BOOK IT! (do I still get my own personal pizza??)

I know there are many out there like me who identify as a '90s kid. One of the cornerstones of my youth was the BOOK IT! program. Those star stickers.....those lovely, coveted stars. I needed them. I was obsessive, like a serial killer needing to complete my collection, like a junky needing to get the fix, the crack that was Pizza Hut's Personal Pan pizza. (I was a morbid child, with friends who were equally as morbid.) And who was my dealer?? Scholastic.

That bus rolled into town, and I was like moth to the flame. I was brainwashed. I needed all of these books. "MOOOOMMMMMM!!! But if I get 10 books I get a puppy poster!!!!" The smell of the newpaper-like magazines of all the new offerings, the rough pages between my finger tips. And Pizza Hut was there to be sure that I actually read these books.

The addiction has continued into adulthood, though, the consumption has waned (of both books and personal pan pizzas). And I am sad about that (mainly the book part, but small bit about the pizza). There is something just so....comforting about reading a book. I've decided to take a stance, and make a reading list. 100 Books to Read Before I Die. I've done some "research" on this and looked over many, many reading lists. Some speak to me more than others....if the The Great Gatsby was the #1 book, I immediately cast judgment on the rest of the list. (It's my list, and I can be judgmental about these things). I also want to stick to more modern books, from the 19th c. (haha modern). - present.

So far, I have 39 books (in no particular order):

My Music Monday

When the Man and I were on our adventure down south this summer, we were introduced to the sound that is Hillbilly Casino. We stumbled upon them at the Blues City Bar in Memphis, TN. They had amazing stage presence, a great sound, and all around fun guys. After the show, the Man went to purchase a shirt and in the process 'stole' some pomade from the lead singer Nick Roulette. I wish I had a picture of the two of them combing their pompadours!

They invited us to hang out with them for the rest of the night around the corner at a quiet little bar.  It didn't take long to realize how much we all had in common, and that next month they were playing in Racine! Literally, the next town over from us. Quickly, 4 a.m. came upon us, and we unwillingly had to peel ourselves away. We had to check out of our hotel room by 11 a.m. and still had to go to Graceland and drive hours north!!

The video is from their show in Racine. It was a blast, with ample opportunity for the Man and I to dance! They played last night up in Milwaukee, and I was pretty bummed that we couldn't make it.

My Side Work

Just recently, I decided to turn one of my hobbies into a somewhat "professional" side job. In this decision (read: talking myself into it and getting over the fear of it), I felt that it was something to make a little money and, more importantly, a way to hone my skill. I specialize in pencil (graphite) portraits. I find myself fascinated by drawing the little details. I LOVE drawing ears, and I LOVE how the eyes really breathe life into the portrait. So, I've been a little busy. Surprisingly so. And, for the most part, it's all been word of mouth. I do a portrait for one person, then someone sees that portrait and contacts me. It's been pretty steady :)

Look at that messy mirror :/ It was a hot day and I felt that I was having a unusually good hair day. I HAD to document it.

Skatterbrained!

I feel like I've been all over the place, lately. It's definitely been a couple of weeks where I feel like I'm always doing something, but at the end of the day, have very little to show for it. On a good note: I finally reopened my Etsy shop! Pocketwatchwardrobe. I opened it 3? years ago, and it shows. I need to redesign the banner and I don't know how I feel about the name :/. But, its up! All the pictures are snapped and the measurements are taken. Now....I'm reminded of the things I need to clean and mend in order to get them in the shop.....

Thheeeeennn, there's the Fall for Cotton challenge. I'm pretty sure I have my project all picked out, and I know we're already supposed to be in the process of making it...but I get to thinking, and browsing. I think "if I make a spring/summer dress, I won't be able to wear it until next year and all I do is sew dresses, ishouldreallychallengemyselfandmakeseparatesbutidon'tmakeseparatesforareasonbeacausetheyneverfit...."and i feel somewhat intimidated by all the other lovely projects out there.

And there's the garden, with all the wonderful produce that has to be used up by us before it goes bad...lots of pickles and salsa and marinara, etc in our future.

To top it all off, the Man had to get a tooth pulled! And by doctor's orders: lots of ice cream, pudding and foot rubs...I asked if they had an open chair so that I could get a tooth pulled.

I hope I'm not the only one who feels like I do so much work, but turn around and have nothing to show for it. I tend to get overwhelmed by my To-Do list, and kind of just sit in a corner and rock back and forth.....

My Music Monday

I was introduced to JD McPherson last summer by the Man, and instantly became a fan. His music is just so rich, and truly harkens back to Ray Charles and Jackie Wilson. It's not rockabilly music but more soul/rock 'n 'roll. We've been lucky enough to see him live, twice, at the High Noon Saloon in Madison. It's a smaller, more intimate venue-perfect for running into the performers before or after their set (we had a shot and a chat with JD at the bar before the show-and there were probably only a handful of people in the building). Each time made for a perfect evening of good tunes and LOTS of dancing. The second time we saw him, in April for the Man's birthday, was got "noticed" by some people in the crowd as the "couple who could dance!" from the last time. As flattered as we both were by that statement, we both knew that our moves need some serious work, haha. We just cared that we had fun!

"Firebug" is my favorite, though it really is hard to choose. The music is perfect for cruising around on a hot summer night with the top down!

Fall for Cotton: Picking Fabric and Pattern

I am soooo excited to be doing the Fall for Cotton vintage sewing challenge! I've been following Tasha at by gum, by golly for a while now, and when I saw this, I knew I had to join. I've never done a sew a long, but this one really seemed like that best place to start.  The idea is to fall in love with cotton and all it's versatility. That being said, the fabrics chosen should be 100% cotton (or as absolutely close as possible). The pattern should be vintage or vintage inspired. You can see why this all spoke to me.

The biggest challenge, thus far, is determining whether or not the fabric is 100% cotton or a cotton blend.... :/ I've followed some advice and tutorials on assisting in figuring this out, but to be honest...I'm still confused. I did burn tests and all I got from it was a pile of ashes, haha! But I will persevere! I will do this!

He thinks he's helping

He's lucky he's soon stinkin cute.

Success! Simplicity 1755

I feel so accomplished! I actually, finally finished* a sewing project in a timely manner!  I had this fabric in my stash for a while and I had picked them up at my favorite thrift shop, knowing I wanted to use them together. When I laid eyes on the Simplicity pattern 1755, I knew the fabrics had a destiny. The pattern was really a breeze. Any problems that I ran into were the fault of my own, sleep deprived brain. I usually am hesitant with full skirts, as they tend to make me look hippy. I love how this skirt/bodice combo make my waist look slim(mer). I also love the loose raglan sleeves that fit over my "helga" arms (you know what I'm talking about *points to mom*). I found it a simple delight that the seams and pockets were hidden in the pleats of the skirt. I also lined it with a flamingo pink pop of color. 

The reasons I usually procrastinate with sewing projects is: HEMS AND ZIPPERS!!!! 

<insert a slew of curse words and tears of frustration>

YET! this time around, I think I finally got the hang of zippers, all it really took was one handy trick: 

READ.THE.INSTRUCTIONS.  who knew.

*I have not totally finished this, there is a belt in the works.

It's sooo "back-to-school"!! I need to work on my posing, haha :/.... also, you may note that in one picture I'm wearing thigh high stockings. Well....these photos were taking on a day that reached almost 90 degrees outside, and it was more than likely hotter in our apartment. SO, the stockings didn't last.

Just a Quick Pickle

Tended to the garden today, and although we have a lot of things almost ready to ripen, there is very little that we can pick right now. One of the things that happens to be thriving is the jalapenos. I didn't want what I picked to go to waste, so I decided to do a small batch of pickling.

 I threw in some oregano from the garden (which also seems to be doing quite well) and a green tomato that prematurely fell to it's death. I felt I should honor his short life by pickling him into eternity.

I sliced everything up and threw it into 2 small canning jars. They now decorate the inside of my fridge, too pretty to be opened.

While I was out in the garden, I turned on the sprinkler. To my amusement, several young robins flew in for a shower. They must have been in the 'teenage' stage of robin life because they weren't flighty around me and in fact seemed to have unjustified invincibility. They took turns flying into the water stream, and would puff up their feathers and hop around on the ground following the sprinkler.

I found it hilarious. It doesn't take much...

I found my way back....

Whoops! I didn't intend to have such a pause.... We just got back from a rather busy (for us) weekend. We attended my friends' wedding reception, and decided to take the entire weekend off to enjoy and relax.

Thursday was our 1 year anniversary of when we started "officially" dating, and I believe it's the day we made it "Facebook Official."  (slight cringe on my part because saying that makes me feel like I'm back in middle school, or that to announce it on Facebook somehow makes it more real....)

Anyway.....since we are getting married soon, we chose not to do any gift exchange. But, the Man surprised me with taking me to restaurant with one of my *favorite* foods: SUSHI!

We sat at the Habatchi. And he put on a little show for 2. I will admit that he did seem rather....jaded? by the job, but we enjoyed it, regardless.

In turn with his little surprise, I also surprised him with a little something

I found a little notebook, originally for writing music, for us to write little love notes back and forth to each other. I wrote him a little message and since it was our anniversary, I wrote out 52 reasons I love him.

On Friday, it was off to my parents' house, a 2 hour drive for us. It's mostly a country drive and the weather was perfect. It made us long to go on a road trip again.

I had my hair in curlers and tied it all up with a scarf.

He never just lets me take a picture of him, he has to make that face!

*gratuitous selfie*

Our little dancing skeleton

Once at my parents', we all piled in the car and headed to my work for Fish Fry. In Wisconsin, it's expected for restaurants to have a Friday Night Fish Fry. It's a tradition. It's delicious.

The MUST drink: Brandy Old Fashioned Sweet

I think my mom knew her picture was being taken....

We went back home and played the dice game 10,000. The Man came from behind and won the first game....I didn't win any....

Then it was off to the wedding reception, which was in a different town 40 miles away.

 

We found the perfect place to stay:

ugh....no make up....

An apple and zip ties...curious...

 And of course, we immediately bought beer.

Then it was off to the reception, that was at a police station...even curiouser...

Out in the parking lot trying to smoke a cigar with the boys...you can see how well it went...

Ok, I'll just pose, like a turd.

I had to do an impromptu speech. I was told I did well. I also had to sing a karaoke song. I was told I did well, I don't believe them....

The dress I wore for the reception is from Trashy Diva. I picked it up on our road trip this summer. I can't recall the name for the print, but it is a 1940's cut.

I Feel Pretty....Oh So Pretty

Not much going on around here, so I thought I'd hone up on my camera skills. I decided to take advantage of the sunlight.

My 1920's vanity, along with vintage jewelry.

There he is again....

I'm so happy I found this vanity for a steal! It makes me feel so glamorous, even if I am only getting ready for work.

In the Garden

I'm getting so excited for our garden! In this aspect, time cannot go fast enough. We planted our garden a little late in the season, I believe it was after Memorial Day. Initially, I was a bit worried but because of our procrastination, we missed a late frost! Our garden was saved and after planting it has been a waiting game.....

....I'm not good with waiting games.

We knew we wanted tomatoes and bell peppers because we eat them all the time. I also wanted plants that I could preserve for enjoyment later in the year. The watermelon was the Man's idea, a "why not" purchase. The onions were an after thought, they looked dried up and dead and I had no idea what they required. I must be doing something right, they seem to be thriving.

Ripen already!

There are 4 variety of tomatoes: Celebrity, Heinz Heirloom, Black....um....something-or-other, and one other kind (I'm embarrassed I can't remember at the moment....). I have many plans for *hopefully* the bounty. Salsa, marinara, ketchup, fried green tomatoes at the end of the season.

The Bell Peppers are slow to get going, and I'm hesitant about what we are going to yield. There are 3 types: Early, Yellow and Red.

And then of course, the herbs! From my experience, Basil and Oregano are the easiest to grow. They are prolific and very little tending. I just keep pinching the tops off and they keep spreading!

My little garden helper :)