today's goings on

Last week I went to a paint-your-own-pottery place with a few other ladies.  I browsed around for a good while weighing my options, most of which were too expensive and kind of random.  I finally settled on a ring holder, which I've wanted for a while now.  The other women were a little ambitious with their color choices.  Since paint-your-own-pottery tends to turn out kind of streaky, I went as light and simple as possible, with a pale, almost-Tiffany blue and white polka dots.  It only cost me $12, which is less than most options from Etsy I'd been considering.  I picked it up today and promptly used it while doing dishes.

As I walked up to our door, I spotted this *huge* butterfly (moth?) in the hallway.   I told him not to mind me and he didn't.

Then I proceeded to make three things:  salsa; Jell-O (yeah!  It had been so long.); and Rice Krispies Treats.  Old school.  I decided to mound the Krispies on a baking sheet rather than pile them into a baking dish.  Kind of like how Ina Garten makes her meatloaf.  It worked nicely.

I've had a lot of time to cook and bake (and do the ensuing dishes) lately but I really *don't* need to eat entire batches of cookies and RKTs and scones by myself.  Luckily I can send my husband to work with the majority and feel better by just eating a few.  It's hard to part with these puppies, though.

daily reading material

Pink calla lilies (and assorted other flowers) at The Fresh Market

I try to avoid reading the news.  I know it's a bit willfully ignorant of me but I just don't want to know most of the time.  I do, however, make habitual pit stops at these blog sites:

A Beautiful Mess (their output is impressive and so varied)
A Cup of Jo (she has her finger on the pulse of, like, everything)
Boxwood Clippings (I love that they love Target as much as I do)
Little Green Notebook (one of the coolest ladies ever; no idea how she does all that she does)
Look Linger Love (Charleston, art, clothes, and occasional profanity - done)
Lovely Indeed (cheerful and full of everyday projects)
Oh Happy Day (mother of all DIY garlands, photo backdrops, and party hats)

Weekly stops include my favorite food blogs, Smitten Kitchen and Spoon Fork Bacon.  Understandably, neither blog has daily entries but the weekly wait for the next recipe is kind of exciting.  It's the little things.

These are among the many blogs that I'll stop by when I feel the need for inspiration (/distraction).  Over the years my regular blog choices have changed and there always seems to be another awesome site to discover.  This sounds so cheesy but the collective creativity out there is so awesome.  What if we could harness it to bring peace to the world?!  Somebody should get on that.