Friday Favorites

This week has gone by in a blur. Think that is how the last week before returning to work from a break always goes, extremely fast. Here are a few of my favorites from this week.

FAVORITE SHOPPING EXPERIENCE
Even though ReBlossom has been in business for a while, I just became acquainted with it when it moved locations and is now right down the road from my house. I am a huge fan of used kids clothing. It does not make much sense to buy something new for a child who is designed to get dirty and grow as fast as a weed. I am even a bigger fan of classy used clothing stores. I love not having to sift through ragged clothes to find the one diamond in the rough. ReBlossom has an excellent selection of clothing that does not look like it has ever been worn. I have a good system of selling clothes and getting new-to-us clothes with my store credit. So, basically, I plan to use ReBlossom simply as a clothing exchange. Good stuff.

FAVORITE CRAIGSLIST FIND

I have been scouring Craigslist for new furniture. I love the game of Craigslist. I like wheeling and dealing. I put our couch on Craigslist on Monday. I received over 30 inquiries within three hours of posting the ad. I was shocked. Our couch was nice, but not amazing. I received a number of emails with very personal stories and begging for the couch. At the end of the day we sold the couch to a man for $25 more than we advertised, since we had so much interest. The man drove over an hour to get the couch. When he saw it he said, "Oh, I thought it was micro fiber and cleaner." He still took the couch, so all was well, but I keep wondering if he was satisfied. 

I wonder how many inquiries have been made about this one-of-a-kind jewel. I like to think of it as usable art. The ad adds some richness to the whole situation. The seller really believes in this chair and has a vision for it, so much that he is charging $200. 

"I made this chair myself out of a shopping cart. Cushions would make a nice touch but they really aren't necessary; it's really comfortable as is. The edges have been smoothed where I cut, so there are no sharp edges. Unique, funky, and comfy! A conversation piece and a sturdy piece of furniture for your porch (or wherever else you want it to go). " 

FAVORITE TUBE

I stumbled onto one of Amaka's YouTube videos when I was researching the easiest way to make skirts for Lucy. I completely abandoned my research after watching a minute of Amaka. I became engrossed in her YouTube station. Why is she not a sensation? She has so many quotable lines and her banter is hysterical. I also love her choice of DIY projects. YouTube is made for folks like Amaka. Or, is it that folks like Amaka are made for YouTube? Either way, I am hooked. 

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Happy Weekend!

Thought-Provoking Thursday :)

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Something I have learned about myself recently is that I am a big fan of communication history. It fascinates me, really. I love the story of Thomas Edison dictating what would be said when the phone was answered. Did you know that someone wanted "Ahoy!" to be the phone greeting? What would it be like if we answered the phone by saying, "Who is this?" I am amazed that Thomas Edison's rule stuck and the general population to this day uses the phone how he requested.

Another communication break-through that I love is the emoticon. A couple of years ago my friend shared with me the email that established the emoticon.  I love that Scott Fahlman decided the emoticon was necessary because too many folks were not understanding email humor. Some of the articles I have read lead me to believe that the miscommunicated humor was a real issue in Scott Fahlman's world. Ironically, he does not seem too funny to me. Maybe the articles I have read need to insert some smiley faces.

Here is the famous email.

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One of the most interesting aspects of the emoticon history is the controversy surrounding it. On his website Scott Falhman argues that he independently created the emoticon, despite the fact that variations of emoticons were used centuries before the Internet. The emoticon definitely put Scott Falhman on the map. I was hoping he would list his communication breakthrough on his CV, but unfortunately there is no mention of the emoticon, not even under his "Career Highlights" section. Maybe he could have done his CV section title as "Career Highlights:)" and that would be enough said right there.

With the surge in technology that we have had over the past 20 years, it's crazy to think about all the communication terms and etiquette that have been invented.

And So it Begins

Today was the first day both Grayson and Lucy showed signs of irritability towards one another. It was the kind of irritability that only occurs between siblings. I wanted to live in a land of make-believe where both Lucy and Grayson would always adore each other, but I knew one day their reciprocal infatuation would give way to annoyance. I still hope that they will be good friends as they grow older, despite the times of driving each other mad. This morning Grayson decided he wanted to pretend that he was going to bite Lucy's face. Grayson very methodically opened his mouth, leaned slowly towards Lucy's face, and when he was within millimeters of biting her, Grayson puckered his lips and gave Lucy multiple kisses. The look of terror on Lucy's face as Grayson moved toward her with his jaw wide open, and then Lucy's confusion when she got kisses instead of a bite only encouraged Grayson to repeat his trick over and over. Eventually the terror and confusion wore off and Lucy got mad. As self-defense, Lucy started batting at Grayson's face every time he leaned in towards her. I probably could have stopped this interchange sooner, but I was intrigued. It was like watching wildlife. Later, both Grayson and Lucy were sitting in my lap. Out of excitement Lucy swung her arms and accidently scratched Grayson's face. Grayson took the scratch personally and you would have thought by the way he reacted that Lucy had just taken a machete to Grayson's face. When Grayson was able to gather his composure he asked that we put Lucy on the floor. I think both Grayson and Lucy have taken off their rose-colored glasses and are entering the world of sibling relationships.

30 Seconds of Expression With Lu

Lucy is starting to come out of the newborn fog and wake up a little. I am not exactly sure what her personality will be like, but I do know she will be different from Grayson. It took Grayson forever to start smiling. Not because he does not have a happy personality, but more because he is a very observant old soul. I am not sure Grayson had time to smile as a newborn; he was too busy computing the world. I think Lucy may be our free spirit with a hint of sass.

Here are some photos within a span of 30 seconds taken with my iPhone.

I Want the Pits

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I have less than a week left of maternity leave and we are about to close on the Artist Bungalow. This is kind of chaotic timing. I am trying to strategize packing and the decor for the Artist Bungalow before returning to work next week. Strategizing basically means I have been browsing Pinterest, IKEA, and various design websites. Very productive, yes. I have yet to put anything into a box. I actually don't have any boxes yet; if only looking around the Internet would produce packed and labeled boxes.

In one of my searches I came across an article about conversation pits. Growing up, my friend's house had a conversation pit. Even though as a child I did not fully understand the concept of retro, I knew her house was a throw-back. It was so fun, yet bizarre, to walk along the top of the couch. I always wondered if anyone ever accidently fell into the pit. My friend's brother was a sleep-walker. For this reason I believed the pit was a major liability, and I was shocked by how indifferent my friend's parents felt about the subject. Liabilities aside, I do find conversation pits endearing. I doubt I will ever have one, but I would love to go to a house with a cozy conversation pit. For some reason I feel like conversation pits are probably only found in Southern California or South Florida these days. I secretly hope the pits make a comeback.

What are your thoughts about conversation pits? Doesn't this one look so comfy?

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Boy Meets World

The world is convinced that Lucy is a boy. Everyday I receive compliments about "what a handsome little boy" I have. I am not offended by this. It's hard to distinguish whether babies are boys or girls. I am just really baffled. I have never had a stranger tell me that Lucy is a pretty little girl. Yesterday I engaged in a conversation for a few minutes with two women gawking over how "handsome and adorable he is!" I was surprised by the error because Lucy was dressed in a onesie with small purple hearts printing on it, with detailing on the collar (The Gap knows how to jazz up a simple onesie with elegant collar detailing). I was barely able to concentrate on the conversation with the gals because I was trying so hard to figure out what it is about Lucy that make everyone think she is a boy. I never correct incorrect pronoun choice because I figure there is no point and I am not really sure how to correct something like that without making things awkward. Well, in this scenario I probably should have corrected the gawking gals because it go real awkward real fast when I was asked what his name was. I should have said, "Her name is Lucy." Instead I just simply said, "Lucy." The gawking gals froze. I could tell they were trying to process what I had said. I watched the thoughts fly through their mind. Did she really name her son Lucy? Then things because to click for one of the gals and she hesitantly asked, "Oh, is this a girl?" My reply was the simple reply I give everyone after they realize that Lucy is not a boy, "Yes, she is a girl." The immediate response to learning that Lucy is in fact a girl is oddly always the same, "Oh, I just didn't see any pink." 

For a while I thought the brown cardigan was throwing folks off, but the cardigan is brown - that is not a "boy color" in my mind - and the cardigan has puffy sleeves. 

So many times folks compliment Grayson on having a "cute little brother."

Furniture Finds

I have been MIA for the past couple of days. The days quickly slip past me, especially since I am coming to the end of my maternity leave. Also, anytime the weather is as nice (and so strange... 75 and sunny in February?) it's hard to stay inside long enough to post something.

Yesterday John and I officially put in an offer on the little "Artist Bungalow" around the corner from us. I am still shocked that I am in the stage of life where "putting an offer on a house" if part of my dialogue. If everything goes through with the Artist Bungalow it will be very exciting. I am happy that our first home will be one that is small and creative. Our goal is to always stay small. I never want to have a house that I am forced to buy more furniture in order to fill it.

Since the Artist Bungalow is on the smaller size, we have to be very deliberate with our furniture and decor. This is a fun challenge. Today I bought a fun couch. We found it on Craigslist. Since John was at work Lucy and I had to go alone. I know, I know, never go on Craigslist ads alone. I was somewhat freakish about planning my escape if the seller turned out to be a wacko. I spoke with the dude who was selling the couch yesterday on the phone, and I made sure to make some small talk so I could find out more background information, just in case John needed to report things to the police. Even while I was looking at the couch I kept prodding for more information. Now I know where dude graduated from, where he works, and that he is having a hard time maintaining his saltwater fish tank. The fish tank conversation was more out of curiosity, but who knows, maybe it could be useful information. As I was gathering some hard facts I realized that if homeboy decided to kill me it would all be useless, given the fact that I would be dead. In the end, though, the seller turned out to be a stand-up guy who has unfortunately accumulated too many couches to fit in his townhouse. He's a banker, but not super attached to money. I talked him down to $65 for this comfy couch.

Now all we need is to move into the Artist Bungalow.

The lighter marks are actually stripe designs. I am guessing this gem was designed in the very early 80s.