Portland Pie-Off

I'm entering a pie contest this weekend! i just came across the posting on yelp and i am so excited. i will use my famous crust and probably an apple/cherry combo, but i'm not sure yet. wish me luck! I'll post photos afterwards.

stacking outdoor plates

look at these lovelies. are they neat, tidy, cute and functional?

I just picked up 4 of the small and 4 of the larger plates.they are sold as outdoor dinnerware at Crate and Barrel but I think I will enjoy them daily. it is also nice to add my first plastic plates to my dishware collection for when my friends children come over. now i just need to find some great plastic cups. this past weekend i watched a 2 year old clutch one of my pretty blown glass tumblers full of ice and water and the proceed to drop/dump it on the floor for rudi. it didn't break but my heart almost did.

keep your dogs hydrated

it's supposed to be 105 today and this weekend. this type of weather is sending a clear message to me to stop everything and enjoy summer before it is over. so hubby and i will be doing just that this weekend.

we plan to do a bit of city summer fun by visiting the hawthorne street fair which is very close to where we live and then spend the rest of the day and sunday exploring what nature has to offer around here. we will probably go east to explore the Gorge and Mt Hood area. There will be swimming and hiking involved and hopefully a couple good meals at roadside restaurants.

hope you all have great weekend plans!

fennel in the mary.

look at this. doesn't it look yummy? maybe it's just already a long week at work, but yum.

this little piece of heaven is found at Matchbox Lounge that is near my house. the people on yelp say the burgers are awesome.

i haven't been here yet but i am on a quest to discover my new town. i'll tell you if this little beauty is as good as it looks.

thriftylicous

exhibit A: 4 tiny deco pillows. very well made and only $2

i found the best thrift store! since i moved i've been missing my neighborhood goodwill that never failed to surprise and delight. the few goodwills around my new house are ca-ra-pyyyyyy. so when i finally stopped at this place near my work that always has great looking furniture outside I couldn't believe it. It is clean, organized, doesn't smell, the prices are cheap!, the variety of items is really good and the sales staff are cute and hip. Rerun is my new favorite to go scouting.

Exhibit B: Vintage model of a woman, complete with guts and an unborn baby. wow! $10
Exhibit C: I know the owl mini-trend is out but this one begged to come home and hold my toothpicks. $1.50

my mantle

sfgirlbybay (whom i love very much) had a post on fireplace mantles today. it was super insprining and great timing since I am working on my new livingroom right now. she found some great examples. i like the one with the white framed mirror and the black ones (very unexpected)
i love our fireplace it is the perfect size and just screams possibility. hubby has suggested we paint it gold and well i kind of like that idea. what do you think?
I am also trying to figure out what to hang on the wall....something large, like a mirror or abstract painting or framed wall paper with cut out sillouettes of showdow puppets....i also like the idea of three images in beautiful frames. you'll notice in the photos that i have a print sitting there while i meditate on whether it's the right choice. this owning a house thing is making me so much more considerate of the design decisions i make. in a rental I would decorate in the first 3 weeks, now i want ever decision to be the right one. i need to be careful and not over think it though or we will end up with a watered down, over thought house.

i would love your ideas.