Mogget Monday

Laundry be damned. The perfect sunbeam is on its way.

My Nest: More Proof

More proof that white paint makes everything better! This little wall shelf came from my grandma's house, where she had several of them to display various tchochkes. This particular shelf was tucked away in storage and was a bit beat up.  Like the washroom, I did not take a proper "before" photo. Bad blogger. Take my word though, not a precious piece of wooden furniture. You can find these for a few dollars at most flea markets. 

Before I began painting I scuffed up the finish with some fine grit sandpaper. After thoroughly wiping off the dust with a damp rag, I began the painting process. The first coat always looks like garbage. At this point one often wonders if this course of action was a mistake, or if it's too late to wipe the paint off. Have no fear! When painting over a dark color, it never looks pretty in the beginning.

 

Looking better after the second coat...

...and even more fantastic after the third. I put the little shelf up in the kitchen and I love it. The perfect place for small, often-used kitchen items, and keeps the garlic and onions out of reach of the cats. Yes, my cats will play with garlic. They are strange beasts. 

Mondo Lucha

Forget Halloween. This year I am super pumped for my first Mondo Lucha experience.
Flyin' Lucha Libre wrestling! Burlesque and sideshow acts! Bad ass music and bands!
Like Tigernite. This quartet is made up of some of the most awesome humans I know making awesome human party sounds. 

Check out Tigernite at Mondo Lucha on November 2nd. $20 for a boatload of shenanigans. Doors open at 7 p.m.

Mogget Monday

October is nearly over, and my minions have yet to deliver a pumpkin spice latte. 

Harrumph.

Fancy That Friday: Cranberry Crush

Shortly after turning eleven I discovered became aware of the Cranberries.* Side note: Don't you think it's interesting how many of us claim to have "discovered" an artist, author, sport, vegetable, etc? As if Item XYZ was in some sort of existential purgatory until you unearthed them at a hipster archaeological dig in central South Dakota. I digress...

I recall hearing Zombie on the radio late one summer afternoon. I instantly smitten with Dolores O'Riordan. Her voice was sweet and feminine, but also raw and powerful. AND she had an Irish accent! I know some people don't care for the frequent breaks in her voice, but I LOVED it. It was so different than the Celine Dion garbage that was being pumped through every. single. place. In a year of The Power of Love, I'll Make Love to You, and Stay (I Missed You), I appreciated that Dolores didn't sing about rubbing up on anyone. She sang about political conflict, poetry, and her own flaws. Her voice was real, her lyrics and emotions felt genuine, and my little tween heart latched on hard.**  This week I'm unashamedly embracing the weirdness of the mid-90s with:

that hair! Not only did I adore Dolores's voice, I was enamored by her look.  I soooo wanted her haircut, but was too big of a chicken to chop off my hair until I was in college. While my fears of a pixie-cut were unfounded, I did learn that blonde (well, brassy-orange) is NOT a good look for me.  

these boots and this  blazer. Dr. Martens are most certainly an icon of 90s style. I remember looking at the album cover and thinking she's wearing combat boots and a t-shit with a suit! If only I could be that anti-establishment... or something like that.

this look. Achieve rock star worthy smokey eyes with this set from Too Faced. This matte red lipstick from smashbox is a must.

and this headdress and maxi dress to channel your inner Zombie.

 

What artist caught your fancy as a kid?

* My parents put up with me listening to the album No Need to Argue nonstop for weeks... and singing along poorly in my bedroom. Saints, they are.
**Feeling old. The word tween had not yet made it to mainstream lexicon when I was that age.

My Nest: White paint makes everything better

Yes, I am showing you my washroom. I will try my best to keep it as classy, and avoid potty humor. My washroom is small at approximately 4ft x 6.5ft. While it is neither luxurious nor glamorous, it is most certainly functional. Aesthetically, it needed some love.

Let's start in this corner. One towel rod and paper holder that look like this...

 

...and on the other wall, which is a whole 36'' way, a sloppily painted towel rod. Not thrilled with the mismatch of one painted fixture, two unpainted. 

 

Speaking of sloppy painting, check out the mirror on the back of the door. Quality workmanship. 

 

I love the classic hex-tile and old radiator heats up towels like a dream! The caulk, however, is old, dried out and just gross looking. Whomever applied this caulk also managed to get it all. over. everything. How do you even do that?

One rainy weekend I decided it was time to take on some of the little projects in the washroom.

Oops!

Forgetting to close the window one chilly evening squelched my plans of nursing my basil plant into the winter. Dead. Super dead. I walked in to make my morning coffee and was meet with shriveled, browning basil leaves scattered across the kitchen floor. My very, very dark shade of forest green thumb strikes again. The succulents, however, totally unaffected. In fact they look greener than ever. Did the succulents absorb the basil's energy Highlander style? We shall never know.

I really enjoy having fresh herbs in the kitchen. Perhaps a new rosemary plant is in order?  Although, I cannot guarantee the rosemary would not become a cat snack. Simandl seems to like the savory herbs...

Recommendations?

Mogget Monday

Glowing.

This Girl

While Mogget gets a lot of attention on the blog, her sister, Simandl, deserves a little shout- out. September was a rough month for Simandl. She has a history of UTI and symptoms that essentially are like feline IBS, but has gone several years without incident. Poor little gal got hit hard last month with a nasty infection, and ear troubles on top of it. After several weeks of multiple medications, Simandl is well and back to her normal routine. I am grateful for her restored health.

Post-medication snuggles with her lamb, a toy she has had since kittenhood.

Warning: Cliche Fall Post Ahead

Last fall our entire family was so stupidly busy that we pretty much missed everything. We missed all the fall. This year we decided we were going to do whatever lame, cliche, fabulously fall-tastic things we could together. So far we have hiked, picked apples, made oodles of delectable dishes with said apples, hit up the Cedarburg flea market, loaded up and the farmers stand, and procured pumpkins. My dad and I even bought matching plaid cashmere scarves to celebrate the chill in the wind.

  

 

 

 

To this date, no pumpkin spice lattes have been consumed. Sorry, Mogget.
What have you been up to this season?

Mogget Monday

Mogget tip #6 : Premium late afternoon sunny spots occur in October.