december desktop

Just a few days late, not too bad considering we have finally moved and are now residents of Finland!

Granted, it's only been two and a half days since we arrived (after a rather nightmare plane experience), but so far so good. The apartment we have is light and bright and cozy (and quiet!), and we had our first official grocery shopping experience yesterday. Two things that I liked there: when you get vegetables, you have to make a note of the product code (kind of like when you buy from bulk bins in Canada), then you weigh the item on a scale and print your own bar code which you stick on the bag yourself for the cashier. I love this so much! You know instantly (and I mean instantly -- it's very fast) what price you're going to be paying so you can take a tomato out if it's too much or scrap the purchase altogether (I've always hated the whole vegetable guessing game we play in Canada and how nice is this for cashiers?). Also all lettuces are sold with their roots and some dirt in a little pot (I guess you'd call it), and they're wrapped up like little potted plants with cellophane around them. I didn't know how to handle it, so I put them in cups of water and they perked right up. They seem so much fresher this way and I just had to snap off a few leaves for our salad. Cheap me wishes I had a planter box.

Anyway, the December calendar is kind of Finnish inspired and it definitely supports my growing fixation on black and white and geometric shapes. It's pretty simple, but it did take me a while to figure out how to draw the gems in photoshop. Not too shabby!

1920 x 1080

1680 x 1050

ipad

iphone/ipod

lock screen

home screen

walking shoes

After much scurrying around, it became pretty obvious that we couldn't do anything remotely helpful to the process of moving to Finland in Edmonton, so we had to take an impromptu trip to Ottawa. We were there for a night and a day, and dummy here forgot the memory card for her camera, so I don't have many pictures of the trip. You're not missing much, though, as most of it was spent at the Finnish embassy or in taxis or in the House of Commons where pictures are not allowed anyway. (We super lucked out as it was in session that day and we had the opportunity to see the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition go at it over the most recent Canadian scandal. I won't bore you with details, but it was really exciting to be right there!)

Anyway, the Ottawa trip was pretty much the last straw for me. As someone who's always relied on thrift store shoes (I know. I should probably stay away from thrift shoes as I stay away from thrift underwear), I found myself pretty much out of shoe choices when deciding what to wear. Since the trip was so short, I had to pack ultra-light (and by that I mean, no suitcase) so my choices were made based on whether I wanted to lug a heavy bag across my shoulder all day or not. That meant I could only take one pair of shoes and they had to be on my feet. (Imagine how annoyed I was to find I was lugging around my big camera for absolutely no reason!)

Quite obviously, this was the second trip where I've been laid up with blisters, sore ankles and toes, and a limp exactly one hour after walking in shoes that were only meant to skip across a store for 20 minutes and then come off. Actually, I really couldn't have chosen the worst pair for this particular trip, either, as that pair is almost not even acceptable for skipping across a store for 20 minutes. Did they go with the clothes I'd be wearing the whole time? Sure! But they are practically like walking barefooted (little pebbles were my worst nightmare).

So that's it for me. I'll forego the shoes that work with everything, that are super cheap (the ones I wore to Ottawa still have the price tag on them -- $3.99), that are even super cute in support of comfort and all-day walkability. Nothing ruins a trip more than when your feet are aching and you still have to push yourself to walk another 2-3 hours. And nothing's worse than returning home and having to hobble around the house in loose socks, soft slippers, keeping your legs elevated for a day or more. So after what I would call an extensive search online (because I had to read through a multitude of comments), these are the brands and shoes that stood out the most to me.

{1} Clark's Wave.Trek: This shoe is first on my list since it's garnered the most positive reviews and the most mentions wherever I read about walking shoes. The Wave.Trek is designed with a rocker sole that conserves energy, absorbs shock, and cushions the joints which is probably perfect for walking over cobblestoned streets (of which I've been encountering a lot). I also like that it's waterproof as we found ourselves in cold, drizzly weather in Ottawa and literally had no where to go (unless we wanted to eat lunch again). The negative reviews center mainly on fit so I would definitely want to try these on and walk about the store a bit. My own negative is that I don't like how they look from the side (I don't like how the sole looks) and I wish there were more colour choices, but when I think about that, then walk to get a glass of water right now, I think, "Stop being so damned fussy!"

{2} New Balance 980 and New Balance 895 V2: The New Balance brand came up an awful lot in every comment section I read through, though I'm not yet decided on which type I like best. I love that the 980 is leather (I always seem to have a problem with my toe working its way through a fabric upper and leather is a really nice option in winter climates), and I like that the rubber is really subdued (meaning it doesn't have all the knobs and cleats and bumps sport shoes are all designed with) which makes it a little more of a stylish option. The few reviews I found on it were all positive, I just wish there were more reviews. The 895, however, has a lot of great reviews plus it's lightweight with a heel pillow and REVlite cushioning. It's also got more interesting colour options. I think I'd like to try them both on for a side-by-side comparison, though it might be smart to have two pairs in your suitcase to switch out during a trip. I find my feet get less tired if I change up my shoes every once in a while. And if the 980s are a little heavier, the 895s could go in the carry-on and the 980s could be your plane shoes (you don't have to remove your shoes through security anymore, thank god).

{3}  Merrell's Ascend Glove: Boasting that it's cushioned, lightweight, and durable makes this shoe sound perfect for travel. Not to mention the many times I came across the Merrell brand name during my searches. Breathable, washable, and good for long runs and treks over tough terrain, plus it looks like a fashionable sporty sneaker and comes in some pretty kicky colours (I'm starting to realize that if you're going to go with sporty sneaker, you might as well choose out-of-the-box colours so it looks like you were going more fashion than comfort the whole time, right?).

{4} Rockport TruWalkZero Pod Lace-up: These are lightweight, mimic the natural motion of walking, and have shock absorption that reduces foot and leg fatigue. As with the others, I chose them because the name kept coming up and I also liked the look of them. The sole itself looks tough and durable (read: thick) and the fact that it doesn't completely overwhelm the style makes all the difference. The colour choices are pretty nice, too. I think they would even look ok with a longer skirt, I mean, if you had to.

And I'm not the only one obsessed with sneakers right now! Check out this post by Miss Moss to find some kicky sneaks. What I like out of her choices are the Asics X Liberty London printed pair -- So sweet! And I surprised myself because I actually really dig the Nike Air Max bright yellow and beige pair. When I see them on someone, they look more like kicky loafers than chunky running shoes. What's really interesting is that the New Balance 980s show up on her list, too. They might be rising to the top of my pile!

Also, after walking on the extremely slippery streets of my neighbourhood (ONE snowfall. ONE. And I can't even walk out there), I've narrowed down on some winter walking shoes. I'm liking the Teva Forge Pro Winter Mid Insulated waterproof hiking boot and the Merrell Arctic Fox. Finland's a winter country as well, so I'll definitely need a good boot there, too (though we've talked to someone who lived in Finland and is now living in Edmonton, and she pretty much laughed her face off about how poorly Edmonton handles winter snow. I guess what we consider winter snow removal is almost a joke compared to what happens over there -- i.e. we're crap at it -- no surprise there.)

friday fixation: mom style

find the details here

Mom's been putting together the most amazing outfits lately, I just want to raid her closet! She's been picking up a lot of ankle-length tiered skirts -- broomstick skirts or hippie skirts? -- and pairing them with a simple t-shirt. The whole outfit looks so effortlessly put together which is perfect for the summer. Now. If only we could BOTH find a great military inspired jacket (this one's okay... but not quite what I wanted!).

thrifting!

I found a new-to-me thrift shop yesterday and I'm so glad I did! They had great stuff and their prices were really good (a.k.a. WAY cheaper than Value Village)!

I found this craft basket that'll come in super handy for storing all of my random junk. It's pretty big inside for holding stuff plus it has these little dividers that sit on top!

They had some really great art, too. Water colour... birds. So surprising, right?

You're going to think I'm nuts, but I freaking love this picture. That frame is amazing! I've never seen anything like it before. Well, I should say I do have plastic frames that are simliar, but I've never seen anything in this size. I've also never been all that interested in people-art, but I instantly fell in love with this lady. (Psst, it was $8)

A teak serving bowl (with legs) and a set (rectangle, pictured; square, and circle) of heat proof dishes in this cool vintage pattern. Since I don't have a microwave, I really appreciate having these dishes around now.

Pottery that was too cheap to pass up. Despite the lids, I'm classifying all of these as vases.

I also found two huge feather pillows for our new couch. Again the price was just so good (especially since I've been looking to buy pillow forms lately -- gah so expensive!) The fabric on them is... well, actually it's not that bad. It's a needlepoint-style lane of houses. I do kind of like it, but I don't like the colours (browns, golds, off-whites). Then I found this super bright pink fabric so I'm going to recover them with it!

I also scored a round side table that's perfect for the living room. I'll show you that one later since I also picked up an amazing clover-shaped coffee table a few weeks ago that desperately needs paint. I'll show the before and afters once I get them done!

Have you found anything fun lately?

wish list

It's my birthday tomorrow!

birthday wish list by idlewife on polyvore.com

Clockwise from top left: Tiny budgie necklace from Lulubug Jewelry (the most perfect signature necklace for me, even if I get it later than my birthday -- hint hint!; macarons from Duchess Bakeshop (and maybe a cheese pie for breakfast since we'll be in the area); I finally got the paint mixed for the main floor living room and I'm really anxious to get after it! I'm painting it manta grey from Debbie Travis's paint; the only movies that are kind of interesting me are Friends with Kids and The Hunger Games but I don't know if I'm interested enough for $30. Maybe something on Netflix instead; petrie sofa from Crate and Barrel (we'll be doing a sit and compare test on our final two choices, but I kinda hope this one wins -- I also hope those cushions are removable); a day out visiting all of my favourite thrift shops (I've already done the south end Value Village this week, so I'd like to visit Find and the west end Goodwill);  More Rayman Origins. This is the prettiest, funnest, two player game we've played in a long time.

stuff I'd like to get

I keep getting asked to provide some ideas of what I'd like for Christmas, so here are just a few things that I would be pretty darn happy to receive (in no particular order, of course):

{1} tiny budgie pendant (actually, this is in top position for a reason. I've been wanting a small signature necklace for a while now and this one is just too perfect for me); owl oven mitt (bizarre, I know, but I will never in a hundred years spend anything more than $5 on an oven mitt, so I'll never have a cute one I actually like, and I will continue to use the one I got at a thrift store that keeps burning me); rose quartz necklace or coral and turquoise earrings (anything from this jewelry designer, actually);

{2} Bridesmaids movie (I love Kristin Wiig and I've wanted to see this movie forever);  return address stamp (the calligraphy is so pretty. Where do they teach that?); pink and grey watch; Aphrodite USB charging station (we would both enjoy this, I think);

{3} 2012 arty tea towel calendar (I have a tiny tea towel collection already. I should show it to you); bitchface print (because I think I suffer from this affliction, too); oxo salad spinner (I've heard it's the best one and I hate my crappy cheap one that rips up all of my lettuce and barely dries any of the leaves); wreck this app (or book because I think it'd be a fun way to recharge some of my creativity or any app that's for money, actually, cuz that's another thing I will not buy for myself).

And since I just wiped out on my walk today (we're talking, like, legs out, straight back, and onto the back of my head. Thank goodness for touques or I'm sure I would have cracked my head open), I'd really love some cleats for my shoes (since no one seems to want to put any of the city's free sand on their sidewalks).

And as usual, please see my Pinterest account. Both DIY and Christmas boards have useful information.

recent finds

a} A signed and numbered blue jay print: I thought this was supposed to be for mom (as we were shopping together), but she left it at my house so it's mine now. I know; I have a lot of bird stuff. But blue jays are rare in art form, aren't they?

b} An 'A' pin.

c} A container of various sized crochet hooks: I don't crochet in the traditional sense. I've been trying to put together this idea for a while now and I thought what was holding me back was my poor choice of crochet hook. I had hoped to find something at the thrift store, and I did find something larger and I wanted to get just that. But mom convinced me to take the whole lot up to the cashier to ask how much they'd be and she gave us all of them for 99 cents. (If you need one, email me!)

d} A calligraphy pen: I'm pretty excited about this one. It comes with a bunch of tip sizes, all I have to do is find some ink.

e} Ticket stamps: They've never been used and they're so cute. One has an owl on it, so naturally I had to have it. And despite them being tickets, I don't feel like you always have to use every part of a stamp. Colour in the owl alone and you've got something completely different, right?

f} Rolls of ribbon: I've been looking for pink and since it came in a bag, I had to buy the whole thing. But that's cool. One can never have enough ribbons and the rest were pretty great colours, too.

g} Number stamps: I don't know where the little figure on the top is from, but I really liked the font of the number. I'm going to use them for addressing envelopes.

h} An amazing metal outdoor chair: it's uber comfortable and it just happens to match our house pretty damn well. I may or may not spray paint the metal black. Maybe.

i} A little wicker basket: it's for balls of yarn, is it not? I liked it cuz it's sculptural. I really want to paint it teal blue.

J} A side table: because you need somewhere to put your drinks. And it's wicker. And I know it's a hideous shade of brown right now, but that's where some black paint comes in. In the soonish future.

k} I'm only mentioning the second chair because I got this one for free! It was totally by mistake, and I definitely would have mentioned it had I noticed it at the store. But I didn't notice until the next day when I was reviewing the bill and wondering why everything came up so cheap.

Our front porch is starting to take shape, right? I'm also pondering this little storage bench I spotted at IKEA last week (the one at the store was black). I think it would fit perfectly by our door and look a bazillionty times better than the garbage can that's there right now.

warmed cinnabun and cherries

I snuck out for groceries this morning and came back with cinnamon buns.

The perfect end to a rainy May long weekend, wouldn't you say?

I hope you're having a delicious long weekend, too!

wish list 2011

do you have to pick out your own birthday gifts, too?

source

{macarons} I would definitely love them in edible form (of course!), but I also feel like it's the right time to get a book, too. I'm still so obsessed with them and even if it meant not making another batch, these books would make great coffee table fodder. I'm kinda leaning towards Pierre Herme Macaron, I Love Macarons, Macarons: Authentic French Cookie Recipes, and Mad About Macarons.

{picnik subscription} Since we've all determined photoshop is too much money, I'll probably never own it (unless, by some miracle, I go pro). So I've gotten super good at using this site for everything photo related (show me something Doodle can't fix). I don't use as many of the fancy photo processing gimicks as I used to, but I would really like to be able to work with more than five images at a time.

{ceramic cat measuring cups} I can't find them on the Urban Outfitter's website, but they're there. I kind of want them as a cute (and useful) homage to my lovely cat, Lucky.

{marie claire} I've decided I like this magazine. It actually talks to my age while still managing not to fill every page with children and recipes.

{amelie} I swear I ask for this movie every year. It's getting as bad as the time before I had the Pee Wee's Playhouse collection.

{vanilla layer cake with vanilla frosting} Don't worry, I'm totally busting this out for myself. I'm thinking about something kinda like this. (Duh! You'll see the pictures when it's done.)

{some kind of cool watch} I really love the simplicity of this red MUJI bangle watch and the fact that it looks like a bracelet but still has functionality. I also love this similar cling wrap watch for its addition of bracelet like chains. And, on the other hand, I kinda feel like I could also make something with a similar feel to it, so I'm really oddly torn up about it.

{camera lens adapter} I've done a lot of research on this subject and all I got was a lot of varying degrees of advice. I know there's an adapter out there and I'm pretty determined NOT to buy more lenses when I already have two that would be really helpful -- lenses are expensive! So I guess I'm going to have to suck it up and ask a professional.

{super mario 25th anniversary edition} It's no secret I love me some Mario. Even though this is apparently a reissue of an allstar edition they did in '93, I've only ever played one of the games with any frequency. So playing these classic games with cuter graphics and sounds is totally new and awesome for me (Mario lost levels? I've been missing out!). And no; I'm still not going to get rid of my NES.

poor plants

These plants were on clearance at walmart this weekend, so we went a little nuts and bought four of them. The one thing about this house is that it just screamed out for greenery, especially for the big and leafy and lush types.

Since it was snowing and freezing cold that day, I've now realized why they were on clearance.

Honestly, they looked like the picture on the tag before!

crotons

care: oh good. they're fussy.

this is the worst. the leaves aren't crunchy, but they've all darkened and curled in on themselves.

the internets say it might recover

marginata

care: ah simplicity!

not as bad, but still pretty wilty

mass cane

care: neglectful!

it seems to only be partially effected

majesty palm

care: not too bad

it did the best through transport

I'm really hoping it was just their leaves that were immediately effected and the plant itself bounces back. Especially the crotons. It was so pretty before. What a shame.

a ton of Christmas gift ideas

{from the stores}

{Bird Cage hanging lamp} I'm a sucker for unique lamps and birds. {Love Me Tender cookie cutter set} How much fun are these? I love the owl and the dinosaur ones the most! (duh)

{Owl Hottie} When I'm cold, I'm coooold. This is such a cute way to warm up. {Sparkle Tree} I want to get another tree for the new house and having one that's in a unique colour would be so much fun. You could leave it undecorated and it would still be festive.

{Farmer's Egg Crate} I love this a lot more than just keeping eggs in their box. It makes it easier to grab one egg out of the fridge without having to pull the whole box out plus it looks pretty. {Pomegranate ornament} Pomegranates are traditional Greek home decorations. Idle Husband's mom has over a hundred different types of pomegranate tchotchkes all over her house. It's rare to find decorative pomegranates here, so when I see a nice one, I immediately want it.

{Magnetic Timer} Sometimes it gets kinda crazy in the kitchen and I really wish I had an extra timer. I love that this one is magnetic and yellow. {Twiggy Serving Set} We have a salad at every meal (except for pizza night!), and I'd love to have a nice serving set instead of using a spoon and my fork.

{Holiday nailpolish set from Superstore} in imperial, dupioni, and midas. I love dupioni! I'm wearing it right now.

A Bulk Barn gift card. I hadn't been there for quite some time, but I was looking for some specific cookie cutters and remembered that they have a lot of kitchen things, too, so I thought I'd check it out. While there, I noticed they have gift cards and I thought, who the heck would want a gift card to the Bulk Barn? But then I really thought about it and you know what, any keen baker or cook would probably die and go to heaven if they got a Bulk Barn gift card (I would!). Some items that tickled my fancy: unique concentrated extracts in flavours like root beer and watermelon, magnetic spice jars, fancy peppercorns, peanut storage jars, cake decorating essentials, and (of course) cutesy cookie cutters (they had birds!).

{homemade}

Foodies

I haven't made any of these recipes, so I can't attest to their success, but they all looked really easy and really yummy. So here are the recipes I bookmarked as possible homemade gift ideas for the people in my life and they might inspire you, too:

balsamic onion marmalade

burnt sugar lollipops

cranberry and pistachio white chocolate bark

fruitcake cookies

maple bacon kettle corn

hot pepper jelly

chocolate vodka

coffee vanilla bean liqueur

uniquely flavoured popcorn balls
preserved lemons (I came across a bag of clearance lemons and was talked into getting it on the presumption that I'd be sharing the bag. But then I ended up with the whole thing, so I was whining about what to do with a whole bag of lemons and then I remembered this easy recipe. So I'm currently preserving lemons, but I haven't actually used them yet. They'll be ready January 1st.)

Some tried and true recipes in case the above didn't work out (you gotta have a back-up plan!):

marshmallows (flavoured with peppermint, coloured red and green, or plain)

granola (with pistachios and cranberries instead of almonds and raisins)

Crafties

I really like choosing an ornament to make each year to add as part of the wrapping decoration for the main present, but this year (because of time constraints), I decided to just do an ornament, so you'll notice some diys for ornaments in this list, too.

onion bulb paper ornaments These feel very Mad Men to me.

modern paper ball ornament This would be a really interesting display if you made a few in different sizes and clustered them together.

I was once gifted a paper star made from old Christmas cards and it's one of my most treasured Christmas display items (even though I've had to reglue it a few times).

recycled paper notepad I love the idea of mixing a lot of different papers to create a really unique look. Maybe some graph paper, coloured paper, even old children's books cut up. You could get so creative!

leather bracelets These look so amazing! Someone would be super impressed to know you made it yourself!

fox lamp Or any animal! Too cute!

missing glove squirrel So cute and quick and easy! It could also be transformed into a bear, a dog, or a cat with a few tweaks to the tail, ears, and details.

cement planters Who couldn't use a modern pot? They're so hard to find! I would definitely consider adding a saucer if I were to do this, though. You could probably use a plastic lid slightly larger than what you're using for the pot to help mould the cement. And it might be easier to put some holes in the container bottom and then pop some straws through (to keep the cement in) for drainage instead of drilling through the concrete afterwards. Also consider adding a plant with this gift. Perhaps a Christmas cactus, pointsettia, or amaryllis?

Another craft idea coming later!

Friday fixations

I've been looking for nice ramekins forever and I finally found some simple white mismatched ones that I think will do the job perfectly. They're all oven safe and I especially love their little glass handles. They're going to be so useful for making individual portions of desserts or french onion soup or for keeping saganaki warm in the oven after frying. The possibilities are endless! I'm a bit sad I wasn't able to find whole sets in any one style, but that's a small price to pay when they were all 99 cents each!

I loved these bottles mostly because of the attached stoppers, but each is really special in its own way. The green glass bottle has a cow and the word 'milk' embossed on it, the printed one has the best colours, and I went for the brown bottle because the ceramic printed stopper is really unique. I'm pretty sure I should be able to find new rubber for the stoppers somewhere, but I feel like it might be a bit of a search.

I also found some embossed glass measuring cups that are specifically for dry ingredients. I have a real thing for old measuring cups. Like, can you really ever have too many?

I loved the shape and the detail on this mirror, but I'm so not digging the colour. Expect a DIY!

current fixations

{skinny jeans and dresses} Yes! I found skinny jeans I actually like! I was really starting to think it wouldn't be possible! Now that I have them, I've been experimenting with a lot of different tops, and I had the idea to try pairing them with some of the dresses I've never worn out. There's nothing wrong with those dresses, I've just always felt like they were a bit too short to wear alone. As it turned out, I thought they looked so cute together, I kinda want to wear that ensemble all the time now. I just have to find some cute shoes!

{glasses} I don't have a strong prescription (thank god), so I probably could get away with wearing them less than I do, but I love the look of glasses too much not to capitalize on the fact that I can wear them. In fact, when I was younger, before I started wearing glasses, I always used to sneak mom's on and model them in a mirror. It's been a while since I got a new pair, and I'm probably due for an update (the jeans inspire, doncha know). I've been hearing about Warby Parker on so many other blogs and I really like their Zagg, Nedwin, Emersen, and Crandall styles.

{finetti} We found this Nutella knock-off (?) at Hellas Foods and thought we'd give it a try. It's cheaper than Nutella and just as delicious. I think it tastes exactly like a Ferrero Rocher and I love (love) the packaging (gah. I'm such a packaging whore).











{acorn squash} I've never tasted one in my life, but as part of my fall decor, I bought a small one a couple weeks ago. I thought I'd roast it up this weekend, and I was suprised at how good it was! I liked it so much more than the butternut. All you have to do is slice it up, sprinkle some salt, pepper, and a tiny bit of brown sugar on it, and roast it in the oven at 400 in 10 minute intervals (turning the slices over each time) for 20-30 minutes (or follow this Martha recipe, even though they used a ton more sugar than my light sprinkle). Delish!

{brownies} Thankfully, for now, I only have brownies on the brain and not in the mouth. Here are some recipes I've bookmarked lately: whole grain, supernatural, salted, and nutella (maybe I should make these with Finetti!).

{dark moody colours} When I was in Red Deer last week, mom had a lot to show me. One of them was the dining room. It used to be a terracotta-style orange, but she wasn't completely happy with it so she repainted it a dark eggplant purple. I've never seen (almost) black walls in person. I've only ever seen them in pictures. Those pictures were amazing, but I've always wondered if it would work in the real world. Well, it actually works quite fantastically. It didn't feel dark or closed in at all. Surprisingly, what really popped was a dark wood china cabinet. It stood out more than her white table or white curtains, and the darker wall colour almost complimented the wood and highlighted the wood grain. It was really beautiful. The only critique I had was that I wished it were actually black and not eggplant purple. I wanted it darker!

{stylish Halloween decor} Even though I don't really consider Halloween to be a holiday, I'm really in love with these tasteful yet totally appropriate (and all completely DIY if you wanna) decoration ideas. Check out this spooky wreath, these tissue paper pompoms, this graveyard terrarium, these stuffed ghosts, these adorable gem and beaded spiders, and scroll down on the beaded spiders to find some super cute Halloween inspired posters.

lost and found

I found this picture in a parking lot this morning. I wonder if someone accidentally dropped it or purposely threw it away because it turned out blurry. I actually really love it. Blur and all. I think I'm even going to find a frame for it despite its bumps and bruises.

I also spotted a bin full of beautiful mini pumpkins of various proportions. Just what I've been looking for! Then I got closer, and discovered they had silly faces painted on them. The paint scratched off, but I didn't really want to pay $3 per tiny pumpkin while simultaneously encouraging retailers to think that people actually want ugly silly faced pumpkins. Gross.

although...embarrassing myself is a small price to pay for a whole new (free) wardrobe

I just realized something. I'm in the most terrible clothing rut. Ever. Possibly of my whole life. To say I don't suddenly feel like I've been left behind in a decade would be a lie, because I feel like I've been strutting around in the same shlumpy clothes that I was wearing in high school.

Ok, maybe not the same exact clothes as high school (though, my pajama wardrobe would say differently), but the same style. The same ideas. The same thing.

I've really started to realize that the way I've been viewing certain articles of clothing is wrong.

Like my ridiculous rule that my jeans have to cover at least 90% of my shoe. They have to look a certain way when I look down. I can't describe how, they just have to look right.

Or how I can't seem to shake the sneaker habit. I know, I know. They're great because I walk. A lot. But there are lots of good looking shoes out there that are perfectly good to walk in, and I'm not wearing them. Why? Because I think my toes look stupid? Earth to me, they don't look stupid. It's all an illusion. An elaborate illusion I set up for myself back in 1999/2000 when I thought I was dressing pretty swell.

So there. I've confessed. I feel like I'm still living in 10 years-ago-style.

Something needs to change and I want to start with my jeans.

Do you know that feeling you get when you get a new haircut? Or maybe you wear glasses and after trying on half the store, you find the perfect new pair and suddenly, you feel like you need to get a whole new wardrobe or, yes, even a new hair style, to match? Do you know that feeling? I want to get that feeling with jeans. I want to find a pair that's so 2010 and updated that everything else will fall into place.

Shirts will naturally get updated; shoes will become easier to shop for; heck, I might even get myself a new pair of glasses and a new haircut.

That's where I want to go, but getting there is going to be difficult.

You see, I hate shopping for jeans. Well, pants in general. They're just never right. When they looked at women's bodies, they looked at everyones' but mine. Or at least that's how it feels.

So I think for all my life, I've just been okay with the jeans I've been wearing. There might have been one aspect of each of them that I liked, but the rest was either ill fitting or just wrong in some small way. I think I've been only just getting by in this department.

Now I'm at the point where I feel like the jeans I currently wear are so terrible, so ill-fitting, so out of date that I can't even believe I'm still going out in public in them. So it seems like an obvious place to start, and I think that instead of just settling for a pair that does a halfway job, I'm going to invest the time and try on as many pairs of jeans as I possibly can. I don't care what the label says or my stupid rules on what I think they should look like even before they go on. I'm just going to try them all and hope I find a winner.

For example, previously I thought I couldn't wear a skinny, legging-type jean or one that tapers a little at the ankle. Do you know why? It's because I have this 1999 view of what a tapering, skinny legged jean is and that's not how they are now.

I had to return something to Walmart on Monday, so for fun, I searched anything they might have had labeled as a skinny jean or a jegging (that term really gags me) and tried it on. Surprise! I actually really liked how my legs looked in the skinny jean (the jegging, not so much). If the waist had fit better, I probably would have bought them.

So now I really know that my preconceptions of how things were and how they are now are completely wrong. I guess you just get used to seeing yourself a certain way for so long that it can be really hard to switch gears and keep modern. I'm starting to have a whole new understanding and appreciation for some of the more deeply style-rutted people on What Not To Wear. I've always sat there, watching that show, and I thought, How can they not see how completely out of date they are? Yeah. I get it now. I feel their pain. At least it didn't take embarrassing myself on tv to figure it out.

So I'll just be busy reinventing myself, now, one pair of jeans at a time.

things I got for cheap

matching milk glass mixing bowls

I couldn't pass up another mixing bowl with a spout, now could I? It's always best to have at least two of every kitchen aid, am I right or what?

walnut side table (to paint or not to paint? that is the question)

thing I made for Hermes for cheap

yeah ok. Technically I didn't really make this nor did I even come up with the idea for it, but it broke my heart to see him sliding his beak aimlessly along the empty twist tie that holds this mirror in place (trust me. It was the most cheerless and melancholy beak-sliding I've ever seen). So I took a measly 5 minutes of my time and slid some beads on. Now he can do some work sorting out the colours and making them even on both sides like his other store-beaded mirror. (Which, by the way, I really hate esthetically. Who groups red, green, yellow, and purple together? No one, that's who. Hermes knows it's wrong, too. He always groups them either with the purple bead by itself, yellow and purple together, or yellow, purple, and green, but never ever red. He's got style, that one -- or I need to do something other than watch him slide his beads back and forth)

things I wish I could have gotten for cheap

this amazing plate-bowl. It's the most perfect plate-bowl I've ever seen AND it's not covered in some tacky pasta pasta mama mia! pattern. It's everything I've ever dreamt of!! (in a plate-bowl, of course) Why didn't I get it? There was only one, and I don't think it'd be fair to Idle Husband for me to be using my kick-ass plate-bowl all the time while he's left with some junky regular plate OR bowl (not two in one like mine, suckah! -- and that's exactly how I'd be about it, too).

found: the coolest cookie cutters that ever existed ever

$1.99 buys a lot of happiness, my friends

To her credit, T actually stumbled on them and brought them to my attention as a joke. I don't think she realized I would think that finding this was right up there with discovering gold  in your backyard or a new planet or whatever else you'd discover that would blow your mind away. I don't think she realized I would immediately snatch them away from her and buy them myself. (To be honest, there was a point there where I really didn't know if she intended to buy them at all. We kind of stood there laughing about it then I asked her if she was going to carry them around with her or what, because if she wasn't about to, I totally would because leaving the store without either of us having them wasn't an option. I've since apologized profusely about buying them out from under her nose, and we're totally going to share them.) These have now given me a new purpose. A reason to master the rolled cookie dough that I absolutely hate and have never had any success with ever, and piped icing which I've never even done (I'm sure it's got disaster written all over it); but these cookie cutters can't languish in a drawer, they have to be used and celebrated and enjoyed and laughed about! Next week, I'm making Hulk Hogan and Macho Man cookies come hell or high water!