this Rena Tom jewelry makes me want to do some more beading (actually it makes me want to buy it, but since I don't have any money it makes me want to bead)

Here's a shot of how the kitchen looks now, it turned out awesome and I love it. Incredibly talented contractor-friends took out the walls, did electrical, and installed the peninsula and sink. I tiled the counters and backsplash and helped paint. My Love did the floors in the whole joint and painted a bunch. My roommate jumped in whenever we got in trouble. Kim convinced me to stop being so stubborn and Jaya loaned me his truck for dump runs. Thanks everyone!

I need to figure out how to do a slideshow of all the before and after stuff.

My idea of a perfect Monday night:

1. Double up at the gym with step class followed by yoga with favorite teachers.
2. Thai leftovers reheated with love.
3. Margarita on the rocks with salt.
4. Extreme faux drunkenness brought on by a single margarita after the gym.
5. Long massage including hand and scalp massages.
6. Make out until you fall asleep.

coconut cake sounds really good, huh?

guess what I'm buying for my current summer music conundrum:

one which people will listen to while they fall in love with each other, and then the world will onced again be a sugary dark place shot through with jungle-green rings of light in unlikely places.

I'm looking for something pretty and dreamy, but not sad. Let me know if you have any ideas.

so far the Citron looks sort of modern creepy in the kitchen. We still have the tape up and everything a mess so I guess it could look good when everything's tidy. Also it is still very cloudy today so the light is not helping. I got semi gloss since it's a kitchen but the shininess makes it look bad. I might get a white glaze and wash it over to mute the color and the moderness. I like clean lines but this looks like Germany in the 90's gone wrong. Something about it looks a little gorey. You know what it looks like? that slime/gak crap on Nickelodeon.

It is raining today in June: ridiculous. Tonight we will paint the kitchen Behr Citron, I'm going for sort of a Florida/garden room look with all the white tile and silver metal. This weekend I will have my first brunch party for which I will have to get some chairs for people to sit on.

summer makes you feel good!

There's a nice thread on Apartment Therapy about Method cleansers and it gets into using Dr. Bronners which I have a big jug of the peppermint kind. I want to use it in the shower but find it very drying. Does anyone have a special way of mixing it with oil or something to get the tingle without losing all the moisture in your skin?

Tia posted this info about using it as a spray cleaner:

My favorite all-purpose spray... reuse a spray bottle, add a squirt of Dr. Bronners, 10 drops each of lavender, tea tree, and coriander EO, and fill to the top with water. Cleans, disinfects, smells great!

What is the difference between "clean" and "cleanse"?

Over the long weekend I had a little time to get my final plantings done for the season. All of the plants I've ordered are in the ground so that's good and I think I only lost two due to delay but I planted them anyway (the clematis Ramona and the President). Due to the craziness with the front yard and the house I have about 20 seed packets that I never planted and now I feel like it's too late. I might still try the sunflowers though.

The house is coming together again and I feel like I can breathe. Sabine is acting sort of like a normal cat which is a good sign for a variety of reasons. We are squashing some new dressers and definitely a new computer into my little house, but I must say it's nice. I am told my back porch is the perfect spot for playing Dungeons and Dragons. Here's our newest addition.