some good(?) things have come out of this new-job-preparation state i find myself in. i almost feel a sort of mild nesting impulse, if you can imagine that.
the first thing: terrariums. (yes, that is grammatically correct.) oh. my. word. they are addictive! i realized that because my office has no windows, and less because i work in forestry, i definitely need some plants in my space. but the no-windows thing sort of poses a problem, no? enter MOSS. velvety, otherworldly green, beautiful, beautiful moss. it happens to love shade. so i found a nice little DIY kit on etsy and ordered it for myself. i have a slight obsession with containers--boxes, jars, bottles, etc--so i happened to have a stash of suitable terrarium enclosures on hand... then i went outside into the woods and gathered up rocks, lichen/mushroom-covered branches, and forest trinkets, and last night i assembled it all together into the most amazing, wonderful, dreamy little ecosystems i have ever seen. i am in love. i just want to stare at the moss and shrink myself so i can live inside the jars and roll around on it. (incidentally, i am positive i was a dryad in a previous lifetime...) here's a few pics, but trust me when i tell you they do NOT do justice to these magnificent specimens.
jar (above and below) is about 10" diameter - big!
i thought the quartz was a nice touch
the mini. it has a little stick with lichen growing on it :)
next, and quite clearly related, is plants. every now and then i get really gung-ho about plants. i love them all the time, but sometimes i want to surround myself with them more than others. right now, when i think about my office, i imagine lots of plants. (sort of related: today i was reading a blog about how to "zen" your office, and it was very big on removing clutter, photos, art, etc to create a very bare japanese-style atmosphere, and as much as a clutter-free space appeals to me, i just kept thinking "well... no." i'm going for cozy and personality-infused, which for me is a somewhat eclectic and a lot whimsical. i have plans to buy 6 amazing prints from an etsy artist, as well as showcasing at least one of matt's pieces and sporting pics of the kids on my desk. take that, zen!) so i did some research on low-light/indoor happy plants, and found that my favorite little creeper ivy, hedera helix, is a very indoor-friendly plant. then i realized i was going to have to pay a silly amount of money for one, so i immediately vowed that my budget for non-moss plants is $0. and promptly scored some for free thanks to my mom's keen powers of observation and willingness to borrow ("propagate") local landscaping. she also shared a few other plants with me, some pothos and a rose cactus. i dug around in the woods and found a really neat rotting bit of oak that had nice little nooks to perfectly fit a few tendrils of ivy, and i am hoping they like their new home and make me proud.
there's a little bit of orchid/bromeliad stuffed in the end too, but i'm not sure it is alive.
the first thing: terrariums. (yes, that is grammatically correct.) oh. my. word. they are addictive! i realized that because my office has no windows, and less because i work in forestry, i definitely need some plants in my space. but the no-windows thing sort of poses a problem, no? enter MOSS. velvety, otherworldly green, beautiful, beautiful moss. it happens to love shade. so i found a nice little DIY kit on etsy and ordered it for myself. i have a slight obsession with containers--boxes, jars, bottles, etc--so i happened to have a stash of suitable terrarium enclosures on hand... then i went outside into the woods and gathered up rocks, lichen/mushroom-covered branches, and forest trinkets, and last night i assembled it all together into the most amazing, wonderful, dreamy little ecosystems i have ever seen. i am in love. i just want to stare at the moss and shrink myself so i can live inside the jars and roll around on it. (incidentally, i am positive i was a dryad in a previous lifetime...) here's a few pics, but trust me when i tell you they do NOT do justice to these magnificent specimens.
jar (above and below) is about 10" diameter - big!
i thought the quartz was a nice touch
the mini. it has a little stick with lichen growing on it :)next, and quite clearly related, is plants. every now and then i get really gung-ho about plants. i love them all the time, but sometimes i want to surround myself with them more than others. right now, when i think about my office, i imagine lots of plants. (sort of related: today i was reading a blog about how to "zen" your office, and it was very big on removing clutter, photos, art, etc to create a very bare japanese-style atmosphere, and as much as a clutter-free space appeals to me, i just kept thinking "well... no." i'm going for cozy and personality-infused, which for me is a somewhat eclectic and a lot whimsical. i have plans to buy 6 amazing prints from an etsy artist, as well as showcasing at least one of matt's pieces and sporting pics of the kids on my desk. take that, zen!) so i did some research on low-light/indoor happy plants, and found that my favorite little creeper ivy, hedera helix, is a very indoor-friendly plant. then i realized i was going to have to pay a silly amount of money for one, so i immediately vowed that my budget for non-moss plants is $0. and promptly scored some for free thanks to my mom's keen powers of observation and willingness to borrow ("propagate") local landscaping. she also shared a few other plants with me, some pothos and a rose cactus. i dug around in the woods and found a really neat rotting bit of oak that had nice little nooks to perfectly fit a few tendrils of ivy, and i am hoping they like their new home and make me proud.
there's a little bit of orchid/bromeliad stuffed in the end too, but i'm not sure it is alive.then come the hair revisions. i haven't mentioned this, but ever since the last cut (back in june?) i have been editing my hair without the aid of a stylist or other helper. i used to DIY hair the last time i kept it short, but that was over 5 years ago... i thought i was going to be a normal person and just make regular salon trips these days, but apparently not. so i've had a "new" haircut about once a week, making little changes and playing with the style. tonight, after a very specific inspiration, i took up the scissors in a more serious way than i have previously, and i am in love with the results. i've been toying with the prospect of a pixie cut f o r e v e r but was always a little bit hesitant, so i found myself obsessing over finding the exactly perfect cut before i would commit... which really only lead to folders-worth of pics of hairstyles clogging my computer. i stare at them, and none of them are just right, so i keep looking and wasting my time. well, as ridiculous as it is to admit this, i found my perfect hair while half-watching tv at my parents' house today: dinner for schmucks. stephanie szostak. yes! so i grabbed the scissors and here we are.
thank you, thinning shears! i don't hate you after all.
i actually cut the fringe a tad bit shorter after i took these pics.
yes, i know it's crooked. that was intentional.
did i mention that since my natural color has grown out, i've found grays?! more than i expected to see. but they seem to be... gathering... mostly in one spot near my temple/part line, so it's actually pretty cute. i have a shiny streak beginning! having short hair makes me almost want to play with dye again, but i am kind of really enjoying my natural color, grays and all. i forgot how multi-tonal and highlight-prone my hair is. anyway.
my now-ex-boss took the news pretty well. i was so afraid to read his email that i made a coworker do it first, but it basically just said 'wow that sucks but you're great and that's life' so i guess it could have been worse. i haven't actually seen him yet, though, so i am sure my guilt will have a resurgence when that happens. the good news is i will be done with the major/difficult stuff before i go, so the next person should have it pretty easy. fucker. ha.
on to the children. our new nanny seems to be a great fit, so that's a relief. i hope her kids are ok with the transition; we're taking it slow at first, but it is still a lot to adjust to a new environment and new interactions. liam has been trying very hard to say several words (kai, shoe, poop, dog, ball) and he now has 8 teeth, all of a sudden. he really does think he can swim, which is both amusing and alarming at the same time (because he can't, but tries anyway). rowan is doing fantastically well with the potty; we've progressed to pooping in it now. she only has accidents if she is tired or trying to piss me off. i don't think i mentioned rowan's first pony ride was two weeks ago... she was so into it! no fear whatsoever and she did great with balance and all that. (i may not ever have mentioned this, what with all the pregnancy and babies and whatnot, but i have been riding horses since i was 4 or 5 and got my own at age 12... it was the best thing ever. i've decided that as soon as rowan is old enough to clean a stall, she can have a pony.) of course liam was jealous and excited over the whole situation, so i let him pet one of the horses, which he kept loudly proclaiming was a "cat." haha.
so freaking cute!
and here's a pic of liam in the interest of balance:
that was a bitch to wash off
thank you, thinning shears! i don't hate you after all.
i actually cut the fringe a tad bit shorter after i took these pics.
yes, i know it's crooked. that was intentional.did i mention that since my natural color has grown out, i've found grays?! more than i expected to see. but they seem to be... gathering... mostly in one spot near my temple/part line, so it's actually pretty cute. i have a shiny streak beginning! having short hair makes me almost want to play with dye again, but i am kind of really enjoying my natural color, grays and all. i forgot how multi-tonal and highlight-prone my hair is. anyway.
my now-ex-boss took the news pretty well. i was so afraid to read his email that i made a coworker do it first, but it basically just said 'wow that sucks but you're great and that's life' so i guess it could have been worse. i haven't actually seen him yet, though, so i am sure my guilt will have a resurgence when that happens. the good news is i will be done with the major/difficult stuff before i go, so the next person should have it pretty easy. fucker. ha.
on to the children. our new nanny seems to be a great fit, so that's a relief. i hope her kids are ok with the transition; we're taking it slow at first, but it is still a lot to adjust to a new environment and new interactions. liam has been trying very hard to say several words (kai, shoe, poop, dog, ball) and he now has 8 teeth, all of a sudden. he really does think he can swim, which is both amusing and alarming at the same time (because he can't, but tries anyway). rowan is doing fantastically well with the potty; we've progressed to pooping in it now. she only has accidents if she is tired or trying to piss me off. i don't think i mentioned rowan's first pony ride was two weeks ago... she was so into it! no fear whatsoever and she did great with balance and all that. (i may not ever have mentioned this, what with all the pregnancy and babies and whatnot, but i have been riding horses since i was 4 or 5 and got my own at age 12... it was the best thing ever. i've decided that as soon as rowan is old enough to clean a stall, she can have a pony.) of course liam was jealous and excited over the whole situation, so i let him pet one of the horses, which he kept loudly proclaiming was a "cat." haha.
so freaking cute!and here's a pic of liam in the interest of balance:
that was a bitch to wash off
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