French-Inspired Casual

When I am well, I am all. over. it.

When stuff shows up on my to-do list I’m all like, “Stuff, you’re goin’ down!” And then I attack and stuff is done.

That’s when I’m well.

When I’m sick? Well…that’s a wholly incomparable situation. I can admit that I may not be the sweetest peach when I’m feeling under the weather. And sometimes—only very rarely—I may exhibit higher than normal demandiness. Maybe. Doesn’t everyone’s husband make nightly runs to the store to pick up whatever sounds appealing at any given moment? Yes?

But the main point? When I’m sick, stuff doesn’t get done. It takes total advantage of the opportunity to move right on in and enjoys laughing at me while I lose vitality.

What does get done? So glad you asked. I get to catch up on the most important tasks—reading and TV!

This last couple of weeks as I languished against a particularly offensive bout of bronchitis, I not only watched all four seasons of Ugly Betty (relieved that I can finally check that off my to-do list), I read five ginormous volumes on Marie Antoinette, Kings Louis IV and VI, Marie-Therese (the surviving daughter of Marie Antoinette and Louis VI), and Napoleon Bonaparte. The local librarians told me there is nothing left for me back in that corner.

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#IMayBeCrazy and #IMayBeObsessed. A little.

The surprising result? Inspirations started smashing together for me! That lovely day we spent at Versailles a few trips ago delighting in the fabulously manicured grounds and the sparkly Hall of Mirrors, my obsession with Kirsten Dunst’s portrayal of Marie Antoinette, the 1,500 times I must have flipped through last summer’s July/August issue of House Beautiful in which designer Stephen Shubel declared that his inspiration for his own cottage was “kind of Marie Antoinette in a T-shirt” (more fab a statement I have never heard)…the fact that I love croissants! And wine! I see it all so clearly now—how it charms me when it all fits together just so. And I don’t think this is the codeine cough syrup talking (I know you’re wondering).

Rooms by Shubel:

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This revelation, paired with the fact it’s about high time we got our bedroom to looking like two grownups live in there, inspired this mood board for pulling together a bedroom (hopefully) equally sophisticated enough for adults and comfortable enough for a masculine mountain man hubster.

Now all I have to do is translate this into shopping  for bedroom stuff. See?? Stuff again. It never ends, I tell ya.

Oh, and you needn’t the gory details, but please know that I’m feeling much better now. Yes, it appears that I will make it. :)

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas…

Twirling the night away at a black-tie Christmas Eve ball? Randomly crashing door-to-door carolers and winding up lost in a new neighborhood? Not this year, folks – those festivities are neatly packed away in the past. Well, not the distant past…I think it was just last year that we got lost in our own (relatively new to us) neighborhood with our friendly neighborhood carolers. And the gift that keeps on giving? I think I irreparably sprained my little toe at that ball. It still goes numb when it’s cold. And I think it can tell when it’s going to rain.

But back to the point…while T&C of Christmas past found entertainments outside of the house on Christmas Eve, tonight, for Christmas present, I get to hang with this handsome face:

So yeah, maybe he fell asleep. After coming off a night on call and jumping right into a long day of moving snow, who can blame the poor guy? On the bright side, more sweets for me! #imayhaveaproblem

And yes, he’s sleeping while fully dressed. You never know when people will call 911 – but I when they do tonight, this hunky firefighter won’t miss a beat trying to cram feet into their corresponding boots while rubbing sleep out of his eyes.

Oh, and while I’m just putting everything out there…we may have (allegedly) forgotten to send Christmas cards this year. And thus, I leave you with this bundle of Christmas cuteness. No one can hold a grudge when presented with a puppy. On a sleigh. Full of presents. That’s my theory, anyway.

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Merry Christmas Eve, friends! And for the love of the sweet baby Jesus, please be safe, stay home off the ice and let mah man get some shut eye!

<3 Teresa

OBSERVATIONS OF A MARATHON CHEERLEADER

Meet my kind-of-a-bada** friend, Andrea:

That’s her picking up her race number for the City of Trees marathon in Boise. She’s a marathoner. Told you she was bada**. Perhaps with a pinch of crazy tossed in for good measure. I mean, choosing to commemorate a distance most famous for having killed its original partaker? But…she was prepared and no sir, this wasn’t her first time at the rodeo. (As if getting lucky no. 3 wasn’t enough of a good omen…)

So here’s my race recap. Ahem…that is, my recap of what it’s like to experience a marathon from the sidelines in a series of eight observations.

Observation 1:

You must be a little nutty yourself to wake up at 6 a.m. and don a shirt this handsome just to cheer on a friend.

Observation 2:

While there’s pretty much nothing you can say to dispel prerace jitters, acting like an enthusiastic paparazzo can at least create a nice diversion before your runner takes to the starting line (an especially effective technique if said runner isn’t camera shy).

Observation 3:

As it turns out, a cool, handmade spirit shirt will not be enough. Prepare to be outdone by a proud, sign-holding, pink-shirt-wearing dad.

Observation 4:

At the lineup, even (especially?) the runners themselves look as though they’re questioning their own sanity. Your best bet? Just smile encouragingly and pretend like you aren’t going to hit up the nearest coffee shop for a brew and a donut as soon as the starting gun fires.

Observation 5:

It is good form to cheer your runner on along the course. I met mine at mile 13 and was hence able to jog alongside long enough to point out that she’d broken her own half record (joy!).

Observation 6:

Boise is freakin’ gorgeous in the fall! And IMHO, this dude, oblivious to the runners pounding around him along the Greenbelt, has the right idea. #justsayin.

Observation 7:

A successful race is the result of hard work and preparation. And you will never see a happier face than that of a runner crossing the finish line at a marathon. Especially when she shames her old PR into submission.

Observation 8:

A race medal makes for a great piece of bling.

So there you have it, folks! Observations from a behind-the-scenes marathon cheerleader.

Congrats, Andrea!

HANDMADE GIFTS FOR BABY

I had two baby showers to attend this weekend – one for each a boy and girl. I knew I wanted to give onesies because they are among the most practical of baby gifts (according to my sources, you can go through three or four a day!). But I wanted to give something fun and cute, too! Hence? Appliqued onesies. I saw TONS of pins with necktie onesies and thought they were the cutest thing ever! Bespoke baby. So I folded a piece of paper in half and created a basic pattern.

NECKTIE ONESIES

The steps are so easy it’s silly:

1. Draw the shapes on the paper side of fusible webbing
2. Iron to the back of the pretty fabric
3. Cut out
4. Peel paper
5. Iron to the front of the onesie
6. Machine stich around the edges
7. Clip threads

MUSHROOM ONESIES

For the baby girl, I used my same free-handed mushroom template and a few other fun ones – a hot air balloon, a Baby Dior-inspired bow, and hearts.

BABY GIRL ONESIES

THE BABY APRON

I also used matching fabric to make each a baby apron, following this tutorial from Jess at Craftiness is not Optional. So stinkin’ cute!!!! And seriously the easiest-to-follow instructions. I will be making these for every baby shower gift from now on!

TODAY, I GET TO…

Hug these guys. :)

 

Cozy mornings call for cozy breakfasts

One thing this girl will never miss out on is breakfast and trust me, you’re welcome. I have oatmeal for breakfast almost every single morning, all year round. I heart oatmeal, especially when I have the chance to slow simmer the steel-cut variety with cinnamon and a chopped up apple or something. But alas, that opportunity rarely ever presents itself. (Partly to blame? The other things I will never miss: styling hair, applying makeup, etc. And again, you’re welcome.)

Because my mornings are super busy and because I refuse to skip my morning bowl of oats and because I refuse to eat plain-old boring oats…I present to you…my latest yummy oatmeal mix-in! This is the perfect blend of cozy yumminess to enjoy on those busy weekday mornings. Plus, it tastes like pie. And if you ask me, you can never have too much of a healthy breakfast that just so happens to taste like pie.

HEALTHY AUTUMN OATMEAL MIX-IN

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. cardamom (or allspice or nutmeg)
• 1 pinch salt
• 3 large peaches (thinly sliced)
• 2 plums (thinly sliced)
• 1/4 cup raisins

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine the juice (or wine!), water, honey, vinegar and vanilla. Bring to a boil.Reduce heat to a simmer.
2. Add spices and stir. Add sliced fruit and raisins. Stir and cover.
3. Let simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove cover. Let simmer for additional 10 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Syrup will thicken.
5. Pour into jar and store in refrigerator for up to five days.

EASY WEEKDAY OATS

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large bowl, microwave 1/3 cup whole rolled oats and 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds with 1/2 cup water for 2 minutes. Stir. (Don’t worry that it’s dry…you’ll be adding the fruit in its syrup!)
2. Add 1/2 cup (or more…it’s that delicious!) of the mix-in and microwave for 1 minute more, until warm.
3. If you’re feeling fancy, top with chopped walnuts.
4. Yum!

In less time than it takes your coffee to percolate, you’ll have a yummy, healthy, autumn-inspired bowl of cozy-warm goodness to start out your day.

Teresa

Procrastination inspiration

Tonight, when I should have been caulking/painting the floor trim in the basement, I instead channeled my inner typographer and busied myself with a can of tomato-colored paint. I am a MASTER procrastinator. If you need procrastination assistance, like, say, better excuses for why you aren’t doing what you should be, give me a ring. I’ll hook you riiiiiiight up. That is, if I get around to it.

Anywho, this wall bored me:

So I busted out the projector, found a font I liked and got to work:

After two coats, the wall now makes a statement. It says, “…and.” Can you hear it?

This wall is tucked immediately around the corner when you walk into the room, so you won’t see it until you enter the space and turn around.

Now I must go do the dishes. Or my nails. I can always do the dishes later, right?

 

  Teresa