Amazing photos from around the web

Good morning everyone,

It's Monday...joyous Monday again/already.  What better way to nurse my Monday blues than to browse the internet and stare at lovely photos.  Like these two from FFFFOUND!

Or this vintage postcard of Calistoga, CA from Maptote

I also ran across these adorable illustrations via thoughtfulday.  The illustrator, Anne Leguern, is amazing and I want to buy her entire collection!

What did you get up to this weekend?  Badger and I ran around like mad men (causing us to have no time to watch any Mad Men) trying to prepare for our first Thanksgiving feast.  We're both so excited to host this feast and to have both family AND friends join us.  I can't wait!!

Did anyone catch the new episode of Dexter?  SO GOOD!!

The Big One Eight

It's my little brother's birthday today. Except he's no longer little: today he turns 18!

It got me thinking about turning points, those times when you're supposed to get markedly "older"; 18ths, 21sts, 30ths, graduations, weddings. What really changes?

In any case, here's to celebrating those milestones in style! Happy birthday, X!

Fall Color

I was in NY a few weeks ago, and enjoyed being immersed in the fall colors in the Park.



I found this video about the colors people are wearing in fall, which I think is cute too.



I've really taken to purple this fall - what's your favorite color this season?

In praise of: Breakfast

At night, when I am lying in bed about to fall asleep, I often look forward to breakfast. And now, when I get up really early, I always need two. Hooray for second breakfasts!

This got me thinking about all the wonderful things about breakfast: about how breaking bread in the morning with someone you love often sets the tone for the rest of the day, about brunches where you re-live the crazy night before, experimenting with exciting breakfast foods, about those incredible homemade 3 course breakfasts at our gîte on honeymoon, about Saturday morning dim sum, and mimosas.

What do you love about the first meal of the day?

Love

Boy gets home tonight and my heart is pit-er-pat-ering just thinking of him.  He's only been gone since Monday but I miss him so. 

I want!

I have been trying to find these J.Crew boots that I am madly in love with but they don't have them on their website.  It must be a catalog only kind of thing.  Hmmph.  I guess you readers will never know. UNTIL NOW:

I do want these though - surprised? I love plaid.  I've always been a fan of the button down plaid shirt but I am really digging the fact that they're widely available for me instead of having to scour the thrift store (which is still fun from time to time, but they never fit me right).

I'll take one in every color, please.

I don't know what it is about these flannel jacket thingies but I really, really like them on men.  My mom asked me what she thought she should get him for Christmas and I suggested this:

Selfish, I know.  But that and some work boots = major turn on for me.  Maybe that's because I come from a family of blue-collar workers who really got their hands dirty.  Maybe something is wrong with me.  Who knows, who knows.

And now for something compLETELY different...

It's days like these in which I do nothing but daydream about a better life.  What that boils down to is that I hate my job and I miss the simpler things in life, like a garage to park in.  When Badge & I daydream together, I always bring up the fact that I want a goat to have an endless supply of goat cheese :) 

Hey there, Billy!

The last time I conveyed my yearning for a pet goat, Badge suggested perhaps we'll get a sheep instead.  Then we could have sheep's cheese AND wool sweaters.  Bahahahahahah!  I love him.

I would name him something like Edward or Maximillian.  I can do better though.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle inspiration, food coop and nerds

I've been reading Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and I just have to say that she is one of my new favorite authors.  Have any of you read this?  Or any of her other books?  I've read the Poisonwood Bible and Animal Dreams and both were great.  I'm madly in love with A,V, M and want to share it with the world.  It's such an inspirational book.

One night after work last week, I got off the train after having read a chapter on vegetarianism vs. eating free-range meat, and encountered a volunteer for the Dill Pickle Coop.  What timing!  After reading A,V,M, anyone and everyone will be inspired to join a coop or buy local food at the grocery store. 

The Dill Pickle Coop is opening up down the street from us and our friend Sharon Hoyer is part of the brains behind it.

          The Dill Pickle is a cooperatively owned and governed neighborhood grocery store that aims to provide sustainable, local and organic goods at an affordable price in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood.

They'll be opening up in a few weeks and I plan on supporting them!

On a cute note, my coworker just made a funny:

                 Julia: Your nerds were a big hit in the department.  I guess we are what we eat!

So exciting!!

Last night, my parents and I purchased my dream wedding dress for 50% off the retail price!  What a dream come true!  We quickly left to go celebrate down the street with a bottle of Sonoma wine and delicious pasta.  I'm so blissful right now.  50% off, I just can't believe it!  Buying the sample gown seems to be the way to go.  It's so strange that it's just hanging in my closet. 

On Saturday night, I surprised my parents with tickets to see Young Frankenstein at the Cadillac Palace Theater.  When my mom came with my niece last December, we managed to get some cheap tickets to take her to see Wicked.  We all three had so much fun that I thought, I should do it again!  I've really been wanting to see Young Frankenstein and I knew that my stepdad would be thrilled, knowing he's such a Mel Brooks fan.  Thrilled they were. 

So so so good!  Go see it if you get the chance.  It's worth it!

Tonight my stepdad and I are looking forward to watching our first KU basketball game of the season.  They're # 1 and tonights game is a rematch of the 2008 championship game (the Jayhawks won in OT after Mario Chalmers hit the 3-pointer at the last second).  I'm pretty excited about it.  And tomorrow Badge comes home from his first business trip (haha).

Fall

My yoga teacher told me that since last year, he hasn't complained once about the weather. After we talked, it made perfect sense.

Fall is usually the hardest time of the year for me. But thanks to being a little more accepting, I'm enjoying fall this year more than ever.

There's beauty in all sorts of unexpected places, like outside my kitchen window...