Tag Archives: mountains

{a blue moon wedding!}

22 Aug

there were such beautiful and intimate moments at this wedding, that at one point – i almost forgot to keep taking pictures! i was completely enamored, what can i say?!  these two are such magnificent souls… and their love carries such an intense energy with it that EVERYONE could feel!

they decided to wed on the blue moon, just three weeks ago, this past july. it was just the most beautiful day and only 20 people were present for the ceremony… and so was blue moon, the yummy beer.

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congratulations, a & a! ❤

 

{my first post in 2015 – an overdue update… with tons of pics!}

6 Feb
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last day in the tiny house…

hey gang – how’s the new year treating you so far?  did you make a bunch of resolutions? are you off to a healthier new you?! seems like many of us make those kind of promises in honour of the new year.

me?! i moved… again. and so i figured it was time to clue you all in.

i’ve missed blogging… but i have literally been living like a gypsy for the past month – and i simply didn’t have time to update as often as i had before.  plus, my camera is still broken so i haven’t been fotographing as much.  i’ve been relying on the trusty iphone to supplement in that regard… but this will all change very soon… it’s just life, i guess.

in my last post of 2014, i mentioned that i had to leave the tiny house… it was something i wanted to do but also something that was hard to do. it wasn’t so much that i wanted to leave the house, it was more that i wanted to leave the area.  it’s a beautiful place, but i am simply not cut out for the cold weather or the culture. if i could have taken that tiny house and put it on wheels to travel with me, i so would have. but alas, it’s a stationed tiny home and that wasn’t an option. c’est le vie. it was an experience i will never forget, and one that changed me and molded me into who i am today.

anyway – i can’t go into the whole story because i could seriously write a book about the circumstances around my final decision to leave the valley. it was just a series of events, some unfortunate, that paved the road to open up new directions in my life. and i have no regrets about it. i feel content in my choices and in the things i’ve learned, and i am excited for a new beginning in my life.

i’ve always been one to change my surroundings if i feel the need… and this move was no exception. home is truly where the heart is… so as long as i have ME, i’m good.

and so without further ado, here are some snaps of the haps in january… enjoy! i look forward to reconnecting with you and hope you all are well!

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this message really helped me as i made the final decision to leave colorado… the best word i can use to describe all the feelings… bittersweet.

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i will miss seeing the deer in my front yard every morning… that’s for sure.

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as i was packing and downsizing even more, i came across all these notebooks i saved from all my years working as a shift leader in NYC. i miss that job and that city so much, but it was an experience like no other and one i will cherish.

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fracking is a big thing in colorado – i would see signs all the time and people in the town where i lived were not at all ashamed of expressing their opinions on it… do you see the hand-painted sign on the bottom? it reads : “fracking gassholes” — haha! i loved it.

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i took myself to breakfast here on moving day… it’s called heidi’s deli. they make one of the best pastrami sammies i’ve had this side of the hudson… i will miss them.

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… and their ham, swiss, egg, and avocado croissants!

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i swear i wear this hat every day, lately…

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i was nervous moving in january… it’s not something i tend to plan out, what with unpredictable weather and all. but i was so thankful that wedged in between all the snowy days, was sunny friday – the day i moved my things out of the tiny home.

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i left this for the new tenants… cuz i’m like that.

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i also “left my mark” under the kitchen sink… 😉

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moving day lunch – cubano tacos. AH-mazing.

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while in gypsy mode, i was staying with some friends out in the sticks… literally. i helped them chop and stack some wood for the winter… okay, mostly i stacked. 😛

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i’m learning to incorporate more salads into my diet in winter… my dear friend miss M taught me about the simplicity of putting cooked veggies in with your greens to add more dimension and warmth during the cold months… so simple, so easy.

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gettin’ artsy with a clementine…

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… and some window light!

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who wouldn’t love cooking your oatmeal on a wood stovetop?!

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i was SO thankful to be able to spend plenty of time in the private hot springs near carbondale… it was so healing, so sacred.

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doesn’t this look so bizarre and cool?! it looks like some kind of alien snow crop circle or something… but it’s really just an indentation from a cross-country ski pole…

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the roaring fork…

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this reminded me of new york…

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never grow up…

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moving day dinner… i will miss the local grass-fed burgers!

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ran into a little weather on actual moving day…

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i’m so grateful my chauffeur {kind of a joke – a good friend drove me the entire 8 hours to my destination!} was fully prepared with snow tires!

…and i’ve pretty much been eating a lot since i got here!

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homemade vegan pizza…

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with tons of fresh mushrooms, spinach, garlic, and jalapenos!

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good wine, good friends…

and my goodness, is it warm here! and i love that!

{some virtual holiday haps}

16 Dec

hey gang – how’s winter treating you?

i really don’t wanna jinx it, but this time last year we had like double the amount of snow, if not triple, that we do now. we had a storm blow through this weekend, but nothing really accumulated or even fell from the clouds. i’ll probably get chastised for saying this, but i am perfectly fine without all that cold white stuff. {i do, however, like to see it flurrying down my screen from wordpress tech wonderland…}

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i’m still in the holiday spirit, though. my tiny tree has been up in the tiny home since thanksgiving weekend and i’ve been watching tons of christmas movies and listening to christmas albums. i save “home alone” for christmas day – i wouldn’t say it’s my favourite, but it’s just one of those classics i have to watch every year. my favourite christmas movie ever is probably “love actually” ❤

what’s your favourite christmas movie?!

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i also plan on pretty much not taking off this santa hat until december 26th. i have two cowlicks in my hair and when it’s short it’s fine, and when it’s long it’s fine… but i’m in the funky “growing out my hair” phase and sometimes throwing on a hat is the only way to get through my day and be happy about my hair. this time last year, it was about the same length, but i got impatient and cut it all off. this time, i will persevere! 😛

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occasionally we get some really cool clouds up here. have you been looking up in wonder at the sky lately? …you should, and often.

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LOVE : that wonderful feeling that can present itself in many forms. and sometimes the only place to find it is in a sticker plastered on a bench at a bus-stop… but it’s still there! ❤

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a random salad i whipped up : brussel sprouts, cabbage, bacon, tart cherries, flax seeds, and parmesan cheese in a french vinaigrette. i admit i do not eat nearly as many cold salads in the winter… i just can’t get down with cold food in the cold months. but i do try to squeeze in some raw greens when the mood strikes me.

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as a child of the 90’s, peace signs were kind of cool when i was growing up. we drew them on our notebooks, put pins on our backpacks, some of us even got tattoos of the peace sign!  but it’s kind of weird to me that you don’t often see it anymore – at least not like we did when i was a kid. seeing this peace sign drawn in permanent cement made me smile – it’s there forever, dammit! 😛

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something so simple as a wreath does so much for my holiday spirit.  perhaps they remind me of my mom, in a way… i am pretty sure she would make them and we always had them on our doors, growing up. my neighbour thoughtfully bought me this wreath for the tiny house door… Continue reading

{season’s first snowfall on the tiny house}

14 Nov

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… at least it came a month later than last year!

{october round-up}

1 Nov

hello, november!

this is definitely my favourite time of year… even though it always shocks my system a little to do this whole daylight-savings-time thing… seriously, my sleep is jacked up for like 2 weeks after that happens.

c’est le vie, eh?! 

at least it won’t be pitch black at 7 a.m. anymore…

anyway, here are a few of my favourite shake-it snaps from recent days. i hope you all had a fun, safe, and happy halloween!

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sopris never gets old…

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this is the time of year when they move the cattle down to graze in different pastures…

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this kind of colour is pretty much totally gone, now…

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but i made sure to soak it all in…

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i just love it…

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mmm, apple pie………….. soooo good!

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i did a little dog-sitting last month… and our shadows were GIANTS! teeeheheeee….

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i also did a little chicken-sitting… and had the freshest eggs i’ve ever eaten!  like, 40 minutes old – fresh!

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frost!

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sopris… again.

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i’ve been making and eating a ton of sauerkraut

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and making and taking a bunch of pointless selfies…

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i dunno, this just looked cool…

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so did this…

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fall!

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this time you couldn’t even see sopris…

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fiery sunsets!

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a rainbow over my tiny house!

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i’m so in love with lense-flare.

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oh yeah, one day i found these guys in a head of broccoli… they both took a poo on my hand – hysterical!

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mmmmmmm, nothing like cozying up by a wood-fire!

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an archery target!  which i SOOOO want to use some day soon!

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weird stuff you find on hikes…

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… like the pumpkin graveyard… 😉

have a great weekend! 

 

{sometimes you have to first take a leap of faith, then watch as the net appears…}

25 Oct

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{silent saturday : in awe of the aspens}

18 Oct

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{TH2 – tiny house update : days 13 & 14}

14 Oct

it’s been far too long since i’ve posted an update on TH2.

to refresh your memory, here is where we last left off… and here are some recent fotos, taken last month.

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by the way, obviously this has taken more than 14 days… it’s merely the way i’m keeping track of the whole project here on the blog… you get it, right?! 😛

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oh, hi.

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windows installed!

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the large front windows/doors provide a ton of natural light, which i love!

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oh, hi… again.

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more to come…

{fossil fun in fruita}

5 Oct

a little alliteration to start your morning 😉

aaaaaand, some pics from way way west-western colorado…

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to say this state is dry is… well, a gross understatement.

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dramatic sky.

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beauty.

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…fossils – whoa. Continue reading

{i’m lovin’ it…}

27 Sep

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…this random hash with onion, garlic, potatoes, bacon, tomatoes, and kale.

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…this. *giggle*

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…subtle reminders.

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…these $5 birks i scored at a thrift store in moab – never been worn!  

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…fresh halibut – worth the splurge!

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…fishin’ somewhere near paonia.

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…creating farm-to-table meals with elk meatballs, wild boletus mushrooms, sauteed swiss chard, fresh salad.

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…my new job.

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…a perfect tomato from a friend’s garden.

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…making wishes at the wishing tree.

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…a beehive, right by my house!

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…the fact that peach season is officially over… i enjoyed one final one for desert after the bronco game. 

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…my tomatoes are finally taking off.

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…tomato bounty!

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…glowing sopris… {and the fact that it’s still been nice enough to even wear sandals!}

enjoy your weekend!

{super moon, tiny house}

9 Aug
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{super moon, tiny house}

{once upon a time, last week…}

3 Aug

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… i took this kickass foto…. that i just love. ❤

{oh – and it rained like, a ton!}

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… i was housesitting, and this awesome little chicken was one of eleven that i had the fortune of feeding and watching while the owners were away… they are so cool!

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… i had this for breakfast : a sausage & cheese croissant roll, two flax seed chocolate brownie muffins, and my trusty half caff americano {with a little cream}…

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… i totally saw this dead snake in the road……….   oddly, the first one i’ve seen at all since moving here.

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… i made my famous morning smoothie…………   a few times 😉

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… i looked up at the sky.

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… i took a silly selfie on the bus and tried to be all discreet but made myself look even sillier… 😛

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… i harvested these absolutely beautiful organic cherry tomatoes and some mixed baby greens from the garden outside of the house i was sitting…

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{so grateful!}

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… and i added in shredded chicken, olives, cucumbers, sharp cheddar, red onion, and dressed it in a french vinaigrette… YUM!

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… i saw like, four billion ants…………   i wonder what they were all working on…

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… i saw these carrot-tops poking through a cute little community garden…

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… i ordered and devoured an entire 12 inch pizza called the “BLT” from my favourite local spot… it’s seriously like eating a blt on a round pizza pie : “crispy bacon, smoked provolone, garlic, onion & house-made sundried tomato pesto topped with shredded leaf lettuce tossed in our famous house-made ranch”  it’s one unique and delicious pizza. they serve the lettuce and fixins’ on the side so you can dress it by adding the lettuce topping at the end. it is AHH-MAZING! one of my favourite pizzas, for sure!!!!

———

happy sunday!

and, always be sure to eat a lot of {healthy, colourful} food and take a lot of {awesome} fotos!! 😉 ❤

{tiny tuesday : TH2 Update – days 9 and 10}

1 Jul
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TH2 – wrapped!

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the interior begins…

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the owner of TH2, matt, seems to have great taste in appliances!!!!

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it’s coming together!!

———

click here to see day one and two

click here to see day three and four

click here to see day five and six

click here to see day seven and eight

 

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL GALLERY

 

{farm-fresh, multi-coloured, organic speckled eggs}

26 Jun

i think it’s so amazing and interesting – how our bodies speak to us.

i find it so interesting how our dietary needs can shift and change over the years, also.  for example – i never liked eggs much when i was younger… and over the last 3-5 years i’ve just been love love loving them!  i can’t seem to get enough eggs.  luckily, i’m able to buy farm-fresh locally raised eggs which were fed a non-gmo organic diet – free of soy, too!  afterall, you eat what your food eats.  so i choose only organic dairy and meat products for this reason.

i’m so thankful i can purchase these {incredible, edible} eggs close to where i live!

——

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they are just beautiful… don’t you agree?!

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diversity is beautiful…

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uniqueness is beautiful…

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food is beautiful!!!

{tiny tuesday : TH2 update}

24 Jun

DAY SEVEN : 

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TH2 : day seven

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the view from my backyard…

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wood and windows and walls – oh my!

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———
DAY EIGHT :

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i just love all the lines and stripes going on here…

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TH2

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sun sets on day eight..

 

click here to see day one & two

click here to see day three and four

click here to see day five and six 

{tiny tuesday : TH2 update}

20 May

 

just an update on TH2 : the tiny house project by legacy homes.  {which also happens to be my new next-door-neighbour…}

DAY THREE :

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{the view from the back of MY tiny home…}

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{see it?!}

😉

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getting creative with craftsman…

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{setting the foundation…}

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{TH2}

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{end of day three}

———

DAY FOUR

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{boss is on the site}

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{perfect building weather}

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{boards and beams}

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{“stand here while i do this…”}

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{foundation initiated}

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{end of day four}

 

click here to see day one and two

 

{tiny tuesday : a tour inside my tiny home}

15 Apr

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it’s been far too long since i posted an update on my tiny home… like, four months too long! 😉

it really amazes me how much this “movement” has taken off!

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i’ve made quite a few changes around the tiny home, and i’m rather happy with the way things look, now… i feel like it’s finally coming together. my next project is working on the upstairs bedroom/loft area… i need to maximize space and upgrade the whole “college dorm room” feel currently happening… 😉

upon entering my tiny home, you first see my personalized dresser from the target closetmaid collection… it’s actually two pieces stacked on top of each other, and i’ve managed to fit most of my clothing inside! just to the left of the dresser, i keep the ladder to my loft propped against the wall. as you may recall, this attaches to that black beam for easy access to the loft, and quick removal when not in use!

on the right is the kitchen table, which is where my desk used to be.  i just felt like it opened up the house more with the setup this way… Continue reading

{foto friday : those noisy neighbours, again!}

11 Apr

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i love waking up and seeing this…

sometimes i feel like i have more conversations with wildlife lately than i do with humans. i’m not complaining; i talk to anything that has life or energy – so, i pretty much talk to everything 😉

this family of elk live in my ‘hood and they have recently been grazing the grasses by where i walk home every day… sometimes i see them, sometimes i just see their poop.

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but i do believe they are starting to recognize me!

sometimes they just stare back at me… i inch closer, snap another foto, and they just stare.  i do believe they know who i am now, and they know who my camera is, as well. the little fawns i’ve been seeing are just heart-melting, too!

let’s all take time this weekend to unplug – connect with your true source, with nature. hug a tree, smell the roses, look for bumble bees, stare at the clouds.  get lost in the beauty that is around all around you… ❤

 

{foto friday : living vicariously through my camera phone – including like, three selfies!}

4 Apr

hey gang.  hope you are all doing well.

this week was a rollercoaster as far as emotions and happenings go.  and the only rollercoasters i like are the ones i build on rollercoaster tycoon and pretend ride.  and i’m actually serious about that, just ask my former roommate and still one of my best friends… he’ll tell you about my non-love of rollercoasters or things that go fast, in general… like waterslides. :/

nevertheless, here are a few happy highlights from my week via the shake-it app… {still my fav.}

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i went pixie, again!  i love it; brings out the new-yorker in me – and i just feel more like myself this way…

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i happily spent a ridiculous 75 cents for this little cute bottle of club soda.  i saved and reused the bottle for my liquid vitamins… i just love glass and i just love tiny things! 😉

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it “sunny snowed” this week – and i am amazed my iPhone was able to capture the little flakes.

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on that same day, my boss let me borrow his sunglasses ‘coz i forgot mine and he insisted they would make me cooler… i insisted that wasn’t possible. 😉

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and despite the friggin mercurical weather, i planted my seeds…

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and i hope to god they do not end up looking like this {clearly} genetically modified apple. i mean seriously, have you looked at conventional produce in the last couple years? it’s like that movie “cloudy with a chance of meatballs.”  — the food is getting abnormally large!  am i crazy or should an apple NOT be the size of two of my fists!??!?!  i digress…

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i had several very intense and wonderfully silent moments with my “neighbours”…

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then there’s mount sopris… which just makes me happy for existing.  and – i applied for a job with this view. uhm, yes please!

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this is where i currently work – it’s kind of like going to heaven every day – only with more people 😉

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and sometimes snow doesn’t piss me off… cuz it’s pretty…

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but it’s also annoying… especially in april.

the end.. for now.

have a great weekend, ya’ll! ❤ 😉

 

{foto friday – my “neighbours”}

21 Mar

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really wish i would’ve had my camera for this moment – but alas, thank goodness for the iPhone!

🙂

happy foto friday!