The Month in Photos: May 2014

Augusta is growing like a weed and learning new things everyday. It's pretty fun to watch how excited she gets over little things like a shoe box or sliced strawberries. She still isn't quite crawling, but is soooo close. I need to start thinking about baby proofing the house. Ian finished his first year at UP at the beginning of the month (yay!) and is already half way through his summer school session. We've continued to be busy working on our outdoor spaces (it's taken a lot longer than I anticipated, but we're almost done) and are looking forward to enjoying drinks on the patio and eating some of the veggies we've planted.  Can't believe summer is almost here.

Happy Caturday!

Bwahaha.

Happy Friday!

Poor Maggie!

For Your Monday

Happy Memorial Day.  Arlington National Cemetery.

Elephants work together to rescue baby elephant.

I think even I could pull off this cake writing.  via design is mine

What happens when you leave an exercise wheel in the forest.

Art is therapy. 

What World Cup team should you cheer for?

Happy Caturday!

This is what happens when you photoshop an overweight cat into art (via hyperallergic):

 For more, click here. Enjoy!

I Tried Something New...

Image source.

Acupuncture! I pretty much always have a sore back that starts at my right shoulder blade and goes up spine to my neck. Most days it's not too bad, but throw in carting around a baby and some yard work and it was really acting up last week. So, I decided to book an acupressure massage at a Chinese medicine place in our neighborhood. 
I first tried acupressure in DC. The place I went to was next door to the gallery, which was basically the only reason I went there. The guys didn't speak English and didn't seem to be too concerned about possibly dislocating an arm. Although I would feel a bit battered by the time I left, I usually got some relief from my back for a few days.
The place here in Portland was so. much. better!  And a much different process. It started with a consultation with the practitioner, where I was able to explain the issues I was having and he was able to ask follow-up questions. The massage itself was gentle but very effective. Towards the end of the massage, my practitioner said that he usually ends with some acupuncture and asked if I wanted to try it. I thought, "what the heck," and decided to go for it.  He put some needles in my neck and shoulder, one in each hand and foot, and some in my lower back (which also acts up all the time). The acupuncture in my neck/shoulder/hands/feet, all felt totally fine with no pain, but the lower back needles felt kinda wonky. At first the practitioner thought be may he'd hit some nerves, and tried a couple different spots, but it still felt weird. He said sometimes the needle site will ache and that that's a sign that it's working, so maybe it was a good thing? But it kinda gave me the heebie jeebies. I have to say that my back feels better than ever and I would highly recommend the acupressure massage, but I'm a bit on the fence about trying acupuncture again. Have you tried acupuncture??? I'd love you hear your experience if you have!

In case any Portland peeps are interested, here's the place I visited.

For Your Monday

Image source.

I've been enjoying this food blog.

And speaking of food, you can never have too many ways to cook a chicken, right? via Dinner a Love Story

A modern garden trellis.

Things Parisians do that stun New Yorkers and vice versa. via A Cup of Jo

A philosophy of walking. (Thanks Ian!)

Happy Caturday!

Ian went on an Ikea excursion last week and brought home these charming kitty rattles.  Augusta's a fan!

Happy Friday!

"This is Nana the dog. Nana the dog is not very good at catching treats, but that doesn't mean that she is not a good doggie. Clearly, she's a great doggie." --Via Deadspin. (And Ian)

Maybe Nana needs glasses???

Augusta is 8 Months Old!

It's amazing that the first months of her life are already becoming hazy and I can't quite remember just how it felt to hold her when she was a newborn. I know that as time goes by, even more memories will start to fade. So... I wanted to jot down some of the things she is doing/enjoying right now for posterity's sake!  (Reader beware: the things listed below are likely of no interest to anyone but myself and the number of photos of Augusta is gratuitous). Here they are in no particular order:

For Your Monday

Image source. Via Leela Cyd's pinterest feed.

Dining etiquette from around the world.

Boys are joining the babysitters club :).

The tale of two schools.

Pretty wallpaper for your phone and desktop.

Painted bowl diy.

Happy Caturday!

This is Gussie's nightly routine too!

Happy Friday!

This is ridiculous. Enjoy!