A backyard brawl, you say?

Sort of. In one corner, the stuff my yard is currently made of: dead leaves, stones, withered remains of plants, trash from upstairs upstairs neighbor….

*Disclaimer: This is not actually my yard because it is too dark for picture-taking right now. But please imagine this, only five times more depressing, minus the green, add walls on all sides, and take away the sun.

The challenger: backyard of my dreams. Although equally matched in size and amount of sunlight, the challenger’s whimsical and dream-like qualities (not to mention its cute birdie details) just might win over the crowd! Try to envision the dark wood mulch, strategically placed stepping-stones, a hopeful bottle of bubbles and hula-hoop in the corner, some free/remarkably cheap and refurbished furniture, shade plants, and (dare I dream) a climbing vine?!

Yes. You heard it here first. This will be the fight of the century. Who shall reign victorious? Stay tuned…probably way tuned because of work and school…to find out!

In the mean time, here are a few accents I hope to incorporate into my dreamy outdoor space…

Bird chimes

Stepping stones and foliage

And some sort of delicate yet awesome chairs with cushions/a table to match.

Cookbook Dreams…

I don’t know if you know this about me (whomever you happen to be, I have yet to find out), but I am infatuated with all that is domestic. I love Martha Stewart. She manages to put things together in what seems like one effortless swoop, and voila, perfection. It is safe to say that Williams-Sonoma is one of my favorite places to peruse for inspiration. Things there tend to be a little too expensive for me to justify buying (did I mention that I don’t actually cook; I just like the idea of it), but every once in a while I find something cute and worthy of my hard earned money.

For instance, one time I bought this awesome sandwich cutter. Look at how fantastic sandwiches can be when you cut them with Williams-Sonoma products…

ps-The bread shaped sandwich holder was included!

So I’ve been really starting to think about cooking. For real. I’m not getting all of my daily vitamins and minerals from cereal and applesauce, even though I love them. And taking a daily vitamin is not something I will ever in my life remember to do. Thus, I am forced to begin to make things for myself. In order to do this, there are two things I’m going to need:

1) A wooden spoon. Everything is so much more appealing when stirred with a wooden spoon.

2) This cookbook:

When I get this cookbook, I imagine my life will go something like this…

….I will walk the ten blocks to Reading Terminal and purchase ingredients, then walk ten blocks back. Then I will be hungry and make food…

Great right? I think it sounds marvelous. Also, I’m on the lookout for a cute bike with the possibility of a basket attached. Should I find said bike, I will be replacing the walking with biking. Even better.

I find this romantic

Unshoed feet have little to no influence on society.

I bought these today. I think I shall love wearing them.

I can’t stop!

Can’t stop loving this song, that is.  Nor can I help but love the man singing it…so beautiful.

Pretty…

Mon petit lapin…

I saw a movie recently called An Education. I am enamored. It        was…beautiful, captivating, wistful, and real in a way that seemed unbelievable.

Much like the main character, I am having a french obsession.  Maybe it’s the lack of romance in my life…but something about the culture, the language, the flea markets, the everything is calling my name, and I am dying to answer. I now have a reason to save my money.

A Sunday kind of love.

Etta James said it best when she proclaimed that she was looking for “a love to last past Saturday night.” On Sunday, February 21, I discovered that I had been staring my Sunday kind of love right in the face for so long now:  my best friends, Ashley and Michelle.  Etta never said that Sunday loves had to be of the romantic type. Week after week, these beautiful women make my life. They hold my hand through the tough times, listen to endless complaints, don’t care when I’m beating a dead horse, and, most importantly, they laugh with me. Last night was no exception. What I thought was supposed to be a simple dinner turned out to be a surprise love fest. They spent the day grocery shopping and planning a beautiful evening for me equipped with a pumpernickel bread bowl, spinach dip, amazing cheese, a beautiful salad, perfectly cooked spaghetti, dinosaur gummies, fireballs, candy buttons, pixie sticks, and lovely yellow tulips. It was a feast. I felt so special, so loved, so happy.

<3

Good day, Sir!

I know what you’re thinking, and yes, this is a very distinguished looking moustache for a cat.  But if any cat can pull off this level of sophistication, that cat is J. Alfred Prufrock.  And since you were wondering, indeed, he is quite the ladies’ man!

Coveted

I am in love love love with this ring.  I shall one day have one of my very own!

Buy one!