homeland and other stories

I've been reading Barbara Kingsolver's book of short stories over the last week. They are simple and undramatic, the perfect thing to read during a short lunch break. My favorite story is Covered Bridges.

butterflies

I really liked this idea I saw here. I basically love anything having to do with insects or birds. When I worked in the Biology stockroom in college I bought sets of tiny pins, thinking one day I would start my own insect collection. I was so excited when we were in Thailand and I found a shadow box of exotic bugs. But it reeks like mothballs and made everything else I got smell like mothballs. Right now I've got it sealed in 3 plastic baggies, hidden in my apartment so that Jim won't throw it away (now that I wrote this, he's going to find it and throw it away). One day I'd love to do a series of paintings of bugs or birds(like this).

tiny shopping bags

Right now there are tons of alternatives to plastic shopping bags out there, I think these are the only thing out there that I would actually end up using. My only question for the anti-shopping bag people is....how many of these replacement bags do you have? I go to the grocery store sometimes and come home with like 10 bags of stuff...how are you supposed carry around 10 cloth grocery bags??

friday wishlist - in red

A few of my favorite things from the last week.
I just saw these at payless, super cute.
I'm not sure if this is meant for adults or not, but it's from one of my favorite etsy shops, and would be perfect now that my hair's growing out.
Okay...i actually have this mug on my desk full of pencils right now, so it's not technically a wishlist item...but it got a huge chip in it, and i hope i can make it over to anthropologie soon to replace it.

talking stain

clothespin doll kits

You can go here to get one of these cute kits. I used to make "little people" growing up. It started with masking tape, then toothpick, tissue paper, and finally out of clay with moving arms and legs. They used to live in little houses in my parents backyard, but now I have them in a little drawer in my apartment.

coming to a mailbox near you...

ecards from kate spade's website

happy valentine's day

I love e.e.cummings, this is the card I would have ordered from etsy for Jim if I was that on the ball. I hope everyone has a great valentine's day!

humility

My favorite poem/quote(?). I found this in my mom's Shabby Chic book when I was in high school, I wish my scanner worked, because the version in her book is vintage with pretty watercolors around it.

I try to remember it whenever I feel sorry for myself, or feel angry at someone:

Humility is perpetual quietness of heart.
It is to have no trouble.
It is never to be fretted or vexed, irritable or sore;
To wonder at nothing that is done to me.
To feel nothing done against me.
It is to be at rest when nobody praises me.
And when I am blamed or despised,
It is to have a blessed home in myself
Where I can go in and shut the door
And be in peace,
As in a deep sea of calmness,
When all around and about is seeming trouble.

snow day

The snow is deep and it just keeps coming, and I am taking my first snow day, yay! Last night I left work in the middle of this snowstorm, and my normal 1 hour drive took me 3 1/2 HOURS!

If anyone wants to play in the snow, give me and Bogie a call. When he's cooped up he does stuff like this:

He basically gave this sheep a frontal lombotomy...sometimes the way he destroys his toys scares me!