TWTW - the first one at home in a month

Friday night I felt like being a lazy B, so that's what I did because I do what I want. Groceries were delivered, nails were painted (Essie Castaway), books were read, and my face was trampled on by Gus when MFD got home so I closed out the week with a fat lip. This dog is lucky he's cute because he nearly sent me to a bad and broken place with a bone on the stairs last week.

Saturday I was out of bed by 6:30 (thanks dogs and husband) and determined not to let laziness rule the day. I purged and reorganized the kitchen, utility room, and basement shelves and cleared the bar out so my brother can come get it when his man cave is finished. This is what my house looks like when it's in flux: drawers and cabinets are open, shit is everywhere and I'm like Go Go Gadget Arms doing a million things at once.

I dropped six boxes off at Goodwill then went to Target for a leisurely stroll. The reason I have nail polish problems is on the right - I was all oh I like that color I'll buy it. So like the color I just painted my nails the night before. I put it back.

MFD and I headed to Franklin Mills to return things when he got finished work and that was a shit show. Rude people everywhere. I picked up a few t-shirts and my 598th cardigan from LOFT outlet.

Weekly food prep: Grilled chicken, sweet potatoes, steamed broccoli, turkey tacos, and Amy's pizza spaghetti pie using spaghetti squash for dinners; egg muffins with spinach, green onions, and extra sharp cheese for breakfasts; orange peppers and bananas for snacks; and spinach salads for lunches.

Sunday morning I was running errands to Produce Junction and Dollar Stores before I had coffee...not a good idea. At all. That's plural Dollar Stores because apparently the Dollar Stores in the southeasten PA area have their helium on lockdown and finding a store that does them is like trying to find a rare diamond in the creek in your backyard. Oh and new fear: driving in the car with balloons. That shit is nerve wracking.

Once back at home I mainlined coffee, had some eggs, and got to work on taco cups. More on those on Wednesday.

Sunday afternoon was Aubrey's baby shower. You guys, I cannot adequately describe my excitement for this baby to get here. I truly can't wait to meet my niece (my vote in the Baby Pool) or nephew! It was nice to catch up with framily and I hung out at Stephen & Aubrey's for a few hours after. I was remiss in taking photos of people but at the end I did get the expectant parents; Aubrey, her sister and me; and Aub with the three grandmoms.

I wore these dogs out this weekend with the organizing and hausfrauing so I think they were happy to be alone for much of the day Sunday.

Are you ready for the Show Us Your Books linkup tomorrow with me and Jana of Jana Says? I am. Bring on the book talk. 

Linking up with Biana at B Loved Boston for Weekending

Friday Five: Things I Paid Attention to this week

Yo yo yo! TGIF and MTV Raps. Do they even still do that? I don't know. It's been a while since I've shared some things that have caught my eye on the world wide web. If you click on the bolded words below, you will be taken for a ride on the information superhighway to something that tickled my fancy. Sharing is caring, so if you've read anything recently that you liked, please direct me to it!

1. The Library Post on Eat, Drink, and Be Lauren. Now you all KNOW I love the library so I super love this post. Libraries are a very under utilized resource that we are so lucky to have in this country. Free access to books and knowledge. So many people around the world would really love to have that.

2. Just Don't Do It on language: a feminist guide. My friend Heather shared this on Facebook. I read it and spent the better part of a day and a half thinking about it. One of my favorite thoughts from it: "This endless policing of women’s language—their voices, their intonation patterns, the words they use, their syntax—is uncomfortably similar to the way our culture polices women’s bodily appearance. Just as the media and the beauty industry continually invent new reasons for women to be self-conscious about their bodies, so magazine articles and radio programmes like the ones I’ve mentioned encourage a similar self-consciousness about our speech. The effect on our behaviour is also similar. Instead of focusing on what we’re saying, we’re distracted by anxieties about the way we sound to others. ‘Am I being too apologetic?’ and ‘Is my voice too high?’ are linguistic analogues of ‘is my nail polish chipped?’ and ‘do I look fat in this?’"

3. 27 Things You Should Always Have in Your Car. I am woefully lacking here. Like, even my first aid kit is actually sitting inside of my house. For my car and MFD's. Edited to add - this must be awesome because Jana shared this over at Jana Says today in her weekly round up. Have I mentioned how much I love weekly round ups? Check hers out today as I also hate everything that bothered her this week and because she included a hilarious shit her husband said incident. 

4. This pizza spaghetti pie using spaghetti squash. Amy at Crazy Wise Woman shared this recipe yesterday and I promptly logged into my peapod order and added a spaghetti squash so I could make it. 

5. Smile! You're on Candid Camera. I have no fifth link. Dun dun dunnnnnnn.

This is my first weekend home in a month and I'm pumped. I'm locking Summer Steph in the closet and getting shit done. Trust. And oh, Auntie Em, there's no place like home. Am I right?

I would be remiss if I signed off without wishing your favorite patient crusader and mine, Marla from Luck Fupus, a very happy birthday and a wonderful Month of Marla!

Have a good weekend, mon frers.

When I was young

I made mud pies on the patio

raced caterpillars up the side of my grandparents' house

carried a two liter soda around like a baby bottle

pretended a dolphin from Nichols Pools was my boyfriend

walked five blocks to the beach with no shoes

wrote my first piece of fiction about a traveling pen (I still have it)

preferred picking daisies on the soccer field over actually playing soccer

dreaded field day

shopped at Makro, Caldor, and Bradlees with the ladies of my family, and on Mill Street in Bristol too

felt out of my element in art and music classes

wore high top Reeboks in every color of the rainbow

worried daily about getting kidnapped, specifically by someone with chloroform and a van as my mom always told me those people were out there

was rarely silly and usually serious

rocked a Pete Rose haircut

got lifted over the fence or took the path to my best friend's house

said I wanted to be a teacher automatically but really never thought about what I wanted to do

read everything I could get my hands on

hated to cry in front of people

loved swinging on the swings

Care to share some childhood tidbits?

Visit Philly: The Clay Studio

Let it be known that I am not arty and I am not the girl who could get lost in a museum for hours. To be honest, I was initially visiting The Clay Studio to purchase a one of a kind mug because, as you know from Instagram, I'm into coffee mugs and I was interested in having one that was not mass produced. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by what I found at The Clay Studio.

It felt accessible. While I marveled at the skill that's obvious in the pieces I saw, I didn't feel overwhelmed or art stupid. I've been to museums and wandered around thinking I'm pretty sure I should be feeling some sort of way about this art but I'm mostly feeling hungry for the meal I was promised after this. 

That didn't happen at The Clay Studio. All the good feelings applied to my visit: interested, engaged, laid back. I think it helped that the gallery bright and open, not too large or too full. I could get close to the pieces, move well around the space, look at the pieces from a lot of angles, and even interact with one that had a moving component. I didn't feel overwhelmed. I took my time, walked around, and enjoyed myself. When I visited, pieces from the Marge Brown Kalodner Graduate Student Exhibition were up. My three favorites from that exhibition:

1. I visited the day my fuck it phase blog was posted so I bonded with this piece immediately. It's called Noise by Kelly Stevenson from Georgia State University and was my very favorite in the whole place.

2. This spoke to the organizer, categorizer, and collector in me. This is called Inventory of Value and is by Julia Six of the Tyler School of Art here in Philly. If I had a place to display this in my current home, I would have purchased it in a heartbeat.

3. I kept going back to stare at this one, called King Fisher by Benjamin Lambert from the Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.

Then you have the shop. It's laid out well - bright, clean, colorful, and lovely - and invites you to touch, to open, to want to possess. I limited myself to a mug (Jack Pardue) and a vase (Jennifer Martin), but that plate down there? I want it. And I will be returning, not only to see new exhibitions, but because The Clay Studio has some cool stuff going on.

Some upcoming events:

1. Date night - this doesn't have to be with your partner. It can be with your mom, your best friend, your coworker. Hell, it can be you by yourself. It's twice a month from 7-9 p.m. and it's $35/pp for non-members. You get to throw on the pottery wheel like you're Demi Moore in Ghost except with your clothes on and in public. Beer, wine, light snacks, clay, and tools are included. You have the option to have them glaze, fire, and ship your stuff to you for an additional $10. For dates and to register, click here. They book up quickly so get on it!

2. First Friday - this Friday from 5-8 you can throw on a pottery wheel and be right in the thick of things. Not just this Friday though - The Clay Studio participates monthly in First Friday - for more info on First Friday, click here.

3. Clay Fest on Saturday, September 12 - This is right before my vacation, so I can't be there but I hope you can. Free community festival with Handcrafted Ice Cream Social, live raku firing, wheel battles (studio artists go head to head in a battle on the pottery wheel), music, and more. Everything gets started at 10 a.m.

There's so many other things going on there (classes, tours and demonstrations for groups, summer Clay Camps for kids, etc). You should really check it out and throw it some love...get it? Throw pottery? Throw it some love? Come on. Philly masquerades as all Rocky and cheesesteaks all the time, but we also have a great art scene and I'm not just talking about those little Parkway museums like the Barnes, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, or the Rodin Museum (to name a few). I for one should take advantage of it more.

The Clay Studio Particulars
Please double check on the website or call for more details - I cobbled my info together on my own! 
Website: www.theclaystudio.org
137-139 North Second Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
215-925-3453

Hours: 11a-6p Monday through Saturday, Noon - 6p on Sundays. The Clay Studio is also open from 5p-9p the first Friday of every month for First Friday.

Free to enter, but donations are accepted. If you go, please donate at least a dollar. Don't be a chump.

The Clay Studio is right next to Elfreth's Alley, so you can get a twofer out of the trip - a little history, a little art. If you're coming down from Center City, just hop on the Market Frankford Line and get off at 2nd Street, cross over Market and it's a few blocks down on the right. If you're driving, there are plenty of parking options but I think the studio will validate for the Parkominium lot at 231 N. Second Street, just north of the Ben Franklin Bridge. Other options for parking and directions from all areas can be found by clicking here.

Thanks to my friend Jen from high school for walking through the gallery and shop with me! It was a great way to spend a Tuesday lunch hour.

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TWTW - the one with the girls at the lake

I am enormously lucky in the friend/framily department. Not only do I have my BFFs of 20+ years, but I also have my adult life BFFs like the ladies I spent this weekend with (missed you Michelle & Amanda)! Every summer we spend a dedicated weekend together. We used to go to the shore but now the new locale is Lori's lake house. We had a peaceful and relaxing weekend of just being, but just being together. No makeup, all lounge attire all the time, no showers aside from the lake for the majority of us until Sunday. LOL. Nap when you want, walk when you want, float when you want, eat when you want, drink when you want. It was glorious.

Thursday night I had awesome mail to open before I left - the newest Judy Blume from the Literary Ladies Book Club girls and library card and pug socks from Mod Cloth. Debbie and I set out at 6:30 and the dogs were total assholes the entire ride. After 15 minutes, I said good Lord I swear the ride feels like four hours already. Alas, it was not. Debbie wrangled Mae for the entire nearly three hour ride, and we arrived around 9:30, saw the blue moon, and promptly passed out.

My darling dearest Gus decided to get up at 4. I kept him at bay until 5, but then it was time to get up. Once I saw what waited outside, I wasn't too mad. Lori and I got the food and beer shopping out of the way early too, which was great.

Jenn and Melissa arrived before noon, and we set out to float. I got in the freaking lake without a wet suit or lake shoes, you guys. And I floated. And didn't mind it. We had the lake pretty much to ourselves Friday, and it was pretty sweet. Let me tell you paddling around out there is a bit of a workout. Good thing since Friday morning alone I ate swedish fish, a donut, and fried chicken. Yikes and also YOLO. And why yes, I do have video of Melissa threatening me for videoing as I laugh like a maniac after her new raft Big Pink deflated in the middle of the lake.

Boat rides happened both nights with Captain Lori at the helm.

Saturday morning we headed into Montrose for a little look around.

It was mimosa and gabbing o'clock when we got back.

We floated away the afternoon again. Hijinks include Jenn capsizing on a raft while holding her beer aloft, dockside food service, and Mae really getting into the spirit of girls' weekend and getting out on the lake with Auntie.

Lori got us pizza and we lazed around before spur of the moment deciding it was ice cream time. I went on this adventure in my pajamas, sans bra. If you like to judge people who go out in public in pajamas, look no further. The buck stops here. The summer fuck it phase continues.

Sunday morning there was fog rolling across the lake and it was awesome. I took eleventy billion photos. When it was clear, Jenn and I went for a canoe ride. My first and only time on a canoe was Memorial Day weekend but Sunday I was out there steering that shit like a boss. Thanks to Jack for the good lessons.

We made an exception for the boy dogs. They all had a blast, they love the lake house.

Lots of laughs, lots of floating, lots of talks, lots of flip flops, lots of beautiful lake views, and one majestic eagle. I love these ladies. Thanks so much to Lori for hosting.

All good things must come to an end. I was home by two on Sunday and spent the afternoon inside with the dogs, away from the heat. I meant to be super productive but was only about half successful - I made egg muffins for breakfasts, Sunday sauce/spaghetti/broccoli/garlic bread for dinner, and took out some chicken to thaw for the week.I have lunch plans Monday and Tuesday but will do salads the rest of the week. I ordered groceries, changed the sheets, washed sheets and towels, paid bills, and picked up a bit around the house. Boring hausfrau shit, you know.

I truly hope every one of you has the gift of friendship in your life. You can't top it.

I have to wish one of our best friends, Evan, a very happy birthday. He celebrated it yesterday. If you're looking for a photographer in the PA/NJ area, Evan's your guy. Check out the Evan Leslie Images web page here and facebook page here. Ev does a lot of weddings, maternity (he worked for a maternity magazine, he's the real deal), and kid shoots (he is phenomenal with kids) but I've had him do head shots for my firm and he's great at commercial work too. The consummate professional. Give him a ring.

Linking up with Biana at B Loved Boston for Weekending