Turn Left

There's this path type thing, sort of in the woods, that borders a whole big ton of acres of land that, to the best of my understanding, is fenced off for military training purposes. But it's a big piece of land with walking/running/biking trails bordering it, and I like to go wandering some days. On clear mornings, you can see all the way to London, and it's pretty beautiful. Not to mention, it's where Millie (the dog) goes for her walk every day.

So I usually get to this path type thing, and turn right. And then it does a sort of loop, and sometimes I wander off on another trail that goes into the woods more, and then circle back around and eventually end up on my way back to the house.

But today I turned left.

And boy oh boy, and I glad I turned left today. What a way to end the week.

Antiques, Cakes, and Pleats

Antiques - need  I say more? This past Sunday, after church, the hubs and I had a little adventure in what I'm now referring to as the Hogwarts of antique stores. Seriously, this place looks like a little old mill house from the outside, but when you get inside, the tiny rooms jam-packed with antiquated delights just keep going... and going... and going... and going. And going. After what seemed like the fifth floor of exploring, I turned to head downstairs, only to find that the staircase lead up to yet another floor of treasures. If you're anywhere near me over here in England, Bourne Mill Antiques in Farnham is totally worth a trip. I cannot emphasize that enough. And it's not hoity-toity antiques, either. Once we're moved into our new place, I'm going to be using finds from there to decorate our new abode at every opportunity.

On a completely unrelated note, I've been in the mood to bake things lately. It kind of sucks, because I can't eat what I'm cooking (the woes of the gluten-free life), but I suppose my waistline will thank me. That being said, it didn't stop me from concocting this vanilla cake with tangerine buttercream. If you like dense, moist cake and bright, sweet citrus, you'll probably fall head over heels. I know, I know, where's the recipe... I'll be popping it up on Street Cred as soon as I get a chance.

So yesterday I had to do a little sewing - put a button on Steve's coat, fix the hemline on my mother-in-law's skirt. But once I get into the sewing mood, there's no stopping me. Out came the vintage collection and the alterations began. This pleated teal early-1970's Leslie Fay dress is a favorite, but it needed a few nips and tucks before it was wardrobe ready. I love snatching up old Leslie Fay dresses in thrift stores whenever I can; my grandmother worked in their dressmaking factory, and it makes me wonder if maybe she had a hand in the making some of the dresses in my own collection (as if I needed a reason to have more emotional attachment to my vintage stash).

I'm really itching to go thrifting lately. I still can't get over the lack of true thrift stores in the UK - these charity shops just will not do. I want my massive warehouse of old stuff that I can browse through for hours, seeking out those gems that make it all worthwhile. It's a bit of a downer that I can't enjoy it as much as I used to, but I'm sure to get my fill (and bring an extra suitcase full back) next time I'm in the States.

*Apology for the blurry photos. I only had my phone on me in the antiques shop, and the dim lighting did not help!*

Rainy Day To-Do List

Yellow flowers blooming in the middle of winter, in the rain.
Inspiration if there ever was any.

It's a really grey kind of day, the kind of day that makes it absolutely impossible to take an indoor photo, even with extra lighting. So, no recipe post today for Street Cred, as I had planned. Oh well! I have plenty to keep me busy today. The normal housewifey jobs of laundry and cleaning, coupled with planning a trip to Wales this weekend will keep me busy for most of the afternoon.

Why Wales, you ask? Well, I have an appointment in Cardiff this Saturday which pertains to my visa, so we've decided to leave early in the morning and make a day out of it. I've never been to Cardiff before, and being a major capital city, I'm sure there is plenty to see and do (and if you have any suggestions, please leave them in the comments below!).

Some other little bits that I'm catching up on today as well:

Un-following on Bloglovin
I have hundreds on unread posts to go through every day, and it can be tedious and exhausting. Some of these blogs I began following when I started this one in 2011, and not only do I no longer read them, but they simply don't interest me at all. My tastes have changed, and my purpose for blogging has changed as well. Obviously, this isn't solely a "style blog" anymore. If it even ever was. So, hopefully, by going through the masses of blogs on my feed today, I'll be able to narrow it down to the ones I really do love and follow - and make space for those new bloggy friends that I'd like to find in 2015.

Yoga with Adriene
I really, really love her videos, but I'm not a daily yoga-doer. Sometimes a quick dose of one of her workouts is the perfect energy boost on an otherwise lazy, dreary day. And she has this amazing 30 Days of Yoga challenge thing (which began at the start of the month, and I haven't even done one yet), that I'd like to try out.

Valentine's Day!
It's coming, people, and it's coming up fast. Even though Steve and I aren't big on it, since it is a mostly commercial holiday - my favorite quote about Valentine's Day describes it as "a holiday invented by greeting card companies to make people feel like crap" (that's from a favorite film of mine, can you guess which one it is?). I have 0 ideas of what to do this year, and come to think of it, I can't even remember what I did last year, either. Did we go to dinner? Were there flowers? I have no clue. I need ideas, on a budget, and quick. Pinterest is probably going to be my new best friend for a little while until I figure this day out! Past traditions from my single years include downing a bottle of red wine while watching Titanic in the dark (because when you're a single female on February 14th, you're kind of happy at the end when all of the men die). Now that I no longer have to be super morbid, it's a little more of a challenge to actually put effort into a day that I formerly referred to as "Clearance Chocolate Eve".

And if I get everything on my list done today, I might bake cookies. Maybe. Now that I've hopped back on the gluten wagon, and I can't lick the bowl, my motivation to bake things (which was always licking the bowl) has completely gone out the window. But I might, because I know that the hubby likes them and I feel like being nice.

Maybe.