Vintage Curtains

I am simply in love with the "new" curtains in my room. After I had painted, my bedroom looked so bare. And with my old curtains looking horrible against my new wall color, I opted to just leave them bare until I came across something good.

Luckily, family intervened.

My mom happened to be up in the attic one day when I heard her calling me. She came down the rickety wooden ladder with her arms full of adorable blue and green curtains that she said belonged to my grandma-in-heaven (as she likes to call her)(who used to live in this house and had since passed away). Even my mom had never even seen them before--she just happened upon them. And they just happened to go wonderfully with my new-and-improved room.



Aren't they beautiful? I love having something that has real meaning to it, not just something I found on the clearance shelf at Target (mind you, I'm not bashing Target--I live for their clearance racks).

Thanks, Grandma-in-Heaven.

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A Dapple of My Weekend

My weekend consisted of drinking cocktails and wine with my mom, Lauren's graduation party and pony rides, my dad's birthday, and cuddling with Stella.

I'm so glad for the nicER weather.

How was your weekend?

Mary's Purse Vs. Ruth's Purse

These are the contents of nine-year-old Mary's purse:

Rachel's business card, chocolate chip cookie lip balm, two bracelets, a hair clip, a beaded elephant keychain from South Africa, a water bottle, her doll, a kitty and blanket, a pocket watch, a wooden whistle with the tag sale sticker still on it, her bag of money, a lollipop, and her "cell phone."

And these are the contents of mine:


Two planners, a popper, a barrette, Burt's Bees lip balm, To The Lighthouse, cosmetic bag, my camera, my cell phone, my wallet, tissues, Altoids, keys, and my half-broken iPod.


I just thought the comparison was interesting. And slightly comical.

Naturally Nina + Ruth Writes

I completely forgot to announce this weeks ago--I've become a sponsor on Naturally Nina!

Nina's blog, www.naturallynina.com, is one of my favorites--she's a beautiful writer, keeps it light and positive, and posts gorgeous photos found on Flickr. Check her out!

And notice my Ruth Writes logo in the left sidebar!

(Photo via Soda O. It has nothing to do with this post. I just liked it.)

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Forever a Babysitter

I actually prefer the term "nanny." Does that make me sound less like a sixteen-year-old girl who puts the kids to bed right away while she watches TV and calls up boys to come over as soon as the parents leave?

Cause I don't do that. Not really.

Today was my second day of my second job. I've started nannying for the kids next door, like I did two summers ago. Except this time I'm also watching their three cousins occasionally. Let me tell you, watching five kids between the ages of nine and one is a breeze compared to eight one-year-olds at daycare. A BREEZE, I TELL YOU.

It was kind of fun, actually. Besides that time I had to pry the five-year-old's fingers off the ride-on car so he could let the baby have a turn and find a way to make him stop screaming so the neighborhood watch program wouldn't come citizen's arrest me or something. And besides that time I brought them to swimming lessons and kept encountering chatty super-moms asking me, "So, which ones are yours?" as they burped babies and screened calls on their Blackberries and cheered for their kids as they blew bubbles in the water.

I'm really selling this job, huh?



It's actually not as bad as I'm making it out to be. I rather enjoyed loading the baby in the stroller and setting my phone in the cute little cupholder and watching the other kids ride on ahead on their scooters as we walked down the cul-de-sac to the bus stop. Yeah, I felt really mom-ish and it kind of freaked me out, but it was still fun.

Anything beats changing poopy diaper after poopy diaper until all eight kids are clean, and breaking the news to parents that their precious little angel was bitten by someone else's precious little angel and it left marks that'll probably scar. But hey, I'm Super-Babysitter (or Super-Nanny, but that's already a show and I really can't compare myself with Jo Frost)--I can handle anything.



Upstairs in M.'s room, I came across one of her Nintendo DS games this morning. I couldn't help but laugh out loud and read the back of it. It was called "imagine: Babysitters." Literally, that's what it was called. The back said things like, "Feed, bathe, and change the cutest babies to earn your dream job in a nursery!" When I was a little girl, I'd be all over that. And now I'm a real babysitter. A nanny, even. Go figure.



It's gonna be a fun summer. Kids, kids, and more kids. I can't wait till I don't have to watch someone else's kids. Ever again.

Note: The first picture is a plaque D. has hanging in her dining room. I think it's very wise, don't you?

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I'm Obsessed

Monday Kick in the Pants

My Monday kick in the pants just happens to be synonymous with My Creative Fling's!

I went to my first real yoga class tonight. I loved it. I can't wait to go back.

This is what I've been missing!

The cute old woman named Beth, the shoes lined up at the door, the jasmine eye masks, the Sanskrit letters flickering on the wall, (the student discount--shh!), the calming music--it was wonderful.

Future dream job number three-hundred-and-forty-seven: yoga instructor.

Namaste.


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(Photo via intellectuallysound)

A Dapple of My Weekend

Note: the photo that appears to be random bags of garbage lined up on a picnic table are, in fact, not--they're cans and bottles of proof, to you and to me, that I really am trying to recycle :)

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Strawberry Picking

My favorite time of year . . .

In case you didn't know . . . from Ruth Writes on Vimeo.

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Old-Clothes-Only Decree: Week Four

You know, this is really going fabulously. Who knew it'd be so easy to just not buy new clothes? Okay, well I guess it's not really a walk in the park (did I just use a cliche?) but it's not the worst thing I've ever come up with, either.

Think of all the money I'm saving! Think of how many times I've deleted the "Hurry in for 20% off everything in the store!" emails from Gap! Think of all the clothes I would usually have bought and then let sit in my closet because they looked humongously worse than in the dressing room and I'm too forgetful to return them! Think of the environment! The madness!

(However, this week I did purchase an adorable night-dress and a bra. I think those are allowed, right? I really couldn't buy a used bra, I have to draw the line somewhere . . . )

And to top off this one-month-marker, I found a new consignment store! It's just ten minutes from my house and has the greatest stuff. I happened to drive by it and decided to stop in just for a peek, even though I had yogurt in the back seat boiling in the heat of the car. But a new find! I had to go in!

Turns out, it was their very first day open. I think they were really excited to have another customer that afternoon (I was the only one in there). It was a bunch of cute old ladies putting a manequin wearing "PJs and a housecoat" in the window and figuring out how to work the cash register. I found amazing things and can't wait to go back (and I can bring in all my stuff the other store didn't take!). Here's a sampling of what I got:

Vintage skirt, summer sweater, and purse--all for less than $20:

(Note: The skirt has pockets. And it is high-waisted. You really can't go wrong.)

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Happy Birthday, James

Happy 19th, (little) brother! Yes, this is three days late. Do you even read this blog? Are you too busy in your college-freshman-apartment experimenting with alcohol and hard drugs? Maybe.

I know you know I have a blog . . . I will get you to read this!





Love you, Jamesie. Even if you no longer come up to my nose.

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Dance Loves

I've been watching a lot of So You Think You Can Dance. So I needed to share with you my very favorite routine from Season Two:



And my newest favorite, just from last night:



I am in love.

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Words of Wisdom

I told Mary today about Joe and me. Mary is an extremely sensitive nine-year-old. She takes a liking to anyone who sets foot in the house, whether she knows them or not, and practically takes it as a personal offense if they somehow stray out of her life.

This is what she said, exasperatedly, as if she had really thought this through:

"Why, Ruth? I hate break ups. Why--why do people choose to do this?! Why would you ever want to break up with him? I never want a break up. Anyway, will he be coming over to the house to visit your cat anymore? Aren't you guys still best friends? I have some friends that are boys. Like Alex--we play together at recess, with Thalia and Fiona and Anna. This one time, we were playing human dominos . . . "

And then, in true Mary fashion, she had forgotten all about any talk of break ups and was on to talk of recess games. Why can't I be more like that? Just really hash out my feelings and get it all over with, and then move on to another topic just like that?

Stella Update

Stella's feeling just as down-and-out as I am (and her eyes match my pants).

We were meant to be, us two.