more sequoia camping

I’ll share just a few more things from our camping trip. You can see more photos that Shawn posted on little vegan planet.

Now let’s be honest, one of the most fun things about camping is camp food. Shawn did a lot of preparation for our trip and even found us vintage Girl Scout and Boy Scout utensil kits. He also got us some LunchSkins for sandwiches on our first day. Another little treat was getting a camp stove toaster. We cooked all out meals on this little table that Shawn made. The legs are detachable, so it can pack flat.

Random fun thing from this trip: we took part in a travel study. A park volunteer handed over a few gps units which we toted around with us and returned when we left the park. Not sure what they’ll be used for, but I thought it was fun nonetheless.

We made lots of s’mores. It’s always a struggle to find vegan graham crackers but Shawn came up with a superior solution: SPECULOOS COOKIES. Paired with dark chocolate and dandies vegan marshmallows I can easily say they were the most enjoyable s’mores I’ve had to date.

It was just so tremendously beautiful, I really just can’t wait to go back into the woods. Where should we adventure to next?

sequoias

I have wanted to go camping in the sequoias for years and this weekend Shawn and I finally made the trek up north. To say it is a magical place is an understatement. It is sincerely one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. Being in the presence of massive trees that have been living for centuries had a great effect on me, especially seeing the destruction humans have caused. I’m thankful that at least the trees within the national park are protected and that conservation efforts continue.

Beyond that, it was really nice to get out into nature and camp for the weekend. Sometimes it’s a great relief to be totally self sufficient and without cell phone service. I loved being surrounded by little creatures and birds all weekend. I even spotted a flying squirrel in a tree above our campsite one night. We cooked some delicious camp meals, did some hiking and really just enjoyed ourselves. I honestly can’t wait to go back. It really solidified for me how important it is to be able spend more time in nature; it makes me feel like a more complete human being.

I’ll have some more to share later in the week, but for now, check out one of the largest trees on the planet.

little blue sweater

It’s baby season, which means I’m at it again with the handmade gifts. I’ve mentioned before that I really enjoy knitting for kids because you get the satisfaction of making something somewhat complex but on a smaller scale. This sweater took me quite a lot longer than the grey sweater I knit last year since it was made with a smaller garter stitch. The hood is by far my favorite part.

I also love these handmade buttons I found at The Little Knittery. They weren’t too cutesy and with the burned wood, they have just enough character. Off this will go to some happy new parents (Who hopefully don’t read this blog. I don’t think they do.) just in time for the cooler months.

weetzie

I can’t believe it’s been a year since we rescued Weetzie Cat. It feels like we’ve had her all along. I can tell she’ll forever be my little baby kitten. It took the better part of the year for all the cats to get adjusted to each other. Mochi still isn’t a fan of Weetzie at all, but usually ignores her unless Weetzie is having too much fun running around the apartment. Weetzie has picked out lots of hiding places where the other cats won’t go so she has her own little territories. Her favorites are on top of the fridge, in the back of one of the kitchen cabinets and her little suitcase bed. She loves that little bed. She sleeps there every night. Sometimes I wish she had a buddy cat to cuddle and play with but I know that wouldn’t go over well with the other lady cats (and 4 cats would officially be a lot of cats).

Weetzie makes me happy every day and I’m so glad we found her and that she’s a part of our lives.

mineral mantel

This weekend I was possessed by some strange nesting demon and had to work on home projects. I’ve been slowly redecorating our living room all year, without a ton of progress. Though I did paint the room a very satisfying light blue green, I haven’t sorted out any of the details. It’s August and I still had our winter terrariums up.

After visiting the mineral hall at the Natural History Museum, I was really inspired to incorporate some more natural things into our decor. I envisioned a combination of minerals and geodes in some geometric display in combination with some plants. I found tons of items that would fit this bill, but didn’t exactly fit my wallet. Plus with all the movie watching we do, our living room is often left dark; not exactly the best atmosphere for growing things.

Instead of ordering a bunch of perfect pretty things online, I searched around the house for some rocks and other bits we already had laying around. Surprisingly we have a lot of rocks and weird little things hiding away in closets. It was enough to get me started and see where I want to go. I like the contrast of heavy rocks with some antique glass canisters. I’ll still have to come up with an alternate for plants and I’d like to add some height on the sides. I’m also happy that it showcases our Mondo ET poster.

The room as a whole has quite a bit more work to go. Here is my long term list:

1. Add a few select pieces to the mantel
2. Make covers for the arms of our couch – The cats have gotten a little too comfortable scratching the couch corners. Some covers will hide the damage they’ve already done and stop them from making it worse.
3. Reupholster my chair – The slipcover I made has been a good temporary solution, but it’s not a permanent one.
4. New lighting fixtures – I’m not particularly fond of the sconces we have now, but of course, every sconce I’ve liked has been drastically out of our price range. This antler sconce is my favorite. I also have been looking at art deco sconces, but with four in the room, it’s unlikely that I’d find a full set that would work.
5. Repair chipped paint on floor moldings / touch up window paint

I should probably make one of these lists for every room.