Brought to you by the letter "B"

"B" is for birthday, it's good enough for me.

Did you get the Sesame Street reference?  Did you, did you?

Let's keep this simple.  Sesame Street Style.

"B" is for "Ben."

"B" is for "Birthday."

{early morning latté's}

{tasi's poached eggs over black bean cakes with a jalapeño butter sauce}

{guiness stew to be exact, along with bread  (lots and lots of garlic), and caprese salad}

{devils food cake with chocolate buttercream frosting and a raspberry center}

{some good friends came to help celebrate.  friends doesn't start with "b," sorry.}

 Happy 25th Birthday to my best friend!

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

In our first year of marriage, Ben and I began a tradition.  Every year, on Ben's birthday weekend, we go cut down our own Christmas tree.  As of Friday evening, (identified by my impatience to give Ben his gift I have been slaving over) birthday weekend had begun, so today we went on a trip to Gale's tree farm in hopes of bringing some Christmas cheer into our home.

We couldn't have asked for more beautiful weather to impel our trek.  We could have asked, however, for the unnamed street fair in the middle of our expedition to happen on another day, our dog to be less of a scaredy cat, or Ben's coffee from Dunkin Donuts to not be a pure cup of sweetened milk.  But be that as it may, despite these minor drawbacks, it was a near perfect day for the Kochanowski family.

We spent the rest of the day decorating the tree and watching claymation Christmas movies.  It was a splendid way to spend a Saturday afternoon.


By the way, as I lay in bed writing this post, Gus just started dreaming out loud and Ben had me convinced for a good solid minute that it was Herbert.  I'm still not entirely sure it wasn't.

The Great Mouse Hunt

I have a story to share.  I warn you, it's not a happy ending.  At least not for us.

Remember Herbert?

Herbert is our house mouse.  While I would like to say that he is a welcomed member of the family, he doesn't live in a cage, therefore his free rain over our apartment makes him unwelcome.  He doesn't realize this though.   He thinks that we love him. 

I understand why he may think that.  Why else would we provide him with a pantry full of goodies all to himself but through love?  Or plastic toys (ahem, measuring cups and kitchen utensils) to chew on in his leisure.  Sometimes we even set out a personal meal for him on a super fun death defying obstacle course.  Nothing but love coming from us.

Well, last night, Herbert was taunting Ben.  I came home to our countertops and appliances askew and Ben holding two pieces of tupperware hovering over the gaping hole between the fridge and wall.  Seeing me, Ben immediately apprised me of the situation and much to my reluctance, handed me a tupperware and assigned me to a post determined to catch this little daredevil. 

Herbert was sure all of this commotion was a game. He would run in and out from under the fridge.  In and out, in and out, taunting us and calling us names.  Then, he met Gus.  Gus thought Herbert seemed like a pretty fun toy and chased him out from under the fridge.....

... straight into our bedroom.  Ugh.  We played hide and seek for another hour as Herbert dodged back and forth between the dresser and bedroom door until he disappeared into thin air.  Just in case you haven't caught on yet, this is the not happy ending.  He was gone.  No clue how, no clue where. 

Needless to say, I did not sleep very well last night.

Until we meet again Herbert, until we meet again.

Under Construction

As you can see by the mumble jumble mess before your eyes, we are currently undergoing some serious reconstructive works. 

It's time to Yoga-cise

Oh hello friends, it's been a while.  A lot has happened since we last talked.  There has been house-hunting, new businesses arising, a one year anniversary (WHAT?!) and a collection of events that are (finally) leading to inspiration. 

First things first, check out my new toy!

My point and shoot was stolen about a year ago and I have finally gotten around to replacing it with something way more fun.  Thank you Chase points system! 

I've always wanted to try out photography, but have been too scared of failing miserably at it.  Well, now I'm taking the plunge, so please be kind as I learn and share pictures with you.

In news of new businesses, I just want to tell you all that my mom is a rockstar.  She has found her passion and is running after it full speed ahead.  A woman of many talents and interests, after years of preschool teaching, preschool music, and various office jobs, she began training to be a yoga teacher.  She has now just opened her own yoga studio, and we spent Sunday evening drinking tea, listening to music and chatting with people who came out to her open house to see what it's all about.

Here are some highlights from the night.

I'm so proud of my mom!  She inspires me to pursue the things I'm passionate about, even if I'm still figuring them out. 

If you live around the Dublin, Ohio area and would like more information about her studio and what it's all about, check out her website here.

Grain Sack Slip Cover

Sunday was a good day.  Ben's family was here to drop his sister off for college and it has been a fun-filled week of family fun time.

Funny story.  Kind of.  Ben's mom met Herbert this morning.  She screamed and jumped up on the couch even though Herbert doesn't live in the living room.  You see, Herbert is our house mouse that eats my measuring cups (not joking) and poops all over my kitchen.  Let's just say, my relationship with Herbert started out a lot friendlier than what it has become.


One of my dear friends also had a house mouse.  His name was not nearly nice as what I named my mouse.  He passed this morning.  It wasn't sad.  This is hopefully a preview to Herbert's fate, but I might be sad.


Sunday morning, we said goodbye to Ben's parents after a week of fun family visiting time, so we've spent the rest of the day recovering from said week of family fun time.  We've slept, we've watched a movie and sometime, somehow, by the Lord's good graces, also ended up being productive.  I don't know about you, but usually when I have a day of recovery, I literally do nothing but sleep, eat and watch movies.  I'm pretty proud of myself.  I became an adult today.


This previously mentioned productivity also means I have a project to share with you.  Hoorah!


I made a slip-cover for one of my old raggedy pillows that somehow made it through college.  I've never made a slip-cover before.  I still hardly know how to sew.  I made it up as I went along and got lucky with the results.  Isn't it pretty?!

Ben gave me an old grain sack for Christmas that he found at my favorite antique shop.  I knew from the moment I laid eyes on it that it was destined for greatness.  Scroll back up, see?  Greatness. 


At the time, I thought I could make a cool stocking out of it (since I had Christmas on the mind), or a pillow, and since I can't hang a stocking all year round, pillow it was.  It's pretty.  I want to look at it all the time.


So, this is my process according to how it worked in my brain.


I started with my grain sack and the pillow I wanted to cover.  You don't have to use a grain sack.  You can use any fabric you like - just make it pretty please.

I then measured the pillow for accuracy because I was trying to be good.  I don't usually like accuracy.  I skip accuracy.  Don't be like me.  It's not smart.


The pillow I wanted to cover is an 18" x 18" square, using a rotary cutter, I cut my fabric for the front 19" x 19" so I would have room to sew about half an inch on all sides assembling the pillow.  I cut the square for the back 20" x 19" because I wanted to leave the middle open like a slip cover.  I then cut that square in half so each side was 10 inches long and 19 inches wide.

 




Fold the edges about half an inch on the 19 inch side of the 10" x 19" rectangle and pin them in place.  Repeat for the second 10"19" piece.  Sew a straight stitch to make a clean edge.

Once both sides of the back are done, pin them to the front side, inside out.  It's important to do this inside out so you can turn the rough edges inside, creating a clean seam.  Sew about a half inch along the pinned lines.

Clip the corners of the pillow while it is still inside out so when you pull it rightside out, the corners will be clean.  Once you've turned your pillow right side out, you can push a pointy object, like the tip of your scissors, into the corners in order to push them completely out.  Stuff your pillow in and Voila!

{Sorry about the disheveled look.  It was no makeup Sunday}

Look!  I made it from scratching and it worked!  I'm so happy with the way my pillow turned out - especially since I was making up the process as I went along.  On another day, I will sew some buttons on the back to keep it from opening, but I've had enough adventure for one night.  Till then, I bid you adieu.

She Loves You - Yeah, Yeah, Yeah

I like the Beatles.  Can you tell?

So, I'll warn you.  This post is going to be a bit different from the usual.  Take it as you like. 

I've been thinking about love lately.  To get a little more particular, I've been thinking about the word "love."  I have been realizing that I have unintentionally been replacing the word for something less, like "heart" or "like" to reference my feelings toward things. The more I think about it, the more sense this makes to me.  Let's be honest for a second.  I think we'd all agree that "love" is a very powerful word, yet, we use it so inadmissably.  I'm guilty of it, you're guilty of it, we're all guilty of it.  Maybe it's not that big of a deal, but I would like to think that when I tell my husband that I love him, that word truly has special meaning in an effort to grasp the reality of what I feel.  In the english language, this one word has so many possibilities of dimensions, that it makes it hard to define.  I don't love hats the way I love to make things and I don't love to make things the way I love my husband. 

In the greek language, there are different words for the different dimensions of love.  I'll spare you super in-depth explanations, but it's interesting, and I think important to think about.

First, there's philia, the kind of love that would exhibit from a friendship or family relationship that exemplifies loyalty.

Next, there's eros, the passionate kind of love, love a step beyond friendship.

Finally, agape is unconditional love.  The kind of love that the Lord exhibits to us.  Love of sacrifice, patience and perseverance.  The kind of love that is displayed in 1 Corinthians 13.  And it's this kind of love I want to strive to give my husband but also impossible to obtain entirely.

All I'm saying is to consider these things the next time you talk about how much you love a dress.  I would never be offended by someone using the word "love" to express their feelings for minute things, I just want to be more thoughtful in the way I choose to use the word.  I want to make a point to use the word "love" when I'm referring to and striving toward the agape version of it. 

With that being said, here are some things I "heart," if you will:

{essie nail polish in pretty nudes and pastels. essie has the best color selection} 

I also wanted to update you on how big little gus gus is getting!  I can honestly say, with full confidence that I love this little guy that's getting to be a big guy.

He's my pride and joy!

Also, just saying, I want to paint everything in my house right now. I've been waiting for the urge to fade, but it's not.  Therefore, you may be seeing some painting posts coming up.

One Dress:Three Ways

As I have mentioned now about a bajillion times, I was in a fantastic wedding last weekend.

In preparation for this wedding, the bridesmaids were sent on a hunt for a perfect dress of their own following the parameters of a neutral color palette set by the bride.  Sounds easy and exciting right?  Well, not as easy as I had hoped.  I'm not going to lie, I'm kind of picky.  In fact, I bought and returned 3 dresses before I found "the one."  Whoops.

Of course, before making my final decision, I couldn't help but peruse Anthropologie's wedding line - BHLDN.   A little out of my price range, but a great source of inspiration.  

First, I had a tiny love affair with this dress before I realized it was a little out of my price range.  By a little,  I mean by a lot.

{Gorgeous right?  But for $375 it is unfortunately never to be a part of my wardrobe}

However, where there is patience, there is reward.  Just when I didn't think I was going to find a dress that I truly would wear again, I ventured into American Apparel and found the above dresses fraternal twin sister.  

{Little change in color, and you'll need a slip to wear under it, but at $52, this is a far better option - for more reasons than the price.  Although, for the record, it saves you $323 - that's like, a lot of money!}

Ok, so I'm sure you're wondering why this is the better option for reasons other than the cost, and I'm going to tell you.  You see, I have this rule about buying clothes.  I don't like to buy something unless I have a few different ways to wear it.  This particular dress can be worn 3 different ways - classic, casual and somewhere in between.

This is how I wore it for the wedding. Classically 

{I made a belt to imitate the one from BHLDN.  It was easy.  I bought some cloth ribbon in a shade darker than my dress, cut to a length long enough to tie around my waste with a little extra.  I then sewed the ends down for a cleaner look and to keep it from fraying.  When I tied it around my waist, I added a vintage brooch where the knot was.  Voila.  I heart belts because they act as a nice accent to draw attention to the smallest part on a woman's body.}

{I wore this petticoat slip under the dress to add a little oomph at the bottom, and also because I heart it.}

{I also heart shoes.}

Take 2:  Somewhere in between classic and casual.

{I pulled this skirt over the dress and added a little red skinny belt from H&M (remember when I talked about bringing definition to your waist line!) and some nude espadrilles.  Just a tip: Choosing nude shoes gives the illusion of height for us short gals out there}

{I love a good nude color palette}

{Ben had to get a shot of the bling}

Take 3:  Leaning toward casual.

{Ok, so it's not casual like jeans casual, but quite a difference from the original.  I just threw on my favorite oversized striped cotton tee and tied the bottom and tucked it under so it hit where I wanted.  Again, my goal was to define where my waist line hits so I don't look too boxy.  I also added a chunky necklace, a fedora and some chunky wedges}

{Have I ever mentioned that I heart hats?  Well, I do.  I heart them}

Weddings are a great excuse to get a great dress.  I know I'll get a lot out of this one and hopefully have inspired some thought in getting some more use out of what you may have in your closet.  It's fun to try unexpected combinations.  Just try.  If it doesn't work, it doesn't and life will continue, but you could come up with something fabulous.