I just finished reading this book. It's a good intro to the basics of graphic design.

I want to make this sooooo badly.

But I think it's too major for a rental apartment. Plain ol' wall shelves will have to do for now.

Thanksgiving (Canadian that is) snuck up on me this year. A lot of pumpkin pie was consumed this weekend. Yum.

Wow, we've been blessed with extremely gorgeous sunny weather for a while now. We've been so spoiled that when it all goes away and the rains come it's really going to hurt. *sigh*

I ran out of primer this morning and had to dash over to Kerrisdale Lumber, a local building supply store. It's one of my favorite stores in Vancouver, and we live a mere three blocks away from it. I only discovered it this past spring. Now I try not to go there every week (because I end up spending way too much time browsing), but there's always some need to to go to pick up supplies for various projects. The quaint old-time feel of the place has won me over. It's probably the "prettiest" hardware store I've ever been in. Although I love Home Depot very much, Kerrisdale Lumber is fast stealing my heart. Besides, it feels good to support a non-big-box-store hardware retailer.

This:




plus this:



equals my corner of happiness:



It's the only part of our apartment that is finished. Everything else remains a work in progress.

The tutorial for the brilliant shoe rack can be found here.

I started volunteering at the UBC Farm today. And, oh my goodness, I am so pooped after working just 2.5 hours. I spent a gorgeous late summer afternoon picking beans. LOTS of beans. My fingers already have callouses on them. My respect for farm workers has quadrupled now that I know how much physical labor goes into harvesting. I will no longer look at a piece of fruit or vegetable the same way again.

It's been about a week since we moved into our new apartment, and one thing that's definitely changed is that we eat a LOT more kimchi than we used to. I've been cooking Korean food nearly every day because it's the easiest and fastest meal to make. And I discovered that eating spicy Korean soup alleviates my allergy symptoms. Hoorah! And the Dude actually enjoys all the stinky, spicy food I've been making, which is a big relief to me. It's another indicator that I married the right person :-) It takes a special type of non-Korean to enjoy Korean cuisine, especially the kind I make.

We're about to move to our new apartment, and I can't help but fret about how drab it's going to look for a while. Until we become a double-income household, we won't be able to decorate our apartment in any decent manner. It's gonna look shabby (not even "shabby chic"). It doesn't help me feel any better that every day I ogle beautiful and fab home interiors on the internet. What is it about the mid-century look that appeals so much to people in my demographic group? I just can't get enough of this style *sigh.*

Anyway, I look forward to living in a completely fragrance-free space that's bright and walking distance of a commercial strip. And I'll also be able to walk to my new church. Yay.

My little tomato plant, which I got in June, has grown so much to my amazement! And the tomatoes are finally beginning to ripen. This was my first time growing cherry tomatoes, and I thought for sure I was gonna end up killing it. But that hasn't been the case, and I'm so proud of it!

This has been an awesome summer to grow tomatoes. We had so many hot sunny days. What a gorgeous summer it has been. Although the days continue to be warm and sunny, I can feel a slight hint of autumn chill in the air.

I love listening to podcasts. They have replaced TV shows. Here's a list I would recommend:

If you're into knitting:
:: Cast On
:: Stash & Burn

Others:
:: NPR: Planet Money (really good at explaining what the heck is going in the global economy)
:: Savage Love Podcast (audio version of Dan Savage, the sex columnist)
:: Stuff You Should Know (geeky-cool science show)
:: This American Life (interesting stories about people from every walk of life)

These podcasts are both informative and entertaining. All can be found on iTunes.

Things I learned about reupholstering a dining chair:

:: Make sure the foam is a little bigger than the seat.
:: Stapling down the corners of the fabric is frickin' hard.
:: If repainting the chair, don't skip the primer and make sure to sand between coats (argh, I never learn).

This was a super fun project to do, and I look forward to future reupholstery jobs.