pixiegenné

it's a small world (after all)

i found a distant cousin on flickr yesterday (or the day before, whatever) which was really cool. he's been posting old pictures of his father, who looks so much like my grandfather. anyway, made me all nostalgic so i pulled out some old pictures, too. this is of my grandparents, charles (ed) and helena genné on their wedding day. they got married at this beautiful hilltop church in bernardsville, nj. my grandmother grew up in a small cottage across the street and her parents worked on a large estate nearby. they died 9 years ago, exactly 100 days apart, and are buried very nearby this spot. my grandma's funeral was held in this church - it is so pretty there.

anyway, i love small world stuff. and i love this picture. one of my sisters has a picture of them in their late 80s at this same spot...i gotta find that.

happy, happy, joy, joy

making me happy right now...

    * feeling more organized than usual even though i'm busier than usual
    * enjoying (albeit guiltily) being dog-free
    * new kicks

    * taking swim lessons for the first time in 20+ years
    * this video
    * buying myself a book or two which i hardly ever do (especially hardcover)
    * yet another mug (mugs make me happy)

hope you are having a happy wednesday!
xoxo

party pooper

i took the kids to the county fair yesterday. i really don't love fairs (or carnivals, or amusement parks). and not just because they're dirty, and seedy, and crowded, and a little depressing. (i can appreciate the kitsch factor, it's just not for me). a lot of it is my total lack of faith in the frequently assembled and disassembled rickety old rides that raise your kids three stories off the ground and then twirl them around at scary-ass speeds. luckily my kids share my non-thrill-seeking tendencies and for now are happy on the kiddie rides.

i finally brought out one of the lamps i thrifted earlier this year. i have grand plans to make a new shade for it, but i think it looks ok as is for now.

and i worked on a train case last night. it felt good to be crafty again.

that's all i got. hope you're having a great tuesday!

island hopping

i don't take advantage of all the cool stuff around me. i haunt the same beaches, parks, restaurants, etc. and don't branch out enough.  this was wildly apparent to me this weekend. i got to spend saturday night at a friend's house on a nearby island (thanks again, linda) and then sunday got home, grabbed the kids, and hopped on another ferry to another nearby island for charlie's soccer game. i think the last time i was there, jane was an infant. i'm vowing here to be a bit more adventurous from here on out (which i promise myself a lot, but this time i really mean it). you can tell how serious i am by my use of italics.

of course, we hopped off the ferry and headed right to our favorite haunt for some pizza, flatbread-style. my kids were through with adventure and craving something familiar. and i just wanted a beer.

we've also had a little drama at the house this past week. we've made the very tough decision (tougher for some) to find a new home for yoko (our dog). which i know is a good thing in the long run, but things are a little sad here right now. me? not so sad. charlie? pretty apathetic. john? hard to tell. jane? has cried herself to sleep the past two nights. oh, yoko...

feeling you-tubish and flickry

my hectic evening plans have been canceled due to one very cooked girl. apparently we needed a night off which is okey-dokey with me - i already have my pajama pants on (jimmy-jams, as they are called here. sometimes jimmy-jam, shimmy-sham if we are feeling sing-songy).

my e-mail was full of good you-tube links this week. take a gander...

andy goldsworthy: rivers and tides (way cool)

what a wonderful world shadow puppets  (my kids totally dug this)

miss south carolina (wowzers.)

darjeeling limited (feeling bittersweet about this + already want the soundtrack)

(not for kids!) ironman (my husband is so excited about this he is practically peeing his pants + i love robert downey jr. so i'm a little excited, too, though it's not a genre i usually enjoy...)

and, as always, some flickr faves...

this makes me love michelle more than i already did
super cool swans
i want this wallpaper in my bathroom
dawn's husband is hot :)
making me all wanty
speaking of wanty...
perfect!

o.k! once again my cut + paste fingers and cramping up. have a great night, everyone!
xoxo

i heart bill martin jr.

this set of "little nature books" was published by encyclopaedia britannica in 1975. my guess is that it was made exclusively for libraries and classrooms. my library (where i work) has the whole set (but not the recordings). anyway, they are so fantastic. the books are just 4" high and have beautiful watercolors and hand-lettering and the sweetest prose you'll find in children's non-fiction.

aren't they great? if my kids were a bit younger and my wallet a bit deeper, i'd be scouring e-bay for the whole set.

i totally forgot to say how great jen's show was! her work looked beautiful and it was fun to watch lots of people admiring her stuff. we had a great time and popped across the street to one of our favorite restaurants for dinner. my pictures came out kinda crappy, but you can see the much better ones that jen took here. 

thanks to everyone who did yesterday's meme - it was cool to read everyone's responses.
happy tuesday!

bloggity, bloggity, blog

i saw this meme over at domesticali the other day and thought it was pretty interesting. i'm doing it in the hopes that a bunch of you join in, because i'm really interested to hear your answers. 

1. Do you promote your blog?

i have a link to it in my etsy shop and on my flickr page, so yes. i don't tell a lot of people about it, but i don't hide it. and i like that a lot of my friends in real life read it - i think it helps us keep in touch.

2. How often do you check hits?

i used to check them all the time, now i just check them when i'm bored. and it bums me out that i picked such a non-name for the blog, because i never get cool search terms coming up on google...

3. Do you stick to one topic?

mostly thrifty and crafty and, lately, kiddley. a lot more kiddley when there's less thrifty and crafty to report.

4. Who knows that you have a blog?

i often wonder that very same question. people sometimes tell me that they came across my blog or someone told them about it, but i always wonder about other people i know that might be reading. so now is the chance to out yourself. go ahead, leave a comment.

5. How many blogs do you read?

yikes. a lot. i don't count. chances are, if you are reading this and have your own blog, i'm reading it.

6. Are you a fast reader?

i'm a fast skimmer. i have to admit there are some blogs i enjoy for the writing and some i enjoy for the pretty pictures. the latter i tend to go through a lot faster.

7. Do you customize your blog or do anything technical?

no. i took me forever to figure out typepad. i'm a little moronic that way.

8. Do you blog anonymously?

not really. i have my name right there and i mention my kids' names a lot. i don't post pictures of them, though. at first i did, and then charlie's picture ended up on some indian guy's "beautiful boys" blog so that put an end to that.

9. To what extent do you censor yourself?

i try to keep it real without getting too personal. i'm not going to tell you about any family squabbles i'm having, but i'm also not going to pretend that everything is perpetually happy and beautiful and wholesome and nutritious and educational around here, because that would be a big fat lie. you've seen the cookies. and i think i've mentioned our love of the simpsons.  

10. The best thing about blogging?

i have to admit that i started this blog soon after i opened my etsy shop as a way to promote my wares. but soon after, as i began reading other blogs regularly, i started realizing that hey! other people love old jars of buttons and vintage kids' books and ripping up old sheets to make something new and get annoyingly excited about planning their kids' birthday parties and clap up and down and squeal at the sight of a good yard sale. so i have to say that finding this community and all the inspiration and support that comes with it has been the best part. so thank you, my fellow bloggers. i heart you.

please join in - and tell me if you do so i don't miss it.
come on, pretty please?

sleeping over

charlie had packed three shirts (two short-sleeve, one long sleeve), two pairs of socks, one pair of pajamas, two pairs of underwear, one pair of pants, one pair of shorts, assorted weaponry, a star-wars fake lap-top thing that plays phonics games, and about 300 pokemon cards (for one night away). i got him to pare down the wardrobe at least.

john and i are headed down to portsmouth to check out the enormous tiny art show ii and watch everyone gush over jen's work. fun, fun!

hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

warp speed

charlie had his first soccer practice today and he is bouncing off the walls with excitement. jane has been equally pumped about swim team. my friend was teasing me about my uncharacteristically sappy post today so i think she better stop reading now because i just have to say that my kids are so frickin' cute i think my heart might actually burst. and i hardly even mind that between work and pto stuff (and beer out after pto stuff) and practices and lessons and homework help and bath time and snuggles that there has not been a whole lot of time for making stuff. i bought a new day planner today though, so you know i'm gonna get the whole time management thing figured out lickety-split.

and can someone please tell me how the f--- this works? i'm baffled and i know there is some smarty out there with a simple answer that's going to make me feel like the simpleton that i am. go ahead, tell me and you can feel all smug and stuff.

baby steps

just a couple of buttons, but it's a start. i'm gonna try and break out the mod podge tonight.
happy tuesday!