A Sunny Weekend

This weekend I: Went thrift shopping with Mandy - Made dinner twice - Went out dancing with friends - Screwed my knee up real bad - Organized - Ran (before I hurt my knee) - Walked (after I hurt my knee). After a busy few weeks, and a very busy Saturday, this beautiful weekend was mostly spent getting caught up on things I had been slacking on.

Over the Weekend: The National Aviary

Ok, so I'm stretching the truth a little, this post would be more appropriately titled "Over a Thursday", the bird photos are from the inspiration trip I took with work to the National Aviary at the end of last week. Generally, I like to admire birds from a distance, and am not so keen on zoo-like environments, but it turned out to be an interesting trip. I couldn't get enough of the burrowing owl pair, they seemed to have so much personality.

And I couldn't help but add in a couple of photos from the snooze-fest I discovered yesterday afternoon. Usually when I come home the cats are at the door ready to greet us, but yesterday we didn't make the bed, which- apparently- is the best thing ever.

Friday Favorites

Ahh, I'm so happy it's Friday! This week has been great, but now that we're a little more settled, I'm excited to maybe do some exploring this weekend. These photos are some of my favorites from last weekend. While the early snow was strange for us, I think Zebby and Zephyr we're a little more confused. We have a lovely window in our new dining nook, and Zeb took some time to admire the snowfall from the kitchen table on Saturday morning. The kitties are very much enjoying their new home, with new stairs to zip up and down, and new wildlife to obsess over through the window (a wide variety of wild rabbits, one enormous groundhog, and some excessively friendly squirrels). We're all settling in nicely.

Thank you all so much for your incredibly kind and supportive words on my post last friday! I'm so excited to be working where I am, and so excited to see where Orchid Grey will go in the future. Hanna asked me what exactly my job entails, and basically my job is split in two: half my time is spent dreaming up blog posts for the ModCloth blog, and the other half is spent composing product descriptions (like this one). Any more questions? Feel free to ask!

Walking Heartbreak

I wish I wasn't writing this post right now. I had something else planned for today, but unfortunately that's being pushed aside. I know a lot of readers enjoy cat friday, and I wish this was one of those happy cat posts, but it just isn't. Yesterday evening Chris called me at work to say that sweet Louie had collapsed in our hallway and wasn't breathing. He rushed him to the vet down the street, but it was too late. The vet said that Lou had suffered either a stroke or heart attack, apparently this is common for Maine coon cats. We drove him to my Mom's property in Maine and buried him this morning.

I read something once that described pet ownership as "walking heartbreak", and I don't think I've ever read a more accurate description. Even though Lou was only part of our household for a short amount of time, he quickly latched his impressive claws onto our hearts, and we now feel one cat short. I'm going to miss waking up to him sleeping on my head.

It's taken me about an hour to write these few sentences, I keep getting weepy and having to run for tissues. I know so much of blogging is happy-all-the-time, but sometimes you just need to share the really-freaking-sad.

Ok

Edit: Chris, Hans (Louie's actual owner), and I cannot begin to express our gratitude for the outpouring of support you've all offered, this is not enough but: Thank You

Cat Friday: Meet Louie!

Meet our fluffy friend, Louie! He's staying with us while our friend Hans gets settled in his new home of Austin, TX. Introducing a new cat to our household was not an easy feat. For awhile Louie hung out in our bathroom, waiting to meet the Z's. Zephyr liked to sit outside the bathroom and hiss at him through the door, while Zeb just wanted to get a good look. Slowly I got them to play a little together under the door, and eventually Louie made his debut. Things were tense for a few days, and then for a little while all seemed well, but unfortunately Lou had a case of the nerves and he's back in the bathroom recuperating. He does get along great with Zeb and Zephyr now though. The best part of a fluffy orange cat? Belly rubs.

Cat Friday!

There's major construction going on behind our apartment, Zephyr and Zeb aren't happy about it. It has scared away the seagulls and the whole house is woken by loud crashing and banging. Sunbeams are still taken advantage of, however.

I want to express my gratitude for everyone who stopped by this week to read and leave a comment, I never feel as if I say thank you enough, so here it is one more time: THANK YOU!

Chris and I are headed North this weekend to help out a friend and help my Mom with yard work. I have to admit that I usually avoid Maine this time of year, all the snow has melted down here, and I hate to go and have to see snow on the ground up there! What are your weekend plans?

The Z's

Welcome to another completely self-indulgent cat friday! Last weekend I spent some time going through some old photo boxes and I found these from when Chris and I first moved to Massachusetts. Our first apartment was so tiny, it had a living-room, bedroom and kitchen, but everything was miniaturized. We didn't have any furniture, except for a bed and a plastic bin we used as a chair. The kitties didn't move with us right away, they stayed with my mom in Maine until they were old enough and we were settled in. But when they did, they loved watching birds and squirrels out the windows together and hiding under rugs (these, of course are all things they still enjoy doing).

I hope you're having a good Friday! I'm headed back from New York today, I can't wait to see Chris, Zeb, and Zephyr!

Have a cozy weekend!

Thank you so much to everyone who left me such thoughtful birthday greetings yesterday! We're just laying low this afternoon, keeping warm inside. Tonight, a big birthday dinner is planned and I can't wait! I have something fabulous to wear and I'm so excited to go out with friends (psst- I'll show you the outfit on Monday!). I hope you all have a warm and cozy weekend!

I think "cat friday" is becoming a regular institution around here, it's hard to resist the cuteness that saturates our apartment. If you ever want an extremely happy cat, I recommend you provide either a heat vent at full blast (left), or a heated blanket (right). Instant cat magnet!

Happy Weekend!

ps- did you enter the giveaway yet?

Over The Weekend: Thrift Finds

Since we were snowbound most of the weekend, I don't have a ton of photos to share. Saturday and Sunday were the last days of my glorious two week vacation and I wanted to spend them doing very little with a few specific characters: Chris and my cats. We lazed about mostly, but on Sunday we did manage to get the gumption up for a little thrifting. See, I'm not the only one in this apartment that enjoys the sweet aroma (mothballs and dust, if you're wondering) of Salvation Army and Savers...

There is a second guilty party: Chris.

Savers was delightfully empty Sunday afternoon due to the storm and we had the whole place (almost) to ourselves. I struck out majorly, but Chris found a couple of great pieces!

I can claim credit for spotting the vintage wool cardigan above, which is in perfect condition and very grandpa-ish in the best way. After I wandered off in search of my own treasures (bah humbug) Chris found a great vintage Pendleton wool plaid shirt in excellent, never worn condition (below, it's the one in his arms)

In the evening we watched season 2 of Mad Men (love) which he had borrowed from my friend Emily and hung out with our cats. Zeb and Zephyr are brothers and are both rescue cats, they were feral when we found them as kittens but you would never guess it now! Zeb loves to sit with us when either of us is on the computer, and always manages to become the center of attention:

Chris' glasses ARE real btw.

Daily Style...

Shirt: Vintage Stock via Salvation Army (2.99)

Skirt: Vintage via Salvation Army (1.99)

Shoes: Urban Outfitters (19.99 sale)

Belt: Vintage via Flea Market (2.00)

Tights: TjMaxx (4.99)

Necklace: J.Crew (14.99 sale)

I was really excited to find an outfit in which to wear this shirt. I bought it a while ago on a trip to Maine, but until now I wasn't sure how to wear it. I love the rough texture of the material, and if you look closely you'll see flecks of blue, purple, and pink in the white plaid. I thought it had a bit of a cowboy vibe, so I paired it with this suede skirt and south-western-esque beaded belt.

So much for the snow we were expecting, I have to admit I had gotten my hopes up that the school would be closed for a snow day today. Unfortunately the weather was spectacularly crappy, and I still had to go to work. Further north of us got hit with serious snow, but all we got was buckets of rain/sleet and super gusty winds. So this miserable turn of events is why my photos are indoors. I have to admit, I hate taking pictures in my apartment- the light is low, there isn't much space and my two cats tend to take over- wah, wah, wah, right?

Work was quiet and slow today, which just made me want to sleep. To add insult to injury I came home to this:

Cats are jerks, they always look so cozy. There are two in there by the way- they smush themselves into their kitten basket even though technically they are both too big.

On the Road: Brownfield to Fryeburg to Windham to Portland to ...Finally Home!

After five days, I am finally finally finally back in Beverly. I am so happy to be home. I'll post my thrift finds tomorrow, right now I'm all about curling up with the new issue of Bust I found in my post box and snuggling with three certain someones (hint: two have whiskers, one has a beard). Have a great night!