public service frog announcement...

This weekend, I went to Lubbock, Texas to watch my best friend's public defense of her thesis in order to get her PhD in microbiology. And I'm proud and happy to say that I now have to call her "Doctor". 

She's been researching infections that are wiping out frogs (my simple way to describe it). It's no surprise that I didn't understand 90% of what she was presenting. But what I was reminded of during her presentation on these tiny fungi (I think) too small to even see, is that every living organism, no matter how big or small, is connected to us and we are to them. These researchers say that amphibians are the canaries in the coal mine for our planet’s health. And many of these amphibians are on their way to extinction! It was a definite eye opener. If you want to find out more, watch this video, or click here.

happy birthday to me...

I received this little package in the mail:

I opened it up, and here's what was inside:

 

It's a coupon from Anthropologie for 15% off during the month of September, in celebration of my birthday which is next month. And it's packaged in a little sewing kit. A small gesture, but it really made me feel like a special customer. Boy, they've really got my number at that place...

things to do: style stay-cation trunk show

I'll be out of town celebrating somebody's birthday this weekend, but if I wasn't, I'd be headed over to Move Studio to check out the Style Stay-Cation Trunk Show. If you're in the DFW area and want to beat the heat inside while doing a little shopping, check it out on Friday evening, August 21st from 5-9pm and Saturday, August 22nd from 3-7pm. I've never been to a trunk show with this much fun stuff going on. Not only are there great vendors including Harrilu and Tara to the T (who were the other two Dallas artists at Renegade LA), but there are also going to be chair massages, makeup and hair consultations (I could desperately use), and other fun stuff. 

Click here for more information!

on my nightstand: chocolate and zucchini

Preliminary note: I promise I don't work for the library, nor do I get paid by them. I just go all the time!!!

I went with some good friends to see Julie and Julia this afternoon (two thumbs up), which inspired me to head to the library to check out Julia's legendary book Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Well, I wasn't the only one with that idea – every single copy was checked out, along with every other book by Julia Child. So I browsed the French cooking section a little longer, and stumbled across this book by Clotilde Dusoulier. I recognized the title from her blog, which I've been to on more than one occasion, so I'm excited to check out the print product. I'm particularly interested in trying some things from the "Savory Tarts" section. I'll post whatever I cook from it. Bon appetit!

my budget tip of the week: checking out coupons!

I don't know about your local library, but ours has a Coupon desk. The librarians cut coupons out of the papers they carry at the library and organize them according to category. You just stop by the desk and take what you need. I'm usually there a few times a week to check out books anyway, so I just make it a habit to stop by and grab coupons I might use as well. It not only gives us the coupon savings, but also the cash we spent on a newspaper that we didn't even read. See if yours does the same.

on my nightstand: access chicago

I just found out that I'll be heading to Chicago in early September for Renegade Handmade Chicago, so I stopped by the library to check out this book to get some tips for the trip. Like I've told you before, I stop by the library every time we go on a trip to pick up a guide book. It's much better than shelling out the money for a book when the info becomes outdated so quickly. Every little bit helps, right?

movie rec: 500 days of summer

Ok folks, I promise to get back to regular blogging soon! It's been crazy busy the last few weeks - I've been working on new stuff for fall, and also trying to figure out my fall and holiday show schedule. Now that I have that out of the way, I should be able to at least try to keep this thing updated regularly!

This weekend, we saw 500 Days of Summer, which I thought was fan-tastic. Main reason I probably loved it: I want to be love Zooey Deschanel. But she wasn't the only reason to love this movie, there were also the credits and art direction of the scene transitions, the wardrobes (I want one of everything Zooey's character was wearing), the music, the set (loved the chalkboard wall in Tom's bedroom) and the ending (not a typical Hollywood ending). We give it two thumbs up. So, what about you? Any new movie recs for me?