Wrapping the Week

And we should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once. (Nietzsche)

I want to dance more. That is the goal for May. The photo inspires me to move no matter what.

These are the things that made me go oh! this week.

• Sticky happy tape.  
• Miranda. July.  
• Love this project.
• Hippity Hoppity this dress makes my blood pressure jump!
• Amen, Sister!

I'm also going to try to do one mix tape a month. April's is not exactly dance music, but here it is anyway. Enjoy!

My Old Ways

Trying to make some changes in my life. I love this song band.

Daggers

I feel like the little dude.
This week continues to test me.

Swedish Shoe Love

{Asa Westlund}

{Maguba}

{Hasbeens}

I've been a little shoe obsessed lately. Odd since I'm rarely in anything other than my Born  or Keene Mary Janes. But these Swedish shoes all make me swoon. I seriously love the hand painted floral clogs from Swedish designer Åsa Westlund. At Maguba, you can design your own clogs, including silver! The blue Hasbeens are lovely, and not cheap. Their day glow boots are fun, but a little too much...I'm having a hard time imaging them on anyone really.

Blue

"Silence is so accurate."

-Mark Rothko

Wrapping the Week

I enjoyed two trips to the Missouri Botanical Garden this week. The azaleas are absolutely amazing right now. What a bonus to have this gorgeous resource less than five minutes from our house. So the garden and spending time with so much family this week, were really nice. The allergies/sinus infection and project that landed on me at work this week, not so much.

• Hooked on Houses has a great profile of the homes in the 1961 movie, The Parent Trap. I read this book so much as a kid that I wore the cover off and made a new one out of contact paper and a paper sack. (Yes, I was that crafty at 12.)
  
• The American Pie Council's National Pie Championship will take place over the weekend in Florida. One of these days...
  
• I love this photo. This makes me sad.
  
• Mingus would have been 83 this week. 
  
• And yes, I still want a bunny.

Heavy Metal Sinus

Up from 1:30 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. with sinus and allergy problems. Misery. So I watched on Hulu an episode of Glee (I'd never seen it before), 30 Rock (I missed the Valentine's episode), and finally Heavy Metal Parking Lot, a documentary from 1986 set on a Maryland parking lot before a Judas Priest concert. Highlights: the guy in the zebra lycra outfit doggin on Madonna and punk rock and the guy with the DIY iron on letter t-shirt with Cooper Black font. Lowlights: twenty year old stoners are just kinda sad.

Focus

I love Marc Johns. I bought Lindsey personal calling cards with Marc Johns illustrations from Moo that are so fun. This illustration reminds me of my word for 2010: focus. I need to continue to clear out the emotional and physical clutter in my life in order to move forward. I'm working on it.  

Penelope

I had ruled Penelope Cruz out for so long because of her poor choice in men (Tom Cruise and Matthew Maconahay...seriously?) but now that she's been dating Javier Bardem, I find her more interesting. Actually, it was her work in Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Broken Embraces, which we watched over the weekend, that won me over. Her resemblance to Audrey Hepburn is played up for a scene in the movie. Fun.

Wrapping the Week

{Image via We ♥ It}

“Each has to enter the nest made by the other imperfect bird.” (Rumi)

My workload has increased and the weeks have been flying by. I feel like I'm really just going through the motions with just about everything right now. I've had some beautiful moments this week, but internally, I really feel like a wreck. I am trying to carve out some time to sort it all. I feel like I'm not living a very authentic or observant life and that has to change.

I've been reading Anne Lamott's Imperfect Birds this week. It is brutal and tender and I haven't been able to put it down. The relationship between the parents and their teenage daughter makes me want to go back and read the chapter on why children lie from Po Bronson's Nurture Shock, another book I could not put down. I want to be such a good example to Audrey and I feel myself failing in certain areas. Already I can see some of my best and worst attributes her. She's only 28 months old and she's already made the sort of "arghhheck" noise I make when frustrated. That was funny and difficult to hear. But people are constantly commenting on what a happy kid she seems to be. I know she feels very secure and happy and that truly brings me joy. I just need to do a better job of taking care of myself...for the long haul and all.

So, this is my round up of sweets this week:

• These little pencil sets are so adorable and inspirational.
• I really enjoyed this NY Times article about Doo Nanny, an annual alt/folk art micro festival in Alabama that just started out as an art party. The slideshow is great.
• My lullaby to Audrey, my sunshine. 

Have a wonderful weekend.

Giggles

Does it really get any better than this?

About seven months apart, my baby girl and my cousin's daughter are the best little friends. We had a morning playdate. Today was gorgeous and wonderful in a dozen different ways...beautiful sky, girls giggling and chasing ducks. Later, we picked my nephews up from school and the kids all played so hard. Then pot roast for dinner and little ice creams. Audrey fell asleep in just minutes. I'm exhausted and grateful. Those are two good things.  

Food Face

I just bought Food Face at Border's yesterday for the wee one. Not sure she will get how cute it is, but it makes me laugh. Plus, it is ceramic, not melamine. 

Summer Shoes

The green shoes (MIA) I wore to a birthday party on Saturday and they didn't hurt my feet once. Joy! I love them so. The other two pair are on my summer shoe shopping list. I need another pair of red shoes (Rocket Dog) like a hole in the head. And the brown shoes (Privo) don't exactly scream summer, but they are soooo comfortable. I could probably use some sandals, but nothing is exciting me on that front.

Preserving

{Image from We ♥ it.}

She unpacks the box from the attic
and carefully arranges each delicate memory
on the shelves of the hutch that belonged to her mother.
A jar of jam with a dusty label, written the summer before she died.
A tiny love note in dramatic and lacy script...Blackberry, 1972.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

On Friday, I found out I was one of ten lucky winners of the Design*Sponge give away of Ashley English's new books Canning and Preserving and Keeping Chickens. There were almost 600 entries! I felt a little like The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio relying on a poem, but hey...I wanted those books! My entry:

Canning: A Poem

I used to turn my nose up to the relish my mom canned.
But now that snotty attitude has been completely banned.

The smell of jellies, jams and chutneys, simmer in my dreams.
I want to be an urban goddess, a fruit preserving queen.

I have a little garden—herbs, tomatoes, and the like.
But with a book to help me, I’d be absolutely psyched.

Look out friends and family, so improved your meals will be,
From the fancy canned goodies from apron-wearing me.

That's what did it.

Today, I called my dad to wish him a happy birthday and he told me about my mom unpacking boxes over the weekend at the new house they are moving to. The story made me cry for a minute. My grandma died when I was five and my mom was 24. For about the millionth time in my life, I thanked God for my mom and dad.

Weekend

Weekends are golden. This one is jam packed with social activities. Our yard is a total jungle. Many goals, little time. We'll see what happens. My blogging has suffered this week due to terrible allergies and stress at my corporate gig.  But it was a good week. Unexpectly, my friend Leslie was visiting from Ohio, so a playdate was in order on Thursday. The mid-century modern house next to her parents is for sale and for a fair price, but it needs a lot of work. I peeked in the window and saw the original metal kitchen cabients (JOY!) but we aren't ready to move yet and I'm not sure I could handle a renovation of that magnitude. There was a lot of original carpet and they were smokers. So...I continue to dream.

These are my favorite finds of the week.

• Metallic edible spray paint. Fantastic! 
• These porcelain produce baskets are beatiful, but I don't need bowls. Via Emily at Wide Open Spaces. 
• I love David Linneweh's paintings. He exhibited at a gallery I worked at in 2006. 
• Via Oh Joy! These little paper animal toys are delightful.
• Love this song. Love the boots on the backrgound singers.

Peace Out.

Heart Made of Sound

I know this blog has been a little heavy on the YouTube videos lately. I've been listening to a lot of music at work the past couple of weeks, which I don't normally do, but the project I'm on lends itself to such things. I love this 2007 song by the Softlightes.

Good Hair Day

There are no words. I heart Dolly.

Vintage Kitchen

I have a serious love for vintage kitchens, which explains the massive apron collection. I especially love refridgerator advertising where food is jam packed in so neatly. And pink kitchens...love the idea of one, but not sure I could live it every day. Below are some of my favorite images.

{my collection}

{retro renovation}

{found in mom's basement}

{vintage123}

{daisy fairbanks vintage}

{unknown}

{how green is my kitchen}

Please No

Tomorrow David Byrne releases Here Lies Love, a concept album about the life of Imelda Marcos. I'm completely mesmerized by the Please No video, which has been in heavy rotation while I’m at work.

Wrapping the Week

We are headed to the farm this weekend to celebrate Easter and four birthdays (both brothers, dad, and my sweetie). What a wonderful week. Highlights include:

• Sleeping with the windows open and trees in bloom. Spring is here!
• Unexpected dinner party Monday night with old friends Nina and Rebecca. So much fun and lots of laughing and beer. I knew I missed Rebecca, who lives on the west coast, but didn't realize how much I also missed laughing and beer. More, please. 
• Playdate/clothing swap/picnic with Jess, Laura, Sylvie, and Bea. I came away with a huge amount of summer clothes for Audrey. Major score.
• Audrey's new passion for streaking after her bath. She wiggles right out of the towel and takes off and there is no stopping those jiggling little cheeks. She is soooo happy, I don't want to stop her. And she has learned out to say "radio" and takes much delight in saying over and over and over.

Here are two more gems that touched my heart this week.

• This is the sweetest song. The Littlest Bird
• A wonderful post about Choosing a Mighty Purpose from Wide Open Spaces.

Happy Spring by little chickadees!

Superbomba

Superbomba is one of my favorite flickr photostreams...a massive collection of beauties. I'm not even scratching the surface with these examples. Do check them out.