somebody's little weasel

the end is here

2011-08-25T12:23:00.000-07:00

well folks, this is it. the day it all ends. the end of an era. the passing of the baton. the day for new beginnings... 

 (oh come on, i couldn't resist being a little over dramatic about the whole thing.)

:)

Announcing...

ma-mé

www.atelier-mame.com

www.ateliermame.etsy.com

Actually it is a bit of an exciting start for me. I am officially jumping into my very own solo little business after crafting with my dear Theresa over at Doormouse for many fun years. 

marizy doats will be making its debut tonight at Last Thursday in the Albert Arts District. If you are in the Portland area, come by. :) I'll be right in front of Townsends Tea shop. This was a last-minute opportunity and i decided to go for it even though i don't feel quite ready.

but you know, sometimes i never feel ready. sometimes i just have to go and try. this is good for me, the consummate perfectionist. ;)

little felted animal pincushions? check. loads of pretty and random earrings and necklaces? check. pretty display items? check. makshift business cards? check check. 

Also, my friend Guadalupe will be there with me, one table over. She is a silversmith and designs and creates beautiful jewelry with lost wax cast silver designs and amazing natural stones and gems.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

So there it is, my brand new place to ramble and post profuse amounts of pretty and/or cute images. Please change your links, as after today, i will no longer be posting here at somebody's little weasel.

It's been a long go of it but i am glad to moving on to a fresh page. The past couple years have been full of so many good clean starts and this one feel like it's been too long coming.

This blog has been a place for me to rant, think out loud, ponder, have fun, post all the random silliness, a way to process all the things in my head, and share the things in my life.

There is a lot of posts here that have hard memories tied to them, many with good memories too. But for now i feel like it's time to put them away and let them gather some dust. It's time for them to go up in the attic in a cigar box and be memories. It's time for moving forward and being new.

www.atelier-mame.com

down a rabbit hole

2011-08-22T14:38:00.000-07:00

it started with this...

then i found this...

and this...

on to this (!!!!!!)

and then this (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

(also this, especially at about 2 min into it.)

so i pretty much just listened to her the rest of the afternoon.

quite an enjoyable soundtrack while spiffing up my new etsy shop and working on a pretty new home blogging base.... both should be done by the end of the week, yippee!

2011-08-04T15:32:00.000-07:00

remembering how much i love this guy...

whose is bigger?

2011-07-28T23:00:00.000-07:00

so today i rode over to the grocery to pick up some things for the rest of the week. As i pulled up some guy asked me with fair amount of snark in his voice, "hey is that one of those bikes that pedal for you?" I looked up from locking miss Abigail Lucile to the awkward bike rack (seriously who thought this was a good design??? (Photo: Brian Eustis via Bike Portland) The big clunky square posts are really awkward to lock to and even harder to get more than one bike per rectangle even with one bike per side. but i am rabbit trailing...) 

He was probably in his late 40's or early 50's,wearing all black and a well worn (i think band) t-shirt, unlocking his bike, which was what looked to me like a pretty basic hybrid or sport/mountain bike covered in dings and stickers with chipped paint; seemingly well loved and often used. 

"No, just me and my 40lb behemoth. " I replied, smiling. I am wearing a high pouf of a messy bun on the top of my head, a pale teal tank and light weight cream cardigan, capri's and mary jane shoes, looking pretty girly overall. He then switched his tone from slightly patronizing and condescending to more of an 'oh hey, i guess you're cool' and said  "Oh good, good. that's good. It's good that you just pedal"...I thought your bike might weigh about as much as mine but it might even be a bit more" 

I think to myself, "ok, i'll talk to you for a bit." So i say, "It's heavy but solid and gets me where i need to go and I can carry what i need to. There is actually a bike shop in town that does make electric assists for bikes, Clever Cycles. I believe they switch on once your pedaling gets slow enough. I think they made them with cargo bikes in mind so if you have a big box bike with kids and groceries or whatever you are hauling you can make it around better."

"Well, for those people that's fine, i'll grant them they can use something like that but..."

"Um, yeah. Hmm". He hops on his bike and nods to me and into the store i go...

So this little exchange, while not terribly mean or confrontational or anything really got me miffed. Why is it that everything is a contest of power and legitimate-ness? It's not a physical contest.  It's not a race and no one will be giving out ribbons on who was the most manyly/badass/powerfull/athletic...

A bike is a means of transport. In my opinion a way more fun, enjoyable, prettier means, but still, just getting me around. So make it work for you. If you are concerned with the ecological aspect, yeah it's great when people make some or all car trips by bike instead. The social one, yup bikes are cheaper to purchase and maintain than cars so are more accessible for more people. They make cities cleaner and quieter by reducing car trips...yup, they are great. But bottom line, a tool that is useful for getting people places. So if you need an electric assist to make the bike more feasible for you, then do it. it's still cheaper/more ecological/cleaner/quieter than a car. Given the choice you wouldn't drive around a tiny 2 door sedan if your life needed a big huge truck for hauling things around would you?

But oh wait, that can't be right. It must be that they are solely sport machines for the sole purpose of showing everyone how superior you are. Made for only the best people. the morally more upright, physically superior, smarter, and if i ride one then i too am in the right and should look down on anyone else who doesn't use one or who uses one with pedaling assist attached...

The following is what i said to the guy in my head as i mulled the whole conversation over while walking through the store getting dinner groceries. warning, snark ahead...

"hey is that one of those bikes that pedal for you?" - no. just a bike.

"It's good that you just pedal."  - and if I did have an assist on my bike i'm suddenly in the wrong? Less of "cyclist"? lame? a poseur? Would you rather have me move to a traditional or electric car rather than make my bike work for what i need it to? And if i also own a car or used to? Or use a zip car sometimes when i need to or just don't want to ride? What am I then, oh man who gets to deem everything right or wrong or cool or lame?

"I thought your bike might weigh about as much as mine but it might even be a bit more" - yeah, my bike weighs a fair bit more than yours i'd guess and that's before the hefty front rack and basket are counted in, not to mention how much weight is added by library books/groceries/whatever i am carting around for the day. Oh yeah and while we're having a flop our wieners up on the table and measuring them contest, i personally probably outweigh you by about 75lbs... so yeah mine's bigger. 

end of snark. thank you. we will now be returning to our regularly scheduled cute kittens/pretty things/crafting schedule...  (seriously, click those links, i think you'll like them)

go buy some kale

2011-07-18T19:11:00.000-07:00

http://youtu.be/G3XYQ6jCRRU?t=16m15s

saw this referred to as Kale Crack in my search for this clip... based on the speed at which the giant baking sheet of kale was eaten and the urge we felt to immediately go to the store and buy another bunch of kale i would agree with that nick name...

catching up (or a very very very long post)

2011-07-11T14:05:00.000-07:00

I had a birthday

we cooked for 14-16

well, maybe we cooked enough for more like 50...

we re-arranged the house to accommodate everyone

I love my new ikea sideboard and folding tables!

got a new bike (Abigail Lucille)

and have been riding a ton

passed my old bike (Beatrice) along to my sweetie who adores her!

and passed along an old friend (Bertram) to someone who will adore him

gardening a bunch

watched fireworks with his family

went to the zoo with mine

cooking cooking cooking

it's been a pretty great month

sunday morning

2011-06-12T07:18:00.000-07:00

woke up at 4:45... fed the kitties (they were pleased)... went back to bed... couldn't sleep...got back up at 5:30... drinking tea, listening to amelie, waiting for a reasonable hour to wake Dave... working on crafting projects and ideas, a logo, reading blogs...

got this for my birthday (!!!!!)
http://roaringdesign.blogspot.com/2011/06/blog-467-mossy-cottage.html

trying my luck at this (HA! 8114 comments so far, so odds are not with me)
http://ohhappyday.com/2011/06/goes-to-paris/

happy sunday

i am not a cheese

2011-06-09T13:33:00.000-07:00

quote from Billie Burke via http://prettystuff.tumblr.com/

it's that day again

last night i had to count to figure out how old i am this year

cause i simply don't remember about the numbers

i just care about living

and right now my life is so wonderful and full

and it just promises to get better

looking forward to another year

the only way 6am is an acceptable time to get out of bed...

2011-06-03T07:31:00.000-07:00

found this recipe a few days ago and finally tried it. So rich and so sweet but oooooooh so good. oh dear heavens it was good...

my new music crush

2011-06-01T14:51:00.000-07:00

Oh Land- Wolf & I (Live) from Oh Land Music on Vimeo.

Rainbow by Oh Land from Big Ugly Yellow Couch on Vimeo.

Oh Land "Sun of a Gun" from Oh Land Music on Vimeo.

a little abba for your friday..

2011-05-06T12:13:00.000-07:00

color

2011-05-04T17:38:00.000-07:00

a project i'm working on will entail trying my hand at naturally dying silk and sewing notions so i've been scouring for good info. all of which, so far, has been daunting. lots of pessimistic, not encouraging info, lots of this-will-be-really-hard-and-unsuccessful type advice. I was just about to give up when my friend sent me this link...(you MUST click all these links, you will not regret it)

http://naturallydyeing.blogspot.com/

i'm now completely infatuated and really excited to try 

these are the kinds of colors i get swoony over

these are the sorts of subdued earthy hues that i'm always drawn to

so excited to start collecting

I'd been looking at this book (and now this, this and this as well) and am on the waiting list for them at the library. I can't wait for them all to come in! 

i will not rejoice

2011-05-02T20:14:00.000-07:00

"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice  in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate  multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of  stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate  cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."
--Martin Luther King, Jr.

almost too late...

2011-04-22T10:21:00.000-07:00

well, easter has completely snuck up on me! Here are a couple of wonderful easter egg dying techniques from lovely lithuania. If you are feeling daring try them both. ;)

margučiai

botanical lithuanian easter eggs

A new arrangement

2011-04-20T11:20:00.000-07:00

Today is one of the first days it's actually felt like spring around here. Sunny for a bit, suddenly rainy for a minute or two, then sun and blue sky filled with puffy white clouds again. Good mfor my soul! I am listening to our entire music collection on random and being delighted by the complete random: Him, Bavarija, Robbie Williams, Switchfoot, Vivaldi, Bach, Elgar, The Beatles, Regina Spector, Imogen Heap, Edith Piaf, Kent, Deerhoof, Yuki, Boswell Sisters...

I have spent my entire day (in between sneezes thanks to my spring cold) spring cleaning my blog, not by choice mind you. If you venture back into my blog archives you may notice that the images have all disappeared and been replaced by tiny blue question mark boxes...

Yeah, i'm a dunce and in my purging and cleaning spree i decided to switch out all my google account stuff and start fresh. I thought I had swapped everything over to my new address so I canceled my old google account... then i discovered the question marks... i forgot to move my picassa photos. Bluh. So most of the archived posts are empty of images and that is how they will just have to stay.

So as not to leave my blog a total mess, on to the fun stuff. we have rearranged things... again! total shock isn't it?!? (i'm sure you are rolling your eyes at the non surprise of this occurrence) ;D How about a little home tour???

this space is pretty much the same. i looooove my branch

and my shelf behind the couch

finally passed along the college-apartment-staple-nest-chair to my soon to be college bound little sister

and got a nice fluffy comfy real chair (thanks to dave's parents who are moving and purging. also i really need to put that cover on correctly) ;)

the kitchen table has been moved...

over here (as well as moving the bookcase and record player over),

and these have taken it's place.

here's the old setup (sneaky bike storage)

new old rocking chair and trunk (which is hiding a torn apart bike dave is working on and all our board games).

bedroom is mostly like this

with the girly area moved here. who am i kidding, the whole room is a girly area. good thing Dave doesn't mind too much. ;)

i suppose he can't complain too much. we did buy him his own wardrobe...

wall o' scarves

perfect little shot of the bedside table

some bathroom details

love my shower curtain my sweet mother in law made me

i do need to put up some pictures in here, the walls feel a bit bare but i love the vintage sink and floor

There will be a bit of tweaking here and there, i'm always tinkering. I have some more things i need to get framed and put up on the wall, curtains need to be finally put up,

we're getting a sideboard from ikea,

and another one of these to replace the round table

we got one for my craft room (a whole separate tour coming on that soon) and to save space we're just going to get a second for everyday use so we can set them up end to end for dinner parties and the like. :)

so there is a little tour of our place. :)

a few of my favorite things

2011-04-17T21:47:00.000-07:00

I was just browsing through my favorites on esty today and realized that i really really love the stuff i have collected in there. I've started using The Favoritizer to organize my ever growing list of favorites and so far i really like it! So i thought i might share a handful of them every week or so. :) Here is a smattering of some things i adore...

Things for a spring picnic bike ride

*******

A good bag

Your Camera

layers layers layers

a few fun bobbles

a picnic basket, your lunch, and a blanket

basket

blanket-straps

Your bikes and your sweetie

spring fever

2011-04-03T21:52:00.000-07:00

this weekend was pretty glorious around here; sunny, a tiny bit warm, quiet, dramatic clouds and hail storms... perfectly wonderful Trina weather. I've spent the past week or so in a Spring cleaning and purging frenzy and the sun we're had in spurts was just the thing to keep me in high spirits and motivated.

Cleaned out the terrible no good very full spare room and turning it into... Ta-Da! A craft room. Yippee! oooo the creative things are flinging around in my brain! Pictures soon.

Other things I'm excited about right now...

rearranging the living room to include an actual dining room table so i can have BIG LOVELY PARTIES AGAIN! :) My annual birthday feast might be revived!

We're thinking one of these:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90116261

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10149798

at first i was swayed by the cheaper price tag and the flexibility of 6-10 seating of the first table but then realized that the other is solid wood and not plywood with birch vaneer so we're thinking we might go with the 2nd choice if it will fit well enough.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60045393

I have been silly infatuated with this sideboard since it came out a couple years ago. Soooooooooo excited to get it! I know exactly what i'll put in the drawers and on the shelves... whee!

and added to our ever growing coffee and tea cupboard is our beautiful Chemex from our favorite coffee roaster, Coava. after having a few pots using the traditional paper filters (which is still gorgeous coffee) i can say that i'm excited to get one of their cone filters someday. apparently the metal cone filter lets the oils and deep flavors through much like a press pot would (which has been out preferred brewing method) but without the sludge and acidic bitter flavors that accompany it.

well, enough coffee geekery and rambling on for the evening.

I'll leave you with an amazing picture of my little sister and one of her BFF (can't believe i just typed that)

when love drives out fear

2011-03-31T08:44:00.000-07:00

breaking my heart and making me hopeful today...

And after the storm,

I run and run as the rains come

And I look up, I look up,

on my knees and out of luck,

I look up.

Night has always pushed up day

You must know life to see decay

But I won't rot, I won't rot

Not this mind and not this heart,

I won't rot.

And I took you by the hand

And we stood tall,

And remembered our own land,

What we lived for.

And there will come a time, you'll see, with no more tears.

And love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears.

Get over your hill and see what you find there,

With grace in your heart and flowers in your hair.

And now I cling to what I knew

I saw exactly what was true

But oh no more.

That's why I hold,

That's why I hold with all I have.

That's why I hold.

I will die alone and be left there.

Well I guess I'll just go home,

Oh God knows where.

Because death is just so full and mine so small.

Well I'm scared of what's behind and what's before.

And there will come a time, you'll see, with no more tears.

And love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears.

Get over your hill and see what you find there,

With grace in your heart and flowers in your hair.

And there will come a time, you'll see, with no more tears.

And love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears.

Get over your hill and see what you find there,

With grace in your heart and flowers in your hair.

:) making me smile today

2011-03-28T12:29:00.000-07:00

please forgive the silly video

this song is surprisingly hard to find embed-able

shooting off into the unknown

2011-02-25T20:57:00.000-08:00

today it all began to hit me... yesterday was my last day at Sock Dreams and next week will be my first real days of, well, whatever i want.

I'm scared and sad to leave people who have become so special to me. I'm grateful for all the support and encouragement I have received there. I'm made bolder by my husband and family cheering me on. I am thrilled to be pursuing my interests and heart and so thankful that i have the opportunity to. So many people have been with me holding me up and believing in me. So I'm proud of myself for taking the leap. Thank you everyone for giving me the courage to...

print by

corduroy

Deep Breath... and go

2011-01-31T17:15:00.000-08:00

Wow so many things...

December, in between frantic crafting of gifts and parties and general holiday madness, I got to the happy owner of a nasty bad bacterial infection in my inner ear! Yipee!

This entailed several days of me being so dizzy i couldn't walk with out Dave holding me up. Truly terrible. In all I was on antibiotics for most of December and the first week of January, successfully poopooing all new years eve plans with my little sister and her best friend. (we'll make it up to you girls!)

the lame new years eve party of sickness

me and carmen wrapped in blankets. :)

But things have gone up from there. (go go 2011!) My family came up for a belated Christmas dinner and Birthday combined (my mom and Little Grandma both have birthdays in the beginning of January) and it was so much fun.

Ant Pat (spelled like this every since i was little), Little Grandma, me, and Mom

My annual (heck monthly?) house purging new years fest has begun and it's feeling so good to get things organized and cleared out and simplified. Kitchen cupboards cleaned out, things given away, space reorganized.

brand new bathroom shelf!

Next spaces to be terrorized by my alter ego The Purger... the bedroom and spare room (also know as spar-oom, guest room, craft room, office). Started in on the spare room this past weekend and pictures will follow.

Spare room/craft room/office will be especially exciting as this will be come the new center of my life as i have.....

quit. my. job.

Eeeep!!!!! No no, it's really a good thing and everyone at work has been so incredibly supportive and excited for me. I can't tell you how hard it's going to be to not see my co workers so regularly, they are amazing and it really has been the most amazing 3+ years there. But my heart is yearning and pushing me to try out some long neglected dreams so I'm jumping in.

I had mentioned a post or two ago that i was hoping to attend a local small cooking program. It seems for now that door is closed. But what has opened up is the opportunity to do an internship at our favorite right around the block Tea Shop, The Jasmine Pearl.

beautiful teas

inside the shop

It's become part of our saturday morning routine to go by their tasting room (which is just a few blocks from our place!) and in the process we've become friends with the owners. they are the sweetest couple and so much fun! I'm really really really looking forward to getting to know them better and become their sponge of a student over the coming months. :)

Bertie and Bea outside the shop

I'll also be getting serious about crafting and creative interests to try and supplement some lost income via my etsy shop. I'll be sure to post here when things start happening there.

some projects underway

So lots of changes and I am over the moon about them all.

p.s. all the wonderful pictures were taken by my wonderful husband

baby steps in nice shoes

2010-12-14T21:08:00.000-08:00

1 school loan applied for... it's a start

in other news, we realized that our debit card has been earning us "rewards points" every time we have used it the entire 3 years we've had our account open. we never remember to use cash so we always use our debit card. with the points we were able to "purchase" these lovelies for dave using only our points on their little rewards site, at what i gather is quite a discount. he's so excited. :) we even had enough points left over to get a $25 Macy's gift card.

I like shopping when it doesn't cost any money.

It's time to move on, time to get going...

2010-12-13T21:39:00.000-08:00

I am having a hard evening and a good evening. I am restless, anxious, impatient, worried, excited, creative, overwhelmed...

I need to get going. I need to sit and be still and calm. I need to move and work and make progress. I need to listen to wind in trees and feel it on my face.

I'm feeling the panic and fear of getting left behind, by what I don't know as anything I'll be doing in the future is up to me to begin and to set pace.

I feel an overwhelming almost suffocating desire at the core of my heart to finally go for what I love and want but I feel I'm still fighting with my old way of dragging my feet and letting all the options and details and have-to's drown me.

I am on the edge of drowning in all of it and it makes me gasp and become frantic.

I need to carve out some space and sit. I want to sit. and think. and plan. and plot. and list-make. and rummage. and dream. and cross off. and pack up. and make. and create. and sit some more.

Tonight I found this, and it's hitting my core. The timing is perfect.

http://makeundermylife.com/

I will be spending some time there i think.

I found there things I have held on to for a while in myself and things I've recently discovered in my heart and brain. It's validating and exciting and connecting and encouraging and motivating. Kindred hearts and lives. Similar places for many and that is comforting and exciting.

Tonight I unsubscribed from about half the blogs in my google reader. Tomorrow the other half (or nearly so) may go. Then I'll move onto my e-mail. then the kitchen, then my gift list...

i need to remove so many distractions and time eaters and mental clutter.

Then, after the immediate holiday fun and business, I will take some days to sit in a clean white space and dream. I'm looking forward to it. Oh I don't do well with waiting for beginnings.

...

2010-11-26T16:03:00.000-08:00

currently making my heart attempt to explode

Mumford and Sons

(you must go listen)

things that make it all better

2010-11-22T20:42:00.000-08:00

so i don't get serious on here very often...

2010-11-18T22:53:00.000-08:00

but i have had kind of a heavy contemplative few weeks. I've felt a bit stuck, trapped, somehow on pause. I have several things on the horizon, all looming just out of reach but I know they are coming. Things that will take some effort, some bravery, but have the potential to be so close to the heart of me that I can't stay safe and still any longer so I'm going to go for them.

But I'm in a place where there are too many unfinished bits and too many threads that need careful untying before it will be a good time for moving on. I want to be a bit reckless and selfish and just go, just get on with these things I want. But then i remember that these connections and responsibilities do matter to me and that a bit more time and waiting and carefulness is ok.

it's not going to last much longer. just a few months more i think. then on to pursuing the things i have always felt guilt for wanting, silly for dreaming of, too inadequate to try.

I'm hopefully going to go to cooking school in a few months, I'm going to spend more time on my creative endeavors, we're working on the possibility of moving to Amsterdam so learning a new language or two is in the works. After cooking school I'm going to see what kinds of internships I can get in as many different restaurants as i can.

There are so many possibilities and ideas and directions i can go that it almost overwhelms me. Some weeks it's hard to make it to the weekend. The wanting change and seeing it so close makes the hard bits of the here and now almost unbearable. one more week of feeling like the majority of my days don't belong to me. one more day of spending hours on things that drain me. one more morning of getting up and doing nothing that excites me or lights my heart. just one more, one more, one more...

but not much longer i think. I have spent too many years letting life be dictated by some unspoken duty to be something i should be, staying away from what i want from fear or some strange subconscious thought that I'm not the sort of person who could actually succeed and only the truly extraordinary and beautiful and talented are allowed to pursue things like that.

i feel like the past few years have been moving in this direction. all that i am and have discovered about myself has made me aware of those strange beliefs and given me fire to actually try. and now it's time to try.

a litter smile In the mouth Department

2010-11-15T20:42:00.000-08:00

Tonight i needed some good mindless zoning out so I window shopped my little heart out. A little Etsy and then a little on Dawanda.

maybe my favorite of the night simply because of the product description

Product description
Review
That withering loneliness
Under the clear sky, it is turbulent Undercurrent
Lonely, pale，there has a litter smile In the mouth Department，
Evening, winding, or it may be some Indulge.
New style of clothing on autumn
At the age dress, The beautiful gril who pursue fashion, make dress forever show your Charming gesture.

home again

2010-09-16T11:45:00.000-07:00

view from an Amsterdam canal

today, well this whole week for that matter, has been a quiet one. Dave is a trooper and jumped right back to work the morning after we landed. But the quick start plus jet lag has finally taken it's toll on him and he's gotten the cold I've had since the day we arrived in Vilnius.

Vilnius view

amazing how long chest congestion can hang on. I had this week off and go back to work on monday. Ho hum, back to normal life. The after trip that-was-so-great-i-wish-life-was-like-this-all-the-time blues have set in for the both of us but we're managing it alright.

Vilnius courtyard entry

All the digital pictures are finally off the camera and up on Dave's Flicker. (We just dumped them all there, no matter who took them, and tried to note who took what.)

Amsterdam
Vilnius

You can also read about our trip day by day over at Portlandize. We'll keep posting till everything is told. Enjoy!

amazing blanket in our Vilnius apartment

Shopping!!!

2010-09-08T08:24:00.000-07:00

So today was my shopping day! One things I can say is that am super jealous about the shopping situation compared to when we lived here. There are now 3 pretty major western Europe style shopping malls very near where we used to live and several stores carry sizes I can fit in. Marks & Spencer, Body Shop, all sorts of shoe stores... I found 2 super cute skirts on sale at the Marks & Spencer for about $35 total. The entire year I was here I think I bought 2 articles of clothing, one of which was my frumpy winter coat, and those were even iffy on the sizing. Tori, I got you a super cute pair of red flats today and a pair of red heels for me. I still have half of my (and Tori's) shoe budget left! We're meeting some old friends for lunch tomorrow and then going to search for a very large purse for me cause I need some way to carry all these shoes home. ;)

Oh, and brenna, you must come visit here. I keep seeing all sorts of things I think you would be enamored with. And funny angora harem pants. I took a picture.

Processing

2010-09-07T02:08:00.000-07:00

This morning Dave and I slept in, ate a breakfast of amazing rolls, sausage and cheese. Dave got some of his beloved plum nectar and I'm sticking to airborne and mint tea. I've ended up with a bit of a chest cold. I'm so glad to be in Vilnius when it happened. Since we used to live here we don't feel any great pressure to go out picture taking and sight seeing plus we'll be here all week so there is plenty of time for wandering around the city. The cold has aggravated my slight flight vertigo so I am happy to hang out in my pj's and comfy socks for most of the day.

We've figured out there is no way to get the pictures off the camera till we get home so expect an explosion of posts after next week.

Being in Vilnius is a really strange feeling. It feels so normal and common and familiar it almost doesn't feel like we're still on vacation. We have so many memories here, and the unpleasant ones really do outweigh the good ones, that as beautiful as the city is it's been weighty to walk the streets and move around. It's going to take some time to mentally process what we're feeling and to just be here and enjoy the sights like any other visitor. Even the good memories are tinged with some melancholy because the people we had the good memories with aren't here to be with. Most have moved out of the country or further outside of Vilnius. We will meet with a couple people later is week and I feel like the connection will help.

We had such an amazing time in Amsterdam and such incredible connections with people we're feeling a bit of a let down and sadness to go from that to here where we're alone and remembering so much. It's a good feeling too though as we really felt we needed to feel this place where so much good real change began for us. It will be good to remember some of the old pressure and things that started us on the path to where we are at this moment. Then to see where we've been brought and feel and trust all that we've learned.

So feeling a little introspective and melancholy today but glad to get a chance to process and unpack and maybe feel like a huge part of our life has a bit more closure.

Oh my aching...

2010-09-04T13:52:00.000-07:00

Last night we met up with Mr Marc, http://amsterdamize.com/,  and the lovely Eva, http://eva-lu.com/, for drinks. So much fun to finally meet in person. Then later that night our beautiful friend Erika arrived from Madrid and the three of us made it back to the apartment with Erika riding on the back of Dave's bike. Oh how I wish I could post a picture of that!
We ended up staying up till past 3am talking and catching up. The next morning we got up, went back into the center, rented a bike for Erika, and met Marc and Eva for our big Marc guided tour of the city. so much fun!!!! We zipped around for several hours, tried some really amazing herring, saw some crazy dressed new university students running around town on the way to a huge party, stopped and the most beautiful cafe on a canal for lunch, and just generally enjoyed the BEAUTIFUL weather we had today. Sunny, puffy clouds, cool... Then Dave, Erika, and I parted ways from Marc and Eva and headed out to a huge outdoor market. From there we rode home. It's amazing how comfortable we felt riding today after following Marc around and learning the flow of traffic.  We came home made some burn your face off curry and had dinner on the pretty little balcony. After dinner we went for a short ride around Ooster park, and then back down to the center and wandered around people watching and enjoying how beautiful the canals are at night.
When we got back to our flat we pulled out some sweet spanish almond candy and red wine that Erika brought and talked some more.
Today was an amazing day just enjoying company & connection with others, and riding & feeling like a tiny part of the city.
Sitting here drinking wine and feeling lovely tired and a bit sore from the day is a wonderful feeling.

For some pictures to tide you over till we can get our camera situation figured out here's Marc's flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mindcaster-ezzolicious/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mindcaster-ezzolicious/4958110136/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mindcaster-ezzolicious/4958107088/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mindcaster-ezzolicious/4957587245/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mindcaster-ezzolicious/4957511405/

And eva's Amsterdam set
http://www.flickr.com/photos/49053869@N05/sets/72157624879815758/with/4958551554/

What a ride

2010-09-03T04:18:00.000-07:00

Holy cow, this has not been the most auspicious beginning to our trip. On the flight over we ended up swapping seats with a man and his little daughter so they could sit near his young son. All three of them ended up with seats apart from each other. It was really sweet that the passengers tried so hard to figure out how to get them seats together. Oh and also pretty wonderful was that most of the flight was populated by a huge group from a retirement community all going to tour amsterdam. They were kind of wonderful and i was really hoping to share our row with one of them. Dave and I ended up with a window and an aisle after all was said and done, not the best for leg room or being able to get up and stretch our legs. So we sat pretty much the whole time and slept no more than an hour.

We were quite happy to get off the plane. Then the real fun began. First we had to go get our bags and realized that no matter how tough and indestructible our vintage Samsonite luggage is, it is a bitch to haul around. Oh boy is it heavy and hard on your hands! We got our luggage then had to try and figure out how to get a train ticket and where to catch the train. It may have just been the crazy jet lag we were having (I was having some vertigo issues) but we could not find the dumb train platform. We found the metro, several other train platforms, but not the one to central station. Seriously harder then it should have been. ;) took us forever, especially due to the fact that the only info desk we could find was empty. Finally we sat, ate a granola bar, apologized for being grumpy to each other, and tried again.

Ok, so we finally found the train, got on and were starting to feel a bit better about life. (it's amazing how stressed and grumpy one can get from lack of sleep) we got off at the station and then.... Could not find the metro. At all. Should have taken us about 5 minutes to walk from the train to the metro with our luggage, it took us just about 30 minutes just to find the dumb thing. Really it was kind of hilarious, us with our huge vintage luggage and wandering around terribly grumpy. We had directions mind you, they just happened to be pretty sparse and vague. Finally we found a info center (also hard to locate) and were again on our way.

K, now we're off the metro and again referring to our vague directions... We have no idea where to go. Fumble around a bit more and get on the right path. Cal our apartment guy to let him know we are on our way (we're about 30 minutes later than we said now) and keep huffing our heavy ass luggage down the street. We find the corner where the apartment should be and guess what... None of the buildings have visible street numbers that we can see. Wander wander wander... Ask a lady, who tells us the street we are looking for is back a. Couple blocks, even though we're standing right near a street sign that tells us otherwise but in the end she did realize we were already on the street and helped us find the right building.

Whew! We got in, met our host who was really nice and let us leave the bags there even though they hadn't cleaned yet from the last guests and don't normally. Check anyone in till after 4 (it was noon). We grabbed a few essentials and headed back out the door to let them clean. We wandered around oosterpark park which is right near our flat and people watched and almost fell asleep on a bench, wandered around semi lost but on purpose found a really terrific donna kabob place and ate lunch, wandered around the park some more, got rained on, and finally ended up at a little pub for an amazingly good coffee and a terribly over priced yummy bowl of leek and mushroom soup.

By the time we got back to the flat we were both about to drop. Took showers and rested a little and then wanted to go get bikes rented. Couldn't find our way to work cycles (sad!) so we opted for a shop in the old town that had been recommended to us. Made it there about 5 minutes before they closed and got our bikes. We're probably going to take them back tomorrow and swap for the next model up as the ones we got are kind of crap and have unruly coaster breaks. Got rained on again, got jet lag induced grumpies again, realized that my feet and shins were beginning to hurt so bad it was getting hard to walk, and headed home.

Completely crashed when we got there! My darling husband let me just sit as I had such soreness from the 10 straight hours of walking plus no sleep for about 40 hours at this point, and ran down the street to get us some Thai food. We ate and fell asleep almost immediately.

Oh yeah and to top it all off we also discovered yesterday that our card reader has decided not to work now that we're here. Worked in Portland, but just not in Amsterdam. So looks like there may not be any pictures till we return. :P

But not to worry, so far today has been a peach of a day and things are looking up and feeling more like a wonderful day in Europe. Slept in, had yummy breakfast and got some groceries. Our apartment is sooooooo cute. I could totally live in an apartment like this. Man I wish I could post some pictures of the place. You'll just have to look back a few posts to see the pictures from the rental site. http://afoxarose.blogspot.com/2010/05/oh-summer-adventures.html

Ok, off to explore a bit and finish up some grocery shopping (one of my favorite things to do in foreign cities is grocery shop, weird, I know) ;)

Flying

2010-09-01T06:08:00.000-07:00

I fell asleep last night to the sounds of rain and the rustling trees. The air has smelled like fall for the last few days and it definitely influenced the things I was packing. luckily for me the weather reports for Amsterdam and Vilnius are cooperating beautifully. Sun and 60's for Amsterdam and rain and 50's for Vilnius. When we landed in Philadelphia it was 95 and humid and we were so glad to be inside. Having the trip pretty much broken in half is proving to be wonderful. A nice break to breathe and stretch and walk is going to make the whole thing so much more bearable. We're sitting in the Philadelphia airport and we'll soon be almost there. I still haven't totally realized we'll be walking around in Europe soon.

oh so productive

2010-08-30T20:11:00.000-07:00

wow the summer ended up going by pleasantly fast. I was afraid it would be painfully slow waiting for the trip to come. but now it's here!

We got a lot of projects done around the apartment and it felt so good! The coat rack is finally up, and spare room is waaaaay more organized.

I went through my closet and got rid of about half. Bought some things I really like and fit me, yippee! I'm already ready to go through it again and get rid of some frumpy ill fitting stuff I just haven't let go of yet.

Carol and I finally finished the harder-than-it-should-have-been tunic. No fault of the pattern, except that it doesn't go up to a large enough size for me. I should have trusted the measurements they gave but I assumed it would run big like the other Simplicity patters I have tried. :) It's super cute and now that we have the pattern fitted for me I think I'm going to need about 4 million more. I don't have a picture now but I'll be taking a picture of each outfit i wear on our trip and will post them here and on my work's facebook. So you'll see it there, along with my other new things I have been impatiently waiting all summer to wear.

We went to Brownsville and had a great visit with my Little Grandma. I love her so much! Dave, myself, and Dave's parents drove down and spent the day with her, my Ant Pat (this is how I have spelled her name since i was little) :), my mom, and sister. It was one of my most favorite days this summer.

We went to the beach with our friends and that also made it into my top summer days. I haven't been to the beach in far too long. I forget how emotional and therapeutic it is for my soul.

I'll be trying to post things here while we're on our trip. Oh it has been far too long since I've been overseas and my soul is pulling me along. I hope I can sleep tonight... :)

I'm so excited I can't sleep

2010-08-29T07:31:00.000-07:00

I have been awake since about 5am this morning. It's sunday... stupid brain. :) But in it's defense, in 3 days I will be on a plane. On my way to Europe.... Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so excited! We started packing last night, we're going over to Dave's parents place today to do all the laundry we own, just about, and I'm going to try and be über productive and make a new bag for the trip, a couple small bags to organize things inside the new bag, and maybe a shoe bag to store a pair of well loved, and not so well smelling shoes for the trip.

Speaking of shoes for the trip.... eeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!! I got these!

Also, this is the weather report for while we're there...

Amsterdam
Vilnius

PERFECT Trina weather. I am packing tights and dresses and skirts and my new Trench coat and a couple light weight scarves and hats ! Oh the squeal I wish I could squeal right now! But Dave is still asleep, and the cats might be startled so I'll hold it in.

maybe just a baby one

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HA! Hahahahaha!!!!

2010-07-03T15:19:00.000-07:00

"A German student "mooned" a group of Hell's Angels and hurled a puppy at them before escaping on a stolen bulldozer, police have said."

I want this headline cross stitched on a pillow. I'm dying at the mental images of this scene.

what's cooking

2010-06-16T16:47:00.000-07:00

it's almost 5

   and  I'm starving
 i can't wait for  dinner time

procuitto pizza

chickpea paneer curry

easy roast chicken

coq au vin blanc

paella

maple french toast

sauerkraut mushroom pierogi

butter radish sea salt open sandwiches

Šaltibarščiai (Lithuanian cold beet soup)

chili rubbed flat iron steak, blueberry, and hazelnut salad

we love cooking

Summer adventures update

2010-06-14T17:17:00.001-07:00

oh yeah! The Amsterdam/Vilnius tickets are purchased and the apartment booked! yippee!!!! It's really happening! AND we found out one of our dearest friends will be able to meet us in Amsterdam for a day or two!!!

love you Erika!!!!

This is the view from the apartment

Oh seriously summer, can you be over now so I can leave already?????

oh dear

2010-06-07T17:02:00.000-07:00

i want a new kitten

sprawl

we need a new kitten

how could anyone say no to one of these???

the breed is scottish fold

oh the ears

not all have the flop ears but all have the adorable

peeking at you

rarrrrwwww

oh those eyes

http://lovemeow.com/2010/04/doramon-little-scottish-fold/

http://lovemeow.com/2010/01/beautiful-scottish-fold-brother-and-sister-cats/

http://lovemeow.com/2010/04/nekoyanagi-the-mini-maru/

Happy Monday

2010-05-31T17:46:00.000-07:00

right now i'm making a simple i-didn't-go-to-the-store version of this

and sauteed apples in caramel sauce to go on top of ice cream

and listening to this

and this

getting ready to watch this

happy monday!

oh and as an added bonus, now we're listening to this... yes really

oh summer adventures

2010-05-30T13:00:00.000-07:00

well, our major tickets are booked, apartment rented... just the second part of our journey to finalize.... WE"RE GOING TO EUROPE!!!!

Oh I am so excited I could just burst! We'll be visiting Amsterdam and Vilnius.

view from the castle hill in Vilnius

the apartment we're staying at in Amsterdam is so pretty and a great location. We're going to rent bikes and cook our own meals.

(all apartment photos from airbnb and the apartment owner. click for larger images)

we've not finalized our vilnius portion of the trip yet, but the plan will be basically the same. we'll grocery shop and cook, wander around by foot and by bike, and take ridiculous amounts of pictures. hopefully some linen and hand carved wooden spoons will be purchased

I am absolutely, heart-achingly longing to go. it's been far too long since we've been in europe. We lived in Vilnius for a short tiny year and it changed our entire life. We've been back in the states for about 6 years now and it has felt, for most of the time, off somehow.

For a long time we were desperate to move back, get out of here, we wanted to run away. we knew it wasn't a reason to make any decision that big so we stayed put.

It was hard. we've felt isolated, lonely, frustrated, misunderstood, ostracized, out of place, never belonging...

but now we feel happy, settled, hopeful, if still a little tentative. we have community and connection and family. with the recent move we feel we have a home and not just a cavernous apartment. things are growing in the ground, clutter and waste and junk are being removed, we're becoming more involved with our food and our cooking and the city around us. we feel so much more healed.

we're going for a break, for a visit, to see friends, and to see how it all feels. how would it feel to live here, how would it feel to be somewhere we are foreigners. to see if it's right for us. to try it out.

maybe it will simply be a good adventure, maybe it will be the catalyst for a new direction.

either way, i couldn't be more impatient for summer to be over so i can board my plane

lights and bells and baskets

2010-05-28T13:13:00.000-07:00

do you have a bike???

wanna join in?

it'll be fun!

this cannot be for real

2010-05-26T21:26:00.000-07:00

seriously?

preparing

2010-05-10T07:56:00.000-07:00

This weekend was beautiful in Portland. Dave and i did some gardening, some brunching, and bike riding. But i've begun to worry... this beautiful sunny, 70 degree spring weather means summer is coming. We're going to have to figure out how to mount our air conditioner in our huge wide windows and then how to get the cool air pushed into our bedroom and kitchen... Hmmm better start looking for fans!

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

oh hey, the house is clean

2010-05-08T16:37:00.000-07:00

quick! look! before the clutter and dust bunnies begin their invasion again!

old maps finally hung on the wall

new couch cover! new foam in the back pillows! soon to be newly covered throw pillows! it makes the room soooooooo much cozier! I love it! 
(thank you my fairy couch mother)

this wall will be complete with some key hooks and maybe a wall vase.

my lovely shower curtain
(made by the fairy shower curtain mother who is also the fairy couch mother!)

i think this is the first time since dave and i got married almost 8 years ago that i have actually liked my bedroom decor. i actually want to spend mornings in bed reading and drinking coffee.

flowers from our morning brunch  with dave's parents

we're off to ride to the store, make some dinner, maybe work on cushion covers for the couch... i love my weekends. Hope your weekend was a lovely restful peaceful one.

my nose is red

2010-04-09T15:54:00.000-07:00

i hate having a cold... my whole face hurts. stupid sinuses. i am a sad panda....

but i'm glad there is hulu and silly online games to keep me from complete boredom. i'd better go tame the large pile of tissues threatening to engulf the small grey cat sleeping next to me.

a collection of names

2010-04-02T09:29:00.000-07:00

one of my favorite things to collect are names. there are currently several people i know and blogs i read where babies have recently or about to be had. all the name ideas and brainstorming gets me all enamored with name sites and name meaning sites. this post in particular reminded me i needed to add to my ever growing list. I collected a few new names from it.
We have no plans on having children but i have quite a list of lovely names going. i may have to change my name every so often so they don't go to waste. :) or try my best to encourage these names. because i think the world could use a few more tallulah's, pearl's, and cora's in the world.

tallulah
olive
opal
pearl
rose
clementine
esmé
beulah
cora
beatrice (bertie)
mathilda
juniper (june)
clover
sylvie
sofie
edie
birdie mae
poppy
oona
mildred
agnes
mabel
winifred

Oh! I found a few others, i think I'll just keep adding:
Anouk
Luna

ogling lovely useful things

2010-03-29T16:12:00.000-07:00

I would really love to be surrounded by only lovely useful things...

in a farm house...

maybe in the 30's...

near the sea...

with a garden...

images and lovely things from baileys home and garden
scandinavian beach house found here
also, brook farm general store is pretty incredible
and there is always toast

Guess who????

2010-03-10T13:12:00.000-08:00

Well, i bet you thought i fell off the face o the earth didn't you? Nope, still here. Just a bit neglectful of this space. I blame it all on slow internet at the new place, and nesting at the new place... and maybe being a bit lazy about posting.... so here is some cute to make up for it.

found via: Chocolate Creative

Come see me!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-12-04T19:21:00.000-08:00

We'll be there... will you????

settling in

2009-09-08T21:17:00.000-07:00

From Our new place

Whew! 2 months later and we're finally settling in here at our new place. I just love it! This has been such a good change for us. The apartment is nicer, cleaner, brighter, kept up better, quieter...

From Our new place

Teagan adjusted quite nicely and quickly, piccoli.... not so much. She took to hiding under the bed in the still-full-of-things-to-unpack room, tried to jump on high up things (when she's never been a good jumper or been interested in being up high ever). Several things crashed because of this new fixation.

From Oh da kitties (and da fishy)

teagan's favorite new place to sit.

From Oh da kitties (and da fishy)

and yes, she is all sorts of awkward in this shot. click the picture though to more pictures of this lovely little photo shoot. :)

But she seems to be settled now and so much more pleasant too. She's been quite civil and almost sweet to new people. She even sat on my sisters lap. She used to hate my sister. She would sit on the bottom step of the stairs at the last place so Carmen couldn't go on them. :) It was pretty funny.

From Fall farmers market

The fall has come and the days are cold and am bundled and it feels comforting. Our new place is warm near the heater and cold in the other rooms and this too is comforting somehow. We've been baking more and biscuits are becoming part of our weekend rituals.

From Experiencing Food In Portland

From Our new place

As has weekend farmers markets. And Bike rides.

From Fall farmers market

From somebody's little weasel

And hanging things on the walls. We've been notoriously bad about hanging up art and pictures we own in the past. I think we had bare walls in our last place for a couple years.

From Our new place

The fall has not been as peaceful and restful as I had hoped and there's been some heart ache but it's still feeling like the new start we've been in desperate need for and I still feel a slow brightening in my soul.

From Fall farmers market

I've been learning to knit and have far too many projects brewing in my brain for the house and the upcoming craft fair I'll be selling at.

From Our new place

From Little Created Thingies I Created

I've missed the mental dumping ground this blog has been for me in the past so I'm going to make an effort to start posting again. I also want to make another list and update my old one. The thought of all that makes me excited to create and make progress. It feels good. a few months ago it just made me worried, anxious, overwhelmed and nervous.

This is a good start i think.

From Oh da kitties (and da fishy)

a new start

2009-08-10T13:48:00.000-07:00

oh hey guess what....... Yippee!!!! We're moving!

105 °F

2009-07-29T19:12:00.000-07:00

photo from KATU.com

it's too freaking hot...

pygmy jerboa

2009-06-16T16:25:00.000-07:00

how is this even a real animal????

Two of a kind

2009-05-25T13:00:00.000-07:00

Two of a kind, originally uploaded by poetas.

i really love my husband. we go well together.

the wonders of google reader

2009-05-22T22:53:00.000-07:00

google reader i think is my ultimate wonderland of a time sucker. And i mean that in a really good way. :) I have far too many blogs subscribed and spend far to many hours a week reading, bookmarking, window shopping, getting inspired to do the many many great tutorials and recipes i find and then never doing them because i get sucked into reading more wonderful things.

and now you too can be in on all the fantastic things i find. :) well the ones i share anyway. google reader has a share feature that makes a nice little mish-mashed web page for you with all the things you liked enough to share. you can find mine here. expect it to be updated much more frequently than this blog is. Like several times a day even.

and this is a picture of my dream chicken, cause i had no pictures that really went with this post, i've been thinking about how much i wish we could have chickens, and this blog is pretty random and so is this chicken.

sunny day

2009-05-15T13:23:00.000-07:00

My neck is feeling good after the chiropractor.
I'm finally, after almost 3 weeks, feeling not sick.
mood is up and almost chipper.
The sun is out.
It's not too hot.

must be productive....
must stop reading blogs...
cleaning really should commence.

This room has changed once again.

We have acquired a real life grown up table and chairs AND a hutch! Things are getting organized and put away. I might even pull out the sewing machine.

It's amazing how clutter stops my life and overwhelms any want of productiveness.

more little ones

2009-05-09T01:00:00.000-07:00

I'm up far too late for someone who's been sick for almost 2 weeks. I think the copious amounts of sleep over the last few days is throwing off my entire sleep cycle. Don't worry, I'll take some tylenol pm and off to sleep i'll go.

i just wanted to let you all know some more little creatures have made their way into the shop tonight. Sleep well!

spring

2009-04-27T17:24:00.000-07:00

Bad blogger Trina here... :)
Spring is so beautiful in Portland. I definitely feel the flowers and sun and quick dark rainstorms doing something good to my lowly heart.

From Spring Update

I've been thinking of my Grandma a lot lately. and about stagnancy in daily life. and deep spiritual movement. and what comes next.

From Spring Update

we've been cooking

From Spring Update

and baking.

From Spring Update

riding bikes a lot.

From Spring Update

dreaming of europe

From Spring Update

and gardening

From Spring Update

tonight will be filled with some soup, a little movie, and a bit of a chat...

Spring Fever and Wanderlust

2009-03-16T21:53:00.000-07:00

It's spring and my thoughts have turned to new starts and fresh spaces. I have been stalking the apartment but still no one has listened to my chanting "move out move out move out..." and vacated one of the units yet. But I am patient, and persistent...

I guess there is always this place. I suppose it would do. Now if someone would only magically offer Dave a job here...

Restored farmhouse 45 mins from Pyrenees on 4 acres with barn.

Sweeping views, 3km from nearest large village with shops. The house has lots of light.

Large salon with open fireplace, fitted kitchen, dining room,(dbls as 3rd bed) new bathroom, separate toilet, 2 huge bedrooms with balcony and sun terrace.

Summer rentals and longterm. Toulouse and Pau international airports 1hr away.

Love is sick

2009-02-14T12:18:00.000-08:00

So what does an already sickeningly lovey dovey couple have planned for the big Weekend of Love?

Laying around in their PJ's, playing video games and reading magazines cause they both feel slightly under the weather with grumbley tummies and insides. Yup, exciting! :)

At least we're in this together. :) Hope you weekend is more exciting than ours!

Victorian valentine from here

i have no creative energy today to make up a title...

2009-02-08T15:16:00.000-08:00

so that's all you get folks. :) and a list cause that is all the brain power i seem to have today.

I got some things posted to the Doormouse shop this week as did Theresa. :)

my hair is ATROCIOUS and i get to get a cut and color next week so that will be nice

still no headway with what my crazy body has been doing to me lately but my new doctor has some ideas and that is hopeful

working on my list. I'll post some more specifics later.

I'm still feeling restless and disjointed and longing for a change, a good new clean slate, bright beginning sort of a change. Come on dream apartment, open up! :)

Had a really long involved dream last night that Dave and I came in to $980, 000. Yes exactly that amount. It's a long weird story, but involved truffles (the non chocolate fungus-y kind) and an auction. It was a strange and kind of happy dream. At the end we were coming out of the shock of so suddenly having so much money and were planning on quitting our jobs and moving to France. that would make for a really nice end to any sunday.

Tonight we're going to our favorite Mexican restaurant with Dave's parents and good friend of ours. this will also make a good end to a sunday.

31* before my 31st

2008-12-31T23:59:00.000-08:00

I am a firm believer in not making news years resolutions. I have never done one. Generally i just think you set yourself up for feeling like a slacker and a failure. You make the list. It's huge. Unattainable goals that you really are not motivated to do. You don't make any effort in the long run to accomplish them. Life gets in the way. Your list is so vague that you really can't pin point when you reached one...

But, lately I have been restless, overwhelmed, anxious, sad, moody, sick, tired, antsy... Life has been hard and exhausting. I have lived in one place for a long time, longer than i ever have in my life really. I am feeling the need for simplification, cleansing, change, focus...

I read this on this blog, I have seen other types of lists and purposeful projects and I want to give it a shot. I'm going to try to stay away from setting more than a couple really huge goals and stick to realistic and fun things. Something to look forward to, something fresh, something new… Hopes and aspirations rather than rules and goals. I think for me January feels more like a starting place than my birthday does. But conveniently my birthday is in June, the half way point so my first goal will be to get through half of the things on my list by June. When I get there, and if I'm feeling like this is a good thing for me, I can add things to my list, making it 32 things to aspire to before i reach my 32nd birthday. let's go, i need this

My Year of Hopes and Aspirations

the big ones

1. make and stick to a budget

2. save for a trip to Vilnius and Paris with Alina (much of the reason for the budget) :)

3. make a cleaning schedule and get into a routine with it

4. move to our dream apartment on 51st and Division

fashion purge and refinement

5. clean out my clothes so that i own no more than one laundry load each of darks, whites, colors, socks(yipes!)/delicate (ok, maybe i can have one misc load extra for good measure). :)

6. fix/modify/get rid of one clothing item from my ever growing "mending/modify" pile per week

7. purchase another pair of nice good boots and shoes I love and will wear

8. make/buy some dresses and skirts to replace old dumpy jeans :)

9. sew 5 things from my pattern drawer (including the above mentioned skirts and dresses)

10. get rid of things i don't like/wear/feel good in, no matter how much i like to think i will/should wear it. Only keep the things I truly love.

11. splurge once every couple months on an accessory from etsy

12. make/buy a good long warm coat and sell/modify my 3 vintage coats i don't wear or are falling apart or don't look good on me

home and cooking

13. work on all the unfinished, half decorated rooms (bedroom, guest room, bathroom)

14. begin fireplace mantle tv hider project

15. make couch cover and pillows for living room and reading nook

16. make pasta from scratch more often

17. buy more bulk food and less packaged food

body

18. ride my bike once a week, more when it’s not raining :)

19. faithfully attend yoga

20. quietly breathe and sit once a day for at least 30 min

just for fun

21. begin learning French

22. learn to crochet more than a straight line

23. get old cameras fixed/looked at, develop my pile of film and try TtV photography

24. post to etsy one item per week

25. do something intentionally creative once a month
• horses
• 100 ideas
• learning to love you more
• guerilla art
• 52 projects

26. spend a night or two at the kennedy school or sylvia beach hotel

27. have a fancy, I do all the cooking, mail out invitations, type dinner party

28. go roller skating and bowling at least once each

29. write and mail more letters

30. put wedding pictures in an album

31. read 4 new to me books/authors

popotamus...

2008-12-24T18:54:00.000-08:00

so, if you know me, you know that i like children, BUT you also know that I do not really want to have any of my own. But I think that if a little girl exactly like this one were to walk up to me, tell me she had no family, and ask me to take her home with me I would do it. But she'd have to be french and always have that accent. :) I cannot stop watching her and giggling! :) This is truly the cutest little girl i have ever seen. I think I need to go be a pre-school teacher in France.

Once upon a time... from Capucha on Vimeo.
(their blog)

Handmade Bazaar!

2008-12-03T09:47:00.000-08:00

Come to the Handmade Bazaar! Theresa and I will have a booth there for DoorMouse Designs and we'll be selling all kinds of neat stuff! I realize it's a really busy time of year, but if you get a chance you should come down and see us. See you there!

Ofifteen

2008-11-16T11:07:00.000-08:00

So last week I was contacted by the founder of a little Lifestyle and Home blog and asked if I would be interested in being the food contributor. I checked out her blog and decided to say yes as it looks like fun. :) My first article went up there today as well as my bio. I'll be posting there once a week with recipes, gadgets and cookware, tips, pretty much what ever cooking adventures i have had recently. I think it should be fun. I'll still be posting with Dave to our own Portland food blog and of course still being all me and random right here. Have a lovely Sunday!

I just don't even have words for this

2008-11-14T14:22:00.000-08:00

hmmm, looking for this and found this video instead...

speechless....

Uh, oh...

2008-11-07T20:43:00.000-08:00

did we all make a mistake on voting day????

Wiggum For President!

Ralph Wiggum's Political Platforms:

Immigration - "Stranger danger!"

Government Spending - "I only have this much moneys."

Party Politics - "Everyone is invited to my party!"

Slogan - "I Dig the Wig"

Ethics - "I'm Ralph Wiggum and I've been a good boy."

Political Appointments - Bart Simpson as the Secretary of Indian Burns and Lisa Simpson as his First Ladle

Foreign Relations - "When we're mad we'll use our words. Then the rest of the world will play nice with us. And the only boom-booms will be in our pants."

The entire episode is sooooooo good! :)

oops!

2008-11-05T21:11:00.000-08:00

anyone still around from when i wrote this post???

I just realized i missed my deadline. Eeep!

So, dear Diane, Marjorie, and e.marie, I will be making and sending you something special in the next month. :)

So sorry lasses!

oh...my...freaking...heck

2008-11-04T20:45:00.000-08:00

it's a puppy cam

6 things

2008-11-03T13:55:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time i was tagged... I'm slow :)

Presenting: Some Random Things About Me... (many are recycled from earlier posts, but eh, you don't mind right?)

I twiddle my thumbs, push on the tip of my nose, and count things when I am absentmindedly tuned out

I used to want to be a broadway singer

I am more afraid of moths than i am of spiders ( i got one stuck in my hair when i was little)

My hair color changes every time I go into a hair appointment, at least a little. I get bored otherwise.

I (and Dave) name everything... our car, our bikes, our old 1920's record player, my piggy bank, the ducks in my living room... I still believe, in a deep small part of my heart, that inanimate objects have feelings so i have to pat my piggy bank named lily every now and again so she knows i haven't forgotten her and the teddy on the couch needs a hug sometimes and my car named sofie needs a hello whenever i pass her. and if feel i have neglected something too long i feel sad and guilty and like i need to give it extra love.

i say pello instead of pillow, oways instead of always and melk instead of milk. As in... one should oways have a glass of melk before their head hits the pellow. :)

My full first name is Patrina. When i was little i asked my grandma where my name came from. She told me she and my mom (tina) and my great aunt (patricia) had made it up. I cried and begged my grandma to give me real name and that i didn't want a fake name.

oops, that's 7 :)

So, I apologize for all the repeats to anyone who has read my blog in the past, but I was tagged almost a month ago so i figured If I didn't compile the list now, It would never get done. :)

And, well, I'm not going to tag anyone specifically. But If you are bored, it's quite a fun little time consumer, so have at it!

getting a little action

2008-11-02T18:20:00.000-08:00

It was blog action day 10-15-08 and I forgot to post this. This years topic was poverty.
.........................................................................................................................................................

Last week Dave and i got an update newsletter from Mercy Corp, a charity we love, and in the envelope was a small wool felt big horned sheep and a story on the woman who made it.

She was given a microfinance loan from Mercy Corp and started her own business making and selling traditional hand crafts. She was in total poverty and the loan she was given made it possible that her son was able to go to school growing up rather than having to help support the family, and he is now getting ready to start attending a medical school. She employs a few other women, doesn't not need financial assistance any longer, is not in poverty, is helping others make their way out of poverty, and this was all because of a small loan.

I feel the whole micro loan movement is an amazing way to fight poverty. Showing people they have the the tools and the strength to make their life different and are not some lower form of human that can't do anything for them selves. Just giving that little bit of belief in someone and the small amount of help in starting them on their way. Helping, not condescending or playing the savior/hero. It's something that really appeals to me. Mercy corp does so many other great things too. check them out. :)