A cheap fix.

I've been on the lookout for some black flats for quite a while. I'd been wearing Target's "Ona" in black patent but the sizing is a wee off and they'd always been snug, not to mention they lack a lot of support {which is another story...as a teacher I should have shoes that have a great deal of support but I refuse, financially [since those are often more than I'm willing to pay since I'm super cheap] and aesthetically,  but mostly financially}.

Being pregnant my feet have grown a bit and in desperation I found a great $10-$15 {me not able to remember} pair at H & M last month. They had even less support but they were a shape I liked more than the "Ona" and they fit...glorious! 

Then I stepped in dog poop while wearing them last week.

And they have little ridges in the sole which would've made cleaning a {gross} challenge and they had started to look worn out already. I'm usually pretty good at taking care of inexpensive clothing to make it last longer {I'm cheap} {cold washes & air drying} but shoes are different and their fate was decided the other night while walking in our garden.

So the search began anew. I found this pair at Target this weekend. I had seen them before and really liked their shape, how they are a bit more substantial, and the faux-suede softness.

But they have gold hardware on them and I don't like that in a shoe {or any accessory} because I feel it limits my wardrobe options; then I want my clothes to match in hue {warm colors [or black] with gold, cold colors [or black] with silver} and I have to wear matching jewelry.

Edgy but wardrobe-limiting.

I wouldn't even really like the little studs, even if they came in black, but they were just right in all the other ways and I decided to get them. 

And a black paint pen. And then I painted over the gold {wearing an improvised face-mask even though it wasn't very fume-y at all}.

They're not as opaque as I'd like but it did the trick and now I feel OK about these black flats. Because of the flash, the pictures make it seem like there's more gold poking through than there really is.

Even though I'd like my feet to go back to their original size after I have le bébé {which I hear doesn't happen}, these are half a size up from my norm and I would also like them to last me for more than just the remainder of my pregnancy.

In other news, I'm snowed in today, getting school and personal work done...here's to being safe out there in the weather and getting creative in here at home!
xoxo, natty ♥

Big-box-home-shopping & eating.

There's not much to report today. I slept in, ran five miles, went to a graduation party for a student of mine and then my aunt and I went to Ikea for something like four hours.


I stayed up far too late last night reading so I let myself sleep in. As soon as finals week hit I started my preferred summer schedule, staying up later than I should, incurring red and tired eyes, and sleeping in past nine. I would like to be a bit more responsible, though, and try to sleep a bit earlier and wake a bit earlier as well. Here's to hoping and trying!

The five miles was longer than I had run since the half way back at the end of April. I have been hobbling about in three mile spurts here and there since then. The busy pace of the end of the school year hasn't helped my running. As the creepy looking little runner girl on the below right reminds us, my next marathon isn't for 5 months, 4 weeks and 1 day from now, but I'm thinking about it. I'm going to do a 17 or 18 week training plan, so I have some leeway as to when I begin, but the plan does not start at zero, so I'd like to get up my miles before then. I'd also like to go to Boston, but that's another post. Anyway, the five felt great, despite the muggy yet cool weather.


I am always happy to go to student graduation parties. It's really neat to get to know families a bit more and since the actual graduation is such an abrupt time to bid farewell, a party the next day is much more relaxed and I'm able to chat with students and be nosy about their future plans without feeling like there are many others that I want to catch before they leave.


My dear auntie and I love wandering around Ikea. I know that some people just loathe the place, but I am not one of them. We started with dinner which was supposed to be my picture of the day, but I was too hungry to take any shots before I ate, so oh well. I did, though, have a mini princess cake for dessert! We wandered after we ate until closing. The little fake rooms & bright colors are my favorite part; they're partly inspirational but mostly just eye candy for me. The different colors and textures everywhere really appeal to my optic nerves. I didn't walk away with much tonight, a neat book on different fabric and furniture uses, an Ikea publication actually, and some storage items. Also, I took away many ideas for wedding centerpieces; I'm (foolishly) planning on making my own, non-identical decorated centerpieces, small plants will probably be involved, but I'm thinking of interesting/funky things I collect and compile according to a theme per table...I may have mentioned this in an earlier post, but I'm pretty tuckered right now and don't compelled to look back. After some research and more formal planning I'll go back and get the fun stuff for my reception's tables. I did snap a picture for my dad, though, since it had his name on it.

Very affordable...

This weekend was a great start to my summer vacation, though I still have some loose ends to tie up tomorrow and Monday. Let's hope it warms up a bit so that the weather can match my more relaxed attitude ;)
xoxo, natty ♥

Monday Monday...

Was yesterday. Oh well, here I go. Yesterday my aunt and I had some fun at the Wal-Mart (I know it's not the best choice, but no body's perfect, so there) and the tamale factory and then a thrift shop by Memaw's house = danger danger Will Robinson! I'll be posting about that later seeing as how I'm still striving in the great catch-up (grate catsup?). After struggling to stay awake all morning long and feeling like doing nothing but this:

(what is wrong with me?!), I've decided to post a bit, clean a bit, run a bit, eat a bit and then maybe lounge some more; it always helps to have a plan!

Last Monday my grandmother and I began a project to grow things not out of the ground but out of a straw bale instead! Have you heard of this type of gardening? The benefits are really mostly the novelty of it all, but it's also less bending down as well as no weeds since it's not the ground dirt that's full of pesty little volunteer plants. Also, if you have no ground in which to plant, this is an option. We traveled over to Sam's Feed and Pet Supply on West San Carlos in our fair burg to procure for no more than about $10 our very own straw bale which is then very kindly put into your vehicle at no extra charge. The strapping young man who completed said task for us was wearing a shirt that read: Real men wear kilts. He also used these Freddy Kruger-esque hooks that have  leather strap to go around his wrists to get the bale where he wanted it (the back of my car)...the things you learn!

Using my super girly strength I wrangled the bale, which is not too heavy, actually, from the car to the back yard using only this vintage hand truck we have. It was pretty fun, actually, and Memaw summed it all up by saying "farmette".

You begin with a straw bale which is apparently different from a hay bale due primarily to something having to do with the stalks and parts that are left on the strands, etc....just start with a straw bale dudes. You put it wherever you'd like it and drench it for about five minutes a day for a week. After the drenching you are ready for the planting. You place seedlings (any old type that you'd like, yo) directly into the straw or create a layer of dirt (fresh from a bag to avoid weeds if you're picky like that) in which to plant your seeds. There's a tutorial as well, courtesy of youtube-o:

So we've been drenching the heck out of this thing (read: my grandmother = we) and will probably put in some pumpkins and other odds and ends. We're aware that it's pretty late in the planting season so: fie, fie to all you naysayers, we live in a climate temperate enough to grow practically anything whenever! I have also included some shots of my grandmother's garden handiwork, similar to earlier shots I'm sure, but pretty nonetheless:

Also, I received my teaching schedule for the upcoming year, which is exciting, it looks to be good and I'm slowly coming to terms with the reality that my life isn't all summer time lounging and getting paid to do nothing (but wouldn't it be nice if it was???).

We grilled quite a bit last week so bear with the multitude of grilling shots to come, they are special to me! We've so far done burgers (inaugural) and chicken soaked in a couple of marinades...yum-yum! The propane tank sure gave us a heck of a time the first night that we used it. It took three men, a towel, a large wrench and myself just staring for the thing (blast if I know what to call it) to twist open and shut, but after that it's worked like a charm.

Don't mind the tackiness of the cardboard rug beneath our little grill, it's just how it happened and we haven't gotten around to removing it!

 

Our first feast and our little friend, just for kicks.

Our second feast and the marinades, that Annie's dressing being my all time favorite.

That broccoli has some Greek seasoning added in and those dark things are plain old flax seeds added in for pizazz. Here are some action shots (!):

Pretty night sky shot from the backyard.

Aforementioned finicky contraption and the end product.

He helped. 

Anyway, our (M's) grilling has been great fun and we look forward to much more! Last week also involved an adventure at Petroglyph, homemade chicken masala, some pretty nails and whatnot, to be posted about soon I'm sure. I'm now off to said cleaning, running, snacking, etc.. Have a great rest of your day!!