Found one!!!

Easter 1980, but look - it's my old Turtle Stove!! Man I loved that thing...

Purty 'n' Patriotic to the Max!

I noticed this home in Northeast-ish Philly the last time I went to see Bella. Today I was stopped at a traffic light just long enough to snap a pic. I think this house is so cheerful and classy. 

Fillin' 'em in!

I love getting fill-in-the-blank books. The only problem is that I suck at completing them. Not no more! I've pulled all (gulp) sixteen of them from my bookshelves and I'm determined to finish them. Although it partly feels like homework, I am definitely up to the challenge and having fun while wracking (racking?) my brain for the responses. Flipping through Austin Kleon's Steal Like an Artist Journal I'd forgotten about the cute lil' cartoon I wrote up and coloured in. Check it out:

"Didn't there usta be a tree right here?" .... "Yeah, where'd it go?"
"Drats...no shade or trunk to lean against..." ... "How about we..."

"Good idea! This is comfy. But I'm hungry..." ... "Hey, I think I see a tin of cookies over there!"
"Don't tell me. I already know they aren't vegan..." ... "How dya know til ya tried 'em?!"

Magazine Bonanza!

 

I went a lil' bananas the other day in the magazine aisle at the market. Of all the ones I picked up I think that In the Moment (a new mag that's a tad pricey) is my favourite. I really, really like it! I was gonna subscribe, but of course, it's a UK issued mag so that's not gonna happen. But I can always dash out to the store and grab a copy off the rack. Lately I'm trying mega-hard to focus on positive thinking for myself and the world,which ain't easy, but relaxing and reading these types of magazines helps keep me keepin' on!

Life in the Sunshine State

Not long ago Jaeden moved to Florida to live with his father. I absolutely love this kid, but it wasn't always easy to connect with him. Same goes for MJ. Yesterday I got a text from Jaeden to let me know that the card I mailed had reached him and to say that he's hoping to come home to Philly for Christmas. This back and forth worked its way into a long session which pretty much became our best convo ever. Turns out he's crazy about a girl he met. We gabbed about that and I tried to impart some of my limited wisdom regarding teenage relationships. It was so good to have this mini-bonding session because I sincerely adore this boy and I can't wait for him to come home so we can hang out in person. Come on Winter!!!

then later...

My Duckies

I like animals but having never grown up with pets, I don't really feel terribly comfortable around them. This is most likely the reason why most animals don't care much for me. If I'm at a friends house, their dogs ignore me and their cats hiss or attack me. It really sucks, actually. Recently though I discovered that the ducks at my complex seem to like me. If I park Roark, get out and walk to the boot, the ducks will, en masse, waddle towards me. Then they sort of just hang out, no closer than a foot away, and just stand there with me. I'm so tempted to touch one, but think it's best just to chat with them, give a few of my quack calls and head inside. Seriously though, it really leaves me all warm and fuzzy when they dash over to greet me. 

(the top pic was from last night and the one above is from last week - i just love them all so stinkin' much!!)

Crown Alley LaRue

At last!!!!

This picture arrived via text from Natalia with the words "It's here!!!" The cube from Brooklyn with all of Teo and Natalia's belongings that we packed up all those weeks ago has made it safe and sound to Honolulu! Do these kids look excited or what?

And my farewell/housewarming gift of four ultra groovy NYC Tap glasses that I picked up at Fishs Eddy made it without a single crack. Whew!

Can't Get Enough

Today was the second Sunday in a row that Jax and I got together for lunch and lunacy. Xavier saw us both off and then we drove straight to MOM's Organic Market in Rosemont for lunch and shopping. Then it was Barnes & Noble to spend way too much money on magazines, maps and a Clifford the Big Red Dog for you-know-who. We dashed back to my place to watch some eps of The Nanny and make a card for Nana Rose, then went to her place for a sneak attack, since she had no idea we were stopping by. The bonus was pulling up and seeing Scrappy the pig on Mum's neighbours' front yard. Jax and I sat in the car going "oooooooo!!!!!" and "he's sooooooo cuuuuute!!" as Scrappy WAGGED his tail!! Did you know pigs do this? 'Cause we sure didn't. We seriously want to pignap Scrap, but that wouldn't be very nice...

Solus

I love me some random street art.

Reliving the Book Fair

I used to love the book fair in grade school. Stickers (Troll Books had the best stickers!!), books, bookmarkers, and the excitement of escaping into a new story. I still have some of my original book fair purchases and was always on the look out for Choose Your Own Adventure books or anything ghost-related. I finally ordered from Kate Gabrielle's darling shop and am so anxious to read my first Goosebumps book. But which bookmarker to choose...

Somm - Into the Bottle

I have had this doc in my queue for over half a year and finally got around to watching it. I was so glad to see the familiar faces from Somm and have them delve a lot deeper into what makes wine truly divine. My addiction to all things documentary knows know end!

(photo kidnapped from nightout)

Postcard Time!!

It's been a while since the last holiday where I could mail out cards, so I felt it was time to break out some posties and send them out into the wide wide world!

The Bank

I saw this building on an Instagram page for Dublin sites and was over-the-moon when I looked up one afternoon and was walking right past it. Such a lovely looking building.

Best Luggage Ever

Growing up Dave had this fab suitcase and I had a Strawberry Shortcake one. I love that his got passed down to Jackson and it's still in really great condition and being used and loved by a whole new generation.

The Day with Jax

Needing to run some errands, I picked up my favourite co-pilot and off we went! First stop was Heart Beet Kitchen for lunch. Jackson was brave and tried something new - a Nut Butter Sandwich. He let me steal a bite and it was divine! He made a right mess of himself and every pore on his hands was coated in sunbutter, but hey, that's what being a kid is all about.

A quick stop to visit Nana Rose and to have a mini photo shoot out front:

(Mum isn't beat-boxing, she's blinded by that hot New Jersey sun!)

Totally Bamboo

Look what's in the mail and on its way to Baby!

Aging

Growing older is cake; the tough part is being able to let go of all those expectations, either put upon you by society or yourself. As a child I thought I would have an entirely different life than the one I have. Not being what one expected to become can be soul crushing; you feel like a failure.

I recently read something that Debra Winger said about aging and found it to be really kind of profound. Every birthday give away a mirror. When you get to a certain age, you [just] have the little one above your bathroom sink to make sure you don't have anything green in your teeth. The emphasis on the outside is tiring for a girl, and it can, in the end, take up all your time. I have less time for it, not more time. But as you get older, you're going to be using a lot of time getting ready. Makeup turns into triage...I can get [dressed up], but I'm not very enthusiastic about it. I so want to work from the inside out for the last third [of life], if I get a last third.

Bowie in Dublin

Swpeepish Chef

By Christian Twambley - 2016 - on display at The Visionary Arts Museum

Moustachioed Cabinet on Usher's

Stop...

(I try not to be too pushy or preachy, but honestly, vegan is the way to go, or at the very least, vegetarian! It's hard being the only vegan. There's no one else that shares my passion for fun new vegan cuisine or documentaries about the lifestyle. It's kind of a bummer...)

Phoenixville

The last movie that Xavier and I saw in the theatre was Jaws at the Castro in San Francisco back on July 3rd, 2014. That night there was a double feature, but we couldn't stay for the second film, The Towering Inferno, since we had plans early the next morning. A bit more than three years later and we have come full circle - seeing The Towering Inferno at the Colonial in Pville. Xavier had never been to the town of to the Colonial, hadn't seen the movie, and had never sat in a theatre with a balcony. I was so happy that he loved it as much as I do. As luck would have it, there were two breweries right nearby, so afterwards we hit The Crowded Castle, just across the street from the theatre, and then drove about ten minutes to Sly Fox Brewing Co. I'm still juicing, so I just sat and took in the smell of his delicious grub. We had such a great time catching up and Xave got to test out tons of new brews, see a new flick, and spend time with his favourite sister of all time.