4.29.2011

mice & a recipe (no, not together).

DISCLAIMER: if the words "mouse" or "mice" are incredibly disturbing to you, you may not want to read further.  Or, you could just skip to the end where the delicious recipe is!

UGH.  I have been feeling quite overwhelmed and frustrated with this "little" situation we've been having since the end of February.  It's called....MICE in our apartment!  Ew!!  To this date we can count having seen 3 alive 3 dead (in a trap).  1 of those living ones was...caught alive. By: ME.  Yesterday!  ACK!  The exterminator came a week ago as of yesterday (why, you may ask, did the exterminator come just yesterday when you've had an issue since Feb?! Well, I suppose our management company didn't take me seriously enough.  They just gave us commercial traps that weren't supposed to be in an apartment unit.  Fun, right?!).  Also, I just want to say for the record that I feel like we are VERY clean!!  I clean the same day every week!  So I don't feel like it makes a ton of sense for them to be here.  I suppose we didn't have our food stored very well though.  That's taken care of now!!

Well here's yesterday's story:
Job started freaking out near my work closet (which contains my sewing machine, my stock of paper supplies, our hanging shirts and sweaters (since we don't have a closet in our bedroom), TONS of leftover fabric from school, and more!) and I was pretty sure he had seen something....I was hoping he was wrong.  He wasn't.  I had kept returning to the closet to see if maybe I could find the culprit.  One time, I did.  Job was on it!  He was sort of swatting and attempting to eat (or maybe just play with?) when I remembered that this mouse could have eaten rodenticide.  So I got nervous and yelled at Job.  Either way the mouse didn't look so hot.  No blood or anything, but he just looked...slow, and mice aren't slow!  Well, in Job's hesitation from my yelling the little mouse got away.  I figured he poked into a crevice (our molding doesn't touch the wood floor in our pantry or said closet.  This is a problem.  Our wonderful maintenance man will be taking care of that soon!) so I walked away and proceeded to text Dan and some friends in my anxious state (oh, and call the management company).  Well, a little while later I had somehow mustered up the courage to move the some things that were on the floor around to just see if he had actually stayed in the closet and not creeped into a crevice.  A squeal and big breath later...I realized he had stayed.  I called Dan.  Help!  I really didn't want to have to take care of the issue, but...so no way around it.  HOW was I going to get any work done if I didn't take care of it?!  Who else could take care of it for me?!  (No one is the answer to that).  So after talking with Dan I grabbed some plastic tupperware and stuck it at the exit.  He was trapped in the direction he was facing.  I used some foam core that was in the closet and scooted him into the tupperware. I put the lid on it.  I felt like a BIG, HUGE, AWFUL criminal.  I still sort of do...but, even though a part of me thought this little guy was cute I did NOT want him in my apartment. Oh it was a really terrible feeling taking him to the trash and seeing him sniffing around in the tupperware.  I thought through the fact that he probably has ingested poison, which could hurt other outdoor creatures.  And...if he had ingested poison, he would have just died elsewhere and become someone else's issue!!!  Oh how I tried to think through things. Ultimately though, he needed to leave our apartment.  This was all followed by a very thorough lysol cleaning.

Eh...I hope this problem stops soon.  They have been getting into our food and pooping in our pantry and closet for WAY too long.

On a good note, during this fiasco, I was making this:

fall veggie pizza.

pizza.

roasted fall veggie & ricotta pizza (RECIPE HERE) from martha!

Thankfully, the mouse incident didn't upset my stomach.  At least not a couple of hours later.  Found out Whole Foods sells 22 oz. of freshly made pizza dough for $2.50!!  GENIUS!  I think we'll be having pizza weekly from now on.

Happy Friday!!  The weather is FINALLY nice here :)

4.28.2011

a gift for job.

My parents were in town the 16th-20th.  It was wonderful to see them and spend time with them.  It had been since Christmas :( Unfortunately...I have zero pictures with them.  Silly, right?  I do, however, have pictures of a gift they brought for Job...

job & big bone.

the giant bone.

ew.

That bone is crazy, right?!?!  Well unfortunately it didn't last too long.  It's in a bag on top of a cabinet because it was loud and very messy.  He wouldn't stop going over by the cabinet and thrusting his neck and nose into the air to smell it.  Last time he had something like that our whole living room smelled like jerky (this one doesn't smell, thankfully) and the clean up was terrible!!  So, we're waiting for some nice days outside.  
Then he can chew it all he wants :)

4.27.2011

friendly happenings & MI antique shop photos.

Our friend Andy came to visit around two weeks ago and it was so wonderful to see him.  Andy bakes.  A lot.  And the things he bakes taste really really good.  The people that live near THIS coffee shop are blessed folks (he works there/bakes for them!!).  Anywho, Dan was playing around with my camera and this is my favorite of Andy and Job:

priceless.

And this is one of the DELICIOUS scones that Andy woke up crazy early to make for us on his last day visiting...oh and that's lemon curd on top.  Lemon curd that he whipped up that same morning.  What a giving friend!!  Thank you Andy :)

andy's scone & lemon curd!

In more celebration of Valerie's birth, a trip to her home town in Michigan happened! And...on that trip, antiquing happened!  Yesss.  Here are some of the things I saw that I thought were really fun:

i like this bowl.

sailing hot plate.

sweet tea towel.

fun tray!

pretty bowl.

kelly's footstools!!!
some INCREDIBLE maybe turkish, egyptian, or moroccan footstools!!

urchin salt & pepper.

little pendant.

valerieee.

sweet illustration.

kelly!
Kelly is now the proud owner of those beautiful footstools!!!  Yay!

I came home with three clear mason/ball jars to eventually do THIS.  I have wanted to ever since Mackenzie posted it!

4.26.2011

meaningful presents.

I felt so treasured and loved on/around my birthday.  I had to share some of my super sweet and thoughtful gifts because they have meant so much to me!!

My friends Valerie & Alissa (2 super talented sisters that are a part of Milano) got me a 'homeseed' spoon and some beautiful nail polish!!  I had been talking to Valerie about wanting to get a spoon for business photos/decoration and, well, she remembered and got it for me :) Both she and Alissa know that I've been on a nail polish kick and so they found a nail polish I had posted as a "want item" on my pinterest and they picked that up for me!!! Amazing.  So thoughtful and loving!  You two are the sweetest!

spoon 1

milk tester & spoon!

spoon 2

 (not my hands or picture!  both of those are from HERE)

My friend Kelly got me my very own succulent!! AHHH!  I have been going on and on about air plants and succulents to anyone who will listen lately and Kelly remembered and got me this little guy!  Thanks Kel :) :) :)

my very own succulent!  yay kellyyyy!

my succulent :)

And then...the Wednesday after my birthday, Mr. Dake had something planned.  He and Jon (Valerie's husband) decided to surprise us with a sweet dinner and post-dinner surprise/get together.  Val's birthday is on April 18th!  So, we were birthday buddies for the night.  We ate delicious pizza at union pizzeria and celebrated life together.  I love these guys.

surprise birthday dinner! jon!

my daniel :)

surprise birthday dinner! val!

yum!

union pizza lights

birthday friends :)

Lots of sweet gifts of love.  I will cherish these things and memories :)

4.25.2011

music monday: more FLEET FOXES! (link to free mp3's here!)

Oh I am very excited about this music....the new album will be here so soon but HERE is a nice preview (8 mp3's!!) from a live session for the BBC Radio 1 show.  


Thanks Dan Becker for sharing this (PS...Mr. Becker is one of the brilliantly talented 
(and young) author/photographer/designer's of THIS neat book about beer/beer cans)!!

4.22.2011

making all things new.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.
The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
2 Corinthians 5:17

I am thinking of Easter today.  I am thinking of sacrifice.  I am thinking of spring time.
I am thinking of eternal spring time.  I am thinking of my Lord and his gift to you and I.

pretty silhouettes.

A spring time thought I loved from Jane Eyre:

"Spring drew on; she was, indeed, already come; the frosts of winter had ceased; its snows were melted; its cutting winds ameliorated.  My wretched feet, flayed and swelled to lameness by the sharp air of January, began to heal and subside under the gentler breathings of April.  The nights and mornings no longer, by their Canadian temperature, froze the very blood in our veins; we could now endure the play-hour passed in the garden. Sometimes, on a sunny day, it began even to be pleasant and genial; and a greenness grew over those brown beds, which, freshening daily, suggested the thought that Hope traversed them at night, and left each morning brighter traces of her steps."

Have a lovely weekend!!

PS...I still have not finished Jane Eyre.  Which means I haven't seen the movie!!  Argh!
PPS...the photo is from a sweet antique mall/recent trip to MI (more photos to come!!)
PPPS...I wish it felt like spring in Chicago.  Soon!!  It will come soon!

4.21.2011

quick FREE music alert!

I don't have much time to devote to this but I wanted to inform you of a new track from "seven swans: reimagined" that is available for free for a short (unspecified) amount of time!

Head HERE to download it!

cute paws/weird neck.

Just thought I'd throw in a little Job lovin' for you :)

4.16.2011

see you soon...

My parents get in today!  Woo!  So, I won't be around most of next week.  Just wanted to give you a heads up.  Happy Saturday!  I hope it's less wet wherever you are...

4.15.2011

the art institute.

When my friend Lindsey (yes, the one who makes the amazing cards) was in town at the tail end of March we went to the Art Institute and these are some photos of my favorite pieces...

the forest-jean debuffet

landscape: window overlooking the woods-edouard vuillard

the shepherd-eugene zak

untitled XI-willem de kooning

the grand muveran-ferdinand hodler

easter mystery-maurice denis

the forest-jean debuffet top view

madame roulin rocking the cradle-van gogh

...

cave canem-john d. graham

I find that I am usually most inspired by color and texture when I am looking at other art.
for more info on the pieces I've shared head to my flickr!

4.14.2011

HELP! please vote for my friends, MILANO!!!

Well, I need your help!  It will only take a minute AND you don't have to give them your email address (or anything else for that matter)!  My friends who are part of the band Milano, have an opportunity to play at the Hard Rock Cafe on May 4th (and if you are in Chicago that night, you should DEFINITELY go!  You have a chance to win a free trip to London!).  Here's a sweet photo of the band at Lincoln Hall from Joe Lieske:


Head HERE to vote!
thank you!!

4.13.2011

lindsey meyer cards.

So, Dan and I received the most amazing handmade card from Lindsey after her last visit and I wanted you to see how beautiful it is!  She always makes the greatest cards but this one...this one is REAL good!


thanks Linds :) loooove you!

4.12.2011

molly spent the night!

Well, as I mentioned yesterday, our friends got married this past weekend and that is a beautiful thing.  Last week, on Wednesday (my weekly laundry/cleaning day) these friends called and asked for a favor. They asked if we could keep a dog for a night!  I was hesitant. Because on Wednesdays (you know, my weekly laundry/cleaning day) I am a selfish jerk when it comes to anything that might reverse what I just spent time doing.  So...having another dog in our home did not sound fun.  Well, I quickly realized how foolish I was and tried to convince them that it would be no problem (which it really wouldn't be!  I just knew my hesitation hurt the situation).  Well, in the end, Molly spent the night!  Job was SO happy (of course).  They were really funny and cute together.  Although I think the whole time Molly really just wanted her real family back.  She slept at the back door all night!  It was so sad! But alas, all was well. Here are the two cuties:

the regal pose

job & molly!

the "i'm sweet" pose

4.11.2011

music monday: shara & fleet (& my birthday!).

Well, I turned 24 yesterday!  I like that.  In fact, I like that a lot.  I like that these days becoming a year older doesn't sound scary at all (for me).  I often think about how excited I am to have more age and wisdom added unto me.  Also, at a wedding on Saturday we saw a couple receive the bride's bouquet for being married longer than anyone else in the room. SIXTY-ONE years.  It was absolutely precious to behold them standing so humbly in the corner of the room and receiving this little gift.  I really enjoyed too that the bouquet tradition was changed up in this very honoring way.  You know, the newest wedded giving a little gift of love to the longest wedded?!  Oh, love!  

Well, the day itself was really lovely.  It was in the 70's!  It was actually hot I couldn't believe how nice it was.  We made our weekly stop to the Bagel and the Broadway Intelli; headed to church (and Min took a birthday picture! (below) Yay!) where I was given sweet and thoughtful words, cards, and gifts from some of my new friends that I am SO thankful for; had lunch with two of my favorite people in Chicago; headed to the mall (for some rush shopping that will continue once Dan is finished with the semester); had dinner at union pizza (an amazing atmosphere with lovely food!  I had been wanting to go here for a while :D); got bubble teaaaaa of course; and watched the Soloist when we got home (thanks for the recommendation Lindsey Meyer!).  I felt so loved and blessed.  Thank you, friends.


For music today I wanted to send you HERE & HERE to watch some videos.  The first is a video with another song from the new Fleet Foxes album coming out next month!  The second is another project that Shara was a part of (it's a little bit weird, and I feel like coming from me that's saying something, but I still think it's beautiful).  Also!  HERE is the live audio webcast of Shara's Ecstatic Music Festival concert.  I'm listening to it now :) 

Have a lovely Monday!!

4.08.2011

the oriental institute.

A couple of Thursdays ago, Dan and I headed down to U of Chicago to check out the Oriental Institute and just their campus/area in general.  The Institute was really neat, and...it was my first day out with my camera!!  So, I took my first pictures :)

husband :)

oriental institute-striding lion

oriental institute-procession

oriental institute-persian bull head

oriental institute-the lamassu!

oriental institute-feathers!

oriental institute-ceiling.

oriental institute-neat trees

oriental institute-bull head detail

check out my flickr for more info about what's in the photos!
Happy Friday!!