Week in Photos: Week 48

It's amazing that the cats put up with me sometimes.



Peppermint chocolate chip... mmm! It's peppermint season!



Hmm... perhaps we shouldn't have let these burn for so long...



A picture perfect omelet! I've been using pre-roasted veggies to make easy quick omelets in the mornings.



HE'S THE CUTEST.



We tried to take a family photo. We failed. At least we got breakfast together.



And we FaceTimed with our parents. And their dogs. From my brother's Buick.



We had a small Thanksgiving meal this year, just Shawn, his mum, and me.



Thanksgiving is over, now it's time for Christmas to make its way into EVERYTHING!



I made confetti cookies for a gingerbread house building workshop at work.



How adorable are those little peppermint candy cane sprinkles?!



Lloyd had to go to the vet this week for a dental exam. He hadn't been acting like himself for weeks, so we knew something was wrong... turns out he has mild gingivitis which gave him a gum infection. As soon as I pulled out the cat carrier he willingly got into it on his own. (That's when you know your cat is sick!) He has been so much happier since his vet visit!



Here's a sneak peek at Shawn's birthday present to me...
HINT: I finally added on to my 5-year old tattoo. You can't see it until it heals though!



This is my view on Sunday mornings! I check people in and clean the studio after classes.



While the classes are going on I can pretty much do whatever I want, as long as it's quiet. I've taken to reading, and writing letters. Anybody want a penpal? I have lots of cute stationary to write on!



NEWS FLASH! I wore jeans today. My friends always marvel at the fact that I never wear them. This is the only pair I own. I find jeans so uncomfortable otherwise! How come everyone else loves them so much?

I think this is the first time in a long time I haven't written any posts between my week in photo posts... but I suppose it's been a busy week, with the holiday and all. Shawn and I spent Thanksgiving with his mother, just the three of us, since his brother and his wife were in Florida for the week. I managed to wrangle up my siblings for an hour or so, so that we could all get breakfast together- we couldn't remember the last time the three of us last got together! Thanksgiving didn't last long for us though; Shawn came down with pink eye on Thursday and was feeling pretty miserable, so we headed home right after the meal. On Friday I got into the Christmas spirit at work and made some treats for a gingerbread house building workshop we're doing at work this Sunday and next. I love Christmas though, so it was fun to finally make peppermint/red/green themed treats! And on Saturday I drove back out to New Jersey, got a tattoo, and visited some friends in their newly acquired house and barn. So yeah, it was a busy week! But I got to spend it with family and friends, and those are the best kinds of weeks!

I hope you had an awesome Thanksgiving and weekend!

Read more...

Week in Photos: Week 47

My most favorite photo right now.



Muesli layers.



Perfectly wavy bacon strips.



I'm so jealous that he gets to hang out in bed with the cats every single morning when I'm leaving for work...



Messy cake balls. Not that kids care whether they look messy or not...



I wanted to eat this beautiful cheese plate, but it was for a catering order :(



It snowed in the kitchen! Just kidding.
I'm such a jerk for posting photos of food all the time but no recipes.



The cutest little quinoa salad cups.



I made turkey chili. And it was spicy. Like, super spicy.



Graffiti Bar in Philly, with two lovely lady friends/colleagues.



It was like a mojito and a moscow mule combined, and it was delicious.



We shared so many delicious plates. The fried spicy shrimp was the best!



Naked eclairs! Without their chocolate robes; how naughty!



I woke up with this guy on my chest.



Did someone say cat heaven?



Bought some friends a bonsai as a housewarming gift.



The most beautiful pizza. Do you like Hawaiian pizza? We love it!



I totally folded and bought myself a coat. Went for the olive to deviate from my usually 'safe' color choice (black). I kindof love it!



The only thing I ever bake at home anymore.

This was a great week, filled with friends and food. (The only two requirements to a great week, honestly.) I went downtown after work for a dinner date with two friends and after getting some drinks at Graffiti Bar and walking around the city trying to find a decent restaurant with less than a 45-minute wait (Philly was packed for a Thursday night!), we found ourselves back at Graffiti Bar for more drinks and a few shared plates. It's an outdoor bar, but they have huge heat lamps that keep it cozy in there even on the coldest nights. On Saturday I drove across the Ben Franklin bridge to catch up with an old friend and her girlfriend at their new place; we ate meatloaf and mashed potatoes and brownies, and I brought them a beautiful bonsai tree that I almost kept for myself. And Sunday Shawn was actually off from work for once, so we got to spend the day lounging around together after I got home from my shift at the yoga studio. What an awesome weekend! I can't say it was particularly productive, but sometimes life doesn't have to be. Of course I folded and bought myself a new winter coat which arrived on Friday, right before the temperatures worked their way back up into the 50s. (And they're calling for low 70s tomorrow!! What is this madness?!) But then they're predicting snow for Wednesday (I love snow, but couldn't it wait until after we have to drive to New Jersey for the holiday?), so chances are I'll get to wear my new coat soon enough.

I hope you had an amazing weekend, and that you have fun things planned for the week ahead. I'm looking forward to an extra day off work this week, to seeing my siblings and checking out our friends' new (first!) house, and to cashing in on Shawn's birthday gift to me this Saturday. (I'm not saying more than that - you'll see! I've been excited about it since July!)

Read more...

Quintessentially Me

coat: thrifted / scarf: LOFT / shirt: Gap / pants: Anthropologie / shoes: Seychelles




Do you have an item of clothing that feels quintessentially you? Something that screams your name when you see it because it's OMG-the most perfect _____, ever, no question about it, and when you wear it out you feel like anyone that sees you is getting an accurate representation of your true character? That's these pants for me. I bought them over five years ago, after coveting them online for months... (they were on my Pinterest wish list, back when Pinterest first started out...) and I finally stumbled upon one lonely pair on the clearance rack for a quarter of their original price. They were a size too big when I bought them, and I had every intention of getting them tailored... but I just never got around to it. Good thing, too, because now they fit me almost perfectly! I don't know whether I should be happy that they fit now, or if I should be upset... that they fit now. Either way, they fit now!!!

I wore these downtown with some girlfriends the other night to The Franklin Institute for their Science After Hours event (side note: which was AWESOME). On our way there, a bum called me a "clown with wings" (in reference to all of us looking like angels, after also saying a few other things to us that were hilariously inappropriate and should not be repeated on the internet...) I don't know if he meant my pants, my hair, or the whole shebang, but I guess he wasn't too far off. Anyone who knows me in real life will tell you I am a bit of a clown. I'm clumsy, I'm silly, and I like ridiculous things. Maybe these pants are a little over the top for some people, but they're just right for me! And if they help show off my silly side, then so be it. I love them, and I love my silly self, and I'm gonna keep on rockin' both.

Read more...

The Cat Life - Lounging Around

Cats, cats, cats. Because.... cats.

Read more...

Week in Photos: Week 46

This is what autumn looks like.



Our turkey taco game is on point.



Philadelphia at night is a whole different city.



Science After Hours at The Franklin Institute. Science, booze, and big kids.



I walked through a giant heart!



It wasn't a contest, but I won!



Never been this close to one of those before.



I had a little fun with my hair. Knots knots knots!



This is the view from the observatory at The Franklin Institute.



We're cat-sitting for some friends for a few days.



"Hey! You're not my human!"



I've been working a Sunday desk shift at a yoga studio in exchange for free classes! It's like nectar for my muscles.



Bought myself a new bracelet. I like it.



Couldn't resist the purple cauliflower at the farmer's market. That color!



Add a little egg and some cheese and you've got yourself an omelet.



My dad posted this on my wall and then I found this cat at TJ Maxx. So cute.
(That tea is super yummy but it slips through every strainer I have!)

Last weekend I switched the two closets we have (one is for cleaning supplies/storage, the other is for all my clothes) and now they're both so much better organized; this weekend we switched the two bedrooms because the one stays really warm and the other stays really cold. Neither one of us can sleep when we're a sweaty mess, so after five months of hoping it would get better, we finally decided to do something about it. Now the bedroom is spacious (and cold!) and the office is cozy (and warm!). Things are finally starting to come together around here. Maybe I'll get some stuff up on the walls this week and finally post some photos... if you care to see them!

Hope you had a great weekend!

Read more...