Miss(ing) Shakespeare

We're Back in Action!

2010-06-22T23:23:00.004-04:00

Meet Molly Helen Handren. =) Born February 21st.

And now come on over to our new blog, here to catch up!

On the menu for tonight: rice cereal - first dinner!

Insert Foot Into Spleen

2009-10-07T12:02:00.003-04:00

I felt the baby kicking yesterday morning while I was at work. This was the first time I was able to feel her when I wasn’t lying still, and it was amazing!

All of a sudden, I felt something move. It was similar to normal digestion or gassy feelings, but it was a definite kick – moving outward away from my spine at the front of the belly. And then, to assure me that I wasn’t imagining it, she proceeded to kick me about 40-50 times all morning. I’m so excited to be able to feel her in there.

There’a a PERSON in there. A tiny person, but still a people. Crazy!

Now that I’m about 20 weeks, my belly is more noticable. It definitely isn’t as big as I was expecting by this point, but I’m certainly not complaining. Because I’m on the heavier side, my weight gain goal given to me by my OB was 10-15 pounds. At first, I laughed a little when I heard it. I figured that despite all of my hard efforts, my body might just keep growing past the 25-35 mark.

Praise to the heavens, I’m currently STILL less than I was when I conceived. I gained about five pounds in the first month... before I knew I was pregnant. But then I changed my diet (no more crap food) and made yoga and walking a priority. No late night snack binges, despite occasional cravings. And no fast food. I lost 11 pounds, bringing me to about 6 less than what I was when I got pregnant.

Since then, I’ve been slowly creeping back up to the break even point (as I call it). I’m still about a half pound under my original weight, and I’m halfway done! Hopefully the 10-15 more from here will just be baby growing and amniotic fluid. ^_^

Girls, It's a Girl!

2009-09-28T11:47:00.003-04:00

We had an ultrasound on Thursday at 18 weeks. The tech said she was 80% certain that we'll be having a little girl!

The whole experience was amazing. We were able to see her brain - you could clearly see two separate lobes. We also saw her stomach, bladder, kidneys, heart, and lots of feet kicking! We were also able to witness our sweet little girl trying to find her thumb. You can see it in this picture. =)

This weekend I went north to New Hampshire to visit my parents and brother, and my mother and I went shopping in North Conway with some friends. We got the most adorable little clothes at Carter's! A little pink dress and a soft, cream-colored cardigan to wear over it. (It'll be February, after all!) Also tights to keep her legs warm and some little booties! Everything's so tiny and cute. I can hardly stand it. In a good way, of course.

Yay for little girls!

Letter to Baby

2009-08-18T15:34:00.001-04:00

Dear Baby (Name to be determined ^_^),

Mommy and Daddy are so excited to meet you!

You’re still only 12½ weeks, but you’re already almost three inches long. You’re growing so fast, and Mommy can’t wait to start to feel you moving in her belly!

We don’t even know if you’re a little boy or a little girl. But there are a lot of things that we DO already know. We know that we want you to grow up knowing how very much we love you. And we want you to know how much Mommy and Daddy love each other. You’re lucky, because your parents are best friends. We’re all going to have so much fun together!

We don’t know if our home will be filled with matchbox cars and baseball gloves or if we’ll be picking up princess dresses and costume jewelry. We don’t know if you’ll be wearing prom dresses or renting tuxedos. But we do know that we’re excited to play with you whether it’s GI Joes or Barbie dolls, to watch as you learn how to play catch and drive a car.

So for now, just keep growing. We don’t care WHAT you are. We just want you to be happy and healthy. We’ll see you soon!

On Fruit, Fetuses, and Lasting Nicknames

2009-08-18T10:29:00.002-04:00

Blueberry = Baby. Did you know? At least, for my family it does. When we told Scott’s brother and sister that I was pregnant, they were ecstatic. They’re 24 and 21 (respectively), so they can’t wait to be uncle and aunt. They were also curious to know how big the baby was at that moment. Taking a page from “What to Expect” (not literally, of course) I explained that the 5 week old fetus was about the size of a blueberry.

Since not everyone knew about it, we spoke in code at the family reunion.

How’s Blueberry doing?
Good!

Make sure you eat enough for blueberry!

And my favorite, as I was eating fruit salad with blueberries in it.... Simultaneous looks (from both of those fools) of fake shock and disappointment as I “ate” my child.

They really are hilarious and awesome people – I consider them to be my closest friends... And because they’re so witty and amusing, the nickname has stuck. (Not surprised... ^_^) I have a feeling our little one will always be “Blueberry”... even when they’re going to their prom. Even now, baby is more peach than blueberry. But that doesn’t seem to matter.

I can still hope that the baby grossly mispronounces their names and they go through life referring to uncle and auntie as something completely random. Like my cousin who started saying “Gwah” instead of “Gram”. He’s sixteen. She’s still Gwah. That would be some funny irony.

Calling All Moms!! Advice?

2009-08-12T14:44:00.000-04:00

Next week I’ll be going in to my OB’s office for some testing that has been scheduled. The test is called Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS), and I’m unsure how I feel about it. I was hoping to get some feedback from you moms out there.

For those of us who don’t know what it is (myself included, until I read up on it), they insert a small tube or needle into the uterus to extract a sampling from the placenta. The tissue therein is rich with genetic material matching that of the baby. They use this to test for Tay-Sachs disease, cystic fibrosis, as well as Down’s syndrome. The idea, apparently, is that if you found out that there were genetic defects, you could decide what to do... how to proceed. Whether to proceed?

You can imagine the thousands of thoughts that have been racing through my head. What would I do? I’m not sure that I’m willing to get into the details here, since this subject is one that people feel strongly about – one way or the other. Myself included. I avoid discussing this subject with friends and family, to avoid hurt feelings and getting into an argument with people that I care about. So I’d like to avoid that amongst us as bloggers, too. If you’ll forgive me for completely side-stepping this whole conversation.

MY concern, is whether to have the testing done AT ALL. I hadn’t really thought about it until my mother questioned why they were doing such an invasive test when there are no hereditary warning signs on either side of my and Scott’s families. Why, indeed? I tend to go with the flow. When my OB said that at around 12 weeks, they run tests for Tay-Sachs and Down’s syndrome, I said “okey-dokey”. Do what you’ve got to do. But do they have to?

After reading up on it a bit more, the consensus seems to be that there is a 1 in 300 chance of miscarriage associated with the test. That statistic improves in reputable clinics where the test is routinely performed, as is the case with my provider... But my bigger concern is this: What if we got a false positive?

My cousin’s girlfriend got pregnant fourteen years ago at the age of 16. When the CVS was done, the results came back positive for Down’s. She got a second opinion. Same results. She was devastated for her entire pregnancy. But she went through with it. At 16. And when the baby was born, out came a perfect, beautiful baby girl. With NO signs of genetic problems. She’s 14 now, and still perfectly normal.

I guess I’m just looking for some kind of assurance that everything will be okay. Not that anyone can give that to me. But is there anyone out there who’s had a baby recently?? Like within the past five years? Has the testing been refined or at all perfected in the past 15 years? Help! =)

In other news, today I am 11 weeks and five days pregnant. And last night, I realized that when I press on my lower tummy, I can feel my uterus. How cool is that? Four more weeks, and I might be able to feel some movement. Little baby feet kicking! So excited....

Further Proof

2009-08-07T16:49:00.003-04:00

Here's further proof of my nerdiness. *sigh* I was booooored. It's the day before a long weekend (we get Victory Day off in Rhode Island - woot!) so this place is DEAD. And all of my work is done.

I drew my D&D character for the first time. She came out all right.

Despite the fact that she's pink-toned because of the "Important Message" scrap paper I was using to draw on.

Don't judge me.

Proof That Nerds Can Find Love, Too

2009-08-06T10:27:00.013-04:00

I’m a gamer. Did I ever mention that? Growing up, my whole family was into Nintendo when it came out. Mario Brothers, Tetris... the good ole days. My brother and I liked it, but I think I may have outgrown it or lost interest if it hadn’t been for my mother – who was not only killer at video games, but also enjoyed it as much as we did.

She beat those games long before myself or my brother had the hand-eye coordination (or the patience) to do it. As a teenager, my brother had an xbox and I would play it in his room when he wasn’t using it. I’m still fairly certain that I played it for many more hours than he did.

So when Scott and I began dating, it had been awhile since I had played any games. When he learned that I used to play, he was eager for me to start again. (A gamer girl is any nerd’s dream girl, after all.)

I warned him that we only had the one console and that once invested in a game that I like, it’s difficult to pry me away. He insisted that he didn’t mind. Skip ahead three years (one engagement, one wedding, one baby conception later) and I’ve added a considerable list to my repertoire of games that I’ve beaten. Some more than once. They’re that good. I won’t list them here, since the impressive titles will likely fall on deaf ears, and I’ll be sad face.

I also enjoy comic books – or graphic novels, whichever you prefer to call them. My favorite is the Astonishing X-Men series (but only the ones that Joss Whedon wrote/collaborated on – without his writing genius, the story line is pale in comparison. It’s like drinking Boone’s Farm after you’ve become accustomed to fine merlot.)

The coup de grace? We play Dungeon’s and Dragons. Judge not, fair-minded friends, judge not.

The only exposure I had had to D&D was the creepy kid who sat next to me in Journalism class in high school. He had hair longer than mine, was whiter than most vampires I know (heh), and wore huge, spikey, metal rings on his fingers that looked too painful to wear. He was the only person I had ever known who had played D&D. So when Scott told me that he and his brother (and sister!) played it all the time, I got a wee bit frightened. But they turned me around. May have been a “Suggestion” spell, now that I think of it.

As someone who loves to create characters and give them fabulous back stories, Scott was surprised that I wasn’t already familiar with the game. As someone who adores medieval literature and history, I’m a prime candidate for this rpg (role-playing game). In case I haven’t already lost you, let me say thanks for not X-ing out of my blog faster than you can say “I roll 20’s.”

Let me list for you the things that we do NOT, under any circumstances, do while playing this game:

**We DO NOT dress up as our characters. No capes, no weird hats. No goth garb. Regular clothing only. Those folks are freakin' weird.

**We DO NOT talk in olde english, middle english or anything other than normal, human style, American English. We cannot be held responsible for copious Family Guy and Chappelle Show quotes. They’re a D&D staple.

**We DO NOT talk to each other as if we are our characters. Yes, this is a part of “role playing” but it’s kinda weird, and we don’t roll that way. Pun definitely intended. Mwah ha.

So now that you already know a vast extent of my nerddom, add to it the fact that I LOVE Star Wars, and have read about 15 books which go into further detail of what happened after the end of Return of the Jedi. Yessir.

Aaaaaand since we love Joss Whedon’s writing so so much, we’re clearly huge Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly fans. *Deep breath* Whew!! That’s a whole lotta nerdiness for you guys to absorb in one sitting. Can you handle it? Or has your brain gone all mushy?

Are you prepared to see the onesies that I found on Cafe Press that serve to prove that our child, regardless of sex, really has ZERO chance of not being a nerd? Sorry, little one! (But only slighty... o-only slightly.)

Exhibit A: Future Browncoat - When you can't run, you crawl... And when you can't crawl, you find someone to carry you.

Exhibit B:

Exhibit C: Recognize the reference to Star Wars: A New Hope?

Exhibits D, E, and F:

We're perfect proof that nerds can find love. And procreate. For better or for worse. You decide. ;)

Pregnancy Ticker

2009-08-04T15:51:00.003-04:00

Keep track of our progress! =) I've added a pregnancy ticker to the footer of my blog. It helps me keep track of exactly how far along I am. And it lets me see pictures of babies at the same stage that ours is right now.

Scroll to the bottom of the page to see... And keep us in your prayers for a healthy baby!

Ready for Mommy Chores

2009-08-04T15:06:00.003-04:00

I started babysitting on my own when I was about 13 years old. But for years before that, my younger brother and I went to a babysitter every day after school and every day during the summer. It wasn’t a huge babysitting company – only one woman who worked out of her home. Our play areas were the living room, the ktichen, the hallway, and the unheated mud room/porch. I was older when I began going... About seven. And when you’re that age at a babysitter’s with about 3 toddlers/babies still in diapers, it was occasionally easiest to seize the moment and change diapers yourself rather than calling for Di every half hour. Not to mention the fact that for a short while, I was convinced that I wanted to be a babysitter when I “grew up”. Turned out what I really wanted was children. To be a mom.

My point for all this is that I’ve changed my fair share of diapers in my life. Looking back on it, my sitter had a pretty good gig. The older kids were content to entertain the younger ones, leaving her free to clean up behind us, cook us our meals and snacks, and do the thousands of dishes that go with the territory by hand. I distinctly remember her lack of dishwasher. Poor woman. But it could have been worse. Without us to change diapers and rock babies with a naptime bottle, she would have had to do housework all night to keep up with the chores.

The plus side for me is that I already know how to do all of those mommy things. I know how to change diapers, get a bottle ready, spoon feed baby cereal, give baths, etc. I was doing it when I was still ten years old. I’ve also inherited a knack for putting cranky babies to sleep when they’re overtired. In fact, I did it for my friend, Serena at our friend’s wedding two years ago. She was a bridesmaid, and her little girl (Emma) was only about 2 months old. Long day + No Naptime + Lots of People = Overtired, Fussy Baby. I offerred to hold her, and was able to rock her and whisper to her softly until she was out. Like a light. Took about 3 minutes in a crowded reception hall.

Let’s hope my little one responds to my momma magic. =)

Fantabulous News!!

2009-08-03T16:29:00.003-04:00

One month. A whole month, people! What could I possibly have been doing with my time? Have I been kidnapped by a band of nomadic and frustratingly invisible ninjas? Travelling Europe? Did I finally get recognized as a fabulous writer with tons of potential by a worthy publishing house and have therefore been rushing for the past month to submit the first few chapters of my book? Alas, no. But I have something better.

Scott and I are going to be parents!!!

If all goes well, we’ll be expecting our wee little one at the end of February. I found out a month ago, and the news has practically consumed all of my waking thoughts. I’m about 10½ weeks along now, and I really have been dying to tell you all. We’re so thrilled, we’re having a tough time containing our excitement. We want to tell everyone we see on the street, but we’ve been refraining from telling many people until I was farther along. As of August 20th, we’re giving ourselves the okay to tell anyone who’ll listen, since it will be the beginning of my second trimester. We’ve told many family members already, and they’re all getting excited too!

(Ahem... not Tina and Scott's baby.) So yeah. Found 'im on Google Images. Isn't he sweet?

But I really couldn’t see waiting to tell all of you. It’s not like I have such a vast following. Besides, it’s been a month since my last post! And I really couldn’t bring myself to write about anything other than baby. Be prepared to be underwhelmed by my posts as I drool over teensy baby booties and various layette items. Don’t hate me when all of my posts begin to sound the same – here’s a nursery that I love. Here’s a nursery that’s ridiculous. And so on. My apologies (not really) and warnings ahead of time.

You’ve entered the baby zone! Cue adorable booties.

(I'm not even sorry.)

Book Review: Jude the Obscure

2009-07-03T11:18:00.004-04:00

Having just (this morning) finished Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy, I thought it pertinent to share my thoughts and reflections on it while it's still fresh in my mind. Also, I have today off and therefore have no excuses.

This novel is the story of one man whose life is ridden with small tragedies, any one of which could potentially have broken a person completely.

As a young boy whose parents have both died, Jude lived with his Aunt Drusilla in a small farm town, where he dreamed of growing up to become a scholar at Christminster (Hardy's version of Oxford). Attaining various old and used Greek and Latin schoolbooks, he taught himself to read in the old languages by studying day and night. As life often goes, Jude is never able to realize his dream, the tragedy of which lies in the fact that he both wants it more and is more worthy of a degree than most graduates.

Picture is of Christopher Eccleston, actor in the movie representation of the novel.

He is first detained from Christminster by falling most unfortunately in love with a girl who aimed to entrap him from the start. Arabella is one of the most realistic characters in literature, in that she's exceedingly false. All that appears positive about her (her adorable dimples, her shining hair, her sweetness and innocence) is fake, a lie, or an act. Dimples? She's learned to suck in her cheek just right. Voluminous, shining hair? She wears a hair piece, which she pins onto her existing hair each day, taking it off each night before bed. Innocence? Jude soon learns that she has had other male partners before him and has worked in a tavern as a barmaid. She and Jude as a couple are a tragedy in themselves, and they unsurprisingly do not last long.

The other major relationship of Jude's life is with his cousin, Sue, whom he is head over heels in love with. Sue leads him along for the majority of his life, the dangling carrot just out of reach. While they do manage to have two children together, the tragedy that befalls them is too shocking and too important to the plot to describe here.

Perhaps most ironic for me is that despite all of his well-meaning efforts, Jude dies alone and in pain, with only the distant church bells of Christminster to keep him company in his last moments. Most painful is that at that moment, the university was granting an honorary doctorate to some likely undeserving fellow, while its most staidfast supporter lied in bed, taking his final breaths.

While a bit slow-moving, the novel is an excellent representation of how life can be if you let it get away from you. Without perspective, life can be seen as nothing more than a series of small and large tragedies with a few joys sprinkled in between. If we don't enjoy the little moments that constitute the majority of our existence, we'll have as much to show for ourselves as poor Jude. We won't always get what we want out of life, but to only keep our eyes on the horizon and never on what is before us, we'll miss what's happening right here, right now.

J'Adore!

2009-06-30T11:10:00.015-04:00

It was so humid this morning that when I was taking Isabel out for a walk, I could see my own breath. You read that right. It was about 60 degrees outside, and the air was so WET that I could see my own breath. Disgusting.

In an effort to forget the weather and the ickies that result, here are some pictures of things that I absolutely adore. Some of these are projects that I’m currently copying or plan on copying in the near (or semi-distant) future.

I love plates. And I love them on walls, though I didn’t know this until I began trolling the internetssss about a month ago. These colored plates are great, arranged all together and all complimentary in their greens and pinks. I love how this person (unknown to me since I didn’t mark where I found the pic – oopsie) managed to put pink and green plates on a blue wall without looking like an idiot. And I love those candlesticks. Love them!

This picture, from County Living, was one of the first pictures I saved onto my jump drive. The chaisse lounge is beautiful, and I love the pink plates of different designs on the wall.

This platter mirror from Martha Stewart Living is a project that I want to tackle if I can find a platter that I like in my yard sale/thrift store travels. The mirror just needs to be cut by someone with a glass cutter, and they’ve also added pillow piping to the edges of it to give it more texture. The mirror only appears to be hanging from the ribbon. They’ve secured it with a plate hanger and added the ribbon afterward. Cuteness!!

Another project that I can’t wait to finish is a shelf that I acquired from a thrift store for $3. I’ve painted it, distressed it a bit, and now am just waiting for hubby to hang it tomorrow. This picture from Better Homes & Gardens reminded me of it, so I saved it for inspiration.

Someday, when we have our own home, I'd love to cover a wall in a wallpaper like this one. It's beautiful, but a teensy bit too crazy for a whole room. Blue + Damask = Instant Love Affair in my world. This photo is also from BHG.

This photo, from DIY Ideas, draws me in every time I look at it. I'd love to find a gorgeous, ornate frame like this. Paint it a pretty color. Add a map of Block Island, where Scott proposed. It would be so very Rhode Island, and perfect for our home. I'm keeping an eye out for one!

I'd love to cover an entire wall in literature. This is also from DIY Ideas, and it's one of the more creative wall coverings I've seen. They used dictionary pages, but I'd love to do it with pages from a "Complete Works of Shakespeare" edition. I just don't know if I could bear to cut one up. It's too Fahrenheit 451 for my liking.

I'm impressed with myself that I wrote down the photo credit for this one. It's from Rate My Space, and the user was Momma2Be. How adorable is this nursery? I love its simplicity and the use of moulding to divide the wall. That vinyl design is perfect, and I love the colors she chose. And check out that gorgeous little chandy!!

After my headboard post, I found the perfect one for us on Martha Stewart Living. Inexpensive and adorable. I'm going to attempt to make my own quilt. It'll be simple, and it'll be my first. And it'll likely be a year in the making. But it's in the works! Scott and I also want to add a moulding shelf above it for frames and vases, etc. It's going to be awesome.

It's a bit too late in the season to start this next project, but it's a definite possibility for next year. Martha rocks my socks again with this invisible trellis idea. They made it with eyehooks screwed into the wall and med gauge wire. I'm thinking morning glories or some other kind of climbing, flowering plant. So pretty!

This nautical themed ribbon garland is easy and looks like it would be great for outdoor parties. You could also use different colors for different seasons! And yep - Martha again. No real surprise there.

A romantic, easy way to display flowers and vases simultaneously. Martha comes through in a pinch.

I'm doing a version of this last project very soon. As soon as I can get my hands on some sand. Which should be easy, since we're going to Portsmouth for dinner tonight. Maybe I can snag a tupperware container of it before we head back inland on the way home.

That's it for now! Have a happy Tuesday!

Six Flags Day

2009-06-27T22:35:00.020-04:00

Our company paid for everyone to go to Six Flags, New England yesterday. It went off without a hitch, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, so I consider it a success! It was the very first event that I've ever planned - I'm so glad that it went well. I took a few photos, but since bags aren't allowed in most ride lines I didn't have my camera on me as often as I had thought I would.

As soon as we stepped inside the gates, we made a beeline for this ride, aptly named "Scream".

I definitely screamed. Like a little girl. It raises you up in the air, all at once and unexpectedly. And then it raises you to the very top, and drops you without warning. So two scares in one ride. Perfect! You can see we had lovely weather. ^_^ Here's a nice pic of our COO (to the left), a random child, and our Patient Advocate (to the right).

My team consisted of one of our java programmers, myself, and our HR Director (my boss - who is awesome, BTW. No joke.) Scooby and Scrappy were unfortunately not part of our team.

Another team got an awesome photo with Wonder Woman and Robin, the Boy Wonder!

Since it wasn't too hot out, there were lots of characters out and about all day. Here's a nice shot of Bugs Bunny's bum. Also some other folks you might recognize! Daffy and Pepe!

This guy, from the commercials, is much more creepy in person than you might think. Very weird.

One of the things I was most impressed with were the flowers throughout the park. Their gardeners/landscapers did a fabulous job. Check these out!

I wish I could create hanging baskets like those! The mixture of flowers and different colored and textured leaves makes for a fabulous palette...

Free Paint?!?!

2009-06-25T16:30:00.003-04:00

Check out the email I just received...

Get Ready To Roll (Or Brush)!

Congratulations! Your order number 50611 for one quart of GLB25 Rich Navy Glidden paint (Eggshell sheen) has been processed and is on the way. You can expect to receive your paint in 3 to 4 weeks.

WOW!! Thanks to Jen at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam for news of this amazing giveaway! All you have to do is go to this website to sign up for a free quart of paint. For reals.

Christmas in June. Whodathunk.

T Minus 22 Hours

2009-06-25T13:00:00.006-04:00

Tomorrow is D-Day for the company’s trip to Six Flags, New England. Let’s get you excited about it too. Here are some fun photos. The Superman Ride of Steel....

And from the top...

The Mind-Eraser...

This whole she-bang has been planned by yours truly, so I’m a wee bit nervous. Charter bus is paid for and confirmed. Tickets, meal vouchers, park maps, and photo scavenger hunt instructions are printed out and divided into personalized welcome packets for each employee. Prizes are approved and ready to go. We’ve arranged a bus challenge, which will be the first team building exercise of the day.

Each person has submitted a fun fact about themselves that not many people know. Mine is “I once had a piece of artwork featured in a state art show.” No one here knows that I’m artistic, but if they use their imaginations they should be able to figure it out. When we run out of these questions, we’re moving to Trivial Pursuit. We’ll do a bunch of those until people get rowdy, bored, or physically combative. Whichever happens first. The prize for the winning team is a Flash Pass, which allows the group to greatly lessen (oxymoron, whoa) the amount of time waiting in line. Highly coveted. By me especially.

The photo scavenger hunt is going to be awesome. I made this one up myself! I got help with a few of the items, but the coup de grace is for employees to find look-alikes of the upper management team (CEO, VP, COO, etc) and to ask the random park guest to take a photo with the group for extra points. Ought to be interesting!

I promise to post pictures from our trip. And hopefully some funny ones from the scavenger hunt.

Girly Toolbox

2009-06-24T20:43:00.008-04:00

I like things that are pretty. Don't get me wrong - I'm a bit of a tomboy as well. I can drive a car with a manual transmission, I check my car's fluids regularly, I refuse to call AAA when I get a flat tire because I know how to do it myself and I love getting into the dirt and using the car jack like I'm on a NASCAR pit crew. That said, I like skirts and manicures and flowers and curling my hair. So when I wanted all of my new gadgets and DIY tools in one spot, I knew who to call.

Allow me to introduce a friend of mine. I bought this decorative, hinged box at HomeGoods about a month ago and didn't quite know what to do with it. I just knew that I loved it to pieces. Not literally into pieces, since it IS pretty sturdy.

As I gathered all of my goods, I knew that I needed to get them all together in one place so that I wouldn't lose anything. (I'm notorious for that.) This box handles the job with style! Here are some of the things I gathered together before I started filling it up.

Let's see, we've got a hammer. (Like Captain Hammer. Whedon fans, anyone?? Anyone?? Buehler?) Pliers. Check. Screwdriver? Check. So what else could I need in my toolbox? Wire cutters. Beads. Pretty ribbon. White paint for ceramics. Spray paint gun (not yet used, but soon to be my new best friend). Thread for my curtains. Tape measure.

I also added these items from our junk drawer. Why show you everything? One, I know you're DYING to know. And B, this can serve as an index for my husband for all of the things that I stole from his toolbox. If you can't find anything, sweetie, please reference above photos. And don't be mad if I also stole some items that are not pictured. Love you!

Just to prove that everything fits, here it all is. I also added my painter's tape, some nails... you get the idea. It won't look this neat for long. I intend to use it constantly!

P.S. We're on day 42 and a million for this rainy weather. Everything is moist. Eck. Someone send us some sun!

DIY Ottoman (The Footrest, Not the Empire)

2009-06-22T21:24:00.026-04:00

Last week I found an old ottoman at the local thrift store for $6.99. The fabric was heinous, but it was a sturdy piece. I even sat my big ole butt down on it in the store and wiggled around to see if it would hold me up. It passed the test, so I gave it a mental high five for its success and tossed it into my cart.

So I took it home and started my first DIY furniture recovery/reupholstering. If you could even call it reupholstering, which I kinda think you can't. You'll see. P.S. Excuse the dark photos. I take all these over by my patio door since it's the best source of natural light that we have in our apartment. However, it's been raining for about 40 days and 40 nights, so our light hasn't been the best.

Anywho. So back to Ottoman ~~Empire~~ Redo. I took the legs off. I'll likely paint them antique white during my next project. (It's easiest for me to do several things at once, since I only have the outdoor patio for a painting studio. That and it was raining. Ahem. Big surprise.) One of them is missing the metal on the bottom. I'm not too concerned.

I unscrewed the metal brackets (??) that hold the legs in place.

It's always nice to have a ~~furry detriment~~ helper. I told you she loves DIY projects!

I removed about 1,000 staples (give or take) from the underside of this beast, as well as a few nails that are old enough to be my grandmother.

When I removed the backing, I realized that someone else had already done a recovery on this thing years ago. I'll forgive them for their fabric choice given that it was probably about 25 years ago. Seriously.

Here it is, stripped of the old fabric and old white quilt that was used as batting.

Yes, that's ANOTHER type of material that you see under there. That's because this is what it looked like underneath:

All right. For real, this thing is OLD. I am NO good with this stuff, but under the leather (faux leather???) it's filled with HAY.

Do I know how to pick 'em or what? Eesh. At this point, it was time to replace the material with some of my own choosing, so I pulled out my handy new hardware that we bought at the store's grand opening on Saturday. That's right. We didn't own a staple gun. I know, I know. We have one now. And some staples that are mondo-insane-humongous, so don't choose this size... I'll buy a few sizes down next time. Oopsie. Lesson learned.

I put the old quilt right back on it. And I don't even care. Free batting. And it didn't smell. That bad. Febreeze, okay? Works wonders. Besides, the whole project will end up being a kitty bed/perch/throne/scratching post in a few days anyway so "eh".

I didn't take a picture of it, because it was flat and beat up, but I used an old (OLD) pillow for extra cushioning. So there's the old leather. And then an old pillow over that, and an old quilt on top of that. I stapled the quilt to the wood to hold it all in place. Then, I added my material and stapled that in place as well.

Fold the material like you're wrapping a christmas present. (If I could wrap all of my presents with a staple gun, I'd be a happy girl.) This looks less like "wrapped present" than "awful mess" but it was going to be hidden under the backing anyway.

Some of my sides turned out nicely. We'll focus on those.

I replaced the old cardboard-y backing, and screwed the metal leg braces back on (easier said than done, I'll add).

Here's the detail of the material, which I chose for kitchen curtains that I'll be sewing together soon. I made sure than I still have enough for a valance. I liked the cream and red flowery toile pattern. It ought to country-up our little apartment. The picture keeps posting vertically even though I have it saved horizontally. Go figure. ^_^

It was getting quite dark, so the final "after" shot is with a flash. Ick. Someday when the sun comes out I'll replace this photo with a nice one.

It still needs a nice trim for the bottom edge, but for now I like it a whole lot better than what it looked like before. It's a lot more comfy, too, although slightly lopsided since our pillow was not in the best of shape.

Hopefully, someday I'll be so awesome at this that I'll look back at this post and laugh my bum off at how terrible it was. But for now, it works for me!

Stay tuned for the final result of our photo wall, which is my next project.

This room needs lots of work, but adding something (anything) to this wall will be a nice start. As you can see I already arranged everything using cut up paper bags from the grocery store and some painter's tape... It's SO CLOSE to being done, I can taste it!

Dream Homes - Complete With Literary Fantasies

2009-06-18T21:08:00.010-04:00

Sometimes I see a picture of a place and it makes me think of what kind of book I would want to read if I was there at that exact moment. When I see pictures of England, I think to myself, "If I ever go there I'm bringing nothing but Shakespeare in my bag." And when I see Rome, I think Dante Aligheri. Greece? Easy. So many Greek comedies and tragedies to choose from.

I was looking at these amazing houses on BHG.com today and as I was daydreaming about each one of them, I found myself also thinking about which literary masterpieces I'd read on those porches. All photos are from Better Homes & Gardens.

Ooooooooooh. Man. This house makes me want to fill it with children. Like five of them. Just paint it white and add green shingles, and it'd be straight out of Lucy Maud Montgomery's fantasically creative mind and Prince Edward Island. Anne of Green Gables had to have been born out of an inspirational home like this one. That's what I'd do if I owned a home like this. Read Anne stories on the porch all day, sip iced green tea, and bask in the beauty of my surroundings.

This Queen Anne Victorian home is quaint and homey. I just know that as you walk up those steps, the aroma of freshly baked apple pie drifts through the doors and windows. Here, I'd read something by James Joyce. Ulysses or Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.

Another Victorian home, but this one is all-American to me. This is the American Dream in house form. I'd hang a gi-normous American flag next to the front door and be sure to add a hammock to that porch. I'd be up with the sun every morning with a cup of hot tea or coffee, a scone, and some homemade strawberry preserves. This one makes me want to pick up Homer's Odyssey again, or Dante's Divine Comedy - the Inferno (it's the best part, okay?) Even Sophocles's Oedipus or Antigone.

Oh! Can barely handle it. This refurbished 1870's Victorian home takes my breath away. I expect to see Dickens and Bronte characters fanning themselves on this porch. I'd read Vanity Fair by William Thackeray, Daniel Deronda by George Eliot, or Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.

This home has TWO porches! Check out the darling little porch/balcony off of the second floor. In my fantasies, it adjoins the master bedroom, where I could slip into a lush spa-like bathrobe and relax before bedtime. I'd plant aromatic herbs in pretty pots - lavender, sage, basil... and run my hands over them to release the scent as I soaked in Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver or Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.

For now, it's Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy, read while lounging around a two-story Rhode Island townhouse style apartment. It isn't Victorian, but it's home. =)

Heads up for Headboards

2009-06-17T21:23:00.012-04:00

Ahhh the headboard. We badly need one in our master bedroom. Our bed looks so sad and lonely, no matter how many silly pillows (Scott's words) I add to it. Solutions? I could make my own headboard. I'm confident, at this point, that I could upholster one all on my lonesome. The only problem is that I don't feel like paying for the headboard frame itself. Or the material to cover it. Etcetera.

Alternate solution? Troll Better Homes & Gardens for headboard ideas that don't involve having an actual headboard. All of the images coming up are BH&G. Because they're that amazing. For reals. If you register to their website, there are TONS of pictures and inspiration. Like, I just went over there to get the link and spent about ten minutes drooling before I remembered I was writing a post. Impressive.

One of my favorite ideas comes from one of my favorite bedrooms on the site. I love blue and brown mixed together. (Especially blue material with a brown toile print - *sigh*) I'm also obsessed with this non-headboard idea. If I find any old windows hanging around, it's all over.

I love each and every one of those prints in the separate window panes. I think we need a closer looksie.

Notice how they also continued the prints on the throw pillows. It all looks so fresh and so dreamy. I love the brown accent ribbon that's been added to the pillows. And those brown paisley shams are clearly from a totally random set. I like that it all matches, yet it's mismatched at the same time.

My other favorite are these shelves mounted to the wall behind the bed. For a book lover such as myself, my mind starts spinning with ideas for what I could put on something like this.

My collection of old books (love!), framed literary quotes, bud vases brimming with hydrangea, wedding snapshots of Scott and myself... also good for holding our cell phones, alarm clocks, and stray hairties and bobby pins that I inevitably forget to take out before bedtime. This one's a definite contender for the headboard job. I also love the old columns which were pulled out of a salvage yard, adding a touch of outdoor architecture within the room. Scott's response when he saw it? "Columns are for holding things up. Outside." Ugh.

Continuing with my love of blue and brown, check out this beauty. I just know that half of the reason I'm in love with this room is the sheets (squeal!) and the hydrangea on the side table (swoon!).

This bench cushion hangs from a simple moulding with hooks added. I love the seemingly random placement of the frames above it.

These awesome hankies make for an interesting backdrop as well. They're stretched over square artist's canvases. And check out those side tables. Drums! Amazing. And so unique. Never would have done it, but I love it now that I see it in action.

Another one using an artist's canvas. They placed it with the long side vertically, but I would probably turn it horizontal. I'm also digging those wall sconces, but wouldn't know how that works when it comes to wiring. Any electricians out there?

This one is nice for purely sentimental reasons. I can't imagine finding picture frames cheap enough for me to bother doing this, but I suppose it could happen. They'd need to be literally less than $2 each. And the people in the pictures could only be me and Scott. Otherwise I'd feel like they were, you know... watching.

I love the old door above the bed trick. Vintage door = instant awesome headboard. All I have to do is find one. I'll let you know if it ever happens. Love the pillows, too!

And this last one is a not-a-headboard-at-all-not-even-a-fake-one... But I love it over in the corner of the room, there! I believe that it might be two old doors covered in material, but the blurb with the picture online only discussed the headboard itself, if I remember correctly. Love it anyway!

That's all for now. Just food for thought at this point. I have several projects that are impending.

*Master bedroom side table gets new lamp
*Dog walking station gets black coat of paint and possible decoupage-y goodness
*Sweet heart-shaped table loses its nasty flowered design and gets a new home in the stairwell with a sassy black coat of paint
*Blank wall gets frisky with newly painted mirror and frames
*Master bathroom gets a window curtain and ribbons for our toiletry basket
*Kitchen window gets curtains - finally (possible sequel - kitchen cabinets get knobs)
*Kitchen wall gets shelves and awesome new plates/teacups get new home
*Brass lamp in living room gets a coat of paint (any paint) so that it'll stop staring at me accusingly

Stay tuned!

Paint It Black - Results!!!

2009-06-15T23:33:00.024-04:00

Finally. My first REAL attempt at some sweet Do-It-Yourself action. I recently posted here about Layla's inspiring guest bedroom. I'm planning to arrange frames in a similar way in my living room on the wall above our television and DVD bookcases. The centerpiece will be this mirror, which I found at a thrift store for $8. It was icky gold, but definitely had potential. Here she is in all of her glossy black glory.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Here it is before:

Yeah. Definitely just needed a coat of paint. First, I taped off the mirror and covered it with newspaper. Then, I scrubbed the dust bunnies from the nooks and crannies with a dry scrub brush.

Then, I proceeded to "go to town" with gloss black spray paint - purchased at, you guessed it, Handren's Hardware! I used Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch, in Gloss Black.

Of course, I made a classic rookie mistake. Oops. Notice how Scott was ever so kind enough to capture this epic moment in my DIY journey. Thanks, babe.

Here are some detail shots. The gold that you see is the underside of the frame, reflected in the mirror. Another rookie error, I suppose, but if it's very noticeable on the wall, I'll remove the mirror and paint the whole frame. We'll see. For now, as The Nester says, "It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful."

Woopsie. Kitty distraction. What's that, Lily? You LOVE DIY?!? Yes. She loves it so much that a nap is quick to follow. Or maybe the fumes from painting outside wafted through the screen door?

Anywho, I didn't just paint this mirror. Oh no. If I'm going to lay down plastic on my patio and get paint all over myself, I'm going to do it all at once. Really get down and dirty. I also needed to paint this old frame that Scott's had for about ten years, which he likely purchased at Wal-Mart for about $5. I'm guessing. You know, from the icky, fake oak wood-ness. Classy.

Here's the after shot for this fine specimen. For this, I used Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch, in Flat Black.

Aaaand notice that some of the newspaper lifted up during my painting, which I didn't see until after all was said and done. I may just remove the glass.

While I was painting, I had a brilliant idea to paint one of my vases. This baby was sitting in storage (due to its sickly green color) just waiting for a makeover.

My inspiration for this came from the spray paint can itself, interestingly enough.

Here's the after for this one, which I love! It looks a thousand times better in this flat black shade. Even Scott was feeling it. =)

This weekend I went to JoAnn Fabrics while I was in Portsmouth, New Hampshire visiting my grandmother. My mother and I took her out for lunch and shopping - and they were both surprised that I wanted to go there. They were reluctant to join me, as well, but I believe that I've converted them! I found some small wooden frames on clearance. Here's the back of one of them, so you can see the original color.

Here's the front, after I was finished with it.

Add one cute kid, and you have an instant hit.

In this case, it's Scott's four year old half-brother, Jon. He's only three in this photo, but it's the most recent one we have.

And that wraps it up! I've acquired some paper bags from Stop & Shop so that I can trace my frame sizes and shapes. I want to lay out everything on the wall in paper before we start nailing holes. =)

I also acquired some AMAZING old family photos from my visit to see my Memere. She's kindly let me borrow them, and I'll be scanning them so that I can get them into some frames and onto my walls. I have some of her and Grandpa's wedding in 1948, some of my great, great grandmother.... etc. Incredible. And some of them are just so NEAT... I can't wait to have them up where people can see them and enjoy them every day. Thanks for stopping by!

My Family Heirloom

2009-06-11T23:38:00.005-04:00

I cannot WAIT to get my hands on that glossy black spray paint that Scott is bringing home with him from my father-in-law's hardware store tomorrow. I'm painting my awesome $8 mirror this weekend, along with some other mismatched frames. Aside from the awesomeness of sassing it up, I'm excited because I can finally put my old candlestick to good use. Its new home is a black shadow box from Crate & Barrel, which we'll be hanging in amongst the mirror and other frames. (Hopefully.)

This isn't any ole' candlestick, friends. It was my grandmother's great-grandmother's. Yep. Alice Brierly brought it with her from England when she came to America when she was sixteen. This was in 1884. She passed it on to her daughter, and so forth down the line until I received it as a wedding present from my Uncle Kevin two years ago. (My dad's mom only had boys, so it was passed to him for a generation.) I'm truly honored to have it in my home, and I can't wait to pass it on to my daughter someday (if we have girls!).

Isn't it just amazing?

On another note, I've made plans to visit my grandmother on Saturday with my mom. We'll meet halfway in Portsmouth, NH... My Memere recently moved in with my aunt and uncle after my grandfather passed away in January. They had lived in Florida for the past fifteen years, so I only saw them occasionally. Once he passed, my family moved Memere to NH so that she wouldn't be alone.

The last time I visited her, about two months ago, we spent over two hours going through her old photos. She has the MOST INCREDIBLE family pictures stowed away in an antique breadbox that was her grandmother's. She has wedding portraits for her parents, her grandparents on both sides, my grandfather's parents, etc. And hundreds of snapshots. My favorite are pictures taken during WWII of her Uncle Leo who was in General Patton's army. They're unbelievable. Right in the thick of it, with helmets on and camoflague netting around them. Insane. She also has pictures of herself and my grandfather at their own wedding, at their first house (that my mother grew up in), etc.

My plan is to see if I can borrow them. I want to scan them, print them on cardstock for my own home, and frame some of the more important ones in a decorative frame collage for a Christmas present to her. Those photos are too good to waste, just sitting in an old breadbox and no one ever seeing them.

My last bit of news is that I spoke to my mother about my aunt's old plates. Ever since I scored those thrift store teacups (the blue transfer-ware) I've been thinking about how much I like them. I remembered that when I was about 10 years old, I overheard my aunt talking to my mother about how she had a whole set of the stuff. She said that she saw some in an antique store for mucho bucks. This was before internet, so she hadn't known that they were worth anything. She had said that she didn't even want them anymore, but that she would keep them in storage since they were valuable. *Swoon!* I asked Mom about it, and she said that she thinks that she still has them somewhere. I'm emailing her tomorrow (Friday). I want them! =)

Office Love

2009-06-10T22:50:00.021-04:00

I work in one of the coolest offices in Providence. I know it. The management has approved an Associate Recognition Day on June 26th. My committee struggled to come up with ideas for where we could go, but I suggested Six Flags New England, in Springfield Massachusetts, which is less than 2 hours from our office. We didn't think for a minute that it would be approved, since we also included a Greyhound charter bus and meal vouchers for a total cost of about $3200. And that figure doesn't even include the day's wages for 43 employees who would all have the day off. It was APPROVED!

I can't even believe it. My idea! On top of it all, I've been put in charge of contracting the bus, ordering park tickets and meal vouchers, communicating the news and the details to all of the employees, and organizing a fun team building exercise for the day. I've never had a project this enormous or this important. People are thrilled. As they should be. Hopefully this will help them realize that we work for a fabulous company. For real!

And to put our awesomeness into perspective, I'm including pictures from the office. I walked around today and took photos of all of the things that I love about the decor, the atmosphere, and the philosophy. Let's start with my desk. We're allowed to decorate our work spaces as we see fit. Within reason, of course.

Love that multi-color, beaded pen holder! I've had it since junior high, so that's about half my life. It never fails to add color and character to my desk, wherever I've worked. And you see my lovely little cast iron teapot. Obsessed! And yes, that IS a Star Wars pen that you see in the black holder. The picture was taken about a half hour after Scott proposed on Block Island. We're standing on the porch of the Manisses Hotel, where we stayed that weekend.

Here's my computer (and the spreadsheet I worked on all day today for the Finance department - eck). You'll see that I have my teas, my Isabel pic, and my orange from the kitchen. They order fruit from Peapod every week so that we have healthy snack options while we're at work. Crazy awesome, right?

Here are my books, which I literally just keep there to make me happy. And my Office daily calendar which makes me laugh every morning when I change the date.

My desk drawer. I keep my lip gloss, eye drops, and hand sanitizer from Bath & Body Works in here. The essentials. And an old award from two years ago that reads "Mamy Thanks". It's become a department joke because spelling/grammar mistakes are ridiculous when they're on company awards. =)

My teacup from home, my purple pen, and my me and Scott's iPod. Yep - they don't mind if we listen to music all day, as long as our work gets done. Badass.

The office is right off of the highway. I-95, to be exact. Lovely view. Not really - but it's good to be able to see when traffic is getting heavy. So we know whether to leave soon or to wait it out.

Our owner/president/CEO's collection of signed posters. Mamma Mia came to the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC). This is signed by the cast. Also the cast of Brotherhood signed this other poster. Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy of the Harry Potter movies) is one of the main characters. When they're in Prov filming, Isaacs trains across the street at our gym. Oh yeah, we have a gym. =) Aaaaan yep - that last one is signed by the six cast members of Friends. Super-badassness.

The buffet where many impromptu management meetings take place. That's because it's right in front of our cappuchino machine, which is stocked with coffee beans from Italy. Ooooh yeah.

Modern wall sculpture accentuating our love of all things coffee.

There she is in all of her automated glory. Ain't she gorgeous?

Our entryway is wide open, with natual lighting from the skylight overhead. The decor is very industrial-looking, and the walls are covered with past company advertisements. Frankly, Scarlet, *company name* does give a damn...

Some fun sculptures atop our filing cabinets. And a nice view of the unfinished ceiling, painted sky blue. This looks lovely, but really gets noisy when it rains. So loud, in fact, that we need to ask people on the phone to speak up. Kinda annoying. But cool-looking! =) Also note the lack of fluorescent lighting, which we all appreciate.

Now we'll take a peek at the seating area in the CEO's office. Love the colors in here. And the artwork. And the jerseys. I didn't take too many pics in here, since I'm pretty sure he had only stepped out to get a cappuchino in the kitchen. So I had to be quick! =)

I did take the time to snap a shot of his amazing, salt water aquarium. Isn't it gorgeous? Filled, of course, with similar fishies that are in Pixar's Finding Nemo.

I love the small details that you can find everywhere in here. These flowers are on a cute little table in one of our conference rooms. This room is used most often for our HR department meetings, since it's the smallest (and nicest!) one.

We all know I love a bookcase. And this computer screen is enormous. They use it for company-wide webinar meetings, since we have locations from Calais, Maine to Salt Lake City, Utah.

And I love this bar, these hanging lights, and this crystal bowl (which is actually an engraved award).

Thanks for taking the tour! The office was decorated by the CEO's mother. She has a great creative eye. You should see his house! It's right on the water in Jamestown RI, with an insane view of the Newport Bridge. But no photos of that one! If I ever get any, I'll be sure to post 'em if I can get permission. =)

I'm still working on my frames - getting them taped and papered off for spray painting. Also, I'm trying to paint some more of my planters for Kimba's Garden Party coming soon! =)

What's In A Name?

2009-06-10T14:29:00.007-04:00

A blog by any other name would but smell as sweet. Right? You may have noticed the name change.

"T. Hardy," unless you're a literature major, could be slightly ambiguous. It stands, FYI, for Thomas Hardy. Who was a literary genius who penned such incredible works as Jude the Obscure and Tess of the D'Urbervilles. Sorry, Tom. You're not as well known as my one-true-love: good 'ole Willy Shakes.

Playwright, poet, writer of all things awesome. Mmmm, genius-y goodness. So it's au revoir, fair friend. I still love you, but no one knows who you are anymore. (Let's be honest, buddy, I know of some lit majors who will remain nameless who don't even know you. Sad, I know.) There you are, with your badass moustache. The stache' alone was almost reason enough to keep the title as it was. Alas, it could not be.

Also, I was going by "Miss(ing) Shakespeare" as my user ID... my nickname... my moniker. Too long + Too lazy = Oh give it up already and just go by your own first name. Let me introduce myself... My real name is Tina. Howdy!

So I'll be keeping my blog address the same. You know, so that my four readers will know where to find me. *Eye Roll* But my new and improved blog name is sure to impress my vast following.

1st Blog Award

2009-06-09T22:34:00.004-04:00

Thanks so much, Anna, for my very first blog award! Anna comes to FTHTHR from All Things Creative, where she posts the most darling projects that she's completed. A great interior designer and creative soul, I hope to one day take on some of her projects... but this landlubber hasn't earned her sealegs yet. Baby steps!

I'm flattered! Now, I gotta say, I'm supposed to pass this on to 15 other new bloggers. I only know a few - but here' goes anyway.

Quaint Murmer is a wonderful poet whose blogs are filled with the most gorgeous imagery and a warm atmosphere. Her writing is truly inspired.

The Fierce Beagle is a page that I read at home now, after reading a post at work and laughing so much I cried, to the chagrin of my coworkers. Oopsie.

The Grammar Monkey writes a blog called ~~Do Not~~ Feed the Editor. Also freakin hilarious and insanely well-written, which I love.

Living With Lindsay is one of my favorite sites. I go there every day. Her sense of humor and her creative eye are superb. Love her!

Crafting With Cat Hair has some of the cutest, most darling little hand-sewn toys for little girls that I've ever seen. Check out her donuts and bagel with cream cheese and lox! I'd have died and gone to heaven if I had these when I was five.

I'd give one to my fav gal, Centsational Girl, but I see Anna has already bestowed one upon her. Yay!

That's enough, I think. Cuz, hey, I also wrote descriptions and accolades. Soooo... yeah. And I'm lazy. There's also that.

Pug + Kitty + Laser Pointer

2009-06-09T21:57:00.006-04:00

Equals FUN. For Scott and myself. They mostly battle over who gets first dibs at chasing the thing. It always goes the same way. Isabel's tail goes all straight, in an attempt to cover her bum for the battle ahead. They square off.

Isabel lunges toward it, but glances up and sees that she is exceedingly close to kitty. Within paw range. She backs off ever so slightly.

Kitty bats at the light, and Isabel backs off a little further. Note the increased blurriness. It only gets worse from here.

And finally, the kitty has a go at it while Isabel runs wildly in wide circles around her. These cirlces aren't reserved solely for the laser pointer, though. I think it's just a ridiculous pug reaction to any kind of stimulus. Visitors, meal time, sleep time, impending poop, you know - the usual.

Aaaaaaand, SCENE! Never a dull moment.

Favorite Heroines

2009-06-09T14:52:00.007-04:00

Two of my favorite heroines in literature come from ancient Greek works. Penelope and Medea are polar opposites as women go, but their passion is very real. I love them for different reasons.

Penelope was Odysseus’ wife in The Odyssey by Homer. Odysseus, a hero from the Trojan War, is on his way back to their home in Ithaca after the war is over, and he is constantly waylaid and prevented from returning. His trip and all that it entailed is the premise of the epic poem, but it is Penelope who catches my attention each time I read it.

He is gone for twenty years, and she waits unfailingly and patiently for his return. Despite their home being overwhelmed by suitors who wish to marry her, she keeps them at bay by promising to choose one of them once she has finished weaving the shroud of Laertes. She weaves all day, and each night she unravels her work so that the project will never be completed.

He eventually is able to return home to her, and they are reunited. And it feels so good.

Her loyalty and dedication to her husband are admirable (though not necessarily practical in those days, since she would have had no way of knowing whether he was still alive). She’s one of my favorite characters in literature. Thanks, Homer!

Medea is another favorite of mine, but not for reasons you might think. She certainly was a strong woman, but her morals were enormously lacking. As a writer, I love her for the depth and breadth of her characterization. I like her history and the psychologically destructive things she’s endured that brought her to the brink of insanity (and eventually over it).

Medea was a sorceress at the time Jason and the Argonauts sailed on a quest for the Golden Fleece.

Her assistance was requested, and she promised to help Jason in his search and acquisition of the item in question if he agreed to take her home with him and marry her afterward. He agrees.

According to some stories, the Argonauts were being pursued and were in danger of being overtaken. In order to slow their progress, Medea killed and dismembered her own brother and scattered the pieces (for lack of a better word) into the sea so that their pursuers would stop to collect the remains for a proper burial. In her love for Jason, she performed this first heinous act in order to protect him. Bonus points for sheer craziness.

They got married and had two children. Later in life, Jason got ants in his pants and wanted to break things off with his wife in favor of a new, younger woman (obviously). Medea goes cuckoo again and sends a poisoned dress to his girlfriend. The dress successfully kills the woman as well as her father, who tried to save her. Medea then takes the lives of her own two sons in order to do the most psychological damage to her husband. She escapes to Athens on a golden chariot driven by dragons, which was sent by her grandfather, the god of the sun.

Yikes. So she’s clearly deranged. But I love the story because of the dynamic that is there within her. Her story is twisted and crazy, and she’s completely over the top. Medea is a great play by Euripedes which tragically illustrates her story. It’s a must-read if you love classic literature. Especially the nutso ancient Greek stuff.

The Boss is Boss!

2009-06-08T21:58:00.010-04:00

My vacuum's name is The Boss. As in, "Whoa! That vacuum is totally boss!" Here he is.

Sidenote: Lily (putty tat) is only slightly less afraid of him than Isabel, who as you can see, is nowhere to be found when the Boss is on the move. End sidenote.

He's pretty beastly. He's the papa bear of vacuums. He hasn't been my favorite appliance of late, as he's been on an extended medical leave. Pooped the bucket. Choked on hairballs and was never to be seen again (or so I thought, since I'm certainly not going to take him apart to try to "fix" him.) My apartment's carpets have been in major need of a facelift for weeks now (okay, okay months) since all that I've had on the front lines has been this faithful soldier.

(Eesh, looks like I should have been vacuuming that floor instead of photographing it. Oopsie.) Buster's been faithful, but let's be honest, ladies - size does sometimes matter. Besides, his attention has mostly been occupied with keeping the kitty litter at bay in the guest bedroom. Litter and stray poop gravel that kitty flings happily about after she does her business, which I appreciate. Long story short: I've been vacuuming my apartment with a dust buster, and I was sad face.

Enter Super-Husband! I came home from work and almost choked on my own spittle as I drooled over this image:

Ever heard of Porn For Women? (Careful Googling that one, ladies. Eeeek.)

Yup. It's that good. And after he was done fixing The Boss, he proceeded with this.

Wowza. Guess I've been a good girl. Keep in mind that this guy goes into work for 4 a.m. and gets home around 3 or 4 p.m. depending on the day. What a fella. Love him to pieces!

Paint It Black!

2009-06-08T16:13:00.004-04:00

Layla from The Lettered Cottage has given me inspiration to add literary quotes to my walls. She and her husband created this photo collection on the wall of their guest bedroom, and I immediately thought of framing literary quotes that I love in a similar fashion. This is a great way for me to put all of my unused frames to use.

Isn't it gorgeous?!?!? Amazing idea, guys. And thanks for the inspiration!

We were at WalMart the other night and I found some fabulous frames on clearance, but I was physically restrained with the argument that I’m not even using the ones that I have. Valid point. Husband – 1, Moi – 0. Poo.

He’s going to be sorry that he goaded me. ^_^ Also, I’ve been holding back on what I put on my walls because nothing matched. I have light wood, mahogany, black.... But you ladies have given me the confidence to paint those suckers and get them up there! A lot of our stuff from our wedding registry was black, so I’ll paint them to all match.

On a similar note, my thrift store mirror is going to join the party in sexy, glossy black! Here she is again in all of her inexpensive glory.

I’d be doing it all tonight, but hubby doesn’t work at the fam’s hardware store until Friday this week, and if I make my paint purchases at another store there’s a good chance that I’ll get 50 lashings with a garden weasel. My project will have to wait, but I’ll at least be getting the painter’s tape and newspaper in place in preparation. This will be my first spray paint experience, and I have a feeling that “once we go black....” you know how the saying goes. ;)

Yes I Can

2009-06-07T13:37:00.009-04:00

Yes I CAN make make a vase out of an old aluminum can! Ugh. Puns are my comedic downfall. Bear with me. I wanted to put some flowers in our downstairs bathroom, but I wanted more whimsy, less elegance. Verdict? Enter aluminum can from whole peeled tomatoes (via last night's tortellini and semi-homemade sauce, courtesy moi).

Remove label. Wash inside thoroughly. If your manual can opener is a jerk like mine is, trim any sharp edges with a wire cutter. Measure the side, and cut a pretty piece of scrapbooking paper to fit the measurement.

Tape the paper onto the can. (I'm sure there's a much more professional way to do this, but we're working with old cans, here, so I didn't think it mattered much.) Here's the finished bathroom model.

And here are her two sisters, the diced tomato can and the smaller (but feisty) tomato paste can. Beautiful makeovers, ladies. They match since they'll be on a shelf together in my living/dining room.

Here's the orange complete with flowers. Fake. (I know, I know... But until I'm making the big bucks it'll have to be fakies.)

And the blue, holding my loose beads, wire cutters, paint brushes, etc... and the tiny one will do nicely for pencils and pens.

Here are the flowers in their new home. Not the nicest seat in the house, but they sure brighten the place up. This bathroom is small, and has no outside windows (I installed my own ^_^) so the lighting is terrible.

And the blue. You live there now.

Works for me!

Painted Planters

2009-06-06T16:06:00.009-04:00

Ever since that life-altering night that I stumbled upon Centsational Girl's blog and spent the next two hours reading all of her old posts, I've been officially bitten by the Do It Yourself (DIY) bug. She was inspiring. She was the first person to show me that budget redecorating was not only do-able, but relatively easy. My biggest obstacle thus far has been my own confidence level, but as I tackle more projects I know that I'll get braver. If you had told me a month ago that I would have shopped at a thift store for items to decorate our apartment, I wouldn't have believed you. (That sounds snobbier than it's intended.) What I mean is that I wouldn't have been confident enough to choose items that had the potential to be beautiful.

I've now spent literally hours and hours of time on Country Living, DIY Ideas, and Better Homes & Gardens to name a few. Not to mention all of the ingenious women bloggers I've since come across who have unique, fabulous, budget-saavy ideas that make my heart go pitter-patter.

There. I got that off my chest. So thanks, Kate, for being the impetus that I needed to get me rolling!

Now for a little show and tell. I painted some planters last weekend and now I'm going to show you the end result. My first DIY post, actually. *Deep breath*

When I started, the first planter looked like this one. My cherry tomatoes are growing nicely, incidentally!

This is what it looked like after a few layers of primer, a layer of white enamel, and some colored (if slightly messy) embellishment. It looks a little nicer if you step back a few steps. Not to worry.

For this one, it was too elaborate (despite it being only plastic, faux-terra cotta) to color all of the detail, so I only did a little. Also colored a bit out of the lines on this one, but still nice.

And it matches my Adirondack chairs from my father-in-law's hardware store.

Oh yeah! Haven't shared that tidbit yet. I have a lifetime 10% off at a local hardware store because Scott's father owns it. It's been open for business for over a month, and I've already spent mucho cash-o in there. It's going to be a valuable resource over the years as we improve on our apartment and eventually on the home we'll raise our children in. He can special-order anything that I need. Whew. Hardware-gasm. I'm okay.

Here's the other planter I've started painting. It isn't finished, but I like it much better with the green around the middle.

Not a bad start. And the infamous trip to JoAnn Fabrics has been pushed back yet again until tomorrow. Turns out it was a good thing, after my Savers spending-spree. Tomorrow I'll hopefully pick up some ribbon, some paper to decoupage my table, some beaded trim for a needy lamp, and perhaps some fabric for a kitchen window badly in need of a valance. Stay tuned...

Thrift Store Finds

2009-06-06T13:09:00.011-04:00

Last time I went to Savers I didn't post my awesome finds. So here's the table I bought for $13. I have some decoupage plans for that guy. When I get around to it, I promise to post my work. For now, it's doing its job as dog walking station just fine.

The little vase on top is from the same store. It was $4. But today I found some really cute stuff that I love. I want to display some nice dishes in my kitchen on shelves, with some hooks underneath for teacups/mugs. The only problem was that I didn't have enough pretty dishes that I wanted to display. I hit up Savers this morning and found some gorgeous blue and white English transfer china.

Since I don't know much about this kind of thing, I'm hoping that I didn't pay too much. But looking even briefly online, I think I "done good". (Please tell me if I'm wrong so that I don't make the same mistake again!)

Here is an up close shot of the teacups, which I love. They were $3 each!

And a gorgeous carriage scene plate. Also $3.

The other plate is from Wedgwood. It was $1.99, but because items tagged in green (the 'color of the day') were 50% off, it was only $1!

The other blue plates aren't too special. I liked that the blue matched the other items, so I thought it would be a nice break for the eyes when I display them. Turns out, they didn't have pricetags on them, so the girl gave them to me for 49 cents each. When I got home, I noticed a Crate & Barrel tag on the bottom of one of them. Yay!

I also bought a little framed literary quote at Kohl's that was originally $19.99 but was on sale for $3.99. I put it up next to our door. The quote is from Emerson: "May you walk gently through the world and know its beauty all the days of your life." Lovely.

I love this little piece from Japan. The bright colors, the pattern... Happiness-inducing.

And now, my piece de resistance.... I found this mirror for $8. Eight!! I can't decide what I want to do with it. I like it the way it is, but I've been thinking of maybe painting it white and distressing the edges. What do you guys think?

Try not to be distracted by Isabel's cuteness. Hard, I know. And also please don't judge me for the print on our couch. It was free. Free. Heinous. *sigh* But free. I tried to buy a slipcover for it, but apparently you need to be smarter than the slipcover in order to make it look presentable. Fail.

All in all, a great day! =)

You Gotta Have Friends Family

2009-06-05T21:56:00.005-04:00

My sister-in-law, Sarah, is still in college. She'll be a senior in the fall at Roger Williams University.

Since I'm one of only two children (one younger brother), I've never had a sister before. She's the youngest of three, with two older brothers - the oldest being my husband, Scott. She's never had a sister either. So it took us a little while to settle into the roles. I think we're coming along swimmingly. She's a hoot. There are few people I would rather hang out with.

It's a blessing to me how lucky I am. I make friends as readily as any person, but it's incredible to me that my husband's family are such AWESOME friends. They're intelligent enough to understand a random literary reference, and their sense of humor lends well to witty conversation and just plain silliness. Which is, oddly enough, exactly what I needed in life and what I've wanted since I was a teenager looking for it in all the wrong places.

I've had a few semi-serious relationships over the years, and each of them came with its own small disaster of a family. One was an over-protective mother who was certain that I (still a virgin until long after her son, mind you) had deflowered her innocent teenage boy (an oxymoron in itself). Ugh. What a nightmare. The next was a combination creep-a-zoid, pervert father who told nasty jokes to see me blush, as well as a crazy-schizo-exercise-a-holic older sister who was, well, crazy. And her husband was worse. Unpleasantness abounds.

So when I say that I'm blessed, know that I say it with a history to look back on fondly as I enjoy my weekends with my husband's family. Laughing until we cry, playing board games, playing wiffleball in the street... Good times.

And the best part, I must say, is having a sister. Our shopping trip to JoAnn Fabrics was postponed until tomorrow.

I've been looking forward to it all week. Just the gals. ^_^(I WON'T get overwhelmed by all the pretties this time. I won't! I will buy something cute.) And the GREAT news is that my mother-in-law bought us both a sewing machine to share. Joint sewing machine custody, if you will. I can hardly wait to learn how to use it. I have big DIY plans for that puppy!

Dover Thirft Editions = Instant Literature Art

2009-06-02T22:10:00.005-04:00

I was thinking that I might need to buy some more Dover Thrift Editions to create a frame of cover art from several books. However, I apparently underestimated my own literature-hoarding capacity, since once I gathered them all together I realized that I had these:

Sort of impressive, since I normally buy editions that are higher quality. Dover Thrift are exactly that - thrift items. Classic literature for under $4.00. They're the Happy Meal of books. A drive-thru special. If I want a new copy of "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" by the illustrious (and alliterative, which I appreciate) James Joyce, I am not going to choose a $1.50 Dover copy when I could get some quality out of my $10 by going with another publisher. One that might provide me with a different font than Times New Roman and might have higher quality paper than the grungy, grey, math class scratch paper ~~bullshit~~ stuff they use in the cheap books.

The moral of the story (no pun intended) is that I've acquired these editions over the years by picking them out of trash bins (literally - at book buyback, college students who paid $3.00 for one of these babies won't be able to have the bookstore buy it back. So they dump it in the trash rather than cart it home at the end of the semester. It's like Christmas for English Literature majors, if you're shameless enough to rifle through the garbage. You saw my pile. So you can see how worried I was about what people were thinking.)

For my "literary art," I arranged them by color so that it seemed vaguely pleasing to look at, and this was the result:

Now all I need is a poster-sized frame from Michael's or JoAnn Fabrics, and I'll be good to go. My sister-in-law and I are going shopping Thursday night after I get out of work. I'm attempting to acquire curtains (or at least rods) for the living room. If I can't find anything good, I'm planning on at least buying some beaded trim for some of our lamps. Drab to Fab, as CG says. ^_^ Night, all.

I leave you with a quote from Joyce.

...they were birds ever going and coming, building ever an unlasting home under the eaves of men's houses and ever leaving the homes they had built to wander... A soft liquid joy like the noise of many waters flowed over his memory and he felt in his heart the soft peace of silent spaces of fading tenuous sky above the waters, of oceanic silence, of swallows flying through the seadusk... -Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

Future Hallway Art??

2009-06-01T22:47:00.017-04:00

I think that I may have found my new artwork for the entryway/hallway of our apartment. It's a wide-open space, and there's tons of wall to decorate without it looking like I drew a golf-ball-sized smiley face in the middle of a wall the size of a swimming pool.

Turns out, you can buy single sheets of decorative paper. Check out these samples from PaperSource:

I also love these next three. Maybe all three of them next to each other in separate frames? They're quite similar and I love the color scheme...

I'm also thinking of cutting up some Dover Thrift Editions of classic literature and framing them in one giant frame together. They're usually about $1-$4 per book, and the cover art on some of them are interesting patterns. Like these:

Either way, I need more color on these beige apartment walls. No painting allowed. If it stays like this much longer, I'm going to feel like this:

Etsy Finds & Book Art

2009-06-01T15:10:00.009-04:00

I just had to share these items that I found on Etsy. They’re listed as my favorites. But any of them would make lovely presents. (Wink wink, nudge nudge.)

I’ve been on a tea-drinking kick ever since I bought my adorable little green teapot, so I searched for vintage teacups and teapots. Look at the cuties I found! I’d like to just display these pieces. Gorgeous.

And these handmade bobby pins are to die for. I could just look at them forever. They make me want to curl my hair just to pin them in it.

This wall sconce is made out of PLASTIC! It’s adorable and only $8. I might have already bought it if there was more than one available. But maybe cute enough for just one... (??)

This mirror would look amazing in our bathroom. Or anywhere really. Narcissus would have starved to death standing in front of this beauty. Small but elegant.

And check out this artwork I found! It's expensive (for me) and I don't like the large view, which is this:

But the detailed shots are amazing. I love it! Artwork out of the printed word always gets me going. Even though this is less "words" than "letters" I still love love love!

Isn't it stunning? I'm trying to find ways to display literature in my home in an artistic way. Books are my favorite worldly possessions in the world. So far I've found this piece here and also this below which I'd like to copy for some of my favorite works....

I'm thinking something from Shakespeare or James Joyce. Thoughts?

Decorating Ideas from DIY

2009-05-27T13:21:00.009-04:00

Here are some awesome projects I’ve found on DIY Ideas. I wanted to share.

We need more artwork in our place, but we also have a ton of wall space that is empty as of now. Sticking even a large picture frame into the middle of it would look ridiculous, so I’m thinking of doing a combination of these:

I wouldn’t necessarily do several of the same print, but who knows? And I wouldn’t use this method of papering the walls themselves and adding a trim border.

It would be more like this. I prefer this method of papering a blank artist’s canvas. Now I just need to find a place where I can buy wallpaper scraps or buy it by the foot... Anyone know of a website or store that does this?

Another project that I have in mind that will likely happen much sooner is to embellish the vases that I bought at the thrift store with some old beaded necklaces or just wire with various beads that I can buy loosely.

I also want to do this with some candles. Gorgeous, right?

My last project is one that I worked on this weekend.

I don't have all plain terra cotta pots, though, so I've had to improvise and paint with the decorations that are already there. Pictures to come, once they're done and once I figure out the card reader for the camera. Also, I'm not mounting them to a fence, even though there is a lovely divider wall that separates our apartment from the one to the right of ours. But I'm pretty sure the wood is just plywood and isn't nearly thick enough. But I love the idea of the painted pots. So far they're pretty cute.

I will also be doing my own version of this.

I won't be using the powdered drink containers since our medicine cabinets have tiny shelves. But I'm planning on using the same idea with some small cans from my pantry. I can't wait!

Take the Good With the Bad

2009-05-27T11:49:00.004-04:00

I took Friday off and had a four day weekend, which was definitely nice. I had big plans for the apartment. I was going to organize all of our bookcases (four of them in our living room, stuffed to the brim) and I was going to paint some flower pots for my patio garden outside. I also wanted to go shopping at the local thrift stores (I blame Centsational Girl) to see if I could find some nice vases and other fun things to pretty-up the living space.

The good news is that I found some really cute and pretty things for the bathroom and my bookcases. I also found a fake book that will serve as a cute jewelry box. So very me too! And the most darling little teapot for my crimson berry tea pick-me-up at work. Just looking at it here on my desk, next to my books, makes me happy. I keep novels on my desk as a security blanket. No lie. They make my desk feel like a home office. Hell, if I thought they’d let me wallpaper my cube walls, I would.

The bad news is that I have one small problem when it comes to decorating. Her name is Lily. Everything on a flat surface is fair game. We can’t keep her off of our tables, countertops, window shelves, bookcases... Even the top of the fridge is a playground. If I leave anything out, it’s on the floor when I turn my back. The husband brought me a rose when he came home from work the other night (he’s sweet) and I had to refill the vase FOUR times after the cat had knocked it over, spilling flower water all over the dining room table. It seems that any attempts to make the place lovely will have to be executed with kitty in mind. What can I do? Velcro ~~her~~ everything down?

Suggestions??? (Please?)

My Absence Makes Your Heart Grow Fonder

2009-05-27T10:49:00.002-04:00

It’s been a week since I’ve posted. True Confession time – I have tons of things I want to write about, but I have pictures to go with them and I can’t figure out how to get my memory card reader to read the card in my husband’s camera. He assures me that it will work, but I can’t seem to wrap my head around it. So to make up for my absence, I’ll post several times today. With junky pictures from Google Images until I can add my own. Happy? Jeez.

Hump Day. Not as fun as it sounds.

2009-05-20T10:44:00.005-04:00

~~Oh God someone pull the fire alarm.~~ This week, work has been kind of slow. The weather is gorgeous, and the sun is peeking through the office windows, begging me to step outside. I should be working through my pile of filing, but I can’t seem to muster the energy. Nay, I cannot summon the motivation. I have plenty of energy, but I’m sitting here wishing I could be at home, tackling the projects that I’ve been dreaming up over the past few days. Perhaps I’ll request Friday as a vacation day. Note to self.

Despite my frequent complaining about not having a job that satisfies my literary urges, I truly have an excellent job. I don’t work in an office with depressing fluorescent lighting, and I don’t have to speak with customers. I work with people who call me because they know that I can help them. They don’t phone with the assumption that they’ll have to come in swinging, ready to fight for what they want. They know that it’s my job to help them, and that I will most likely be able to do that. That’s a plus. And I really can’t stress enough how glad I am to work in an office like this. It’s gorgeous, it’s hip. The décor is so very right now. So there’s that.

X-traordinary X-Chromosomes, Part 2

2009-05-19T16:44:00.006-04:00

Another woman whose writing I am absolutely in awe of is Arundhati Roy. She's phenomenal. Her novel, The God of Small Things, is quite possibly my all-time favorite book. If not, it's definitely in the top 3 or 5. Again, it isn't only the subject material that makes it great. I love that her prose is more like poetry than any other novel I've read. The story itself is of two young twins in Kerala, India in the 60's, but to limit this book to a plot description would not do it justice. The phrasing that Roy uses is vibrant and exotic. The book positively thrums in your hands when you hold it. Her words have a pulse. The pages bleed. Every time I pick it up I am rewarded. Open it to any page, any moment, any sentence. It's breathtaking.

Margaret Atwood is a contemporary author whose novels are right up there with the classics. Animal Farm. Brave New World. 1984. Distopias, right? The opposite of utopian paradise, where the chaotic is norm and existence has been turned onto its figurative head. Orwell and Huxley are literary icons when it comes to this style of writing. They make social commentary by creating caricatures of society and stretching the negatives so insanely out of proportion that the reader can’t help but notice. I think that Atwood should permanently be added to the list of distopian masters. (Ayn Rand, too, but I’m not as familiar with her work.) Her novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, is perhaps the work she is best known for. And rightly so – a religious coup occurs in government and nuclear war is waged across the globe, leaving behind a worldwide inability for women to conceive. A smattering of women are still fertile, and these “handmaids” become property of the government and are made responsible for repopulating the human race. Brilliant plotline. One of my favorites - and incidentally, another commonly banned book. (My favorite!)

X-traordinary X-Chromosomes, Part 1

2009-05-18T16:54:00.005-04:00

As a writer, there are several female authors who are super-fabulous in my book (so to speak).

Barbara Kingsolver is... awesome. Awe-inspiring. Her storytelling is top-notch, and her coolness factor gets a boost because she's a biologist as well as an author. So aside from being insanely well-written, her books teach me things I never would have learned in school. Prodigal Summer is a great example - her detailed descriptions of insects and plantlife are fascinating, and I credit this book with being the impetus behind my taking up gardening this spring. I also now know (from her descriptions) that honeysuckle is both a weed and one of the most lovely scents known to man. See? Education. She also provides a breath-of-fresh-air outlook on wild coyotes and why natural predators should not be killed en masse by humans. Despite PS's lusciousness, my favorite of hers is still The Poisonwood Bible. Truly epic. Four sisters are carted off to the Congo when their bible-toting, southern Baptist, hellfire and brimstone preaching Daddy agrees to head up a Christian mission in the jungle. Bring faith, "the way, the truth, and the light" (if you will) to the heathen of Africa. Their story is told from the point of view of all four sisters as well as their mother, over the course of three generations. Intense. Life-changing. Seriously.

Sena Jeter Naslund wrote another of my all-time favorite contemporary novels, Ahab's Wife. I read this in high school and can scarcely remember anything about it except that it's from the point of view of Captain Ahab's wife. Yes, the same Captain from Moby Dick, who hobbled around the decks of the Pequod and hoped to capture the ever-ellusive white whale. While I cannot remember much about the plot, I definitely remember it being so good and so well-written that I didn't want the book to end. I felt warm and cozy every time I picked the book up. I tend to think that the subject material wasn't the reason, since I vaguely remember a scene featuring cannibalism. At least I know now from writing this that 1) I need to read this book again, clearly, since I cannot remember a single important plot detail, and 2) I've been including this book in my list of favorites based on my memory of how reading it made me feel. I can say that in reading Four Spirits, I know that this has not been in vain. FS is phenomenal as well. Note to self, add all Naslund's works to my Amazon Wish List. Christmas is a' comin' folks!

More later...

American Pastoral. Incredible.

2009-05-15T16:51:00.004-04:00

This book is everything that is right with modern literature.

Roth's prose is some of the most moving, beautiful, and honest that I've ever read. I have many, many favorites, but his work is so far beyond most things that are on the shelves these days that it warrants a brief mention, if nothing else.

And what a concept. An all-around champion athlete grows up to inherit his family's glove factory in Newark, New Jersey. He marries former Miss New Jersey, and they have a daughter, Meredith, whom they call Merry. They have the picture-book life, until Merry grows into the worst kind of angsty teenager. (Not the Twilight-watching, bitchy teenage girls that most families are familiar with...) She sets off a bomb in the local general store, killing a local doctor, in an attempt to bring attention to the war in Vietnam.

The entire book is about the main character's struggle with whether he and his wife are inherently to blame for what their child did. And since it's Roth, it's detailed and stark and it grabs you by the heart and won't let go.

Incredible.

A Yoga a Day Keeps the Grumpies Away

2009-05-15T15:08:00.004-04:00

There's nothing like starting the day with a yoga class at work. Yes indeed - get to work at 8:20, stretch out, listen to relaxing music. Yoga class starts at 8:30 and runs until about 9:30, occasionally lasting until 9:45. Then, when we're good and ready, we mosey on up to work and the day has just begun!

My day goes by much faster after a yoga class. Aside from the obvious explanation (duh, you've only worked 6 1/2 hours instead of 8, Miss!) I personally think that it gives me more energy to make it through the day. I'm in tune with my body, I've reflected on how amazing it is to be practicing while on the clock, and I'm ready to have a productive day!

Despite the nasty weather, I'm not grumpy. I attribute this mostly to the fact that it's Friday, but I'd like to think that my positive outlook can be at least partially blamed on our class this morning.

Plus, I always love a legitimate reason to use my awesome yoga mat, which I love.

A Cube With a View

2009-05-14T16:04:00.004-04:00

Today has been a slow one in the office. My work is done, and while I am certainly not lacking things that I could be doing, I’m not seeking out any new projects either. I prefer to spend afternoons like these looking at pretty things online. Here are some things that I like to look at other than my computer screen or the walls behind my desk...

I spend lots of time daydreaming on Country Living. Look at the fourth picture in the series. Such a bright bedroom. I love the colors and all of the space it has. And I also love this one. The very last picture is of a little girl's room, with dress-up clothes hanging near the bed. It is the essence of girlhood. It reminds me of playing dressup when I was little. I had a canopy bed that I was in love with. It was a bed for a princess. Best 5th birthday present ever.

I also love finding pictures of places I'd rather be than at work. How about this one? I feel like I could write a whole story around this picture.

Rain's 'A Comin'

2009-05-14T15:24:00.006-04:00

Driving to work today, the air was charged with the energy of an impending rain shower. The sky was light grey, with spots of white where the sun was trying to peek through.

One of the first things I noticed was the mini-tornado of pink flower petals that swirled through the parking lot of our apartment complex. It was stunning and unexpected. The air was warm, but the wind was picking up quickly.

I love the first few minutes before the rain starts on days like this. Summer showers tend to happen that way. A few distant rumbles of thunder, a more insistent wind, and that tiny instant of panic that you get when you’re outside and you know the storm’s coming. I don’t know if this is left over from our days living as nomads, or if we carry this panic with us from childhood when we’re rushed indoors from playing outside as soon as the raindrops begin. Either way, the moment wouldn’t be as exciting if it wasn’t for the tiny panic that courses through your veins.

Feline? Fine.

2009-05-11T15:27:00.009-04:00

We adopted a cat from the RISPCA about 2 weeks ago. They don’t know how old she is because she was dropped off at their doorstep in a laundry basket, but she seems to be anywhere from 6-10 months old. She’s quite possibly the most bizarre feline I’ve ever encountered, which makes her awesome and a constant source of entertainment.

Strange kitty habit:
Kitty drinks water with her paws. She scoops it out and then licks her paw to get the water from it.

Strange kitty addiction:

Kitty seems to have developed a taste for people food prior to the laundry basket incident. Unfortunately she gets a vigorous spray of water in the face or the butt when she tries it at our house. She may also have short term memory loss, since this only seems to phase her for a few seconds before she tries again.

Strange kitty factiod:
Kitty will only walk away from her food dish once she has attempted to bury it. Always unsuccessful, but always vigilant.

Strange kitty personality:
Kitty loves to be held, petted, and acknowledged in any way. She licks your fingers when you pet her, wraps both front paws around your forearm to ensure that you aren’t going anywhere, and she proceeds to give you a proper sandpaper-tongue bath.

Strange kitty hallucinations:
Kitty entertains herself by imagining that she sees things high up on the walls, and then she attempts to climb these in pursuit of her invisible prey. Kitty only appears slightly embarrassed when she is unsuccessful, but is excellent at masking this by pretending that she “just felt like jumping around, okay?” She then hops and jumps around the living room just to prove a point. So there.

Strange kitty potty habit:
Kitty had an accident in the bathroom. She apparently didn’t make it to the litter box, but she was kind enough to cover her indiscretion with our bathmat so we wouldn’t have to see the unsightly mistake when we walked in. Thoughtful.

All in all, we can’t imagine why someone would have brought her to the shelter, but we’re glad that we found her! The dog is still adjusting to her new sister. She declined statement. She doesn’t seem depressed with the new addition – only perturbed at her odd living-habits. As are we, Isabel, as are we.

Here is a picture of actual kitty, as opposed to previous picture which was not our kitty but was nicely illustrating the countertop issue... It's a little dark, but also hilarious since it looks like she's about to attack the dog. I assure you, she is not. No pugs were harmed in the making of this photo.

Who's Supporting Whom??

2007-11-13T16:49:00.001-05:00

When you’re on the phone with Payroll Tech Support (and I know all of you often are) J, they may require a quick Excel 101 lesson in the middle of your session.

Today should have been liberating. Today should have been my chance to really cut the cord here in the ‘ole HR department. Clearly this was not meant to be. Clearly the payroll gods don’t think I’m ready for the responsibility. Put me in, coach! I swear I can do it. I swear it’s the computer’s fault and I didn’t mess up payroll. Even the Payroll Tech Support guy said that it wasn’t me... *sigh* Of course the payroll files had to go all screwy TODAY. Today, I was processing payroll all by my sweet little lonesome. I know how to do it. I’ve been watching. Learning. I’ve had my hand held every Tuesday since August. I knew I could do it. What I didn’t know was that payroll hates me and wants to laugh in my confused face as I wait on hold for someone from support to help me.

Now, no matter what I say, everyone’s going to think that my technical difficulties were due to some bizarre mistake I’m not admitting to rather than the TRUTH – our software screwed up and even the support dudes couldn’t seem to figure out what was going wrong. In fact, they never did figure it out. After deleting batches and reloading files several times, they finally loaded correctly on the last try, much to the surprise of Fabian (what a name) who admitted that he had never seen the program do this before.

The best part? I waited on the phone for close to 45 minutes while Fabian (his name warrants stressed, italicized letters so that you know to say it with eyes rolled and a heavy British accent) apparently couldn’t figure out where the mouse was on his computer. Remotely connected to my work computer through the internet connection, I could watch in agony as he clicked around aimlessly. For the first 10 minutes, I watched as he tried to figure out how to use the AutoSum function on Microsoft Excel. After several minutes of confused noises floating through my phone from his end, I decided to throw him a bone and explain it to him.

Which made me wonder... Who the hell is supporting whom?!?!?!? Today’s lesson (other than the Excel 101 already provided to FAAAAABIAN) is:

Technical support ought to implement the following employment requirements before hiring:

Know how to use a computer.
Know how to use a mouse.
Know how to use basic Microsoft Office software.
Know your ABCs, how to count to 10, and your basic shapes and colors.

Blah Blah... Dumbledore is Gay.... Blah Blah...

2007-11-09T10:19:00.001-05:00

I'll admit that I've been somewhat out of the current events loop since hubby and I turned the cable off a year ago to save money... But I hear snippets every now and then from the women I sit near in the office, random online news sources, and Giovanni and Kim on the way to work in the morning.

So, through the grapevine, I've heard that JK Rowling has declared in an interview that Albus Dumbledore is, in fact, gay. Fine. This makes sense to me, and not only have I read all of the novels (most of them 5 or 6 times) but I also studied the series in depth for my senior thesis as an English Literature major. The only disappointment I feel about this latest subject of contention is the uproar it's caused amongst parents, conservatives, and holy-rollers everywhere. (Ahem - aka: those whose heads are so far into one anothers' busin---- Let's stop there before I go off on a tangent that I won't be able to escape from.)

People seem to be overly concerned with: (And do you see a theme here?)

How will this affect my child?
How soon will I have to have the "sexuality" speech with my ten-year-old when he/she hears about this?
Why is Rowling saying such things? I thought these were childrens' books?!?!?

First of all, let me just say that I understand the worry that parents feel regarding their children and reading material. Kids have to grow up way too quickly these days. However, it does seem that parents are neglecting to recall one very important thing about the Harry Potter series.... Not all novels featuring children as main characters were meant to be read by children.

The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier is a fantastic example. Main character = young boy. This is apparently a troubling equation for most people who get their knickers in a twist when the book also features sexually-loaded excerpts and psychological drama unsuitable for a child's eyes. Newsflash: Authors (artists, remember?) should not have to limit themselves to adult characters because parents don't understand the concept of reading a book before their child does. Nonetheless, Cormier's novel is one of the most commonly banned books in the United States.

Of course, there are parents who read books before they hand them over to their children. In my humble opinion, these people should have no gripe with Rowling. The common question (usually squealed disbelievingly in the author's general direction) is something to the tone of:

"How could you allow your novels to become so increasingly more violent, gory, and dark as Harry grew older?? Don't you realize that young children are reading these books?"

Rowling pointed out in an interview that the first novel, which was allegedly responsible for an incorrect first impression of the books to come, BEGINS and ENDS with violence. One of the first ideas that the reader encounters is a child violently orphaned by a man (wizard) whose pure-blood-only outlook on life closely resembles that of Adolf Hitler. Harry's parents are both violently murdered when he is a baby - his mother, right before his very eyes seconds after she pled for his life and sacrificed herself in an attempt to save him. How does this send the wrong first impression? I certainly couldn't tell you, and Rowling doesn't seem to know either.

The moral of the story is:

is NOT equal to

I'm just sayin'....

Dusty Attic, Sunny Yard-Sale

2007-11-07T14:59:00.001-05:00

When working 40+ hours each week, the one thing that I miss above all others is being able to read a book in under a week. When we were on our honeymoon, I read three books in seven days.

Granted, there are some tomes which should be pored over slowly so that one might relish the tactile aspects of a novel - the weight of the book in one's hands, the texture of the paper, the thickness of the pages, the feeling of satisfaction as page after page moves from right thumb to left... And the smell. The smell that rushes at one's nose upon opening a book for the first time - new paper, fresh ink...

Used books have potential for an even more rewarding reading experience. It's a classic tale of old versus new. Age versus youth. Some will smell musty or of mildew from being shut away in the airless, dusty attic of an old house. Some will surprise you. I once read a book that I purchased at a yard sale on a gorgeous summer day. The cover and pages were warm from lying in the sun, and it smelled of its previous owner's perfume. The smell was faint but distinct enough that each time I opened it or turned a page, I was rewarded with a wonderful, flowery scent.

I have a list in my mind of all of the books that I want to read once I'm finished with the one I'm reading now. (I Know This Much is True, by Wally Lamb...) I'm sure the list is hundreds long. Someday I'll be able to tackle the stacks and make some headway on my road paved with literary good intentions.

But for now, I look forward to my computer clock turning to five and the subsequent hour-long commute back home. Such is life in the working world...

You can't BE the bride and eat it too...

2007-10-31T14:26:00.003-04:00

I think I'm getting the quote wrong.

I got married two weeks ago... *Crickets chirping* Exactly. While I'm convinced that my marriage is the absolute best thing that ever happened to me, the wedding itself didn't seem to be top priority to anyone other than myself, my groom, and our immediate families. One person said he couldn't attend because he "had a thing." My own grandmother didn't come because it was the perfect occasion to use as bait for her drama with her daughter-in-law (my Mom/Matron of Honor), despite my somewhat important status as her only granddaughter.

Don't get me wrong - the wedding was beautiful, the ceremony was incredible, the food was awesome... and most of us had fun. (Well, the important people did.) Some remained uninvolved - sitting at their tables with bland looks on their uninterested faces, leaving early, or better yet (my personal favorite) not bothering to show up at all. Some were super-involved - agreeing to help with various aspects and then making their own decisions as to what would be best for my wedding... I'll leave the best details out, here, in hopes that my next major life event will have more loyal attendees (my funeral, for example).

It was my understanding that people had to do what the Bride asked. Hence the term "Bridezilla" which I did everything in my power to avoid being. Perhaps there's the rub. I should have been more of a bitch, and then no one would have dared not listen to me, for fear of my wrath! Well, there's always my funeral to be wrathful at. Anyone up for a haunting? I already have a few on my list...

You can't write meeting minutes in iambic pentameter...

2007-10-30T12:21:00.002-04:00

Well - you can, but no one notices and it takes a bit longer.

It’s hard enough making the transition from “I’m writing my thesis on... ” to “I’m in the real world now and no one cares what I think unless it involves their paycheck or medical coverage” without knowing that I probably won’t ever get to have an intellectual conversation about Macbeth between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

I used to be a literature major in college. That was almost two years ago. Now I take care of payroll and benefits for a whole lot of people who don’t care that I have a degree unless it was in Accounting or Business Administration.

“English Literature, huh?” – (Man in a suit who looks like Falstaff but will never know)
“Yes, sir.” – (Me)
“Whatcha planning on doing with that?” – (Falstaff)
Oooooh sweet Jeeeesus here we go again. I dunno – I thought I might get a job someday with a company that values superb communication skills. Too much to ask, huh? I guessed as much.
So what does one do with an English literature degree in the modern corporate office? J