Open Sky

The sky was so beautiful the other day at sunset.

Then I saw two jets fly past each other.

I always think they're comets or falling stars.

Next Collection

Found the next thing I'll be keeping an eye out for in my mini collections: planters! This ceramic calf planter was $3 and is so freaking cute I can barely stand it. It's so much more fun antique hunting when you have something specific in mind. I saw a ton of that were not quite my style and some that had a box on the side, but I really like ones that are part of the animal. 

Just Another Creepy Doll Day

There is never a shortage of creepy dolls at antique shops.

Never ever. Doesn't matter which one you go to.

My Room

Just a little peek inside our bedroom. My love of all things vintage

applies to my clothes, shoes and jewelry too!

Together is Good

These beautifully designed, metallic prints are a fundraiser for Nicole Daniels' (Endë Photography) father-in-law, who was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor. If you'd like to help send Jerry to Texas for treatment, you can purchase two prints for $36 or three prints for $54. Purchase the prints here and read more about it here. via @designsponge on twitter

All images from Endë Photography + Art

journaling

I started journaling when I was I was a preteen, corny and dramatic as only young girls can be. For years, I wrote regularly, documenting all the boys I liked, new jobs, school and every fight I had with my friends, my boyfriend or my parents. I don't write for myself as often as I like or should anymore, but I do return to it whenever my personal life is in turmoil. My most recent journal started last year when I was in the midst of a low point in my marriage. We were preparing for a divorce and it was really kind of devastating. The journal did not last long. My husband and I worked hard to change and make our way back together. We did and now it feels like so much time has passed. These are some pages that looking back, makes me laugh even though I was in so much pain.

This is the first time I drew and doodled with my journaling. On the very first page I had written:  Today seems unbearably long. I had a moment of sadness but I drew myself into the sunshine again. Even through the gasping, ugly tears, I was ever the optimist.

Happy December!

Designed and illustrated by Linh Trieu/Fresh Fish Creative

The older I get the quicker the days, months and years fly by, which I'm sure is true for us all. Our lives have become so busy that a quick glance at the calendar can seem like more dates are marked off then open. Especially during the holidays. For this December, I wish you all the serenity, calm and happiness that comes with loving your lives just as they happen to be at this moment. I also wish you many more moments being surrounded by friends and family who inexplicably drive you crazy and give you comfort at the same time. Happy Holidays, whichever one you may be celebrating.

Movie Supper Club

November Supper Club

Hosted by Craig & Jeanne  |  Theme: The Movies

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The idea for this month's supper club was to cook a dish from a movie. You could interpret this any way you wanted, but the point was to coordinate your dish with a specific scene. Leading up to Supper Club, there was some confusion whether we were going to stick to the theme, but in the end, it all worked out just fine. The Rohner house was decorated for Christmas with a lot of vintage ornaments. There was a place at the table for a friend who passed away recently. Our thoughts and our conversation sometimes circled around to other friends who couldn't make it to dinner. Mostly, it was supper club as usual, eating lots of good food with giant bottles of wine, talking on top of one another and toasting to all the things for which we are thankful: friendship, eating like kings every month and of course, the next supper club.

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First Course: Steak Tartare, Jason

Some Serial Killer Movie

Raw meat, murders. It works. Jason tried to use as food processor at first, but it turned his beautiful meat into mush. He ended hand-chopping it and serving the tartare on little, round crackers. 

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Second Course: Baked Potato Soup, Tim & Lynn

Maybe Soup Nazi from Seinfeld?

Bacon, Cheese, Potatoes. Hearty goodness. In addition to the sour cream, bacon, cheese and potato chip garnish, Tim also peeled the skin off the potatoes and baked them into crisps. It was really terrific. Seriously though, after this soup, I was so full. It had everything.

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Main Course: Il Timpano, Craig & Jeanne

"Big Night"

Il Timpano is a giant puff pastry-like dish filled with pasta, meats and cheeses. It was kind of like a giant baked lasagna and more ambitious than anything I would ever try. Craig used ricotta instead of provolone and it was too wet to set, or so he says. Next time, they're making the pastry thinner and cooking it longer for a golden crust. We thought it was delicious the way it was, but won't mind if he has to keep practicing. We're all more than happy to taste his experiments.

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Main Course: Duck, Linh & George

"A Christmas Story"

We bought the duck from Kim Long Asian Market in Columbus Park. To keep in line with the movie, we went for take out. While we watched the clip, it was the first time I noticed that the restaurant they went to was called Bo Ling. We have one in Kansas City and man, oh man, would it have been funny.

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Dessert: Chocolate Chip Cookies with Ice Cold Milk, Rachel & Seth

"Stranger than Fiction"

Rachel says that although they don't actually make the cookies in the scene, it was his enjoyment of the cookies that made you want to eat them. Using someone else's oven, Rachel's cookies were a smidge overdone, but I'll take fresh-out-of-the-oven cookies any day. It was a such a nice way to end the meal. 

And of course, our group goof off.

Autumn at the Lake

The girls and I went down to a friend's lake house this weekend. It was a one-day getaway and it was a nice break from our regular lives. The sun streamed through the clouds just like the top picture for our entire drive down. It took us five hours to make the normally two and half hour drive. Our first stumble came from inaccurate directions. When we figured out we were too late to meet the rest of girls for outlet shopping, we stopped in Cole Camp, Missouri. There was a craft fair going on that weekend so the town was hopping. Lots of old ladies with perms in antique shops and city girls with rhinestone jeans and purses. Paul was in a "business meeting" all weekend. I love how he put quotes around it because it makes me think of my friend Scott, who called all his #2's at work, business meetings.

Lake houses invariably have weird, kitschy decor pieces that are scattered throughout the property. Like this creepy, blonde kid nestled among the leaves, an alligator at the edge of the deck and of course, loads of light house decor. The house looked exactly as my own parents would have furnished it, down to the maroon couch set.

  

We drank Bloody Marys and lots of Jameson and hot tea, built a fire, walked and sometimes fell through the piles of leaves and acorns and stuck our toes in the cold lake water. We did each other's nails (very badly), gave one another hand massages and ate brownies. Mostly we alternated between eating, drinking and waiting. Those girls were on a marathon shopping trip!

No one really wanted their picture taken, including me, but we managed to get a few shots of ourselves goofing around and hanging out.