Just a Girl in Philly

Happy Hanukkah!

2009-12-11T15:27:00.003-05:00

I wanted to pop in to wish all those who celebrate a Happy Hanukkah. As a Jew married to a Catholic, I get to enjoy the best of all the holiday festivities that there are to offer this time of year.

In celebration of a holiday that encourages the consumption of fried foods and teaching small children to play with fire and gamble, I wanted to share a few of my favorite blue and white Hanukkah goodies from Etsy.

Holiday Designs

Gorgeous abstract Star of David from Silver Dot Jewelry Designs

Can't forget Baby. I'll have to get one of these onesies from Max and Magnolia next year

Stained glass menorah from jist designs

The seller, jbenka, has this table runner listed as a Christmas item, but I think it would look lovely on a Hanukkah table. Just don't let your latke grease stain it!

West Virginia

2009-12-07T09:30:00.001-05:00

Some photos I never got around to posting from when hubby and I visited my sister in West Virginia earlier this fall. We took a ride on the Cass Scenic Railroad. It was freezing the day we went, but beautiful. These photos are from the train ride.

Ginormous

2009-12-07T09:00:00.000-05:00

For all those inquiring minds...yes at 7 months preggo, I am ginormous. Alas, I know I will only get bigger from here.

Dreaming Of....

2009-12-06T09:30:00.000-05:00

I've been craving some goodness from Ben's Chili Bowl in Washington DC. Hubby and I went there on our anniversary trip to DC back in October. Hey, what can I say? Only the best for us.

How can you not dream of a place that serves yummies like this?!

Yes that is a chili half smoke, chips, fries, and a milk shake. It was simultaneously disgusting and heavenly. I wanna go back. There are many reasons that I'm not a dainty flower of a woman, food like this being the #1 culprit.

Garland

2009-12-03T10:00:00.000-05:00

I think I want to try and make this cute bunny garland for the nursery. Any of my craftier friends want to help?

A Bit of Cuteness

2009-12-02T10:00:00.001-05:00

Some things you just have to smile at. Someone should tell these ducks to use the up escalator.

Snow Globes

2009-12-01T10:00:00.001-05:00

I'm not normally a snow globe kind of gal, but I'm digging these from West Elm. The bunny one might just have stolen my heart.

Thank You Cards

2009-11-23T10:54:00.005-05:00

I have a ton of generous friends and family, which means that I always have someone to write a thank you note to. The other day I saw these great pigeon thank you cards by Happy Menocol on the blog simple + pretty and just fell in love.

Now I realize that most people find pigeons kind of gross. In fact, one friend I know calls them city rats with wings.

However, I tend to admire their ability to survive and thrive in urban environments.

And if you ever happen to just sit and observe a pigeon, they can actually be quite pretty. Some have iridescent feathers and others are that lovely mix of brown and white.

I think it's easy to appreciate them from afar. If one ever pooped on me, I'm sure my opinion of them would change rapidly. However, my grandmother always said that it was good luck to be splattered with bird droppings. I don't know HOW that could be good luck but you didn't question grandma.

First Thing for Baby

2009-11-20T10:08:00.003-05:00

Besides the Pearl Jam onesie that we bought at a concert last month, until last night hubby and I hadn't bought anything for the baby. We just picked out a paint color a week or so ago and now work has begun on the nursery.

So, last night we did a little shopping and found this swivel glider that didn't make me want to run screaming from the store. We're getting it in a canary yellow chenille. I like it, but I don't love it. So much of what's available for baby/nursery furniture is hideous, but what's a pair of expectant parents to do? So, I definitely sacrificed style for comfort in this instance. It's very comfortable and the weird hump on the back makes a good place to rest your head. The fact that we had a 20% coupon helped to soften the blow too.

We also got the matching ottoman.

Next up I'm going to start searching Craig's List for the crib that I want.

iPod accessories

2009-11-17T10:00:00.001-05:00

I seriously think I need one of these skins for my iPod. Yes, I'm a classic iPod kind of gal. All are from Gelaskins and they make them for all the all the iPod and iPhone products.

Well, Hello There Gorgeous!

2009-11-10T11:15:00.004-05:00

Hi All! Are you still out there? Well, um....I haven't posted in over a month. Ooops, sorry about that. No excuses but to say that I've been busy and super self absorbed. When I've had downtime I've been occupying myself by staring at blank walls and feeling Baby move, which leaves very little time for blogging.

However, it's made me sad to think about Just a Girl in Philly sitting there languishing without any new posts. I don't want this to be just another abandoned blog. I'm going to try and get back into the swing of things. Heck, if nothing else I can bore you all to death with baby stuff.

So, I'll make this my triumphant return to blogging. I'm not promising daily posts or anything close to consistency but I'll try and put up some interesting/pretty things now and again.

This is what got me out of lurkedom....

Isn't this succulent wreath just about one of the prettiest things you've ever seen? Love it, want it. It's made by etsy seller April Hiller. Found via Absolutely Beautiful Things.

Vacation

2009-10-06T17:42:00.000-04:00

We're off on a mini vacation. I'll check in with you all next week!

Disney Video

2009-10-05T13:11:00.002-04:00

A quick talk with a couple of friends over the weekend again brought to light my love for almost all things Disney, especially Disney World.

While just about anything Disney can capture my attention for at least a few moments, I have an especially soft spot in my heart for Disney World. I love the place and turn into a 5-year-old again any time I have the opportunity to go. In fact, hubby and I are looking forward to taking our own little munchkin when he or she is old enough to go.

Anyway, I was reading Neatorama last night and was excited to read about this cool tilt shift video that Disney World did to celebrate their 38th anniversary. It's a really neat time lapse video of a day at Disney. If you aren't already a fan it might just make you want to go.

FYI, if you're interested in more nifty tilt shift videos check out Keith Loutit's videos on Vimeo. My favorite is the Mardi Gras video.

LIFE Photos- 30 Dumb Inventions

2009-10-02T12:18:00.002-04:00

I just saw this over on BB-Blog (which always has great posts, by the way) and I thought that the photo was simultaneously terrifying and hilarious. Who thought a Baby Cage was a good idea?!

The photo is part of a LIFE Magazine online photo gallery called 30 Dumb Inventions. Head on over there to read about more fun things like the Anti-Bandit Bag, Motorized Surfboard, and Illuminated Tires. Happy clicking!

It's here, it's here!

2009-09-23T10:00:00.000-04:00

Ork Posters has finally finally finally come out with a Philly poster. Love it. Just have to find a place to put it. It may have to grace my office at work. If you're not from Philly, they have lots of other cities too.

Have You Visited Any of These Places?

2009-09-22T10:00:00.000-04:00

Photo of Canary Springs at Yellowstone National Park via Budget Travel

Budget Travel magazine recently published an article called "8 Places Every American Should See". The list that they compiled was pretty interesting, and did not contain all the usual suspects. Their must-see places were (I've highlighted those that I've visited in purple):

Sears Tower
Gettysburg
Yellowstone
New York Harbor
Monticello
Graceland
Pearl Harbor
Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church

Yellowstone is absolutely on my list of places to see before I die and I do hope to see the others some time soon too. I kind of love this since it varies from some of the icons that usually make lists of this type. So what do you think of the list? How many have you visited?

Feather Earrings

2009-09-21T10:00:00.002-04:00

I've been digging these earrings from Erica Weiner Jewelry for over a year new. I think they're just so simple but chic at the same time. I am SO ready to click purchase and have them be mine, all mine; but I've also been hemorrhaging cash lately and am trying to conserve a bit. I haven't gone so far as to implement what my friend Helen calls austerity measures, but there might have to be some drastic lifestyle changes in the near future. So, I will lust away for a bit longer. That, or I'll just crack and buy them! Look at all of Erica Weiner's beautiful stuff here.

Falling From the Sky

2009-09-18T14:23:00.002-04:00

Photo via philly.com

So, apparently the Frankford El is crumbling. I mean, big chunks of concrete falling off regularly. SEPTA just rebuilt this sucker in the 1990s and now they're having to sue the engineers that screwed this thing up. What's SEPTA's stop-gap measure? Wire mesh where the concrete is crumbling. Hmmmmm, do you think a little bolted wire mesh is going to hold up a train hurtling forward in at, what feels like, 40 mph? I don't think so.

I ride this contraption every freakn' day and I'd really appreciate it if they would get this whole structural malfunction thing under control. If you want to know more, the full story is here.

A Purchase

2009-09-16T11:50:00.002-04:00

This print from Etsy seller Katie Daisy is the first thing that I've bought for the nursery. Yeah, I'll let that sink in for a moment - the nursery. So that little tid bit will be my official announcement on this blog.

I've had my eye on this print for a while now since You Are My Sunshine is something that the hubby and I used to sing to each other when we were first dating (sickeningly sappy, I know.) At one point I even bought him a little music box that played the song. It's only fitting that the same sentiment be in the new addition's room.

For inquiring minds, she or he is supposed to arrive February 26th. We'll see if the Dumpling takes after me or hubby by how timely she/he is!

Conundrum

2009-09-10T11:14:00.004-04:00

So I have question for the brilliance of the blogosphere.

A friend (who doesn't read this blog, BTW) gave me a lovely pair of earrings for my birthday. I decided I wanted to wear them today and started to take them off of the paper backing they came on and one broke in my hand.

I know the company where she bought them and I went online trying to find them in the hopes that I could contact them and have them send a replacement. I couldn't find them online so my friend must have purchased them some time ago or bought them on super sale or clearance. I'm torn- do I tell me friend about the mishap in the hopes that she still has the receipt and we can exchange the earrings? Or, do I just suck it up and pay a jeweler to get them fixed (they really are lovely.) I hate to see my friend's hard earned cash go to waste on a product that is defective and should be replaced by the company but I also don't want her to feel bad about it or like I'm asking her to replace them. So, what would you do?

Tickling my Funny Bone

2009-09-09T15:47:00.002-04:00

Saw this today and it cracked me up. This is for all of you that live in or have lived in a row home. The comic is from Married to the Sea and was found via Girls Can Tell.

People not familiar with the row home lifestyle often laugh at me when I say my dream is to one day live in a house that is not attached to anyone elses. This dream may never be attainable if I continue to live in Philly and work for a non-profit.

P.S. - What a way to return to blogging, no?

Strange Desires

2009-08-19T14:23:00.006-04:00

I was over reading Renovation Therapy, and jean put it out there for the world to see a few of the funny little things that she's been coveting. I figured that I'd take her lead and do the same. So I'm going to tell you about my dream to own a small farm.

Even though I'm and tried and true city girl, for the longest time I've wanted a little farm in the country. Now my farm wouldn't serve any practical purpose like growing crops or raising dairy cows. No, my farm would focus on breeding and selling the ever useless miniature animal.

I would love to have miniature sheep:

Image via Jasmine Breeze Farm

Miniature donkeys (which I just recently discovered!)

Image via Grawood Miniature Farm

Miniature cattle

Image via Grawood Miniature Farm

And miniature horses. Horsies!!!

Image via Mini Moons Miniature Horses

And while not miniature, the animals on my farm would be rounded out with fainting goats. You can't have a proper farm without fainting goats now can you?!

Image via Discover Magazine

So now that I've outed myself, what are your strange desires? Come on, spill the beans!

I'm Still Here

2009-08-18T12:39:00.005-04:00

Skycab by etsy seller Jen Zahigian

Don't fear my few (very few!) regular readers here on Just a Girl in Philly. I haven't abandoned the blog I've just been traveling a lot and have been overall distracted and unfocused. I've also been waiting until I've had something to say. And, alas, I have nothing profound to say at the moment. I think the summer heat that has finally hit Philly has sapped my few remaining brain cells.

I have a few more work trips scheduled in the next few weeks but I promise to pop in now and again to say howdy. Perhaps, when the weather cools again in September I'll be able to gather my thoughts enough to write a coherent post about what's been happening in my world.

Stay well all!

Curtains!

2009-08-07T12:05:00.001-04:00

I love these curtains from Ikea and I have the perfect spot to hang them. Hopefully I can get over there this weekend to get a glimpse of them in person. Happy Friday all.

Day Dreaming

2009-08-04T11:06:00.005-04:00

Image from Allison Trentelman's Etsy shop

I am physically up and moving around, but I must admit my mind is still on the weekend and my intense desire for it still to be the weekend. To give you some idea for what's got me day dreaming, here's a quick recap of my two blissful days.

Saturday:
-Woke up in time to give the hubby a kiss before he went off to work
-Lounged around in bed for another 20 minutes
-Showered, dressed
-Volunteered until 1:00
-Came home and made lunch
-Read, watched tv played on the computer, took a nap
-Chated with hubby when he came home from work
-Went to a diner for dinner. Ate a perfect diner grilled cheese (true bliss)
-Went home and went to bed

Sunday:
-Rolled out of bed around 10 and waited for hubby to get up. Caught up on blog reading while waiting.
-Stared out the window at a crazy thunderstorm for about 20 minutes
-Showered, dressed
-Met my two best girlies for a wonderful lunch of Indian goodies
-Went home and took a nap
-Woke up and went to hang out with my parents for a bit
-Came home, watched some bad tv, and went to sleep

Alas, I am still longing to be back in the perfect, lazy weekend. The next few weeks will involve a lot of running, flying, and attempting to get things done, so I'll remember this weekend fondly. Sometimes doing nothing (or nearly nothing) is the perfect remedy to all of life's ills.