Whoa

You guys? It’s been over three months! Ridiculous, I know. (That shit cray.) The thing is, this big thing was happening in my life but I’m hoping to write about it primarily on another blog so I wasn’t sure what to share here even though it’s a huge, life-changing thing that gave me plenty to discuss. And now it’s been so long since I’ve written that I feel weird and disconnected from my voice and my 2 readers. And every day that goes by, I fret more and feel more stalled. But now as is plainly obvious, I’m writing (!) and can focus on revving this mother back up again!

First off, the big thing. → At the beginning of December, I had bariatric surgery. The whole process started over 2 years ago and girrrl, I have A LOT to say about it. That said, I don’t want to write a Magna Carta-length post so for now, I’ll give you the gist which is that the month after surgery was pure HELL. I’m a worrier so I had spent quite a lot of time pondering the possible outcomes but what I ended up experiencing was nothing like what I worry-planned for. First, I got a terrible infection and part of my lung collapsed. Then the meds they gave me to treat the infection killed the remaining good bacteria in my shrinking gut so I was sick as a dog. I was so sick, in fact, that I couldn’t take in any nutrients for weeks and so my body went into ketosis, which is a starvation mode/nausea/death spiral.

Can I just stop here and say, wow, I already feel better having just written that little bit. I missed this!! (((HUGS THE INTERWEBS)))

Anyway I’m just this week starting to feel somewhat normal again, although my baseline has changed a lot. In addition to protein shakes, I eat 6 ounces of “food” a day in 3 two-ounce portions. In addition to walking, I’ve started swimming again except last night when I got to the pool, I realized I’d brought TWO (2) swimsuit tops and ZERO (0) swimsuit bottoms. OOPS! All in all, I’m beginning to settle into a new groove and hope to be blogging more frequently. Yay!

Bzzzzt

Felt rosette fall wreath I made, inspired by this

I took Abbs for a walk tonight and couldn’t get over how verdant the grass is. Our summer was so dry but it’s been raining constantly for weeks now. It’s nice to see a little green, even though it’s time for the leaves to turn. Another sign of fall is crazy bees. I battled 2 nutters today who did not understand that no means no. They’re like date rape bees! If I’m making sharp noises and waving my arms around, that doesn’t mean fly closer and invade my personal space. Nasty bees! I know they make honey & flowers pretty but they could do with a little sensitivity training from Mother Nature’s HR department.

A few weekends ago, B and I went to the symphony. B works with them so we got the perk of sitting in an area called The Terrace, which is an exclusive space right beside and above the orchestra. Killer seats, is what I’m saying:

I was fascinated with the up-close-and-personal view of all the instruments & players and thoughtfully studied each one. When I got to the French horns, I happened to catch one of the musicians emptying his spit valve…on the floor. This at once mesmerized and disgusted me and I was unable to focus on anything else for the remainder of the performance. I know some of what’s in there is condensation but there’s definitely some spit too. Can’t they at least use a cup? Or maybe a small hand towel on their lap? Something, anything other than casually dumping your DNA on the floor, which must be like some kind of CSI slip ‘n’ slide. I mentioned my concerns to B but he wasn’t compelled. Of course I am so, so grateful that I got to go and the performance was incredible but I can’t deny that I was preoccupied by the spit dumping spectacle. Should we form a task force to address the issue? It’s not just the French horns you know.

With that, it’s time for what I’m loving this Thursday. Have a good weekend and for God’s sake, carry a handkerchief!

Delicious, talented Joseph Gordon-Levitt who was stellar in 50/50. (Listen to an interview with him & Will Reiser, who wrote 50/50, on a recent ep of Fresh Air.)

These festive papier-mâché jack o’lanterns:

This adorably curious chimp:

This pretty, romantic fishtail braid:

This 70s-inspired necklace Bleubird Vintage designed for ModCloth:

This clever chalkboard talk bubble DIY:

And finally, this UH-MAY-ZING vintage Singer sewing table:

Nappy Time

I didn’t TILT last week because I was exhausted from not sleeping well lately. So exhausted that the next day, I fell asleep in my car in the gym parking lot. I had planned to just take a 10-minute cat nap and then swim but ended up sawing logs for an hour and being awoken by a concerned women banging on my window. It was a really great moment for my self-esteem and awesome publicity for the gym.

Tonight I finally got around to giving myself a 30s half-moon manicure:

I like the results but it took a long time, so I don’t plan on doing it often. Also, I think my moons are a little too big. I want to try this mani next.

Here’s what I’m loving this week:

This pretty, simple tote tutorial:

These vintage potholders:

These beautiful succulents. I just got a new bunch and half of ‘em are dead already. I have terrible luck with them but they’re my faves.

This amazing couch:

This precious pup peekin’ out:

This vintage camper painted with a sweet scallop design:

This chevron crocheted blanket, which is an ode to the Missoni for Target line that caused such a frenzy & blew up the Target Web site earlier this week. I tried to get the purse I wanted in stores and online but they were sold out.

Pew

A few weeks ago when I was showering at the gym, I broke out my full menagerie of health and beauty aids: plain Dove soap, Neutrogena face wash, Nexxus ProMend Shampoo, & Aveeno Nourish + Shine Conditioner. Once I had used all 4 products, I noticed a nauseating ammonia smell. I wondered if the combination was creating the mutant odor but quickly rinsed everything off and moved on. Then a week later, it happened again and this time, I almost passed out from the heinous fumes. In summary:

I’ve been wanting to roast chick peas for a while now and finally got around to it this week. The results were YUMTRON 5000! I opened a can of chick peas and rinsed them with water. I patted them dry, spread them on a baking sheet, and sprinkled them with olive oil and part of a package of ranch dressing mix. Then I roasted them at 350° for 30-40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so. They were a perfect protein-packed snack! Next time I’ll use plain herbs instead of salad dressing mix because I noticed it contained MSG, which is from hell.

What do you have planned this weekend? I’m hoping for a final bit of pool time before it closes and the gang and I are having a BBQ.

P.S. Today I remembered that nobody ever guessed the sound in this post correctly. Have a listen again and see if you can ID it.

Here’s what I’m loving this Thursday:

Dashing Prince Harry:

Bucolic Provence:

This cutie munchin’ a flar:

This vintage DIY I’m dying to try (click thru for dirs):

These incredible bathroom tiles:

This covetable Pyrex collection:

These colorful rainbow fruit kabobs:

When You Care Enough To Send the Very Worst

The week before last turned out to be a real stinker for me. A number of stressful events converged into a black hole of suck that had me desperate for some downtime by the weekend. B knew I’d had a bad week so on Sunday he left a care package outside my door. He was worried I might be in the kitchen and see him through the window & he wanted it to be a surprise so he Army-style belly crawled to my door to drop off the gift. That mental image alone is enough to get me through many bad times but the contents of the care package made my millennium. Behold:

This delightful mélange is brought to you by the twisted mind of B. If these items don’t make you feel better, UR DOIN IT RONG! Needless to say, my mood was immediately elevated and once again, all was right with the world.

Here’s what else I’m loving this Thursday:

These cutie peeptoe Swedish Hasbeens :

Sweet Ryan Gosling carrying his pup up the escalator so he won’t hurt his paw-paws:

This pretty patchwork sewing machine cover:

Lovely Emma Stone & her side-swept bangs (Go see The Help immediately! I’m reading the book now.):

This amazing mid-century modern house:

This rustic, delicious-looking blood orange & clementine galette:

This idea for welcoming home a loved one (click thru for details):

Or Is It Cheese & Macaroni?

Tonight for dinner, I made the healthy choice to have Kraft Macaroni & Cheese made with 50% whole grain. I know it’s ridiculous to be persnickety about the grain in your pasta whilst finding no problem coating it in a cheese-like goo made from orange powder and yet I felt pleased with the compromise.

The kids summer camps at my gym have all finished so my swimming environment is once again quiet and peaceful. I was not afforded that tranquility the other night when a woman sat near the treadmill I was walking on and ate Taco Bell and slurped Dr. Pepper. Now I’m not a gym etiquette Nazi or anything, although I do think it’s common courtesy to quickly wipe down a machine when you’re finished using it and please try not to pee in the shower. But this? Consuming fast food mere paces from someone who’s miraculously overcome her natural instinct to nap and is trying desperately to burn some calories? COME ON.

Here’s what I’m loving this week:

This amazing design a blogger painted on her floor:

The idea of living in one of these houseboats:

This awesome Sears shoe ad from the 60s:

This tute for block printing on fabric – so pretty!

This half-moon mani I’m dying to try:

These sweet vintage barrettes:

Beautiful Adele:

As If!

Tonight when I was taking Abby out, it occurred to me that my neighbors only ever see me lookin’ like a bit of a slob. That’s because as Cher wisely noted in Clueless, “My party clothes are so binding.” Growing up in my family, when we got home from our respective daily activities – work, school, etc – we would all immediately change into comfy, casual clothes. I do that to this day, usually throwing on a t-shirt and shorts. This is what I almost always sleep in, even in the winter. I think that comes from growing up in the south where it’s never very cold. If someone’s coming over, I keep my party clothes on but the minute they’re gone, change into comfy duds. If close friends or family come over, I might let them behold the glory of my house gear. But even if I wear jeans and a sweater to a party, I change when I get home. Maybe this means I’m picking ridiculously uncomfortable clothes but I suspect it’s just a habit. Since I’m such a klutz, at the very least it lowers the chance I’ll stain my nice clothes. Unfortunately I most often see my neighbors in the evenings when I’ve already changed. They probably think I’m a major slacker but let’s face it – they might not be all that impressed with what I wear out either. Do you change clothes when you get home or keep your party clothes on?

Here are the things I’m loving this Thursday:

This freebie printable that is definitely going in my craft room:

This precious DIY puppet theatre for the littles:

This colorful & yum-looking b-day treat (I made these red velvet whoopie pies for my birthday & they were a hit!):

The 25th anniversary of this phenomenal movie (Check out NPR’s recent interview with Wil Wheaton – very moving!):

This pretty hair-do:

This lovely journaling:

This UH-MAY-ZING satchel that I’ve been stalking for months:

(I love the yellow one too!)

This sweetie little kitty:

What are you loving?

Protective Pup

Abby has always performed these instinctual, protective rituals at night. Once everyone is settled into their sleeping quarters, she hovers until she feels her “flock” is safe and calm. Only then will she go to sleep. For most of her life, as soon as I got into bed, she would get her bone, hop up on the bed, and chew it until I fell asleep, after which she’d sleep too. When others would spend the night, they’d comment on her loud chomping noises but it was part of our routine so I never noticed. (B would always complain about the loud jingling of “her necklace” – hee!) These days, my bed is too high for Abby’s old bones so she just hangs out near the bed until she’s satisfied I’m down for the night.

When I first got Abby, I was still a youngin living with my Mom so we were both formative parts of her puppyhood. Even though it was only a few months before I moved out, my Mom had a special relationship with Abby. To this day whenever she’s around, Abby defers to her as the ultimate alpha.  My Mom recently came for a visit and while she was here, I slept on the couch so she could enjoy my comfy bed. This meant Abby’s nightly patrol was doubled. She went back and forth between the bedroom and living room, checking and fretting before she would rest. While I was sleeping on the couch closer to her level, I discovered she would only stop checking on me once my eyes were closed. There were a few nights when I couldn’t sleep so I just pretended so she wouldn’t feel like she had to keep checking on me. Feigning sleep with a grin on my face in the dark night reminded me how lucky I am to have shared a life with such a wonderful, loving creature.

While my Mom was here, she was kind enough to sort through my mountain of gallbladder surgery bills. I was so overwhelmed with the paperwork and amount I owed, I just started making payments, followed by rocking in the fetal position and quietly whimpering. I should note that because I had to have emergency surgery, it was much more expensive than it would’ve been otherwise. That combined with my multiple visits to the ER totaled over $30,000! I’m lucky enough to have insurance but my portion of that was over $5000, or at least I thought it was. My Mom found a TWO THOUSAND DOLLAR error in my favor! I called my insurance and the lady I spoke with was like, “Yeah, this was processed by a computer and it makes mistakes. You have to call.” Can you believe that?? Again, I’m grateful to have insurance but that is infuriating.

My birthday is this weekend, so I’ve got plans to relax and have fun with the gang. And before I go, here are 7 things I’m loving this Thursday:

This cute way to dress up an open cabinet:

Chic Ginnifer Goodwin:

This creative wrapping:

These awesome retro skates:

This easy, yum party food idea – chocolate chips in raspberries:

Annabelle’s adorable lamb:

Dreamy Bora Bora:

Rebecca Black Should Sing A Song About Thursday

I’ve got 3 actual posts in the hopper, which I’m hoping to finish soon. In the meantime, here are some things I love:

This sweet necklace I just bought as a little reward for successfully completing my first month of MOM. (Moxy treated herself to a condo-spiffing by Merry Maids. Her place looked so fresh & clean!)

This precious handful o’ bun:

This peaceful dock in Maine:

This beautiful vintage crewel:

This simple southern greeting & color palette:

This lovely, feminine shorter hair style. Every once in a while I toy with going this length:

These to-die-for Anthro wedges I’ve looked high and low for and cannot find:

This flowers in mason jars arrangement:

Please Welcome Back TILT!

Lord knows I’ve started and stopped 100 features on this blog but Things I Love Thursday is one that deserves a comeback. Enjoy!

This fun summer makeup:

This precious chocolate lab pup:

The 16th anniversary of one of my favorite movies:

This pretty beach towel I just ordered:

The yummy Sherbet-y colors in this quilt:

This lovely typography & wisdom:

And finally, these killer curves & confidence:

Join me on Pinterest & let me know if you need an invite!