29/29 | Twenty-Nine Days Challenge

Recent lunch breaks are for errands and wedding business.  I sent off the potential bridesmaid dresses that we are not using and certify-mailed my U.S. passport renewal all the way to Philadelphia.  We have a good eight months before we take to the air for our overseas honeymoon, so we should be okay. 

Other happy news, we have secured our Just Married Celebration location for our southern California party for the beloved extended relatives and friends who we will not be able to invite to the small, family-centric wedding in northern California.  Our long-time family friends, the Terry's, have welcomed us to use their beautiful backyard for the celebration and it is simply perfect!  Sweet relief!  Now we can finally get both versions of the Save-the-Dates out!

For the last few evenings, I have tried combining much-needed introvert solitude with table center decor projects.  Between trudging home from work and taking care of Scarlet's 9:00pm tube feeding, I have tried my hand at making paper flowers.  With each passing hour, I have managed to cut down the turnaround time it takes me to form each blossom, but it still takes time (somewhere between 5-7 minutes per blossom).  Cutting the circles, forming the cones, gluing them together one-by-one is actually rather relaxing and hour by hour, new flowers are added to the pool.



In preparation of the upcoming March Crafternoon, I have been experimenting with papers of varying thicknesses and found that I like the look of tissue paper best.  As Brittany accurately articulated, the tissue paper blossoms look more full.  Softer, too.  I also prefer it when each blossom is only one color (I tried duo combinations and patterned paper, but they seem to lose their lovely shape when it becomes too complicated).  I have settled on a deep aqua-blue, grey silver, white, and blush.  Uhu glue dried to my fingernails make me look like leftover nail polish that has been picked at, but the end result is rather lovely, don't you think?

And here is a sample of how they will be used.  My design for the table centers incorporates these little blossoms with a wood-paper doily and a mason jar to be filled with something lovely...

So, steadily, steadily plugging away.



{click here to see another wedding project}

canon 30d:  paper roses  |  © kimberly k taylor, all rights reserved



 28/29 | Twenty-Nine Day Challenge

Scarlet is still with us!

We took her to the veterinarian's office yesternight thinking that we would have to either put her down or try to convince wonderful Dr. Shaw to let us keep trying for another week.  We thought she would say that it was our decision, but it would most likely cause Scarlet to suffer longer and that she really couldn't foresee any further improvement.  We were ready for goodbye (well, as ready as we could be).

However, once in the vet's room, Scarlet began acting much more like her old self.  She walked around the room, was interested in sniffing my purse (an old favorite passtime), nuzzled us, listened to the footsteps through the crack under the door, laid down right up against my feet, and even turned her affection on Dr. Shaw!

We let Dr. Shaw know that she hadn't been acting this active at home, just in case the change of behavior was adrenaline-driven, but I let her know that this past week, I had noticed Scarlet's increase in alertness, interest and curiosity, and desire to be with us and interact, but was trying not to get my hopes up.  Scarlet  had showed interest in eating small amounts on own several times in the past two days and even wanted to play with me on Saturday night, chasing her toy stick.  Dr. Shaw said these changes are significant even if Scarlet still has intermittent seizures, jerking, seems listless throughout the day.  She also noted that Scarlet seemed more resigned and comfortable with her more limited mobility, even though it is not what it used to be.

After watching Scarlet for a while, advised us against putting her down!  She recommended that we take it week by week and get a better idea of whether this is simply Scarlet's final rallying before passing away (very typical of both humans and animals), or if she truly is improving.  She said Scarlet was very clearly showing her that she was not ready to be put down.  Dr. Shaw very encouraged by her progress and couldn't stop smiling and commenting at the difference from two weeks ago.  She said she really cannot say what will happen, but she was heartened by the new developments.

When she went to replace Scarlet's neck bandage, Val and I just looked at each other, grinning, and our eyes were wet.  Challenges remain, but we are so relieved.  We were so proud of little Scarlet for fighting so hard.  Thanks for thoughts, prayers, and to those of you who have stopped by to give Scarlet extra love.  Val and I have appreciated it all so much!

canon powershot:  expecting goodbye |  © kimberly k taylor, all rights reserved

27/29 | Twenty-Nine Days Challenge

Trying not to think too much about Scarlet and the decision Val will need to make today, I decided to go exploring during lunch.  I bundled myself up, took a walk in the rain beneath an over-sized white and blue umbrella, took care of some errands, and then stumbled upon a lovely dive called Root Beer Joe's nestled in Burlington Arcade in Pasadena just off of Lake.  I ordered a tuna sandwich, selected a specialty pop from their wide array, and- for once in my life- wasn't too shy to ask if I could take a few pictures to accompany my little blog post.  They were happy to let me putz around their shop, camera in hand.  They chuckled when another customer asked if they were new in town.  Apparently, they have been around for quite a while.

I took my lunch outside thinking I could weather the weather, but before long, the young man from behind the counter came out and asked if I might be more comfortable at a little room they had adjacent to their deli, home to a green set of shelves filled with specialty beers and a small four-seat glass table.  He helped me carry my Bubble Up inside while I grabbed my other belongings.  I spent the next few minutes trying to strategize how to eating such a gigantic sandwich.  An plentiful amount of tuna- prepared quite differently from your average tuna salad (cooked and then cooled, I expect)- onions, pickles, lettuce, and tomatoes on some kind of baguette with garlicky sauce,  kept me feeling as if I were in one of those "if it doesn't get all over the place, it doesn't belong in your face" Carl's Jr. commercials.  It was quite tasty, though I might ask for no onions next time and half the amount of tuna.  My little happa mouth just can't manage sandwiches that thick.

By the time I was finished, the rain had taken a lunch break, too.  So, with the remaining Bubble Up in one hand and the huge umbrella in the other (which is long enough to serve as a walking stick), I made my way back to work.  The walk is several blocks and then a few minutes into campus.  With the chilled wind and both hands occupied, I couldn't feel my hands by the time I reached the elevator, but it felt like a little adventure, which is good.  Especially when it is overcast and gloomy and you may have to say goodbye to the sweetest cat.

canon powershot | © kimberly k taylor, all rights reserved

a post for 26/29 | Twenty-Nine Days Challenge

I found this lovely piece posted over at Elle Moss...



Quality time with Scarlet and coaxing her to eat on her own, which she has been doing for the past two- and this morning- days, making us question whether we really should put her down this afternoon

, watching my latest Netflix film, Waitress, which turned out to be a lot deeper than I thought dealing with sexism, abusive relationships, and inner strength

, making paper flowers, teaching B to make paper flowers, and making more paper flowers

, spending time with B and starting By Way of the Stars, starring three actors from our favorite television program growing up, Road to Avonlea

, Mountainside on Sunday

, whipping up some batches of quinoa pasta

, making a call to a family friend to ask if we might have our SoCal "Just Married" party at their home (no word yet)

, and taking Airborne or EmergenC twice a day, to no avail.

a post for 25/29 | Twenty-Nine Days Challenge

lotus lg cell phone:  wish for better

 24/29 | Twenty-Nine Days Challenge

inkling:  raincloud | © kimberly k taylor, all rights reserved

22/29 | Twenty-Nine Days Challenge



I filled out a survey and realized that I am now in the 27-34 age bracket.  Strange.  Though I am still in my twenties, I am bracketed with some of the thirties.  How quickly years pass by when you're in your twenties...

My starting point of memories of my twenties seems to be my college years.  I remember them seeming so long whenever I had a 20-page paper due or exams for which to study, or practicums and internships and service hours to cross off of my "to graduate" checklist.  At the same time, they seemed so fast when a musical production ended and I noticed how much I missed rehearsals, diagnosing myself with cast-mate buddies withdrawal, or when my favorite class with my favorite professor ended and even though I attempted to audit others, I just couldn't wedge it in between all the required classes and maintaining jobs to pay for rent and food and living stuff.

Then, post-college and the grand canyon of Idealist.org, CareerBuilder, Monster.com, and finally Craig's List- all part of the Great Job Search.  Wading through countless positions I was either under/over-qualified for, or in the case of actually finding one that I was perfectly suited, found  that the business resided in D.C. or London or some other distant, far off place.  And all this made me wonder if now was the time to start dreaming or if I would just have to pay the bills for a while.  Bills and the lack of a dream won out.

During this time, I found myself hand-in-hand with an old, beloved pastime: getting to read for pleasure.  No textbooks, no homework.  Just novels again and again, introducing me to authors I had never before read and who now feel like old friends and new inspirations.  Getting through the rest of Harry Potter so fast that I read it through all over again afterwards. All the while, running parallel to reveling in the written word, was the realization that working is hard- that my job was way too hard and was actually quite unhealthy.  And I felt stuck already, even though I had just begun.  Finding a way out felt like starting over from the beginning and maybe I could have done it better, but oh well.

And-so-and-so-forth-years until I realized that I actually did miss school.  I missed gleaning from brilliant professors.  I missed its version of community and the classroom environment.  I missed the many opportunities for extracurricular activities.  I missed little things like seeing young people everyday and the -isms that made up your university (barefoot skateboarders with ruffled hair late to class, the corner coffee stop, the good 'ol trolley system no matter how frusterating it could be, the warehouse where art and theatre met in the middle and created even more beautiful things (before they filled it in with more classrooms for psychology and theology students) which, I must say, I benefited from. The surety of lollipops at theatre concessions even though I never really cared for lollipops, the haphazard appearance of the theatre office where I worked in comparison to the neat and tidy appearance of the switchboard operator office where I also worked.  And all this made me consider entering the post-graduate collegiate world to engage myself in further scholarly pursuits, especially since working 2-3 jobs at a time during my brief college experience left me feeling like I did not really have the chance to soak it all up in the first place.  English is the only thing I would truly consider, but even then- what I would really do with it sits in a vague place of my mind.

These days, I begin to forget anything other than what I am doing now and this has been where dreams begin sparking.  What I really love to do is ____.  If money weren't an issue, I would ____.  And eventually, Even if I am poor and would have to stay poor, I would still want to do ____.

And all that to say, here at this stage of age 27-34, I have landed.  And I like the dirt beneath my feet.

photo booth strip |  l.a. county fair 2011



21/29 | Twenty-Nine Days Challenge



I keep thinking about things that are for my future self- my post-wedding self- to push forward at the right time.  And the things on which I am supposed to be focusing my attention, are falling away in drafts -- thoughts never fully formed.  I am tired of focused thought.  Disjointed thoughts skipping from ideas and colors to images and music... these are the things that are present for me lately. 

However, time is slip-slipping by and the time between now and then is being used up.  There is so much to be done between now and September and I need to focus on planning.  It is just that I would much rather spend any rare moments Jason and I do have together, simply being together, and without having to bring out The Binder, work on projects, and fry our brains with every last detail.

My Twenty-Nine Days Challenge is coming to a close and I really do see how it has helped me out with providing short respites during my days.  Yet at the same time, it has been a bit distracting {albeit, in a lovely way} and it is time to get down to {wedding} business.

But for now, a daydream...

polaroid: another home - green oak ranch, vista ca|  © kimberly k taylor, all rights reserved

20/29 | Twenty-Nine Days Challenge

fuji instax mini: resonant | © kimberly k taylor, all rights reserved

18/29 | Twenty-Nine Days Challenge

  

So, I noticed that I have been including some of, what I like to call, inklings in my posts recently {such as the one above}.  Inklings are simple pen and ink {thus, my little name for them} drawings that I make on any given day.  They often appear on any blank piece of paper, particularly cardstock, and I thought I might share them with you all every now and then.  I hope you find them light and free and a little bit of me.

Thursday night, Phil and I helped Brittany move to Pasadena!  The condo she'll be sharing with the fabulous Lindsay Voorhees, is huge!  The spacious living room comes completely furnished with four couches, coffee table, vintage television set, an old retro barcalounger, and many portraits of the Voorhees family (the condo unit belongs to Lindsay's grandmother).  This opens into the dining room with a large table with a gorgeous chandelier hovering in the sky.  The kitchen has plenty of room and cupboards to be filled with good, healthy foods for B.  Lindsay has the master bedroom, which is HUGE and Brittany has the second bedroom, which is also incredibly roomy.  She has her own bathroom and an impressive amount of closet space and I just can't help feeling so immensely happy for her.  I kept running around with boxes exclaiming, "B!  This is just...just... epic!"

I sang, "Happy new home to you" as I brought in her housewarming gift of vintage owl mugs made in Japan and filled with sparkling Martinelli's for toasting.

Happy new home to you!
Happy clean home to you!
Happy huge-awesome-epic-wonderful-amazing home to Brittany!
Happy new home tooooooo youuu!
 
What an amazing opportunity to live with such a dear friend in a place where the walls don't close in on you and everything is light and open and there aren't any screaming voices in the background.  Hoping for hope...

inkling: a day for flying  |  © kimberly k taylor, all rights reserved  

17/29 | Twenty-Nine Days Challenge

Keeping you all abreast of wedding projects helps me feel more positive and less overwhelmed.  :)  It allows me to better see the lovely little progress I am making and feel that we truly are moving forward towards a most happy day with love everywhere.

So, without further ado, I present to you the samples I made for the wedding guest favor bags project!

Materials:  Glassine bags, paper doilies, Japanese washi tape, plenty of glue, and a sepia ink pen

Last weekend, a little band of artistics {my Maid of Honor, two bridesmaids, one bridesman, and two more friends} huddled around a table beneath overcast skies in my childhood backyard.  We decorated over 100 wedding favor bags!  These delightful little bags will later be filled with the guest favors {not telling, it's a surprise!} and each wedding guest will find one at their place setting to take home with them.  Yay!

 

Creative Project #3: Guest Favor Bags

Status: Complete

{canon 30d & canon powershot}

© kimberly k taylor, all rights reserved