Treehouse?:

Is it just me or does this homes multiple levels connected by simplistic stairs + all of the clean, mod decor remind you of what a treehouse would look like in the year 2054?



Although this space is entirely too mod for my taste (and there's that complete lack of child-friendliness to take into account), I think this is really awesome. I always wanted a treehouse...

(Found on the amazing Desire to Inspire...)

Totally Trivial:

Warning: Males need not read any further... you'll find this totally boring and trivial.

Whew, now that I got that out of the way... I'm totally loving the new fall trend of purple nail polish. I've always been so anti-color (except toes... which should always be painted, naked toes are weird to me) but after a few football games of painting them red, I was really liking the feminine touch of it. And the dark purple is somehow edgy-feminine. Everyone from Rihanna to Lauren Conrad has been sporting them...




I grabbed a bottle last week, but they're more of a deep wine color... and even though I really like them, I think I'm going to try and find something a little more purple-y.

(PS- I totally can't believe I just blogged about nail polish... Ugh.)

Etsy Shop of the Week:

Maybe something from Momomadeit's Etsy shop would inspire me to do more around the kitchen... Or more likely it would end up hanging beautifully on a hook in my kitchen while I continue to allow Chris to cook nearly every meal... Either way, these aprons are so 50's chic!





So retro... so classy... so cute!

Jacket Dilemma:

I'm in need of a North Face replacement... I hastily bought my current white/black Denali North Face in a size too big because it was the only one I could find anywhere in that color combo. With a fleece jacket like that, it hasn't looked awful being slightly big on me, plus it's still comfortable even with a thick sweater on underneath. Now, two years later, I have lost some weight and the extra space just fills with cold air... not what I want from a piece of clothing that I am wearing in order to keep myself warm.

I already have two peacoats (one short, one long) for dressier occasions so I'm really just looking for something functional rather than fashionable. But of course, it still has to be cute! So here are my top two color combos from this year's Denali selection:




But then I saw these new "Redpoint" jackets... and they look like they'd be even warmer than the simply fleece Denali. Plus, they look more appropriate for when it is super cold (which, honestly isn't for very long here in Georgia, but you've gotta be prepared)...




Decisions, decisions...

Premature Celebrations:

Yes, Halloween is still two days away, but I will be celebrating tonight since 90% of Athens will be heading south to Jacksonville for the big game against Florida this weekend, thus leaving Lily and I in the dust. It's okay though, because I have a midterm bright and early Monday morning, so there will be less to distract me from my studies.

I thought I would scour Flickr for some images to get me in the mood.

From here.
From here.
From here.
From here.

Mmm, Halloween...

Who Would Wanna Be Such an Asshole:

I really want to get my hands on a copy of "Blowing My Hero" by Amber O'Neil (pseudonym). She is the real-life Tanya in Bukowski's "Women"... the 90 lb. girl from San Fransisco that sent pictures of her "c*nt", as Bukowski likes to say.

I found a forum where Amber herself starts to post in an attempt to answer people's questions and confront their criticisms. Who knows if it really was her posting, but she speaks very eloquently and even offers to meet up with anyone in San Fran who'd like to read the book!

The book goes for around $200 in various places because it is extremely rare... She was unable to officially publish it because it contains actual letters that Bukowski sent to her during their correspondence. The only copies in rotation are a hundred or so that she copied at a Kinkos... 400 more are in boxes at her house since she has received strict instructions not to infringe on the copyright laws over personal letters.

Oh well. But here is Modest Mouse's song "Bukowski". It has been stuck in my head for days...



I love the line "If God takes life, he's an indian giver...". So great.

Virtually Exposed:

I stumbled upon something rather interesting out in the blogging universe this Tuesday morning: a guy named Chuck Westbrook is trying to promote a few diamonds in the rough... those great blogs out there that are mysteriously seldom read! Here is the link to his original post.

I say "mysteriously", but I totally know why many blogs (I'm not going to include myself in this, however, because I often wonder how interesting my own content is to strangers...) go unnoticed... There just aren't enough hours in the day to follow too many blogs! The only reason I can read and write myself is because I have a job that includes a lot of down time... I know that many people don't have this luxury, so it's understandably difficult to be a loyal reader at times.

Anyways, here's hoping that Chuck takes pity on my humble little blog... if not, no harm, no foul! (Honestly, that's just a little less pressure for yours truly! ;) )

I am a Winner:

Great news! I won that old library card catalog auction on eBay just now! Wahoo!

So, without further adieu, here is my new card catalog cabinet!



I'll be traveling to South Carolina in the coming days to go and pick it up... with a big, buff bodyguard, of course. Then it'll be time to repaint it... Which is another issue in and of itself! I'm thinking about painting it the same blue that I did a small table that lives on my porch... but I'm also thinking that white would be nice... I guess we'll wait and see!

Ahhh, I'm so excited! :)

I Had Bukowski On My Mind:

I read this all weekend:



Probably wasn't the best time to pick this one up due to the events that transpired over the course of the weekend, but I enjoyed it nonetheless and didn't put it down until I was finished. Seriously though, what a dirty old man...

*Post title courtesy of The Good Life. Mmm... Tim Kasher...

Good Eats:

Picked up this book yesterday:



Made some bruschetta and a baked ziti dish for dinner last night. Yum yum yum! This book is huge and has lots of glossy photos of the delicious recipes... just the way I like a cookbook to be.

Friday Foolishness:

Another oldie, but goodie. The saddest (read: funniest) part about this is that it is an actual news story from Mobile, Alabama. It never gets old:



To top things off, some genius made a rap video to accompany the captivating story. I wish I could get Chris to stop quoting this sometimes... he goes a bit overboard...



"Coulda been a crack head, got a hold of the wrong stuff!"

Fingers Crossed:

I'm currently bidding on an old card catalog on eBay! (If you start a bidding war with me over it, I'll cut you.)

I will have to completely strip it down and re-paint it... but it will be a fun project and it will be beautiful once it's done! Here are some inspiration pictures:

From here.

From here.

Seriously, I really hope that I win this auction... I would love to have one of these in my home!

This Made My Day:

Oh yes. It's coming October 27th... there will be a celebration. (Involving Yuengling, no doubt.)

Mmmm, Fabrics:

Amy Butler strikes again with a new line of amazing fabric designs. I posted about the August Fields collection that came out a few months ago, but another has been added: Daisy Chain! Surprise, surprise, they are soooo cute.




And my favorite series in the collection:


I really need to get on the pillow making... especially since Emerson got into one of my current ones this morning. (I can't decide if he's just an asshole or if he is trying to motivate me... hmm...) Maybe these will help to inspire me to break out the sewing machine again!

Only In The South (Part Deux):

After the shock today that yet another ex-boyfriend of mine has chosen to wed their current girlfriends, I thought I should revisit this topic again... For a recap, here is what I found only two and a half months ago.

With the same conditions in mind, I found that 36 out of my 389 friends (yes, I started deleting people recently... as I tend to do every now and again) are now engaged or married. This makes for 9.5%! Wow.

I'll check back in on this in a few months... Maybe we'll have our first divorce to document by then!

(Halfsie) Anniversary:

Today marks a year and a half since Chris and I awkwardly proclaimed our affections for one another and began our relationship. We're only 5 months away from breaking the record for "Kim's longest relationship"... Chris' got smashed a lot time ago, I do believe. Yay us.

To celebrate, we decided that we would skip the exchanging of tangible objects in lieu of an activity that we could partake in together and enjoy. My great discovery: Aziz Ansari from Human Giant is coming to Athens! Chris and I looooved that show and Aziz was always our favorite. Since neither of us has ever been to a stand-up comedy show, I thought this would be a perfect date night for us!

Only problem is, the show isn't until December. Sadness. I bought the tickets anyways, and just told Chris about it last night at midnight. He is even more excited than I thought he would be, so I guess we have something to look forward to once classes are done and there is kind of a lull before the holidays. :)

Not surprisingly, he has yet to come up with an idea for his activity... and it's already the afternoon of our anniversary. Don't I have such a romantic boyfriend? Le sigh.

This was probably Chris' favorite skit from Human Giant, he laughs hysterically every time:

An Expanation May Be Necessary:

So there is a reason why I have this obsession with peacocks... I can explain, I promise!

There is a glorious place in Salem, New Hampshire called Canobie Lake Park. I remember my father letting it slide when I cursed during my first real roller coaster ride... but what I remember most are the peacocks.


These beautiful birds were free to roam around the park as they pleased, much to my enjoyment as a little girl. I was mesmerized by their elegance and waited with bated breath for them to spread those amazing tail feathers.

I haven't been to the park in at least 8 years, since I always visit New Hampshire in the late fall months and the park is always closed by then. So sad. :(

These Would Be Awesome on my Bookshelf:

If you're looking for that perfect gift for little old me, one of these would definitely be it. ;)

This Says It All:

Equine Love:

Okay, seriously... I want one of these:

From here.

I used to ride all of the time growing up and I miss it so. :(

Too Funny:

Okay, so I'll admit, I kinda love Gossip Girl... it's got killer fashion and most importantly, it's not a reality show! I can't stop watching these spoiled Manhattan débutantes every week, and really, I don't care.

So anyways, when I came across this gem, I had to share:



Love it.

My Future Home Part Trois:

What the heck, why not hit up another room while I'm on a roll today? How about some more bedroom inspiration:

From here.
The bed definitely isn't something for a master bedroom, but everything else is great, especially the mirror and paint color!


From here.
I'm not crazy about the headboard, but overall this is a goodie.


From here.
A little beachy, but I like.


From here.
A higher bed and new lamp would do wonders for this cute room!


From here.
Not a fan of the headboard/bed-side tables, but the color palette in this room is phenomenal.


From here.
Make the headboard a little bit shorter, and replace that painting with lots of framed prints varying in size... perfection.


From here.
This before-and-after is awesome. The finished product is beautiful, although I'm not crazy about the choice in artwork (I'm so damn picky about artwork! Ugh!).

I Just Don't Get It:

This is a chart of military expenditures throughout the world broken down by country... in billions of dollars.

Why is this necessary?!?!

Also, why do we have eleven aircraft carriers currently in service?! To put this in perspective for you: The United Kingdom, Russia, and Italy tie for the second-most amount of current carriers... with two each. There are 22 total carriers throughout the world... which means that we have half of those. Why do we feel the need for this?!?

Absolutely absurd.

Technology + Politics:

This Wall Street Journal interactive feature is really cool... Plus it gives me hope that the candidate that I will be voting for on election day might just win. :)


To play with it, go here.

A Little Relief:

This is making me slightly more optimistic about the economy and my fast-approaching job hunt...

My Future Home Part Deux:

Another thing that I'm definitely loving as far as home design goes is the idea of open shelving in the kitchen.

Here's some more Domino inspiration:







And then...

...Holly from decor8 strikes again with a kitchen even more amazing than her entryway. Damn her and her eye for design... I envy it so.

My Future Home:

If the primary entry of my home were the garage, I'd love to have a mudroom... But if I'll primarily be stepping through the foyer/entryway to come and go, I definitely want a bench in this area. I'm awful about dropping everything when I walk in the door and I'd rather have some nice storage and hooks to do this than to continue to the kitchen or living room to deposit my purse, keys, etc.

Domino had some great images to help me to figure out what exactly I'm wanting:

This picture is so rustic and cozy looking... which would definitely be nice to come home to. I love that there is a place for shoes, bags, coats, etc., but this is a little too rustic for my taste.

On the other end of the spectrum, this is a little too stuffy for the look that I'm wanting to achieve... very beautiful though, especially those doors!

Even though this is a chair rather than a bench, I love every other element to this space. So nice.

This is by far my favorite entryway that I've seen in a long time... In fact, I love most everything about this beautiful home in Germany. It belongs to the really great writer of decor8, and I can't get enough of her second home's transformation! I would probably choose a different bench and rug, but everything else is spot on and the overall look is wonderful!