La Vie of me

Monday, September 5, 2011

Happy Labor Day!

Labor Day is an American holiday that is the unofficial end of summer. After today kids start back at school. But historically it was to celebrate unions and workers.

From Pinterest

Sleepy Kitty of the Week

Happy Labor Day! (for Americans)

Happy Monday! (for everyone else)

Sometimes, Parsley doesn't like her photo being taken, and rebels from me capturing the cuteness.

Sage, though very skittish, can sleep through the paparazzi, and Parsley feet.

Friday, September 2, 2011

Barnyard Pic of the Week

This weekend I'm visiting Tallman's parents in North Carolina. They say they have an island with wild goats on it. I hope I see it!

Have a happy Weekend! Have a happy Labor Day! Have a happy back to school week!

This is another book I'm a little embarrassed to admit to having read. But I feel better about it because it was another "killing time at the library find" and I enjoyed it for its sweet story and simplicity.

Casting About is actually the sequel to a book I have not read Spinning Forward, and not having read the first book did not make me at all confused about the characters or plot of this story.
Basically its the story of motherhood and friendship, and knitting. Though I do knit, I'm not sure that enjoying knitting is a prerequisite to enjoying the book.

The main character bought a yarn shop on a small island off the coast of Florida from her mother. She moved there to slow her life down and met a man. This story picks up four months into the marriage and his daughter from a previous marriage is about to move in and change their lives. The story is about the family, and the main character's growth into a mother.

This is the sort of book that while predictable, is still enjoyable. You know how it will go, but you enjoy it anyway because its nice. That's as good as my explanation of this book is going to get, and I realize that isn't very good.

Folding Chairs

An entire post about folding chairs? Really? Yes.
When I have enough space and money to have a proper dinning room I want a big one. I like having dinner with 10-20 guests and that means a big table.
I like the look of a bench on one side, big chairs on either end and smaller chairs opposite the bench. But it isn't practical to have the table set up for 20 every day, nor is it practical to have 10 extra dining room chairs hanging around your house (I know this from experience, not only is my apartment in my parents house right now, my mother also went chair happy a few years ago so the house is nearly exploding with chairs).

Folding chairs are the obvious solution to wanting extra seating. But metal ones are ugly, sound terrible, and uncomfortable. Plastic ones have similar problems, but are even more cheap looking. Wooden ones are clearly the way to go.
These are my favorite, from Ballard Designs. They're simple yet pretty and don't cost an arm and a leg. I also like that you can easily add cushions.

Ballard Designs St. Germain Folding Chair

These next chairs are from Ballard as well, but they seem more appropriate for outdoor entertaining and not in a dining room setting. But they are nice too.

Ballard Designs Oxford Folding Chair

These chairs from World Market aren't as pretty as the first ones, and look a bit cheap because of the built in padded seat. But they are less expensive and they seem slim which is good when you're trying to accommodate extra people at a table.

World Market Ladder Back Folding Chair

World Market also has a number of solid wood folding chairs. This one is the slimmest at 16.5 inches wide. I think that when you're using this seating to stuff as many of your friends and family around a table as possible its best to get the narrowest seat. That way you can sit more people without the chairs actually touching. These chairs are simple, wood, and look very nice (maybe even better with a coat of stain, though).

World Market Mika Wooden Folding Chairs

These last ones from Horchow are the most expensive. But they look it. They have detailing and look extremely sturdy. The question is are you willing to pay almost triple the price as the ones directly above? You might. Depends on how fancy your dining room is, and how much you can spend.

Horchow wooden folding chairs

Well I hope you enjoyed that. I did. And I hope you think twice before buying a metal folding chair.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Book Review: Girls in White Dresses

Man, could this book be any different from Postmistress or Day After Night? Ugh. This book by Jennifer Close was straight up chick lit, and I'm a little embarrassed to have read it. I went really fast toward the end just so it would be over with. (I almost didn't tell you about it, so as to hide my shame.)

Girls in White Dresses is your standard chick lit, New York City, friends out of college navigating guys and jobs, finding guys and having kids and blah blah blah. The writing style is like listening to an annoying friend tell a story about people you don't know or care about.
This book almost got good in the middle, when one of the main characters was dating a guy she clearly didn't like and shouldn't have stayed with, but like so much of the book it was a vignette of something you've seen before without going any deeper. Not that I expected the book to be well written or deep, but man, I wasn't expecting the triteness to be so apparent.

My advice, don't read this book, unless you loved Sex and the City and cried when it ended and watch the DVDs every week and have never wanted to punch Carrie in the face for whining. If you have ever wanted to punch Carrie or shake Charlotte or smack Miranda or not touch Samantha or a even a seat she sat on, then don't read this book, you'll be annoyed, I promise.

Happy September!!!

Happy September!