Back to School Product Love

Everyone, regardless if you are 12 or 80, surely remembers the excitement of going back to school. New pencils and notebooks, crisp clothes and squeaky clean shoes and a new attitude that inevitably sours by the third week ;) Here is my grown up take on back to school product love!

All of the above items with the exception of the cat eye glasses can be found at Modcloth. The necklace was found (and is currently unavailable) at Nordstrom.

Paper Pencil Bookmarks

Emerson and I were looking for something to keep us occupied until dinner the other night so we decided to make some paper pencil bookmarks. The instructions turned out to be a bit hard for a 4 year old so I made them and she decorated. Win-Win.

1. Start with a 3-by 6-inch piece of paper. It helps if one side is white and the other side is patterned or a different color, but it is not a necessity.

2. Fold the paper in half length-wise and crease. 

3. Open the paper. Fold back one end approximately 1/2 inch, as shown.

4. Turn the paper over and bend back the corners at the folded end.

5. Bend back the folded edges again so they line up at the center crease as shown.

6. Turn the paper over and fold up the flat end so that it rests about 3/4 inch from the pointed end. 

7. Turn the paper over and fold both sides of the pencil in. Use a small piece of tape to secure. 

8. Voila! A pencil bookmark.

9. This is another pencil we did :) 

Re-claimed, Re-loved, Re-used Sundays

TOY TIME!! I love coming across old toys! (Here are some other toys I have found this summer) A woman in Jacksonville held a yard sale a few weeks ago that had the motherload of old toys, all decently priced. The condition of the toys is not stellar but that just means they were thoroughly loved by her children and grandchildren. Now they are being loved and played with constantly by my little one. I have been amazed at how much she has played with these simple toys. No bells and whistles here...just good old imaginative play.
Here are three of the sets I picked up that day.

1. Fisher Price Medical kit. (Just so you know I am very healthy. I have had more shots than you can count.)
2. Lunch box. Love this. It is a simple puzzle contained within a lunchbox carry case.
3. Fisher Price Tool kit.

Do any of you remember these? What was your favorite toy as a child?

Is anyone home?

Few can deny the haunting aura of an abandoned place. Beautiful remnants of the past, evidence of the inevitability of change, vessels of memory. Recently I have started to photograph abandoned buildings, barns and houses in the area (from a safe distance :) and hope to post some of my pictures at a later date. I have to admit that I usually get goosebumps or a chill down my back as I am walking away. As if the building itself is saying "See, there you go. Abandoning us too." The following photos are some of the coolest abandoned places ever.

 Cincinnati's Abandoned Subway Depot

Holland Island in Chesapeake Bay

Maunsell Sea Forts in England

Pripyat Ukraine Amusement Park

Institut J. Lemaire in Tombeek, Belgium

There is a great website by photographer Henk Van Rensburgen devoted to abandoned places. If this interests you in the least, you should check it out.
http://www.abandoned-places.com

Grass and Pearls

Moments

Emerson running outside as soon as she awakes, sitting in her bulldog pajamas surrounded by puppies that lick her face and nip her fingers.

Paytan opening up her Senior Box and reading the letter I wrote her that asks her to be patient with me this year if I hold on a little longer and seem to be ever present. She walks over and without a word gives me a long hug.

Kerrigan repeatedly calling her advisor at school her administrator because she keeps forgetting the correct title.

Jake and I sitting in front of our newly built firepit and talking about what the day held. He places his hand on my leg.

Playing tag in the dark with Emerson, her giggles escalating until she collapses from laughing.

Watching Jake shred zucchini for me because I had already done 4 behemoths and my arm was tired.

Burning the potatoes for dinner and Paytan biting into a piece hard as a rock.

Running out to the garden to grab some more tomatoes because I needed 15 pounds to make homemade sauce. Grabbing a handful of basil while I am there.

Taking Emerson for a walk, her demanding to ride in the stroller because her doll would get to tired if they walked.

Paytan and Kerrigan pulling out of the driveway on their way to school. Paytan flips me off as her idea of a friendly goodbye. My jaw drops. They are dying laughing.

All of this and more happened in one short day. I am making the effort to hold on to moments, whether they may seem mundane, frustrating, or inspiring.

There is something beautiful in each.

What are some of the moments that made up your day?

Link Love

H&M is online now!! How freakin cool is that??
http://www.hm.com/us/

I am a big fan of the box a month clubs.....really wish this healthy food box subscription wasn 't so expensive.
http://boxtera.com/


I was all about getting Emerson a one of a kind backpack but every one I liked, she did not. I was thinking this......

She was thinking this.......

She won.


Well, maybe she will let me choose this as her lunchbox??

This is kind of neat. Complete strangers pose together for portraits.
http://www.visualnews.com/2013/07/18/complete-strangers-pose-together-for-portraits/


I have heard of running up a $200 tab but $200 for one beer??
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/05/sam-adams-utopias-beer_n_2076113.html

This

Which controls you more??
http://bit.ly/16cguIf


I have a ton of tomatoes so this freezable tomato sauce recipe is in my near future:
http://bit.ly/1eXtEdT

Back to School Wardrobe Wednesday

 

Shirt - Banana Republic
Skirt - Zara

Re-claimed, Re-used, Re-loved Sundays

I can remember coming across hundreds of small saucers and plates (like the one posted below) in years past. Now, it is hard to find any at all and when you do they are usually priced higher than what I am willing to pay. I wanted to buy around 250 mismatched pieces to use at my wedding last year but quickly found that it would take way too much time to amass. The idea has not left me though and so when I do run across a plate here or there, I plan on picking it up. I purchased this beauty for one quarter. What am I going to do with them? I have ideas, I tell you. 

The doilies were in a big gallon bag for 75 cents. I plan on starching them to make a banner. 

I bought the blue wicker lunchbox purse at Goodwill for $4.00. Love it!!

Food Curiousities

I came across a list of food items that I have been meaning to try now for the past year or two. Not sure why it has taken me so long to get through the list of 50 things but at last count I had tried only 14. Probably because food is so darn expensive and who wants to spend 5.99 on something called Seitan if it tastes like a mix of bologna and hominy. So, here it is! Let me know if any of you have tried something on this list and found it to be inedible.

Broccoli Rabe
Fennel
Leeks
Parsnips
Bulgur
Kasha
Millet
Farro
Spelt
Daiya Cheese
Vegan Parmesan
Hemp Milk
NOW Nutritional Yeast Flakes - (Boy that just sounds so appetizing - WHO are their marketing people?)
Fava Beans
Glenny's Brown Rice Marshmallow Treats
Tofurky Cheese Pizza
Brown Rice Syrup

Some of the things I had tried on the list were:

Eggplant - eh.
Plantain - eh.
Pine Nuts - piney.
Vegenaise - This was alright but it went moldy REAL fast.
Nosaya Tofu - good.
Coconut milk ice cream - eh. AND EXPENSIVE
Ginger Chews - These were spicy and I wanted sweet. Boo.
Van's Waffles - eh.

Happy Weekend to all of you! Hope you have great plans as the summer winds down!

Trendy Tribal

Dress - XXI (Goodwill)

Vegan Chocolate Mousse

This recipe is divine! I am not sure where I found it so I am afraid I cannot give credit where credit is due but I sending out awesome vibes to the one who whipped this up first.

Chocolate Mousse
Yield: 6 servings

1 c. semisweet or nondairy chocolate chips (I used Ghiradelli)
12 ounces silken tofu (soft or firm)
1/2 c. nondairy milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

Place the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Give the chips a stir and heat for another minute. They should be melted at this point.

Lick the spoon. For real. It is mandatory.

Pour the tofu into a blender or food processor. Add the melted chocolate, nondairy milk, and vanilla.

Process until completely smooth. Scrape down the sides, if necessary.

Chill the mixture in serving bowls for at least one hour before serving.

Delicious!

Re-claimed, Re-used, Re-loved Sundays

Christmas in July.....er, August!

I bought each one of these Christmas items for a quarter.

1. Wooden Victorian Reproduction sign
2. Vintage tags!! I was super excited about this find!
3. Felt Tree Ornament
4. Vintage Mr and Mrs Wind Chimes....New in Box

Speaking of holidays, I have noticed Halloween items out in the stores. I love Halloween but I think I may try and ignore those aisles and enjoy the last few weeks of summer first.

Link Love

Leo Caillard's Photography Project "Hipster in Stone"

Hilariously inaccurate foreign film posters

Variety of Smores combinations

I could not imagine living in a place like this. Makes me appreciate my front porch even more:  http://weburbanist.com/2013/07/30/dense-city-photos-show-tightly-packed-hong-kong-towers/

Love this: Kids Journal

CREEPY! Abandoned Psychiatric Hospital art

Test your Food IQ

These will make you cry AND believe in love all over again!