happy holidays

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I'm being a bad blogger again... I haven't read a single post in almost a week! Work and putting my apartment back together and watching movies has been taking up most of my time. And I probably won't post again until after Christmas (though I will try to catch up on reading your posts), so I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas!

PS. If you're still following the situation regarding my roommate's girlfriend, she is officially leaving! She's bought a plane ticket for the fourth of January! Yay! (Not sure why she doesn't leave sooner so she can spend the holidays with her family, but I guess you have to consider the source.) But yay! Finally!

the homebody

source via le projet d'amour

I love all the tiny, intricate details in Becca Stadtlander's illustrations! Is it weird to want to live in them? Because I'm falling hard for the eclectic decor in that first picture and the coziness of the second...

crowded and intricate

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I love doodles that look like this, all crowded and never-ending...

medieval times

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Not sure if this is really considered medieval or not, but it brings to mind a tapestry that would hang in a castle back in medieval times. I love the look!

pretty in pictures

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Well, I'm taking a break from blogging the next few days while Sean's mother, stepfather and grandmother come to visit! Sean hasn't seen anyone from his family since he moved out here seven months ago, and I haven't seen them in over a year. I also haven't seen them since Sean and I got engaged over Christmas, so I guess it's kind of a big deal! Plus, it'll be really nice to see familiar faces now that I'm across the country from everyone I know and love.

So, I thought I'd indulge you with a rare post of lots of prettiness to tide you over, rather than the usual one or two.

PS. I'll be back tomorrow with this month's Book Club Bloggers Book of the Month!

the rose

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Um, can you say, amazing?!

For some reason I'm really attracted to lots of color lately. Maybe Krystal was onto something when she said it must be because I'm finally with my guy...

PS. I posted some more San Fran pictures over here!

oodle doodle

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I wish I could doodle with water colors this well...

Quick update: My IKEA furniture is arriving today! Yay for furniture! Finally.

Speaking of furniture: the other night Sean and I were making a late-night run to Walgreens so I could get some alcohol and we found a coffee table on the side of the road. It's actually really nice and sturdy and Sean was sweet enough to carry it through the woods all the way home! Normally I would've felt guilty about spending money on something I don't need (like that bottle of wine), but it was totally worth it after finding that table. My very first piece of furniture! Which I love! And was free!

food with thought

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Before I left Virginia, my dad gave me three pieces of advice:

1. Don't get pregnant
2. Don't eat all pasta
3. Don't waste anything

Number one aside (it would just be bad timing in both of our lives if I got pregnant right now), I've got a question for you guys: 

How the heck do you eat affordably and healthily?

After living at home for the past four years, I was spoiled by my parents doing most of the shopping and cooking. When I wanted to cook something on my own, I bought the few ingredients my parents didn't have and made it without spending too much money. I also ate a lot of spaghetti and meatballs (which is my favorite meal ever, though I realize how unhealthy). 

The only experience I've had with living on my own was two years in college when I lived mostly on Easy Mac and frozen entrees. I also didn't have anything else to pay for: just food and photography equipment. Nowadays I'm a grownup with student loans, insurance, phone, utilities, and for the very first time: rent! I've only been here a week and I suddenly realize how freaking expensive food is! Not just a meal or two, but enough food to live on! I feel like I've already spent way too much money and am kinda starting to freak out.  

So how do you do it? Other than making sandwiches every day, how do you cook a wide variety of meals that are both healthy and affordable? And I don't want anything fancy here; I want to use ingredients that can be used in multiple recipes, ingredients that won't go to waste. I'm already a little proud of myself as I was trying to figure out something to eat with what few things we had in the fridge: so I made quesadillas with cheese, tomatoes, and onions. And I realize that this is something incredibly easy, something that anything can be added to: leftover chicken, vegetables, etc. But I do realize that I have so many tomatoes and onions and even some leftover garlic that I can't possibly use it up any time soon. So I had another epiphany! I can throw all three of those ingredients into the spaghetti sauce that I just bought! 

So, the wheels in my head are already starting to turn. But I still need any advice that you guys have to give. Pretty please?

nemo et nihil

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Ekaterina Grigorieva draws what she can't take pictures of. And vice versa. She has a flickr for her drawings and also for her photographs. Be prepared to get lost in her strange and beautiful world...

san francisco here i come...

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... in T-minus 17 days! I cannot wait to start my life in this amazing place. It's such a huge difference from the little city I've grown up in near the country. In many ways, it feels like I'm starting my life over. It's absolutely terrifying but extremely exciting!

up in flames

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the searcher

I just stumbled across this print on Etsy and I must have it! As evidenced by this post, I'm craving underwater worlds lately and this mysterious little painting would be a welcome reminder hanging on my wall.

Source: Jeremy Miranda

happy friday!

Yay for Friday! Tomorrow I'm off to pick up my camera which needed cleaned and a lens fixed. I've been without it for about two weeks and I'm so glad they were able to fix it! I'm also treating my dad to a nice lunch at a nice restaurant for his birthday. And... I hope to get some pool time in this weekend as I've yet to even touch a swimming pool this summer! Then I start another dog- and house-sitting job for the next week. So, I'm a little busy this weekend, but not too much.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend, and hopefully it's not too hot where you are. It's reaching the triple digits around here...

Source: 1. Pinterest 2. Ornamelle

surfer girl

I'm dreaming of the ocean again...

Source: 1. Pinterest 2. Tarokuchi 3. Dear Musketeer 4. Windy Lane Studio

that and this

That and this.

Source: 1. Anglada Camarasa via Pinterest 2. Unknown via Pinterest

zig zag

Some colorful happiness for you on this here Wednesday!

Source: 1. Unknown via Pinterest 2. valerie chiang

the wallflower

I love this print by Elaine Wilson. I wish there was a way I could buy a copy of it!

Source: Elaine Wilson via Length x Wit

i dream of africa

I'm dreaming of Africa again... So I've got Out of Africa set in my Netflix queue to come on Saturday. Hopefully that will satiate my desire to visit that foreign land... For now at least...

Source: 1. Jen Huang 2. Luke Irwin 3. Unknown via Pinterest

pretty as a peacock

Beautiful...

Source: Pinterest

happy friday!

For the past ten days I've been dog-sitting and house-sitting for six dogs and a cat. I've taken care of them many times before and there have never been any problems. But because of a new dog this time (with major separation anxiety), it seemed like I was calling the owner every other day about some new problem. Long story short, I had to break up a dog fight and get medical attention for the hurt dog (poor Toby!), deal with one dog having diarrhea in the early mornings, one dog pooping and peeing everywhere, one dog digging a whole in the wall of the bathroom she was staying in which resulted in her having to be put in a crate which she broke out of... It probably sounds like each dog was acting up, but it was mostly just the new dog. She's such a sweet pup, but she has issues!

Needless to say, I was so happy to sleep in my own bed last night. It's so nice to be in my own space surrounded by my own things. After being surrounded by dog hair for over a week, I felt that I and all my things were dirty, so I did laundry and dusted and swept.

I look forward to a relaxing weekend back home. Unfortunately I haven't gotten much reading done because I got taken over by season one of Ally McBeal. Hopefully I can finish Wuthering Heights this weekend!

Source: Pinterest