Water for Elephants

i went to see water for elephants by myself tonight because no one wanted to go with me. and i loved it! it wasn't as good as the book of course (nothing ever is) but it was still great. and the styling! amazing! all the costumes and the sets and just everything! it was beautiful! i couldn't find any really great pictures online. reese witherspoon looked so beautiful with those curls and her circus costumes! and i really enjoyed robert pattinson, and christoph waltz is so good at playing a bad guy!


so i give it an enthusiastic good review and you should go see it! if you are interested, read the book first so you can experience the story. i kind of want to go see it again.
also, a SMALL popcorn at the theater was six freaking dollars! i was like, oh i'm using my birthday money, i'll splurge and get some popcorn but i just couldn't do it. a large was 11! last time i bought popcorn a large was 8! haha, i kept texting travis about it cuz i couldn't get over it.

My 26th Birthday

i had a pretty good birthday yesterday. travis made me a really good breakfast (toast with almond butter and fresh strawberries on top) and gave me presents. He got me a really cute martha stewart apron, tina fey's book, how to train your dragon (have you seen it? it's so freaking cute) and beauty and the beast. he also made me some hilarious bookmarks that I'll have to take some pictures of to show you.

we went to the flea market and got some really good stuff! like this gorgeous paint by number:





cute rabbits

silly dog salt shaker.

doilies and hankies.

this is from a junk shop i went to last week. you hang it on a plant!

adorable!

speaking of adorable.

travis brought me home burritos from my favorite place, then we went to my parents house for combination easter lunch/my birthday. once we got home crystal and marc came over and we ate raspberry cake and watched a movie. it was really low key but it was kinda what i wanted this year

Woodland Craft Room Progress

after living here for over a year i've FINALLY started working on my craft room. it still doesn't feel finished but here are some pictures from what i've been working on so far. starting with the embarassing before pictures.

so this room is called the third bedroom but it's really a room you pass through to get to our bedroom. it had turned into kind of a catch all junk pile room, and i hated looking at it every day.





see? awful!

i got an expidit shelf and a cheap rug from ikea as a place holder until i find a rug i LOVE.

the shelves are so hard to organize! i haven't gotten it just right yet.



currently obsessed with framing old children's books for art.

a rail to keep stuff close at hand.

map to show where we've been. all together it doesn't look like we've been very far. hopefully we can remedy that later this year.

phyllis needs a special spot of course.


i bought this adorable 1950's game in knoxville. i think i'm going to hang it up in my room. woodland theme of course.

Terrariums

terrariums are all the rage now so i decided to try my hand at making some. we looked for jars at the flea market. i learned making these that containers with a wider mouth are much easier to use. cuz once you shove all the moss inside it's really dirty, then it is a pain to clean the jar.



little plants have sprouted up in this one. very cute.

A Collection

here are some of the new additions to my "vintage pictures of dogs" collection. i need some more shadowboxes so i can hang them up.



boxer puppy!

i liked his mad face

hunting dogs.

Ode to Istanbul

i'm going to do a little series about my favorite places in nashville. istanbul is a non de-script restaurant that is really close to our house off of nolensville road. dana introduced us to the wonder of their falafel and fries. incredible. best fries in nashville. travis brought home take out from their all the time. so the other day he made me go with him.




travis got a falafel plate. oh man, i've never had better. it's always crispy and perfect.

we ordered so much food! platters and soup AND fries. he wouldn't let me get baklava.

my sandwich. mmmmmmm i want another one right now.

lovin his soup.

my lilac bush! the blooms are already gone. it got messed up in the storms recently so hopefully it will come back stronger next year.


my pretty pink dogwood is blooming too. i'm so glad the lady who lived here before us planted so much pretty stuff.

First visit to Radnor Lake

i took phyllis to this beautiful park near us that we hadn't been to before. it has a great paved walkway around a lake.

phyllis has been doing really well with walks. i like to think it's a combination of the weather warming up, the supplements and good food she's been getting since we got her from the pound, and us starting out with short walks and making them a little bit longer.
i'm also really excited that i FINALLY found a harness where it doesn't matter that she is missing a leg. with the other two she had it was always slipping off and even though she probably couldn't have wiggled out of it i'm really paranoid since the accident and this one makes me feel a lot less crazy. and it's martha stewart pet, my favorite.


it was so beautiful. and a really nice day.

i carried her a backpack when she got tired. she seems to really love it.

she didn't seem that impressed with the views though.

we probably only walked half a mile but it really wore her out. i want to back with travis soon and do the whole trail.

when i got home she passed out and we lazed around on the couch watching "long way round" all night. we were totally obsessed with that show! ewan mcgreggor traveling around the world on a motorcycle? yes please!

Raspberry Coffee Cake from Heaven

my buddy Rhiannon posted this recipe on her blog. i have made it, not once, but FOUR times and it is freaking amazing. and it's so easy and takes almost NO time to put together. make it. seriously.


1/4 stick unsalted butter, softened
4 oz. cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups frozen raspberries (helps keep their shape when mixing into thick batter)
2 tablespoons sugar for topping

Beat butter and cream cheese with electric mixer until creamy; gradually add 1 cup sugar, beating well. Add egg; beat well.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt; stir into butter mixture. Stir in vanilla; fold in frozen berries.

Pour batter into greased 9-inch round cake pan. Spinkle 2 tablespoons sugar over batter.

Bake at 350 for just under an hour; cool on wire rack. Serve with coffee; die from the deliciousness.


rhiannon said she dumps in the whole bag of raspberries. i second that motion.

here is a tip if you are using a handmade clay dish you should preheat it in the oven or it will take FOREVER to cook.


seriously, it is AMAZING. we usually eat it all at once because we can't stop until its all gone. mmmm, i want some now.