arabica lounge

Oh, Arabica. It only took one visit to win my heart. It counts among my favorite cafes in Seattle (maybe the favorite?) and conveniently is only a few blocks from my apartment. They serve Stumptown coffee! And toast with lemon curd and blueberry jam! And they play Mozart on vinyl! They have great furniture, project unusual (Pee Wee!) films on the wall above the bar area and the loveliest of baristas work there, too. I wish I had more free time because I would spend it in there eating delicious cake and making friends.

I took these pictures with the disappointing camera on my phone - so don't let them fool you. I also took some with a disposable, so hopefully those will turn out nicer. I'm hoping that maybe someday, I can contribute with my own installation and prints of my photos will be hanging on that wall.

PS. It's December!??

www.arabicalounge.com

desperate measures

Sharing a sunny mid-morning snack with Kai on a fall day.

I was so relieved and happy to return to work today. Walking in the door to a cheerful Kai who was very excited to see me ("Ah-yee's home!") lifted my spirits immensely. I cannot begin to tell you how many times that child has managed to save me in so many ways over the past two years. He is such a comfort to my soul and cheers my heart immensely.

I started off my "holistay" last week with an optimistic and light attitude, however I found myself sinking in far too much idle time. As the days dripped by and each painfully slow day felt more like weeks, I began to feel lonely and was backpedaling in a lot of ways. This is not good! Nor is it good that my employers will again be leaving on Saturday for nearly two weeks as they have Hawaii vacation plans. So, I have been fretting over what on earth I will do with myself once they are gone. It just didn't seem possible that I could come up with any real way to be entertained and happy for that long considering my current state of heart and mind. And so, on a whim just a few minutes ago, I bought a ticket to New York City for next Wednesday. I can't recall whether I've ever done anything that spontaneous before and am feeling pretty anxious about the last minute decision. Although, the roundtrip flight only cost $220 (which is actually pretty amazing) and now I know that I have exactly half of the looming 12 days off filled up with something much, much more exciting and promising than sitting around Seattle. So I guess I actually should be heaving a sigh of relief.

So. New York, we will meet again soon!

clearing out

I've had a pile of clothes in my closet that I haven't worn in a while, so I decided it's time to move them along. Since it's far too cold for sidewalk sales, I thought I'd try to sell them here!

Most of it is vintage, some of it isn't - for example, the Maraius Chelsea Boot which are practically brand new. I think I wore them twice! So, if you're interested in an item, comment below with any questions. If you decide you'd like something, you can leave your email address and we can discuss it further from there.

comets

Here and here.

little dipper: contest!

Just so you know, I am offering the very first contest over at the Little Dipper blog. Pop on by and send your friends!

ginger snaps

I baked these crisp ginger cookies in order to use them as the crust for the pumpkin cheesecake I made for Thanksgiving dessert. They were quite tasty! Emily Luchetti never lets me down. 

I'm feeling pretty lonely today. Baking always seems to cheer me up when I'm down - but by the time I've finished, I never care to eat what I've made. Then I have tons of cakes and cookies laying around with nobody to eat them. Quite the predicament!

give thanks

10 Moments that remind me of what I'm thankful for:

1. Walking hand-in-hand with Gramma, 2. Silly moments (and ice cream!) with my sister, 3. Special and lasting friendships, 4. Lovely ladies - friends who inspire me, comfort me and fill my heart with gladness, 5. Traveling and sharing once-in-a-lifetime moments with a treasured and much loved one, 6. Kai - his snuggles, his laugh and the joy he brings me, 7. My parents - their love, support and their ability despite being parents, to make sure their children also know that they are human (makes it easier when I mess up), 8. This earth, it's beauty and mysteries, 9. A home, a place to call my own, 10. My childhood and my life up to this point - it's all been pretty wonderful.

Happy Thanksgiving.

rocks

These rings are nuts! I don't think I could pull off wearing them, but they certainly are beautiful to look at. I would actually hang a picture of the first one on my wall.

via the Frances May blog.

pink

This has turned into an unintentional theme around my home. Perhaps I am embracing the little girl in me while I still can? I am even considering painting my entryway pink, after seeing the room from this post on Design Sponge the other day.

the first snow

Ashley in the snow storm of 2008.

The snow is beautiful, but I cannot deny that it is making me feel a little sad this year. With our last big snow, I was surrounded by my family of friends which members of have either moved away, or the season of our friendship came to an end. I was also beginning to fall in love, and that love was a great love but has also gone. I miss my friends, I miss my love. I miss the warm weather, too - but mostly the warmth of those times.

My apartment is very, very cold. The windows seem to have a leak. I have a lot of windows and so, there are many cold drafts passing through constantly. I have to wear three layers of almost everything just to stay comfortable. It is 16 degrees outside, and if you know me, you know that I hate being cold. So you can imagine the slight grumpiness of my mood and the pinkness of my nose, sitting huddled up on my couch under blankets and multiple cups of hot cocoa and tea.

I really like the idea of winter; of bundling up against the cold, locking yourself indoors to bake and watch movies, read books and make things. I like that the snow slows everything down and quiets the city - but the cold! I hate the cold. Nevertheless, I am at least happy to be home and a have a place of my own. I am finally glad to be alone (well, sort of) and have found my solitude to be comforting rather than depressing or lonely. Now I look forward to days when I can spend my time reading, crafting, writing and snacking all by myself, in my lovely place. So I suppose I have the cold, cold snow to thank for putting me in just the right mood for all of these things.