The Weekly Cute

Sorry for being late, weekly cute readers. Here's a video of Maru, best cat ever. So fat, so quirky, so curious.

Sewing

I finally got around to covering those weird sofa pillows! Yippee! Those handmade touches make a homey difference.

Sofa pillow, before...kinda weird right?
Sofa pillow, after, with botanical print.
Our friend Beaky clearly enjoying pillow.

The back is a contrasting blue, brings out the bright colors on the front. I used an invisible zipper on the bottom.

Inaugural Ice Cream Outing

Celebrating the Summer with delicious dairy-made ice creams. Nathan with some blackberry swirl in waffle cone, me with fudge cheesecake in sugar cone. No, I did not eat both cones, I was just holding them for the photo. Though you can see I've gone mad with the idea of eating both. If you come to Washington, we'll take you for ice cream and you'll understand.

Awesome

O Canada. Illustrator Genevieve Simms, wonderful.

Another Happy Friday

Just a few little sumpins...

I forgot to upload this before....a sweet box of Burdick chocolate bunnies and marzipan eggs Mom sent for Easter. So beautiful! Their packaging is amazing. Thanks Mom.

More sunny days on the way! I was in a funny mood yesterday and thought these pretty pink tulips would add some cheer to our little home. I bought them from a nice, shy homeless man that often stands down the street. I think he pulled them out of someone's yard. :s

I was going through my harddrive today, looking for old CAD files, and found this great photo I had saved long ago. Not sure where I found it in the first place, but I love it! I think it reminds me of old childhood birthday parties. For some reason the jpg was titled 'the_parade.' That little girl in blue kind of looks like me (or Tato!) when I was small!

Happy Happy Friday everyone!
Nathan is now all done with school, and I'm so excited that 'summer' has begun! Another big plus--Nathan was selected for the Google Summer of Code! Besides being an awesome project, he will get to work from home! We're celebrating tonight with pizza and the long awaited ice cream trip.
What are you doing this weekend?

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day everyone!

Maybe it's just that I'm paying attention, but it seems that more people (plus tv, news etc) are excited about Earth Day this year. I think it's finally become easier for people to get involved or find resources. Perhaps people who thought Earth Day was just about recycling have bought eco-friendly cleaners or made their home more efficient. It's good to see the movement become less stigmatized and taken more seriously as a lifestyle opportunity.

Nathan and I try to consider our impact and do what we can on a daily basis. (Yay Nathan for bus commuting--and working from home this summer!) I will resolve to be more conscious of water conservation. Now that it's warming up again I'll go back to 'army showers'--water on, off, on, off! Additionally, I will be more sure to unplug unused appliances and try to find someone interested in taking our many produce scraps for composting.

I think everyone should personally commit themselves to being more earth conscious at home, but the real opportunity to give back to the earth happens in our communities. Maybe we can all try to participate in a more outreaching way this year, like sending a letter or signing a petition to legislators, buying locally-grown food, working in/organizing a community garden, and so on. Ideas?

Are you guys excited about Earth Day? Are you making strides to go greener, or are you still figuring out what you can do? How do you think we can make our communities more sustainable? Any good green tips?

haha, so true. but we're trying!

(way to go fambly for cleaning up Lake Red Rock trash--and to Mom for choosing hankies over tissues!)

In Case...

In case that last post got you feeling down, here's a feel good pic. Andy Samberg with what looks like a lynx, probably a bobcat. ohhh yeahhhh

via favo blog, whatpossessedme

The Weekly Cute

The Iberian Lynx

Last night Nathan and I caught part of a show about a few of the world's most endangered animals. We learned about Sumatran Rhinos, Lemurs, Black-footed Ferrets, Japanese turtles (of which there is only one female left in the world!) and this week's cute feature, the Iberian Lynx. These are the most endangered cat species on the planet, down to the last 100 or so. They are native to Spain and have been pushed out of their habitat by human development. At one point people exterminated much of Spain's population of rabbits, the Lynx's primary food, and most of the cats starved. The Lynx are now being bred in captivity, but conservationists fear their efforts will be futile if there is no natural habitat where they can be released.

I'm sorry, I know this is a downer post! You must think me very cruel to show you pictures of adorable animals and then explain how they are dying off. But it's the sad fact, and on Earth Day we must acknowledge the state we're in and try to correct or improve our actions.

One last note on the lynx: cute but deadly. These little carnivores are hunting machines. In captivity they are kept apart because the cubs are known to attack one another as they develop these natural instincts. So if you'd like to help conserve their species by keeping them safe and warm in your apartment (like me) it is probably not a good idea. Especially if you'd feel bad feeding them rabbits.

One for One

Summer's Coming!

(photo by little girl blue, via Cup of Jo)

It is a beautiful Spring weekend here in the Northwest. The sun has been shining and it is hovering around 60 degrees. I have noticed that closed buds have turned into leaves and flowers in the past week. Nathan turned in his game on Friday and is finishing up assignments and finals this week. We're pretty excited about that over here!

I love the changing seasons when you have so much to look forward to. We're planning picnics and more trips to Theno's. I am hoping that with more flexibility in Nathan's schedule we might get to take a drive to the Pacific coast sometime this summer. I love planning new summer foods, reading lists, activities, and changing out winter's clothes for breezy summer clothes. You already know I love shoes, and what I really want: TOMS.





Maybe you have heard of TOMS before, but it is worth a post. TOMs was started in 2006 by Blake Mycoskie with the initiative to give shoes to children in developing nations. In these countries contaminated soil is a lead cause of disease and infection, especially where walking is primary transportation. For every pair of TOMS you buy, a pair will be given to a child without shoes, One for One.




They hope to give away 300,000 pairs this year. How amazing is that? And not only is it a great company, the shoes are really cute and apparently very comfortable. Wouldn't you love to wear a pair of TOMS out to a park or the beach this summer? This has got to be the business model for the future. With the resources available today, we all have the ability to be smarter and more compassionate consumers.


ps- if you know any college kids looking for a cool internship opportunity, TOMS does a cross country promotional program that sounds awesome.
pps- we buy Silk non-dairy creamer for our coffee--just read this morning that Silk is 100% wind powered! another thumbs up.

Taking a Moment for Frustration

Baby, I feel ya.

In the latest edition of You Know the Economy's Messed When, you know the economy is messed when you're the lesser dog walking candidate. It is back to the drawing board kiddos. Perhaps literally...should I just work on boosting my portfolio? I keep thinking, if only I could formulate the right strategy. I'm beginning to think I may have to consider self-employment to get hired, harhar. Ok, moment over, and now back to the drawing board indeed.

Feeling Lucky

I like the old tradition of hanging a horseshoe above your door for good luck. I have been keeping my eye out for old horseshoes in antique shops, as I guess you have to hang a used shoe. There are regional superstitions as to how the shoe should be hung. Some say to point the ends upward to hold the good luck in, while some hang it ends down to pour luck over you as you pass through the door. Our home could use some friendly talismans.

Do you keep any good luck charms?

The Weekly Cute

Contender for world's smallest dog: Tom Thumb

Tom is a one month chihuaha-jack russell mix. The runt of his litter, Tom Thumb is only 4 inches long and 3x smaller than his siblings. This is exactly how I'd give Little Tom a bath. And I'd make him a dog bed in a slipper.

Thank you sweet Nathan!
He sent this on to me via a slideshow of baby animals. :)

Random Tuesday

Just some random photos of late. Hope you're all having a nice Tuesday...sun has beamed through our gray day. :)

Easter brunch: a sweet salad with pears and walnuts and mini zucchini quiches. I didn't mess with presentation, but it was tasty.

Tabbouleh* and wheat bread, homemade. The colors are so nice! num num
*(sorry, I wrote couscous before, not so)

I'm not sure why Nathan's making this face, but I think it's pretty cute. :) This day was a particularly long homework day so I took him out for a coffee break.

I found these interesting pinecones on the sidewalk across the street. They look like flowers, isn't that so neat? Does anyone know what variety this is?

Purple potatoes! I love that aubergine color alongside the bright celery and asparagus. Why do so many vegetables have purple doppelgangers?

John Singer Sargeant

I love this work. There is so much character in his portraits, defined in unusual places, by the strength of the rich tones, the amalgamation of smudgy brushstrokes. What seems white is never white, and your eye is drawn to seek out what is in the dark. I remember standing in front of his paintings, wanting to get closer and closer as though I would then be able to see what is shadowed. He understood movement, body carriage and tension. These people painted 100 years ago seem so real, so believable. Full of mood, even more so in person when the sheen off the oil adds to its depth. (I've been imagining spaces and event design lately while thinking of him...perhaps more from this vein later.)

Spanish Dancer

Ena and Betty, Daughters of Asher and Mrs Wertheimer

Portraits of Edouard and Marie-Louise Pailleron
(this one's at the Des Moines Art Center, and stunning)

Madame X

portrait of William Butler Yeats

nonchaloir

Lady Agnew

Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose

Marais

Ooh la la! I love these shoes.

I'm a flats kind of girl, so these agree with me (not sure an ankle strap agrees with my thick legs however). Marais is comprised of a couple young, chic ladies in NYC making simple, reasonably priced footwear. I'm adding a pair of these little darlins to my growing lovelist. Perfect for summer!

Soaking In

So I don't smoke, but I do drink a lot of coffee.
And maybe this was written about a city, but that's how I feel anyway.

oh god it's wonderful.

I am the sort that takes my time. I dip my toes, then get in and soak for a while. I've been soaking in this feeling, letting it set in, getting used to it. For every girl that gets her day and screams or cries or jumps up and down, I'm stretching it out and going over every inch..."the world is vast, and I know this because I've measured it with my hands." And although I have plenty of regular everyday stuff to think about, I'm not ready! Just my luck, I have all the time in the world. I think we've got the love that just keeps growing beyond itself. I feel like I live in that city.

oh god it's wonderful.

Frank O'Hara excerpt, via le love

The Weekly Cute

Pennywell Pigs!

Oh what joy to have a pet pig the size of a bread loaf!
These mini pigs are bred at Pennywell Farm in the UK.
They grow to 1/5 the size of a normal pig.
They are so popular that the waiting list to adopt pigs is now closed. How sad.


However, there's also...the Royal Dandie Pig!

These mini pot belly pigs are bred in Oregon and grow to be 19-39 lbs.
The website says they require a special kind of owner...
dare I say I may be that owner? Why yes, I think I am.



Also, they can be trained for truffle hunting. Anyone now doubt the pleasures of small pig ownership?

He Loves Me Too

Speechless.