Book List

Black Swan Green by David Mitchell- This is a coming of age book that takes place during the Cold War in England. Once I got passed all the British slang (bog, bog paper...), this book really meant a lot to me. Composed of vignettes that can stand alone, but together compose the enthralling tale of boy with a stammer, this is a book that touches all. I think everyone can identify with the main character. Somehow everyone in my book club loved the book--that rarely happens!

Travels With My Aunt by Graham Greene-- Disclaimer: I have a soft spot in my heart for all things Graham Greene. This particular novel tells the story of a boring main character who gets swept away by his aunt to travel abroad with her. It's a story of crime, passion, and morality. Like most Greene, this book feels like you're watching a black and white movie--has a Casablanca feel to it.

Currently reading The Gravedigger's Daughter by Joyce Carol Oates for my book club. I'm not far enough into it to give any judgement, but I'd love to hear what you thought of it if you've read it.

Speaking of book club, check out my new mini journals which I use to take notes for my book club. I use the journal as a bookmark while I'm reading the book and take notes in it. Then I store the journal in the book once I'm done reading it. They are available for sale here.

Wintertime

So apparently you can learn a lot from youtube (not just how to cut hair). I taught myself to crochet and I whipped up myself this nifty cowl neck in about 2 hours!


Then I had to make myself an even bigger one in a different color (please excuse the poopy face).


I used soft, warm apalca yarn for both.

Keeping with the winter theme, Edy's has a Limited Edition Eggnog icecream, which my wonderful husband picked up at the grocery store for me when I sent him out for odds and ends. It's pretty yummy:)

Savings...and a holiday table setting

With the economy in its current state, we are constantly, here in the Kahn household, looking for ways to save money. My husband tries to avoid haircuts like the plague...mostly, because he's cheap. So I suggested I cut his hair and to my surprise he even went to the drugstore to purchase a pair of hair cutting scissors ($8--about $6 less than the cost of a haircut. Actually he walked to two different drugstores to save a $1).

I youtubed a bunch of haircutting tutorials and then got to work.

I made Davey pose for the before/after photos. He insisted that people always look unhappy in the before photos.

Before:


After:



Not too shabby for a self-taught first-timer huh?

And finally, I leave you with last night's table setting. I collect leaves every fall just because I can't resist. I dry them between book pages and then I use them for EVERYTHING until I run out. I add them to packages as embellishment, use them as gift tags and as centerpieces and place settings...


And then we ate buffalo wings with our fingers:) So yummy!

4 Table Settings

I live in a small dingy apartment. My "dining room" table is really a card table. But sometimes I like to have a nice romantic dinner...or the ladies over for lunch. Nothing a table cloth and some flowers can't solve. Check out these table settings I put together with some stuff I happened to have.


Above: My boring chocolate brown table cloth. Lined up 4 aqua placemats from Bed Bath and Beyond as a table runner. The center piece was an engagement gift (thanks Madeleine and Brian!). It is actually an antique lemonade pitcher used in the South. I put some hydrangea in it (which somehow lasted for 2 weeks!). I used a wine bottle as a water pitcher. And there is nothing like a pair of crystal candle sticks to set the mood.


Above: A similar set up using the same centerpiece. This was the setup for my bookclub meeting. I used the wine bottles as orange juice pitchers and I used old receipts to label them.


Above: More simple and zenlike, I decided to set this table up with the place settings directly across from each other. There is something very romantic about sitting directly across from your love in candlelight. The centerpiece is a long glass tray with rocks and tea lights that usually graces the top of my tv stand.


Above: My favorite flower--the green calla lily, in a Tiffany bamboo crystal vase. Placemats from Bed Bath and Beyond. Tea light in crystal bowl. And when we sat down to eat I realized we had no glasses or utensils...silly me

More table settings to come...

Welcome back!

After my brief hiatus I am back! And boy do I have lots of fun stuff for you in the coming days...

For now, I'm going to just post a few pics of my awesome hand-inked and hand-bound journals (they are available in my shop in my shop.)