Garden update and new listings {finally}

Today is day 21 of my garden adventure. Everything I've planted has started to sprout except for the bell peppers :(


Chamomile going nuts, mustard leaf, and raddishes (not as impressive as the others!)


Gourd and green onions in the background


Lemonbalm (unmarked), dill and chervil


Green beans doin the damn thing!

Also - I was SO happy I was able to catch my beloved orange stray with his girlfriend this time :) They are adorable - they fight some - but are usually quite sweet on one another.



I picked some beautiful flowers from my front yard to use as a backdrop for some new etsy listings...



Gin necklace - $18 http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=43831244



Vintage Cinderella Coaster Set - $15 http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=43836703

A touch of Romance

For a very long time I *hated* the current fashions. Ever since I graduated high school it seems I would go into stores and always leave frustrated and/or empty handed because of the lack of, what I thought to be, beautiful clothes.

I am SO happy this has finally ended! All I see are floral prints, lace, and pearls...and I couldn't be happier! I'm particularly enthralled with slip dresses at the moment and of course they have some beautiful one's on etsy.

I also seriously need to work on my skirt I mentioned weeks ago - as soon as my life isn't total chaos I hope to be able to sit down with it.


http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=43409094


http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=39504146


http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24790396

Phantom Fat

First off - I want to show a picture of my beloved Prince, whom we (my ex and I) had to put down a year ago this past Sunday. He is the brother to my current kitty, Salem, and was also born FIV+. Prince also had congenital joint disease (coxofemoral luxations and patellar luxations, basically his knee caps and right shoulder blade were permanently dislocated).

He was an angel on earth and passed away 2 months shy of his 3rd birthday.
I will forever love this creature.


It was shortly after Prince died that I lost the last 10 pounds that put me at my current weight. I used to be morbidly obese. Literally. My BMI was 30.54 and a 52 pound weight loss has put me at my current 21.03.

I actually wish I had more 'fat' photos - but like any person overweight I avoided cameras like the plague. I do have this classic gem - which was taken on my 23rd birthday - and actually has me in gross sweats WITH food stains on it. Loves it!



Now - I wasn't overweight in high school. I was actually a few pounds heavier than I am now, but very much healthy and active. I put on weight when I turned 21 and started going out often and exercising less and eating horrid fast food. So, I wasn't always fat. I was at my highest weight for about 2 years. It was a very strange sensation. I disappeared. When I was thinner I had the usual cat calls and douches in gas stations hit on me...I didn't think anything of it. Then suddenly (I say suddenly because I truly put on about 40 pounds in a year) it stopped. Totally.

I always felt like it wasn't me....well, it was me...but I was in a 'fat suit'. I didn't realize how big I was. My mentality was still that of someone much smaller.

People always ask me how I lost it - and I think I frustrate them with my answer. I ate less. That's it. Yes I exercise now but even research will tell you that exercising away 300 calories is just as effective as just eating 300 calories less a day. I'm lazy so I just ate less. No more fast food, stayed away from sugars as much as possible and tried to eat colors.
That's it.
The weight took about 2 years to come off totally and it's been all off for a year almost. I don't have a lot of full length picture but this is me just before I moved from my old house


Of course now that I'm thinner I still have the mentality of being fat. Not that I have an eating disorder in the slightest - I eat ridiculously healthy and stay between 12-1400 calories a day. I just feel fat still. I don't see what other people see. I remember the first time someone called me skinny last year...I honestly thought they we're being mean and sarcastic. It's not me. I'm not skinny. I still move more out of the way when people walk by then I should because I don't have 50 pounds wrapped around me anymore. Like phantom limb syndrome - I sometimes swear I still feel my thighs and stomach just as big as they ever were.

It's just not me.

I guess my strange point to this post is just ... be happy. If your overweight, work on it for your own health benefits, but don't hate yourself in the meantime. You'd be surprised how "I'll be so much happier when I'm thin" will quickly be replaced with

"I'll be so much happier when I'm rich...
when I move from here....
when I...."

An 'Lol' kinda day...

I adore home improvement stores.

I adore less when I'm visually stalked by every male in the building only for the simple fact that I do have a vagina and I am alone in a hardware store.

I had to stop by after teaching today to pick up some more tiles for new coaster sets I'm working on and had people who didn't even work there offering to help me find things. Helpful? Maybe. ODB? Probably!

Also, as I was leaving campus earlier, I had the pleasant experience of hearing the song "Laffy Taffy" by D4L on the radio. This may come as a surprise to those who don't know me aside from etsian/teacher/gardener, but I do in fact love me some rap music. Hence my two 12" rockford fosgate speakers in my trunk. So imagine my enjoyment when, as I was rocking and thumpin away, I turn to my right and see one of my students at the red light next to me.

They looked like I probably used to in elementary school whenever I saw a teacher outside of class and it was sooooo awkward. Like, I thought they all just worked/lived/slept in the school and never left.

An ode to my awkwardness: Laffy Taffy Scarf on Etsy!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/beautifulbridget

It never ceases to amaze me...

That you can find anything on etsy!



Giggle!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/mindseyecards

Whirlwind Weekend

I know I'm not the only one who thinks this, but why do the weekends always seem to just fly by? I blink and their gone and then here comes Monday again with nothing to look forward to except for the next weekend that will fly by just as quick as this one.

Le sigh.

Friday night was Gallery night in downtown Pensacola. It's a very fun and popular event where downtown businesses stay open late and feature artists and some delicious food and wine. It runs from 5-9 but many people stay late to socialize and enjoy some wonderful libations :)


My garden is slowly starting to take off! I planted the majority of the seeds last Wednesday (so 11 days now) and may need to replant some as the tomatoes and peppers aren't sprouting yet :(






While I was outside talking dirty to my plants trying to encourage their growth my usual kitty friend was there taking a nap. He's been here as long as I've lived at the house and spends most of the day in the backyard. It's killing me not to feed him or want to take him in! My kitty has feline AIDS so I know I can't - but he's just so adorable (and very skiddish still)




One last picture of my cat ... just because he's a beast and I caught him mid-yawn this morning :)

The Genius of the Crowd

Felt like reading some Charles Bukowski this morning at work and came across this gem. I love this dirty old man. RIP.



there is enough treachery, hatred violence absurdity in the average
human being to supply any given army on any given day

and the best at murder are those who preach against it
and the best at hate are those who preach love
and the best at war finally are those who preach peace

those who preach god, need god
those who preach peace do not have peace
those who preach peace do not have love

beware the preachers
beware the knowers
beware those who are always reading books
beware those who either detest poverty
or are proud of it
beware those quick to praise
for they need praise in return
beware those who are quick to censor
they are afraid of what they do not know
beware those who seek constant crowds for
they are nothing alone
beware the average man the average woman
beware their love, their love is average
seeks average

but there is genius in their hatred
there is enough genius in their hatred to kill you
to kill anybody
not wanting solitude
not understanding solitude
they will attempt to destroy anything
that differs from their own
not being able to create art
they will not understand art
they will consider their failure as creators
only as a failure of the world
not being able to love fully
they will believe your love incomplete
and then they will hate you
and their hatred will be perfect

like a shining diamond
like a knife
like a mountain
like a tiger
like hemlock

their finest art

I carry your heart with me

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)
- E.E. Cummings

Book Reviews and a Good Smellin' Mystery

I finally spent the last bit of gift certificates I had to Amazon thanks to my lovely mother and brother for Christmas (and quitting smoking!).

To go along with my new gardening kick I picked up the following:

McGee & Stuckey's Bountiful Container: Create Container Gardens of Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, and Edible Flowers

I really like this book. The first portion goes into detail on exactly what you need to start gardening with and how to go about it. I'm pretty much inept when it comes to this area so I needed a good, solid background of information before I started getting my hands dirty. The rest of the book goes into detail on different varieties of veggies, herbs and fruits. I've already referenced it countless times while planting my seeds and checking to see if they should have sprouted yet!


The Backyard Homestead: Produce all the food you need on just a quarter acre!

This book didn't go into as much detail per crop as the first one did, but it contained much more information on actually homesteading from your backyard. There was great information on how to make beer/wine, diagrams of utilizing your space effectively, how to prepare meat (vegetarian here!) and much more. Since a good portion of this book does focus on raising and eating meat it's not as informative to me, but I really liked how they showed the possibility of harvesting 1400 eggs, 50 lbs of wheat, 60 lbs of fruit, 2000 lbs of veggies, and 75 pounds of nuts on just 1/4 an acre!

Finally - the $1,000,000 question of the day!
Le Bf introduced me to the most AMAZING smelling tree/giant bush thing ever and we have no clue what it is! Any help i.d.'ing said plant will be returned with our unwavering love and devotion :D

Retail Therapy

So I just got back from viewing a house that I was *very* interested in purchasing and the adorable elderly gentlemen that showed us the property informed me that there was an offer made on it yesterday. That definitely doesn't mean it's sold for sure - but it's not a great sign.

So - to make myself feel better I'm shopping around on etsy :) Here are some of my current crushes!


Forever in my Heart Secret Love; http://KnotOriginal.etsy.com


Item link: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=38634012
Two hearts connected, hand embroidered pendant; http://SNoU.etsy.com


Melamine Tea or Coffee Cup Set; http://AMradio.etsy.com


Je t'adore Shirt; http://neenacreates.etsy.com


Personalized postcard pillow; http://Olive.etsy.com

Lettuce and why I love my house

After checking daily (okay, sometimes hourly) I've finally seen my first sprout! The lettuce seeds are starting to peek through the top of the soil and I couldn't be more giddy - it's been 5 days so their a bit early..hopefully this is a sign I'm not a massive gardening failure like I once believed :)



As I was heading back in I had to snap a pic of this wicked vine that's crawling up onto the lattice above the patio - and it inspired me to take a few photos of why I absolutely adore the house I'm in (A 116 year old Victorian).



These are the actual keys to one of the rooms upstairs


Uber creepy masks we found in the storage room!


Light switch that came in the guest bathroom


Stained glass window (one of two on the first staircase)


It truly is my dream home and I consider myself incredibly lucky to be living in it!

Fairhope Part 2

Couldn't stay away so we went and stayed a night there. We stayed at the Hampton Inn which is in the heart of downtown and within walking distance of basically everything.



The staff was very friendly and the rooms we're beautiful. Each room had a different picture next to the room number and I found it quite ironic that we we're stuck with this one ;)



We ate at Tamara's - I say ate but really we just shared some appetizers (which were delicious!) and had a bottle....and a half....of wine (did I mention how nice it was to have a hotel within walking distance lol).


We went to the Fairhope library (I'm a massive book nerd) and I was floored with how nice it was! SO much better than the one here in Pensacola and I could tell it really was a community center with events and tons of people there utilizing the resources it offered. The greatest thing though was stumbling upon two mini dollhouses that I believe were decorated to act as mini version of two shops in town. They we're ADORABLE! My favorite was the bookstore




And what's better than a mini bookstore? A mini playboy!


Speaking of bookstores - they have the cutest little family-run one called Page and Pallette (http://www.pageandpalette.com) that hosts a wide variety of events and authors there weekly. They just had the author of 'Will Jesus Buy Me a Double Wide' there and Trisha Yearwood will be there soon to sign copies of her new cookbook. Not that I really care at all about country, or need cookbooks lol, but it's neat what big names they get coming through there!

This is a picture of their coffee shop, Latte Da, the book store is on the other side and I believe the art supplies are on the second floor.

Photo courtesy of: Bill Starling for the New York Times

We ended our time with a soon-to-be-traditional picnic in the park, an almost nap under a lovely tree, and stroll on the piers.

Fairhope, I do love thee.