Category: Random

A Little Catch-Up

Thanks, everyone for all the encouraging comments on Monday’s announcement.

That was a fantastic day overall, beginning with West Elm featuring a photo of my old bedroom on their instagram feed (I had submitted it to them a while ago, right after I bought the Ironwork Duvet Cover) and continuing with all your support about my design services. I was unable to tend to each comment as they came in since I’e been picking up more hours at work–yay, this is good news, as anyone in retail knows, “getting more hours” is the name of the game.

The past two days have been super successful for me at Sur La Table and since it’s on my mind, I’d like to remind everyone to get their knives sharpened before the holiday season gets into full swing. If you live near a SLT (here’s their store locator), you can get any knife sharpened for free (and any following knives sharpened for $5 each) from now until the day before Thanksgiving. Sorry if I sound like an advertisement, but I think it’s a great way to keep your tools in good shape. If you don’t live near a SLT, call around and see if any local kitchen/cookware stores are offering sharpening services.

The weather here has been getting awfully chilly at night–I even turned our heat on this morning, it was down to around 60 in the apartment. We have a radiant heat system installed in the ceiling, which is a totally foreign concept to me–if heat rises, why would the heater be in the ceiling? I really couldn’t tell if it was working or if the apartment just gradually got warmer as the day warmed up outside. Time will tell, I suppose!

This post is more like a little catch-up, I suppose. Even though I posted on Monday it feels like ages since I sat down and spent some time blogging. I’ve got a huge list of topics I want to get written, yet time seems to fly by so quickly!

Forgive me for having two rambley posts in a row. I’ll be back on Friday with a few Thanksgiving tips and ideas! Have a great Wednesday, everyone.

How is your week going so far? I’d love to hear about it :) 

Happy Halloween!

Earlier this week, I tried to stop by San Diego’s spookiest coffee house, Lestat’s, to take some photos for you, but it was so overrun with people staring at their laptops (seriously–like every table) that I only managed to get a couple good shots. This morning while I was brainstorming a few alternate ideas, I came up with the perfect idea–doctor up some shots I took this summer at Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris! So I took the idea and ran with it.

(Did you know that most old movies shot “night” scenes during the day, with a dark filter?)

The cemetery is actually a pretty peaceful place to take a stroll during the day, and it’s worth stopping by to see some famous graves, like Edith Piaf, Oscar Wilde, and Jim Morrison. Just be sure to check their hours before heading over–it closes around 5 or 6 PM, so no creepy night visits possible (phew!).

I suppose you could call both photos above “The Escape!”

Seriously, though, beautiful cemeteries like this are so fascinating to me. Graves upon elaborate graves–something very, very different than the rolling grassy area dotted with headstones that typifies the average graveyard here in the USA.

To get the special effects on these pictures, I used (and then tweaked) a few of The Pioneer Woman’s Photoshop Actions.

Packing has taken over the universe. So, time for the quickest post in the history of posts. A quick blog poll. Please reply in the comments or tweet @myfriendstaci.

  • Q1: Do I take the shower curtain (XL, bought on amazon) with me or leave it behind? The next residents don’t move in ’till November. I think that’s plenty of time for them to acquire a new one. 
  • Q2: What is the best way to transport Scentsy bars if I’m worried about them melting? Certainly I shouldn’t have to put them in my cooler with the condiments we’re moving…? 

Yeah, moving makes one think of really weird things. If you have any other random tips or things you wish you would have known, you have t-minus three days to sneak them into the comments below!

I can’t wait to show you our new place; if all goes according to plan I should have some photos for you in a little over a week! Monday, we’re getting in the truck and making our way to California. I’ve got something really special planned for next week, though, so you won’t be stuck with a week of radio silence…

Wish us luck! Keep Mosey in your thoughts, especially. Moving is probably so confusing to him! 

PS: One great thing among all this is the latest WordPress app for iPhone… ever since the update it has been SO EASY to reply to comments and craft posts from wherever I am. Can you believe my Ode to In-Flight Magazines was composed completely on-plane?