too sweet

this picture has been floating around the internet, I've seen it on a few blogs and just had to post it:

you have to click on it to enlarge and really see how adorable it is.

(Here's hoping the little piglet doesn't end up on someone's dinner table.) :-(

Lovely Sunday

Today was wonderful. I met my friend Amy and we hit up the Farmer's Market, a botanical garden and had a yummy lunch (that included vegan carrot cake!!). I got some gorgeous veggies and this sweet little bouquet of flowers:

Do You See It?

Here is my super random post for the week:

Maybe it's just us, but Mike and I have found celebrity look-alikes for both our dads. Here is Mike's step-dad Randy and his celeb twin:



this guy is Željko Ivanek:

He's been in tons of stuff, most recently Heroes. Anytime we see him in a movie or show we always yell- it's Randy! lol

And here is my dad, Paul:



and his twin, J.K. Simmons:

He's been in tons of stuff: OZ, Juno, all the Spiderman movies etc. It may not be apparent in the pictures, but they are so similar! I think it's mainly their mannerisms and voices, but Mike noticed it first. Weird, huh?!

early inspiration

I've been gathering Halloween decor pictures for a few months now. I normally decorate for Fall, and then Christmas. This year I've decided to decorate the house for Halloween, then Thanksgiving and finally Christmas. I've slowly been gathering items (mainly from Hobby Lobby and estate sales) and I can't wait to share some of the cool items I've collected!

These pictures are from various places- Martha Stewart, Better Homes & Garden's website and random internet searches. This shows some of my Halloween inspiration:

ninety cents

the cost of my new little plant. The pot it came in was clay and boring, so I painted it red. I've had it for 2 weeks and it's still alive! So far, so good.

Found while digging through my vintage cookbooks...

I have a pretty large collection of vintage cookbooks. I pick them up at yard sales, thrift stores and estate sales. I was digging through a box and found this one:


So perfect for us! I haven't had the chance to make anything from it, but I plan to. :-)

Topiaries Take Two

My mom and I made these topiaries last year. They were the first decor item we made right after we bought our house. Fast forward one year and they were looking a little rough! Our mistake was using loose spanish moss in the bag instead of sheets of moss. So, this past weekend, I re-did the topiaries. I am now completely addicted to the sheet moss! I'm just looking for other places to use it.

before:



and after:



See!! So much better. :-) The color is more realistic, the texture is right, love it!









The next step is to find 2 really cool urns. I love the pots we painted, but Pinkie broke one (I've hidden it quite well in the pictures!) and I'm ready for a change.

I'm thinking of aging a few clay pots, or maybe doing some kind of faux paint treatment. I think I'll also switch out the gold ribbon for some burlap ribbon. After the topiaries I'll be working on some mantel accessories. It's looking a little dark up there! I played it safe with the black tchotchkes, but I need some color!

love this

I was cooking dinner tonight- (baked tilapia, wild rice and veggies) and snapped these pictures.

tonight I was using the dish to hold melted butter (vegan, of course!) to brush over the tilapia.

This is a hand me down from my mom and I love it. It's tiny (only holds 1.5 cups), and old (from the 60's or 70's I'm guessing) and adorable.

mmmmmmm hummus!

let me first say that I am by no means an expert on hummus. I make it weekly, and I make it to suit our taste. Here is our basic version:

Ingredients

• chickpeas/garbanzo beans
• a couple of cloves of garlic
• olive oil- just enough to keep it moist
  
• a lemon
• tahini- 2 tablespoons
  

add the chickpeas into your food processor, blend for a few minutes. I slowly drizzle olive oil and add lemon juice into the chickpeas.



I then add the garlic and the tahini


and blend, blend, blend!

that's it! It is so versatile, sometimes I'll add roasted red peppers & sometimes black beans. The best part- it's super inexpensive.

We use it on everything! Veggies, pretzels, sandwiches etc. Here is a look at my lunch today- YUM!

tom & sue

I've begun scanning in tons of pictures of my family- some are super old. I came across these and fell in love with them. The first is my Grandma Sue and late Grandfather Tom when they were teenagers. Looks like they were at an amusement park or carnival. I cannot get over how much Connor looks like grandpa! It's kind of astonishing that none of us saw the resemblance until now. The second picture is from their wedding day. These are so special and I'm glad we'll be able to save them for years to come!

I love having creative friends!

Just wanted to make a quick shout-out to my dear friend Allison for making my new blog header! I love it and I love her! Allison is super talented- she's made me quiet a few to choose from and I'm sure I'll just be rotating them throughout the year. :)

In Love With Mad Men

Mike and I just recently discovered Mad Men- and we're completely obsessed! The characters, the style, the fashion, the homes- love it all.







Perfection:









I want to live in the Draper's house:

floating...

Yesterday we spent the day floating. Admittedly, not my favorite activity, but I agreed to go along! Here are some pictures:


and the aftermath:


my shoulder is sunburned, it was cloudy- but I still should have worn sunscreen!