i'm going to san francisco!

aaaahhhhhhh! i'm so excited! it's my favorite place on earth, and i'll be there in less than two weeks! auntie amy and i are going for a few days just to have fun and non-stop girl talk. on my list of things to do: walk around telegraph hill talking to the wild parrots (but that one is obvious), go to haight-ashbury and get vintage clothes, and if we have enough time, we're driving down to carmel and monterey for the day to take in its beauty (but that's really up in the air as there is so much to do in san francisco we may run out of time).

images from we heart it and google search.

here's my one problem with traveling: i'm too cheap to check my bag, and i have a really difficult time fitting everything into my carry-on. since california weather is SO different from the weather in virginia, i know i'll have to bring extra clothes so i can dress in layers, so i'm thinking about using lauren's idea from when we all met up in june and basically shrink wrapping everything in ziploc bags so it takes up less space! she's a genius!

i know the city is huge, and there's so much i haven't seen, so if you have any suggestions for food, shopping (keep in mind i'm a cheapskate) or anything else, let me know! i don't require much sleep, so i like to try and cram in as much as possible on trips!

have you taken any trips this year? do have any planned for later in the year?

ice cream sundae on sunday

i like to call this weekend, "the weekend of pop and pat." even though my pop and i don't live far from one another, we don't get together as often as i'd like thanks to his ridiculous work schedule. anyway, the weekend started with my pop and my step brother coming down to do a little (actually about $50 worth) target practicing. we had loads of fun and plan to do it again soon. then today, we went to pop's house and visited for a while, and later went to get ice cream somewhere chris and i had never been. pat (we call her that for laughs, but her name is really tricia) and i got this creation called "the hot apple dumpling" which was a whole baked apple covered in pie crust, then topped with caramel, vanilla ice cream, pecans and whipped cream. pop got his usual, a banana split. my pop is seriously an ice cream junkie and probably thinks it makes up every block on the food pyramid. yesterday, while laughing at him for wearing his ice cream (like he usually ends up doing), he said, "i like to take it home, show it where i live." i said it before, and i'll say it again, my pop is the funniest person i know! chris got the strawberry shortcake - shortcake, strawberries, vanilla ice cream and whipped cream, and it looked divine.

i wish i would have had something in the pictures for size reference because you would not believe how big those suckers were! mine was as big as my head, and chris' was even bigger than his head, and he wears a size extra large motorcycle helmet! it was crazy! i could only eat half of mine, but everyone else finished. how, i have no idea. next time i go, i'm either getting a shaved ice with different fruit flavors or a creamsicle soft serve cone (probably the latter). i seriously need to get back to a regular exercise routine (but i wish i had canine company for walks and jumping on the trampoline), and my dessert today only reinforces that.

how was your weekend? did you do anything fun or special?

shopping for the animals!

okay, so if there is one thing you all know about me, it's my unequivocal love for animals; my need to help and love them at all costs, and by any means necessary. so to share some of that love, i've decided that for the month of august (and maybe for september, too) i'm donating 25% of all sales to the lynchburg humane society. because i can't adopt every animal there (remember that pit bull i told you i fell in love with?), i'm hoping that i can at least help them with a monetary donation. so, if you've had your eye on something in my shop, now's a good time to own it! *obligatory disclaimer: i'm not a salesperson, and to be honest, i'd prefer a world with no money, so please don't feel like i'm after your wallet. i'm not, i'm here for the friendly blogging community, sales are just a perk.

as the first mate of danielle's flock, i can tell you that she really does love animals. sometimes i'm not quite sure why she was even born human, but that's beside the point. i don't really like cats, and i liked dive bombing the yellow lab that used to live with us, but the fact is, i still think that even cats and dogs should have basic animal rights: good food, clean water, and a loving family (and if they're like me, more attention than a baby, and more homemade food that my human friends).

xo,

flojo (aka dinosaur toes)

>> p.s. thank you for the link love micaela, carla and jill! you're the best!

wishlist wednesday!

i really enjoyed searching for things on today's wish list because it's all about the one thing i love most in life: animals! turtles, dogs, rabbits,birds or any other animal (although, i'm not a huge fan of snakes), i absolutely adore animals, and i have a bit of an obsession with pretty much any animal knick-knacky type thing i see! one thing i've been wanting for a long time now is an old birdcage music box that plays either when a drawer is opened, or when it's wound, and if i ever find one, i WILL make it mine, shopping ban or no shopping ban!

sources: merchant of kismet, another feather, violet 64, hperl, restless general store (thanks a lot, micaela)!

if you have a wish list you'd like to share, please link back to me and leave me a link in the comments section so i can see! i also plan to do a post sort of about animals tomorrow, but i'm still trying to figure out how to put it across...

thrifty.

i don't go thrifting nearly as often as i used to, and it's mainly because i just can't seem to find all the good vintage treasures that used to fill the thrift shops. now, when i do go and find a gem that's in good condition, and more importantly, fits me, it's like i won the lottery! i can't really hide my emotions (at all), so i always wonder if i have a ridiculous smile plastered on my face when i come across something i know has been waiting for me. here are my latest finds (and they're not actually all that new, i've just been forgetting to share)...

the first blouse is my absolute favorite and fits like it was made for me. that and the last blouse are soft, lightweight gauze fabric which is my favorite during warmer months. the leopard print skirt makes me feel just enough like a guns n'roses fan without going overboard. last, i love the cardigan, but am not insane enough to wear it during a virginia summer, not even in the middle of the night. it'll have to wait until fall!

sadly, these beautiful vintage moccasin ankle boots do not belong to me, but i'd give a non-vital organ to own them. i've been searching high and low at the thrift shops for these exact boots without luck, and here they are, in my size, dangling in front of my face; but alas, i'm on a shopping ban.

now that my pity party is out of the way, here's a little vintage we can all enjoy. thanks, afp! (thanks, maddy for reminding me to add this, i am NOT in that picture! it's just random silliness).