Curtain Envy

No.  This is not my living room.  But, I wish it was.
If I had free reign to make our home as girly as I wanted, I'd definitely pick pink curtains like these.  Alas, I live with a man that begs me not to make our living area frilly and full of floral prints.  That doesn't mean I'm stuck with geometric shapes and navy blue.  Oh no, wait till you see our beautiful living room.  I managed to incorporate just enough floral, some yellow, white, and gray.  It's pretty great.  As soon as our curtains are done, it's coming up.

Sewing Machine Cover

My first craftsy project of the year is complete. 
A pattern out of a paper bag, a hand wound bobbin, and 3 or 4 hours later: tah-dah!


Check it out:

It even has a few pockets to carry scissors and thread in case I want to carry the granny party to a friend's house.

Of course there's also an opening at the top for ease of portability.

Gosh, it feels good to create a pattern and see it through. I've decided that as a teacher there are so many unknowns, so many challenges that are out of your control and sometimes insurmountable, that it is comforting to create your own challenge and succeed.  So, here's my first challenge.  Tangible success!

Hobby #1

I've decided that life is much more enjoyable when you're creating things.  So, I've picked up a few new hobbies.  First on the list: become a master knitter.  Some might say this was a hobby for a grandma, but I think the grannies got it figured out.  They really know how to enjoy life.  I mean, I practically have the same energy level as a 70 year old so this should be a perfect match.  Any hobby a granny can do, I can surely do.  Right?

Well...sort of.  I'm starting to get the hang of it.  Here's the project at hand:

Only... imagine it in a mustard yellow, and slightly lopsided (I presume it will be lopsided when I'm done).  Let's see how long it takes to finish it.

Start Date: March 2010.  Date of Completion: TBA.

Stay tuned for a picture of my version...I'm sure it'll be ready by Christmas. :)

Temecula

If you don't want to travel quite as far as Napa, and don't mind feeling like you're driving through the bowels of Southern California, aka the I.E. (Sorry friends from the IE), I recommend giving Temecula a shot.  When you mapquest Temecula, it will lead you to a cheesy mainstreet with all the trimmings a standard mountain town entails.  You know, saloon doors, antique shops, brick buildings, the works.  I suggest you drive past all of this hoopla into the hills which house the wineries.  There are a few Inns that you can stop at which offer guests free tastings and meals.  We happened upon one called The Inn at Churon Winery.

It was somewhat cheesy, but very quaint. We joked that it was as if we were in the hills of Tuscany...kind of. We checked in around 4pm on a Friday, and got $50 off our stay (the hostess was very nice).  After freshening up, we headed to the 5pm tasting and appetizer hour.  Once our palates were ready for dinner we decided to venture back to the main street area.
One delicious find: PUBlic.  Oh goodness, if you are a fan of seasonal and local fare, this is the place! I had the most delicious pork chop with apple, cinnamon, cranberry compote.  mmm...my mouth is still watering.  We walked around a bit and then headed back to the Inn, and our cozy, fireside bed.

For under $300, this luxurious getaway was a steal!  Too bad it was our last hurrah before 4 months of losing my husband to the County Hospital.  Bye bye honey, till then we'll have Temecula!

I Do

 

I have been searching for a free way to edit my photos.  I have found it! Thanks to other great blogs I now have a tool to distract me for hours and hours.  I love it! I do.

The Daily Torture I Like to Call the 101

Sure it looks pretty at night.  But at 3 or 4 in the afternoon, it's a whole other beast. 

I remember when I first had to switch my route to work from the 10 to the 101.  I was initially inspired by the beautiful rolling hills of Hollywood at sunrise, all those historic buildings off the freeway.  Yes, I was drawn in by her looks, then crushed by her fury.  When one stalled car after another extends your commute by 20 min.  that love doesn't last.  For this my friends is what I usually see:

Needless to say, I have fallen in love with my ipod.  I realize after months of listening to the radio, it's junk and sometimes fuels the anger that is already bubbling.  So, when something like Passion Pit comes on with their upbeat songs, I can't help but bob my head and tap my fingers.  When your body reacts like that, there's just no way road rage will take over.  And believe me, I work hard at controlling that demon.  That's why I need  some suggestions for some good bouncy music to counter the non-movement happening on the freeway.  Something along the lines of Phoenix, Matt and Kim, Postal Service, Death Cab...would be nice.  Can you help a sister out?

Reason #147

I love my brother. He makes me potato soup when I'm sick. Not just any potato soup either. Potato soup with a sour cream, butter, and cheese base. Oh yea, and bacon. It's called baked potato soup. If my brother loved you, you'd be lucky enough to get some when you got sick too. It makes this phlegm, gooey, watery eye thing a tad more bearable.

Reason #587

Reason #587 I love my husband:
On the couch today he turns to me and says, "I found something for us to watch tonight."
I'm thinking there must be a Laker game or something. But no, he's talking about "The Notebook." And no, he was not joking. He actually admitted to me that he likes the movie. Somewhere in there is a romantic. I knew it!

*As with many other popular things. I was also once a hater of this movie (like twilight) and refused to watch it for years. One winter day visiting my grandma, Sevan and I found it in their house and decided to watch it. Now, I love it! It makes it even more enjoyable for me since I think the leading man looks like my hubby :)

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Now that vacation is nearing, I'm thinking of all the wonderful projects I want to get my hands on. There seems to be an overwhelming number of them this time around. And I have that problem where once I start something and then I walk by something else I stop what I'm doing and start that other project and then I take a break and start another project and then I have 20 things going on and none of them gets finished. Yea, that's me. 2 unfinished paintings, wallpaper half stripped, closet half organized...ME!

So number one on the start up list: Finish the bedroom!
The husband has given me free reign to make it as romantic and french as I want since our living space has turned out pretty modern. So I'm thinking...Lilac walls, but you know the gray kind of lilac...and since our bedroom is so large, I'm thinking of mirrors and an ottoman.
But the mirrors are where I get a little confused. I really want this(the ottoman included):

since our bedroom lacks a full-length mirror. But I don't have $900 lying around.

This little look is enticing too, and at $30 quite a bargain. But, that doesn't solve the full-length mirror issue.

Not sure if these serious decisions are actually going to get made in the next few weeks.

FINALLY!

We finally purchased a coffee table, and we drove all the way to Covina to do it. We'd never been to Covina, but we noticed there were a lot of white people there. Not just white people, hicks. I decided that the closer you get to mountains, the more hick-like people get. I think they are actually called "mountain people." Like in the Appalachian Mountains. Anyway, I think mountain people don't care much for the mid-century look because all the Ikea's near the city were plum sold out of this model, but the Covina one was stocked with them. Maybe mountain people prefer antiques.

This city person is loving having a place to put all her junk, glasses of water, computer, AND feet!
yeehaw!

The Coffee Table Hunt

After nearly 3 months of living in our new home together, we are STILL without coffee table. We've been hunting relentlessly but alas no such luck. These days finding an affordable piece of furniture that's made of solid wood as opposed to particle board is very hard to come by. Sure there are a lot of great designs of solid wood, but for 1,800 bucks I don't think so. We find that a mid-century coffee table is a great option...now just trying to find one that we love.


Like this one.

Loving It Slowdown

Having a blog dedicated to positivity and things you love is GREAT! It makes you focus on the good in your life. But when you start to notice a hiatus from entries...uh oh. Maybe you're not looking hard enough for that silver lining.

After a few weeks back at school, I had a hard time thinking of things I loved. I could only dwell on the stress and craziness I had to look forward to each and every morning. So I decided to comfort myself with a few purchases. A new pixie haircut for the summer, a nice dress for the sweltering Valley days, a neon green t-shirt for weekends, a cute brown belt for dresses, some new teacher pants from Gap and a white cardigan for the cool evenings. And I haven't even hit up the Nordstrom anniversary sale yet. Hollah! Do I have a problem? NO, I am merely trying to mask my internal struggles by looking damn good on the outside. Now I'm going to get dressed in my fun weekend clothes and feel good about myself until Monday. I love weekends!

Jacob or Edward?

Now that I'm on Book 3:Eclipse, I feel torn between the two main men in Bella's life. I think Edward is just a bit too much. Too much drama, too oppressive, too serious. Jacob is growing on me. He's more easy going, light-hearted, and fun. (Don't worry I know these guys aren't for real.)

While none can deny the beauty of either one, I think Edward wins that battle.

You Knew It Was Coming

Since this site is dedicated to things I love/want...you knew it was bound to make an appearance...

You know what I'm talking about.

That book series that I ridiculed but a month ago. That movie I scoffed at when my friends wanted me to join them in watching it. The obsession of millions of dateless teenage girls and hopeless romantics. That's right...


I know you're laughing right now. But stop, really. I'm not saying the writing isn't horribly cheesy. I'm not saying the movie has great special effects. I'm not denying that I think the Mormon wife is trying to brainwash us to be chaste, and is making a poor metaphor for the temptations of the human plight (or am I giving her too much credit?). I'm just saying there is something engrossing about the drama of it all. Something appealing about forbidden love (so what if it's with a mythical creature).

While this is all true, I wonder, why am I so obsessed with this series? Is it because I am on vacation and have endless time to waste? Is it because I have no cable TV? Is it the curiously handsome young actor that makes me want to keep reading?

After much thought on the subject, I've decided the reason why I love the series so much is that it makes me feel like a teenager again. All that angst, drama, intense emotion. The feeling that you could like someone so much you could absolutely die (even though they've never even spoken to you). I feel pretty old when I reflect on those feelings, but I think that's what I like most about the series. It takes me back.

*Note: To all you haters out there. I was once like you. But I tell you now, it's not as bad as you think. Or, maybe it is.

A New World of Shopping

Now that we're thinking of building a home of our own. It has opened the door to websites I've never before frequented. That's right the genre of home furnishing websites. I still haven't built up the best repertoire of sites, so if there are any suggestions out there for inspiration or bargains, send them my way. First article to purchase: a sofa. My current couch is about 5 years old, and at $600 was not built to last. It's dilapidated and saggy, and while it is the perfect napping place, sitting on it can be quite painful. If you think you want to sit on the outer cushions, you'll be squashing the person on the center cushion in no time. yep, no use moving it to our new home. Might as well save the elbow grease of moving it in a few months. Here are some replacements I've been looking at (prices may affect purchase):


Modern yet retro


Soft yet bulky
These are both from plummer's, the most affordable yet fashionable site I could find.




More cute choices from Room and Board. Not sure how the pillow backs would last though.


Any other suggestions in a similar vein?

My Little Writers

Victory of the day:
My students actually LOVE writing. They groaned today when the timer went off on their 20 min. of brainstorming time. That's write 20 min. to brainstorm their ideas on what fossils are and what they tell us of long ago, and how they are found. Apparently not enough time for them. There are some things I will truly miss about this class. They're some smart cookies they are.

If I Were a Rich Man...

la da da da da da da da da da da da da da da deee...
I'd have a wedding planner and a clear design scheme.
But alas, I am not rich...
So no wedding planner for me, and all my random design ideas that don't go together are making the vision muddled.

Example #1: The dress
-I have a real form fitting dress (no ruffles, lace, or frills)
-Birdcage veil
-but now I want this bolero and it doesn't go with the look:


Example #2: The Hair
-On the one hand I want to have my hair pulled into a bun, but my hair is so short

-On the other, loose waves with chin length hair seems a good alternative


This confusion and indecision carries over into the floral arrangements, reception decor, and favors. I see all these cute websites about beautiful weddings and I wish I could have a cute "vintage" wedding. Or a "romantic" wedding. But I'm having some trouble planning it.
I think I lack the ability to envision how all parts look together. And now I'm doomed to have a wedding that will make people barf at the sloppiness of it all.

Flowers

One of the few things missing from our wedding planning venture is a florist. It's hard to decide who to go with, there are so many out there and the potential for really funky arrangements.

Things I hate in floral arrangements:
1) tons of types of flowers
2) tall centerpieces
3) hangy things coming off centerpieces
4) enormous bouquets
5) purple themes

Things I love in floral arrangements:
1) A few types of full flowers
2) shorter centerpieces
3) simplicity
4) light yellow, pink, and peach color themes

example of love:

I love the big blooms and the fact that these flowers are arranged in porcelain vs. glass. CUTE!

example of hate:

Too much going on, with hanging fruit. blech!

Decisions, decisions...

A Proud American

Finally. I can finally be proud to be represented by somebody I respect. Just listening to him speak makes me happy. He's educated, intelligent, eloquent, inspiring. He's not a bumbling fool who can hardly speak English. Isn't it refreshing?
Nevermind the fact that it's historic. Forgetting about the years of civil rights movements that have now culminated in an amazing reality. Put all those struggles and efforts aside. It just makes me happy to hear him speak.

I'm a Biker Now

Check out my wheels:

I pretty much love it! So far I've only gotten to ride it around once, but my goal is to go on weekend rides around town. Eventually I want to get a basket for it so I can go shopping and run errands on it. As of right now, I can't really take it out anywhere because I don't have a lock. And let's face it, this puppy is so cool it would get swiped.
But as soon as I get a secure lock you'll see me at the cafe on main street sippin my tea, bike parked outside. So next time you see a turquoise bike in Culver City, look around and you might see me!