
TO MY WIFE: Meat Loaf - If I happen to have my headphones on in the apartment and I appear to be having full body spasms, don’t worry, I’m just dancing to Meat Loaf.

 there is kitty sleeping on his cape!

 marc johns

others sharing some link love: elsie & kyla

 love the guys in the background.






FINALLY, REMEMBER:
 

katie daisy/the wheatfield. OF COURSE

I make weird faces all the time

1.   The phrase or punctuation I overuse most [this week] is heyoh! In writing I overuse ellipses and exclamation points too. Oh, yeah and douche for me too. I hate that word, but for some reason it's my go to to describe creepy characters. I'm doing a lot of raspberries for no particular reason, this is new and will hopefully pass soon.

2.  Today I am thankful for an hour long chat with intelligent co-workers from a different workgroup that we're all feeling the same way, overworked/under appreciated and that it's the voice of the few that are spreading the most ill feelings. We all need a boost, hopefully spring break can bring at least some rejuvenation.

3.  My best friend [are] the best of course, always there when I need them and vice versa. The best things about my besties is they operate on the same friend wavelength as me, we don't need constant contact to survive. We can count on one another. I'm thinking it's about time to plan a BFGR weekend, and Chicago in summer and mini visits to Gavin's momma.

4.  A quirky thing about me is  I make weird faces all the time, I make weird body movements when bowling, and I put Ranch Dressing on rice and egg noodles.

5.  This weekend I  will finish cleaning my house (just some organizing to do, we did so great last weekend), hope my grandparents are up for a quick visit (it's been far too long, we're talking over three months. not good. and quick is the best way even if it's been so long.)

6.  Something that worries me is my grandparents health and general wellbeing, I don't think it's a good situation and seems to be getting worse. As their grandchild though I don't have much say (and don't know if I have the legal right to hear their health conditions from the doctor) and I don't think they would listen to me. Maybe if I stepped up and took the initiative that others should be taking (going to see doctors with them, discussing different options, visiting more often) then would be in a better place to have a say. I'm anxious to visit and see what the state of their life is right now. Getting old is hard.

7.  On my night stand you would find a humidifier, lamp, a glass of water. and if I'm sleeping my glasses. The humidifier prevents me from doing any thing cutesy. Another reason spring should get it's ass here sooner rather than later. 

now you.

marching into march

so welcome to a new month. we're going to go a little random today, because that's the best.

this morning i made a list. my first of many this month hopefully. i need to keep myself on track and lists will help! what's on this list you ask, well i was just about to tell you. CHANGE CAT LITTER, PICK UP MAIN FLOOR AND SWIFFER, FINISH LAUNDRY. it's not a very exciting list, but you see we cleaned (and cleaned and cleaned) the house on saturday. it feels great and it needs to stay that way! so lists must be made and tasks must be completed. do you call these chores? i'm 25 and have chores.

did you know there's probably (hopefully, omg i hope with every fiber of me) going to be a 70 degree day in the next 31 days. and then it's april. and april showers bring may flowers!

who wouldn't that?

planting, green, growth, fresh, thunderstorms, skirts, bare legs, flip flops, freckles. sunkissed.  it's all right around the corner. this is probably the most optimistic i've ever felt going in to march. i'm just pretending there isn't also a chance of a giant snow storm as well.

check out these beautiful jeans from Nine in the Morning. i particularly love the image in the upper left hand corner.

do you Bright Side? great companies, special giveaways. you should.

SimpleShoes

$30 for a pair of flips, even if made of recycled is a bit steep for me.

i'm an old navy two pair for $5 girl.

this could be color for the season.

or at least the rest of the post, but probably the season too.

last night i had a lesson in gluttony. we went out to dinner at local Harvey's and i proceeded to gorge myself on their delicious seasonal menu. potato wedges with blue cheese and bacon, tomato soup, brushetta burger. and here's the stupid thing, i knew before i even started my burger i was overfull, but proceeded to eat half of it, and thought i was going to burst. no good. lesson learned. 

then i bought goggles so i can swim straighter and get more exercise. i have reached a new chapter in my life. oh! i totally registered for the st pats 5k RUN yesterday in Bay City. my tri team is doing it as a group. i'm hosting an oatmeal smorgasbord. do you think they'll want bloody mary's?! no, probably not. that's ok, i never need an excuse to enjoy a bloody mary.

i think i will leave you with, three things for March, the three things i most want to accomplish for the month.

ONE. KEEP IT TIDY/FINISH ORGANIZING. TWO. MORE SPECIAL DATE NIGHTS. THREE. WORK ON/REEVALUATE/PRIORITIZE MY LISTS (25before26, 11before2012, etc.).