Game Night

The other Sunday the mister and I decided we need to turn off the TV and enjoy each other. So we had some wine, enjoyed our fire, and played some games. Some classic games like Jenga and battleship. Just in case you were wondering I won battleship...but he won Jenga.Well he won the second game, the first one he knocked over by banging his knee on the coffee table.

Finds

I recently got a new sewing desk that we placed in the guest room. I had been sharing my husbands desk before but it just didn't work that well. So once I got a new desk well that meant I needed a new chair....er....or 2.

I hit up one of my favorite thrift/junk stores, and found both of these beauties. I would call that a jack pot trip. The one on the right matches perfectly for the colors in our guest room and I got it for 20$. It was a part of a set, but the set had 5 chairs so she sold me one...WINNING!. Okay sorry couldn't help myself. The other one was buiried under some hideous rug, I uncovered it and thought umm...yes I will take you too for only $20 more dollars!!! SCORE people major score.

Brunch

I really wanted to go to brunch this past Sunday, but unfortunately the mister reminded me we don't have the money right now. So I say Brunch be damned. Who needs that when you can have frozen French toast and burnt muffins. Not this girl that's who!!

Let's just say that muffins have never been my strong suit and that French toast did get warmed up but it wasn't anything fancy. Seriously who needs amazing homemade waffles and omelets?? Want to come over for breakfast this coming weekend. We may do round 2 of this special meal.

Bookshelf: Hunger Games

Well folks if you haven't heard of these books you have to have been living under a rock. This set of what they are calling teen novels is amazing. I wouldn't consider them teen novels at all. Okay so there is some teenage relationship drama/angst but that's about as teen as it gets.

So just a quick run down for those of you haven't seen the trailer yet and really want to read the books before seeing the movie. Because well let's be honest the books are always better...right?!?! RIGHT!

Main character is Katniss Everdeen, she is living in a post apocalyptic America that is now called Panem. Panem is run by the Capitol and split up into 12 districts. Each year or every 4 years or something of that nature they have "the hunger games" where kids ranging from 12 - 18 (2 from each district) have to battle to the death in a man made arena. Intrigued yet??

Let's just say this book was nothing and everything I thought it was going to be. There are star crossed lovers, lover quarrels, bugs, birds, arrows, guns, bombs, mutts of all nature and kind. There are lots of drugs and almost death scenes. It was a powerful set of 3 books that really shows off the strength of human nature and what people will do for the ones they love.

I give these books a big set of Emway thumbs up!

Veggie Party

Do you ever see something and think "I have to have that!" If you say no you are a total liar or a boy. I swear boys never get that urge, they like to look and think about stuff and then not buy it only to regret it later. At least that's what my man does.

I unlike him do not function like that so when I went to the Richmond craft mafia handmade holiday show and saw these puppies I just knew I HAD to have them. Not like I guess they are cute and I would love to have them. More like where have these been all my life I want to have a set in every room type of thing. Yeah it was love at first sight. Fab right?!?!!?

Just in case you were wondering who made this wonderfulness, it was the amazing lady behind Modern June.

Because you are

If you are like me you are thinking about new years resolutions even though we haven't celebrated Christmas yet. If you are even more like me for the four hundredth time (ok only 27 since I am only 27) you are resolving to lose weight or keep it off or something in terms of your body and appearance. Well let me just remind you.

(Photo and card Source)

You are most welcome, now go have a great day!!

GardenFest

This weekend the mister and I decided we needed to see the Lewis Ginter GardenFest light show. Truth be told we have lived in Richmond for going on 6 years and never even been to the beautiful Lewis Ginter gardens. We had a total blast checking out all their pretty lights.

Loved the little mushrooms.

The greenhouse/garden room thingy was just a really pretty building.

Typical Emily, being a total loser in front of the camera.

A really nice person volunteered to take this picture of A and I and I have to say it's one of our best. Will be framing this sucker for sure.

We had a total blast walking around the gardens and seeing all the pretty lights. It was packed as it was a Saturday and I may or may not have shoved politely asked a few kids/tweens to move along or not stop dead in the middle of the walk way. I mean I am all for admiring but really, MOVE OVER!

After the pretty lights we went to a new restaurant, the mill, and had too much some nice wine and enjoyed the evening. It was quit a nice way to spend a Saturday night.

Hope you had a great weekend, and are preparing for a lovely week!

Tis the Season

Tis the season to pull all that shit out of your attic and put it out for only you to see. Okay maybe you are one of those people who has a lot of parties, but the Roo (husband) and I aren't so for the most part. We take a whole morning to pull all the bins out, fight with putting the tree up, find places for all the junk we only use or look at for a month. To then struggle getting the bins back in the attic. Oh the joys of the holidays.

Okay, so I am not really that cynical about it. I really do love the holidays and there is nothing quit like having a Christmas tree up, but it doesn't much feel like Christmas right now. It's been far too warm and there have been too many people working in my backyard for it to be a holiday season. Oh well, maybe next year will finally feel like it.

Flops and Tops

This week's flops and tops moments brought to you care of the Thanksgiving holiday. I know it was over a week ago, but whatevs these are still good ones.

The Flops:

• Deciding to make my grandmothers famous cake for my mother, but realizing I have never made icing before and what I do end up making is more like fudge. That doesn't really spread on the cake. This leads to having a half iced half not iced cake.


• Picking on my dad because he leaves the toilet seat up and every light in every room on. Only to have that backfire because this leads him to remind me every time he turns off one of those lights much like a kid...."Look mommy I did as I was told."


• Reaching over to give my sweet cat a pet or 2 and scaring the living shit out of him. Like cats gone wild attack mode because he thought I was taking his tail.

The Tops:

• Getting some nice photos with my family even thought I know they hate the all of 5 minutes it takes to take a photo.


• Getting to do some shopping with my mother. Okay so I had to push her around in a wheel chair and we may or may not have hit a few of those stands they put up in the mall with stock stuffers, but whatevs. Pretty sure I put everything we knocked down back.


• Making my grandmothers cake. Okay so the thing may have looked like I put it in the washing machine before serving it but it was tasty folks!! Tasted just like Grandrenie used to make.

*Side note for those amazing cooks out there. I now know when the icing isn't soft enough to spread add more evap milk. So I may have been a daft moron this time, but next time I will rock that cake fo sho!

Bookshelf: The Night Circus

"The circus arrives without warning. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not."

That is the first line of this book. It is just divine. There are so many twist and turns and looks and miss steps. Filled with wondering and questioning and did that really happens. It makes you remember that just because we are adults we don't have to lose our imaginations. The woman who wrote this, Erin, must come from some mysterious magical home or planet where imaginations run wild. She creates an entire world in black and white striped tents and backward glances. This book is set back in the day, and I wish I could go back in time and visit this circus.

Read this book. Get lost in your mind and the ideas that this woman creates and enjoy it all. Then let's all write a letter to Tim Burton requesting that he make this book into a movie because I think it could be the most creative movie ever made.

Our 2011 Thanksgiving

Just a few photos from our Thanksgiving weekend. This visit with my parents was my first time seeing them in a year. I missed them so I almost cried when I first saw them.

Photos top to bottom:

2 of the best dishes to go with thanksgiving cooking away, asparagus casserole and green bean casserole. With me sporting my frily apron and supervising.

2 bums watching a little god father and chilaxin while the turkey cooks.

Some photos with my parents. Other than my wedding photos, I can't remember the last time I had a nice picture with them. Too bad the only one where my mom and I are both looking at the camera I have some kind of funny lip thing going on. Oh well it's still a good shot.

A picture of the turkey baster himself with the pup.

Collections

Do you have a collection of something. I mean anything...rubber bands, paper clips, lint? I don't know anything at all?

I have a collection of thermoses. Some pretty ones with lots of different textures and patterns. They are in my dining room and they are so fun.

In the works

I am rarely the type of person who starts a project and doesn't finish it. Let me be more frank I am pretty OCD to the point that I would get out of bed at 2am in order to finish that project or clean the toilet if I have been thinking about it too long.

However when it comes to my cross stitch I tend to start several projects at once and then let them sit for a month or so and then pick them up and finish them. It's strange for me that I do this, but whatevs. At least I finish them eventually...okay finish most of them anyway.

Prime examples of those nagging little cross stitch projects I just choose to avoid. I can happily say however I have finished the one on the right....TOTES BITCHES!! It's a fact. I kicked my cross stitch procrastination in the ass!! Well at least the cheek on the right.

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.... now it is full speed ahead to Christmas!! WOOT WOOT!!

To be thankful

Thanksgiving is tomorrow. I can hardly believe it. So with that holiday in mind I am thinking of what I am thankful for. So let's make a list shall we because well I am a list maker.

• beautiful neighborhoods to walk my sweet puppy in.


• clean sheets.


• a roof over my head, not just a roof but a home that I love and adore.


• a best friend...not just a BFF people but my person the person who has been with me from the beginning and the woman that I know I will grow old with no matter the distance between us.


• My parents. I am so thankful and lucky to have wonderful supportive parents who are more than parents they are friends.


• good coffee.... in pretty mugs.


• Flowers from my husband, with enough to put a little vase in every room.


• Rainy days with the luxury of working from home.


• my paycheck, I know that may be petty but in this economy I am extremely thankful for my paycheck.


• A great boss, who supports and gives constant positive feedback.


• Cat cuddles, with sweet purring too.


• music


• my fireplace, and the wonderful fires my husband builds. 


• My Richmond ladies, I moved here a little over 5 years ago and was immediately welcomed into the hearts and homes of some of the most wonderful women I have ever known. I know that I would not love my city as much without them in it!!

Those are some of the things I am most thankful for on this Thanksgiving.Those are the things that I am thankful for every day really. The world can be a harsh place and I am so unbelievably lucky to have the luxuries and people and things in my life. What are you thankful for?

Happy Thanksgiving folks

XXOO

Textures and Colors

I love fabric. I have a wide arrange of it. I would love to say that I use it all the time and make tons of things for myself but that just isn't true. I have used fabric to make a bag....that was kind of a fail, but I usually use the fabric to mend holes or make hair accessories. Either way I find that I buy fabric whenever I can. Especially crazy town patterns like those flowers. I mean you never know when you might need to patch a skirt with a giant bright flower.

Hair Don't

When you start a job and start realizing that you work from home a lot. You at first dress nicely because you feel you should and want to enjoy your cute outfits. Then slowly over time you begin to think ahhh who cares you aren't going to see any one. So then you get the hair styles above. Now I know you all are at home thinking man what a sexy biatch. I can't believe how good that hair looks. I know right. I mean if you want to have one hot ass hair set up like this. You just need to pull it back in a crappy pony tail and take the sticky outy parts and pull them back with bobby pins. Tada! Hot hair style in a matter of minutes.

Instax Lovin

We have one of those handy dandy hipster instax cameras. Which I have to admit is quit possibly the most fun camera I have ever had. I mean look at those mugs up there. Aren't we the cutest? Before you ask, yes that is my cat in the sink. He is such a funny cat. He thinks if he lays there we will turn the sink on so he can drink some water. Little does his dumb ass know that he can't drink it, he can only get wet if he lays in the sink.

Peek a bo

Since yesterday you got to see my little Mobster slutting himself out in front of the fire. I thought today it might be fun to show you another view of my furball. He has taken to laying in my lap a lot as the weather has gotten colder. Well one day I caught him doing a little peek a bo at his momma. Isn't he the cutest little sausage cat you ever saw?!?!

It's that time of year

The time of year when the Smolaks burn about a billion fires...mainly because we have no isulation in our 1940s house and it is colder than a well diggers ass in here. Yes I did use that analogy...that's a foobs one. So yeah this past Saturday we lite a fire around 3:30 when it was still 60 out and enjoyed it into the night. Needless to say no one enjoyed it quite as much a Moby. I am pretty sure he is a fire slut!

Flops & Tops

 Okay so you may have thought I totally bailed on the world wide blogosphere. However, you would be totally freaking wrong. I just happened to have absolutely no interest in looking at a computer screen once I was done working each day, or when I got up in the morning. Whatevs I am back now. With some funny shiz to share.

The Flops

• Buying a super cute new coat and deciding to wear it everywhere. Only to realize that the weather has turned decidedly warmer and you are sweating your balls off (well if you had balls).


• Trying to enjoy this wave of nice weather by working with the windows open. Only to have your neighbors who are in their 30s play corn hole all day every day and drive your dog COMPLETELY NUTS!! Like batshit crazy, barking and whining.


• Who doesn't love a dinner party right? I mean I know I do especially when it is a birthday dinner party right. You know what's better than that. Enjoying a birthday dinner party without the birthday boy. Why you might ask?!?! Oh that's right because your husband has gone to pick him up by the side of the road because he almost lost a tire. Not like a flat tire folks like almost lost the whole freaking wheel....yeah it was an interesting night kids.

The Tops

• Making a killer good butternut squash and tortellini recipe and enjoying the hell out of the entire stick of butter it had in its sauce.


• While enjoying that extremely buttery sticks to your ass dinner, we listened to Miles Davis on vinyl. It felt kind of like we had our very own jazz under ground restaurant. We topped it off with some dancing in the living room in front of the fire. Felt like a scene out of a movie....minus my fushia pajama pants.


• Waking up to your kitty cat curled up by your head and purring away. Okay so his ass was kind of too close to my face but I will take kitty cat cuddles whenever I can get them.