New addition!

Last time Dad went to visit PawPaw in Covington (just north of New Orleans) he spotted this gem sitting on a shelf! He brought it back to Houston with him and it's now easily my favorite, the second being Dad's old Pentax. It's a Kodak but I keep forgetting to bring it to work to look up the serial numbers so I can date it properly. I like to imagine all the fun things PawPaw and Gammaw would do when they used this camera...all the snapshots they'd take on vacations and road trips...maybe out on the boat.

 

What a great addition. Thanks, Dad and PawPaw!

Walnut Banana Bread Adventure!

Starbucks' recipe! They just....gave it away...on a recipe card. What's wrong with these people?



Mashin' bananaz.

Addin' walnutz!

...more walnuts on top!

Fresh outta the oven!

With butter... juuuust before going in my belly with a glass o' milk.

This was super easy and so good for breakfast!

#winning

I won these vintage thermoses (thermi? what is plural for thermos?) on eBay! I don't need 6 those grey mugs but the 4 thermi (we're gonna go with thermi) are totally worth it. 10 bucks! TEN! WEEEE! That wood grain one? That one with the...what is that.. wheat? on it?  AWESOME. I know collections are supposed to be...collected. You're supposed to find one unique piece at a time...maybe from different places...over a period of time but when something like this falls in your lap, you gotta take it! They'll have such a good little home on my round kitchen table.

Vandalz.

I'm just sayin'... if I spotted one of these guys on a lamp post downtown...it wouldn't exactly... ruin my day.

Etsy Love

I am loving these little cameo framed original art brooches! They're so cute and unique. You know that if you go out with one of these pretties pinned to your cardigan no one else will have one like it.

 above {Nan Lawson}

 

above {Storybook Rabbit}

a day at the downtown houston aquarium

Candy jar.

This week's Instax is my Mammaw's (my mother's mom, pronounced Meh-Maw) candy jar. It's lost a strawberry and some have been repainted. It was always filled with something good... those little sugar coated orange slices or goldfish crackers (I would eat the whole bowl...I think it's why I still love goldfish to this day). I love having this candy jar- it always reminds me of her.

She died in 1996 but would have been 100 years old today. I hope she's having a martini in Heaven with Pappy.

Happy Birthday Mamma!

Random acts of Irish Festival/ Stew cook-of in Downtown Houston

This past Saturday Ryan and I hopped on the Metro-rail downtown to see what kind of adventures we could cook up. We hopped off a few miles down the road because we heard music & saw lots of people hanging out on a blocked off street. Turns out it was the 4th Annual Rory Miggins Irish Stew Cookoff and we got our St. Patty's celebrations off to an early start.  We paid a little entry fee which went to the Houston St. Patrick's Parade Comission, grabbed a couple of Guinnesses  and walked around to each tent to taste their fare while listening to Irish bands.. There was one tent that had an amazing spicy chili...not Irish.. but awesome anyway. Nothing like a random festival on a beautiful Saturday!

New items in the Etsy shop! Hurrah!!

 Tea, my Dear? Necklace!

 Go-Go Rocket Fuel Necklace!

Whew! Bout time, y'all.

Both necklaces are 30" long and I love them both equally like children!

52 weeks

Like many others on the web (a la Miss Squid), I decided a few weeks ago to start a new photo project documenting 2011 by taking one Instax photo a week for the whole year. I'm not doing a theme.. or following any guidelines, just snapping whatever I feel like. There's a Flickr group here called 52 weeks (of Instax) where folks are uploading their weekly pictures. I think it's such a neat idea and a fun way to get to know my Instax (got it for Christmas! Thanks Mom!) I'd love to make a neat little photo book to keep all my weekly snapshots. Here are my first 3 photos for the first 3 weeks of the year.  I haven't taken this week's photo yet, but I have a feeling it might involve some leftover new years sparklers! 

1: Week of Jan 3rd, Ryan on New Year's Eve

 2: Week of Jan 10th, Pretty daisies on my dining table.

3: Week of Jan 17th, my favorite Polaroid in my collection.

How are you doing with your resolutions/ new projects? Are you still eager or finding it difficult to stay motivated? I'm not getting my 4 days of exercise in each week like I wanted...It's so hard to come home after work and put my workout gear on when I just want to have a nap or a glass of wine and watch Brian Williams... I need to stay focused! We can do it!