check the mailbox

I can't take credit for this super cute Easter idea- I think I found it via the Craft blog, but it's originally from Giver's Log. She has a 13 Ounces or Less series in which she mails everyday items (flipflops! easter eggs!)



I bought an eight-pack of plastic eggs at Target for 99 cents. These eggs are slightly larger than the standard eggs, and a dollar in the Dollar Spot, but 99 cents in the Easter section. What's that all about? Anyhoo, I also picked up some Starburst jelly beans (the only good ones, imho) and some Robin's eggs to fill the eggs with before dropping them in the mail. My sister also got a lip balm from Homespun: Modern Handmade, although I could barely fit any jelly beans in there with it! I think these had about 10 jelly beans in them. I couldn't even fit any Robin's eggs in this one. Sheesh!

I put four 44 cent stamps on these, which is probably overkill but I have a roll of the old non-Forever stamps, plus a roll of the new Forever stamps, so better safe than sorry. I sent out a few of these little eggs, so I hope the recipients like them!

winter is not coming

The calendar might say April, but summer is here in full bloom! My daffodils bloomed in early March, my trees were leafed out by mid-March and now my lilacs are in bloom at the tail end of March. What do they say, in like a lion, out like a July Fourth holiday?

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I cut these Sunday to take over to a friend who was letting me watch the premeire of Game of Thrones on HBO. My Bingo card is House Stark, so I'm definitely winning (be forewarned, the House Stark mascot on these cards looks like a sabre toothed tiger, NOT a direwolf. Fools).

spring has definitely sprung

Spring has sprung here in central Indiana - and dare I say it, summer may have also sprung! We are having insanely warm weather over the past few weeks (third warmest March ever). It's been 80 degrees! I went to Florida last week and it was barely that warm there!

Because of the amazing weather, I got caught up on a bit of yardwork and started some seeds. Last summer, with two jobs and school, I barely even touched my garden. I bought starts at the school fundraiser, got them in the ground, and that was about it.

This year I started tomatoes (Break O Day, Firework and Fox Cherry), California Wonder green peppers, Corno di Toro peppers, broccoli, onions and just for the heck of it, some squash. Most of my seeds are two to three years old so we'll see how they germinate in the next few weeks. The broccoli is from an awesome friend's husband.

I follow Tim's Square Foot Garden blog to know when to plant what here in central IN. He is far more ambitious than I, with cold frames and whatnot. He recommends Dixondale Farms for onions, but I bought mine at Menard's last year so I'm sticking with those for the season. I don't even like onions, it was just something to plant.

I plan on expanding out my raised beds soon so I can actually grow some squash and green beans and not have the tomatoes take over.

happy SUPER sunday

It is Super Bowl Sunday today in Indianapolis! The city has been crazy over the past two weeks, and we have had just about the best weather imaginable.

I headed down to Super Bowl Village last night, and even with chillier temps and light rain there were almost 200,000 people Downtown!

Go Giants!

what i've read/seen/heard: GOT edition

I have been amiss in not writing a read/seen/heard post about the best books I read in 2011: The Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin, AKA the Game of Thrones books.


Holy cow are these books amazing. I devoured the first two while on vacation in Florida, the third over Thanksgiving, the fourth during finals week and the fifth this past week on my Kindle. I couldn't wait to pick up a hardback copy of it. I won't lie- these books are full of violence, treachery and tragedy. But they are also addictive- many a night I was up past midnight reading, telling myself, "Just one more chapter!" The first four books are in paperback, the fifth book is in hardcover right now. The only downside is that the author takes forever to release each book. I'm not sure how I will wait six years to find out what happens to Arya, Jon Snow and Tyrion.

I've also been catching up on White Collar on Netflix streaming. It's a lot like USA's other shows in that each episode is very formulaic, while there is a greater "Big Bad" storyline each season, much like Psych or Burn Notice. Still a fun show!

And if you haven't already watched Downton Abbey: Season One, I highly recommend you do so soon because Season 2 comes out on PBS in just one week! Season one is free on Amazon Prime right now, and I believe also on Netflix. Season 2 has been out in the UK for several months now, but it premieres here on PBS January 8. Set your DVRs!

happy 2012

It was very difficult for me to get into the Christmas holiday spirit this year. In between my internship, part-time job, new full-time job and a full courseload of classes, I didn't have much time to do very many Christmasy activities. I did almost all of my shopping on Amazon.com this year thanks to Prime shipping. I did some shopping for myself early on, but only kept a pair of jeans and some warm boots to wear to my new job. Overall the lack of money and time plus other pressing matters left me bah-humbugging the holidays.

I'm looking forward to 2012 as a fresh start. I now only have one job (full-time, with benefits beginning today (hooray)) and only one semester of classes left. I already don't know what to do with all of my free time (Answer: watching White Collar on Netflix seems to fill the time well).

Some goals for 2012:
-Blog more. I haven't really done many craft projects this year, so there's not much to write on that, but I also haven't shared others' cool craft projects either.



-Document what I read. I read a TON of books, especially on vacation. A lot of the time I'll read series mysteries, like Clive Cussler or Denise Swanson, where one book is very much like any other. Without keeping track I have no idea what I have and have not read. I need to keep track in my Goodreads account.

Note: I was just reading through past posts to find a link to the kitchen post (below) and realized I made the same resolution about keeping track of what I read last year. Clearly I am bad at this.

-Clean out this house. I have a lot of crap. I am a hoarder in training. I need to clean out this craft stuff, get it organized, and get rid of the stuff I will never use (pony beads? glitter?).

-I also have grand plans to redo the kitchen and bathroom. Who knows if I will be able to really make this happen, but since there is a gaping hole in my kitchen ceiling from fixing the bathroom plumbing, it seems kind of high on the priority list.


That adorable reindeer is actually an IKEA gift tag in an IKEA frame. I picked up a bunch of wrapping paper, ornaments, and other goodies when my sister and I were at an IKEA in California last October. On Southwest, bags fly free, so why not??

beginning to look a lot like winter

With snow late last week an more "wintry mix" looming on the horizon, it is indeed winter in Indiana.

My sister helped me out by decorating my house before she flew home. As my mom said, I have a lot of Christmas trees!

happy thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! As a part-time retail associate, I like to think of it as the day before the worst day of the year. Can you believe stores open at midnight tonight? Outrageous! Except for movie theaters. They need to be open today so I can go see the Muppet movie. But that's not what this post is about.

I am very thankful for having an amazing family who has helped me out this year. I lost my job last December, so I have been in school full-time, working part-time, and then this summer working at an internship. I have weird hours, lots of homework, and not always the time to make dinner, let the pups out, or run errands. My mom and sister have helped out so much this year, and I am very thankful for that.

I am very thankful for a new job too! A friend recommended me for a position at an IT company here in Indy. It's a great job, a growing company, and right across from one of my favorite restaurants!


I'm also thankful for some wonderful friends. Whether it's hanging out at Target, watching a silly movie, or catching up over coffe (let's be honest- wine), it's those friendships that have helped me sanely get through this year.

And of course, I can't forget my pups. These cuties have been trying at times, don't get me wrong, but their adorableness makes up for that in spades.