One Year Ago

My father died one year ago today. I have missed him every day since. Some hurts never heal.

(My tribute from last year.)

Photo by Realyn 1.

30-pound cat

Ok, maybe he doesn't weight quite 30 pounds, but Shoes is now officially as wide as he is tall. I think he's responding to the stress of the move by eating. (I am too.)

We're still working our way through stacks of boxes on the porch. And my husband and I are having an intense debate: He says we should go to Best Buy to get a new stove; I say we should buy a Wedgewood on Craigs List. Vintage stoves are so charming.

Until we get this settled, we're all living on take out!


(Pictures of Shoes when he only weighed 12 pounds.)
I'm dreading the lecture I'm going to get from the vet...

Dear Deer

I took this picture tonight on my way home from work. This young deer was out for a stroll a couple blocks away from our house. (It's a little blurry on my iPhone!)

We moved to a community on the edge of the Angeles National Forest. It's pretty common here to see deer, coyotes and black bears (!) walking down the street. A few years back, the town had to form a special squad to deal with all the bears coming down from the mountain late at night to swim in backyard pools and eat oranges and avocados.

Our neighbors warned us to keep our pets in after dark. I feel like I'm living in the wilderness!

Matchbook Magazine, May Issue

The new issue of Matchbook Magazine is out today. As you guys know I LOVE this magazine...but I'm especially excited this month because I'm included as one of the featured bloggers. We were asked: What would you bring to a potluck?
Visit the magazine here!

PS: We're finally done moving...Now comes the hard part: unpacking the boxes.

Almost....

We're almost finished moving -- now putting favorite things in suitcases instead of boxes. I wish I remembered where I packed my handcream!!

Hope you're having a lovely weekend!

xo

Victorian Die Cuts

I love Victorian die cuts, of course. But these are just so good....Look at the guy in the wild hat!! Wow...

This little collection was put together by Ginny Branch Stelling, of the blog My Favorite Color is Shiny.

Gracia & Louise

The collage creations of Gracia Haby and Louise Jennison...






The two artists from Melbourne are the publishers of zines and books,
spotlighting their compositions of curious and colorful things.
Their art is the visual equivalent of marzipan.

LOVE!!!

(Even more on Gracia & Louise's Flickr page.)

What I'm reading....

I just started "The Man Who Invented the Computer," by Jane Smiley (yes, that Jane!).
It's fascinating so far.

I'm such a computer geek. Of all the profiles I've written, one of my favorites is about Michael Heilemann, who created WordPress' Kubrick theme. I love the backstory of the Internet.


What are you reading this week?

Wuthering Heights -- A Family Tree...

Although I know from previous comments that some you absolutely hated Wuthering Heights, I wanted to post this illustration by Lizzy Stewart. I think it's so charming and I love how Catherine is in sepia.

Have a lovely Monday, everyone!

Keys to the Castle! (Rather, the little house)

We're out of escrow! We just got the keys to the little house. The books are all packed and we're ready to go. I'm taking the camera over today to get pictures for you. I need lots of advice on how to turn this very plain (but cute) house into a really lovely cottage...

More later!

(Illustration by Mellanie C.)