Anyways, howd’ya like the new look? Please let me know if you see anything that’s not loading or broken or just sucks in general- we have a pc that uses internet explorer and a mac that used firefox that I check it on, but I know lots of you use other browsers. Thanks friends!

It is a rainy (yet still sweltering) day here in Pensacola and Jack and I are going to be doing our very best to reduce some of the gigantic piles of stuff around this house before we are swallowed by them.

lots o’ love.
Laura

Just wanted to report that we are about halfway through the month of December and I am still going stripey strong. I almost sissied out today when none of my clean stripey socks matched any of my clean skirts or dresses- but then I remembered that my mittens were striped. I wore them to church where I fell asleep on the couch during sunday school as Jack feel asleep in his Dad’s arms.

I’ll be doing some laundry tonight to stock up on clean stripeys for the rest of the month.

Carry on friendly fans of stripes.
elle

In my quest for super quirky books to turn into journals, I often find books that fit the bill but I can’t bring myself to destroy. Here are a collection of just such books from my journal-making adventure this last year. Many of these are now in Jack’s room, waiting for the time when he needs a story to fall asleep.

These last two actually will be journals- but they are so reserved for me.

I see large full bookshelves for me in the future. The distant future.
In the near future I see stacks of books crammed into every corner in this rented space. And boxes of them in my parents basement.

loves all ya’ll.
elle

Really, it’s the same lens that I already had- but this one is smooth on the zoom, quick with the shutter, and I can choose my focal length! What is it about a new lens hat makes you feel like you’ve got a whole new camera? =)

It’s pouring outside and I am off to the Farmer’s Market for the day. Hoo-rah.

elle

hello lovely curbside recycling can.

As we were in bed this morning having our pre-day cuddle session we heard what sounded like our garbage truck outside, but different. We looked through our bedroom window and saw a rented moving truck dropping off brand spanking new recycling containers! Our twice a week garbage pick up (which I think is excessive) will be reduced to one week so that the new curbside recyling pick-up can have the other day.
Perhaps I am a recycling dork, but this totally made my day.
more to come,

elle

The truth is, it’s refeshing in a world of infinite choices to be limited. I’ve always found that when I’m stuck artisticly, the best thing I can do is give myself very narrow rules to follow- it always brings out something interesting.

I’m ordering some new camera equipment this week since my camera is really just an extension of my hand, and my most essential recording-of-my-life-tool, and because I’m shooting a wedding in two weeks and need my choices back.

lots of clicks,
elle

later dudes,

elle

ps. Jack is taking his time. He’ll be arriving sometime this week though, regardless of how he feels about the matter!

xo
elle

Last night Garth took me to see Coraline and I think that I spent the entire time with my mouth open wide in wonder. We saw it at a theater that offered it in 3D and it was delicious! There were Scotty dogs with wings, performing jumping mice, and evil mothers with button eyes. I’ve been in love with stop-motion animation since The Nightmare Before Christmas. It is such a remarkable process! I don’t think one can go wrong with Henry Selick (also of James and the Giant Peach fame), Neil Gaiman (Mirrormask!), and a main character with blue hair. =) It’s well worth $9 to see it in the theater.

The Coraline website is also a treat with lots of behind the scenes features (a woman who knits the smallest clothing in the world!), the mouse circus where the mice perform just for you (by name!), and the other mother’s workshop where you can give yourself button eyes like the portrait of me above.

happy tuesday everyone, hugs to those whose middle initials begin with H-Z!

elle

I turned my empty shaving lotion bottle upside down today to check for the little symbol that indicates it’s recyclability. I got a kick out of the text reading, “RECYCLE. ALWAYS.”, and then in french, “RECYCLEZ-MOI! S.V.P. (or, recycle me, please.)”

Pensacola recently initiated a curbside recycling program and I was all excited to sign up and get a 44 lb. container to put out my recyclables with my trash every week- only to be called by the county a few hours later to let me know that my home is located within the city of Pensacola (by two blocks!) and thus, not included in the program. The City of Pensacola, however, recently announced that it would be researching the funding and implementation of such a program.

Didn’t my teeny rural town in Washington State offer curbside recycling when I was in elementary school? I seem to remember singing aliens visiting our gym to let us know that our planet would be in peril should we decide to place the aluminum cans in the round trash can rather than the square blue one for recyclables. That was 20 years ago…

While Pensacola is catching up with the rest of the world (in some things- I still have neighbors that think it’s improper to shake my hand because I’m female), I’m going to refine what it is that I do so that I can be more like this guy.

Things I can continue doing:
thrift shopping, reusing grocery bags, upcycling grocery bags, shipping my store orders in reused/recycled materials, riding my bike instead of driving the car, donating unused items rather than throwing them away, freecycling, purchasing recycled…… goodness, there must be more….

Things to start doing:
canning, composting, gardening, more aggressive recycling (this means taking it to the drop off too!), using cloth or gdiapers when the time comes (soon!), purchasing more food items in bulk/dried states, using the fabulous totes I have for shopping (rather than plastic grocery bags)…

More about this in cool places:

Annie Leonard explains the cycle of consumption- where stuff comes from and where it goes at The Story of Stuff.
Artist/designer/generally-rad-person Kate Bingham-Burt draws her daily purchases over at Obsessive Consumption.
And, Sustainable Dave, who I saw this morning on Good Morning America, saved his trash for an entire year. That’s my kind of guy.

xo
elle