All I want for Christmas...

...is a dog. But I'm going to have to wait. I know that if I want a young dog, puppy and the like I will need a LOT of time to dedicate to training and so I will need my summer months to do it.

Step one. Get my own place.
Step two. Settle in. Save money. Read puppy books. Research breeds. Find a dog.
Step three. Celebrate my birthday with a new dog instead.

Some breeds I'm considering...
Bichon Frise
Yorkshire Terrier
Maltese/Shih Tzu
Papillion

I need a dog that is hypo-allergenic or as close as one can get... so non-shedding. A dog that is small, not too barky, is friendly, doesn't need long walks in sub-zero weather etc.  I think I'm in the right ball park with these breeds. We'll see.

Merry Christmas

Wisdom from my Favorite Wise Ass

Read this today. It resonated. Someone needs to remind me of this frequently.

"I enjoy making lists and spreadsheets and plans of attack, but I can get a little obsessed with efficiency. When things get really bad I realize that I am not only multitasking, but mentally rerouting my actual steps to maximize my efforts (I will take the laundry downstairs and bring X and Y on the way, that will save me a trip, blah blah blah). There is no prize for doing everything correctly, you know? At the end, we’re all just dead, no matter how sensibly and rationally we complete our activities of daily living."  -- Mimi Smartypants

Wordless Wednesday... The Thanksgiving Edition

Happy Art for Happy Walls

I just framed my new North Dakota print today and wanted to give a shout out to this Etsy shop --  Happy Art for Happy Walls by Uplifting Prints  The next ones I buy might have to be this Julia Child collection -- though I think I like it best with the red background!

My Halloween Tree

Wordless Wednesday -- Puns are Fun

Happy Labor Day!

Sometimes I forget that today is more than just a long weekend, end of summer, beginning of NFL... If you like having a day off, thank a union. That's how this holiday got started.

Listen to more songs about labor here!

Alice in Wonderland

A few of my Alice in Wonderland books on display

And my new discovery -- Emily Martin does it again!

Inside the Black Apple is Miss Martin's creative blog full of inspiration and artistic endeavors. We share a lot of the same passions and have a remarkably similar appreciation for the quirky. She's capable of turning those passions into works of art. I, in turn, am here to love her art.

Here's one of my favorites from the Alice in Wonderland series!
Check out her blog and her shop for a trip through her wonderland.

Creativity Abounds.

Saving for my next big road trip!

I had to have 'em.

I adore these wedding invitations.

The Perfect Finish

After 16 days of travel, my impromptu trip to the lake was perfect. Not only is it, "on the list," but I got to really soak up some quality time with my pal Lorri. I'm really thankful I got to share the weekend with her and her family at their lake cabin.

coffee on the dock, just me and the ducks

cloud watching

croquet playing

relaxing in the hammock

S'mores!

Sunset. Ahhhh...

Now loving...

watching all ten seasons of Seinfeld

birthday cake ice cream

my Let it Be necklace from at Patina

Special thanks to Sara and Carrie for getting me hooked!

Luxury Modal Cotton Jersey Knit Sheets from Walmart
I love these so much I never want to leave my bed.

Who can turn the world on with her smile?

Mary Tyler Moore outside Macy's in Downtown Minneapolis

I love this iconic lady. She's right up there with Lucille Ball in sitcom history. First the beloved Dick Van Dyke show and later a show with her own name. She's the inspiration to every apartment dwelling, single, career girl with an eye for fashion. Whenever I start to feel a little low, I just remember... You're gonna make it after all!

Dear friends...

I am in love with this idea!

Type a message to a friend, family member, pet, politician, or lover, and email it to snailmailmyemail@gmail.com. Then sit back and relax while your email is handwritten, sent out, and delivered to the recipient of your choosing, completely free of charge!

Snail Mail My Email is a month-long (July 15 - August 15), interactive community art project which seeks to both share the warm-fuzzy feeling of receiving a personalized letter as well as inspire people to send their own snail mail. Anyone with internet access can partake by simply sending an email, after which the very same message will be handwritten and physically mailed to the chosen recipient anywhere in the world, completely free of charge.

Like a Candy Store!

Legoland, Mall of America

Minneapolis, MN

Delicious!

The Rumors are True

I've been hearing about this place for ages and finally had an opportunity to try it out. I'm not going to lie, the Dante's Inferno English teacher part of me really enjoyed the trip to hell.

Pretty sure my lemon pancake tasted like a little bit of heaven, not a fresh piece of hell.

More menu humor -- I like good coffee too!

Artwork by Ralph Steadman, of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson fame.

Eating my Way through the Summer...

The best part of traveling is discovering new restaurants. Recently my pal Julie and I were in St. Paul and we followed up a recommendation from Rebecca who has her finger on the pulse of all things gluten free and good to eat in the Twin Cities. Neither Julie, nor I required the GF menu but that didn't stop us from enjoying Pizza Luce!


I love a good pizza and they had a wide variety of deliciousness to choose from. I got the Pizza Athena -- fresh spinach, tomato, feta cheese, Kalamata olives, Greek oregano, artichoke hearts, red onions, with toasted garlic and light mozzarella on Bianca sauce. I'd highly recommend it!

Even their menu had a sense of humor. I love that in a menu.

Tool-Time

I was just reading Design*Sponge and was reminded of my incompetence when comes to your average DIY home improvement project. I have decided it's because I don't have the proper tools.

I am frequently attempting to do something like hang a shelf or assemble a TV stand or an oscillating fan and if there's a witness to the madness I usually hear an incredulous cry, "You don't have a level? Who doesn't have a level? Where's your pliers? What? You don't have a pliers." Sigh. So, I think those may be the first things on my list of purchases. However, based on the Design*Sponge recommended tools I do have a surprising number of them. Just never the ones I need. And as it turns out, the "stud finder" I bought is pretty useless.