Bento

It's pretty obvious I started this meme only because I wanted to do A is for Apartment so badly. But lets see if i can keep it going. Maybe I can space it so I have M is for Moving.

My lunch box went missing. Not surprising since it was exactly the same as the other 30 employee appreciation insulated lunch bags in the wall of refrigerators at work. 

I was ready for something different. Something smaller and neater and easier to transport. And most importantly easier to pick out from the crowd on my breaks.

I ordered a bento box with my Amazon points. This is my first free purchase. I'm very pleased with it and this is the first time I've ever cashed in points. I'm going to like my Amazon card.

Buffy and Big Bang Theory are the DVDs my brother gave me for Christmas.

He had hand surgery this spring and has been driving out to KU Med 2 times a month for checkups. He scheduled his last appointment for my birthday. I took the day off and he, my dad and I spent the day together.

We ate Indian food and did a little shopping along with the few hours spent at KU Med. At our stop at Half Priced Books my Brother found me season two of Buffy. I'm super excited to watch it although I packed it away today. It will have to wait a bit longer.

Apartment

A is for Apartment.

I've signed a lease! I'm packing and moving. It's a small little place with the second smallest kitchen I've ever seen. The smallest didn't have a stove. This one has a stove and a dishwasher.

It has a bathtub and the bedroom should fit my queen size bed with ease. Most importantly it's close to work. It's the cheapest place I looked at and the neighborhood looks safe enough.

It was a struggle to find this place. I either make too much or too little to rent to. The places that didn't care I didn't care to make an appointment to look at. When the bars on the windows show in the ad photo it doesn't inspire confidence.

I finally found this place when yet another apartment turned me down because of my income amount (this time too high) and I asked them to recommended a place. This one was the suggestion. I kept looking after seeing this kitchen but I came back. Nowhere else was as right.

Aqua nails- an ombre mani. It appears that I now own 5 colors of aqua polish.Enjoy the chips and the polish on the cuticles because I'm cool like that.

While looking for apartments I did have a DE-ja-vou moment. Let me back track to before I was even thinking of looking at apartments.

 The night after we found the french bulldog taking a nap in the street- I dreamed of walking a bulldog and finding the PERFECT apartment. A good friend said I must rent it. That this is The Place. It had colonial styling and patios and a bistro. I wanted to rent it so badly but it was too expensive. End of dream.

When I was driving around looking at apartments I took a wrong turn and ended on another road also full of apartment buildings. I chose an entrance as my turn around spot. Driving in I recognized it from my dream. It had colonial styling and patios and bistro chairs in the quad. The day was a stunningly beautiful day so the sky sparkled and the whole place just glowed. It was also too expensive.

The smallest tiniest studio was a little more than my budget. I thought on it a while since in my dream it was The Place. Maybe it was a sign. But my dream wasn't about the smallest studio and my budget is too tight as it is. Besides, I didn't rent it in my dream.

I'm glad I kept looking since the apartment I leased is bigger and comes in under my budget amount. The other place isn't going anywhere I could rent it later and I dream new dreams every night.

Mmmmmmmm Yarn

I'm joining the blog ABC Saying that out loud maybe the kiss of death. The blogs I read all lost their thread around C. I feel that I can do better than that and it looks like fun. Before I start posting the alphabet I need to give my thank yous for my birthday presents.

Look YARN! I was given yarn! No need to worry about running out. I still haven't bought yarn this year but that is four months of knitting right there. I love yarn.

And books and candy and gift cards for more yarn.

Thank you! It was a really great Birthday month.

Coffee!

I just had to post today. Look what they installed in the break room at work! We have coffee! Gone is the coffee vending machine dispenser from the 80's that dispensed dirty water for .25 And when I saw dirty water I mean it. The vender didn't keep the powder stocked so coffee ran from tan to clear. They didn't do much business. This new one we buy the packet of grounds for .75 and brew it to order. It even takes bank cards. Sweet.

Fairy Tale Swap

More swappy goodness. This time from bamagr1!

The packages just kept coming from the box. No photos were takes as paper sheds went flying and Ooooo and aaaaaaaah over the contents.

Group shot

A lovely bag that's sewn in such a way that the diagonals makes pockets inside and out. Brilliant! I love it! and the strap is just the right length so that it hangs nicely when I wear it. I super love it!

A flower garden travel mug with coffee and chai tea. One of the tea bags is Spiced Apple Chai. The bag is spiced apple ginger candy. Both cute tie in's to Snow White. I was expecting the regal ginger candy but the apple combination is beyond amazing. The caramel corn is a cleaver way to ship caramel in the heat we've been having. I ate the whole bag in one sitting. That's unlike me but it was sooooo good.

A crochet washcloth and a sheepy magnet. Both are too cute.

Fairy Tale nail polish. I love it!

Mmmmmmmmm malabrigo. In the shade.

In the sun. So tasty I had to show it twice.And after all there are two skeins.

 

Honey!  A hedgehog Hans from Hans-My-Hedgehog !!! and a stone covered basket? Why do I have a stone covered basket? Ok so it could be a wishing well but neither The Six Swans or The Widow's Son has a wishing well... Is it a candle holder?... No, it's flammable. Bamagr1 obviously put a lot of time into it cutting the pcv pipe and it still has the faint scent of industrial strength epoxy glue. Maybe I could fill it with violets as a sweet little bud vase for pixies..... OMG it's for a FAIRY GARDEN!

I'm going to catch a fairy!

I rummaged around my home and gathered the supplies. An aquarium, a bag of potting soil, sand, polished rocks, a few handmade marbles as playthings.

I grab a friend and we go into the back yard where the fairies live and dug up plants, made a sand path, lines it with polished stones, added a bench, the well, marbles to play with.

The trap is ready and baited with the sparkly stones and the pot of honey. It's sitting on the driveway now but a few hours in the arbor should do it.

The trap is set.

What fairy wouldn't want to visit this garden?

It took a few hours but before the rain the trap was sprung. I caught one of the invisible brownies.

After a night inside the brownie decimated the left hand corner with the Queen Anne's Lace, killing it dead. The marbles have been moved around clearly played with and possible thrown in anger. However the violets, woodsorral, and bed of moss is intact.When it's time to clean it's cage I'll plant more woodsorral.

Thank you Bamagr1. The package was an epic win! I love it!