Nail Polish of the Day: Shiny Dancer

It's that time again.

Time for me to show you my nail polish.

Enjoy.

Shiny Dancer - Sephora by OPI

Booktastic: The Forgotten Garden

First off, I HATE the title of this book.

I don't know why, but I do. I hate it.

BUT, the book itself, I LOVED!

Seriously, if you need a good book to read, go buy

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton.

For the first time in a very long time I literally couldn't put this book down.

I sat in the bathtub until the bath water got cold.

I stayed up WAY past my bedtime.

I passed up movies with the hubs.

Just so that I could KEEP READING this book.

From Goodreads.com:

A foundling, an old book of dark fairy tales, a secret garden, an aristocratic family, a love denied, and a mystery. The Forgotten Garden is a captivating, atmospheric and compulsively readable story of the past, secrets, family and memory from the international best-selling author Kate Morton.

Cassandra is lost, alone and grieving. Her much loved grandmother, Nell, has just died and Cassandra, her life already shaken by a tragic accident ten years ago, feels like she has lost everything dear to her. But an unexpected and mysterious bequest from Nell turns Cassandra's life upside down and ends up challenging everything she thought she knew about herself and her family.

Inheriting a book of dark and intriguing fairytales written by Eliza Makepeace - the Victorian authoress who disappeared mysteriously in the early twentieth century - Cassandra takes her courage in both hands to follow in the footsteps of Nell on a quest to find out the truth about their history, their family and their past; little knowing that in the process, she will also discover a new life for herself.

And my own thoughts:

This books jumps from the year 2005 to 1975 to 1912 to 1900 over and over again to a very very pleasing result. Sometimes when books jump around it just annoys me but in this book she did it so well that each chapter was kind of a cliffhanger that left you just wanting/needing to read more.

What can I say that goodreads.com didn't say, it's just such a well put together and well written book of mystery and intrigue and I highly recommend it!

I Wanna Talk About Compost

No really, I do.

And it makes me want to gag a little bit because a year ago I would have laughed in your face if you would have told me I was going to write a blog post about compost.

But it's interesting, I swear.

And I just missed Earth Day.

So you should feel compelled to read about compost...because of the earth.

Keep reading.

You want to know why I want to talk about compost?

Because I've never lived anywhere with anything that was compostable...er, I mean, never lived anywhere that I could use compost?

I mean I've never had a garden or anything where compost could be used. ie, I live in big cities that have no room for gardens and before that I was in COLLEGE, who has time for gardens in college? There were much more important things to do, like DRINKING...and studying.

Anyway, the hubs decided we needed a composter...hmm...spellcheck doesn't like that word...is it compostor? Nope, anyway internet you know what I'm talking about right a thing you put organic material in and ultimately compost comes out of? I swear it's composter.

I've completely lost my train of thought with the spelling...

Right, so we have a composter and I am oh so amazed at how much you stuff you can compost!

For instance, you can compost PAPER TOWELS and TISSUES and EGGSHELLS and all this other cool stuff that I use everyday and just throw away. Seriously, check that link, it has 163 things you never knew were compostable.

I FIND THIS AMAZING.

Because honestly I HATE throwing things away but composting never occurred to me because of said reasons up at the top.

I feel like a better person now.

And you should too just because you read this.

Happy Belated Earth Day.

Brave New World

We have 13 days until we're off to San Francisco.

Permanently.

For REALS.

We're actually going to San Francisco.

Finally.

I can't believe it.

We've been talking about it and planning it for more than a year.

And now it's here.

Crazy.

Also nerve wracking.

I love new cites.

But I also hate new cities.

Things like dry cleaners, butchers, pharmacies, tailors, hair salons, all have to be rediscovered.

And that can be a giant pain in the ass.

Of course it can also be fun.

I love exploring new cities and finding new shops.

But San Francisco is going to be different.

Because I have to DRIVE.

New York is a walking city.

Sydney is a walking city.

Springfield is a driving city but I was born here and there's not much to it.

San Francisco....San Francisco is a driving city.

And I suck at driving in cities.

I can't tell you how much of NYC I discovered simply because I was walking.

I found boutiques and art and jewelry and god knows what else just because I happened to have walked down a different street.

I love that part of NYC.

I'm sad this move isn't back to NYC.

There. I said it.

I wish we were going back to NYC.

Quick, someone from San Francisco tell me how amazing it is.

Blogger Award

I've received my first blogger award from the Coach's Wife over at The Fabulous Life of a Coach's Wife!

Not only are we bloggy friends but we are also IRL friends, so thank you Eubank!

Here are the rules for my award:

**Thank the person who gave you the award - Check!

**Link back to their Blog - Check!

**Tell 7 things about yourself:

Here we go!

1. If my life wasn't the way it is now (ever changing, ever moving) I would be a forensic anthropologist (just like BRENNAN on Bones, coincidentally also my married last name!) I almost almost almost ended up at the University of Tennessee Knoxville to study for my Masters in forensic anthropology where they have...wait for it...a BODY FARM!

2. I have made arrangements to have my body donated to the body farm upon my death.

3. I was the photo editor for my senior yearbook in high school. Being a part of Yearbook always gets such a bad wrap on movies/TV and it's run by a bunch of nerds, but Yearbook was my FAVORITE part of high school...and for the record I was NOT a nerd.

4. I still sleep with my baby blanket. I call it blanky...original I know.

5. I think the house that Dom is working to make entirely controlled by electronics is going to kill me a la X-Files style because all things electronic think I am the enemy.

6. I love Gone with the Wind and have seen it more times than I am willing to admit...and am totally gonna add one more to that because it just came out on Netflix.

7. If I only have myself to cook for I usually end up eating something carbtastic like pasta...or just have a bowl of cereal.

And now...last rule of the award...I have to pay it forward.

**Award to 7 Blogs you love....

1. Athena in the Middle

2. Fashion over Reason

3. A Tale of Love Down Under

4. French Toast is Delicious

5. Beck Family Blessings

6. Life of a Doctor's Wife

7. A Day in the Life

Happy Thursday Everyone!

Who's Spinning Tonight?

I'm feeling woefully uninspired to write a witty interesting blog post.

So I'm copying some other bloggers and blogging about....Nail Polish!

My Nail Polish of the Day to be exact.

Everything in my life is purple, gray or white right now.

My nails included.

Enjoy.

Who's Spinning Tonight - Sephora by OPI

Tiny Feet

I think my feet are shrinking y'all. (Clarification, I'm not Southern and thus don't actually say y'all...ever...but if felt appropriate so I went with it.)

Seriously.

I wear a 6.5 usually, every once in awhile in certain shoes I have to wear a 7, NEVER do I ever have to go DOWN to a 6.

Until now.

Twice in 2 days 6.5's in two different shoe brands were too f***ing big.

And not just a little big.

A LOT big.

So I bought a 6.

And they fit perfect.

WTF?

AND even more strange, at one point in my life, 7th grade I believe, I wore a size 7.5.

Shrinking feet much?

Seriously, has this ever happened to anyone else?

Are they like boobs that shrink when you lose weight? ;-)

Itchy Feet

Remember back in December when I said I wanted to sit still for awhile and not travel?

Well, it's April and I have not been on a plane since Jan. 17.

I think that's a record for me in the last 2 years of some kind.

Let's do a little rundown shall we? I'd like you all to get a real feel for the actual amount of travel I'm talking about.

Starting with December of 2008, which up until that point I traveled 3 times, maybe 4 times a year, mostly to come home to Oregon for holidays.

Here we go!

We are living in NYC at this point:

Hawaii - Dec 08

UK - Jan 09

Mexico - March 09

UK - May 09

San Fran - June 09

Bahamas - July 09

Pennsylvania - Aug 09

Oregon - Aug 09

UK - Sep 09

Paris - Sep 09

Barcelona - Sep 09

Egypt - Sep 09

Italy - Sep 09

Oregon - Nov 09

UK - Nov 09

Germany - Nov 09

Oregon - Dec 09

California - Jan 10

Montreal - Feb 10

Trinidad - Feb 10

UK - April 10

Greece - April 10

Tennessee - April 10

Australia - May 10

Dallas - May 10

Oregon - June 10

Australia - June 10 - Moved to Australia!

Singapore - July 10

Queensland - Aug 10

Oregon - Sep 10

California - Sep 10

NYC - Sep 10

NYC - Nov 10

Jamaica - Nov 10

Ayres Rock - Nov 10

Melbourne/Adelaide - Dec 10

And Back to the USA Jan 11

Disgusting, no?

See why I'm sick of traveling?

Ok, I mean see why I WAS sick of traveling?

Because if you haven't guessed from the title of this post, I'm ready to go again,

Insert my sheepish grin here.

In all honesty after the last year and a half and the let's count them....37 plane rides, I really really thought I would like to sit still for a year (not including flying to San Fran to get to our home, that doesn't count).

But here we are, just 3 months in and I'm seriously contemplating a trip to Italy this summer.

Come on, I'm turning 30! Wouldn't a trip to Italy be just the perfect way to celebrate the dreaded 3-0?

I also am DYING to get back over to NYC to see all of my friends...and to go shopping.

Unfortunately the last time we were in Italy I promised myself I would learn Italian by the next time we made it over there, thinking of course that it would be a few years and that was PLENTY of time to learn Italian. Turns out a year and a half later I barely have the vocabulary to ask where the toilet is...shit. Learning Italian is also on my 30 before 30 list (which is still a 13 before 30 list at this point), what more motivation do I NEED?!

Apparently more than that because here I am on my computer NOT learning Italian...again.

Anyone else feeling the travel bug?

Oh Spring, where for art thou?

I know I said I was enjoying a bit of cold weather and rain before spring arrived, but after too too much nonstop rain I've changed my mind.

I'm ready for Spring.

So ready in fact that I've bought several items for Spring that are unusable in Oregon's current state of wet. And so ready that I'm capitalizing Spring unnecessarily.

Nevertheless in hopefully a few short weeks I will get a chance to use:

Tory (yes my purse has a name, doesn't yours?)

Source

After I cleaned out my purse and discovered WAY too much crap I decided Marc (yes my old purse has a name too!) needed a break...enter Tory, she's beautiful, big and white and perfect for Spring!

Source

These babies are waiting patiently for the rain to subside so they don't get ruined the first moment I step outdoors. I'm imagining them with a pair of fabulous shorts or skinny jeans.

Source

I've been looking for a really good gray nail polish for awhile now and finally found this one at Sephora. It's part of some naughty ballerina set or something, an ode to Black Swan I believe. It's about to become my new spring gray.

Anyone else making spring purchases in anticipation of warmer weather?