ikea haul

We had a big Ikea day this weekend.  But then again, every Ikea day is a big Ikea day.  Why is it impossible to do in less than 4 hours?  Even if you don't look at any furniture?  Even if you skip the meatballs?  Mind boggling.  It took the major part of our saturday, and left us comatose for what was left of it.  But the time and energy spent is less than or equal to the money saved, and I think we did pretty well for ourselves, restocking some basics that we needed, plus a few little luxuries to make me smile.

The details and the rest of our loot...

going bananas

I try not to bake anymore, because it's just like Field of Dreams: If I bake it, I will it eat.  Ok, so that's not exactly the quote from the movie, but the prophecy gets fulfilled in much the same way.  The other day however, I was forced to bake.  Forced, I tell you.  The bananas made me.  The sneaky guys looked bright yellow and cheery, but inside they were mushy, ripe way past their prime.  I refused to let them go without putting them to work so of course I did the only thing I could: I made banana bread.  With chocolate in it, cause chocolate makes everything better.

The look so innocent don't they?  Never trust a banana...

Make some chocolatey banana mischief yourself...

swimmingly

This is where I was swimming last month.  I know I have yet to tell you all about my Super Duper Mexico Vacation, but I still haven't finished organizing all my photos and thoughts.  Needless to say, it was awesome.  I'm back in the big city now, but I'll be damned if I give up my water time.  So...

Husband and I have joined the pool!  We started this week, committing to four full months of membership (gotta get those discounts where you can, and the obligation to keep it up is just a bonus), and absolutely love it.  My pool's not as amazing as the Caribbean, but it's pretty damn wonderful.  All this has made me think it would be a good time to go over some pool essentials.

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8

Trust me, you need these things...

ch-ch-changes

I'm officially back!  Back in Spain, back online, back to daily life.  But it feels different, I have to say.  We've only been gone from Madrid for a month but somehow it feels like it's been much longer.  There's changes all around me: a new 5 euro bill, my local Zara completely remodeled, and a Starbucks in the basement of our grocery store, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Something internal has shifted as well, a settling of sorts, a coming to terms with change: the inevitability of it and the excitement of it.  I don't want to sound melodramatic or anything, but we're nearing the end of a big era in our lives, and steadying ourselves for the one that lies ahead.  A year from now I predict our lives will be totally different, new city, new jobs, new friends, new routines.  And while it used to just terrify me, now I'm filled with energy and enthusiasm.  I'm still nervous about it all, but it's more like pre-show jitters, lovely little anxious butterflies to carry me along the journey.

Anyway, I don't usually wax philosophical on the blog, but I just couldn't help it.  And to mark the change, I've bought some flowers for our home, something I rarely do.  (Kalanchoe, which apparently can be spelled Kalanchoë or Kalanchöe, movable umlauts? Who ever heard of such a thing?) Hopefully I won't kill this little guy, cause it sure is making me happy.  Here's to the start of (a new) something good!

snow globe joy

Remember back in december when I recommended these mason jar snow globes?  Well I made some of my own, and they turned out pretty awesome (if I do say so myself), and, since I avoided any traditional holiday themes, pretty seasonless as well.  So never mind that the holidays are behind us, make yourself some fake snow magic and enjoy it year-round! 

Follow these little guys and see how the magic was made...

traditional cookies

Tonight is our annual christmas cookie making extravaganza.  We go all out.  ZZ Top here is from a few years ago, as is Sad Donkey below.  We obviously don't do well sticking to a holiday theme, but I think our cookies turn out the better for it.  Who can argue with total creative freedom?

Do you have any wacky holiday traditions?  Or are your traditions actually traditional?

thunder snow

This is our backyard this morning.  Thundersnow is the official weather condition, one which I'd never heard of before in all my years of Wisconsin living.  It's just what it sounds like, snow, with thunder.  It's pretty awesome.  But as my sister points out, it would also make the best wrestling name ever.  Or any name for that matter.  Should I name my firstborn child Thunder Snow?

It's so quiet, everything muffled under a blanket of magical white fluff.  The only sound was the snowplow getting stuck on the corner.  Irony abounds.  We're taking a full snow day, catching up on tv watching and making hot pepper brownies.  Full report to come soon...

winter wonderland

image from travel and leisure

Amazing how easily we can get from one side of the world to the other.  We take it for granted, but sometimes it just hits me how truly awesome that is.  Today I woke up in snowy Madison.  Happy to be home.

election day

Photo of suffragists in the 1910s from The Library of Congress via Tomboy Style

I put in a request for an absentee ballot a month and a half ago, and never heard back (hello City of Madison, I'm talking to you!), so unfortunately I am unable to cast my vote today.  But to all my able american readers out there, consider this  a friendly call to action: Don't forget to vote today!!!

denim day

One of my great accomplishments when I was in Madison was buying new jeans.  You laugh?  Huge accomplishment, I swear.  I imagine that there is a body type for which it is extremely easy to find jeans that fit, but mine is not one of them, nor, I'm guessing, are most women's.  Lucky for me, Madison, WI is home to amazing shopping.  Oh, you didn't know that?  Did you know that Shopbop is based in my hometown?  And that we have a local in-store Bop?  Jealous yet?

More after the jump...

sweaterscapes - vince

My beloved new sweater.  More beautiful and luscious in its simplicity than I can describe.  It also magically turns into misty moonlit sandscapes on a distant planet while I'm not looking.  Or so I'd like to think.

Zoom out to see the whole thing after the jump, along with some more of my favorites from Vince...

check it out

One of the great things about being back in the states for the summer has been rediscovering the library (thanks to Husband's initiative).  I'm a kindle addict, so I have to admit that the actual books didn't entice me all that much, but I had completely forgotten about the huge AV sections.  We've been checking out tons of dvds and even audiobooks, and it's been such a joy!  Here's a sampling of some of the wonderful movies we've seen this week: The Spy Who Came in From the Cold was a perfect moody spy flick with satisfying twists and turns, Ballerina tracks five dancers at different stages in their careers within the Kirov, and High Society was just plain fun (oh, and the dresses!). 

Do you regularly use the library?  Have you seen any good films lately? 

images from movie poster shop

on a boat

image from monona doug

I'm headed out on Lake Monona this afternoon with family.  Placid waters and majestic skies.  But, lest you think I am all beautiful sunsets and poetic thoughts, know this is the song that will be playing in my head the whole time...

i pity the fool

Today I picked up a little something that I'm in love with.  No, not this gentleman.  Just the shirt off his back.  Laugh all you want, I'm dead serious.  I came from hot Wisconsin summer days, so humid and pollen-filled that running was out of the question, and arrived in the sunset district of San Francisco, which might as well be Mordor.  It is foggy and wintery and cold, all the time.  Perfect for a jog really, but not in a tank top.  So we headed over to a nearby Sports Authority and found a women's department filled with teeny tiny skimpy tops and shorts.  Last thing I need is another excuse to not exercise, so I was determined to find something appropriate.  I headed to the men's section and found this.  I look way cuter than this guy, I swear.  And after running in it, I can honestly say that it is perfect.  I bough it a little large so I don't get all the "compression" effects that you're supposed to (I think maybe he's upset that he's being squeezed too tight?), but it was wonderfully breathable and dried in 5 seconds flat, kept me warm but didn't make me hot.  So, even though this guy is frowning at me like he wants to beat me to a pulp, I'm going to buy more.

Do ever shop men's?  In sporting goods stores?

beach essentials

I'm back!!  Almería and Málaga were ridiculously beautiful and relaxing, and through it all I ate like a champ and rested like a pro.  I'll tell you more about the trip later (with a few recommendations in case any of you find yourselves in Southern Spain any time soon), but for now I thought I'd post what turned out to be my beach essentials.

1. black bikini - ok, mine's from H&M, but I dream of having a luxurious yet basic Eres swimsuit like this one day
2. kindle - loaded with tons of fiction and nonfiction, something for every possible mood
3. baseball cap - again, mine's from H&M, the men's department, but anything to block the sun while you're napping face up will do.
4. a coverup - this sheer cotton shirt from Zara was perfect (especially since, unlike the model here, my legs are not 5 ft. long, so it was much longer on me), both for when the sun was hitting too hard, or when the wind was sandblasting us.
5. sunglasses - these, picked up in Madison last summer, are still my favorites.  My other countless pairs are feeling neglected, but I'm trying to reduce object-induced guilt.
6. sunscreen for your face - this one by Kiehl's is still my go-to here in Spain, but in the US I also swear by Peter Thomas Roth
7. peshtemal - turkish bath towels are the best for the beach; they take up very little room in your bag and are great for laying on, drying with, and wearing as a wrap.
8. notebook - for recording all the ins and outs of your trip, your thoughts or dreams, or for planning that novel that you're gonna write, one day, you swear,
9. sunscreen for your body - something with a high spf, applied liberally, every few hours.  That's how I went from Snow White to Beyonce.  Ha!  Seriously, I came back with what I thought was a savage tan but literally NO ONE noticed.  Just goes to show you how very very pale I was to begin with.  Now I just look normal.
10. a favorite pen - not your father's cherished mont blanc fountain pen, just a good solid fat pen that makes you happy, that you can scribble with even when you're weakened by hours of sun and sea.
11. flipflops - havaianas for me, always.  They never give me blisters.  But that part about them not getting hot in the sun?  Lies.  Nevertheless, I love them.

blood sucker

Last night our bedroom was invaded by an Evil Mosquito.  She tortured us all night long, with her buzzing, blood-sucking, poison-injecting ways.  At some point I looked over at husband, who had covered his entire face with the blanket, and I worried that he might suffocate to death, but my primary concern was still surviving the night myself.  Eventually I got up and turned the living room light on in the hopes that she would go to the light like a lost soul, and I think it may have worked because I did get a few hours' sleep towards dawn.  But when I woke up, my right eye was swollen shut.  Seriously, why would she bother?  I mean, how much blood can there even be in an eyelid?  Got up, looked in the mirror, and a monster stared back at me.  Not much I could do at that point except whine and complain, take some benadryl, and put on some fabulous sunglasses to hide behind.  Thank goodness I have these:

Rag & Bone vespa sunglasses, in a beautiful subtle green, available at Twigs for 50% off the original price.  (Again with the good shopping in Madison, what's up with that?).

Hideous bulbous eyelid concealed.  Now I just have to go take a nap from all that Bendaryl.

the beginning

I can't believe I did it, but I did.  I really actually truly just did this.  Today I registered for four short courses at the London College of Fashion.  I am in shock, and beside myself with excitement.

I am going to be there for two months, doing an overview of fashion design and business, and also focusing on knitwear and leatherworking.  Obviously not an in-depth formal training, but a considerable dip into new waters.  Normally I agonize over decisions for ages, but I shocked myself by agonizing over this decision for only 3 days.  Who am I?  Why am I so ready to start this new adventure now?  I suppose because the reality is I've been inching my way towards this shift in focus for years now, and my time away from my daily routine this summer has been like going up a mountain.  The modern day vision quest.

As time gets closer (I leave in 2 weeks!) I'll tell you more about what I'm going to be doing, and of course keep you posted while I'm there.  For now I'm packing my bags (again) because tomorrow I head back to Madrid.

I'm so excited!

nail art coercion and a happy ending

Went to a new (to us) salon to get a pedicure with my mama the other day and left with mixed feelings.  They had fancy massage chairs with remotes to that was fun.  And it was cheaper than where we usually go.  And family dynamics of the three generations of vietnamese men and women doing everyone's nails were entertaining, to say the least.  But each one had such freedom on their individual 'style' of massage; mine was great but my mom's was like being tapped gently with a limp dead fish.  Very weird.  And then as we were about to get up, the woman who was doing me insisted that I get some nail art done.  "Otherwise people are going to think you did your own nails!" she said, as if that was the worst thing in the world.  I said no thanks about 10 times, but my mama thought they were never going to let us out of there if I didn't do it, so I said, sure, go ahead.  Turns out they do whatever they feel like doing in the moment.  And, it also turns out, I really kind of secretly love my new nail art.  Best extra $6 spent against my will ever.

shabd

Feels like fall is officially here.  Today it's been in the 60's and even curled up with my sweatshirt, socks and blanket, my nose is cold.  But that doesn't mean that the summery tie-dye maxis have to go.  Imagine these with a cozy sweater and some great boots, I think they'd work perfectly all through the winter.

above: midnight asterisk maxi, top photo: geode maxi

More luscious pieces from tie-dye master Shabd after the jump...

my bags are packed

I'm ready to go...

Thanks nyc for a good month.  You were a little exhausting and left me with a sore throat, you fed me a little too well and tempted me constantly with your wealth of material goods, but overall you inspired me and challenged me more than you drained me.  Back to Madison to recover from the big city livin' for a bit before I head back to that other big city I call home sometimes.