casinos, puppies, and scenes from touring life

a beautiful day on the Mississippi River, setting of some friends' wedding in October

hello there. it's been a while! this past year(because it's been almost a year since i last posted, eek!) has been quite an eventful one, both ups and downs. though i got MARRIED in december(it has been a blast so far, but more on that later!) and have traveled across the country throughout the year, the death of my sweet dog pretty must cast a pall over most everything for me. it has taken me a very, very long time to get back to feeling any semblance of normalcy and get on a routine. i've also been trying to figure out my professional life, as i began what seemed like a dream job in august and have found it just as unfufilling as my all of my previous jobs. (though i have been blessed with excellent coworkers, once again!) so all in all, life has been taking a bit of getting used to. but part of me figuring things out in this new life is getting active on the blog once more! i have a bit of a staggering backlog of pictures that i've taken since last july, so i figured i'd share some. the band crisscrossed the south and midwest on mini tours, i went to chicago twice to see my best gals, spent a weekend in Mississippi with my mom, gambling(no luck, ha) and volunteering at our favorite animal rescue. i'll save the wedding and the honeymoon(!!!) for a future post. it's nice to be back!!!

inside of a cool old trunk at an antique store in Alabama

amazing antique hat selection in Gadsden, AL

awesome diner with peanut butter pancakes in Springfield, MO

SNOOPY!!! a beagle available for adoption through the tunica humane society

puppy party!!!

             

the painfully shy baby sisters of my parents' dog, still at the tunica humane society after almost 5 years :(

tunica, MS

almost got thrown out of the casino for taking this picture

???

downtown anniston, AL

bowling at Southport Lanes in Chicago

inspiration: cold comfort farm

Last Saturday night Harry went to a bachelor party and I stayed home with a bottle of wine, 2 dogs, and Cold Comfort Farm. I wouldn't exactly say it's a cinematic masterpiece, but oh my lord, THE CLOTHES. It's set in the 1930s (which I've decided is my new favorite stylistic era, despite the fact that the clothes aren't as well suited to my frame as those from the '50s-early '60s), and follows sophisticated young Londonite Flora Poste(don't you just love that name?) as she moves in with and attempts to restore harmony to her wild and wacky rural relatives. Whew, what a sentence!

Despite living in the middle of nowhere with a group of people who never seem to bathe, Flora always looks immaculate, even more so in her everyday outfits than fancy party getups. I love the casual hats and slim knits, as well as our heroine's make-do-and-mend attitude.

 

Stills from the film are not that easy to find, so if you're in the mood for more '30s inspiration, I suggest watching the movie instantly on Netflix!

 

blouse- Alloy

skirt- Chloe Loves Charlie

wedges- Urban Outfitters

 

this outfit contains no vintage or thrifted items, which I try not to do, but it just happens sometimes. what're ya gonna do, you know? this skirt was one of the best purchases I've made in ages. I've had it about two years now and I still wear it once every few weeks! coming from someone with 100 dresses, that's saying a lot. 

i'm so pale that you can't even see my the t-straps on my wedges here! sunshine sunshine go away, I am pale and wanna stay that way!

 

ok, sorry for the limerick (not really sorry!). here are some requisite pet photos from the past week.

 Betsy in the sun

 pretty little Dolly enjoying her freedom now that her heartworms are gone!

 sexy Johnny cat, lounging

 chipmunk Betsy

gorgeous dog models Sadie and Posey, aka my little sisters



americanarama

 

on Tuesday night we scored some free tickets to see Bob Dylan, Wilco, and My Morning Jacket at the baseball stadium downtown. the sound was a bit lacking and it was hard to hear over the thousands of other people but the night was beautiful and there were soft pretzels and veggie hot dogs at the stadium, so all in all a good night!!!

I spent most of the fourth in a swimsuit playing ping pong and eating chips and dip, but today we went to my uncle's house for even more celebration. my uncle and cousin work on 60s and 70s Mustangs and I got to take a picture with this beauty. I was caught by surprise here, that look is NOT intentional. ugh lord. on the other hand, I am really enjoying focusing on the little things and trying to take more pictures of daily life. I LOVE picasa, especially the 1960s filter!



dress- vintage
belt- vintage
flats- Modcloth

I am a big fan of dressing up festively for pretty much every holiday and the 4th is no exception! I bought this dress in high school on an Etsy forerunner that I can't remember the name of now. I planned to wear it to the prom but I didn't go (too cool for school over here). glad my style hasn't changed in eight years!



ice cream social

 

dress- vintage

sandals- Urban Outfitters

 

well, that first photo pretty much sums it up. I've been wanting to return to outfit photos for a very long time now, but my pride and keen sense of embarrassment kept getting in the way. taking photos of yourself seems excruciatingly vain, but it is actually quite humbling to realize the big difference between how you think you look and how you actually look when photographed. anyway, I'm trying to be far less self-conscious and just DO THIS THING. my wardrobe has recently been subjected to a massive purge and it's kind of interesting(to me, at least) to see what has passed the test and remains in my closet(for now!). this dress is very girlish, summery, and sweet. I feel like I should be going to an ice cream social! (do those still exist? they should).

but since my life really does not revolve around clothes by any stretch of the imagination, I'm going to keep sharing photos of everyday things I think are worth noticing. at the very least it will be a great scrapbook for me to look back on in years to come.

here's to better skills at self-portraits. cheers!

my first fondant cake! wish fondant tasted as wonderful as it looks.

 

sneaky molly cat

 

sweet Dolly! feeling much better now that her heartworm treatment is nearly over.



an assortment of photos I found when I bought a new camera cable!

Harry looking adorable while at the pumpkin patch last Halloween

chocolate pound cake

pumpkin donut muffins

all my boys

hanging out with some gingers at Starry Nights the night that Harry proposed

macarons, a Christmas gift from Elizabeth

a vintage FELIX BATHING TISSUE HOLDER that now lives in our bathroom

peeps cupcakes I made for easter

little Dolly, our newest family member

novel inspiration: Rebecca

I recently finished reading Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. Before that I'd been on a mostly non-fiction streak, and this was just what I needed to dive back into fiction. This is one of the most evocative, sensory books I've ever read. du Maurier is a master at capturing scents, flowers, landscapes, and mood. I haven't yet watched the Hitchcock film version, as I'm a little wary of the altered ending and the fact that Maxim de Winter is not Cary Grant(as he was in my head!). However, I'm sure I'll give in soon because it has gotten me dreaming of lonely English manors and everyday(albeit aristocratic) '30s style.

 

 

all images can also be found on my pinterest