Thankful Thursday: Washing Machine

Hello there all,

A couple of weeks ago, our washing machine decided that it didn't need to work anymore. Well, it decided that it didn't need to drain, leaving the most disgusting stench in our little laundry area. We had been without a working washing machine for far too long.

Over the past couple of weekends, we have braved laundromats and we even washed our clothes in the bathtub (with a large stainless steel paddle). It was all very Little House on Prairie-ish in all of its ghetto-ness. BUT today, we finally got the dang machine fixed, and I have never been so excited to do laundry! How wonderful to be able to do laundry in the comfort of my own home. It is the little things in life that we neglect to appreciate.

This is to you Washing Machine because I have neglected to see how freaking awesome you are, and I also am so happy that you get to do all the work while I contemplate the mysteries of the universe. Thanks Washing Machine, you are pretty awesome. Let's keep being friends, deal?

This little guy (the Mister drew him) stands guard in our laundry room. He has seen better days with all of the water wear, but the imperfections are what make him...him.

What are you thankful for today?

-Autumn

Winter is Swell

Hello there all,

Why does winter get such a bad wrap?  It allows us the opportunity to slow down,  wrap up with a cozy blanket, and snuggle next to the ones we love. Winter is full of comfy layers,  rain on rooftops, delicious smelling candles, and warm drinks.  Only during the wintertime do you get to wake to magical wonderlands of snowfall and wear a thousand layers of wool goodness.  Winter is magical.  Am I the only one that sees this? 

Here's to you winter for bringing many more days of staying warm and for giving me moments of comfy coziness with those that I love. Thanks winter. You rock (even in March when I am over the cold and want the warmth back)!

-Autumn

Snapshots

Hello there all,

Take a gander at what has been going on this week.

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7.)

What's the deal?

1.) Yesterday, the Mister and I explored the FoPo area (Foster-Powell area), and we found it to be a pretty cutesie neighborhood. We just drove down Foster early this week to get to Hawthorne, and we decided to explore it a bit this weekend. This mural was on the side of the Bob White Theater. 

2.) Today, the Mister and I headed downtown to meet up with my mom. We went to Kells, Cacao, and Powells. My mom has never been to any of these places, so we gave her a mini-Portland tour. We also went and showed her this epic view that the Mister has from work. It isn't even fair. How could you get anything done with this view?

3.) I made some earrings with some found shells from Newport.

4.) Delicious coffee from Pieper Cafe. Also, the table....swoon! More about this place later this week.

5.) This week, I have been pretty lame, and I nearly lost my voice. Friday, I finally settled down and took the day off because I just about died on my long day of work that I had Thursday. What does that mean? Crafting, taro smoothies, and hours of Gossip Girl.

6.) Lately, I have been trying to be more adventurous and go outside of my normal walkways to places. The reason? This way, I notice more neat-o things around. This piece of graffiti is a perfect demonstration of that because it is pretty close to my house, but I have neglected to see it until this week.

7.) I have been craving this meal from El Cubo de Cuba. Seriously, this place has food that dreams are made of. It is so insanely delicious. This is the Pollito Bowl which has this awesome mixture of sweet and salty. Oh man, why am I not eating there now?

-Autumn

Alfredo's makeover

Hello there all,

I have had this cute little skeleton hanging around since Halloween with the purpose of making him over to something "sweet." The mister bought some 80s glam Sharpies to make the great transformation come true, and since I have been a sick-o, I finally had time to sit down and make up a sugar skull. It took many episodes of Gossip Girl (my recent guilty pleasure) and tedious detailing to remake Alfredo. You may remember seeing the hunk in this post. Alfredo is even more hunky than he was before. I didn't know that it was even possible. Take a gander to see for yourself.

Look at how excited he is with his new look!

Rocking the thug lifestyle in the bathroom where he lives.

-Autumn

Taking a Looksie

Hello there all,

Let's be real here. I am a bit too obsessed with looking into other people's homes. I frequently stalk the homes featured on Apartment Therapy, Design Sponge, and Emily Henderson's blog to name just a few.

Although, I don't feel like my home is in bragging zone right now with some of the fret of the holidays still lingering. However, I thought it would be fun to show some of the art that I have made for the walls throughout the house. I'm constantly putting up new artwork in the house because I am overwhelmed by blank walls (yes, most would probably be overwhelmed by the amount of art on my walls). Let's start the Autumn art tour.

Living Room:

An art assignment grayscale painting of Fernand Leger's The City. The second part of the series where I was supposed to take the style of the first painting but change it up a little.

Two paintings that I did at a girl's night with one of my friends.

Downstairs Bathroom:

For those that don't know, I have a bathroom with a bit of a Hispanic culture theme complete with big matador paintings and this guy, a sugar skull from el dia de los muertos.

Upstairs Hallway:

The office:

A picture of the place where the Mister and I met.

Just some sillsy trees.

The kitchen:

"Everyone is so kind. They always say how SWEET I am!"

The bedroom:

Where we came from

Us as cuttlefish

Now, I just need to do a nice little home tour.

-Autumn

Snapshots

Hello there all,

here are some glimpses of the week around these parts:

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6.)

7.)

What's the deal?

1.) A picture of the mister. Why? Because look at how handsome he is. I am so in love with this man. We were enjoying breakfast at Laurelhurst Cafe. It is one of our favorite breakfast places.

2.) Carcassone because board games are neat-o.

3.) We made it to Slappy Cakes on New Year's Day. It was a nice happenstance because it was pretty much the only place open for breakfast on New Year's. Also, I have been wanting to go there for awhile. Yummmy.

4.) New Year's Eve dinner at Bridge City Taproom. Who doesn't love Tater tots?

5.) George Washington isn't at all like what I expected in person. Spotted at Bipartisan Cafe.

6.) Just leaving random notes for strangers on the max.

7.) Nature and I are friends. I miss being able to enjoy the outdoors, but I will take warm blankets and tea over the summer heat any day!

Have the most magnificent week,

Autumn

Goals for 2015

Hello there all,

Earlier this week, I shared my word for 2014, and I contemplated using this method for 2015 goals. However, I felt like there were so many things that I wanted to accomplish in 2015 that I couldn't summarize it in one word.

Now, I have read several articles that warn against having too many goals, but I have never been one for rules.

Before making my list, I thought this and this article were super helpful.

In case you can't read my handwriting:
-Sew a skirt
-Improve my Spanish skills
- Figure out health issues
-Work on getting in shape by exercising and healthy eating
- Increase blog readership
-Hide 100 rocks
- Go to a Meetup
- Read 12 books
-Milk a cow
-Work on organizing the house
-Send more mail
-Drink more water


If you're curious, here is some more information about them.

-Sew a skirt- I have been working on learning to sew, and I have made a couple of basic things, but I want to learn how to sew clothes.

-Improve my Spanish Skills- I took Spanish in middle school, high school, and college, but my Spanish skills are disgustingly poor. Learning another language has always been a goal of mine, and I think Spanish is such an important language to learn.

-Figure out health issues- Finally schedule all of those appointments that I have been putting off.

-Work on getting in shape- This is always a goal, but after the holidays, I ate so much junk, and my body really hated me for it. I need to show some gratitude to my body.

-Increase blog readership- I care about this blog, and I would love for there to be somewhat of a following.

-Hide 100 rocks- I love this new hobby, and I want to do more of it.

- Go to a Meetup- I have been feeling like the friend frontier has been kind of low, and I have been putting off going to a meetup. I just need to bite the shy girl bullet and do it.

-Read 12 books- I like to read, and I want a measurable outcome for the year. That's all.

-Milk a cow- I've never done it before, and it is on the life bucket list. Now, I just need to find a cow. No shortage in Oregon luckily.

-Work on organizing the house- Our house is a disaster, and I feel like everything is so disorganized, and I think better in clean atmospheres. You would never know since everywhere I live is always so dirty :).

-Send more mail- It is antiquated these days, but there is something to be said about tangible communication. Example: a hand written love note is way better than a love text.

-Drink more water- This is simply because I have been coming home from work realizing that I haven't drank any water that day. For obvious health reasons, this is not okay. Must work on this.

What does 2015 have in store for you? Share any goals or pointers.

-Autumn