8.31.2009

Rummaging is hard to do.

I spent most of the day Saturday rummaging through my Grandma's house. She passed away in May, and my dad has been asking me for weeks to come "see what I want." I've been putting it off like crazy because . . . well, I just don't feel right about this sort of thing. And bless my dad's heart. He doesn't know what he's doing. He's an only child. He was super close to her, so I know it must be hard figuring out what to keep, what to toss and what to give to his children.

Not gonna' lie. It felt really weird going through her dresser drawers, closet bins and pretty much any nook and cranny we could find. I was intrigued at the same time, though. I actually learned a couple of things about the woman I was never really close to, but spent a lot of time with. For instance, Grandma loved a scarf. Neeeever saw her wear one, but boy did she have drawers and drawers full of 'em. Presents she could never bring herself to re-gift? Yeah, I think so too. Grandma also loved silverware. Yes, silverware. I found boxes and boxes (and boxes) of silverware. I even found a random spoon or fork in a couple of dresser drawers. Maybe she believed in some weird superstition that if you put silverware in your sock drawer, you'll be protected from vampires? (Yes, I totally just made a reference to True Blood --- addicted to that show, by the way).

In all seriousness, although I felt weird, it made me see her in a different light. And I found myself having to fight back tears throughout the day. Sometimes, I'd look over at Dad . . . and I could see he was fighting 'em back too.

Here are a few things Pops gave me, plus lots of cool pictures, figurines and blankets.


How sweet is this Polaroid? It even had some film in it . . . ahhhhh.
He also gave me one similar to the Polaroid on the left.
I also found a vintage green cosmetic case with her initials on the front, similar to this one. (Photo via Fairytale Wishes & Dreams)

8.28.2009

Reading Rainbow . . . and a gift

This morning, Paula informed me that after today, Reading Rainbow will be no more. Of course, my reaction to this piece of 4-1-1 was, "WHAT?!?" I. Can't. Believe. It. I loved RR when I was little. I can remember watching it in daycare . . . No more LeVar? No more "Butterfly in the sky/I can go twice as high/Take a look/It's in a book/A reading rainbow" Man - it was such a huge part of my childhood. To reminisce like I did immediately after hearing the news, watch this.

On a different, happier note, my sister gave me this unexpected, kick-ass present on Wednesday. It's a Hawkeye Kodak Instamatic! Isn't she beautiful?! I can't wait to get it cleaned, order film and use it!!! I was thinking about my camera collection last night . . . I REALLY need to devote more time to using them. I love photography so much, but I rarely have time to use my cameras other than my point-and-shoot (I do love you, Canon Elph!) This is definitely something I need to concentrate on.

8.27.2009

Pretty pieces

I have a thing for jewelry. My family sometimes jokes about the "gypsy" in me (and I don't take offense to this - I love all my jewelry. I love mixin' and matchin'. It can be overkill sometimes, I admit. But I just love it all). Check out these jewels from KJ's Laundry. Not cheap, but hey, it's always nice to look!And I love the clothes, too!

8.19.2009

Listen up!

Here's a tiny sampling of what I've been listening to lately, in addition to NPR and (shamelessly) Kidd Kraddick in the Morning (I can't help it).

*Side Note: It's been only a few days since B and T mo
ved, and I miss 'em something terrible. It's going to be "a tough row to hoe," as B's mama says. Makes me laugh when she says it. And the convo below between my co-worker, Paula, and me does, too.

me: how do you spell "hoe?" (see quote above).
her: like a' ho-bag? H-O.
me: no, no. like "hoe the dirt."
her:
oh. H-O-E then.

me:
(chuckling).

A couple of minutes later . . .
her:
why are you writing about a hoe?

me:
i'm bloggin' about it.

her:
about a dirt hoe?

me:
(chuckling again).


It should be noted that periodically throughout th
e day, I blurt out random questions like this to Paula. Thanks for puttin' up with my silly questions and shenanigans, Boo!!!

Passion Pit - Sleepyhead
Neyo - Closer
Au Revoir Simone - The Lucky One Cat Stevens - Wild World
Fool's Gold - Surprise Hotel
KOL - Fans

8.13.2009

Featuring . . .

Yesterday, I was the featured guest in Layers of Meaning's fabulous Through Her Eyes series. Check it out! But be warned: it was by far the fluffiest thing I've written in a while. Something I thought would be so simple to write actually turned out to be quite hard!

Fe, the creator of LOM, is one of my best friends and does a kick-ass job of regularly posting cool things that inspire her and others, including:
Check out her blog!

8.10.2009

"We Are Family . . ."

An e-mail I received yesterday from my sister-in-law, Kay, made me realize that now, more than ever, is I've-Got-to-Spend-More-Time-With-My-Family Time. She had no idea B and T were moving to Charleston or that I hope to move there in November. And to top all that, I haven't seen her or my brother or my nieces and nephew (I'm not counting the brief encounter I had with my niece, Kelsea, at Barberito's a couple of weeks ago) since Memorial Day. That was back in May, people. That's bad. Oh, and did I mention they only live about 10 miles from mi casa? That's right - all the more reason we should get together more often.

So I've got to make it happen. Kay suggested having a slumber party at my house . . . I'm going to take her up on it! An all-girls slumber party sans boys (sorry brother and nephew!) is in the works. And in the spirit of family, here are a few photos of mine.
My niece, Kelsea, and me
My niece, Emma, with my sister, Beth
My SIL, Kay, and Kelsea
My nieces, Lily and AbbeyHmm . . . I think this is circa '92 or '93 of me and my baby brother, Josh? Not sure of the year, but you can see how much love we had for one another! (Check out the elbow he's throwin' into my ribs).
Bradford, Thomas and my nephew, CodyScooby Snack sittin' on Mema's lapMy SIL, Stacy, me and MemaWow, my Pops looks pretty fly in his white V-neck tee and gray corduroy pants! And me? I guess I had a thing for The Flintstones.

8.06.2009

Factory Girl

I can't explain why I like Sienna Miller so much, but I do. There's just something about her that's effortlessly cool. So naturally, I was stoked to find her on the cover of the latest issue of Nylon magazine. And I was even more stoked when I got my Nylon mag update e-mail and saw this. She's silly and sassy . . . and I like it!

8.04.2009

Chucktown, USA

In just a handful of days, my love and his son will be living in Charleston. I'm so proud of Bradford for finally pursuing one of his passions (he'll be studying graphic design at the Art Institute of Charleston). He's excited as can be, and in the spirit of it all, he brought home the latest issue of Charleston magazine last night for me to peruse. I haven't opened it yet. In fact, I kind of turned my nose up at it when I saw it on the table . . . I guess I do have strong feelings about him leaving, no?
While I'm sincerely happy for him, I'm also incredibly sad, anxious and nervous that he and T are leaving. Sure, I'll have more time to myself and to hang out with my friends and fam, which I'm undoubtedly ecstatic about. I REALLY AM! But there's nothing like crawling into bed at night after about 12 hours of working and snuggling up next to my man. (Pops, I hope you're not reading this!) I've always been pretty possessive of our time . . . especially since we both work during the day and coach soccer/teach dance at night. So once we get the little guy tucked in, we crawl into bed and talk about our day, watch a movie or make each other laugh. It's QT, for sure.

Now I know I'm making it sound like he's moving thousands of miles away. I know I'll see him . . . often, hopefully. And HOPEFULLY, I'll be able to join them here in November, maybe sooner if I get a sweet gig I can't resist. But in th
e meantime, I'm gonna' need one of my amigas to sleep over from time to time and snuggle with me. Any takers? Anyone?