yes, let’s distract ourselves with much more pleasing thoughts.

perhaps from the next room over, out of ear shot.

a refrigerator full of beverages.

few things please me more in the summer than opening up the fridge to see well-stocked shelves and a myriad of beverage options.  iced tea, cucumber-strawberry water, izzes, limeade, leftover soda and beer from a barbecue, sparkling water.

if i can fill a kiddie pool with the beverages in my fridge, we’re in the right area.  in fact, let me just go do that right now, so i can bathe in the bountiful beverage lagoon of goodness.

grown-up bed.

it was time for the boy to have a bed that reflected his 30 years of living, rather than, say, a 22-year old who, upon graduating from college, acquired a good mattress and thought that having matching colored sheets, blanket and curtains sufficed for bedroom decor.

enter wife, stage left.

i brought over my bedroom furniture, but our bedding/sheets/pillows area still felt lacking.  as we walked the aisles of ikea during our honeymoon, i lingered a little longer in the textiles section, and unearthed this perfect duvet cover.  an earthy pea green set, queen size, for the unearthly sale price of $17.  i snatched it up quickly, along with some soft slate-colored sheets, and insisted that we were taking them home, even if i had to sit with them on my lap on the plane.

the boy did not protest, but he seemed somewhat indifferent, only weighing in that the colors were acceptable.

then, after strategically shifting all of our loot around on the floor of the sea-tac airport so as to not go over the limit on baggage weight, the lovely bedding arrived home and i put it all together.

after just a few hours, the boy exclaimed (he would protest here, saying he doesn’t exclaim, but i know differently) that he loved our new bed and it was like sleeping in a hotel bed.

cheers, wife.

smiling, husband.

end scene.

bud vases with wedding flowers.

speaking of loot from ikea trudged home by a determined new bride, these bud vases rule.  they are sturdy and monochromatic and small and cheap and cheap and have i mentioned they were seriously only about a dollar fifty a piece cheap?

i’ve definitely been into the white on white decor lately.  i think i’ll start referring to it as my bob dylan phase of decorating, because perhaps that will make me feel that this is less boring than i fear it is (see also: blonde on blonde).  these pretty ladies perch right up near my desk.

trip vases.

i never know where to remember things.

i mean, i know how to remember things (except, apparently, my cell phone, keys or wallet as i walk out the door), but i never knew how to keep mementos from trips, ticket stubs, pictures, programs and general trip ephemera.  i’ve never been much on the scrapbooking kind of tip, nor do i want to just have boxes of vacation crap that i feel too sentimental to throw away and only visit when it’s time to lug heavy crap boxes to my next location.

early last year i was meandering around the internet machine when i spied a fantastic solution to my dilemma.  i forget where (so if anyone knows, i’d be happy to link), but on a blog someone wrote about how they stored trinkets from their trips in antique mason jars (cost: free to approx. $12) and lined them up neatly on the shelves.  it limits what you put in there, it displays it in a streamlined way, yet keeps everything as part of the decor of your house.

we have one from our trip to vancouver canada last year, and one from our honeymoon to seattle this year, and my only issue with this is why i didn’t think of such a simple and great solution myself years ago.

also, the polaroid mio (or, i suppose now, the fuji instax camera film) is a perfect size to fit.

of course.

a succulent that does not suck…ulent.

i really can’t help succumbing to the pun.  you’ll forgive me, right?  i know it’s bad.  i’m hideous.  don’t look at me.

i kill most plants.  and, full disclosure, the plant pictured above is currently in a stint of rehab [read: my mother's house] because it started to droop a little at the bottom and turn brown despite my following of the precise directions to not water it much and give it indirect sunlight.  but, it’s still not dead, and i’m hopeful that it will live.

the porch swing.

ohhhhhhhh, ahhhhhhhhhh, omgggggahhhhhhhhhh.

two words:

porch. swing.

along with two more words:

cocktail.  hour.

when no other words will do, these four will save your life,  and probably save my new marriage from becoming an old stale/hateful one.

you think i’m kidding.

into the woods bathroom.

i can’t say that bed bath and beyond is my idea of a bastion of style, but this shower curtain is certainly one of my favorites.  we bought this with one of the gift cards bestowed on us for the wedding, and although the boy was initially unsure, once we put it up he quickly rescinded his previous doubt and fully embraced the stark tree silhouette greeting those entering our forest.  er, bathroom.

i like that it’s not too graphic-y, but not too nature-y either.  it’s a perfect balance, and about as close as we get to being outdoorsy.

time.

oh, summer.  i wondered if the summer would past too quickly, like the quick gulp of air you get between getting dunked in the pool repeatedly by an older brother; the abrupt breather between strenuous seasons.

thankfully, although it has been a full and somewhat quick summer, i don’t feel that way.

between finishing college, planning a wedding, pursuing and securing a job, and moving, the months from january to june were quite the blur.  my post-wedding june consisted of a house to establish, a marriage to enjoy, meals to cook and paperwork to fill out.  july has been a hot but glorious respite, and in my last two weeks before beginning my first year as a teacher, i feel like i’ve finally surfaced from my underwater dwelling and have actually had time to float, float, float.

the luxury of time will never be undervalued currency in my life.

the time for my soul to expand and breathe, the time for my exposed nerves to heal, the time for my mouth to open wide, wide as i laugh with friends i haven’t seen in what seems like ages, time to ingest food that came from the ground, made with my own hands, instead of from a paperbag crumpled in my grip.

time, sweet, time.

one of the things charming me, every day.

*     *     *     *     *     *

Tagged: life, lists, things charming me today ]]> http://thesaradarling.com/2010/07/27/things-charming-me-today-summer-installment-two/feed/ 0 sara, darling beverage central. bedding. bud vases. trip vases. succulent that doesn't suck. the porch swing forest curtain. time. http://thesaradarling.com/2010/07/25/on-emotional-vocabulary/ http://thesaradarling.com/2010/07/25/on-emotional-vocabulary/#comments Mon, 26 Jul 2010 04:31:34 +0000 sara http://thesaradarling.com/?p=1600 ]]>

Emotions, in my experience, aren’t covered by single words. I don’t believe in “sadness,” “joy,” or “regret.” Maybe the best proof that the language is patriarchal is that it oversimplifies feeling. I’d like to have at my disposal complicated hybrid emotions, Germanic train-car constructions like, say, “the happiness that attends disaster.” Or: “the disappointment of sleeping with one’s fantasy.” I’d like to show how “intimations of mortality brought on by aging family members” connects with “the hatred of mirrors that begins in middle age.” I’d like to have a word for “the sadness inspired by failing restaurants” as well as for “the excitement of getting a room with a minibar.” I’ve never had the right words to describe my life, and now that I’ve entered my story, I need them more than ever.”

— Jeffrey Eugenides, author

i love lists.

but i have a love/hate relationship with goal-oriented lists.  have i discussed this before?  it feels awfully like a well-tread discussion.  the reader’s-digest-condensed-version synopsis of my complex relationship with goal lists is that i feel often like it’s just an opportunity to fail and/or i make unrealistic goals or ones that as it turns out i don’t even care about very much.

and who wants that kind of pressure to muck up the fun of making a list?

but.

i’m being inspired by both making it lovely’s 30 before 30 list and also mighty girl’s mighty life list.  the things i like about these lists:

• they are specific
• they mix audacious goals with mundane “i’ll feel so much better once i’ve organized the hall closet” kind of goals.
• they are modifiable if needed or if wanted
• i love lists
• i really love lists

so, in that spirit, i may have allegedly rumored to have started creating a 30 before 30/mighty life list.  maybe.

[how's that for non-committal?  we're dipping our toe in the shallow end, here.]

one of the things that i knew promptly had to go on the list is acquiring pieces of jewelry that i love.  i own a few pieces that are in constant rotation, because i look at what i could wear and then immediately discard that for these items that i love lovey love.  as a rule, i think i should only buy things that i absolutely love, and we’re starting with jewelry.

also, i’ve found that i can get away with possibly more casual/simple/modern-lined [read: black, white or grey, which is what my wardrobe mainly consists of] clothes day in and day out if i pair it with awesome shoes and fun jewelry.  i also get compliments from my students, and that’s never a bad thing.  [or is it?  hmmm...]

here are some possible contenders:

[etsy]

[etsy]

[greener grass design, which is quickly moving up the ranks in my books for awesome stuff]

[greener grass design]

[dejarnette]

[dejarnette]

[etsy]

*     *     *     *     *

let the listing commence.

so, the wondrous meg squeezed me in to her schedule and chopped my locks into a lovely new do.

which i wanted to share with you.

[i did not intend for that to rhyme].

exhibit a:

but the boy is very curious, and wanted to see what i was up to in my office.

[this is also a picture of my office, you see.
i'm all about the multi-tasking picture].

i got suspicious.

but he just wanted to kiss me.

which is always welcome.

except that then he tickled me.

and took a picture of it.

of course.

.

sneaky, that one.

Tagged: daily, life, picture pages, the boy ]]> http://thesaradarling.com/2010/07/15/scenes-from-a-thursday-afternoon/feed/ 1 sara, darling new hair. boy sneaky. boy kiss. boy tickle. http://thesaradarling.com/2010/06/30/or-how-two-nerdy-things-add-up-to-a-super-geeky-one/ http://thesaradarling.com/2010/06/30/or-how-two-nerdy-things-add-up-to-a-super-geeky-one/#comments Wed, 30 Jun 2010 21:54:24 +0000 sara http://thesaradarling.com/?p=1575 ]]>

wikipedia, combining two of my favorite things — grammatical definitions + venn diagrams.

also? pretty thankful i still have friends who are willing to be seen with me.

The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don’t just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.”

– attribution of quote still in question, but ain’t it lovely?

as we became tenants in may, we have not had occasion to use said fireplace yet, and instead just gaze at it, dreaming of snowy days when we can light the fire and make smores in our own house.

this daydream, of snow, is particularly nice in the ovenlike june we’ve been having.

some days, like today, the wind picks up and blows in a specific way in our fireplace that wafts a fire smell throughout the apartment.

and on days, like today, when it is about 90 million degrees outside at 11am, it smells like the entire day is ON FIRE.

[which, for cool-temperature-lovers -- not cold, cool -- like myself, might as well be true.]

there are things to be said about things.  jobs and trips and weddings and locations and books and sights and people.

but for now?

let’s talk about more charming things.  because it’s summer, and today it’s the longest day of the year, which provides ample time and sunlight to take in the things that charm the pants right off me.

*     *     *     *     *

milk [with dessert, of course] + the striped straws left over from the wedding.

beverages taste so much better to me out of straws.  i may or may not have purchased what can only be described as an adult “sippy cup”.  it’s plastic, with a plastic lid and plastic straw in the shape of the plastic starbucks cups, but reusable.  i may or may not insist on drinking every beverage out of it, and may or may not actually pout when i can’t.

my lucky husband.

on the dresser in my office sits mr. bunjamin franklin derose, a porcelain rabbit given to us by our good friend ryan and his wife courtney for our wedding.  [seriously, a great wedding present.]  mr. bunjamin gets rather warm in this heat, so he sits in front of the antique (yet working!) fan we snagged at the antique store warehouse planet the other day for $12.  seriously, have you seen the antique store on the corner of academy and constitution?  i think i got lost in there for a few weeks, and reinforcements had to be sent.

mr. bunjamin did need something to remind him of home, though, and the terrariums my mother and i built for the wedding centerpieces suit him just fine.  i’m hoping that our little love terrarium will fare better than most of the other plants i’ve systematically killed.

seeing this guy every day certainly charms me to my feet these days.  he’s cute!  and he builds things!  i said one day that we needed to have a cabinet for stuff in the bathroom, and several days, two doors procured from a yard sale and a short discussion later, do you know what i have?  a custom-built bathroom cabinet painted white, with shelves measured to fit all of my stuff.

i’ve called him the boy for years now, and i abhor every brevity-influenced version of the word husband, so i was pondering what i should call the boy now.  husboy?  YIKES.  my friend audrey suggested “boyband”.

hilarious.

this little lovely thing sits on our mantle.  i swear i was this close to putting “sponsored by etsy” on our wedding programs, for all the cute things i got for our wedding from there.  my cutetastic nephew carried our “fake” rings down the aisle on this.  did you have someone remember to buy fake rings to give to the ring bearer?  if you didn’t, i feel bad for you, because people like that RULE.  they really do.  well done, ashlee.

another awesome wedding present.  these owls guard the “currently reading” section of our vast library.  a Very Important Job.

you’ll forgive me that many of the things currently charming me are wedding/marriage-related, right?  i mean, i’ve been mrs. for about 2 weeks, so it makes sense.  forging right ahead then.  one of the questions i got asked the most at the wedding were about these spright little flowers.  where did they come from?  how peculiar?  what are their names?

for the record:

they are called craspedia or billy buttons or billy balls.

they came from ecuador.

i procured them from the internet machine for cheap.

they don’t smell the greatest, but they don’t smell the worst either.

they dry amazingly, thus my simple wedding bouquet lives on, guarded by the owls.

our friend sam, upon seeing them sitting in the bucket at my parent’s house before the wedding advised that “god must have invented these flowers exactly for your wedding.”

we love sam. and these flowers.  equally.  almost.

have i mentioned that our apartment has no drawers?  NO DRAWERS.  drawers? nyet.  as you can imagine, this presents a creative challenge regarding where to store things.  our spice rack was taking up valuable real estate on the counter, so my trusty handy boyband (yep, i went there) constructed this magnetic wall for our spicy storage.

on a piece of paper is the key for what spice is what until we can procure some labels.  if i lose that piece of paper, feel free to decline any dinner invitation at my house in the near future.

here’s another solution to our aforementioned kitchen sans drawers situation.  sebastian carefully looks over our new silverware in ceramic egg jars from ikea.  we went to seattle for our honeymoon, and since the boy had never experienced the wonderment of ikea (and we couldn’t wait until it comes to denver next year), we spent an afternoon wandering around the scandinavian superstore.  we snagged a few great treasures that we carefully packed to avoid an overweight luggage fee or shattered treasures.

the mustard peg board was inspired from mrs. julia child, who had this large pegboard with outlines of various pots and pans on it.  i’m trying to absorb her cooking prowess and spirit by association with her kitchen design.  i’ll let you know how it goes.

*     *     *     *    *

so you can imagine what i’m busy doing right now:

garlands
presents
caterers
calling
customer service
post office
hair
shoes
moving
rsvps
make-up
pictures
music
meetings
dress
fitting
flowers
gym
boxes
returning things
rolling silverware
terrariums
polaroids
bachelorette parties

you know, stuff.

in some life, i would like to have chronicled each step of this fun crazy process, detailed my projects, gave sneak peeks of my shoes.

but not this one, apparently.  i’m too busy to write about it.  and honestly?  i’m enjoying my days rather than worry about documenting them to reflect on later.

i’m okay with that.

but in seven more days…

love.

It’s “make do”, not “make due”.

If i have to “make do”, that means I will get by with whatever less than ideal materials i possess.

If i have to “make due”, I am literally making a requirement for something to be turned in to me, and this requires both an object that I am making due and a willingness to sound like Ainsley Hayes in the West Wing, as in”I need to make due these papers by Friday in order to have grades in”.

Got it?  Go forth and make do, and (for my fellow teacher friends) make due.  Do both.  Class dismissed.