When we had babies...

Awwwwww. So precious and sweet and pink! 

The Muppets!

Because they are so funny, and because they are so cute, and because they celebrate weirdness and whimsy, and because they remind me of my big brother...

Garden Party

I am stealing this lot of pictures from another blog, but it is just so darn happy...! This was one couple's wedding. Ah, if I had it to do over again...  :)

There's something about Cake Plates!

I have unwittingly started a collection of cake plates- I have 6, to be exact.  And every time I see another, I want to bring it home and add it to the lot.  Instead of doing that- I thought I'd just show a few pics of my favorites. That way, someone else can actually enjoy the real deal, and I can save what little space I have left in my cramped kitchen!

Baby blue with islet detailing- so sweet!

Classic domed plate, like from a diner

Milk glass collection (and those cakes look yummers too!)

Tall and strange and pretty

New Taylor Guitar

OK- so getting a new axe isn't exactly what makes my day, but hearing Matt break his in does! There are so many jams and sing alongs to be had on this lovely lady- she doesn't even know what she's in for!  :)

Sweet.

I believe this is from a community art page in Portland, Oregon

Bohemian Home

To me, an ideal home is full of happy things- things that tell stories.  I love the idea of each part of a home having history... the painting given as a wedding gift, shelves that were once part of an old barn, a table that was once Aunt Fifi's, the blanket purchased on the side of the highway in New Mexico.  The most boring homes are the ones where everything is picked out of the same catalogue, or furniture store, at once. Where's the fun in that?! My home now is far from my ideal, but these examples below show what I'm talking about in a big way!

Don't they all look like the homes of interesting people?!

Baby Rhino

I feel grumpy today. I couldn't think of anything that could put a smile on my face...except for this baby rhino.

My feet want these!

Now that I look at them again, I'm not sure it's my feet that want them (they prefer slippers:) But they are still so cute!

Beorn, the Vegetarian

I am a little late in life to be discovering the joys of fantasy literature- but I notice that every character I run into, even the most beloved (Hagrid and Bilbo, for example) are BIG meat eaters. I was happily surprised then, when the character of Beorn appeared in The Hobbit.  He is strong and mighty, fiercely intimidating... and vegetarian. What's more than that, his animal companions are his nearest and dearest friends!

Triple Cuddle

Hogwarts Express

Going over the Glenfinnan viaduct, (with a bloody muggle in my shot!)

I took all of the other photos- but this professional one shows the train and the viaduct so perfectly I had to steal it!

"Described as one of the great railway journeys of the world this 84 mile round trip takes you past a list of impressive extremes. Starting near the highest mountain in Britain, Ben Nevis, it visits Britain's most westerly mainland railway station, Arisaig; passes close by the deepest freshwater loch in Britain, Loch Morar and the shortest river in Britain, River Morar, finally arriving next to the deepest seawater loch in Europe, Loch Nevis!"

http://www.westcoastrailways.co.uk/Jacobite.cfm

So Very Happy

This is one of my favorite pictures in the whole world. I took it last June. I stayed at the Grove Cottages in Priory Green (Suffolk, England) and snapped this shot while riding my bike into Boxford.  I don't know if a single place on this planet has ever made me happier than my little English cottage. And these bright blooms remind me!

Cornish Pasties

I LOVE pasties. I think, if it were possible, I'd eat one everyday! I have made them twice, but they didn't come out nearly as well as the ones I ate in the UK.  There, the shell is so buttery and flakey and the fillings are just the right consistency and bursting with flavor.  For me, they are an ultimate comfort food.

Take the Fish by the Horns

A few weeks ago, Matt and I dined at a Thai restaurant with a great salt water aquarium.  We saw the funniest bright yellow fish- and I remembered that my dad had one just like it years ago in his aquarium.  I described the fish to my dad and he told me that it is called a COW FISH. They are just one of the Earth's creatures that make me smile.  I wonder if they are taken very seriously by the other fish... (probably more so than the clown fish.. ba dum bum!)

Hanging out to dry

Urban or country- there is something so refreshing about clotheslines.  Better for the environment too!

Terrariums

I plan on making a terrarium to sit on my desk. I read somewhere that having live plants around you lifts your mood- and since I need a mood lift whenever I am working at my desk, I thought it would be the perfect place.  Unfortunately, I am terrible with plants- no matter how hard I try to tend to them, I end up killing them.  I am sure that the kitties constant nibbling and batting doesn't help either.  My solution? A sealed terrarium.  They are supposed to be idiot proof! Little to no maintenance once they are set up.  They create their own little ecosystem. And the glass barrier would keep the cats out!  I especially like the one with the little mushroom :)

Clawfoot tub

Oh! I hope that the next place I live has a big clawfoot tub to soak in,  You've got to feel happy soaking in one of these!

Baby Herring Gulls in Scotland

I met this family of Herring Gulls in Mallaig, Scotland

Watch the Mama Herring Gull spit up some grub for the babies... (I had to post the video at a lower quality- so its a little grainy. I've posted some still photos too so that you can see all the cute details on these babies!)

Berkley Illustration

Love these prints! For our first anniversary, Matt and I decided to gift each other something made of paper (based on the tradition...).  Matthew got me Mr. Sea Otter (which is now proudly hanging in our living room).  You can check him out from the link below.  Mr. Crow and Mr. Meerkat are fabulous too! The prints are fun and silly and whimsical- and super affordable!

You can buy them from Etsy: 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/berkleyillustration?ref=seller_info

Old Timer

Matt and I met this tortoise at Milano Winery in Hopland.  He had a couple of tortoise friends with him (and a couple of rooster, geese and goat friends too!).  He was very curious and friendly, though I suspect his interest in us was because he hoped we'd give him a treat.

Lavender

I want to lay down in this forest and take a little nap in the lavender! It's one of my favorite smells....