John Derian and Grandma Weasley and My Indoor Garden : Gallery Wall With Vintage Flea-Market Style Paintings

April 16, 2018April 16, 2018 Elizabeth Harrell12 Comments

Fayez and I had a couple of “just us” days this past week, and on a beautiful 80 degree Saturday we went into New York. It had been a while since I ventured in, and it was just as I remembered. All the crowds, smells, and sights were still there. Although now, after living in the burbs of New Jersey for almost a year, I have a hard time fathoming how we survived that level of daily noise and chaos. I feel very sentimental about our Queens neighborhood at times, but on the whole I’m very happy to have left that daily craziness behind.

Mission: Make Spring Happen By Sheer Will, a Bud Vase, and Some Paint

April 5, 2018April 4, 2018 Elizabeth Harrell2 Comments

Today we drove to Home Depot in sleet, bought cornflower blue paint, drank coffee, and sent spring vibes out into the universe. It’s clear that New Jersey has no intention of letting flowers bloom and doves coo. There is even more snow in the forecast. But I have strategies. And none of them involve crying.

The Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Sinus Infection

March 28, 2018 Elizabeth Harrell10 Comments

My cheerful kid who never gets sick got super sick last week.

And while most people get cranky when sick, she tries to stay cheerful, but also gets kind of slap happy. From fever? From boredom? From pain? I don’t know. But what I do know is that when we entered the doctor’s office and I said “don’t touch anything” my normally mature six year old heard my instructions through her feverish ears and decided that since I didn’t say “don’t lick anything” she was good to go on sampling the taste of her waiting room chair.

There She Blows, Again: Nor’Easter Numero Quatro and the Time I Tried to Kill Tinkerbell

March 20, 2018March 20, 2018 Elizabeth Harrell2 Comments

*This photo is old as dirt. I no longer have that sweater, or that turquoise bookcase and I think someone should answer for that. And by someone, I mean me, because I sold them and that was dumb.

Mother Nature is a sadistic broad.

Black Cats and Hand Slaps: Thrift Shopping

March 19, 2018March 19, 2018 Elizabeth Harrell4 Comments

After several years of thrifting hiatus, I’m back. But two years of apartment living in New York taught me several things.