summer showers

My hair may or may not have been curly today. Not anymore. 

What do you wear when you have to walk to school in the pouring rain and 85˚ heat? Why, shorts and rain boots of course. Seriously, people were staring and all I was thinking was, "Do they make warm-weather rain boots?" The great thing about rain boots is that there is no need to avoid big puddles. In fact, walking through them and making mini tidal waves is highly satisfying and I recommend it. Oh, you don't have freak rainstorms that bring down 100 inches of rain in an hour during your summer months? Just count yourself lucky then.

chicken coop skirt

 
 

 I adore this skirt. My sister got me this vintage skirt quite a few years ago for my birthday and the zipper promptly broke and the waist was too small. Since I had little to no sewing skills prior to this year I just wore it with some safety pins keeping it shut (classy, I know). But today, today, I conquered the zipper. I shortened the skirt, added a new waistband, and sewed on a couple of buttons. But guys, I installed a zipper. My life is forever changed. Seriously, I am so proud. It's not perfect work but I've resigned myself to the fact that I will never be the perfect seamstress. Aren't the roosters fabulous? 

p.s. That beautiful steamer trunk? Stinks to high heaven. Seriously, I think God can smell it and he is not amused. Probably has a close pin shutting his nose. We're working on it though. Hopefully the mothball smell will fade with time.

p.s. I made this

I wanted a little framed chalkboard. I looked around on Etsy and, while all the prices were reasonable, I realized I could very easily make it myself. So I did. And for about $10, too! Although, I already had an empty frame at home so that cut down on expenses but I always see deals for cheap frames at craft stores and wal-mart so I'm sure you could do it for under $15 total. 

Materials: 

Thin 8 1/2 x 10 wood (I got mine at AC Moore but I'm sure you could get it at any craft store) $1.99

Chalkboard Spray Paint $6.99 (Good investment, I'll be using it again)

Tacky Glue $1.39

Chalk $0.59

Total: $10.96

First I had to very craftily force the wood to fit my frame using scissors (Not perfect but it worked). Then I spray painted the wood outside and let it sit for about an hour and a half. Then I glued the dry wood to the frame. And, voila! Chalkboard frame. I'll be using it for a photo prop but then I'll probably mount it on the wall at our new place! We are moving to a new apartment at the end of this month, it has a fireplace -- perfection.

p.s. I will be writing on the chalkboard but it suggests waiting 24 hours so it can fully dry before writing on it. 

thrifty finds

Except, it was antique-ing which, as we all know, is way more expensive than thrifting. When my in-laws came out a couple months ago, Lisa and I went to a few antique stores and ever since I've wanted to go back and explore. There is a huge antique community out here that I haven't noticed as much on the West Coast, probably because the East Coast has way more history than the West Coast and therefore more old stuff. I went to a few shops today looking for some type of trunk or chest that I could store blankets in since we have zero closet space. This proved difficult since, as previously stated, antique shops tend to be expensive. 

And then I found that beauty. He was residing in an old church turned antique store. He was hidden under tons of knick-knacks and stowed behind an old rocking horse. I fell in love. It's blue and distressed. It traveled the Cunard Line. It's huge. And it's just beautiful. Best part? A good $50-100 cheaper than other trunks/chests that I have found that were smaller. I was actually expecting to find an old wooden trunk, and there were some fabulous ones, but this steamer trunk has my heart. 

p.s. I am considering changing my name to match the initials of the original owner. Suggestions are welcome. 

Antipasti

Maybe it was searching through our Italy photos or maybe I was lazy and didn't want to cook anything, but I was feeling very euro yesterday. This might not actually be a "euro" thing but we sure enjoyed it. I ran to the store grabbed a baguette, hard salami from the deli, and a bottle of Stella to share. We always have plenty of cheese in the fridge so we had ourselves a little living room picnic. It brought back memories of my trip to Prague and Vienna with my good friends the Cromies. Everyday we would pop into a market grab some bread, cheese, meat, and fruit -- enough for lunch that day -- and then wherever we were touring  we could stop and have a little lunch al fresco. Mmm. Perfect dinner.

habla?

You would think for as long as I lived in California I would've snapped a picture of a Spanish sign somewhere. Oh well, Italy was the last place I felt completely out of my element due to a language barrier. But, oh it was wonderful. 

"We're in America, speak American."

I can't tell you how many times I have heard that unfortunate and incorrect statement. Seriously, American?  That's not a language. I've understood, to some degree, why people are frustrated by language barriers with foreigners/immigrants/new-citizens, but I've never cared that much. "Why do they have Spanish signs at the bank? We're in America." As if the bank on Main Street in Libertyville, USA didn't know they were located in the United States of America. And if the Spanish signs replaced the English signs, I might take issue, but both languages are represented. I understand perfectly well where the line starts, what the rules and regulations are, and how to correctly deposit my check at the bank. The Spanish "infiltration" doesn't really bother me.
In fact, it slightly excites me.
Take today for instance, two women and a young girl came into American Eagle today (did I tell you I got a job there a couple weeks back?), they looked like three generations: a grandma, a mom, and a daughter. Grandma didn't speak English, Mom got by in broken words, and the little girl was in and out of the store too often to tell. They came to the register to check out and my co-worker was helping Mom and I got to help Grandma. 

"Do you have an American Eagle Rewards card?" I asked, kicking myself as I realize everything I just said sounds like gibberish.
She just smiles and nods her head. Then I decide to break out some of that Spanish I have been working so hard on for the past month. This decision does not come about without reservations. Will she think I am patronizing her? Will my broken Spanish offend her? I jump in anyway. I strain my brain to remember any and all words that will help me explain what a rewards card is. And she understands! And she signs up for one! She smiles at me gratefully as I finish the transaction and she leaves the store. My shift is over so I clock out and as I leave the store I see Grandma and granddaughter sitting in the mall chairs. I look at her and wave, she smiles at me and waves goodbye. And that simple interaction, when cultural and language barriers were breached, is why I have no problem that Spanish has crept into our society.

I also posted on the sister blog today. 

lovin and growin.

Whelp, it's been a year of marriage, which pretty much means I am the marriage guru. I know everything there is to know about the implementation and preservation of the institution. Questions are welcome.

Ha, hardly. 

But I have learned a lot in the past year.

When I got married I knew that I would be learning a lot about what it means to love him unconditionally and how to put his needs above my own. What I didn't really think about was how much I would learn about myself. 

I used to think I was a pretty selfless person. I used to think that I was a good communicator. I used to think that I knew how to cook. 

I realized that I want things my way, including Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter. I realized that I can't speak when I am angry -- I close up and hold it all in. I realized that I know how to cook mexican food and there is only so many tacos, enchiladas, and burritos that a person will consume in one week. 

Through blood, sweat, and tears we figure out the holidays, I speak words when I am feeling hurt or upset, and, when I cook, I find new recipes to try; who knew cookbooks had so many fabulous ideas?

Before we got married, my thought on how our first year would turn out ranged from horrible to heavenly. Would we have a really rough time of it? Would we be deliriously happy, floating on clouds? I had examples of both in my life, all of the couples falling into different places on the spectrum. How would we do? Would we pass the test? 

I quickly came to the conclusion that, while all the examples around us are great and necessary, our marriage is our own and to compare it to someone else's is to set ourselves up for failure and dangerous. Our relationship is going to look different than everyone else's and that's okay, better than okay, that's good! And it has been good. Living with someone, anyone, even the person you love most in the world, is going to have it's ups and downs. But to be honest, the ups way outnumber and overshadow the downs. 

Our first year was filled with lots of loving and lots of growing and it has been so great. 

Year One.

We celebrated our first year of marriage last night. I can't believe how fast that year went by. It was an eventful year; Italy, Rhode Island, New York, California, Washington, and North Carolina. It has been such a special time of getting to know each other and growing together. For our special evening we took in a show at our local theatre and had dinner on the balcony of a riverfront restaurant. So romantic. So sweaty (gotta love that humidity). And then we came home and ate some homemade Strawberry glazed pie. Perfect evening with the man I love. 

pops

The guy who always has the funniest puns. 

The guy who drove endless hours during my softball days.

The guy who glasses make him look like Elvis Costello.

The guy who did my hair as a little girl. 

I love my dad. 

That Anne-girl

It's supposed to rain today; I will never get used to the summer downpours. I like my summers dry and 104˚ if you please. The torrents have yet to appear, but in preparation for the shower I am reading in bed -- the only proper response to this act of nature. I have been re-reading the Anne series and can't stop. Although, part of me fully believes that if Anne knew I was reading her stories on a Kindle she would say it had "Little scope for the imagination," and also, "What is a Kindle?" As I read through the series I find myself falling in love with Anne and Gilbert all over again. Not only that, but I've found that my Daniel reminds me of Gilbert. And I don't think I am imagining things either. Gilbert patiently waited for Anne to come around, Dan patiently waited for me. Their romance sprung out of friendship, and ours did as well. Dan even throws a quote in conversation when appropriate, though his tend to be less poetry and more Star Trek, which I find adorable. All we need is a walk down Lovers Lane and a view of the Lake of Shining Waters and we'll be set. For now we settle for our little turtle pond and the path around Hugh McRae Park. 

p.s. I think every guy should take some pointers from Gilbert, and that means you, 10-year old boy at the basketball clinic who hit on me today -- Anne Shirley would certainly never stand for that. 

food and family

One of the biggest things I miss about living in California is the family dinner's. We had family dinner after Jennie's graduation and it was the perfect way to end the night. There is something about combining great food and the people you love. I feel perfectly comfortable with these people. We joke, we eat, we catch up. It's perfect. I look forward to the day when these family dinners aren't so few and far between.  

the city.

Is it odd that we refer to San Francisco as the city? If you live in the Bay Area and say: "We're going into the city," everyone would know which city you meant. Not Oakland, not San Jose, not Walnut Creek. These cities are all nice. But the city is San Francisco. And it's fabulous. 

While I was in town my parents took us into the city for breakfast at the farmers market at Pier 1. I had never been to the farmers market in SF and oh my goodness, talk about yummy overload. If you are ever in the city over a weekend, go on Saturday morning. You won't be disappointed. And if you see a booth offering Red Wine and Cherry Scones, buy one. And savor it.