The Cat Life - Catching Up

It has been a while since my last cat life post, and since the other post I had planned for today isn't ready yet, I figured I'd catch you all up on what has been going on with these guys....

Nothing new, really. They've been enjoying their new cat tower that we "saved" for them out of a construction dumpster and cleaned thoroughly. (People throw the strangest things in dumpsters around here!) Lloyd was a little skeptical at first but he came around once he realized it gives him a better view through the window than the old tower did. And he has fully warmed up to Sylvester now, so we are frequently catching them chasing each other or laying together, which always puts a smile on my face. Other than that, they're just up to their regular cat antics. Sleeping, eating, and being ridiculous 85% of the time.

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Project 365, 215-221

215/365: Messing around with the voice activated camera on my phone... outfit inspired by Kaylah. Also, Hi!!! You guys rarely see photos of me on here... why is that?

216/365: I've been sewing kimonos. This is #2. Still trying to get my curved hems right.


217/365: Came home from work and noticed these two hanging out together. I'm so glad they're friends now!


218/365: I spy, with my little eye..... a Lloyd!


219/365: Had lunch with a friend at a cute little place in Fairmount and then spent a few hours wandering around the city. Stopped into Anthropologie to check out their sale, of course. I had my eye on both of these things months ago, when they were full price. Spent less than $50 on the two of them! I need something other than black and white stripes in my closet....



220/365: Shawn and I went to Camden to see Incubus and The Deftones. I hadn't been to that venue in about ten years! (Hey Dad, remember Coldplay?!) What an awesome view of Philadelphia!



221/365: The calm after the storm. We had a rare bottle release at work, which meant we were busier than I've ever seen since working there and I was in panini-land for 3+ straight hours. I got to meet Emma and her husband though, which was neat! Next time she's around, I'd like to be on the other side of the bar!

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Fun Finds Friday #101

Damn, I wish we had a place for this coat rack. Who am I kidding?! I will make space for that.



I remind myself this every day, but a bracelet sure would be nice.



I want these next to my bed.



YOU GUYS. This bedding! I love that the pillowcases are customizable.

+ Kevin Bacon calls out Hollywood and I love it. #FreeTheBacon
+ YES. More houseplants, please. That last home is amazing.
+ I have to give a wedding toast at the end of the month...
+ Some things get lost in translation.
+ Making new friends when you're an awkward and/or anxious person is stress-inducing.
+ Go Peru!!!

Happy Friday!!!!!

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I was cleaning out our freezer a few weeks ago and discovered a giant ziplock bag filled with blueberries I had frozen last summer and completely forgotten about. I don't remember what I had the intention of doing with them at the time, but last week, muffins sounded like a good idea. And since blueberries and lemons are a great pairing, I threw some lemon into the mix as well. Can't go wrong with lemon blueberry muffins for breakfast! Shawn was particularly happy because he has been asking me to make muffins for a while. He doesn't like bananas, so my favorite muffins don't work for him.

Unfortunately, when I went to find my go-to basic muffin recipe, I could not find my recipe binder anywhere! Shawn and I looked around the apartment for a half hour or so, until we eventually gave up. I'm definitely bummed because that binder has all of my recipes in it. Yep, every single recipe that I have been making for the last 7 years or so. And I really have no idea where it could possibly have run off to. Last I remember, it was sitting on the bookcase next to some cookbooks, and now it's no longer there. Perhaps this is a chance to start fresh? But man, there were some really damn good recipes in there! And I definitely don't remember them all from memory.


Still determined to make muffins, I looked to King Arthur Flour for a basic muffin recipe and found one that is pretty darn close to the one I was using. The muffins turned out delicious! But I still haven't tracked down my recipe binder....

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

slightly adapted from King Arthur Flour
makes 6 jumbo sized muffins
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup milk
1/4 cup canola oil
2 eggs
2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen; I used ones I froze last summer)
zest of one lemon
turbinado sugar

- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Line a muffin pan with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. In a small bowl or pitcher, combine the milk, oil, and eggs. Whisk until completely combined.
- Stir the blueberries in the dry ingredients until they're fully coated. Then fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, making sure not to over mix! You may see a few bubbles of flour, but that's okay; over mixing the batter will lead to tough muffins.
- Use a spoon or a large scoop to fill the muffin liners 3/4 full. Sprinkle about a teaspoon of turbinado sugar* atop each muffin. Lower the temperature of the oven to 400 degrees** and bake the muffins until golden brown on top, about 15 - 20 minutes.
- Let cool completely. Enjoy!

* The turbinado sugar helps give the muffins a nice crunchy top. You can skip this step if you don't want the extra crunch!
** Baking the muffins at such a high temperature may seem odd at first, (it did to me) but it's the heat that activates the baking powder and gives the muffins that beautiful domed top that you want!

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Flats, Belts, & Bracelets, Oh My!

I had so much fun making that Modcloth wishlist last week, so I made another one! Featuring Anthropologie this time, of course. Their latest catalog showed up in my mailbox over the weekend and a few things caught my eye, so obviously I had to check out all the new things available online! Surprisingly, what caught my eye wasn't the clothing this time around, but the accessories. In my quest to minmaximize my wardrobe, one of the things I'm looking for is a lovely pair of neutral flats. My current favorite ones are on their last leg, and the other two pairs I own just don't suit my style anymore. Two pairs caught my eye, along with with some other accessories.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
One quick look at this list tells you I'm really into the wrap-style that has been coming back around lately. Shoes, belts, bracelets... it's all fair game. I love watches, but I'm just not a watch wearer. I can't get into it. Then I saw the wrap style watch and an alarm went off in my head... DING DING DING! It's the best of both worlds! I'm incredibly simplistic when it comes to jewelry. I'm a one, maybe two-piece wearer; usually a long necklace, or a leather wrap bracelet and that's it. I've been trying to throw more belts into my outfits too. If there's one thing that reading fashion blogs has taught me, it's that if you're wearing a dress, it never hurts to belt it! I still don't feel completely comfortable rocking the waist belts, but there's definitely something to be said for that hourglass figure they create.

But back to shoes.... can I ask you all a question? (FASHION TALK!) Is it okay to wear brown shoes with an all/mostly black outfit? Does that work? I'm always hesitant to because I feel as though the colors don't "go" together. Neutral colored shoes are my biggest struggle because I've always been all about wacky, patterned, or brightly colored shoes. (Hence the snakeskin pair...) But when it comes to neutrals, I just can't seem to figure out the right color to get. The Trask flats are actually available in grey too. Maybe that's the way to go? Come on! Let's talk neutrals!

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