Buzz Buzz--- I lied

Ok so I didn't get bees out of my system: Just a few more bees, then I promise I'll stop with the bees for a while, like a few weeks.

Gumps's Bee Brooch

Not on the High Street Buzz Glass Cufflinks

Not on the High Street Bee Necklace

Not on the High Streeet English Bone China Bee Tea Set

(British websites have way more bee stuff than American ones. Go Britain!)

Buzz Buzz

We all know I have a thing for bees. Not in the same way I like goats, but pretty close. Not only are actual bees great for all the pollinating and honey business, but they are awesome on things. (Who could forget my bee lace dream?) I've had a book about bees in my Amazon queue for a while now, that I really want to read, its called The Beekeeper's Bible.
I think that a dream of keeping bees is a lot more reasonable than my dream of goats. (Bees and chickens, not too much to ask.)
I guess this book is part how-to, part history, part cookbook. That sounds like I'd enjoy it! But I'm in get-books-from-the-library mode, and not in buy-books-for-the-hell-of-it mode, because I'm poor so right now I'm just lusting over it. Normal.

While I lust over a desire to have bees and be all self sufficienty (I read Vegetable, Animal, Miracle this weekend and got totally jealous/inspired), I figured I'd look at bee decor, cuz why not?
Call me crazy, but I don't think you can have enough bee throw pillows:

Ballard Bee Pillow

And bees always look good in the kitchen:

Horchow Bumble Bee Dinner Plates

Terrain Bee Bowl

Not on the High Street Busy Bumble Bee Napkins

And on random every day things:

Not on the High Street Honey Comb Card

Ballard Bee Tote

Ok, I think I've got bees out of my system for the day... buzzzzzzzz

Book Review: The American Heiress

My friend Al recommended The American Heiress, by Daisy Goodwin, and I must not have been paying attention when she recommended it because when I picked it up after a long weekend at the beach I was preparing myself for a dull historical nonfiction, with boring descriptions of opulence.

While there are descriptions of opulence, nothing about this book is boring. Nor is it nonfiction. It is instead a novel about a fictional American Heiress who meets and marries an English Duke at the height of the gilded age.

The story is of their meeting, marriage, and first year of marriage. It is rife with all the usual plot points, he has no money, she believes to be marrying for love, mothers who are pushy, former lovers, people who wish to be your lover at inopportune times, etc etc. If you've seen The Duchess with Keira Knightley you'll understand this book (though its set at a different time, and is a very different story).

I read this on a boring, rainy Wednesday, in which I also read a magazine, took care of a sick cat, blogged, cooked, and made a birthday wish list for Tallman. So despite being very heavy, this book was a bit of a quick read, mostly because I wanted to know what happens.
Thus I recommend it. If you enjoy this sort of thing, you will really enjoy this book. (That makes sense, right?)

Ok just a few more Chandeliers...

Just a few more Chandelier images then I'm done... I swear...

Horchow, retro glamour

No idea where I'd use this one, its just so grape. But it is kinda magnificent.

Ballard Coral Chandelier

This one is pretty outrageous as well, but at least its a calmer color scheme. So dramatic though.

Horchow Silver Leaf Upside Down Chandelier

I love this one. Its so whimsical and delicate, while still being grand. I see it in a green room, or playing off woodsy vibe in a darker room.

Ok, I'm done with the chandelier thing.... for now..

Chandeliers Galore!

Sorry for no morning post, I was involved with kitty drama with Sage. She had surgery yesterday to remove a bladder stone and now she is just the most pathetic. Also, that's why there haven't been many/any pictures of her lately- she has been confined to the bathroom and isn't very cute, just sad.

Enough about sad cat, lets look at some chandeliers. I love chandeliers. If my ceilings were tall enough, I was rich enough, and I ya know had my own place, every room would have a chandelier. (I recently saw a house in Southern Living/Coastal Living? and all the light fixtures were iron, it made the house feel very unified, I wonder if chandeliers in every room would be similar).


I'm pretty enamored with these light wood chandeliers, I can see them working in:

Horchow Flander's Chandelier

For a romantic bedroom, or perhaps to girl up a darker more dramatic library.

Horchow Manning Chandelier

I like the simplistic drama (oxymoron maybe?) of this one. The clean lines are bold and I can see this hung in a kitchen over a breakfast nook or an island.

Ballard Mariestad 12 Lt

I like this one for an entry hallway, a family room with a very tall ceiling.

A trip to Venice when I was studying abroad in college made me a huge fan of Murano glass, and their light fixtures in particular (I can probably blame my entire love of chandeliers on a hotel we stayed in in Florence, every light fixture was Murano glass, it was opulently delicious, and it was a Comfort Inn.) Glass obviously works better than wood in bathrooms, and how amazing would it be to have one of these in your bathroom:

Murano Glass Chandelier

Sigh, the days of chandeliers in every room are far away still... but it is so fun to dream.

Job Search Update

From Pinterest

Sigh, the weather and my lack of employment are highlighting for me that this is the first fall in 21 years that I am not going to school. No new pencils, notebooks, bags, no reason for new clothes, new shoes, no excitement over new classes, old friends, and starting fresh. It makes me a little sad.

But it also makes me invigorated, I don't want to be in school, I want a job. I want to put all that same excitement for new-ness and starting fresh into my career. So far I'm holding out for a legal job, and doing the volunteer work in Probate court. But it can be frustrating, sending out resume's and cover letters and never hearing back.

Two weeks ago I applied to a dream job, a paralegal position in a top firm doing trust and estate work. The sort of job that would give me the experience I need to get an attorney job in that field in a few years. I haven't heard back yet, but I'm hoping to soon.

In addition to all the individual jobs I've applied to I've also sent my resume to a few placement agencies, which I also have yet to hear from. The plan for this week is to get back to volunteering (I took a couple days off to go to North Carolina), apply to more jobs, and call the placement agencies to see what is up with them (how their process generally works, etc).

Wish me luck!

What a way to say goodbye to summer!

I had an awesome weekend down at Tallman's parent's house in North Carolina. The weather was perfect for saying goodbye to summer. Warm and sunny every day! I'm pretty sure we did it all this weekend.

From Pinterest

We went on the boat and watched the sunset.

From Pinterest

We were in the ocean every day.

From Pinterest

Long walks on the beach, day and night.

From Pinterest, not Tallman and I

Bike rides on awesome old school bikes.

From Pinterest

Barbecue.
Lounging in the pool.
And generally enjoying the company of Tallman's family.