to be mailed

Old photo test strips, loose leaf tea put into little cheesecloth satchels, and many unpictured treasures—don't want to spoil the surprise!—packaged up and sent to a few penpals today. Each one is a little different, but I hope to be more prompt and personal in the future.

My friend Hermine now has an entire site dedicated to these little treats: Journal de Jours - Letter Project.

tremble

I woke up early today, put my hair in a high bun, and conquered quite the to-do list. I've started taking walks on my lunch break now that the weather is so beautiful. It's silly how the most simple things are so peaceful and calming. I watch the people, and the lake, and the leaves trembling above my head.

Oh, tremble—the most beautiful of beautiful words.

home

Leaving home to go home is never a bother. I'm not sure which days are more perfect: days like yesterday, or days spent without shoes, taking trips out to the barn with my family, seeing old friends, and kissing my one-year-old nephew and his seven-tooth smile. The best part is that I don't have to decide—I get both.

Lucky.

returned

I traveled to Missouri this weekend and returned back to Chicago this morning. It was a 12-hour bus trip next to a sleepy older lady who kept falling asleep on my shoulder. Cute? Annoying? I couldn't decide.

Anyway, I went straight to work for an incredibly productive few hours, then home, where Sam met me with lunch and some lilies he picked up at the farmers market. We went on a walk, bought some records, a used book, and had coffees at a cafe. I'm beginning to say goodbye to my apartment and—although not as young and "hip"—looking forward to a quieter neighborhood, where I wake to birds, sleep to cicadas, and spend more time with the boy who buys me lattes and lilies.

(Perhaps the cicadas are an exaggeration, but even faint sirens and drunks will be better than my current apartment above a popular bar—although it definitely has its beauty and perks.)

a very pleasant surprise

I haven't been spending much time at home lately. So, I was very pleasantly surprised to find that a pumpkin seedling pushed its way through the soil I planted it in two weeks ago. The seed made it across the Atlantic, from Hermine in Belgium, and now it's sprouting on my balcony. I just can't believe it.

(I'm soon to be without a deck—can I grow a pumpkin indoors? I'll Google it.)

doughnut vault

Molly and I got up early this morning and waited in line for over an hour at the Doughnut Vault. During that wait, the idea of halving one turned into thoughts of splitting two, and then the decision to share three orders (which actually consisted of five doughnuts—buttermilk old fashioned, gingerbread stack, pistachio glazed) and two one-dollar coffees. Whew! But we walked miles, visited the farmers market, and nursed those babies all day. Calories excused.

summer white

Summer is here: a coconut and lime macaroon, my white wide-legged jumpsuit on the bus, and an interesting landscaped façade Sam and I came across on a walk. We have an old "fashion rule" in The States that requires you not to wear white before Memorial Day (last weekend of May) or after Labor Day (first Monday of September). I usually don't give those things any mind, but I felt reluctant to put this on until last weekend. Do you have any silly rules like this where you live?

refinery 29

Tehe, just thought I'd share this with you folks. You can find me on Refinery 29 and the Chicago Street Style blog. Let's keep it our little secret that I wore this dress the day before (and slept in it!).

Photo by Amy Creyer.