happy weekend

A little bit of this + that...

Cheers ;)

weekend bits & pieces

Or really just Saturday. Because Sunday mostly consisted of doing laundry in between episodes of Touch on Netflix and Rehab Addict on the DVR. Also eating a full sleeve of crackers. (Though, to be fair, that was after scrubbing down the entire tub/bathroom with baking soda, bleach, and a toothbrush, so, you know. I earned it. Also I had to take three breaks because I accidentally dumped out way too much bleach and the fumes were burning my eyes. This is why I generally stick to all-natural cleaning, but ANYWAY. Where were we? Ah, yes: SATURDAY.) Here goes . . .

From top to bottom: Girly morning coffee | Quote from this awesome podcast, still on my mind | Gifts for giving and cards for mailing | The beginnings of spring on top of our china cabinet | Jam-packed To Do list | Negotiating music selections | "I'm gonna be, like, so fashionable" | Preparing to make tacos | Getting schooled in the right way to eat a tortilla

Yep. It was another good one. x

cheers to the weekend

Easily one of my new favorite images of all time, found here

“I’m generally suspicious of large groups of beautiful people having an unbearably good time (yoga class in Los Angeles, Harvard tailgates, Williamsburg hipster bars come to mind), but I’m happy to tag along to see what all the fuss is about as long as I have a bourbon in hand and know where the emergency exit is.” 

Lily Stockman

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Happy weekend, folks! Hope you make it an exceptionally bearable one ;)

(long) weekend bits & pieces

From top to bottom: Mending a hem | Straight pins | Quilt blocks in progress | Fully pieced rag quilt (tutorial here) | Fraying the seams | Main takeaway from my (awesome) session with Tiffany | Newly sorted necklaces | Closeup of DIY jewelry holder | Flowers from Andy (wish I had this!) | Seasonally appropriate reading material

photo feature

Yesterday a blog friend from Abu Dhabi featured one of my photos from Nepal as part of her "From the Hip Friday" series -- my first time ever making an appearance on someone else's blog!

Jill taught in Abu Dhabi for nearly three years but is currently exploring all that Australia has to offer. I loved reading her stories about life in the Gulf as Andy and I prepared for our move, and it's a lot of fun now watching her do what she does best: Travel! Great photos and great stories. Get yourself over there already and check it out. Thanks for having me, Jill!

And here are a few more images from Nepal, where a friend and I spent ten days living and working in an orphanage last July . . .

Man, looking at these brings back SO MUCH. Wish I could beam myself there again, if only for a little while.

Hope you're having a wonderful weekend! x

hello, 2013!

We spent most of New Year's Eve at a friend's house, where we celebrated with this little (iphone) photo booth I pulled together last minute (wrapping paper and a reversible banner, done!). Andy and I actually ended up leaving before midnight so we could swing by my parents' to say a quick hello before heading home to our apartment. We made it back just in time for the final countdown and shared our kiss on the couch, in pajamas. Yep-- it was just about perfect :)

Happy New Year, everyone! I have a goooooood feeling about this. Cheers!

it's beginning . . .

. . . to look ever-so-slightly like Christmas around here. I'm having fun taking my time this year, both out of choice and necessity. 

Lulu supervises the making of a modern yarn tree

Pom-pom making 101: From janky to halfway decent

Gold sticker garlands

Festive nail polish for an at-home manicure

Best. Thing. EVER.

We borrowed a branch from Charlie Brown's tree for these little wooden shoes

life, last year

Speaking of processing the expat experience, I discovered a few photos from the UAE/Oman archives the other day while hunting for some files on my computer . . .

Throw your hands up! We met some gorgeous children at dusk on the outskirts of an Omani village, all because we followed a sign that said "Castle." I love a good detour. The castle turned out to be locked, but it didn't matter: The children were magic.

At the "Grand Canyon of Arabia." I look like I'm trying to hang artwork or arrange furniture: "A little to the left -- wait, no, now down, no, up . . . ." (I think I was pointing out hiking trails, though we saved those for a return visit.)

Buying a goat hair rug on the top of Jebel Shams, where the same family of herders has been weaving them for years. On a later visit, thanks to a string of inadvertently fortunate events, we were invited inside this man's home, where we were given tea and dates while conversing as best we could with both him and his eldest son. Again, magic.

Riding a camel for the first time while on a desert safari. Honestly, I felt bad for these creatures, but there are some things you don't escape the UAE without doing.

I've already got plans for one of these to make an appearance on this year's Christmas card. I know it probably feels too soon to be thinking about that, but I want to make them myself which requires a little more time and effort. Plus, we have last year's to beat ;)

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PS - Thanks to our friend Phil, photo-maker extraordinaire, for capturing these images and many more of us and our life in the Gulf. Lord knows we never would've gotten around to it ourselves!

bits & pieces of the weekend

. . . most of which was spent exactly where I wanted to be: at home.

(Can you feel that glow? I'm a big fan of hanging out around my nest, by myself. Only recently have I grasped just how crucial it is to my overall stability and sense of well-being. The "glorious alone" . . . )

Maybe I've got it more together than I thought. x