December 12, 2014 by gn0mel0ver

Searching For…

Most of the folks who stumble upon my blog by way of searching Google usually do so by looking for a certain dress or top. Typically they want information on a brand or article of clothing. Sometimes I will see someone looking at my blog through a search question and I want to scream the answer to them, because I know they will not find it on the post they are viewing. Like yesterday when someone searched, “Can I wear Johnny Was over 55?” YES! Of course! Please do so! You will look fabulous. It is like that dream where you cannot speak. In the meantime, they silently move along. Still searching for the answer. Never knowing that I am miming it to them through the internet. Isn’t that how it works?

But other search terms, well, I really am not at all sure how or why the search engine sent their quest to my blog. But I do get a chuckle from it. I have all ready mentioned in this post a weird search engine term that frequently sends folks to this blog. But I thought it would be fun to share a few others. The Bloggess shares hers every so often and before that, Pioneer Woman shared hers. And before Pioneer Woman… Well, who remembers? Anyway, those search engine posts on different blogs are always some of my favorites. I wrote some of my search terms down exactly as they were searched, typos and all. The italics are my thoughts on them:

I have a lover my husband is to small
(are we talking gnome size or imp? I draw the line at gnomes. I would hate to have to fetch him from the junk drawer)

How do i show my mil i love and appreciate about her

Why is my maah lumpy and sloppy?
(So many questions. Not enough towels)

Son smelling mom dress
(is it because maah is lumpy and sloppy?)

Dream of getting three hamburgers

No wonder everyone always wants to go to grandma’s house
(no wonder, indeed. She must feed you three hamburgers)

Big toe lover .com
(I have no words, and apparently not big enough toes)

I am comin gnome accross spiders too much, what does this indicate?

Think my diy finds me too needy
(I believe you. Are you hammering into him? Drilling him about his whereabouts? You should paint him a different picture)

How to deflect a curse
(I am still working on that. Did you talk to that telemarketer, too?)

You met a fairy in your dreams and gave a gift
(was it three hamburgers?)

Dream dictionary tattoo on forehead
(that would be an odd looking tattoo)

Lovely name on vest for lovers

Yogurt in dream, dreamology
(I have met your unhealthier soulmate somewhere on this blog)

Trader joes croissants didn’t proof
(next you’re going to say they didn’t rhombus either)

Contain of fair & lovely pig
(I would love to be offended that this search brought you here, but the first two descriptions are nice, so I’ll take it)

What goes with roosters on a mantle
(um, what doesn’t go with roosters on a mantle? Needy DIY is that you?)

Gnome as a manicurist
(see big toe lover dot com)

Gnome Lover Height
(I’ll tell ya, but not if you are looking for a lover because your husband is to small: 5’6″)

If you have a blog have you checked it recently for funny search terms? I find the best time to do so is right before midnight. The best search terms seem to be at night, when people are dreaming about hamburgers… And sloppy maahs. Hopefully not together.

September 11, 2014 by gn0mel0ver

Embroidered Happiness

Vineet Bahl is one of my favorite designers. His Kantha Dresses he designed for Anthropologie a few years ago are my most treasured items in my closet (previous outfit post can be found here).

I stalked The Vine Beaded Maxi Dress (now sold out) for many months until it finally went on sale with an extra percentage off.

I love the polka dot pattern mixed with the really neat bohemian neckline.

I feel all of my thirty seven years in this dress. I like that it is more mature and the length is perfect.

I kept the accessories simple. With the intricate neckline all ready so busy, I just paired the dress with some earrings from World Market (old). You cannot really see my shoes but they are Indian sandals from a trip to Maui two years ago.

The dress comes lined and I very much appreciate that. Especially since I have a tendency for odd poses.

I love the way Jessica wore it on What I Wore. In fact, after seeing it on her many months ago, I began lusting after the dress even more.

Do you ever see an item of clothing on someone else and want it even more? What is the longest you have waited for an item to hit sale? I think the River Fade Dress might be it for me. I finally got it at the end of August, after waiting since January for it to hit sale.

*Everything I am wearing is sold out. Sorry about that. If I can find a similar item, I will link to it. But I will never put in a link for the sake of simply getting clicks. I do not want to waste your time. I could not find something similar enough to link to that I felt was worthy of a link. I have seen the dress selling on eBay for a bit more than what I paid (I paid $104). I took a size small in the dress.

August 23, 2014 by gn0mel0ver

It’s The Little Things: Sporcle

Because it is Saturday. Because we all have laundry to do. Things to do. Let’s play a game instead! There is nothing like procrastination.

I started playing on the website, Sporcle, two years ago. Actually, two years ago, I exclusively played only one of their games. It was “Name The Countries Of The World.” I performed pitifully the first time, but ~~after dedicating every last brain cell to the task~~ eventually I was able to name them all in the time frame (I have been slacking and the last time I played I failed miserably). It is a great teaching tool, too. The site has many name-the-state-capital-quizzes. This is fantastic for children or for adults who, ahem, tend to forget things taught to them in the third grade. This is different than lessons purposefully forgotten, like sharing. I never had much use for that one.

The quiz I play the most often is the one below. I apologize for its too large size. There is not a quiz on the site to teach one computer coding skills. If you are on a tablet or smart phone, you can turn the screen sideways and it will fit. You can actually play that one below.

It is an entirely unnecessary quiz for a writer. The words are not likely to ever be forgotten, so there really is no need to practice them. However, it is more of a memory game at this point. I have to get all one hundred words each time I play. Sometimes I can only remember ninety eight. I slap myself with my Anthropologie receipts when that happens.

I also am a huge fan of anagrams. I have a good friend who I have flown on an airplane with a few times. We like to do puzzles on the airplane together. That actually is one of my favorite parts of the trip. We keep saying that we will get together to do puzzles without travel one day, but that never happens. We play anagram scrambles. There are a few on Sporcle that I like. Of course, those are one time play games. Once you know the answer to those, it is not really necessary to play it again.

Their baby name quizzes are fun, too. Although I am terrible at those. I am also horrible at most of Sporcle’s movie and television quizzes.

It’s The Little Things: Wasting some time while still getting your learn on (based upon this sentence, I still have a long way to go).

Have you ever played on Sporcle? What are your favorite quizzes? Do you challenge yourself?

July 20, 2014 by gn0mel0ver

Ginette Callaway: Landscapes

I love art. I like my walls to be crammed full of pretty things to look at. It is important to me. I think a home should be filled with the essence of the people who reside there. It should shout or whisper whatever emotion you are trying to convey. I hope our house screams, “FUN!”

Besides my children’s paintings, I have more paintings by Ginette Callaway than anyone else in my home. I love her impressionistic style and the bright colors that she uses. I have been collecting her art for well over ten years. Last time I shared my bird paintings by her on this blog, including the peacock painting often seen in my outfit posts.

This time I wanted to share some of my landscapes by Ginette.

First there is this beautiful fishing village painting. I love the size of it. I am currently rearranging the art in my house. This is how the art is arranged above our bookcases in our living room right now. She also painted the butterfly on the left.

There is my incredibly fun painting by Ginette of an underwater fish scene.

Miniature paintings are my favorite. This little guy is small and pretty. It depicts a small home in the Bahamas. Man, I would love to go there right now!

And this painting is even smaller. I told you, I love small paintings. This is a lovely quaint city scene.

You can find Ginette Callaway on her website. And she sells her art on her Etsy store.

Do you have art in your home? What is your favorite item on your walls? What would you want your home to say about you?