spice girl

dear sweet god. is anyone else drooling over archer farm's pumpkin spice trail mix as much as my mother and i are? do you guys even eat this stuff? it tastes like everything good. it makes me want to roll around in leaves and crochet myself a blanket while simultaneously carving a pumpkin around a bonfire. it's so friggin good. and it's available at your local target.

also: i want to be a graphic designer. those guys seriously amaze me. check out these ridiculous book covers featured on design sponge. i also love these mugs i found linked on design sponge. i think i just love design sponge in general. i'm so glad i made them my homepage. they are so worthy.

new blogs!

new internet people to get attached to!
these pictures were all taken from their respective blogs. from the top:
smile and wave ( cute little family featuring a pregnant crafty mom with beautiful curls)
playing grown up (young couple! they like to have fun! the wife is an english teacher!)
sending postcards (another young couple- they travel a lot)
cute-n-boot (another young couple-i'm sensing a pattern. these guys just seem so down to earth and funny. i want to hang out with them.)
cakies (dear god. adorable little babies and a third one on the way. great pictures. an abundance of cuteness.)
enjoy getting sucked into their lives. i have.

on top hats

i want my future husband to wear one at our wedding. what i want even more is for it to be his idea. i think that's the kind of guy i need. someone who says, 'wouldn't it be great if i wore a top hat?'

(i found the photo on this new blog. super cute and vintage-y. draw!pilgrim may be a new favorite)

you better look out below!

helped make a cardboard kitchen with jimmy yesterday! actually i kind of just sat there and talked to kelsey and brianne and corrie. but we supplied excellent background noise for james! and today i made double chocolate chip cookies! and i did front desk all day at work! which was kind of fun in a nerdy, i-love-human-interaction way that few people really appreciate.

i am so in love with this song right now. david bowie and arcade fire?!?! that's all i ever went. i'm definitely watching labryinth tonight. i found the song on kirsten's tumblr. which is also super love-able and love-worthy. go go go!

happiness is having mondays and fridays off

look at this beautiful schedule. it makes me want to cry. and then i look at that accounting and macroeconomics back to back thing and i want to cry in an entirely different way.

okay grandma

i can tell i'm getting old because every time i see a picture of a new tattoo on facebook and it's in some real obvious place like your arm or something, i can't help but thinking "good luck getting a job with THAT thing." my dad seems to have seeped into my conscience and makes an appearance whenever there's body art invovled. get out of there kevin weigel!

**i actually really like tattoos and piercings for the most part. as long as they're well done and seem to be of some importance to the person, i can appreciate it. i will never be able to appreciate any tattoos involving music notes, hearts, or peace signs. and for the love of god, unless you have some highly marketable skill or are a super genius, put it some place it can be hidden. it's not that hard. and i know people shouldn't judge you blah blah blah but you can climb down off your soapbox because they will. no use arguing. be smart about your self expression there partner.

new hat!

just made muhself a new hat! i rarely knit for myself so i decided to start out this knitting season with a few winter accessories for yours truly. i used the star crossed slouchy beret pattern found on ravelry. i also made myself a sweet little cowl with a heart lace pattern last weekend. i'll post pictures of it later. now it's time for bed and home alone 2. i miss my roomie.

things i've been making

1. placemats, stationary, and napkin rings for my matryoshka swap on craftster
2. peanut butter and egg sandwiches
3. matryoshka zippered pouch for myself (they're just so cute!)
4. curried chicken salad with grapes and celery
5. french onion soup ( i combined the two recipes)

i also made my dorothy dress but have yet to take pictures of it. soon dear readers. soon.

favorite

this was taken at my mom's coworker jimmy's wedding a couple weekends ago. i am in love with my dad's face in it. hilarious.

mom and pop come to play

look who came to visit! i called my mom this morning to tell her anna and liz weren't coming. i was kind of bummed because my mom told me she wanted to visit earlier this week but i already had plans (anna and lzi) and then they fell through and i was disappointed. when i told her they weren't coming, she said she would come down and visit (what a good mom). but she brought mi padre as well! what a wonderful surprise! i love those two. they're fun to hang with. i took them to the mutters museum and we all got grossed out, then we went to plough and the stars in old city for irish soda bread with kerrygold butter. i also got a sirloin steak with blue cheese butter and mashed potatoes and i split a bailey's creme brulee for dessert. sooooooo goood. i also had the same waitress from before. which was odd. she definitely recognized me. on the way back to the car we got caught in the POURING rain and all ended up soaked. we only had one umbrella for the three of us and my dad and i gave up pretty quick and just sprinted through the rain.

i love my parents. i'm so glad they came to visit.

i'm really sorry stephen

(but your bicycle's been stolen.)

dear sweet holy mother of god.
brianne convinced me to ride my bike with her down to south philly yesterday so we could take her dog for a walk. four miles there and four miles back. i am so ridiculously out of shape. i got called a dumbass several times by passing drivers. we i finally got back home i felt like i wanted to die.

i love my car exponentially more now.

my butt and thighs are so sore.

murray, i love you. but i think we need to have a short-distance relationship. where i only ride you short distances. on incredibly flat or downhill terrain. that would be nice.

keep on keepin' on

i've been crafting the past few days and it feels good. i love my machine. hums just enough to shake the bad thoughts out, even if it's only temporary. i need to find some more hobbies. keep improving myself and becoming the person i want to be. not worrying about things beyond my control. like people. other people are wayyyy beyond my control.

i rode my bike eight miles today! it was absolutely exhausting. i think i should take this mono thing a little bit more seriously. i also ate ten vanilla tootsie rolls for dinner. finished it off with two brownies. it was all necessary. i'm in such a funk. all for known, explainable reasons.

i just need to get up offa dat thing and shake until i feel better.

workalicious

but not really.

my eyelids are getting verrryyyyyy heavy. i seriously think i'm going to fall asleep. at this desk. the front desk. in the front of the studio. just pass out. drool on the keyboard. let the phone ring.

the best part about this job is that it constantly reminds me to never ever ever get a 9-5 office job. it's very motivational. i must work harder so i never have to do this again! i just keep repeating it to myself.

i want stir-fry and a nap.

oh my heart i

(would clap and dance in place.)

i love these boys.
everything's better (when we're together.)

longer post tomorrow. i promise.

if you got a fever then i got your prescription

so apparently i have mono. the nurse was super dramatic about it too. she gave me a bunch of little packets of medicine and i'm already stocked on cough drops. honestly, i don't really feel that sick. i mean, i feel sick- runny nose, cough, tired- but not mono sick. mono sick is like when you pass out for weeks on end and don't eat anything and pretty much go into hibernation. hopefully i get over it quickly because i got stuff to do! after i found out i had mono, i walked around with julie and mary in the freezing ran with no umbrella and my thin canvas sneakers on which got soaked in search of the glorious, yet illusive cupcake truck. we didn't find it and i was hella bummed. but when i got back to my apartment i was greeted with fresh brownies courtsey of miss gibson and card-making with corrie and watching the princess bride (which is a great rainy-day movie). it made everything much much better. i put on my big boithe sweatshirt and wrote my paper and ate leftover casserole and i'm nice and cozy. yes yes yes! shannon is coming to visit a friend this weekend so i'm going to get dinner with her on saturday night. it'll be nice to catch up. we used to be so close and now i haven't talked to her in ages. it's weird how that happens. a person who knows you so well and is a major part of your life just becomes a stranger. it'll be nice to see her again.

also: the title of this post is a reference to this song. (the video was made by my very talented friend abby wheeler. super incredible.) and this band is so much fun live! reminds me of lpyc circa 10th/11th grade.

with your shoulders in the mirror

this is one of my favorite songs to drive to. it's really good to drive to on 39 or the road to saturday's market. minimal stoplights, speed limit around 45. i like driving by myself, with this song playing, and the window down so i can stick my hand out. doesn't necessarily matter the season (though grass is preferable) but there definitely needs to be sun.

the apple doesn't fall far from the tree

i always love when people tell me i'm just like my mom. and i really do think i pick up more of her personality attributes as i get older. for example, i have these ridiculous urges to bake recently. my mom is a crazy baker-lady and growing up around it must have triggered something in brain. i just always feel the need to have some baked good on hand. i love finding new recipes and sorting through food blogs and magazines- in fact, i think it may be my new favorite way to waste time. i used some bananas i had lying around that were too mushy to eat to make some ridiculously good banana bread. i also made some delicious tuna noodle casserole that really made me miss my mom. that was one of the foods in our house that only the two of us would eat. and it's so good. i think i'm going to ask for recipes from all my family members this year. i have so many memories connected with food and making things/eating certain things really triggers that. it's nice to know that as i get older i can make food that were just ordinary, every day dinners for my family but have so much more meaning to me as an adult.

btw: two new food blogs i'm digging on are here and here.

is the sound okay?

those girls are bad influences. especially the tall one. it was an utterly embarrassing and memorable weekend. which is exactly what i was expecting.

my anna

i get to see her this weekend! much merriment shall ensue! going to see my tallest friend with my shortest friend in tow! the old and the new combined! wigs and liquor for all!

you ask for nothing, why don't you share it?

i'm in love with this song right now. the bass kills me. i'm also really missing summer and my 717-ers.

oh dear sweet crepe truck

you are so unbelievably good. and all of your employees are incredibly efficent. i like it when you're sweet and when you're savory. and you weren't lying about that zesty feta spread. it was zesty indeed. i wish i could eat at you every day.
love forever,
caitlin

my little brother brings my best friends together

drew came to visit this weekend! keiran, jimmy, and beth also had younger siblings visiting and we took them on many an adventure around the city of brotherly love. on friday we went to first friday then rented primal fear (seriously. so good. i can't stop talking about it.) then on saturday we went to eastern state penitentary (which drew loved- nerd.), got cheesesteaks at pat's, walked through the italian market, got phileo yogurt on south street, went to dee's office-themed party, saw some bands play at another party, then ended the night on a new friend's roof with beautiful views of north philly. i think drew had a lot of fun. i had a lot of fun having him here. i feel really lucky to get along with my brother so well. someone made the comment this weekend that we have the same sense of humor. i definitely think that's true. we were both brought up the same way, on the same stuff so it makes sense. i'm glad i have someone to share those experiences with. i hope it stays like this as we get older. and he is getting older- driving now! so tall! and so serious! he's such a good kid. i hope everything works out for him. i love my little brother.