ugh

I feel right now as though the past five years of my life have been full of nothing but loss. I know this isn't true, but - heavy times! Sprits are low.

It's been a draining weekend. I might need somebody to meet me for a drink.

dawn sharp

Picture perfect! These are the kinds of photos I want to be/should be taking. Pastels, a fluffy kitten, soft light, a sweet little girl & bits of fabric, needle and thread. That's the world I want to live in.

I have got to get this camera in working order.

Via Frances May.

Photos by Carlie Armstrong. (I think I have found my new favorite blog).
Photos of & about Dawn Sharp.

la la

Ensembles / Spring 2011 No. 2

La Garconne: always a good distraction.

the last supper

My family, with Ashley via g-chat, shared our last supper at home by picnicking on the living room floor. With boxes stacked high around us, we laughed about our favorite memories while making special new ones. It was a beautiful and bittersweet evening. Although it's heartbreaking that we have to leave this place, it's probably more important to keep in mind how lucky we've been to share such a perfect home for the past 22 years. What's more, is that it wasn't necessarily the house that made growing up there so wonderful. Of course the memories we have there are precious, but it was my family and the love and friendship that we all share that make it so warm. No matter where we all end up, whenever we are all together, we will be home. Okay, I know this is all a bit mawkish, but it is true. Hopefully, by reminding myself (and everyone else) of these things, it will make the change a little easier to cope with. 

I certainly will miss that beautiful view, though.

Ps. These pictures are quite mediocre and really do not reflect how nice the evening was. My camera battery was dying, it was getting dark, and I was more interested in participating in conversations and being present than hiding behind the lens. Sometimes I feel disconnected from what's happening around me when my eyes are always glued to the camera. I just hope I don't regret not having better photos later on.

hide & seek

thank heavens

I just booked a flight to New York for a measly $193 for May 29th through June 4th. My nanny family will be out of town that week, so I figured I'd end up bumming around at home since all of the flights resulting in my searches were around $500. Ashley called me moments ago tell me about this flight - there was one ticket left, and I got it!

Not long from now I will be snacking at Babycakes, snuggling with my sister and delighting in the warmth of a late east coast spring. Oh, how I so desperately need this.

I can hardly wait!

in the kitchen

I made some granola last weekend with golden raisins, dried blueberries, almonds, cinnamon, cardamom and honey. It was going to be delicious - but then I burnt it. 

This evening, while watching There Will Be Blood  for the first time (I love you, Netflix), I made banana bread similar to the loaf I made last time. Actually, I did some tweaking and this one turned out much better. I spooned some vanilla ice cream on top of a slice while it was still piping hot, and it was delicious.

a day with tae

A couple of weeks ago, I challenged (forced, kind of) my friend Tae - the most tasteful Seattle real estate pro and talented photographer - to make a pact with me, which entailed that we would both make an effort to take at least one little nugget of time a month and devote it to spending one-on-one with our cameras. So on Saturday, after a delicious brunch at Monsoon (why didn't I take pictures of the steamed bbq pork buns? I could eat a million of those), we ventured out in the grey & gloom to the arboretum. 

We were merely two of many, many nerds out there with cameras in tow - everybody was out donned in their rain coats, taking macro shots of cherry blossoms. I don't think either of us were convinced that we had come up with much, but once I sat down to look through them all, I felt there were a few worth sharing. They're quiet and the colors muted - but appropriately so, since that's what Seattle springs are like. 

shop metrode

I'm a good 12+ hours behind to announce this, but better late than never. My dear friend, Caitlin has finally opened shop! Pop on over to Metrode and take a peek! In addition to the really lovely vintage things available, there are leather oxfords from Golden Pony and totes from Rennes. 

Just a few of my favorites, really: 1. Ikat Print Tank, $42,  2. Patterned Maxi Dress, $48,  3. Printed Skinny Pants, $42,  4. Nubby Knit Sweater, $38.

Top notch, Caitlin! The site looks beautiful.

www.shopmetrode.com

beginnings of the end

I had a very full and busy weekend, spending most of it by helping my parents move from our 3,000 square foot, 3 story home into a 1.000 square foot apartment. To say that my parents are downsizing is an understatement. I could hardly stand in our house for longer than a few minutes before feeling totally overwhelmed, not only by the emotion of it all, but the mess of boxes and stuff that nobody knows what to do with. Twenty-two years of accumulation! It's just a wreck, and I am anticipating that I will soon be a wreck, too.  Surprisingly, I haven't shed more than a tear or two - however, I know it's because I am in denial that this is actually happening. More than sadness, I merely feel sick. There's a huge pit in my stomach, and the thought of never returning to my home - my forever home - ever again fills my heart with a dull ache. This is the pits.

While helping my mom sift through drawers and closets, I found a few things amongst the mostly Goodwill donations to take home with me. The Olympus SLR was amongst them, something I've been meaning to dig out for a while now. It's broken, but I plan to bring it into a repair shop tomorrow to see what can be done and how much it will cost. It was given to my parents as a wedding gift, so the sentiment alone makes it worth it to me to have it fixed. 

I have much to say about the weekend and many pictures to share, but I have been longing for my bed ever since leaving it this morning. I hope to get around to all of this tomorrow, but realistically, I'm not sure that I will.