Terrain in Glen Mills, PA

A few weeks ago I took a trip to Terrain, a home and garden brand run by the same company (URBN Inc.) who owns Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, Free People, and BHLDN. I had always admired various things in Terrain's online shop, but visiting the Glen Mills store in person was whole different experience all together.

The shop is located alongside route 1, but you'd never know you were next to a highway once you step inside. I was greeted with scenes not unlike an outdoor farmer's market, with stands of pumpkins and assorted outdoor plants. Step a little further and you walk through a greenhouse, filled with all sorts of indoor and outdoor plants, and succulents of all kinds! I must have walked around with ten different plants at any given time because I couldn't make up my mind about which ones to bring home with me. There's also more outdoor space with plants of various sizes and loads (I mean loads) of plants for landscaping. Walking through it all made me wish we lived in a place with a yard so that I could conjure up some magic and turn it into the most beautiful garden that no one would ever want to leave.

Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, I walked into their indoor shop and was greeted with even more plants, and housewares that made me wish we owned a mansion so that I could deck out three dining rooms and four kitchens in completely different aesthetics from one another, complete with eco-friendly hand towels and a homemade gin kit, and syrups for drinks I would inevitably be making myself all the time. Step into another portion of the shop and all of a sudden you want to cover your whole house in plants, and vases, and delicate bouquets housed in planks of wood with succulents and branches and gourds tossed in for allure.

If this all sounds a little ridiculous and overwhelming, it's because it is, in a totally good way. I must have walked around that place for a good hour or two, and once I found their terrariums, I called it quits... because if I stayed too long I may never have found the will to leave. So I left, with a terrarium, a tea light holder, and a succulent in tow. But I will be back, Terrain, I will be back. And next time, I'm going to give myself a few hours to look around, maybe have a meal in the restaurant that's also on the premises, and hopefully walk out of there without spending my whole paycheck... that's probably the hardest part.

These photos don't even do it justice. I wanted all the plants.

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The Cat Life - Recap Edition

It sure has been a while since my last cat life post! I'm having a hard time recalling which photos I've already posted of these two silly little guys, so forgive me if I repeat any. Here are a few from the last month or so. While you're looking at these, I'll be marathon-ing season 3 of New Girl... it's not as funny as season 1, but it definitely has its moments.

They will never tire of paper bags...



Or boxes... within boxes? Lloyd hit the jackpot with that one.



This is the scene that greets me most days when I get home from work.



& a close up of Lloyd from above because, well, I just can't help myself.

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Week in Photos: Week 41

If you live in northeast America you probably heard about the eclipse that happened on Monday morning. Since I work from 3:30am - 6am on Mondays, I actually caught the beginning of it! The moon was almost fully eclipsed when I left to drive home. I didn't catch the blood moon, but it was pretty neat to watch the full moon slowly get covered up!



Last week, Shawn and I went to IKEA to buy a dining table I'd had my eye on... and they were sold out of it! So I went back as soon as they restocked and then spent the evening putting it together on my own while Shawn was at work. It only took me about 45 minutes. (Or, two episodes of Good Eats, which is on Netflix finally!!)



The cats were trying to figure out if I was doing it right and how they could help.



Voila! I promise it hasn't fallen apart yet, so I must have done alright.
Now those chairs look out of place though. One thing at a time!



The beautifully painted windows at Tired Hands.



An eerie pre-storm shot. Or maybe post-storm... I can't remember.



The temperatures dropped last week so I pulled my winter stuff out of storage. Coats, scarves, and boots. The cats wanted to make sure I got it all. Hm... I have a lot of boots. And scarves. Seems like I'm more of a cold-weather gal!



One of my colleagues (Thanks, Jami!!!) gave my other colleague and I tickets to a Union game.... we each brought a girlfriend and the four of us had a great time! Their season is almost over, but I'm planning on bringing my siblings to a game or two next year.



Doesn't he know you're not supposed to argue with the Ref?



Serious/pretty photos are not our forte. Silly is more fun anyway.



Sunday's lunch of champions. Shawn jazzed up that mac n' cheese with some tomatoes and other things.



Another colleague recently went to Turkey and brought everyone back a bracelet. She said the orange and purple made her think of me. I love it!



It goes really well with the bracelet I got from the Clover Market, which goes really well with another bracelet that my mom gave me. At least, I think that's where it came from. I'm really bad at this whole 'memory' thing.



I made some damn good chocolate chip cookies. It may be time to update the recipe on here. Also, it's been cold enough to wear my moccasin slippers!

Shawn and I have been living in our apartment for almost six months now, but we've been struggling to make it feel like home. (That's why I haven't really shared many photos of it!) All of our furniture has been accumulated over the last five years for four different places... and at this point it is either falling apart from being moved so often, or it just doesn't fit our current space or aesthetic. I insisted on buying a new dining table because I had a feeling it would work in our space, and that it might prompt a few other small changes, and I was right - on both accounts! Now that Shawn and I have fine-tuned what items of furniture we're looking to replace and what kind of style we're looking for, we're going to be keeping an eye on the local thrift stores to see if anything pops up. We're hesitant to buy brand new items because of the cost, and also the fact that we don't know where we are going to be five years from now and would prefer to avoid having to move too many things again in the near future. But I think we'll both be happier once our space looks a little more put together. Hopefully a fresher space will help get our creative juices flowing again!

I'm super excited for this week because I'm getting a much-needed haircut tomorrow, going to a wedding Friday night, and meeting some new like-minded ladies at a little get-together I was invited to Saturday evening. Hey, I told you October was going to be a busy month for me!

I hope you had an amazing weekend!

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Fun Finds Friday #72

I love nature photos. Giraffes are pretty ridiculous.



Liz Climo makes silly little drawings.



It's interesting what kids around the world eat for breakfast. I usually have muesli with almond milk, and a cup of tea.

+ The black hole of IKEA. We've all been there.
+ Ever wonder how the Egyptians moved pyramid stones? Science.
+ Did you know that our brains are wired for negativity? What a bummer.
+ Help your brain, read a book.

Happy Friday!!

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Pumpkin Picking Perfection

sweater, pants, scarf: Anthropologie / boots: Palladium






I'm trying to step-up my outfit photo game... with props (that basket may look out of place, but it was filled with gourds and pumpkins!) and different camera angles. I don't think I'm quite there yet (I think my ten year old camera has a lot to do with that, and my lack of proper photography skills... black and white makes everything better!) but these are significantly better than the photos I've been taking since I got my new phone. The phone wasn't quite cuttin' it for me when it came to outfit photos, so I pulled the ol' camera and tripod back out. Now if I could only get the light in my apartment to cooperate!

On a different note, I'm so happy it's scarf and sweater season!! And if you couldn't guess, I wore this to go pumpkin picking. I don't own anything in orange, so I went for cozy instead. I could say this is my favorite sweater... but I think I say that about all my sweaters. Hey, I'm not picky. Except when it comes to pumpkins. (ka-pow!)

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