silly silhouettes

I absolutely adore silhouettes. More so than usual lately. Normally they seem so prim and proper, but these off the Jonathan Adler website are just so darling. Custom silhouettes with cute little phrases underneath. I especially love the dog silhouette, and the phrase fits perfectly for pebbles. She just hates to poop in the rain. So funny! I think this may just have to be my next art project for the house.

the life of a lawyer...

A paralegal, an associate and a partner of a prestigious law firm are walked on their way lunch when they find an antique oil lamp. They rub it and a Genie comes out in a puff of smoke.

The Genie says, "I usually only grant three wishes, so I'll give each of you one."

"Me first!" says the paralegal. "I want to be in the Bahamas, driving a speedboat, without a care in the world."

Poof. He's gone.

"Me next!" says the associate. "I want to be in Hawaii, relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of pina coladas and the love of my life."

Poof! She's gone.

"You're next," says the Genie to the Partner.

The partner says, "I want those two back in the library after lunch."

prints & posters i love

vespa silhouette by lepapierstudio on etsy

the anatomy of a gingerbread man by http://web.mac.com/moistproduction/flash/index.html

www.keepcalmgallery.com

couples print from www.shoptwine.com

linocut by tinatarnoff on www.etsy.com

Trip Planning

Michael and I love to travel. That may be an understatement. Love is almost not a strong enough word. When it comes to getting gifts for each other, we live by the belief that there is no better gift than a plane ticket. Who needs diamonds or designer bags, when the only place you've ever taken them to is to the movie theater or the mall in your home town? To understand our passion is to travel with us.

When we were wedding planning everyone asked us what we were getting each other as presents. We laughed and thought that was silly to spend money on separate gifts for each other. To us getting married was enough and our honeymoon was enough of a present. So we went all the way and spent two weeks in Italy and Greece with a weekend in Miami at the end. My 28th birthday was 6 months later, so for our 6 month wedding anniversary and 9 year dating anniversary. We got ourselves a trip to Paris and London. For our 1 year wedding anniversary we went back to Vietnam. Inbetween our trips to Italy/Greece, Paris/London and Vietnam we went to Houston, Dallas, Wyoming, and California.

Well, this year has been a little more disappointing on the travel end. For my birthday I got a purse and shoes and for our 10 year dating anniversary we got an iPad. While those are nice things, they are just things. And in the end not that exciting if they don't get to be used somewhere exciting. But not for long. This year Michael is turning the big 3-0. So our big plan this year - besides our scheduled trips to San Francisco/Yosemite National Park, Kansas City, Chicago and hopefully New York - is a trip to Spain. Ever since I saw the movie Vicky Cristina Barcelona I have been dreaming of Barcelona. We're thinking Madrid, Seville, Granada, and Barcelona. I think may have found the perfect deal for a 9 day trip - RT airfare, hotels in each city, and train tickets to each city all for a fabulous $1500/person. Hopefully the tax man deposits our money quick, so I can book our tickets soon. More details to follow. :-)

Spring Decorating Fix

With Spring comes this need in me to redecorate or start decorating again. So it's time to start planning some painting projects. I realize that I love wallpaper, but since I hate the idea of putting up wallpaper and the possibility of taking down wallpaper, I've found an alternative that I cannot wait to try. I am going to stencil an all over pattern in our bedroom and my craft room (which is not being used and has not been set up yet). Some inspiring photos I found on apartment therapy:




So I went ahead and bought some stencils on etsy from maisondestencil. I am going to use this one in our bedroom on the purple wall. I'm thinking of doing tone on tone with a difference in the finish. The wall is currently a deep flat purple. This will be stenciled on in a purple gloss to give it a subtle but rich look.


Next is my craft room which has yet to be set up. Right now our old apartment living room furniture is sitting in the room. I use the room to store my craft supplies and wrap presents. We painted the walls yellow this summer. So now I'm thinking of stenciling on one of the yellow walls with the pattern below in either a white or gray. I think the contrast will look absolutely lovely. Can't wait.

Now I just have to wait for the mail. So ready to get started. I know Michael is not.

Thanksgiving

Our first turkey. Michael did an incredible job.

The carving station, and in the background our first Christmas tree together. A skinny prelit 9 foot wonder decked out in red, silver and white ornaments.

The sides.

After the meal we (my family and I) all sat and watched the movie Up. But Michael cleaned up instead. By the time the movie was over he had cleaned up as if Thanksgiving had never happened. So wonderful. :-)

countdown to thanksgiving

Michael and I are hosting Thanksgiving this year for my family. People seem to go crazy about the idea of hosting and doing all the cooking, but honestly this seems not to be a terribly big deal right now. Admittedly, we are only cooking for six, but we are still doing a 14 lb bird, 7 sides, and dessert - so it's not like we're skimping. The menu for tomorrow is:

Garlic and Herb Roasted Turkey
Cognac Sweet Potatoes
Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes and Parsnips
Braised Brussel Sprouts
Sweet Corn and Herbs
Orange-Ginger Mint Cranberry Sauce
Turkey Sausage and Apple Stuffing
Bacon Macaroni and Cheese
Fresh Pear Pie

I just finished my pear pie, now on to boiling the potatoes. Unfortunately, we still have to make another trip to Wal-Mart, ugggh.