1. It’s almost your birthday, Jayme

    March 14, 2013 by flocked

    I haven’t seen Jayme in what seems like forever.

    But she used to really need egg platters.

    You know, for her amazing deviled eggs.

    Like this one!


  2. Husband’s been coloring again…

    August 3, 2012 by Eve


  3. How to Pack: Washington DC

    May 2, 2011 by Jayme

    The packing challenge for this round is a four day, three night trip to Washington DC in a business casual office with after-work friend outings.  Work pieces must be distinct enough to look like unique outfits daily but should re-purpose into casual outfits for going out.

    For this trip I packed as usual in the eBags Mother Lode Weekend Convertible.  An assortment of Eagle Creek packing cubes helped out in an assist.  Oversized purse doubled as secondary airport carry on.

    • shoes: blue sandals, black & white oxfords (packed in extra pair of warm socks to double asl slippers), brown flip flops, headlamp (tagalong and unused for trip)
    • laptop (work necessity) tucks nicely into the laptop compartment of the bag, second laptop (evil Dell) not pictured & returned to office
    • unmentionables & unmentionables worth a mention — black & nude bra are a good idea for work wear
    • pants: gray cargo style trouser, black & white pin stripe, fabulous turquoise obi belt
    • work tops: basic black scoop neck, blue & white ikat w/blue tank, houndstooth tunic, black ruffled tuxedo front top
    • Jayme’s military jacket & blue scarf
    • lounge wear: orange tank top, knit brown gauchos, long black pants (two pants packed to allow new leg tattoo to breath & cover it up alternately for sleeping – two lounge pants are a packing anomoly)
    • gray & black striped cardigan & orange t-shirt
    • drugs (vitamins, advil), soap tin clear liquids bag, headband, hair clips, comb, orange toiletry bag (for the non-liquid/gels), mineral make-up & brushes
    • envirosac (doubles as laptop bag)
    • casual Friday wear: black studded leggings & gray flower printed dress
    • adaptors: phone, laptop, blackberry
    • not pictured (oops) — small black clutch & cheap umbrella.  I packed a clutch knowing I was carrying a big bag and used the smaller clutch for evening outings and mid-day coffee runs.  The umbrella seemed like a necessity given the forecast but when I didn’t need it, I opted to leave it behind for my hostess & lighten the load.

    In good packing news, I used all of the items I packed (save for the headlamp straggler) and managed to fit my bag underneath an empty middle seat when the overhead compartments were at capacity.  The packing strategy and the trip were a success aided in part by co-operative spring weather which diverted all major rainstorms from the area during my stay.

    Homeward Bound!
    – Jayme

     


  4. How to Pack: New Orleans

    April 24, 2011 by Jayme

    A passion for travel isn’t unusual in our connected world. A well stamped passport, an eagerness to seek out a curious road side attraction, knowing the back roads home seem like the necessities when it comes to getting where you want to go. So easily we forget about all of our… baggage.

    A well packed bag is essential for any great adventure. Your bag should be light enough to carry (with ease, without compliant) and full enough to meet the needs of your travel itinerary.

    For the sake of frugality & travel flexibility, you should be able to carry on your baggage.  Plan to be able to consolidate your extra items into your main carry on if necessary.  Why one bag?  Budget airlines (particularly in Europe) will be strict about the carry on policy and may allow only *one* carry on (interpet this as suitcase only, no handbag).  Why carry on only?  In the event your travel plans change unexpectedly (delayed flights, for example), the airline can more easily and quickly accomodate passengers with no checked baggage.  You’ll also save travel time by skipping bag check and baggage claim and won’t have to worry about your baggage not making it to your final destination.

    Before I travel, I pack and rather than consider it a mundane chore — I think of packing the bag as the place the adventure begins.  And really, I love packing.

    So here’s a peek at how I packed for two weeks in April in New Orleans.

    From left to right in piles:

    • shoes (top row): well worn black converse, brown flip flops, vibram running shoes, kindle (*unused*), golden guide to weeds
    • ebags Motherload Weekender (in lime green), many packing cubes (Eagle Creek & ebags)
    • socks & unmentionables
    • work out capris, tank, top, sports bra
    • skinny jeans, brown cargo capris, gray dress, leggings, sequin skirt (lady gaga concert ensemble), gray zipper top (lady gaga concert ensemble)
    • large pink handbag, zippered TSA approved liquid bag, orange dry goods toiletry bag, nutra sonic brush heads (my sis has the same face scrubbing system), sunglasses + case
    • green tank top (sleep/lounge wear), loung pants (not pictured, disposed of in NOLA due to extreme holiness)
    • too many tops: 3 tanks for layering, light weight layer, gray top (*unworn*), turquoise & brown long sleeve layer, blue t-shirt (*unworn*), lightweight plaid tunic, second blue t-shirt (brad pitt for mayor), long sleeved black layer, short sleeve black cowl neck top
    • hot pink oversize clutch w/strap (excellent day bag), swimsuit (*unworn*), laptop adaptor, blackberry adaptor, kindle adaptor, iphone adaptor, headphones, turquoise travel scarf
    • Jayme’s new jacket — black military jacket
    • laptop (not pictured)

     

    In an admission that packing mistakes happen, I committed a packing sin — I came home with unworn clothes.

    Extra special tip: Once you’ve packed what you think you need, take two things out.  For this trip I could have easily done without one blue t-shirt (yes, one is probably enough) and reconsidered the unworn gray top.  The kindle also should have stayed home as I had no real reading plans.

    New Orleans, as it turns out, is a fantastic shopping destination — as evidence from my return trip luggage… but the wardrobe bounty of the trip I’ll save for another post.

    Happy Travels!

    -Jayme

     


  5. We sure could use sum cereal

    April 7, 2011 by Eve

    My husband is funny.

    He’s also very white.  Not dorky, just white.

    Except when he’s writing me shopping lists.

    That’s when he channels a cranky Samuel L. Jackson.

    Here is his latest:

    – Eve


  6. Irrigate This!

    March 30, 2011 by Eve

    I have a yearly dilemma.

    I plant my container garden each spring and it starts off looking lovely, like this:

    and this:

    Now, most people would be thrilled to have a sunny, southern exposure deck to grow on.  But in Colorado there is so much sun and so little atmosphere that, by mid-July, my plants have stopped flourishing and, even when I water three times a day, their roots get burnt and they shrivel and die.

    Totally depressing.

    So – I’ve started looking into irrigation systems for container gardens.  I’ve considered the upside-down water bottles option, and ruled them out.  They would need to be filled probably daily and I’m concerned they might not be able to handle the incredible heat from the sun.  It’s really that bad – husband’s motorbike kickstand sinks into the melted asphalt on a daily basis in summer.

    I came across wick irrigation – often used for houseplants when people go on vacation.  It looks like this:

    Photo from thriftyfun.com

    You have one container full of water and a piece of rope inserted into each plant pot – the concept being that the water leaches from the container into the rope and into the soil of each pot.

    It may look awfully silly to have ropes intertwined with all my planters on the deck, but much better than a bunch of dead plants and a frustrated me trying in vain to water them adequately all summer.

    I am accepting all suggestions and will let you know how this experiment goes!


  7. Welcome to Flocked

    March 28, 2011 by Eve

    Jayme and I used to live close to one another in NYC – Jayme was in Astoria, Queens and I was in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.  We spent a lot of time together being friends, and we chatted online most days too, sharing important information like ‘this is what I’m eating for lunch’ or ‘look at this amazing ring – there is moss growing on it’ or ‘I will be purchasing these very excellent shoes.’ We also did lots of fun projects together, like decorating the inside of my wardrobe with an S&M toile print fabric:

    Or keeping mice out of my apartment by identifying their entry point – a hole under my kitchen sink – and figuring out how to cover it with layers of window screen mesh.

    Dimensions of mouse entry hole

    Now we are very far apart – Jayme is in upstate NY and I’m near Boulder, CO.  We still chat online almost every day and share fun, interesting, amazing things with one another.  We also miss each other a lot and wanted to do a project together that would help us span the distance.

    That project is this blog.

    We hope that you will enjoy the things that we love to tell each other about.

    – Eve