This sweet doggy needs a home!

We have corralled a very friendly, adorable stray that has been wandering in our neighborhood for a few weeks. He's so sweet, and climbed right into my husband's truck as he was getting ready to leave this morning! He tried to take the dog to McKamey Animal Shelter, but they wouldn't be able to take him without an appointment, and the soonest one they have is a week from tomorrow! We have no place to put the dog until then, but hate to put him back out on the street.

Would you be willing to foster this dog for one week? The workers at McKamey loved him and said he would be very likely to get adopted if we bring him in next week. If you would like to offer him a permanent home, that would be great, too! :)

Look how cute he is! You know you want him!

Project Rewear: October edition

I realize that not only is it not October anymore, it's halfway through November. Oops.

October's Project Rewear could be alternatively titled, "Things I've bought on Ebay." If you have no interest in shopping on Ebay whatsoever, feel free to skip this post. Really, I won't mind. I know it's long. :)

Ebay can be a wonderful resource for previously-owned merchandise, if you know how to use it.

I bought a nearly new pair of J.Crew jeans for $7.99. You would never know I didn't buy them in the store, and I saved 70 bucks. I also recently scored a chocolate brown J. Crew silk party dress, new with tags, for less than $12. Can't wait to get that one in the mail. Other Ebay sundries I acquired last month included a flapper dress and fake cigarette holder for Halloween, and a ballet skirt for the ballet class I'm taking.

I did discover the perils of purchasing shoes on Ebay. Before you bid, make sure you know what size you are in that particular brand. Remember that cute pair of vintage boots I posted about a couple of months ago? Sadly, when they arrived they were way too small. I tend to be a 6.5 in almost every shoe I try on, but apparently vintage shoes tend to run pretty small. So, I re-listed them on Ebay and got most of my money back. At that point I decided Ebay probably wasn't the best place to find shoes, and proceeded to visit every shoe store in Chattanooga looking for what I wanted - brown, real leather, no heel, and affordable. Apparently those things do not coexist in a boot anywhere in Chattanooga (at least not one under $200. Blech.), so I was soon back to stalking Ebay.

And there they were.

New, J.Crew (notice a trend?) brown, leather (leather soled, too!), flat riding boots. These were $300 boots last season, so I knew they'd probably end at a price way too high for me, but I brought my computer to small group one Sunday evening (yeah. . . ) and bid at the last minute. And I got them, for $67. I've worn them nearly every day since, with jeans, dresses, dress pants. And the best part is that since they're leather soled, if I keep them clean and repaired, I can resole and wear these babies 'till I'm 80.

So, a few words of wisdom if you decide to buy shoes or clothes on Ebay:

1. Stick to brands you know. I tend to stick to J. Crew or the Gap since I know what sizes fit me in those brands.
2. Search for something specific. Otherwise, the sheer volume of clothes on Ebay can get overwhelming. Figure out what you need, search for it, and put anything that comes close to what you're looking for on your watch list. If an item goes out of your price range before the bidding is over, delete it from your watch list and keep searching.
3. Don't bit until the last minute. You have to be one of those last-minute-swoopers that everybody hates to get the best deals. Know what you're willing to pay, wait until the last minute of bidding, enter your price, and hold your breath. Someone may have been willing to pay more than you, and if so you'll have to keep searching, but at least you had the element of surprise so no one had time to up their bids.
3. Be patient!! Really, if you're not willing to be patient, watch 50 items, bid on 5, and maybe win 1, then Ebay is not for you. If you are willing to be patient, though, you just might get some great deals.

Happiness is a warm puppy

And a box of kleenex.

I've been wiped out by a bout of bronchitis for the past several days. It has been . . . boring. I tried to do some homework, but really all my brain could handle was sleep, a few episodes of Chuck, and occasionally cheering on the college week contestants on Wheel of Fortune (I was sick ok? It's not like I watch it all the time. . . well, ok, maybe I do.)

I think the highlight of my three days on the couch, though, was my dog. Normally, if I'm home and not playing with her enough, she likes to steal shoes, tissues, socks, or dishtowels in an effort to initiate a game of chase. Fun for her, not so much for me. When I'm sick, however, she knows. It's like she goes out of her way to be a really good dog. I think she's only stolen one shoe and a couple of kleenex all week, and I haven't even been able to take her on any walks. She just understands. She spends most of the day next to the couch, laying her head on my lap, or curled up on the doormat keeping an eye on me.

Keeping guard.

Whatcha doin' mom?

Maybe you need a little kiss?

Or maybe we could cuddle? I'd be happy to get on the couch with you.

Shluuurrrpp. Feel better now?

I love her. :)

For my own satisfaction. . .

The flag pole picture from my previous post. Minus the flag pole.

Photoshop, I love you.

New Blog!

I've started a new blog about Chattanooga. If you live here or plan on visiting, check it out at

http://chattatravel.blogspot.com/

Read my new post on Rembrandt's coffee house, and enjoy a warm beverage on this cold day. :)

My favorite season

Fall is most certainly my favorite season. It is one of those times I am very grateful to live in Tennessee, especially in Chattanooga. If I ever have to live somewhere that doesn't get to experience fall in all its colorful glory, it will be a sad day. In case you didn't get to experience fall this year, or you weren't able to get outside and enjoy it, here are a few pictures I took on campus at McCallie last week.

(If that flag pole wasn't in the way it'd be even prettier. :-))

(The view from Missionary Ridge is beautiful.)

(The iconic McCallie chapel)

We have a few more good days of fall left, then most of the leaves will be gone. I'm trying not to be sad about it, and just soaking up the beauty as much as possible.

God likes fall, I'm sure of it.

Project Rewear: September edition

Wow, it's been a while since I've blogged. Sorry, folks. I started grad school in August, and quickly learned that a full time job + part time school is waaay harder than full time school alone. For about a month it seemed like all I did was work all day, come home, cook dinner, study all evening, go to sleep, and repeat. I think I'm getting the swing of things, now, though, because it's getting easier. School is still a lot of work, but I don't feel like I'm drowning anymore.

Anyway, enough about me! Onto the clothes . . . or lack thereof. I haven't posted anything about project rewear yet this month because there hasn't been anything to post. I was too busy to go thrift shopping or ebay hunting or sew anything, and well, I didn't need a thing. But this weekend I did my part to help the economy, and, using a gift card my fabulous mother-in-law gave me for my birthday, I hit up Hancock Fabrics and loaded up on sewing supplies. I bought several beginners patterns, some fabric, and various sewing accoutrement. I plan to try my hand at a skirt first, and bought some really soft flannel make it out of. It doesn't have a zipper, so it should be pretty easy. I'll post pictures once I get around to sewing it.

I also bought some boots on ebay this weekend! Technically, shoes aren't included in the project rewear, and I could buy retail if I wanted to, but who would want to when you can buy these puppies?



And for 20 bucks!

Now that fall is creeping in, I'm excited to wear these to work with a skirt or dress. Because I've really decided that I don't like pants. Dresses are far superior, but can get chilly.

Which reminds me of that flannel skirt I need to make. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Project Rewear: August edition

The end of July was a very satisfying time for Project Rewear, mainly due to a kick-ass clothes-swapping party I held at my house. I invited a bunch of friends to clean out their closets and come over to have dessert and trade clothes. We were so busy digging through the mounds of clothes, however, that we never really had time for dessert, nor did we have time to take pictures. So the only photos I have to show you are of the loot I ended up with.



The dress on the left is the super cute strapless number from J.Crew that I found on ebay for $14. Then, we have my clothes swap finds: a black cashmere sweater, a brown leather purse, a stretchy and silky dress (new with tags!!) for fall, and a sleeveless purple button-down. And I completely forgot to take pictures of the two pairs of summer-y dress sandals I ended up with. May I remind you this was all free?

Everyone that came to the swap ended up going home with something, which made me really happy. And afterwords, I took seven or eight bags of clothes and shoes to the Northside Neighborhood House thrift shop, and organization that is doing awesome things for our neighborhood. It was certainly a win/win, and I think the clothes swap might become a yearly event. You should host one, too!

On another fashion note, I will leave you with a bit of eye candy. I made this corsage belt with a couple of silk flowers, a few scraps of chiffon, and an old sash, and I love it. I might make one in every color family.

Stories of a life well lived

I attended a funeral visitation yesterday to be with a longtime friend whose father passed away this week. He had suffered from pancreatic cancer for several years, so it wasn’t necessarily unexpected, but it was still heart-wrenching for those left behind to mingle memories and tears. I think the hardest part for me was dealing with the fact that he missed getting to meet his newest grandson by three weeks – my friend is 8 ½ months pregnant with her first child.

As I sat on a rather ornate settee waiting for the visitation to begin, a chatty, heavily-bearded gentleman began to tell me stories of my friend’s father. They had worked together, fished together, hunted together. The stories were all humorous and lighthearted, and all were told with a smile and twinkling eye. I don’t think he was trying to make light of a sad and serious situation, rather, he was communicating the only way he knew how that this man had lived. He had lived, and was to be celebrated.

And whether he knew it or not, this kind gentleman was making sense of his friend’s death – or more so of his life – by telling stories, and helping me make a bit of sense of it all, too.

Thank you, sir. May you live well.

Project Rewear: July edition

If you happen to be swearing off retail clothes for a year, ebay can be your best friend.

I've been keeping an eye out for a J. Crew strapless sundress for, well, forever. And a couple of weeks ago I found one on ebay. $100? nope. $50? nope. $14.99? You betcha.

I've scoured the internet trying to find a picture of the dress to show you, but I don't think J. Crew is making them this season, so I'll have to take a pic of the dress on me soon and post that. Stay tuned.

Project Rewear: June edition

One of the stipulations of Project Rewear is that I can wear any new clothes that I sew myself. A talented seamstress I most certainly am not - curtains and pillowcovers are about as far as I can go. One Saturday, though, I decided to practice my skills (or lack thereof) on an old bedsheet, so I took a simple tunic/dress out of my closet and tried to copy it. I turned it inside out, marked the outlines on some thick paper we have leftover from one of our remodeling projects, and called it a pattern.

Here are a few long-overdue pictures from my pattern-less dress-making adventure:

First, I cut out my tracing.





Then, I cut the fabric to match.





Whoops. I think I got a little spray bottle-happy while ironing.




I basically just sewed the sides together, gave it a hem, and sewed the fabric under at the neck and sleeves. The neckline was the hardest part. It didn't turn out so great.




And, ta-da! Please excuse the lack of makeup and the rediculous pose. While I wouldn't leave the house in it, my bedsheet housedress is pretty comfortable. Hey, it's practice people. Everyone has to start somewhere -- do you think Martha was born with a perfect slipstich? Well, probably, but not all of us are that lucky.

Next time, I think I'll use a real pattern.

Pretty Things

In the category of "Odd things I would collect, if I had the room."

Cake stands.

Like these:

(source)

Or these:

(source)

Or these gorgeous stackables:

(source)


Don't they make the cake look even yummier? Lovely.

Yada Yada Yada, spring edition

Sorry, folks, it's been a while. The semester has been drawing to an end, work got busy, and yada yada yada, the usual excuses.

I never posted an April edition of Project Rewear, but I'm not really sure that I bought or made anything. I'll wrap up a May edition soon after I finally remember to get pictures off of my camera, but here's a teaser - it involves a bed sheet and a showing machine, and a successful consignment shopping trip.

Apart from swooning over each J.Crew catalog that comes in the mail (mmm. . . beautiful and soft vintage prints . . .drool), my year of non-retail shopping has been easier than I'd imagined it would be. I think I'm going to throw a fashion swap party sometime this summer, where everyone is invited to clean out their closets and bring clothes, purses, shoes & accessories to swap. We can donate whatever isn't claimed at the end of the evening. So ladies, start digging through the back of your closests - if you're anything like me, there's a ton of stuff in there that either hasn't fit in 5 years or you've just never really liked anyway. . .

In other life news, one more week until summer hours begin - woo hoo! While I'm still jealous of my teacher friends that get the entire summer off (seriously, what was I thinking majoring in journalism??), it is really, really nice to get an extra hour and a half to each weekday during the summer. That extra time makes a big difference when it comes to walking the dog in the morning, and getting dinner ready at night. It's nice.

I booked a ticket to LA this week! I'm going to go see a dear, dear friend in June, and I'm so excited! I've never been to LA (ok, I went to Disneyland when I was 6, but that doesn't count), and I probably wouldn't choose it as a vacation destination if my friend didn't live there, but she's a local I'm hoping she'll know all the cool places to visit, eat, etc. Maybe I'll have to look up some cool consignment shops while I'm there. . .

I like eplipses . . . :)

My summer projects are going to include art (I hope to work on some more pastel drawings, at least), learning Illustrator (I found some good tutorials online, I just need to make the time to do it), and . . . applying to grad school! Well, at least getting ready to apply to grad school. If I can get my thoughts gathered enough to write a kick-ass statement of purpose and application, I may apply for the fall semester, but otherwise it might have to wait 'till spring. I'm hoping for fall - I want to get started as soon as I can, since Im just going to try to take one class at a time (online) while I continue to work. I took the GRE about two years ago and I'm trying to avoid taking it again. I didn't do as well as I would have liked, but I'm not a very good test taker. I studied for the stupid thing for months, but the longer I studied, the most anxious I got. When I finally went to take the test, I didn't do nearly as well as I should have because it just freaked me out. So, I'm not sure it's worth it to put myself through that all over again. I hope the admissions people understand, and my GPA helps make up for it.

Sorry for the stream-of-consiousness post, kids. I just had to get something out there in the bloggosphere, before I gave it up all together.

My Constant Companion

Yep, somehow I managed to get poison ivy on the first yard work day of the spring. And I even kept myself busy potting herbs while Lee and some helpers did the dirty work of pulling out a bunch of old fence and brush, just so I wouldn't touch any of the stuff. But still, it found me, via Lee or the dog or some clothes. Ridiculous. I spent most of Easter weekend on ice like an oyster, cleaning and slathering my wounds with Caladryl in an attempt to avoid a doctor visit and the inevitable steroid shot (overused immune system suppressent! aak!). My avoidance turned out to be in vain, though . . . after I started to swell up like a balloon and could barely move, I gave in, and am now altering between jittery from the 'roids and sleepy from the copious amounts of benedryl i've had to take. Fun. Times.

Oh well, I'm started to heal today. As much as I like to forgo traditional meds in favor of natural alternatives, sometimes it's helpful.

Project Rewear : March Edition

I figured I had better add a March installment of this series before March is gone completely, so here it is.

Avoiding retail clothing this month was quite simple, mostly because my sweet and thoughtful husband gave me a J.Crew gift card for our first anniversary (that's right folks, 1 year!). I happily shopped the J.Crew sales (remember, gifts are ok) and made out like a bandit with a super cute navy cotton taffeta skirt, a salmon-colored cardigan (one of my 2 favorite colors), and a black sleeveless sweater with chiffon rosettes (I love J.Crew's embellishments).

In other "non-retail" shopping news, I have been on the lookout for a pair of brown/tan gladiator-style sandals that wouldn't break the bank (actually not hard to find in this economy, as cheap fashions are popping up everywhere), but would also be good for my feet. Enter Dansko!

Now, I nursed a mild hatred for the famous clog company for some time. You see, I think clogs are ugly. Clunky. And hard to walk in. And even though Danskos were supposed to be marvelous for your feet and back and such, I figured there had to be cuter ways to take care of yourself. Then, I discovered that Dansko made other things besides clogs! Who knew! In fact, they made some very cute non-clog footwear. Now, there was comfort I could get behind. I found my first pair of Danskos, black strappy sandles with a slightly chunky heel, on a clearance table at a local shoe store. Cute? Check. Comfy? Check. Cheap? Check. Tongue tied? Yep. Then, I found the illusive cute and good-for-me gladiators a couple of weeks ago on ebay. Score! Here are the beauts:

(photo couresty of ebay seller theshoemart)

So, if you're in the market for some shoes, can't spend much, but still want something a little more durable than Payless, try ebay. These were one of last season's styles, but, um, really, who's going to know that? And they were less than half of the retail price. The moral of this story? Don't be afraid to look for clothing and shoes through venues you normally wouldn't think of (ebay, craigslist, etc.). You might be surprised at the selection and price, and you're preventing the needless manufacturing of an item that may already be out there floating around someplace.

Coming up next month: New outfits, old clothes.

Ok, a fun waste of time for the not-quite-lunch-yet-no-time-to-start-a-new-project boredom.

As discovered on Lyndsay's blog.

1) Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on your computer.
2) Select the 4th picture in the folder.
3) Explain the picture.
4) Tag 4 people to do the same.

No cheating (cropping, editing, etc.)

It's us, at a fabulous pre-wedding shower thrown by Crystal & Lyndsay and other fabulous friends. We're surrounded by mounds of white tissue paper. I mean, I'm a wrapper paper saver/re-user, and I could only think of so many uses for this stuff. The recycling center probably thought it snowed later that week.

I'm not going to tag anyone, but if it looks fun and you're bored, do it.

Just for fun, here's another one from the shower.

Chubby bunnies, anyone?

No, I have no shame.

Disney World, Part 2

Ok, so where were we.

Let's see, we'd had an amazing dinner at Marrakesh, and, happy and full, we wandered around some of the other countries for a bit while we waited for the fireworks show. Here we are dancing in Italy.



And attempting to take no-flash pictures in China.


The fireworks show was great (sorry, no pictures), but as soon as that was over, we took our weary feet back to the POPS Century (our Disney hotel) and got a good night's sleep.


Next, onto the Magic Kingdom! While all the Disney parks are wonderful, there will always be a special place in my heart for the Magic Kingdom. You know, it's the one with the Dumbo and Peter Pan rides, and of course Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion. So many good ones! :)

The quintessential castle/crowd shot.

I think I was tired at the Magic Kingdom (it was day 3 after all), because I didn't take nearly as many pictures. It was also threatening to rain most of the day, so maybe I was afraid of getting the camera wet. To make up for the lack of pictures, I'll post a couple of videos for you.

We got to Magic Kingdom early, before it opened, which is great because Mickey and friends come out, and do a song a dance for you before they open the park. It's all very fun. We did all the popular stuff early (Buzz Lightyear [my favorite ride at MK!], Space Mountain, teacups, Haunted Mansion, Pirates), then headed back to Hollywood Studios in the afternoon (when MK got super crowded) for the Indian Jones Stunt Show (we didn't have time to see it the day before). It's a great show, so we were pretty excited.

A little clip from the show:

A funny story at this point in the day: on our way out of the park, Lyndsay and I were pulled aside by a cast member doing customer satisfaction surveys. We got to fill out this little online survey about the quality, price, etc. of the food available. The funny part was that I had waited in not one, not two, but three lines that day, trying in vain to buy a snack, all of which sold out just prior to me reaching the snack stand. I was able to tell the survey "your food is great but please, have some more of it!", and was rewarded for my efforts with a Disney pin, which is happily perched on my dresser at home. :)

Ok, from there we headed back to POPs for some pizza, rest (us girls), and pool time (the boys). We needed to be refreshed for our late-night Magic Kingdom adventure!! That day happened to be Magic Hours, which basically means that anyone staying in a Disney hotel gets to stay later than everyone else. We could stay till 3 a.m.! We put on our rain jackets and hit the soggy but brightly-lit park.

We particularly enjoyed Tomorrowland, with the People Mover and the spaceship ride - the view was great. I loved the glowing castle, as evidenced by the 100 + pictures I took from various angles around the park.

You get the idea. My favorite new MK attraction was the Monsters Inc Laugh Floor, an interactive show where the cartoons talk back to you. Somewhere, somehow, there's gotta be someone holding a mic. It's awesome. It's a hard one to take pictures of, though, because it's on a screen, so here's one of the waiting area.


Another highlight of the evening: Lee's "extreme" version of the Tea Cups. While each cup spins around the big circle automatically, there's also a little wheel inside the cup you can turn to spin in little circles as well. The harder you turn, the faster you go. Terrifying, and super fun! :)

By this point, we were getting tired. This is our "I'm soo sleepy but I do not want to leave!" face.

Ultimately, Lee and I only made it 'till about 1 a.m. I think the Slatens made it till 2 or 2:30. Even though I've been to Disney many times, being in the Magic Kingdom at night was something I'd never gotten to do before, and it was a blast!

To conclude this Disney World adventure recap, let me say that if you ever have the chance you should so go to Disney World! I would recommend that you wait until small children are at least 7 or 8 years old, or their experiences will be limited, and probably forgotten. And if you don't have kids, go anyways! You may be surprised at how much fun you have. :)

Disney World, Part 1

Nearly two weeks ago, we went to Disney World for a long weekend. It was amazing. We went with the Slatens, some dear friends of ours, and had a fabulous time. The weather was great, the food and service exceptional. Disney, my friends, knows how to do a good time.

So, without further ado, here are a few photos from our trip, and some Disney recommendations.

Sadly, I somehow managed to not take any pictures at our hotel. We stayed at one of Disney's value resorts, and it was great. The rooms aren't much to write home about (just your very standard hotel room), but the pools were great, the cafeteria was handy, and the atmosphere was just really fun. Most importantly, you get the outstanding Disney customer service, and free transportation to each and every park all day long. We would hop a bus to a park in the morning, hop another in the afternoon to go back to the hotel or to another park, and hop a bus back to the park in the evening. It's really worth whatever the price difference is.

The first park we went to (tired and exausted after getting into Orlando at 3 a.m. the night before) was Animal Kingdom. Lee quickly found a bike, but much to his dismay it was just for decoration, and was bolted down.

Animal Kingdom is really fun, but if you're trying to cram 4 parks in 3 days like we were, you probably don't have to spend a whole day there unless animals are really your forte. They have a really neat safari ride where you actually drive through a wildlife preserve of sorts.

There's a quite-large-but-not-nearly-to-scale reproduction of Mount Everest in the background. It looks really cool, and houses Disney's most intense roller coaster.

One of my favorite Animal Kingdom attractions is the Bug's Life interactive show. Disney has lots of really cool "4D" shows, where in addition to the 3D animation you are sprayed with water or squirted with air or scents. Lee's favorite part was the glasses.

We grabbed some tasty stir fry at Animal Kingdom (Disney has so many tasty food options, albeit expensive), and headed over to Hollywood Studios for the second half of the day. I quickly made friends with a life-sized monkey from a barrel as we were standing in line for the Toy Story ride. Best. Ride. Ever. Seriously, the lines were like 3 hours long if you didn't get in early. Definitely fast-pass this one early in the day.



Hollywood Studios is also super fun. Lee couldn't stop talking about the Tower of Terror (I refuse to go on that one), but my favorites were the Star Wars ride, the Muppets 3D film, and the Indiana Jones stunt show. And, of course, the previously lauded Toy Story ride. The evening lights/fireworks/video/character show is really good, too, but get there early and bring a sweater - it gets chilly in the evenings.

The next day we went to Epcot (much better rested). I was trying to get into the spirit of things, but Lee wasn't so sure. I really can't decide whether Epcot or Magic Kingdom is my favorite Disney park. Epcot's newest fabulous ride was called Soarin', and you're basically "hang gliding" in from of a big, half-sphere screen. SO cool. The best part of Epcot, though, is the world showcase. Basically, there are a dozen (or more?) countries recreated (well, tiny little condensed villages of those countries) around the paremeter of a giant lake. There are shops, restaurants, and attractions in each country, and the "cast members" (the term for anyone who works at Disney) are all from those countries.

Here's Lee lounging in Morocco. We ate our fanciest dinner (it was Valentine's day) at the Marakesh restaurant in the Morocco section of Epcot. The food was tops. Here's my salmon and hummus (I'm salivating just thinking about it):



After dinner, we bought some chopsticks in Japan, had crepes for dessert in France, and the boys got margaritas in Mexico while we were watching the fireworks show. It was a good, good day.

More recaps to come!

The Happiest Place on Earth

Disney World: perfect.
Parks visited: 4.
Miles walked: ridiculous.
Friends: incredible.
Food: tasty.
Pictures: coming.

"I love Jesus, but I drink a little"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83JDXXKzOXg

Ok, so I can't figure out how to embed a YouTube video in blogger, but this is a fabulous clip from the Ellen show. Go watch it. Laugh.

Oh, J.Crew

(source)

Oh, J.Crew. Why do you have to tempt me so, with your 30 percent off sales on yummy, candy colored cardigans?

Who can resist?

I can.

But I can still look, right?

Bellisimo!