Dress me in ribbons and bows.

When I'm not pregnant anymore I would like to afford a dress from Modcloth once every week. And look like Zooey Dechanel:) This little number is only $53. Would look good with a wide aqua belt! If I were going to start a clothing company it would only sell dresses and LOTS OF THEM! Like 100 every season. And be inexpensive. And have a catchy blog name like 'smitten' or 'orange beautiful'.

Paper Straws knock my socks off!

Paper Straws are DIVINE! They look so retro and perfect in a table set up. You can buy them here for pretty cheap. I've never used them before but if someone has please let me know how they held up. Photos by Oh Happy Day.

My modest house of the moment.

I have been daydreaming of building a thin house. Do you ever do this? I find that it fills my downtime. I found this cute little plan. It's doesn't have anything special but I like to alter and decorate it in my head. The key point is that it would be super cheap to build if I could get some free land:)

My house would have dark hardwood floors in every room, recessed lighting in every room, faux wood beams in every room, a finished basement with a generous ceiling height and generous window height (that included a family room, guest room, studio and sewing room), a wide open staircase leading to the finished basement, vaulted ceiling in upstairs bedrooms, large walkout doors off the great room leading to a deck, a professionally landscaped enclosed backyard, a deep wide bathtub in the master bedroom, stainless steel appliances, and of course...a pantry.

Click on on photo to enlarge layout. Then click on photo to zoom.

Mmmm, lunch.

I'm often at a loss as to what to make for lunch. I don't like to put as much effort as I do in dinner. It just seems like I'm stretching myself too thin. But every once in a while I come across a recipe that inspires me to put forth the extra effort. My dear friend Cheila of What's Goin' Down Episode made a WONDERFUL lunch for me when I visited one afternoon. She acted as if it was nothing to whip up but it was one of the BEST lite lunches I've had in some time. It was so delicious I asked her for the recipe and made some for myself.


I love the peppery taste of the endive mixed with the sweet taste of the salad mix. It really hit my missing lunch spot! If you are feeling kinda blah about lunch too, you must try her recipe!


Cut chicken breast into 1/3" cubes.
2 slices of red onion chopped into tiny cubes
celery 2 stalks chopped into tiny pieces
a handful of cherry flavored craisins
1/4th of an apple, cut into tiny matchsticks
plop some mayo in until it looks right and season the whole thing with salt and pepper.
scoop into endive
(I found my endive at Giant Foods here in PA) I went everywhere else even other Giant Stores and couldn't find this vegetable. So it could be difficult to procure. You could also try a Farmer's Market or whole foods store but I have to say it's just not the same without it!

Faux Beams make me BEAM!

Okay, this IS the coolest thing. These are STYROFOAM wood beams. They are light and easy to install so you can furnish your ceiling without any 'professional' help. And they look totally real! I saw them on an episode of My Big Amazing Renovation on HGTV.

Happy Monarch Day!

I woke up this morning and sat in the living room with my laptop. Eventually, I noticed a scratching noise coming from the jar we were keeping the chrysalis in. Brian had said that he thought it would start to emerge at earliest by this morning. But sure enough, I looked inside and there was a full sized Monarch butterfly scratching at the walls of the jar to escape.

I ran into the bedroom and woke up Brian to tell him. He got up faster than I think I've ever seen him get up before and all four of us followed him out to the deck to set it free. Both babies (that's what I call them) watched from the door, very skeptical. Molly cried when we tried to get her close to the jar. Lily was brave enough to stand next to the table the jar sat upon but that's as far as either of them got.

Eventually, we gently flipped the jar upside down and the butterfly found its way into the outside world and flew away as fast as it could. We were a little disappointed that the big show happened while we were asleep but the excitement of setting it free gave us some consolation:)

Repro Depot Does it Again.

As if Repro Depot couldn't get any cooler, they are releasing two different surface pattern books with a CD containing patterns you can use to make your own stationery, crafts and anything you can think of. They have Folk and Flora. The collection also includes stationary, notecards and a journal. The price is $24.99, not too bad. Would make a GREAT gift for your fellow crafty friends:)

Rain Gutter Bookshelves/Wainscoting

This is just the BEST idea from The Stories of A to Z. Looks just like trim but also functions as a shelf! Beth writes about some pretty amazing ideas. Also check out her inexpensive 'wainscoting wallpaper' post. Not as cheap looking as you may think as they are textured AND paintable not to mention a lot easier to install!

Let Me Introduce....The Elusive Monarch Chrysalis

Brian and Lily left early one morning before school in search of one of these. I wholly expected them to return empty handed but when they came through the door, Lily was excited to show me this.

Brian said they looked and looked for half an hour then found this in a bushel of milkweed. We have a birdcage that we are thinking of moving this little cocoon to. Then (assuming we don't kill it in the process) we plan on setting it free. Isn't it strange how they all have that thin gold line? So amazing!

Brian had his heart set on finding one this year with Lily. As a 6-year old boy, he had sought these one afternoon. He told me that he searched and searched and searched and became so frustrated and disappointed that he sat down and cried. Then prayed to God for help in finding one and literally as he looked up from his prayer he saw one dangling from a leaf above his head.

Isn't that sweet:) He was a little embarrassed about mentioning it on this blog but I told him I'd say he was 6 instead of 8;)

Oh my! Oh my! Apple Pie!

Oh my! I'm only a semi-fan of COLD apple pie but these look too cute and easy to be true! Maybe someone could get me one of these mini pie molds from William Sonoma for Christmas! Only $9.99. If you made these for your playgroup you'd be the envy of all the other soccer moms:) And check out their PUMPKIN MOLD!