Beard season, come soon!

Number one reason why I cannot wait for beard season:

Jason turns into a handsome lumberjack!

Willie and Humphrey the Naughty.

I just had to post this naughtiness/cuteness. 
It's already a loooooong week.

(You might be asking yourself..."Is that Humphrey sitting in Connie's new succulents?"

Why yes it is.  What disrespectful kittens I have!)

Productive weekend.

Jason and I had quite a productive weekend.
We went thrifting at this new thrift store in town, where I found two vintage brooches and my first bakelite bracelet!  Only $9 for all three items.
The bakelite bracelet that I found is priced in between $200 and $300, and I got it for $3! 

Insanity, I tell you!

 

Jason also released his new album, Sunburned Sceptics this weekend! 

El-tin fun had a huge release party at Mickey's Tavern, and I even managed to stay up past 9PM.

Congratulations to my one and only, and our dear friend Tom on their release!

The unknown.

Hello, dear friends.
Autumn is about to show us her true colors, but in the meantime she has given us a lovely preview.
Life has been busy with school in full swing, and student teaching as well.
I often wonder what my life will be like by next autumn?
Will I land a job right away?  Will I still live in Madison?

The unknown can be exciting, don't you think?

 

 

News cats.

Remember that one time my cats were featured in one of the Madison newspapers? 
Oh yeah, me too.
...All because of this video:

Check out the article here!

In the kitchen

Oh hey.  Things are happening in Madison, WI.
Night long meetings and creative times 24/7.
More to come.

Ground Inspiration -- Autumn 2010

Inspiring things that come from the ground.
Autumn 2010

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Omaha?...more like Oma-hot!!!

Liz, Jason, and I made it back from Nebraska in one piece...and I even attended both of my night classes  (thanks to Skype.)  Win/Win.

We all had tons of fun at the festival, and I really enjoyed all of the bands we played with (which is rare for a musician.  Usually there is at least one person who is not your cup of tea.)  and all of the people we were able to meet.
Christopher even invited us to next year's Nebraska Pop Festival, which I'm already pumped for!

If anyone is in Omaha, NE this weekend, please be sure to hit up the remainder of the festival! 

You won't regret it!

Silkscreening gone bad.

Once upon a time...
...In the land of crafts, a young maiden thought it would be a good idea to silkscreen by herself.  She also thought it would be a good idea to use red ink for said silkscreening.

After kneeling on the silkscreen to add pressure, her toes and back assured her that this was infact, a horrible idea.
While she was cleaning her silkscreen, her bathtub also let her know that this was a horrible idea, as it rapidly changed from white to red in two seconds.
The young maiden had to spend the rest of her night scrubbing the bathtub (which totally sucked,) but it was also kind of funny, in an "I am such a freaking idiot..." kind of way.
The end.

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Getting ready to rock.

Tomorrow Jason, our friend Liz, and I leave for Omaha, where I'll be playing the opening night of the Nebraska Pop Festival.
I feel like I really have to bring in the noise and bring in the funk, considering that I am the only Wisconsinite playing.
So in between working, class, studying, and packing...I've been making some handmade goodies for the festival.

Here's a sneak preview!
See you there!

No Shampoo...1 Month.

About a month ago I started the No Poo process, when I stopped using shampoo and used baking soda and apple cider vinegar to wash my hair instead.  My hair was in a greasy, in-between state for almost 3 weeks, which as an educator and role model...is just not okay in my book.
Finally after:

• getting so frustrated with that fact that I could not run my fingers through my hair even an inch without my fingers getting stuck in a disgusting greasy knot.  
• Getting a really dry scalp.

I gave up.

I made my way over to the Willy Street Co-op (a few blocks from my home in Madison.) to look for a natural shampoo that would work for me.  I didn't care how expensive it was (within reason), as long as it:

1. Was not harmful to the environment.
2. Allowed me to run my fingers through my hair again.  (to think, I used to take this for granted!

Since then I've been using Vanilla Mint: Everyday Shea Moisturizing Shampoo which has been like a dream come true.  It's not insanely expensive at the Co-op, and lasts forever; although I don't use it everyday like it suggests (the one good thing that I got out of the no-poo process)

I am not dissing the No Poo movement at all, nor will I ever.  It just didn't work for me, which I'm sad about, but it did bring me to a natural shampoo that I love (and my hair does too!)

Win!

New yarn swoon.

Could there possibly be anything as delectable as brand new, luscious yarn?
A good yarn can make your mouth water, your fingertips tingle, and your heart beat.
I'm swooning!

Things happen.

The house I grew up in wasn't very large or fancy.  Sometimes I was embarrassed to bring friends over to my home, but sometimes I chose to stay home instead of going to parties with my friends, simply because I enjoyed my space.  I guess you could call it a love/hate relationship.

My sister, Jen, called me this morning to tell me that while my mother was visiting me in Madison for a week, a water main had broken in our childhood home, destroying most of our house.
Jen and I don't live there anymore (she lives in Philly and I live in Wisconsin) and as crazy as my mother can make us, we still want to know that she is safe and comfortable in Pennsylvania.  Luckily everything was insured so it will all be replaced, but the bad news is that we've lost pieces of our family history.
Family photo's, baby pictures, heirloom furniture... Things that can't be replaced.
It certainly is a tragedy, and I feel horribly that I can't go back to Pennsylvania to help, but it could have been worse.  I feel like it might be a blessing in disguise.



"While we might say, 'I love my house' or 'I have strong feelings of affection for this place,' we cannot say, 'I have compassion' for these things.  Having no feelings themselves, we cannot empathize with objects.  We cannot, therefore, speak of having compassion for them. " -- The Dalai Lama

Flashback Fridays -- People you can't forget.

There are many people I will never forget, simply because you could NEVER forget them if you even tried to...like Burkett Wakefield Fleming.
Burkett was a true gent who lived almost directly below me in college.  He spoke in a fake British accent, dressed like Sherlock Holmes every single day  (expect for laundry day, when he wore a t-shirt.), and often invited me (and the girls who lived on my floor) down for tea.  I loved Burkie Baby, and I miss the way he used to make me laugh without trying.  Really and truly.

College wasn't the same after he graduated...Mansfield University just wasn't Mansfield without his death stare and booming laugh ...similar to this one:

What a man.






Join in the fun!

Summer House Shows 2010

I just realized that I have neglected to write about the house shows that have gone on here throughout the summer.  They've all been full of love, food, and music, and I honestly couldn't have asked for better turn outs/new friends.


The House that Willi Built Presents....
Summer House Shows 2010

June House Show

Billy Mack Collector

July House Show

New South Bear

August House Show

We Are The Willows

September House Show

Longsleeves & Chris Darby