Fortunately, I Live One Block Away from Anthropologie. Unfortunately, I Live One Block Away from Anthropologie.

Welcome to another installment of "Shop Local, or Don't Mean to Shop, Was Just Going to the Mailbox and Became Distracted. Then I Shopped Local"!

(Before I begin, could I please just tell you that the squirrels in my backyard as so large right now, that they look like monkeys. They really do. The squirrels are scaling up and down two of the beams that hold up the pergola, and they look like Gibbon monkeys.

I guess all of the seeds and suet and cracked corn is fattening them up. Did I tell you about our family's new hobby of "birding"?)

Ok, ready? Alright, one squirrel, FOUR Blue Jays and a WOODPECKER! He's the redhead in the back .

Four squirrels hanging out with two Blue Jays and a Woodpecker!

OMG! It's EIGHT Cardinals!!!!!

Sorry, that was a bit tangent-y.

Anyway, where was I? Oh yes! Shopping local, even when you don't mean to! (Shop that is.) Yesterday I took a walk over to the mailbox to mail a letter. It was so nice out, and the fresh air felt great, so I decided to walk a few more blocks before heading home. Some how, heh heh...... somehow, for some totally inexplicable reason, I was pulled into Anthropologie. Anthropologie, one of my faaaaaavorite stores.

Where, I bought this butter dish that blends perfectly with our mixer and our er.... ceramic berry container?

I was lucky enough to receive a couple of Anthropologie gift cards for my birthday back in June. And since then, I've been ever so slowly using them to buy an item here or there for the house, like Noah's bathroom shower curtain. Usually I go coo coo for all of the clothing in Anthropologie, (As in this picture)

but for now I'm content to just find some treasures for our home with my gift cards.

Here's the thing though, don't you ever go in there and feel like you're really over-paying? So many of the things that I see, especially the accessories and home goods, I think..... "Hmmm. Maybe I can make something that kind of looks like that"? I really need to up my crafty output. Now I just need somebody to show me how to make a rug like this:

Speaking of CRAFTY. Have you guys ever heard of the store "Paper Source"? I must be late to the game because it seems like a lot of my friends already know of the paper crafty goodness within. While not a Mom and Pop local shop, we do have one locally, in town, and I might have stopped in there too.

Every last item in Paper Source is disgustingly adorable and threatens the very existence of our bank account. I am good at resisting, but I will tell you, if given free reign, our house would be plastered in paper craft.

Now, just to be honest, we have a twenty year old, well established, absolutely wonderful paper and stationary shop just around the corner. I love it, and I'd love to do a write-up. I'm just trying to decide if I want to mention which town we live in. If you would like to know about a GREAT local Michigan stationary shop, just email me!

I did pick up a pack of these adorable valentine cards for Noah. I think they'll be fun for the kids and oh so cute!

Ok, onward, to something not so much about shopping local.....

We have a dinner issue in our house. I'm a vegetarian, Jon and Noah are not. I should really be eating gluten free (mild gluten intolerance), and Noah is beyond picky. Like, not just picky, it's a real issue. He's a one color, one texture guy. It's very difficult to find a dinner that serves all of our preferences.

I needed to blog about a very special, MONUMENTAL moment in our family life that happened last week though.

Ready? Noah agreed to eat his first sandwich!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh , and the world rejoices!!!!!)

I was, we were.....SHOCKED. It was crazy. I wanted to try to make Reuben sandwiches for us. Regular for Jon, avocado for me. At first my instinct was to do the usual "deconstructed dinner" version for Noah. That would have been a piece of bread on the plate, with some corned beef on the side. That night though, I don't know, just thought I'd try to combine them. So, like a panini, I toasted a sandwich of corned beef. It was amazing, he ate it! TWO colors. TWO textures! WOO HOO! Here are some pictures, because I know you care. Not.

(Dear Universe. Please, PLEASE bring me new place mats. Anything but screaming pink. Thank you.)

Dad's Reuben, toasted Rye with Russian dressing, sauerkraut, corned beef and Swiss. Plus I added in some of my avocado. Also, I made matzo ball soup!

Noah's plate. DID he eat it.........?

And finally, just to stay on topic with shopping local. Sledding.

A big thank you to Nana & Papa for getting Noah this motor-less snowmobile when I was only thinking of this potentially embarrassing thing.

You really came through for Speed Racer.

And a creek.

And a winding stream.

And I still can't believe that they are all down the street and that I live here. Thank you universe. Omg.

FIN.

* I feel like the blog is becoming a little too much like a boring daily diary. Hopefully, some educational, or posts of more value soon! What do you want to hear about? I was considering freaking out over the Israeli/Iranian thing. Or maybe we could discuss secularism, or introversion.*