US meets UK

Go check out Lisa (aka Mrs. Bunny) for a shot of loveliness straight out of Vegas.  The possibility of seeing my face isn’t  enough for you?  Mrs. Cowboy Boot and Mrs. Sprinkle are also in the street with me, so go over there already!

The lovely Mrs. Bunny…. via the auto setting on my camera.

What I wouldn’t give to be back in the desert right now!

I’ve been looking for a slipper chair to add to our living room. Currently, when we have extra people over we can fit three on the sofa, two on dining chairs and one on Nick’s desk chair. Plus, we have folding chairs we keep under our bed.

That said, adding a single slipper chair in the corner would do wonders for our seating. If we have one couple over then we don’t have to move chairs and I feel that this additional chair would complete our space. For an idea of the colors in our apartment, our walls are Benjamin Moore Bunny Gray, we have this Macy’s sofa in cream, our kitchen is a deep purple and we have the yellow letters below (from our shoot with Muriel Silva).

So… I’m not too sure what our color palette is.. gray,  yellow and… purple in the corner? I could lose the letters, or spray them another color, but I haven’t mustered up the energy for it yet.

My first chair pick was the Polly Chair in Aegean… which is now out of stock.

The remaining contenders?

Plain and cheap pewter:

Neutral but patterned rings chair:

(available for less as well!)

Polly Chair in Dove:

Or a more modern West Elm pick (which… I worry doesn’t match our sofa’s style).

The same issue I fear with this cute little chair.

Which would you pick?

One day, if I ever have a kid. It will be bacon for halloween. Or just for fun, anytime of year.

I dig DC Vote’s sign, but I’ve been checking the internet for a few ideas as well. This is a slideshow of a few signs, and I’ve linked to several forums that have great quote minefields.  Plus, sane vs take it down a notch.

My Sanity favorites:

“Give me Liberty…. Oh….Thanks”

“Sorry Christine, but WE are the PEOPLE too!”

“Jefferson Was A Liberal”

“I’m As Ambivalent As Hell, And I’m Not Gonna Stress About It Anymore!”

“Anti-Extremism Extremist”

“Land of the Free, Home of the Sane”

“I Want My Overly-Romanticized-Idea-of-What-I-Thought-My-Country-Was Back!”

“The Constitution was a compromise”

“My Dog Ate My Hatred”

“Give Peace and Quiet a Chance”

“What do we want?
Evidence Based, Gradual Change!
When do we want it?
After Peer Review!”

“Real Patriots can handle differences in opinion”

My Fear Favorites:

“Help The Poor or they will Rise Up Against Us!”

“Behind every good man…. IS A SOCIALIST! LOOK OUT!”

“Where is your birth certificate, Hawaii?!”

“God hates HMOs”

As an aside, I found this pic in my search, and thought it put together a few ideas nicely.

Turns out, this weekend is Halloween. Which means we should probably carve our pumpkin prior to this weekend. I hit the internet looking for a few free templates. I didn’t find many.. I did find the pumpkin lady, who sells templates for $1.49.  A price I’m willing to pay.

Free Owl Head from dltk holidays

Squiggy the Octopus (though, you might be able to free hand this one)

This dopey, smiley bat and cat combo

and one that would be fitting for our first Halloween, only blocks away from the capitol

Mot surprisingly, I found my favorite patterns in the Nature category.

How do you pick your pumpkin design, and do you even use a pattern?

Anyone need a Tuesday pick me up? After my Monday, I know I do! So, visit this post to download a great mix to enjoy while at work.

Sure, it’s Indie Soup Runner, and I’m stuck at a desk, clearly not running. Whatevs.

I’m SO EXCITED! I keep telling everyone I know, and people I don’t know! I’ve become an even creepier baby oogler. Instead of just staring mystified at babies, I’m now telling their mothers (who, let’s be honest, don’t care) that I’m going to be an Aunt.

For example. The other evening on my way home from work I decided to take the notoriously slow elevator out of the Capitol South metro station. why? There was a woman with a baby getting on the elevator, so I decided to get in so I could make faces at the baby (creepy). Then, as we’re riding the elevator, and I’m making faces at the baby I blurt out “I’m going to be an Aunt!!!!!” (creepier). The woman was nice and polite and congratulated me (as if I had done anything to BE an Aunt). But still, I imagine the experience was strange for her.

I have “I’m going to be an AUNT” word vomit. I’m telling everyone I see. I’m the youngest sibling, and the youngest cousin on my mom’s side- so maybe that’s why I’m more excited than your average person. Who knows…

The funniest thing about being an Aunt, is that I haven’t DONE anything to be an aunt.  My parents had two children, and my sister got pregnant. And I? I guess I’ve maintained relationships that would allow me to be an Aunt, but I didn’t really DO anything to get the honor. Regardless, I’m ecstatic, and I can’t wait till April!

Are you an Aunt or an Uncle?

Tee Hee. This past weekend, I helped my friend to surprise his girlfriend (now fiance and also my friend). He had called Nick and I a week before to enlist our participation in his trickery. He believes I am talented with a camera, I warned him that in fact my only talent is with chickens

and now… dogs!

But not so much humans. He assured me that it would be fine. We headed to a VA winery that Khiet had heard of from a friend. We had a great wine tasting, then enjoyed a bottle and snacks on the deck. Except, since Khiet, Nick and I all knew what was about to happen-we were SO nervous/excited! We decided to take a walk around the property.

Then they headed over to the pier… Nick almost followed before he realized what was happening!

Khiet dropped to his knee…

She said yes!

I love my friends so much, and I’m so happy for the two of them!

As a child my favorite book was a book of different people’s faces – I couldn’t get enough of it. As adult, I can often be found reading communication or human management books or, apparently watching documentaries about communication and faces.

Have you seen John Cleese/the BBC’s The Human Face? I am loving it. John Gottman’s research is touched upon, same with other highlights of Malcom Gladwell’s Blink.

One of the super interesting parts is the examination of motorists vs pedestrians. In that, we don’t have pavement rage. When we bump into another on the street we exchange quick nonverbal moments of apology. In a car (and over email) we can’t see it, and often become angry without the brief nanosecond facial apologies and lack the ability to read the other’s face.

Have you watched The Human Face yet?

In addition to this post, I highly urge you to read Student Activism’s post on why Tyler Celmenti’s situation is not “just a joke” and that the accurate charges should be filed.

You may have seen the story of Billy Lucas, Jaheem Herrara, or countless other children bullied over their sexuality. In response, Dan Savage of his Savage Love column started a channel on youtube titled It gets Better.

If you search “it gets better” on you tube, or the #itgetsbetter on twitter you’ll find countless messages of hope for LGBT youth.  Kids need to know that it DOES get better, and that suicide is never the answer to their problems, and that life can and will change.