guilty pleasures

Eames said it best…
and I particularly love this print,
which Laura actually surprised me with last Christmas!

then my hubby brought me home my very own beauty…
can you say happy dance!?  definitely my guilty pleasure.

week seventeen :: guilty pleasures

Laura :: me

so… looks like we're back on track & this week's theme
in honor of Thanksgiving… is "thankful"
which we'll be posting later this week… yay for being caught up!
and a very Happy Turkey Day from my family to yours.

alone...

As you may have noticed, we are a bit behind, but with reason… 

Last weekend we headed to one of my favorite spots in Germany.

While there I had planned to take my "alone" pic, because I had the perfect idea, 

and Garmisch was the perfect spot to find what I wanted to do…  

Then the unexpected happened.  My sweet Gracie girl fell ill in the middle of our first night there.  Her symptoms were none I'd ever experienced before… she was shaking & lethargic, and unsteady on her feet.  She wasn't responding to anything that would usually perk her up.  We immediately began to assume it was the altitude… The next several hours were moments I'd rather not relive… you see, we couldn't even take the gondola back down to our car to leave, as it wasn't morning and open yet.  When we were finally able to leave, we still faced a five hour drive home.  Thank goodness for emergency vets!!  She was put on an IV, and the first round of blood work pointed to liver damage.  We then realized she had a large lump in her throat, which was growing very rapidly.  The next day more tests… to check her thyroid for one.  It ended up coming back normal (yippee!) and the rest of the blood work pointed to some sort of mystery infection.  She stopped eating and was sick all day.  More IV fluids were given, but she seemed to be going downhill fast… that night was horrible for us.  All we could do was try and soothe her and keep her comfortable.  The following day she started out slow, however she managed to eat and keep down a few small meals.  So back to the vet we go, as the lump is still growing… an ultrasound showed a fluid-filled, encapsulated area, and once again the vet thought all signs pointed to some sort of thyroid tumor.  They aspirated the lump, and sent off for more testing.  We started her on antibiotics, and waited for results.  Grace continued to regain her strength, appetite, and was returning to her normal self little by little.  When the call came in it was good news…  no tumor cells!!  We are currently continuing antibiotics, and are hoping her recovery keeps heading in the a positive direction…  So many of you have reached out to express your concern and give us your well wishes, and we are so incredibly grateful for that.  We know that there will eventually be a time, but we're so glad that time is not now, because we just aren't ready yet.  So for all of you that love your four-legged babies as much as we do, hug them tight tonight!  I can't imagine if this had gone the other direction  And the strangest part is that we are still clueless… everything happened so fast, and we have no idea what caused the symptoms or if they were even related.  So here's to hoping that's all past us now…

I ended up getting a similar shot to the one I wanted, just a little closer to home.    

and here it is

week sixteen :: alone   

me :: Laura

as for playing catch up… here's our upcoming topics

(last week) week seventeen :: guilty pleasure

(this week) week eighteen :: thankful

see you all again soon!

handcrafted pretties...

I recently had the pleasure of highjacking my unsuspecting 

(not to mention gorgeous…) house guest, 

to model a few handcrafted products I am completely in love with… 

so first up, mrs. Z's designs.

I'm pretty sure I have one of her cowls in every size, shape, and color.  

Now to just acquire a few more, hehe.  Sarah has a wonderful talent, 

and seems to be able to make anything you can dream up!  

From these beauties, to fingerless mittens, to baby booties, and hats… 

just to name a few!  and just you wait til you see the ones she made for Grace!!   

and now for another very talented lady… 

I met Anneka some time ago through our hubbies.  

She mailed me a few goodies… 

along with a head & ear cozy… total surprise. & super cute.

the flower is removable and can be worn separately… 

that's right, can you say bonus?  

for more of her beautiful treasures, you can visit Knot Moxie.

Can't wait to share the rest of their pretties with you all!  

So what are you waiting for?  Go check them out.

oh and be sure to mention I sent you… 

to take advantage of an exclusive savings on your first purchase!!

happy hump day!

Love me some vintage scrabble tiles if I do say so myself, and you'd think with all my visits to the flea market, I'd have been able to find some… but no.  So I finally ended up finding these on eBay some time ago.  I love putting fun words around my house that make me smile every time I see them!  Now this is funny… I've been waiting for the day that our images might have similarities, suppose this week is the one!  And what's even funnier is that mine would have had the "happy" had I enough Ps… which of course means I will be buying more previously loved scrabble tiles to add to my collection!!

week fifteen :: wednesday

Laura :: me

stay tuned, because next up is "alone"

{hues}day :: green + grey

1. oh so beautiful paper

2. fabricworm

3. great home interior

4. simple as that

5. veranda

6. decor pad

I'm totally a sucker for any shade of green,
and I must say I'm digging this color combo!
The invites are so crisp & fresh, love the untraditional mix of font sizes,
and you must see the chevron-lined envelopes… to die for.
Renting in Germany means my walls are all white,
but eventually we'll be back in the states and have a house all our own again…
It will be so exciting to be able to paint those suckers with some gorgeous shades…
Oh and by the way, the christmas poster is available in four beautiful hues,
AND you can download it here along with some other pretty printable freebies!

and I almost forgot… the winner of the lovely poppy giveaway is Meg!!
please contact me to claim your prize!

raining umbrellas

Looking for some fresh ideas?  Lacking inspiration?

Here's an online e-course chalked full of creativity… 

The next session starts November 14th, 

and if you sign up with a friend, you both save big time!!

It'a a great way to make new connections, not to mention share resources…

so what are you waiting for?  sign up today!