My New Wheels

"Hypothetically" he began, a word I know means absolutely anything but the hypothetical. "Would you be upset if I..." he paused in search of the right words."Yes?!" I responded "Well, uh, if I, maybe..." "What is it?!" My interest peaked by this point. "See...would you be mad if I made an offer on a car? For you? A, uh, 1978 Mercedes. ...And they took the offer?!"

We'd been looking for a new (read actually pretty old) car for awhile. We knew we wanted something classic, timeless. Something that had been around forever and wouldn't go out of style, well, ever. But this was unexpected. Colton ran to the store for a few quick items and came back with more than he anticipated. Shampoo, lettuce, a car. Just the usual.

And here she is, our newest addition. She's old, and teal, and seems to have a million stories to tell. We're just getting to know each other but I'll keep you posted on how the relationship goes. I have a feeling we're going to get along just fine.

Michelle

Red Ranunculus

How do you feel about flowers? I could buy out an entire Restoration Hardware store but my house wouldn't be a home without flowers. They bring life to a room and are a sure way of making even the gloomiest of days bright. They make my heart melt.

I found a cute new favorite flower shop downtown and they have the most beautiful variety of stems. From peonies to wild roses to succulents, I could pull up a chair and spend an entire day watching people wander in and out. And then, at the end of the day, I'd leave with a small bouquet of red ranunculus because I love the way they're crazy and spirited and breathtaking.

Happy weekend. I hope you do something lovely.

M.

Learning to Sew

I have short legs. And while it's royally annoying, I've learned to live with it. When others buy Regular jeans, I buy Ankle pants and wear them as, uh, pants pants. Again, annoying, but I've accepted the fact that somewhere in my family tree of exceptionally tall people there was a gene for shortness and yours truly was the recipient. Fortunately for me my husband knows how to sew. All of my new pants go directly to Colton to be hemmed before I ever wear them. It's convenient, to say the least. I on the other hand, do not know how to sew. With the exception of one night last fall when I had the insatiable urge to make new throw pillows, I've really never touched a sewing machine. I don't know how to thread a needle or fill a bobbin, and God help us if the machine should stop working. I like to subscribe to the 'poke-a-button-until-it-works' theory of fixing things. And last week during our trip to the fabric store Colton became painfully embarrassed when I asked the clerk to help me find some string. You know, string to use in my sewing machine??

But all this changed a few days ago when I decided I was making new seat covers for my office chairs. I gave Cole the option of helping me or letting me go rogue with the project. And knowing the fate of his beloved sewing machine was in my hands, he gave me a lesson on the essentials before politely asking me to use the word thread instead of string the next time we were in public.

For my first legit attempt at sewing, I like to think I did alright. I've positioned the chairs directly in front of my desk so I can spend the entire day reminding myself of the feat I accomplished. And also to remind myself that thread, not string, is what you put through a needle.