It’s not going to get any bigger any time soon and that’s okay with me (for once).
Starting left to right, here we go:
Lil Hidalgo – Worksman Folding Bicycle. This little guy is deceiving. He’s ridiculously heavy for a folding bike, making it illogical to travel with on public transportation. But we rarely take public transportation.
Main points – He folds up for easy storage and semi easy travel. He provides a smooth ride for our guests who may not normally want to ride a bike. He has coaster brakes, which have proven to be a foreign concept. And he has fenders and a rack, making him highly capable of pizza delivery to our patio.
Fiona - This is my darling love, Fiona, the Raleigh LTD-3 that we all know so well. I found this bike when hunting for a bike for Johnpants and I called on her instantly. She was a steal at $50 and is the best bike for me at this time. Very little damage or rust or blemishes at all. And look at those fenders! Hoo doggie!! I added the gorgeous wicker basket and the leather saddle bag was a great birthday present from my mister. Since this photo I’ve added a brass bell from Velo Orange. Erich really helped out by fixing her up for me and now I can’t imagine my days without her.
Just yesterday I rode her to the doctor. It was sublime. But then it turned out that I forgot my key to my ulock. I about had a panic attack worrying about her fate not locked to anything. Luckily, the pharmacy let me store her inside with minimal jokes. She was safe! Huzzah for strangers!
Felix - This is John’s Fuji Special Racer that I bought him for our 2 year anniversary. He previously had a Schwinn Racer that wasn’t quite his style. Since upgrading to this beast, he can take hills with ease (much more ease than Fiona). He’s a fast lil bugger – Perfect for my mister.
Our bike family is perfect for us. How about yours?
Last Thursday was a great day. It was like a Friday for the mister and I since we both took Friday off. To celebrate, we took Miss Sampants out for sushi and a bike ride.
Hidalgo, the folding guest bike, proved only semi intimidating for Sam. Coaster brakes are not natural past the age of 7 to me.
The lovely Fiona and I were ready to roll after a filling fishy meal. Despite a slight hesitation to be in photos that I soon got over.
Johnboy just wanted to get on the road. He was not having this photo safari.
Eventually he gave in to the fun and became our photographer extraordinaire. It was a blast….as you can see.
And that’s the end of the end of the week bike adventure. This week looks less promising for the evening rides, what with the rain and all.
There’s one sure fire way to tell if you’re loved in this world. And that’s when you open your e-mail on your birthday to find something like this little gem.
You see, this past Sunday was my birthday and as the Queen of Theme I decided to have a Wild West themed bash. This meant that I had a good group of people show up at my apartment in their finest cowboy gear.
We ate “Get Along Lil Doggies” and drank “Pink Prairie Hoe Downs”.
We did the “Jump on it” dance with pistols and a horse on a stick.
In general, we had a nice themey time! (With minimal puking).
And then the unthinkable happened – the party got even better! My brother and newly acquired sister in law, who recently moved far far away, attended the party in spirit by reenacting the theme song from one of my favorite childhood tv shows (and a perfect fit for the theme).
So thank you Nick and Kat for being so awesome. And thank you everyone else in my life for being so flipping fantastic to me.
Let’s do a comparitive shopping analysis, shall we?
This gorgeous boot is made by Miz Mooz, I found it at Endless.com (btw…Check that store out) when searching for some leathery riding boots for fall. Granted, I was looking in the summer because of a recent fascination with them, but still. I was in love.
Now, these boots cost roughly $100…on sale. That’s a lot of money. You can see the conundrum I was faced with. Still, I struggled for months. And then one day, they no longer had my size so my problem was solved.
Not quite. I still desparately wanted a pair of riding boots. I had this mental image of myself in them, riding Fiona around Grand Rapids in the chilly weather. Watching the leaves change. Eating sushi. Oh life is grand in my mental images.
And then BAM! It hit me like a truck. Browsing on OldNavy.com, I saw what I considered to be a contender for fall boothood.
What do you think? I think they’re great! And at $35 they’re an obvious deal. So, miss Sam and I went out to the local Old Navy shop and there they were. Very adorable. In my size and everything! I opted to get the darker brown color since I do already have a light brown boot.
Man, when I got them home and really tried them on, I was doubly sold. They’re super cute with jeans. I’ll need to practice wearing them with tights and dresses. And now my feet are toasty in my cold, cold office! Everyone wins! Well, I win…
Meet Hidalgo, the newest member of our bike family.
Now, I know what you’re thinking, how many bikes do they need? Well, I need one. And John needs one. And our guests could use at least one.
That’s where this little feller comes in. I’m not sure why, but I got it in my head that a folding bike is the perfect guest bike. I mean, it FOLDS up! It’s not going to be in the way or anything. And if I want to bring a bike home or something, I have this little guy.
He fits in my trunk. He’s surprisingly well kept, hardly used by his former owners (who also had a twin of his for sale). And he has 3 speeds with an internally geared hub. And a coaster brake that I need to practice on.
Did I mention his inaugural ride was to go pick up a pizza? That’s right, Hidalgo is capable of great feats.
So now you all can come to my apartment and ride my bikes. It’ll be grand.
When I was younger, my mom had this ugly brown bowl. I mean….I hated it. Why would you want to eat out of something brown? That was my logic as a kid.
Well, as it turns out, my mom was onto something with that brown bowl. It was Pyrex and it was classic and I would love to have it now. But not brown.
Thanks to the internet and garage sales, my dream can become a reality! Lately I’ve been obsessed with vintage housewares and things that are Danish Modern and very 1960s. Or 50s. Or 70s. I’m not sure which decade it is that I like.
A few weekends ago I stumbled across a fantastic butter yellow Pyrex dish with a warming tray at a garage sale. I have no real use for it, but I had to have it. It fits the mental image I have of my ideal home.
One great place to find a hidden treasure is Etsy. My advice is to be careful though. Always message a seller before making a purchase if you’re at all uneasy about something.
Don’t just assume something is junk based on the quality of the picture or the low price. Sometimes people who take bad pictures don’t know how great the item is that they have on their hands and you can get a great deal! And sometimes the pictures in a store can really draw you in even though the item isn’t actually as great as the photography makes it seem.
So if you’re in the market for a casserole dish or serving tray and you haven’t come across it at your local garage sales, check Etsy. But if you find anything Avocado Green…send me a link. I just love that stinking color.
If there were a bike made specially for me, I’m almost certain it would be the Pashley Sonnet Bliss (or the pure, I’m not sure yet).
Either way, it’s utterly beautiful. I haven’t seen a more perfect color combination like this before. Cream and claret they call it. Heaven is another good name I came up with all on my own.
The Bliss model comes with 5 speeds and the Pure is 3 speeds. Bliss has a few extra features (like a Dynamo headlight), but overall they’re pretty similar. Brooks leather sprun saddle, Gorgeous/big wicker basket, wonderful wine colored accents (or navy if you’d prefer).
I guess I just like classic English styling on bikes. I like them heavy and pretty. This bike is perfect for me. I was looking at the Flying Pigeon bikes because they’re cheaper (not that I”m buying a new bike) and because they had some fun colors like green, but nothing like this. I can’t shut up about it. I can’t stop staring. And drooling….
I guess I’d like a mixte too. A lighter frame that I could use on longer treks. A Pashley, and a mixte and that’s all…. And a tandem. A Pashley, a mixte and a tandem and that’s it. And my Raleigh. A Pashley, a mixte, a tandem, and my Raleigh and that’s it.
I’m not sure if you know this, but I have a fairly addictive personality.
What I mean to say is that I get really into things and then I go all out with them. It’s why I refuse to smoke or do drugs. Because I’d become addicted. Fast.
Well, about a week ago, mister and I went to Chicago. The windy city. And it was completely fantastic.
Thus, I’m addicted to the idea of leaving my life here and starting again there. Buying new furniture. Selling the car. Riding my bike. Snuggling and eating chili by our new ficticious fireplace. Yep.
I’ve looked at apartments daily this week. For no real good reason since we can’t move anytime soon, if at all. I think I’m addicted to moving as well. I get settled somewhere and find something better. I’ve lived in Grand Rapids for 9 months and already been in two different apartments.
I also fully imagine this life to have all of my friends and close family transplanted as well. Yep, you’re all moving to Chicago, deal? Deal. See you there.
I’m not one to ignore an urge to bake. So when I noticed a certain hankering for chocolate chip cookies the other day I knew I had to work out a way to make some a.s.a.p.
By “work out a way to make some” I mean…buy some stinking eggs.
And that’s just what I did on Monday evening. I went to the store, bought eggs, came home and baked some nom noms.
Looking to please both of us in this here apartment, I decided to use chocolate chips (John) and white chocolate chips (me), which was something I hadn’t done before. I’m a baker, I’m precise, we don’t stray from recipe cards. We like exact measurements.
Anywho, our oven stinks and takes forever to cook things thoroughly but I’m pretty happy with these. They ended up big and thin, but 2 days later they’re still moist and soft so I’m happy. I think it’s the large amount of vanilla that makes them so soft days later. I love vanilla.
John opened the tupperware they were in and said they smelled like dough…I take it as a compliment.
Chocolate Chip Cookies – Momma Style
Cream together:
1 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. vanilla
Mix together separately:
3 cup flour
1 Tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. baking soda
Combine to mixtures and fold in 2 cups chocolate chips (1 cup semisweet, 1 cup white. MMM.)
Preheat to 350. Cook 8-10 min on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Lately, I’ve been completely fascinated by all things old timey. (Yes, old timey is a phrase now).
I love my bike more than most other things I own. It’s classic and beautiful with it’s black frame (that matches everything) and adorable wicker basket (for carrying flowers and food). My recent obsession with old bikes has got me thinking about my personal style.
Well, not my fashion sense persay. Moreso my home decor. My most recent life change of the moment to focus on is the idea of moving to Chicago and attending the French Pastry School. Selling off the majority of our belongings and buying new old furniture from Craigslist and yard sales upon arrival. Yes, I understand that this is a fantasy completely not based in my reality, but that’s why it’s there. I dare to dream of a life full of baking and kitschy home decor.
I love things that look old. That are old. I want club chairs in tweedy fabrics and couches that have simple lines and long lasting durability. I want to buy fun kitchen stuff that isn’t practical by any means but looks great on my shelf/table/etc. Try looking on etsy in the vintage: housewares section and not falling in love with classic pieces. Go ahead. I dare you.
In other news, I’ve decided I need to do more fun things like doodling (see above) and baking (see my grocery list). I plan on baking some cookies tonight/tomorrow and having them be tasty. Also, my mister and I will be traveling to Chicago at the end of the week for a long weekend. This is ridiculously exciting since I’ve never been there. But scary in the sense that I don’t know where to do awesome things. Any suggestions?
The lovely Fiona and I were ready to roll after a filling fishy meal. Despite a slight hesitation to be in photos that I soon got over.
Johnboy just wanted to get on the road. He was not having this photo safari.
Eventually he gave in to the fun and became our photographer extraordinaire. It was a blast….as you can see.
This gorgeous boot is made by Miz Mooz, I found it at 
What do you think? I think they’re great! And at $35 they’re an obvious deal. So, miss Sam and I went out to the local Old Navy shop and there they were. Very adorable. In my size and everything! I opted to get the darker brown color since I do already have a light brown boot.
