jewels and cooking.

after slow start i feel like i've had a pretty productive day as far as filling orders is concerned, but wow, i still have so much more work to go. anyway, i have two things that make me happy to share with you, so let's start of with one of my favorite things: FOOD! last night marks my first attempt at making baked potato soup, and can i just say that i rocked my own world? because i did.

want to make it? here's how! what you'll need:

4 large baking potatoes
2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup all purpose flour
6 cups milk
salt & pepper to taste
1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
8 oz sour cream
chives to taste (i used about 1 1/2 TBSP)
1/2 cup bacon, fried and crumbled (of course i used more)

bake potatoes until done, scoop out and throw skins away. melt butter in saucepan, add flour, stir until completely mixed. slowly stir in milk and cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly. add potatoes you scooped out earlier, salt, pepper, chives, bacon, cheese. mix in sour cream. add additional milk if it's too thick.

easy peasy, and SUPER delicious! next on the list of things that make me happy: boxes that showed up at my door yesterday. my mom and her husband paul will be moving from pennsylvania to their house in florida soon, so in the process of downsizing, she boxed up scrapbooks she put together of art projects i made in school, birthday party remnants, her journal from when i was a baby, a journal she wrote when i had surgery, pictures, baby clothes and toys, and my favorite: jewelry that belonged to my granny maude (my dad's grandma that died when i was in fifth grade). granny maude and i were so close, and when she died i was heartborken; i felt like i didn't know how to spend my summers any longer, and i wasn't sure that life could ever go on. i was allowed to pick out a few pieces of her costume jewelry, but since i was young, my mom told me she was keeping them until i was older. i was absolutely livid and didn't understand why i could keep the jewelry myself. it turns out she was right, i would have lost it, and i'm glad it's been kept safe for me all these years. before i saw her note that the jewelry was granny maude's, i instantly knew exactly where it was from, and because i miss my granny every day, i got kind of teary-eyed. i'm so happy to have the jewelry, and i know i'll wear it and cherish it forever.

the other week i did a post with some vintage favorites that i wanted oh-so-badly, and can you believe this, but beca surprised me with one of my picks for christmas!!! she's such a true and amazing friend, and i can't wait to show you my new dress when i wear it later this week!

i hate jeans.

i don't really like to blog when i feel like i'm going to be spewing negativity like an erupted volcano, but sometimes, dammit, i just want to say what i'm thinking! i know i have a lot of good, positive things in my life, and i'm not making light of those, but sometimes i just feel like the negative is what really stays on the forefront of my mind whether i want it to or not. one thing that's got me annoyed (which, truly, is the absolute LEAST important thing on my mind, but annoying nonetheless) is jeans, and more importantly, the people who make them. dear jean maker, i am not 5'10" with twig legs, nor do i want to get a brazilian wax just to be able to wear your low cut jeans.

i don't actually smile when i think of jeans, so that picture is a complete misrepresentation of my true feelings regarding the denim devils. on saturday grandma and i went out to get some more stones for jewelry, and do get a few groceries. you'd think it would be easy enough to throw on some clothes and leave, right? wrong. i know i'm partially to blame because i don't exercise as much as i should considering the amount of food i eat, but i know i'm not the only one who can't seem to find a decent pair of jeans that are made for a real, human body. i finally just settled on these because it was either that or stay at home and have a pity party. i've been in public, and i know i'm not the only woman with a round but and meat on her thighs, so why is it that jeans aren't made to accommodate my body type? i'm not even kidding, getting dressed when i know that i'll be wearing pants just puts me in a bad mood.

luckily though i did have a few things i liked about this outfit, like the pretty vintage rhinestone bird brooch that micaela gave me last year, the suede ankle boots i got at target last year, and the comfy vintage sweater with lace at the neck that i thrifted for a massive $3.

do you have the same problem with jeans? if you do, where have you found some that you've liked? or have you found any yet that you like?

i guess i'm done complaining. but i'm pretty sure i'll keep sitting here thinking about the things going on right now that stress and irritate me, and maybe later i'll go to read my book club book but have a pity party instead. you never know.

from austin powers go-go dancer to modern day: an outfit post

friends, before i go any further, please let me say that the sun is BAAACK! and so is my good mood! whew, i was getting a little worried there! anyway, the sun is back, i have a new dress, and christmas is almost here! now if i could just figure out a way to work on getting the snow here... anyway, i bought myself a gift on cyber monday from lulu*s and i was so happy when i saw the UPS man in my drieway on monday because i knew my dress had arrived!

jean jacket: american eagle, dress: lulu*s, belt: forever 21, blouse: vintage, boots: vintage, socks (which you can't really see but are cute and comfy): target

i knew today was supposed to be chillier, with a high only in the upper 40's, and since this dress is sleeveless, i knew i'd need something other than a jacket over it to stay warm while i had to be outside. enter the bag of clothes in my bedroom floor waiting to be taken to the goodwill. i have this 1970's vintage blouse that i've never worn but have had in my possession for several years now. it was one of those deals where i liked the print, knew it was just my size, and couldn't pass it up at only $3, so i got not really knowing if i'd wear it or not. all i can say is, i'm glad i've hung on to it all this time because it turned out to be the perfect match for this dress! i got chris to take my picture today, and since i get all shy and worked up high on giggle juice when he's behind the camera, i completely forgot to get him to take a closeup picture of the neck tie on the dress and the pretty floral pattern on the blouse. crap!

okay, so to clarify the title of this post, the blouse is very vintage, and the dress without a belt has a straight shape, so without the addition of the belt and the jacket, all i could think about was how it would work perfectly if i wanted to be one of the go-go dancers in austin powers (you know, with the awful white patent leather boots).

so that's my story. i hope you've had a good thursday!

get in my closet! (now, please)

first let me say, the weather here is disgusting. it's like a vampire's dream - no sun to be found, and lamps even have to be turned on in the middle of the day. i hate it. i want to see the sun again, and for the love of everything holy, I WANT TO BE ABLE TO TAKE PICTURES AGAIN! who knew a couple days without the sun could be such a nightmare? anyway, since i haven't been able to take any decent pictures to share, and i don't want to go another day without blogging, why not share what i'm hoping will jump in my closet while i'm sleeping tonight?

from the top, find these beauties here: Vacation Vintage, bless that dress, carton company, Hottmilk, carton company.

i love vintage like i love fresh air, clean water, and french fries, but vintage in my size?! JACKPOT. it's so difficult (for me at least, in the store around here) to find vintage in small sizes that will fit me, so when i find gems like these on the internet in just my size, i seriously try rationalizing in my head how i can justify spending that money even though i know i shouldn't. it's terrible, itsn't it? it's probably an illness. anyway, hopefully tomorrow will be sunny so i can take some pictures to share!

built around a sweater: an outfit post

we're having that crazy fall weather where it's 25 degrees when i get up and leave, but 60 degrees by the afternoon, so layers are pretty much as important as, oh, i don't know, air and french fries. i've been wanting to wear this skirt for a while now, but they when i looked through my armoire, i decided that i wanted to wear this sweater beca gave me even more than i wanted to wear the skirt, so it's a good thing the two could be worn together!

jean jacket: american eagle, sweater: (vintage) gift from my girl beca, chiffon skirt: vintage, tights (which are striped but you can't see in the pictures): target, shoes: payless, necklace: i made it.

i love that necklace, and i'm glad i sat down with chris to look at his coin collection. i permanently borrowed a 1930's buffalo nickel from him which i think makes the perfect pendant!

i hope you guys have a good weekend! i know i will because pop and i are going back to the trails for some more bike riding saturday evening and i can't wait!