Dear Blog,

This is what's been going on. Not too much. Ok, a few new things, and some I forgot to mention.

Nathan and I tried a Mediterranean (Turkish owned) restaurant down the street. Their hummus is SO good. Hummus is one of those dishes that is easy enough to make that I hate to buy it, but I certainly don't make it like this. I might devote myself to figuring out their recipe, which means I will need to buy a lot more of it. For research.

That was over a week ago, but I didn't think to mention it. Also, I had lunch with my lifetime-long friend Molly a couple Fridays ago. She's heading to Burning Man this week and then starting school in Olympia, so Nathan and I went to a Farewell gathering at her place this past weekend. Now that we are actually within several miles of each other for the first time in 5 years, I am glad she is not going too far away. What a funny coincidence. It was also nice to see her sister Erin who is moving back to Des Moines this month.

On Saturday we made plans to go the huge farmers market in Redmond. We stopped for gas and couldn't get the van started again. We let it sit a little while, pushed it out of the way, let it rest a bit longer, and finally it started up. We didn't go to the farmer's market in fear of getting stuck. This has happened a couple times before so we made an appointment at a car shop and took it in this morning. Luckily, it wasn't a big deal. A cord connecting the fuses and the battery had corroded, so they replaced it and said it shouldn't happen again. We sat around in a donut shop and had a donut breakfast while we waited. Nathan says he's ready to quit school and open his own donut business (just kidding).

I have been taking care of the eczema problem and my skin is looking a lot better. Shaving is still kind of ouchy. The temperature has dropped into the 50s and we have rain in the forecast this week, so I might like the natural insulation anyway. :P

I bought a side table for the bed ($10, ikea on craigslist). It has two big drawers so I finally have a place for the little clothing items that were in my suitcase. It's kind of a black cube. Now, I think I really must stop looking for furniture for a while. At least until I replenish my funds. I can't help it, I'm a furniture junkie going through a very domestic phase. But here are some lovely things I can dream about for the future.

The first time I saw this Woods wallpaper by Cole & Son was in a restaurant in Chicago (remember family? the good pizza place!)  Since then I've been seeing it often online, but it always looks great. This one stays on my wishlist. 

I want new bed linens, and this gray coverlet from West Elm is looking pretty good (the sale price is looking nice too...temptation, ack).

This glass table lamp (from today's design sponge post) is kind of what I've had in mind for a bed side lamp. 

I want to reupholster everything in Amy Butler fabrics. I'm keeping this idea in mind for near future.

Giant Panda spoonrest being sold on etsy.com. He looks so happy to hold your spoon and keep your stove clean.

Lastly, this Dutch bicycle. Oh so lovely. However, pricey and not a hill climber. This will be more tempting if we become flatlanders again someday.

Oh, and congratulations to my friend Katie who recently became the proud owner of a scooter! Keep ridin' in style!