happy turkey day...

had a good one.
too much food, an excellent blueberry pie i actually managed to have great success with, good coffee, lovely family and even a friend, in the form of anna, 'last of the mohicans' on our big screen, and lots of laughing and joking. it was decidedly a humorous thanksgiving. everyone was a bit off the wall.

off to bed, toasty warm. think i will count my blessings instead of sheep...

-papermoon

26. sisters!

the twenty-sixth thing i am thankful for: my sisters, specifically my littlest one today.

i have never been so tired...but i couldn't be more pleased, since the reason for my exhaustion is simply that maggie and i were up all night long having a chatty sleepover.

people at the age of eleven-in-six-days years are highly wise and endless entertaining. i would post her picture, but i would rather not put her lovely identity at the mercy of the internet. in a few days i will post pictures of her amazing birthday presents, made by yours truly...

nice to be home.

-papermoon

25. michael landon does it again...

i just couldn't hold back from posting, since i finally watched it: the end of walnut grove.



i can honestly say i am soaked in tears right now, and that i was audibly bawling in bed at 1 am over a fake town full of people who are not real...feeling like i was at the funeral of a whole family of my dearest friends.

these made-for-tv-movies that ended it all were not at all what i expected.
firstly, they were set up like episodes, and i was expecting something along the lines of the premiere/pilot movie, which felt a lot like a feature length film in its pacing. these were just as back and forth as the usual episodes, despite being two hours long.
secondly, the whole stock of 'old' characters (mary, adam, nellie, even harriet olson) didn't show... which was sort of a letdown. although more realistic, i suppose.
and thirdly... they were, on an average, DEVASTATING. now, i often cry during even the happiest of episodes, since i am a sentimental old sap, but these were legitimate weepers. along the lines of 'i'll be waving as you drive away', 'a child with no name','may we make them proud' style sad.

well... off to sniffle my way to sleep, hopefully to dream about my 'friends' on tv. when you dream yourself into a tv show, should you worry about yourself?


-papermoon

24. sewing machines

the twenty-fourth thing i am thankful for: sewing machines.

which is directly a result of the fact that i spent about 10 hours hand-sewing today. dang, those pioneers must have had patience by the bucket load.

off to pack for my holidays! flight tomorrow morning!

-papermoon

22./23. breakfast/coffee

the twenty-second/third things i am thankful for: breakfast and coffee.

when i wake up, i am starving in my larving*. i need caffeine or my head will explode.
today i didn't get breakfast until NOON.

in any case, it rightly recovered me from a hellish state, and i am thankful.

-papermoon





*i recognize this is not a real phrase. my sister made it up as a tiny child, and it never left my jargon. apologies.

21. things that smell good

the twentieth thing i am thankful for: things that smell good.

anyone who knows me at all knows that i am a freak about the way things smell. i love to pull apart what goes into something to make it smell the way it does. the obvious way that this plays out is in my overwhelming love-addiction to perfume. however, there are too many ways to count that involve smell in my day.

i thought i would celebrate this point of thanks by sharing something with you all that thoroughly enhances my life: my homemade fabric softener!


i have always hated fabric softener, at least in the form of bounce sheets, because of the sort of grimy smoothness that they led my clothes to take on. plus, they always smell super chemically to me--even the unscented type. not to mention how much that perfumed gunk stuck to my hands, interfering with any food i ate afterwards. so for a few years i went without fabric softener at all, content to think my clothes were very clean, even if they retained a bit of static.

my current laundry room, however, is a very industrial outfit--think big, searingly hot dryers with lots of extreme tumbling. my winter wear was giving me an electric shock. i did a bit of googling and came up with the general recipe for homemade fabric softeners, modified it to fit my preferences, and my life is BETTER! my clothes smell AMAZING and they are baby soft.

my recipe:
1/4 jar full of water
small squirt of hair conditioner (i used frederic fekkai protein RX... chichi, I know)
tsp or so of white vinegar
3 vigorous sprays of my perfume of choice
extreme-spraying-a-length-until-satisfied of my preferred linen spray--Commonwealth Gardens' Egyptian Cotton. in actuality, i am just thankful for this spray. i use it in my hair, on my bed, on my clothes, as body spray, on my notepaper, on my knitting, as air freshener, in my closet, in my shoes... i would drink it if i could. more on this later. i digress.

once i have all of that in the jar, i throw in the sponges. i just cut up a regular kitchen sponge (a new one obviously--gross!) into three parts and then shoved them in the jar to soak everything up. i leave said jar in the closet with my detergent, and when i do my laundry i just squeeze the sponges out a bit until they are damp-not-drippy, and throw them in with the load to bounce around and magically transform my clothes into an olfactory artwork. then i shove them back in the jar til next time!

as a side note, the liquid turns a delightful light blue, which worried me at first, thinking as i did that my clothes would stain blue. however, now i really enjoy this, because they don't turn blue, and the color is lovely!

enjoy your day--sniff the air---

--papermoon

20. Christmas as an excuse.

the twentieth thing i am thankful for: Christmas as an excuse... for crafting, letting a little extra pocket change go, eating/baking sweets, wearing lots of red... etc.

for the record, i am one of those people always complaining about how Christmas seems to come earlier and earlier every year, usually riding on the coattails of Halloween. i may grumble a lot, but lately i have been humming silent night at my sewing machine.

i'm so sad that i haven't been able to post about any of my recent crafts... peeking readers would know about their gifts! thus, the posting has been a bit boring. oh well!

-papermoon

19. my dad

the nineteenth thing i am thankful for: my dad.

i should be listing all the sweet reasons i am thankful for him, but to be frank i am really thankful for him for selfish reasons, today.

firstly, he let me use his amazon benefits to get free two day shipping on the three made-for-tv-movies that ended little house on the prairie. i thought i was going to have a heart attack when the last episode of season nine turned out not to be the culmination.

secondly, he made me laugh, when he sent me this hilarious e-mail making fun of my addiction.

LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP WHO CAN TELL WHEN ONES MIND GOES LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP WHO CAN TELL WHEN ONES MIND GOES LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP WHO CAN TELL WHEN ONES MIND GOES LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP WHO CAN TELL WHEN ONES MIND GOES LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP LHOP

my dad is hilarious.

-papermoon

18. not being an art student anymore

the eighteenth thing i am thankful for: not being an art student anymore.

there are many reasons.
one occurred to me today when i hopped into the MCA to see the new Jenny Holzer exhibit. I really hated it, and it was very refreshing to be able to hate it and not have to go on for ages telling anyone why, or--even worse-- pretend that i liked it. or pretend at the very least that i respected it. now i really don't have to do that. i can just like things, or not like them... and defend my view if i feel like it. how lovely.

another nice thing about not being an art student is that i can make things, but i don't have to 'make work' anymore. it has been really interesting to see that i have much more patience and enthusiasm for domestic crafts than i ever did for any of my installation pieces. plus, i feel sure of my intentions...which i didn't have the pleasure of feeling all the time when i was working in the psuedo 'art world'. this isn't to say i won't go back to making 'work' ever again...but it's nice to feel like i will do that when it is truly coming out of a creative desire.

-papermoon

17. brunch

the seventeenth thing i am thankful for: brunch. (and becca.)

since i am back on track with making sure to cram my day full of activity, to avoid moping behavior, i had the brilliant thought to contact a dear 'art buddy' who always makes a delightful brunching partner. we chatted about all the various subjects and it was quite lovely.

plus, i got to hit up a spot i have been waiting to try for years: orange, on belmont and clark. i had the 'jelly donut pancakes' purely because of the fun name, and they were decadent and gratifying. we stuck it out for almost 2 hours! very nice. the coffee was good, and it tasted like oranges. it took me a while to notice. and i didn't even make the 'orange' connection until right about now. haha. how funny. we both had excellent fresh squeezed juice (i had apple/carrot/ginger) and i got some bacon! i love bacon. i can't believe i used to hate it.

now i'm in my old college coffee shop, catching up on various internet duties and drinking an almond italian soda. i got a lot of evanston errands done today, some involving holiday and birthday crafting materials...very exciting stuff. i look like i have set up a little nest here in the unicorn cafe, what with my enormous jacket and mutliple cloth bags and my ubiquitious eighteen layers of clothing in various places on the chairs.

i love being cozy on cold days.

-papermoon

16. vegetables and chocolate

the sixteenth thing i am grateful for: zucchini chocolate bread!!!!!!!

it's one of those non-sensical things. it tastes more like chocolate cake than chocolate cake does.

it's amazing... and you can rationalize very easily when you've seen how much green goes into it!

time for my fifth piece in the last hour...
-papermoon

15. my roomie

the fifteenth thing i am thankful for: my roomie
she looks like belle...

-papermoon

14. soup

the fourteenth thing i am thankful for: soup

i love soup. it's perfect.

-papermoon

13. misplaced patience

the thirteenth thing i am thankful for: my misplaced patience.


somehow, when i am doing something totally useless, i can do it FOREVER. my family knows the story. i can sit down, make a 'crayon masterpiece' (as my sister calls them) for about four hours, and then promptly stand up, lightheaded, and find that it's a totally stupid drawing of, for instance, a flower or a penguin or a person throwing up, and wonder where on earth the time went, and how i had the patience to sit around for so long.

today i got sucked into something that will undoubtedly turn out to be equally pointless. i decided, since i had some white flannel lying around, that i should make a flannel nightgown.


i really don't want to talk about it. and the office is on in an hour and the chicken i was going to eat is still frozen. good, good.

in any case, i am thankful. sometimes this kind of focus can come in handy...

sometimes.

-papermoon

mitten socks?

hello readership...

does anyone know a good set of instructions for turning socks into mittens? i could probably figure this out myself...but we're talking about some really nice wool socks here, so i don't want to screw up.

more later. don't worry, i am sure to be thankful for something at some point today. ;)

-papermoon

12. plums

the twelfth thing i am thankful for: plums

sometimes, making a plum tart/cake is really the only way to deal with a muddled mind. i couldn't decide what to make for dinner last night, and ended up eating two string cheese, scrambled eggs, and squash soup (alas, not homemade-- i caved and bought it at trader joes. i felt like i was cheating, but at least trader joe's is cheap?...) initially i thought that this was insufficient because the entire dinner was roughly the same color. in the end, however, i was basically unsatisfied because of an affliction that comes often in my life... I REALLY ONLY WANTED PIE.

unfortunately, i am not a baker at the level of pie-making.

so i made a variation on this lovely brown butter plum cake recipe, and ate some of it. it was very worth it, and i was thankful for my tendency to do stupid things like this.

plums are a favorite family fruit. i have fond memories of a period of obsession with them in my home, especially in the case of the oldest of my brothers. my parents are the reigning champions of getting the entire food pyramid on the table at dinner, and for years my task was to cut up plums, paper thin, and arrange them in intricate floral designs on two salad plates, one for each side of the table. (come to think of it, i might have only been asked to 'cut the plums', but i honestly had the impression that it was my duty to make the presentation beautiful. i will have to ask papa.)

i also recall a summer in which the same brother and i got really into the japanese version of iron chef--then the only one on tv--and took to a few contests between our less-than-iron selves. i know plums figured prominently. i guess i should be thanking my parents for my decadent, expensive fruit-filled childhood. (we also had ample supply of berries on hand at all times.)

vacations even involved plums. when my parents took the little brood of us out to explore the world, we were lucky enough to usually lunch one of two ways: 'picnic' (urban picnic?) style, or with candy bars. we would explore foreign grocery stores, almost uniformly buying the following: salami, cheese, hunks of bread, some kind of fruit, and candy, candy, candy. i promise, this is related to plums...i remember quite vividly eating a wildly delicious, bright yellow plum in germany.

for a while, starburst came out with some really nutso flavors, one of which was plum. it had a light purple wrapper. my middle brother would save them up and let us try them. he was a generous child. he probably doesn't even remember. (they were excellent, by the way... do they still make them?)

my dear roomie brought me a plum flavored candy... i blogged about that a while ago.

when i was still in college (how pretentious does that sound) and lived in the dorms, i would spoil myself rotten and buy all kinds of food for myself and eat dorm-cooked variations on real food, ignoring the fact that i had a meal plan with the cafeteria. one of my favorite concoctions in my sophomore year of college was the following salad: mixed greens topped with cottage cheese and a sliced plum, dressed with grey poupon country dijon. (i was kind of a brat at that point.) (it was, however, delicious, and probably worth it.)

surprisingly, even after this novel, i could go on. i have lots of plum memories. but i need to go to the farmer's market, and pursue a job (or at least some volunteer work), and do some even more important things, such as find out how my friends laura and almanzo are doing after a recent tragedy. maybe i will beam them a slice of my cake through the television.


later...

-papermoon

11. light

the eleventh thing i am thankful for: light.

i am so grateful that God decided to 'let there be light'.

without, we couldn't have reflections, shadows, mist, halos, glittering water... i mean, aside from the fact that we couldn't see anything, i am focusing this morning on how pretty He decided to make light and light effects. so that's what i am thankful for today.

off to lunch with 'art friends'. will crafty-post later!

-papermoon

this is a shout out to my cousin emma!

yup. i just did it. your reward for reading... :)

back, and soon to get back in the good habit

...the good habit of posting once a day, that is.

i had some good excuses lately, what with the election tensions and fretting, followed by the happy excuse of my lovely cousin's wedding this last weekend, in omaha. i have decided in the last year that i really like omaha a lot. and it goes without saying that i like my extended family a whole lot...and how great that my cousin's husband (crazy to say that word!) is now part of that group! hooray!


it was a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful and very fun wedding. and i returned to a very cold chicago--which was a perfect end, considering the fact that i quite enjoy winter weather.

my brother has been in and out of chicago with me the last few days, which has been a nice little blip of family. we went to the hopleaf last night, since he had no early morning engagements, and that was as good as always--as in very good. and it's always nice to have a brother about.

today i woke up late, and only because my mother called me. i am thankful for that--i think i might have slept until 4 pm without it. now i am endeavoring to organize my life, contemplating unpacking my suitcase, and realizing that time really flies.

in twenty days it will be thanksgiving. i'm trying to focus on what i am thankful for, instead of what blessings-in-disguise are still disguised for me. life really is good, even if i have been coming to the realization that it's very hard to be an adult. a lot of my favorite blogs have been discussing good ways to lead up to a thankful thanksgiving, and i have decided to take on the task by listing one thing i am thankful for--whether deep or seemingly trivial, no matter-- on each day of november leading up to thanksgiving.

today, i will ten, as i have missed out on a few november days previous!

1. toast
2. having multiple coats
3. the chicago card i found in the middle of the crosswalk--with money on it
   
4. my mac
5. maggie
6. michael
7. james
8. katie
9. paul
10. my landline, otherwise known as the direct line to mom

that's all for now. off to bundle up and see my brother off at his hotel!

-papermoon

metropolis coffee/pumpkin pie.

ok, i know that extremely recently i said noble tree was my favorite chicago coffee spot, but today i am almost reconsidering. i have been to metropolis before, but today, i like it more than i ever have. i think this slice of pumpkin pie is creating a powerful bias.


the bad coloring of this bad photo does not do it justice.. the pumpkin part is having an awesome effect on my brain: one bite: THANKSGIVING, two bite: CHRISTMAS, three bite: FIRST DAY OF FIFTH GRADE, etc. etc. it is an olfactory/taste trip down memory avenue. (like the way i avoid clichés? new clichés!) the crust is RIDICULOUS. it tastes like a glass of buttermilk. its crunchy and not greasy. it is terrible for me. i am so happy.

plus, i have been trying to detox because my coffee consumption is legitimately out of control, and i am thus trying out an AWESOME tea. it's ginger lime rooibos. i have already had two and a half cups of coffee today, so i guess i'm not really cutting down. but still. this tea is a start and it's gooood. now i am going to do a ton of excel work, while listening to fallish, girly, slightly-feeling-sorry-for-oneself folk music.

nice. very nice.

oh, and some nice people made me feel very good about myself this morning by writing me nice facebook comments. you give me more credit than deserved for fairness, but hey, i'll take it! :)

putting the election to bed.

a president is picked, a race is over, my all day skype fest is done. (cassie, sb, weekend anna all get a shout-out.) i even got my free voter's starbucks coffee... even though i don't like their coffee. i like free things, though.

i really felt like i got to go home today, and my family really helped what i thought would be a distressing day turn into one of my favorites so far since moving downtown. it was nice to eat dinner alone...with so many other people!


my scarf is really coming along.

tomorrow?

a slightly less early wake up time, yoga, noble tree and lots of research, and preparations for my brother's one day visit... not via cyberspace, but physically coming out here to chicago. excitement. and then i'll be off for a wedding break in omaha!

check in tomorrow, good talk today!

-papermoon

lipstick

so, i have started wearing lipstick as of yesterday. i own three colors, all of which look mildly awful on me...one is called "perfect port", one is bright red, and one is really off color melon. i am enjoying it, as it is really making me self conscious even though i blot a lot off every time. it's so odd that for so many decades all the young bright things wore it.

i have always hated lip gloss. so maybe i will end up enjoying this?
ok. later.

-papermoon

sorry about the lax posting habits...

...it's just that this election has driven me to partial insanity. i was having a hard time planning out what to do with myself to ensure that, come november 5th, i would still have friends. i tend to get unpleasant when i get this anxious.

i solved the problem last night, when i discovered i could skype with my family back east and feel like i had really gone home. i ate dinner with my little brother and sister! we sat across from eachother and ate at the same time! it was wonderful. i even told my dog to sit. :)

so, today i am skyping with my mom for most of the day. i voted at the earliest possible time (the crack of dawn), did my american duty, came home with my vote-cancelling roomie who i adore, and did some yoga. i have been spending the rest of the day technologically visiting my mom, knitting, and listening to the lovely melodies of rosie thomas...who has replaced my morning weepies symphony (look her up sb!)

i am going to take a soujorn out of my apartment (amazing, i know) and do some pre-cousin-wedding errands. like get some mascara for my lashes. i know for a fact i will write later. it will be a long day!


next time i post there should be another portion, in another hue of grey!

-papermoon

skirt. and the laziest sewing job in the universe.

woke up late (lazy), finished my bella research for the week (in pajamas--lazy), and then proceeded to have NO patience and do some of the laziest sewing ever done by a human being.

i don't care... my skirt and slip are done, and now i will wear them to church tomorrow and feel like i accomplished something in my desired time frame. even if i will be hoping no one looks too closely.


isn't light blue a nice little secret contrast? i think so.

off to each lunch at 4:30!!!!!!! (LAZY)

check out the destruction: