naughty thing

*

many years ago, i bought this spoon at an antique shop in oregon. i liked its utilitarianosity (real word). it never got used much, as i have a vintage bottle opener which swoons me even more. then earlier this year i lost my coffee scoop. i tried a few different spoons, & found that this one worked perfectly. one rounded spoonful per cup!

manlyman kept using the wrong spoon from the drawer, which, because i am who i am, drove me mad. i found this ugly, but fabulous hook (it's a command hook) at the dollar store, & hung it directly over the coffee pot. now the correct spoon is being used by all; the world can rest at ease.

honestly, i'd never given the writing on the spoon's side much more than a cursory glance. i knew it was an advertisement for a eugene shop, but nothing more.

the other day something caught my eye.

naughty thing.

~peace.

i think i love this spoon even more now.

thrifting show & tell - red

*

unlike our usual thrifting adventures, this week's had a purpose: to find me some clothes for our upcoming road-trip. a month ago i was put on a strict eating regimen (that's a story for another day), the result of which finds me between sizes. not wanting to go on a road-trip nakie, i needed to hit the shops. to my delight i quickly gathered a large pile of perfectly katish clothing, all appropriate for road-tripping & other adventures.

i was gleefully headed to the check-out when thehobbit spotted it. there, beneath a hideous rug & two horridly ugly comforters, lay the rug of my dreams. long have i wanted an oriental rug, preferably one a bit worn here & there. the ones i had come across in the past were the wrong size, or colors, or much too expensive. 


not this time! this time the rug was the perfect size, the perfect colors, & the perfect price. woo & hoo, baby!

of course, this meant that i could not afford my glorious stack of clothing. back it all went.

except this teensy pair of red wellies. every elfling must have a pair of red wellies, don't you think?

of course, now i shall have to go on the road-trip nakie. 

~peace.

milk, milk, & milk

*

my recent purchases are all milk-related. it was not planned to be this way, it was just serendipitous.

the gorgeous glass pictured above was found at anthropologie. usually i can resist buying (new) things i truly do not need, but these glasses were perfect in every way. the pale recycled glass, the jam-jar shape, the lettering - they simply screamed kat!. so i screamed back ok!, & took home a set of four. because there are four in your family, kat? no. that would mean that i will let the menfolk use them. because i needed one glass, & the glass needed three!

this little pitcher was the only milk-related item for which i had been hunting. i wanted a small one that we could use to pour milk into our tea, porridge, etc at the table. the gallon is too unwieldy when you need only a small amount of milk, or moo juice, as elfling calls it. besides, this way is more fun.

after many failed thrift hunts (there had been pitchers, i am just freakypicky), i decided to look for a new one. i finally found this just a few weeks ago, at world market , & only four dollars!

the only thrifted milk purchases were these milk-glass mixing bowls. i am in love with them more than one should probably admit to loving a pair of bowls, but there you have it. i would have been swoony at finding just one of these, but to find the two? in pristine condition? gasp!

i am off to play tea party with my elfling, a toy recycling truck, & a stuffed panda. see you tomorrow!

~peace.

official faq moment:
* no, i do not have a large house in which to store all of my thrifting purchases - it is quite small, in fact. i am either replacing broken items, or buying things i find that i need. the set of glasses is an exception to my norm; four glasses from my cupboard went into storage.


* nope, i am not rolling in dough. we live on only manlyman's income since i closed ye olde shoppe.it is just that i am dedicated to finding things as inexpensively as possible, so will scour shop after shop. it helps that i a) adore thrift shopping, & 2) truly prefer vintage (used) over new.

thursday things - vintage kitcheny stuff

*

photo :: property of beatrice in blue

on  my mind quite a bit these days are kitcheny things, specifically those of a vintage bent. as my things get broken, & for some reason things are breaking at top speed of late, i find myself scouring thrift shops for replacements. it would be much easier to buy new items, of course, but easy isn't always best. 

i could say that i buy used because i am making a conscious choice to live a more green life, one in tune with mother nature. i could say that, but i would be lying to you. the truth of the matter is that i am utterly head-over-heels in love with old stuff, & that's why i buy vintage. the green-living/mother nature part is a bonus; one for which i am thankful. it balances the fact that i am also in love with hair dye.

so back to thoughts of kitcheny things. last week i was on the hunt for mixing bowls. do you remember the fabulous sunbeam bowl from earlier this summer? well, i found another! this one is identical to the first, also in perfect condition, only smaller. i had been hoping to find large mixing bowls, but there weren't any to be found.

because i cannot go thrifting every single day (though to hear manlyman tell it, i do) i have been poking through etsy's vintage section. such gorgeous vintagey treasures! i thought i would share some with you.

* teensy molds - (pictured above) i actually have a stack of these! some in that shape, others with more rounded bottoms. she has them priced quite well, if you're in the market for a set.

* child's oven - i. want. this. as i haven't that much money to spend on frivolity any room at thebelfry for it, i shall leave the sweet oven for someone else.

* cake carrier - how sweet! i don't think i've ever seen one like this. i adore the wooden acorn knob on the lid.

* egg beater - a must-have in any kitchen. well, in mine, for sure. i have a gorgeous vintage beater that we use almost daily. i've yet to meet a person who doesn't love cranking the handle of an old fashioned egg beater. even elfling loves to beat eggs, though he needs to use both hands to crank the handle, & it takes forever ;)

* mixing bowl - gorgeous! i bet if i had one of these my baking would improve. that's how it works, in case you didn't know.

* refrigerator ware - i love, love, love these! ok, not so much the color, but the containers themselves are simply perfect. it is rare to find these in thrift shops (where i live), & even more rare to find a set. with lids! i store blocks of cream cheese in my lone dinky container. 

sigh. there is so much more to share with you, but elfling disagrees. i am off to snuggle. happy shopping!

~peace.

thrifting show & tell - summer dishes

*

we have been on the hunt for summery dishes, my lads & i. our kitchen is freakysmall, so i have always used my regular dishes for everything. money-wise it's a good thing, but over time many of my favorite pieces have been broken, or used to the point of, well, unusableness (real word). i decided it was time to go thrifting.

high on my list of wants was a small bowl in which to store & serve fruit. i have many dinky bowls, a few large ones, but none that were just small. imagine my joy to find the absolute perfect bowl on my very first thrifting expedition! (much thanks to the stunt strawberries, for appearing in this photograph.)

there hasn't been much time for research, but based on a quick googling (oh please spell-check, get with the times!), i know it is a vintage mixer bowl, glasbake, by sunbeam. oh! & it is milk glass, which i love. i could not have found a more perfect (for me) bowl had i tried. seriously, our first outing for the purpose of summery dishes, & the first thing i saw on the shelf. meant. to. be. mine.

this stack of sweet little plates is the beginnings of a collection of dessert plates. actually the top 4 were meant to sit beneath a tea cup, & the bottom 4 for bread. that is what google tells me. they were made by kelston, & it would seem they no longer are made. i've searched all over the internet, but can only find a dinner plate or cereal bowl for sale, & those for too much money at that.

this makes me sad. worse? i saw these plates a few weeks ago, but decided they were too pricey. they weren't really, but i was trying to behave. i was thrilled to find them still there, but (here is where the worse comes in) originally there had been 8 of each. i know! i am kicking myself. so now the hunt for more of each size is on. should you happen upon some, please let me know right away.

oh gosh, they are sweet. 

now i have to find room for them, & for all the things i am hoping to find. this translates to purge. pout.

ok, my dearest one & only reader, i am off. see you tomorrow!

~peace.

thrifting show & tell - outerwear

*

do you see that lovely detail? the gorgeous buttons, set into the sweet little whateveritiscalled? swoon! this is the back of summer-weight coat i found on a recent thrifting adventure.

i love it so. it's romantic, yet practical. made from a thin, crisp cotton, i can toss this on when the marine layer rolls in, & not worry it will ruin. by the way, we are having a run of june gloom here, hence the poorly lit photos. sorry.

on yet another thrifting adventure, i discovered this velvety bit of gorgeousness:

ooh, indeed. the velvet is that fabulously soft, floppy sort. it gives the illusion that this is a vintage jacket - which it is not! i love when i find newish pieces that appear old. i get the look i love, without having to take extra care of the clothing.

again, sorry for the lack of light in the photos. in person this is a muddy-lime green. not usually a color i'm drawn to, but the combination of the floppy velvet, the vintage look, & the muddiness of the color won me over.

covered buttons! & to think, i put this jacket back on the rack, & walked away. you can imagine how happy i am that it was still there when i went back for it. 

thank you for joining me in this installment of thrifting show & tell. do you have any recent finds to share?

~peace.

what would you do?

*

i bought this summer blouse at a thrift shop a few months ago. originally i was going to alter it to fit, but now i'm not so sure. if i removed the top bit, the rest would make an oh-so-kat skirt.

here is another view of the blouse. look at the gorgeously faded fabric! the ruffles! the embroidery! swoon.

well? what would you do?

~peace.

everything old is new again

*

so much is new around thebelfry. mostly it's elfling-related - words abilities, etc - such is the world of a bébé. i shan't bore you by gushing over how brilliant he is. i mean really now, what mama doesn't think her offspring is the next einstein? of course mine is. i also have some new treasures to share.

the above is a gorgeously tattered quilt. it was made by manlyman's grandmother's older sister. how's that for a mouth-full? my mother-in-law rescued it eons ago, when her mother was going to throw it away. gasp!

recently she nearly made me cry by passing the quilt on to me! i think i was actually somewhat near to being ever so slightly speechless for a moment or two. never was i so happy that manlyman's siblings don't like old things.

this sweet little shelf for the bathroom is my latest thrift shop find. i think it is the perfect shade: not quite white, not quite beige. its shallow shelves aren't the most practical, though it does manage to hold a few daily necessities.

                      

for years now i have wanted this poster, & now i have it! in a wonderful old frame to boot! well, sort of. look more closely at the photo & you'll see it is, in fact, printed off my computer - frame & all. i know!

coming up, i have a tutorial for making frames such as these - though in card stock, not computer paper like mine. speaking of which: am i the only one who makes things better for others, than for herself? do you do that as well? please tell me you do. lie to me if need be.

rats, i had more to chat about, but a certain elfling has decided to wake early from his nap. thanks for visiting!

~peace.

au revoir, plastic bins

*

i scrubbed the cubby unit, & had people who could lift things heavier than a flea move it into my studio. it needs to be painted sooner than i'd planned, because i wasn't able to get most of the marks & stains off. still! clean is good enough for holding stacks of fabric!

that one cubby; with the dinky pile; now holds a large square basket of scraps. it's so much nicer than digging through bins to find them. i've more to do yet, but no time at the moment. that's ok, unlike other projects, this one makes me giddy enough to motivate me to get it done.

happily, i think i'll have enough room on the top two rows to house the remainder of my fabric. that leaves the whole bottom for bins of craft supplies. hoorah! oh! plus the top of the unit itself. hmm. perhaps my baskets of files, markers, glues, fabric paints...

~peace.

photos of thrifty goodness

in what has to be a speedy record on this blog; i bring you the promised photos! excuse the wrinkles please, the iron & i aren't the best of friends.

meant to look like 2 pieces, this sweater vest is actually sewn to the blouse. i was happy to find this, because it replaces a maternity version i loved. normally i don't go for polka dots, but i have to admit these teensy dots were what caught my eye. happily we have the odd warm days even in winter here, so i won't have to wait to wear it.


i wish you could feel this sweater, it is freakysoft! unlike the above blouse; which i bought solely because i could not resist; this one is very nursing-friendly. the buttons open easily enough, perfect for my impatient little bebe. it doesn't show clearly in the photo, but there are crisp, white cuffs at the wrist.

i'll still need a nursing tank beneath this beauty, because the closures stop midway down. it's a heavy, slightly satiny fabric. look at those wide 3/4 sleeves! this blouse/coat is flouncy & fun.

i saved my favorite for last. i saw this linen blouse/coat, & nearly fainted! manlyman disliked it immensely, & said sure, if you want to look like a 19th century artist. he meant that as a deterrent hahahaha! silly man that only intensified my wooziness for it.

i also scored a pair of gray/black plaid, tweed gaucho-type bottoms. they fit perfectly, but i'm not too keen on the flared legs. as soon as i get some time (hahaha) i plan on altering them into straight-legs. i'll post a before & after when i do.

oh my friend, there were non-clothing treasures galore at the shop. i tried many times to get to them, but manlyman would stop me with a just clothes reminder. he has a heart of stone, he does.

& now i'm off to go stare at my new pretties to start my chores. i hope you have a lovely day :)

~peace.

note :: only one piece is actually vintage, the others just give the illusion of times gone by. i didn't want anyone to misunderstand yesterday's proclamation of vintagey items found.

ummmm, oops?

i may have strayed from the challenge a wee bit. it wasn't a purposeful stray, i merely forgot. those of you new to the belfry will think i'm lying; but i am not. ask any of the oldies, they'll confirm my swiss-cheese-brain. well maybe not now that i've referred to them as oldies...

so what did i buy that was neither handmade, nor used? a subscription to this magazine. it was a buy one, get one type of dealio, so i had the gift subscription sent to a friend who also has a new drooler.

hmm. i wonder if i didn't stray were i to pretend i bought the subscription for her, & it came with a freebie subscription for me? no?

anyway, i promise to feel dreadful about straying each & every time i read my fabulous new magazine. i also promise to pay better attention to my spending, so i don't fail the challenge.

***

unrelated, but equally fabulous (sans guilt) is today's thrifting haul. oh my dearest one & only reader!!!!! the treasures - gorgeous vintagey tops that i can nurse in!! i get all swoony just thinking about it. sigh.

i have no pictures to share, as my treasures are in the wash, getting the stinky chemicals removed. do your thrift shops spray their fabric items with chemicals? i shall take photos tomorrow, & post them, so you can ooh & ahh along with me.

~peace.

challenge katified (real word)

i gave it some thought, & figured out how strictly i'll be adhering to tif's rules for the challenge. i truly wish to succeed at this, so i've had to tweak things here & there.

* gift cards - i have a few gift cards, & didn't know if i would be able to use them during the challenge. it came to me that since the cards were gifts, i wouldn't be buying anything when using them; merely using my gifts. yup. that works for me.

* xmas - there is no way i can make things; what with the new bebe; there just isn't time. & whilst thehobbit would be happy, manlyman just doesn't love the world of vintage/used/antiques as i. there may be some things on etsy i can get them, but as thehobbit asked santa for legos, i'll need to shop amazon as well.

* underpinnings - i think we all agree on this exception.

* bebe items - i cannot think of anything we'll need (that we cannot get from a thrift or resale shop) but as a year is quite a long time, it's best to be safe. a bigger car seat! see? i have already realized a future need. clever me :-)

that about does it. i don't think i've tweaked too far from the original. now i just need to make sure i don't forget. or cheat. of course i could go insane from lack of shopping, & spend much too much money on something used.

photo :: found on ebay (lost the link to the owner's posting)

bebe does need a bath tub. i'm just sayin'.

~peace.

i love clothes.

if that isn't the understatement of the year, i don't know what is.

i spent a good part of my pregnancy staring longingly at a closet filled with pretties, whilst my ever-growing belly forced me to wear more tent-like blouses instead.

well it's 10 weeks post-partum, & i find i'm still looking at that closet longingly. i did lose the pg weight (hurrah!), but i forgot about nursing. most of the easy-access blouses i own don't fit over my gigantic udders, so i've been sporting the same 3 outfits for weeks. blah. blah i say!

i can't afford a whole new wardrobe, but i am going to have to get a few items to get me through until xmas, when i can ask for more ;-). oh, & let me just say that online shopping is a new mama's best friend.

my first new blouse, courtesy of forever21:

i wore it yesterday, & loved how comfortable it was. it's a bit in the sheer side, so a pretty camisole (or in my case; a boring nursing tank) has to be worn beneath. i paired it with jeans, but i'm thinking it will look cute with a straight skirt. slightly turn of the last century perhaps?

there wasn't much more i liked on forever21's site, which surprised me. in the past i'd peruse their site, oohing & aahing & coveting as i went. it seems that the majority of their vintagey items have been replaced with 70s & 80s things. blah. they didn't even have the over-the-knee socks that are my winter must-haves.

my hope is that manlyman is up for a day of thrifting next week. if so, he can help with the boys, whilst i search for actual vintagey, easy-access blouses (& maybe a few sweaters?). i'd leave them all at home, but that would mean a much shorter day of thrifting, with having to rush home every 2 hours to nurse. i'd much rather take them all with me, & simply ignore manlyman's sighs of boredom.

& on that note: i am off to play moo-cow to my sweet little elfling. do you know of any affordable shops that sell vintage-looking clothes? do share!

~peace.

looking at the bright side of life

yesterday was an ever so dreadful sort of day. we had to be across town all day; for morning & late afternoon doc appointments; so i planned errands & a thrifting excursion to fill the hours between. without going into all the ridiculous happenings, i will just say that the majority of the day went wrong.



by the nightfall i was so miserable, that i was unable to focus on positives. in fact, had you asked me then, i would have insisted that not one good thing came out of the entire day. that, of course, is not the case - but i think a bit of dramatics is ok once in awhile.



today is a new day, & though it's not going as well as i would like, i am able to focus on being positive. for example: although our thrifting was cut hideously short, i did manage to come away with 2 treasures. the footstool needs to be painted & recovered; otherwise it's in excellent shape.





the basket needs no work whatsoever - it is simply perfect. & the lid! it has slits for the handles to poke through, & lifts straight off. baskets drive me wild in general, but with lids?!?! according to our new rule, we must have a purpose for everything we bring home. i need to think of one quickly.

i'm grateful that yesterday is behind me, & that today's crud is vastly more tolerable - beyond that, i'm just going to take the day as it comes. not an entirely pollyanna attitude, but at least i'm looking at the bright side of life. mostly. ish.

~peace.

when manlyman is away...

... the kat shall play - thehobbit & i went thrifting this morning! there was so much from which to choose; & though i wanted it all; i was very well behaved. i only cried a teeny bit at having to leave so many treasures behind. wretched decluttering challenge.

one thing we did not leave was this fabulous $5 item:


we're going to clean the valet, & give it to manlyman for fathers' day! i'd love to paint & distress it, but i haven't the energy time. he's very difficult to buy prezzies for; so thehobbit & i were beside ourselves when we came upon it. you see, he is quite the dandy, that man of mine. he irons his work clothes each night, then hangs the outfit in the laundry room (belt & shoes set out as well). how could he not love his very own valet?

***

we also went to the local nursery to replace what the earwigs had decimated, & what never sprouted from seed. our little farm's newest inhabitants are: 2 more tomatoes, 2 cucumber, & 2 watermelon. each year i try to plant something we'd not yet attempted. this year it is watermelon; wish us luck!

& now i'm off to rest for a time. playing whilst huge with child is exhausting.

~peace.

tiny bottoms, long post

having your children 11 years apart is, in some ways, like having your first. this can mean different things for different people. for us it means not having anything saved from the last bebe. sure we kept some items that were special, but we gave away all our bins of clothes & other essentials long ago.

i've been searching around for affordable newborn clothes that i didn't loathe, but wasn't finding much. everything i loved was freakyexpensive. finally it hit me that if i could find just one pair of bottoms, i could make more! surely i could find one pair. with that thought in mind, thehobbit & i headed to a local resale shop.

we searched & searched the shop, but couldn't find anything! then! on our way out i spotted a little shelf with baskets marked newborn. did i manage to find one pair i didn't loathe? no. i found four!! 4 tiny bottoms (plus 1 thehobbit chose) that i actually liked, & that cost less than $2 a pair! faint-worthy to be sure.


the light was wonky, so the colors didn't photograph well. from left to right we have: black, tan, blue (thehobbit's choice), gray, lt. gray/drk. gray stripes. (the beanie was a bonus find.) ahhh plain, non-cutesy clothes! & yes, the black bottoms are my favorite.

***

i know it's silly to be so thrilled by this, but i can't help it. it was humbling enough to have had to take whatever was donated to us for thehobbit, but loathing most of it made me miserable. this go around we're blessed to be able to buy things we need, & blessed to be able to be picky with hand-me-downs.

something i've noticed that strikes me as odd: i actually feel more grateful for the donations now, than i did when pg with thehobbit. i wonder if it's the lack of desperation. we were utterly broke back then, & had to accept everything that came our way. this time i feel like i have enough breathing space to truly appreciate the generosity of family & friends. i'm not sure if that makes much sense.

11 years ago we were given a brand new stroller that i found extremely ugly. please understand that i was grateful to have a stroller at all, but for all the years we used it, i hated the sight of it. this time a friend offered us her gently-used stroller, & i was able to check it out before saying yes or no. that felt so amazing! no desperation forcing me to accept the gift, regardless of liking it or not. in case you're wondering: i love the stroller immensely this time, so accepted it with a great amount of gratitude & giggling joy. thehobbit has named it already (of course he has): mac for its brand.

***

back then i hated being poor, we'd had to make do with so little, & with even less once thehobbit came. fast forward 11 years & i'm happy we'd been in that situation. having had to have made do with near to nothing helped me truly appreciate the life i now have. it also gives me courage to have a bebe so long after the first. having money, a nice home, a huge community of friends, & so much more - trumps all the negatives by far. besides - who needs all that sleep i'll be missing, when i can put my bebe in tiny, black bottoms?

~peace.

just another serene saturday

neither thehobbit nor i felt like doing much of anything today. i did try to be the responsible adult, but it was half-hearted, resulting in only getting the watering done. ah well - at least the veggies shan't die of thirst.

instead, we played in the yard for a bit, then i came inside to just 'be'. thehobbit stayed out of course, as he must play in his tent every. waking. moment.

i really should take a photo of his set-up, because it's just too cute. he's got a little 2-man tent pitched, with a beach gazebo set up next door. creating a circle he's dragged over a small picnic table, & some chairs. one must be fancy even when in the wilderness, so there are potted plants on his table.

a blanket & pillow are the only things in the gazebo; but within the tent (which he calls the swamp) he's got: a chair, a small table, his radio (playing opera when i left him earlier), & a tote filled with books & drawing accoutrement.

***

other than watering the farm, craving a vegetarian taco salad, & playing with thehobbit, i've pretty much stuck with my decision to do nothing all day. i've been listening to music, puttering, & poking around the internet. it's been lovely.

one of today's putterings has been to figure out how to no longer have to see manlyman's chin-up bar. it hangs in the doorway that leads from the dining room, to the east wing of the belfry. hahahaha wing!!! the east wing is basically the rooms to one side of the big room. we haven't even any hallways here, so you can see why i'm cracking myself up at this absurdity.

sorry, i got off track for a moment there. here is the ugly chin-up bar:

& here is my solution:

it's a freakylong table cloth. yes i know it's wrinkly, but the iron & i don't get along; she belongs to manlyman, & she is a jealous thing. it's just tucked up there (as you can see from the previous photo), so manlyman can easily access the bar for his weekly pull-ups. maybe he'll even iron it for me, before rehanging it!? yeah, i doubt it too.

hanging the cloth there not only hides the ugliness beneath it, it keeps the warmth in the big room, & makes for an excellent back drop. voila!

oh my one & only reader, i'm sorry for yet another belly picture. you see, my best friend spryte lives far, far away, & has taken to threats if i don't show more of the bebe. usually a gentle soul, i think being so far from me what she has decided is her bebe has driven her mad. or perhaps it is her 4 hellion hobbits? either way - another belly photo.

this was also an excuse to show my newest thrift shop purchase. the blouse is not meant to be maternity, but it works perfectly. the fabric is amazingly soft, sort of like a very thin sweater. the best part; in addition to being so cute; is that it only cost $4. how i do love thrifting.

i hope you're having a lovely, serene saturday. i'm off to make some tea :-)

~peace.

treasures for hobbits

thehobbit is in need of new clothes; all his favorites are either too short, or too tight. i thought he was dressing like a normal kid (jeans & t-shirts) out of whimsy, but yesterday he told me it was just all he had left. i didn't have the energy to drive to the good thrift shop across town, so took him to the crummy one a few blocks from home.

as usual they didn't have much in the way of fancy clothes for boys - he came away with only one dress shirt. there were, however, other hobbity treasures to be found!



an unopened kit for only 99 cents - thehobbit loves wood kits! he keeps his tools with daddy-o's, but i'm sure he'll find another use for the box once he's built it.



a small, funky, souvenir apron! i was planning on making him a new apron, but he fell in love with this as soon as he saw it. i am pretending it's because he shares my unhealthy love of linen, but in reality the lure was australia. manlyman is all sorts of freaky for australia, & thehobbit wants to be just like his daddy-o. is there a word for australia-love, like anglophile, & francophile? anyway, i pulled it down to fondle the linen, he saw the aussieosity (real word) of it, & declared it his new apron.

there were a few vintage blouses that should cover my ever-growing belly a bit longer, but most of the treasure-hunting joy went to thehobbit. i love him more than i love thrifting, so i don't begrudge him. much.

what about you? have you any treasures to report?

~peace.

in which the day was lovely

today was lovely. the weather was warm, with a slight crisp breeze - perfect for a light sweater, or not.

we spent the first half of the day out & about. we hit the library, the farmers' market (eating more than our share of tasters), then celebrated our full bellies by popping into a thrift shop.

today's treasures: a cookbook, an extra-long camisole, & a black zip-hoodie for thehobbit. do you know how difficult it is to find hoodies without pictures or writing on them? & in black!? it was a christmas miracle i tell you. i love his fashion sense, but at times it makes finding clothes difficult.
** in case you were wondering: he thinks the black hoodie will look fabulous beneath his black suit jacket. **

the second half of our day was dedicated to hobbity scootering. with the lovely weather, i wasn't content to read on the porch whilst he puttered along. i walked alongside him so far behind that he had to stop regularly so i could catch up, looking at all the flowers in bloom.

now he's happily drawing, & i'm goofing here until i have to make dinner. i found this recipe that i'm going to drastically alter. if it turns out well, i'll post my version. it's been a long time since i last posted a vegetarian recipe.

***

totally unrelated to my day, i had to share this beautiful paper doll. she is the creation of one of my favorite bloggers, & illustrators belle & boo. would you look at her little shirt?!!!

photo :: property of belle & boo

if you aren't familiar with her blog, or her work, you should pop over & poke around. her illustrations are utterly charming.

that's all the time i have today. a certain person is starved unto the very brink, so i should get dinner on. thanks for the chat.

~peace.

shiny, happy people

do you remember that song? is it now stuck in your head too? you're welcome. of course since becoming a mama, this is the version playing in mine.

we are definitely happy people today. for starters, the playroom is coming together. thehobbit has gone through most of his things, & we have the new shelving unit filled. did i tell you about that?

the other day we were playing outside, & went to say hello to fryingpan. it just so happened that he was getting rid of his giant shelf thing. it's not my style, but it is perfect for what we need, it was free, & i won't have to look at it, unless i'm hanging out in the playroom.

here it is filled to the brim with hobbity toys:


try as hard as i might, i could not get the whole thing in one photo. it's 6ft long, & nearly as tall as i (be quiet my freakishly tall friends - you know who you are, & yes i can hear you mocking my petiteness through the internet.)

to give you an idea how big this unit is: that basket of blocks on the bottom shelf is a laundry basket!

the rest of the playroom still needs to be decided upon, but gathering all the toys in one place was half the battle. a definitely happy me.

***

thehobbit is happy because he scored the bestest hat in all the world! today. we popped into a thrift shop on our way home from running errands, to see what treasures we could find. oh boy did we find one.

those of you who've been reading for awhile know that thehobbit loooooves fancy clothes. i wish you could have seen the absolute joy on his face when he not only found the hat (original tags still on it), but was told he could have it for his very own.

once home, he asked me to take bunches of photos of me in my hat, all sides of it, & some without me too. above we have hobbit in hat from behind - in case you wanted to search for the print in a gallery ;-)

so yup - shiny, happy people.
~peace.