a martha-stewart kind of weekend...

last weekend i caught the crafty-1950's-housewife bug, and all of a sudden i was pinning and stitching, chopping and grilling, wearing an apron and whipping up dishes like the atomic bomb was on it's way. i even hosted my sister and sears for 4th of July fun in the evening.

here are some pictures of selected weekend projects...

mushroom-swiss buffalo burgers


strawberry shortcake
(i only made the compote. angels food mini bundt cakes are a little out of my league...)


i have officially dubbed my sangria *best on the west coast* (humble, i know.)
and YES, that is fresh grown basil from my patio garden as garnish. thank you for noticing.



two-hour tote bag
(my name for it. the book suggested *one-hour*, but obviously that's just crazy talk. i had to make handles, for fuck's sake!)
the bag is a birthday gift. here's to hoping the recipient isn't one of my 4 readers.


pS - i've been totally useless since then. house-wifing is exhausting!

iBlah-g...

from a few days ago...

so. here I am, sitting on my patio trying to learn how to work this damn iPhone. we'll see if this actually works. or if I end up returning it within the week...

here is a picture of me, through the lens of the new phone. the film is still on, of course, since a.) I'm totally neurotic and will leave it on forever and b.) they were sold out of the anti glare screen protector I wanted. damn cr-apple.

*sigh*

Not So Easy...

Dear Easy Spirit "Hulat" in brown (size 8),

On the outside, I was not excited to purchase you. Easy Spirits? Come on. Didn't my grandma wear those? My nurse aunt? On the inside, I was secretly jumping for (well-cushioned) joy. I am 30 now, after all, and should be allowed to wear comfortable shoes. I can forego the age old adage I used to live by - *Fashion Before Comfort*, in lieu of shoes that don't make me shrivel into a whimpering ball of girl upon arriving home and tearing the torturous monsters from my feet. I no longer have to cringe with every step. This is my god-given right as a 30-year-old-dare-I-say-woman, who has suffered through years and years of squeezing my poor size 8's into smaller sizes and crippling high heels. Right? Right.

You were easy on the wallet ($19.99 at Marshall's), which I can definitely appreciate during these tough financial times. And you are also surprisingly easy on the bunions, which (despite the connotations of buying Easy Spirits should imply) I did not entirely expect. For this, I thank you.

However. I must say, you are not so easy on the heels. My poor heels, which started out the day soft, white and supple, are no more. They are in pain. They are red. They are sore. They are currently wearing the spare pair of shoes I keep under my desk in case of emergencies such as this.

Furthermore, you are not exactly easy on the ears either, announcing my presence as you squeak your way up and down the halls of my building. I admit, on occasion I have been known to appreciate some measure of attention - in the right situations, of course. I do not though, like to call attention to myself through noisy footwear. I'm sure you understand.

That being said, I would have to say that you are not Easy on my Spirit. Such a shame. I had such high hopes.

Sincerely,

My Feet

Note*** Out of consideration for my readers, I have refrained from posting the picture of my red and mangled heels.

MIA...

enjoying the night lights on my newly outfitted patio...

i wish i wish i wish...

oh, what i wouldn't do for this handmade vintage style handbag from etsy. unfortunately, at $105, it's definitely Out Of My Budget.


gorgeous though, right?

sad but true...

every morning i wake up, optimistic. i think, "today is the day that i'm not going to have a beer. i can definitely skip having a beer today."

and then by the time 5 o'cock rolls around, i'm done. the optimism is gone.
and i'm ready for an f'ing BEER.

today's prey:

and

cheers!

from siberia, with love...

last night the russian and i watched сибирский цирюлъник (The Barber of Siberia). it was so good! it actually made me miss watching interesting foreign movies when i was a film major...

...andrey and jane...

even if you aren't into subtitles you should enjoy it, since about half of the movie is in english. i highly recommend it! a very cute, funny and heartbreaking love story. хорошо!