Little Garden

& THIS is how I feel

2012-01-31T13:12:00.002-05:00

about the semester beginning today.

& in denial/mourning/complete distraught, I have laid in bed for the last day and a half watching:

And entire season of Ice Road Truckers: Deadliest Roads

A documentary on how the Crips and Bloods came to be:

Bill Cunningham's extraordinary life:

and heck, why not a documentary on origami while I'm at it.

Basically my selection is lesbian meets gangster, meets FIT student, who then is also introduced to a crafter entusiast. Dear 8th (and final) semester, please treat a girl well!

Black Book of Colors

2012-01-29T10:32:00.004-05:00

I discovered this book in a museum gift shop in London and was so tempted to buy it (ugh, but the exchange rate is such a debbie downer)... "experiencing color through the lack of color."

Each page describes a color (also includes braille) and illustrates that color on the next page through through embossed lines, allowing the reader to feel the color, rather than see it. BRILLIANT, I say! BRILLIANT!

(source)

& on that note

2012-01-29T10:29:00.002-05:00

of the awesomeness that is NYC:
Edith and I watched this little guy kick some butt at chess in Union Square yesterday. Only in NYC. I swear this place never fails to amaze me.

Park Here!

2012-01-29T10:12:00.006-05:00

Oh, the many, many great things about New York City! One being that in the dead of winter you can go to a park to lay in a hammock and do a crossword puzzle. Kind of. Has anyone else been to the Pop-up park on Mulberry Street? Pretty darn impressive!

(source)

And what a better place to have afternoon tea on Tuesdays:

Or yummy local food vendors:

ORRR badminton:
(all above photos source)

Or lay for two hours in the comfy hammock (we scored with the seating arrangement! Best seat in the house!)

This trip was inspired by my friend Katie Li who blogged about her trip there last week! Thanks Katie!
go go go go! It's warm, it's comfy, and it's only going to be there for a few more weeks!

2012-01-27T08:45:00.002-05:00

Taking a hiatus momentarily from Europe posts, yesterday I finished my new RA bulletin boards for the spring semester:

My "interactive" board, featuring would you rather questions:

And then just an intro board:

Featuring butterflies:

Frogs:

Ants:

And Ladybugs:

Introducing....

2012-01-27T08:34:00.003-05:00

My two lovely traveling partners on the trip!

We have Devon:

THE NAVIGATOR, who loves shopping and I love his cool Cambridge Satchel .

Breann...definitely NOT the navigator...

Who also tends to give me deathly stares when I try to take pictures of her...

And then myself....who was maybe the most impressed with London when I found out they sold pre-mixed Jack & Cokes in all the corner delis.

...anddddd, this is just a random photos, because I had no where else to post it :P

Hidden Treasures

2012-01-27T08:08:00.003-05:00

On our journey we stumbled upon some great hidden (and not so hidden) treasures!

James Smith and Sons in London looks like it come right out of a Charles Dickens novel. They sell top of the line umbrellas and I swear the man walking into the store as we were leaving was wearing all black and a top hat. They had this beautiful yellow tartan umbrella with a bamboo handle that I really really really would have loved to take home with me (we weren't allowed to take photos inside), but maybe in a few years I will be it's proud owner.

The next interesting find was the Dover Bookshop. Well, I guess we didn't really stumble upon this guy...there was a really nice article written about it in the NY Times which put it on our TO-DO list. Basically it sells books "dating largely from the 19th century and culled from old magazines, advertisements and books, these pictures are not covered by copyright laws. Artists around the world can use the images any way they want — cut and copied, altered or combined. No one “owns” them anymore. "

So, naturally, I bought a book of hands...I figured it would make an interesting coffee table book/conversation started one day.

...and now a not so hidden treasure (there is nothing discrete about this bright orange/yellow facade!) La Cure Gourmande in Paris was a delightful pit stop off of the Rue de Rivoli.

(source)

They hooked us with a free sample as soon as we walked in and although I am not much of a pastry person, I was convinced that I need that raspberry filled cookie in my life.

& Speaking of Selfridges...

2012-01-26T16:37:00.004-05:00

How about their windows?! I told you these guys could do no wrong. I made a special trip back to photograph these windows when there were not a lot of people around....however, I still managed to get a heck of a lot of glare :(

Selfridges

2012-01-25T19:23:00.006-05:00

Well the last two weeks have flown by! I'm back in NYC bearing tons and tons of overseas inspiration! I don't even know where to begin! Well, I kind of do- with SELFRIDGES, the department store in London. They do just about everything right, starting with there "Words Words Words" concept store! What does this mean exactly?! Well, right when you walked in you were taken into this world of type! From art, to jewelry, to books, to decorations, to just about any category you can think of!

So much type!

and great oversized "R" selves!

And greeting cards....with hats, which, is not necessarily text driven, but they are the cutest little hats so why not!

Ok, and the REAL show stopper was this "Word-a-Coaster" (adorable British man not included)

It's fate! Forget the fortune cookies- Selfridges knows how to give great fortunes!

Tootle-oo!

2012-01-13T13:55:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow I leave for London and Paris for a 10 day trip with 10 others from my major. The reason? The Maison&Objet home fashion showcase in Paris! It is THEE trade show to attend and I am very lucky to be able to go! I am ready to be inspired! And can't wait to share what I find with you all once I return!

New Internship

2012-01-13T13:40:00.004-05:00

After interning at Rock Paper Scissors last year, I pretty much decided that wedding and event design is my career path! And I am sooooooo excited about my new internship at Hatch Creative Studio starting this semester!

They design weddings:

As well as PR events, like this one for the TINKERBELL Preview:

And a DEGREE deodorant launch in Times Square:

And floral design:

AND a prop house of vintage and reclaimed items, as well as custom made props:

And have even been featured in many of the leading wedding magazines/blogs!
I can honestly say I have never been quite as excited to start a new job!

On Our Hike Last Week....

2012-01-13T13:09:00.004-05:00

....we came across a mysterious box along our path:

!!! It was a hiking log!!!

Which was almost full of logs, dating back to 2008!

Pretty darn excited about this hidden treasure, we add to the stories.

I suppose this is a pretty common thing along highly traveled routes, but I have never really hiked through a state park before so we were pretty excited to find this!

Poconos Package

2012-01-13T13:02:00.002-05:00

So I made this secret Poconos package for Edith while I was home. The plan was for her to get it in the mail a few days before we were to depart on our adventure. My whole family was in on it, helping me cut logs, bundle sticks, and keep the dogs away from the beef jerky as I took the photos (which was a big to-do and my family laughed at me as I switched floor locations 3-4 times due to different wood grains and lighting, while my dad shook his head saying "some things never change"). The packaged contained camp socks, a fishing quote book, a mini Jack Daniels, a compass, matches, and a few other goodies. Unfortunately, she didn't answer the door when the mail man arrived at her house (ugh!) so she has to wait until after the trip to even get it :( bummer!!

Nothing Says Pennsylvania Vacation Like:

2012-01-08T17:45:00.003-05:00

A SHOOTING RANGE!!

Jim Thorpe, PA

2012-01-08T15:48:00.011-05:00

Earlier this week, Edith and I took a little excursion to what they call "The Switzerland of America", also known as Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania.

Here, we stumbled upon: Buildings frozen in time

Homemade pickles and salsa

A perfectly quaint antique shop

And after searching through the walls of jars....

I decided on an old ink jar from the 1900's (please notice the awesome design the stain from the ink left. That was the selling point right there!)

And after Edith searched through the walls of books...

She decided upon "The Pictorial History of American Presidents". (Clearly a page turner....?)

Next stop! "The Sweetest Little Shoppe In Town"! The candy store!

With all of my childhood fa
Including Wild Bill's Beef Jerky chew!

And Teaberry gum that my great grandmother used to give me.

Oh! And what town would be complete without a wagon road?!

We found the cutest little houses

With the cutest little doors

And the cutest little Inns

We finished off the day with dinner at Molly McGuire's:

I turned Edith a little country with her new braided hairdo
And had her try her first pierogi, a PA classic!

She loved it, but the Latina in her came out, asking for some Tabasco to put on it

And I finished off an entire half liter of wine....by myself
A perfect little town! And it is really not that far from the city for anyone who is looking for a weekend escape from NYC!

Poconos! Week 1

2012-01-08T15:13:00.006-05:00

Well well well! We have survived our first week in the Poconos! It has been quite the little adventure so far!

And we're off! Edith picked me up in Philly and we were off to the wilderness!

Fishing poles all ready!

Getting closer to our house, we were beginning to like this place already!

And we made it! To 6 Shelly Lane, home of the cutest cabin for miles around!
Which overlooks a lake (which we are dying to ice fish on! As soon as it freezes over!)

....however....we soon come to realize that a house heated with only a fire place + below zero degree weather is not exactly....warm.

Which means fire making....

....after fire making....

....after more fire making....

...and yet again, fire making.

And indoor bundling....

And warm, filling breakfasts....

...and cuddly new friends....

....and more cuddling cuddling cuddling....
So, overall theme this far? IT'S COLD! But there is something about making that fire every morning and working to keep it going throughout the day to keep the house warm that is extremely satisfying.

Mom's Christmas Gift

2012-01-08T14:56:00.003-05:00

So my mother has always had nontraditional Christmas gift requests. The last few years it has been to donate time or money to some sort of cause and to write her a letter explaining what we did and why we chose it (she has "middle school teacher" written all over her!). However, this year she decided to change it up. She asked that we all "subtracts 10 years from your life and write a letter to the younger you sharing 7 things that you know now that you with you knew then - thoughtful things, funny things, things with real meaning, however you want to handle it.". Being that I was quite a little character when I was little, I had no problem coming up with 7 things. They ranged from tampons to singing country songs about Jose Cuervo, to Xena Warrior Princess. I put each one on a separate card I constructed and stacked them in this ceramic fruit carton I found at Anthropologie.

Operation: Pomegranate Pancakes

2012-01-01T12:10:00.003-05:00

Successful experiment! Not that I had any doubts... pomegranate paired with anything is pretty much a guaranteed success!

Happy New Year!!

2012-01-01T10:43:00.002-05:00

Welcome 2012! I hope you turn out to be a year of adventures, success and love for all.

New Years resolution? Not a clue yet! To Be Determined!

Anyone have a good ones they plan to stick to?

You Know You're At The Rodabaugh's For The Holidays When:

2011-12-25T13:04:00.007-05:00

Mom makes home made sticky buns....which are gone before 11am.

All the kids get pomegranates as stocking stuffers.

And dad makes you hand made fishing lore earrings!

Moo Cow sleeps all day by the fire

While Olive thinks she's a cat and sleeps on mom all day.

There are lots of Berry Berry Kix....(um, what happened to the berry shaped puffs?!)

My room becomes a storage unit.

Mom also makes home made puppy chow.

We go searching for the perfect wrapping paper

Which I find, and have to get two because they go so nicely together!

And Tommy finds his....with creepy santa.

Gilmore Girls is on.

Dumpy gets a head lock

And Gilmore Girls is on again....

Tommy's Pokemon clay figure hangs on the counter.

And there is a dog at the door.

And a fake bird perched on a drying rack (and also later used as a tree topper)

And there is another dog at the door.

And then another

Lots and lots of greek yogurt!

Oh, And the cat at the door.

Dressing in that PA swag!

Nothing like being home for the holidays!! To Be Continued!

2011-12-24T14:53:00.003-05:00

Happy Holidays everyone!

Our friend Bianca made this profile pic for us :P So glad she got the beard and elf ears and not me :)

PS! How cute is this letter to Santa written by my friend Amy when she was a youngin'

Christmas Tree!

2011-12-24T14:20:00.008-05:00

It's that time again! For a quick drive up the road to our neighbor's Christmas Tree Farm to cut down our tree. Since I did not get home until so close to Christmas, we had to wait until Christmas Eve to pick our tree...and when we arrived, we panicked because they were not actually open. After we went to their house and ask if we could still cut down a tree, they gave us the go ahead and we made our way to the hills! (BTW! trees are only $25 dollars here in the middle of PA! what?!?!) Here are the photos from our little adventure.

Papa lookin' good as always

Typical little brothers, ruining would be cute photos

Mom and Pop :)

So much flannel

Hair blowin in the wind in the back of the truck:P

Marble Balloons

2011-12-20T12:48:00.003-05:00

Alright, marble balloons, when did you become so cool?!
I am sensing a new birthday party theme brewing ;)

Poconos Adventure

2011-12-20T12:26:00.005-05:00

So Edith and I are spontaneously spending 2 weeks cuddling up in the Poconos during the first two weeks of January. 13 days of hiking, fishing, learning how to snowboard, and drinking wine by the fire.

With this sudden change of plans, I am completely re-thinking my packing situation...and am looking at Tomboy Style for some major fashion help! In particular:

AH! Excitement! All of my J.Crew mens clothes are really going to be coming in handy! And my dad's flannel jackets!

2011-12-20T12:04:00.001-05:00

Last week I surprised my girlfriend with a surprise dinner in my room. Since we are both currently broke as can be, this was my version of a dinner date. You do what ya gotta do!

The Day We Were Supposed To Skydive...

2011-12-20T11:47:00.007-05:00

A few months ago Jenny, Sophia, and I were supposed to skydive... We drove to some place in PA...only to find out that it was too cloudy for lift off!....

....So Instead....

Maybe we didn't get to free fall out of a plane that day...but we experienced a different type of freedom instead. Good day, good day.... :)

Book Binding Field Trip

2011-12-20T11:39:00.006-05:00

This semester I took a book binding 101 class (ha! FIT and their random classes). Our professor took us to her Brooklyn studio....how coooooool?!

An Enchanted Evening at Gabriella New York Bridal Salon

2011-12-20T11:28:00.005-05:00

In October I worked on an Event at Gabriella New York with Rock Paper Scissors (where I was interning) It was probably one of my favorite events I have done so far! It included weekends of cutting trees out of 10ft foam core, miniature castle and ship building, and lots of little magical details. Here is the final installation and a video to go along with it!

(I made those :) )

An Enchanted Evening at Gabriella New York Bridal Salon from Hello Super 8 on Vimeo.

You can see the entire post on Merci New York.

A Day in the Lift of a Craft Intern

2011-12-20T11:10:00.004-05:00

A stop motion video we did while we were at Martha Stewart this summer for on the craft blog.

A Day in the Life of: a Crafts Intern from Alessandra Bautista on Vimeo.

ps. I'm back ;)

Love Love Love.

2011-06-24T20:20:00.003-04:00

Levis, Kate Spade, and Marc Jacobs supporting the girls who love girls and the boys who loves boys. :) :)

More Photos Here

2011-06-15T21:06:00.002-04:00

My hands are stained and chapped from tea dying cheese cloth.
My loafers are covered in Antique Silver glitter.

...It's been a great day!

2011-06-13T06:54:00.003-04:00

Today is my first day as the craft intern at Martha Stewart

2011-06-09T09:56:00.001-04:00

It's Summertime at the Rodabaugh's

2011-06-09T09:39:00.002-04:00

6th Floor Makeover

2011-03-27T22:45:00.002-04:00

The 6th floor got a makeover this morning :) With finals on their way, I decided to aim my board towards taking a breather.

But I couldn't just ignore my resident's awesome coloring work on my last board...so I found a home for it, too:

PUBLISHED!!!

2011-03-27T22:44:00.002-04:00

I just found out this week that my group's Dining By Design booth was published by Martin Pegler! Such a great surprise for a kind of crappy week.

20 Reasons I'm So Glad You're Home

2011-03-27T22:37:00.005-04:00

Edith left for Miami last week. When she returned we didn't think we were going to see each other until a few more days....NOT AN OPTION. I secretly showed up at the airport with this bouquet :)

:) :) may or may not have gotten a tear or two out of her :)

Tea Party Bake Sale

2011-03-15T19:09:00.002-04:00

My home products club had a tea party bake sale fundraiser. I have to admit, my classmates are pretty darn cute with their baked goods :)

I made chocolate covered pretzel rods with sprinkles. :)

Can you believe these are actually home made?! They are humongous marshmallow-kabobs with raspberry and chocolate drizzle. De-LISH!

Trip to Chicago

2011-03-15T18:51:00.001-04:00

Last weekend my class flew to Chicago for the Housewares show. Here is how it went :)

Mom's bday Card :)

2011-03-15T18:49:00.000-04:00

My Residents Can Color Within the Lines

2011-02-26T21:44:00.003-05:00

My RA board before:

And after:

I love my residents, and their persistent coloring :)

You know you're getting old when...

2011-02-24T08:30:00.001-05:00

A best friend has a business card like this:

pretty darn cool....and grown up.

The Making of My Valentine's Day Fort

2011-02-22T22:05:00.005-05:00

...and, with the early predicted spring, the room tree began to bloom!

2011-02-09T13:13:00.005-05:00

I am feeling extra needy today. Maybe it's the sleepiness I can't shake today or the fact that it is back to bone chilling temperatures, I'm not sure. But I seem to "want" quite a bit today. Here is what:

A warm best friend adventure day:

A pipe smoking pup:

A drawer of J.Crew's pretty shirts:

A traveling truck like so:

A view like this:

A stone house by a pound:

Little birdies to help me get dressed in the morning:

A mysterious magical box:

A cotton bouquet:

A pretty white bike to ride up and down the West Side this summer:

A TO-DO list that resembles this guy:

A teddy bear hugging mouse:

Unlimited slices of this beauty:

No explanations needed:

And last, but not least...a lazy day of couch cuddling with my favorite person and favorite little pup :)

Well that was exhausting. With all that said though, this is just me being needy. I am more than blessed with all that I do have already :)

2011-02-09T12:57:00.001-05:00

mine/2/3/4

WHOA! Blasts from the Past!

2011-02-09T12:49:00.001-05:00

My childhood has been showing up all over the internet lately. 1990's children, can I get an AMEN!?

2011-02-08T22:48:00.002-05:00

...sigh...it's been a sad, sad year for blogging. I would like to take this time to revise my New Years Resolution. Blogging needs to be back in my everyday routine. Here's to hoping this year's resolution stays! Cross your fingers for me guys and gals!

2011-01-27T18:55:00.002-05:00

With New York covered in about 16 inches of snow (ok, guilty, I made that number up. I'm not real sure how many inches, I just know it was a heck of a lot), facebook went wild with bored friends posting some great youtube videos. Here are some of the best from today :) Good work, guys!

Bill Cunningham New York Trailer from Gavin McWait on Vimeo.

2011-01-24T18:34:00.005-05:00

Sooooo, remember my fake engagement photos with one of my best friends, Taylor, posing as an engaged couple at the Natural History Museum?!

WELLLL I am so excited because Amelia, miss awesome photographer, has agreed to take cute coupley pictures of Edith and I in the Spring! I would love some suggestions for places that we should take them (in NYC or the surrounding area). I may or may not be reallllly looking forward to having professional lovey dovey pictures taken by one of the best photographers around (ahh, I am blessed with the most talented friends, I swear)! Also, Amelia keeps a blog here and has a professional site here if you also would like your coupley love captured :) Please Please Please send suggestions to cool places for us to take them at!

2011-01-06T10:09:00.002-05:00

1/2/3/4/5

Breakfast

2011-01-06T09:47:00.004-05:00

Who ever said I can't be a chef?!

Ingredients:
Blueberry Yogurt
Blueberries
Grape Nuts
Prettiness

What was your favorite Christmas Gift?

2011-01-04T11:01:00.004-05:00

Mine was this cute little homemade book from Edith (the gf) which included a poem she "composed" for me (she used to think she was a poet in a past life) called I LIKE YOU, TOO. I was very proud of her craftiness with this little guy, especially the ribbon tied into a bow to bind the pages. What can I say, she learns from the best ;)

"It's funny that you say you like me,
As it turns out I like you too,
The way you'll rub and scratch my back,
When I don't even ask you to.

It's funny that when you first read this
I bet that you looked back and thought,
'You can't rhyme same words together, Edith'
But let me get away uncaught.

It's things like this that make me like you,
The selfless way you'll go about,
Eating people's berries and custard,
But sharing them with me no doubt.

I've heard some stories
That might scare me away
About cheating on Skip-bo
And not knowing how to play

But to me you're kind
To me you're good,
'There's only one fruit snack left!'
You'd give it to me, I know you would.

In the future I'll wash.
And you will dry
I won't shave for days,
And you won't ask why.

We decide on a time,
Realistically I'll be late,
You'll act grumpy and whine,
But it won't ruin our date.

I like you because we
Can text all day,
You accept I'm a democrat,
With a Conservative way.

I like that you think
You're better at everything,
Golfing, fishing, spitting,
And ice skating.
The fact of the matter does remain
I like you although I beat you at every game.

You'll make fun of me occasionally,
When I say things outlandishly,
Like 'I was a Duke in my past life',
And 'Cleopatra was probably my wife'.

I like when we drink and
Get a little crazy,
Or just lay in bed and
Act very lazy.

I like you, I like you,
I like you a lot,
We'll go on adventures,
Cal and Elle on our yacht.

So see it works out
That you like me too,
We're stuck together babe,
Like gum on a shoe."

(prettttty cute of her, right?!)

BUT! a very, very close second was my new amazing power tool (So stereotypical lesbian of me!). The Demel (also given to me by Edith...I GUESS she knows me pretty darn well) comes with a little kit of accessories to drill, sand, engrave, trim, polish, etc.

Page after page of accessories. I'm in little creator heaven over here!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday and had time to spend with family and friends...and eat lots of sticky buns and pie and Christmas cookies... (I may or may not be currently craving some sweets).

My New Hero?!

2011-01-02T19:00:00.002-05:00

Little miss Mattie Ross from True Grit. There is a good chance if I had read this book/seen the movie when I was a 14 year old girl, my life may have turned out a little differently... I want to set out on a frontier adventure speaking Old English and riding horses through rivers!! What a gal!

ROAD TRIP TO:

2011-01-02T18:11:00.012-05:00

Centralia!

Definitely NOT creepy:

Burning ground

Grumpy jackie because we were having trouble finding the abandoned highway

Found it!

Graffiti highway:

Evidence

(more info on Centralia here)

Christmas At The Rodabaugh's

2010-12-26T14:12:00.006-05:00

Means A1 Steak Sauce with Christmas Eve Seafood

As well as Ketchup

Mom hogs New Dog

I hog the blueberry pie

Dad names himself the Dog Whisperer

I raid my dad's closet to play outside

Only in Pennsylvania would a mom's favorite gift be a Compost Mixer

Lots of pictures of New Dog.

...ok, so New Dog actually DOES have a name, OLIVE, as in "Look, allof the dogs are playing....allof the dogs are outside...etc..."

Meme uses a computer for the first time. Her first search: CATS. Her second search: Horoscopes.

Favorite thing to do AFTER opening presents?! ORGANIZING them under the tree. I used to try to get Jackie and Tommy and participate in this exciting (?) activity, but I would either end up doing it for them or I would be made fun of. This year I just knew to do it alone.

Oops, but New Dog likes to trample sweaters...

Girl Talk in the Bathroom :)

Jackie Practices her senior portraits.

And some more girl talk....

and more to come :)

We're Now a Three Dog Household

2010-12-26T14:03:00.006-05:00

Which means a dog for each of us to walk :)
Tommy and Bagel
Jackie and New Dog

Me and Dumpy (I originally started with New Dog but she's such a speed demon. Dumpy and I were a much better match)

(Sometimes Tommy thinks he extremely studly, PJ pants and all)

So we got a new dog....

2010-12-26T13:56:00.004-05:00

And guess who knew about this big news:

Dad Knew

Jackie Knew

Mom Knew

Tommy Knew

New Dog Knew

...guess who they forgot to tell:

What does it take to get some information in this household?!

Beautiful & Scary Roads

2010-12-18T21:04:00.004-05:00

via

500 Years of Female Portaits

2010-12-18T20:58:00.004-05:00

You know a video is awesome when you catch yourself with your mouth wide open at the end without any recollection of how long it's been like that.

500 Years Of Female Portraits In Western Art - Click here for more blooper videos

Five Lessons About How To Treat People

2010-12-18T20:44:00.002-05:00

Well, this is definitely something to read...
ps. not written by me. found here

1. First Important Lesson - "Know The Cleaning Lady"

During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"

Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.

"Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say "hello."

I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.

2. Second Important Lesson - "Pickup In The Rain"

One night, at 11:30 p.m., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car.

A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab.

She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home.

A special note was attached. It read: "Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others."

Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole.

3. Third Important Lesson - "Remember Those Who Serve"

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. "How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked. "50¢," replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.

"Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired. By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient. "35¢!" she brusquely replied.

The little boy again counted his coins. "I'll have the plain ice cream," he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left.

When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies. You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.

4. Fourth Important Lesson - "The Obstacles In Our Path"

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand - "Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition."

5. Fifth Important Lesson - "Giving When It Counts"

Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year-old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes, I'll do it if it will save her."

As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away?".

Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.

Well, this is an obnoxious post

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but 1. Never before have a connected to Buddy the Elf quite so well. 2. Went a looong time without being able to shout that or post any type of picture so I am making up for lost time!

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scrap·py [skrap-ee] - adjective: seemingly small and unthreatening but shockingly able to kick your butt and anyone else's.

(thanks Meghan)

Okay, okay...

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Going to be back here once and for all! And my "welcome back post" has got me kind of excited. Last night my girlfriend and I slept in a tent. The catch? a tent, in my room, made of two sheets, two pieces of twine, four paper clips, a stapler and in about ehh, 3 minutes. What can I say, we're kind of woods women :P

2010-11-01T19:20:00.000-04:00

2010-09-29T11:25:00.002-04:00

Who do you think you could have been in a past life?

OHHH! Good question! I think I was a dancer. BECAUSE, I think if there is a past life, whatever you are currently reallllly awful at in this life, you must have been really good at it in the past. SO, I think was a dancer, and a really good one at that.

Are you dating someone right now? :)

Yep! Love love love! Such a wonderful thing :)

Do you have any siblings? What are they like?

I do I do! I have a little brother and little (I guess not so little anymore) sister. Tommy collects frogs and turtles. Jackie collects soccer trophies. Get us all together and we are one odd, silly family.

Your blog is so pretty. Thank you for inspiring me to try blogging myself!

Thank you so much :) Happy to have inspired!

If you could be on the cover of any magazine, which would you chose?

Martha Stewart Living! Hands down!

HELLLLLO OUT THERE!!

2010-09-29T10:08:00.004-04:00

I'm still here, I promise.
Just have one thing to say in this brief spare moment:

2010-09-17T08:12:00.003-04:00

...well...that time has come. I think I am going to take a break from this until October. I can't find the time to genuinely post and not just post something to post. I'll be back in October with updates and refreshed with creative energy (I hope?). Jump in lots of piles of raked leaves for me while I'm gone :)

- Lindsay

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Well Hello there, everything I could ever want in a living space.

via

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via

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“I can never stand still. I must explore and experiment. I am never satisfied with my work. I resent the limitations of my own imagination.”

- Walt Disney

Living Room

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Hey! Remember this?!
TA-DA!
(Don't judge a quote by it's crookedness on a wall...)

Not really "done"...but, at this point it's as done as it will ever be. I have lost interest for now. BUT, if anyone comes across a table or small sofa for sale (and by for sale a really mean hanging out on the street on garbage day) let me know! :)

Enjoy Being a Girl

2010-08-30T13:39:00.000-04:00

Cutest little button bobby pins made by my friend Julie. She's a fellow Pennsylvanian going to school at FIT. Here is her Etsy store. Shop away, my friends :)

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It's amazing how true happiness comes from another person- happiness in it's rawest, purest form. It's such an incomparable happiness. If you never experience it you never know it is something you are missing. Once you have that happiness you realize there is nothing else in the world that fills that particular part of your heart. Love changes everything.

Ways New York City changes you:

2010-08-29T13:46:00.002-04:00

Making a special trip to Whole Foods just for the Calamari salad. What once used to be only seen as fish bait at the beach is now a constant craving of mine for lunch.

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Pizza By Elizabeths

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Well I would say my girlfriend knows me pretty darn well. This is the restaurant she took me to the other day in Delaware. I mean, come on...this is basically me in restaurant form.

Please notice the mix matched floral fabric on the seats. Oh! and all the Pizzas were named after famous Elizabeth's. CU-UTE :D

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“One of the hardest things in life is having words in your heart that you can’t utter.”

- James Earl Jones

WELCOME TO THE SIXTH FLOOR

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Most appealing part about being an RA?!
BOARD DECORATING!

What do you do when you:

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1. Go to a design school
2. Are at RA training
3. Have a table full of "supplies"
(& by supplies I mean used plates, cups, forks, toothpicks, napkins...)

...give up?!

You make centerpieces, of course!

...that even light up

A visitor from 8th avenue.

2010-08-20T17:32:00.001-04:00

Picked this little guy up on my way home from the Art Store. I dragged this through the streets for about 5 blocks, called Taylor when I got to campus and he carried it up 6 flights of stairs for me. If that is not an amazing friend I don't know what is :) ...only problem...it is too tall to stand up in my room

but, no fear, since yes, I have a saw in my room. Depending on how well you know me, this is not at all shocking.

oh yeaaaahhh!

Okay, so it still does not stand straight up...but it is getting closer. Also, please don't judge the bareness of my room. It is being taken care of. I have a few things up my sleeve.

Odd Drawings to Make You Happy

2010-08-19T08:48:00.004-04:00

"Mischief Champion is a collection of regularly-updated drawings based on my every day observations. Sometimes these observations are harsh, sometimes silly. Somehow, they're mostly rather insane."
- Katrin Hagen

Don't Cry Over....

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Spilled flower pot?
Moving into my new rooms results in a few near tragedies.

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1/2/3/4

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via

Long Overdue Balloon Pictures

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For Gabby's Birthday we blew up a mountain of balloons, sneaked into Gabby's room, and flooded her floor in a rainbow of balloons. Here are the pictures. (these were taken in Taylor's room, not Gabby's)

Taylor also put together a scavenger hunt that took Gabby all around New York City. She documented the entire experience here. It's pretty cute :)

Story of the Lost Kitten

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Alright, so before I post about 30 pictures of a cute little kitten, let me give you the quick background info so that I can look a little less like a crazy cat lady. Yesterday afternoon my mom was walking along our road:

When she came across a meowing little kitten:

This is the rest of the story:

Psychedelic Kitten

Jackie thinks she is the cat whisperer...no really, she seriously does.

Dog Meets Kitten...

...cricket....cricket...

She decided she'd just hide from the dog.

I would like to take some time out now to look at this peach/blueberry pie my grandmother made
...I mean, I GUESS it was OK....

So did kitten...this is when I knew we were best friends forever.

Oh, right...I remember why I never liked cats...

...but they are SO cute...

She did some car exploration.

Please, everyone judge my outfit.

So we tried to give the little guy away to a loving family, but their older cat was a bully and had to be returned to us later on that night.

WHICH MEANS....this cute little kitten needs a home! Anyone is the Lock Haven, PA area looking to adopt an adorable, car friendly, pie eating, all around cool cat, please let me know!

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1/2/3/4

The Glass Is

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Purchase this here, along with an assortment of other nifty things.

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source

INTRODUCING!

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The newest member of the GREASERS!

...My 7 year old self.

I have no more words for this.

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Why hello, Catherine Feeny, welcome into my life.

Q&A

2010-08-04T10:24:00.003-04:00

Hey, remember when we were in Paris an we stayed in a shanty hotel. We got scared, you and Cass came over, there were four of us in a bed :) I remember those nights with such intensity. Each story is a brighter color in my mind than any story here.

HA! Jenny, good question :P

What was the most inspiring epiphany you had in life?

I can be whoever I want and I can do whatever I want to do. It is up to me to make things happen.

Did you graduate?

I graduated from my Associates but I am continuing in another major for two years to get a Bachelors.

What was your favorite class from high school?

I didn't really have a favorite - I did enjoy art class and English...though, i can tell you my least favorites! Chemistry and Calculus. NIGHTMARES!

Have you seen Monica Bill Barnes + Celia Rowlson Films - they are waiting for you until Aug 24th when they will self destruct http://mostlyfanfarefilms.squarespace.com/

WOW! They are great. Thanks for sharing :)

Okay so the thing is...I LOVE your blog! Truly, I find it so inspiring! I'm starting a blog too and love the simplicity of yours. I'm curious if you used some sort of template for the design? It is perfect!:) Any help would be SO lovely! Tx~bridgette

I Thank you!! I do use a template- after hours upon hours scouring the internet for it. I wish I remembered where I got it. But if you know a little html it is easy to take any template and make it the way you want it to look. I'd do some google searching. There are plenty of great templates out there :)