now playing: happy merry holiday mixes.

it's a day after thanksgiving {!} which means i can start playing these now. i know. i'm such a cheeseball. but i can't help it. you know. something called childhood did this to me. {sheepish grin}. we also got the very she & him christmas on vinyl so our crosley might be working it extra hard today. 

if you celebrated thanksgiving yesterday, hope it was a good one! and happy friday!

01 // jingle bells - sugar & the hi lows

02 // all my bells are ringing - lenka

03 // the christmas waltz - she & him 

04 // sleigh ride - kt tunstall

05 // baby, it's cold outside - glee cast 

06 // white christmas - otis redding

07 // merry christmas baby - bruce springsteen & the e street band

08 // all i want for christmas is you - mariah carey

** our mix from last year {although it's not too far off from the one playing now}

happy thanksgiving.

to those who celebrate today, happy thanksgiving.

hope your day is filled with lots of love, reflections and thanks.

xoxo, 

jane, yangkyu & piri

ipad mini giveaway to celebrate cocorrina's 2 year blog anniversary! (CLOSED)

corina, the talented lady behind cocorrina is celebrating 2 years of blogging! {throwing lots of confetti in the air!}

it's been such a pleasure getting to know corina and seeing her creativity manifest on many mediums -- with design, typography, photos, words and videos. she is really a bundle of talent. that is why i am so very excited to be partnering with corina and other bloggers from around the world to wish her a wonderful 2 years with a fantastic giveaway -- one reader has a chance to win an ipad mini! 

use the rafflecopter below to enter. you can unlock multiple chances to enter the giveaway. this is open to readers worldwide and will run until december 9, 2013. good luck! and happy holidays! 

congratulations once again corina! here's to many more years! 

This giveaway is brought to you by: 
My Life Box | Tara Victoria | Always with Yoo | Fashion Fab | Noor AlQahtani | Owl and Anchor Studios | Clear the Way | Cloistered Away | Pink and Lola | Pen and Peplum | Live Colorful | Rolala Loves | Team Wiking | Of Trees and Hues | My Paradissi | Sincerely Sara | Creative Index | Pink Ronnie | Oh So Pretty | A Pair of Pears | Jazz Lips and Tulips | Coco and Mingo  | ExVitae | Java Aficionado | Buckets and Spades | Holly Marie Designs | Yours Truly | Yeobo | Studio 404 | Cambria Grace | Lucky Number Seven | Milk and Crown | Yellow Beard Yellow Bird | Squirrelly Minds | Fox and Mint | Earth to Jade | Style of Sam

a Rafflecopter giveaway

hi! we're over here today

we're pinch hitting for jessica at coco/mingo today {aka - guest blogging while she's home in hawaii enjoying a wonderful time with family}! 

since tomorrow is thanksgiving, we're sharing a gratitude list and hope that you'll share with us some of the things you're thankful for. we would love to hear from you. come on over! 

 // and check back later on today for an exciting giveaway! 

life lately, according to my iphone

some instagrammed, some not. 

xoxo, 

jane 

happy monday & brrr it's cold outside.

hello! did you all have a good weekend? it was another fun one for us. we got to squeeze in some really delicious doughnuts and soft twisty pretzel which was bigger than our heads, ate some much craved korean food at a great hole in the wall in annandale, yangkyu dyed my hair {!} and he accidentally sprayed my face and my ear with water during rinse, but mostly we were under the blankets to keep warm next to our space heaters because it was cold. cooold. 

during these terribly chilly months i need a few things beat the cold. like... 

^^ a hot cup of tea. a favorite around here is the jasmine pearl green tea. a few sips really warms up the body. and hand cream. my goodness i live by pivoine flora from l'occitane. relieves my hands from being ultra dry. a lifesaver really. ^^

 ^^ knit hats and scarves. can't leave the house without them. love the soft feel against my skin and it keeps my ears, neck and face warm. ^^

 ^^ a furry cuddle partner. piri has been shaven down since these pictures, but he's still so soft and cuddly. ^^ 

how do you beat the cold? 

have a wonderful week ahead!

it's thanksgiving in 3 days around here. woo hoo!

so much to look forward to in 5,6,7 and 8 days.. but first have a fantabulous weekend!

in 5 days our friend comes to visit. 

in 6 days we have thanksgiving dinner and i force everyone to watch the sound of music 

{a little tradition that i refuse to break}. 

in 7 days i  start playing christmas music non-stop. 

in 8 days we get our tree and trim it with piri the christmas elf helping on the side. 

i cannot wait.  

hope you have a fantabulous weekend! 

a little wish list.

just a little wish list of things that's been catching my eye. that camera you build yourself {so neat!}. and oh that cookbook rich with recipes and stories {yes!}.

01 // plaid wool scarf

02 // pomegranate spruce candle 
03 // round toe boot
04 // tokyo print 
05 // konstruktor diy kit
06 // cookbook 
07 // round sunglasses
08 // twist scarf
09 // camera bag
10 // his & her pillow covers

piri & russian dog, his husky pal, prepare for thanksgiving

remember piri's make believe friend? {ok.. our make believe friend... for piri}

well they're up to something. they're coming up with their own thanksgiving recipes to feast with all the homeless neighborhood dogs and cats. everything will be chicken since that is piri's favorite. he loves chicken almost to the point where sometimes it gets a little ridiculous. i think if he could he would change his name to chicken. he's surprised that it's already taken though. 

they will have chicken instead of turkey. chicken sprouts. chicken beans. chicken sauce. chicken rolls. chicken potatoes. chicken pie. he thought of us and said they'll make chicken cupcakes to show a little love for the humans in their lives. we're... touched. 

the night before thanksgiving, they'll be preparing in the kitchen while we're asleep, and invite all their friends for a feast. they may also play a round of clue. sounds like a grand time. 

we can't believe thanksgiving is just days away! consider donating a few cans of dog/cat food {or kibbles} or monetary funds to your local shelter for all the animals who don't have homes this holiday season. 

from piri, russian dog, jane & yangkyu, 
ruff ruff. *howl*much love. thank you. 

ps - piri and many other dogs love chicken. but chicken bones are extremely dangerous to them. please be careful! 

 // linking up with blogpaws wordless wednesday bloghop. 

"whoever said diamonds are a girl's best friend never owned a dog"

and i may be guilty of most if not all of these. 

life lately, according to my iphone

some instagrammed, some not. 

xoxo, 

jane 

ps - hope you had a good weekend!

hanging out with dinosaurs

we hung out with dinosaurs at the national museum of natural history. 

we read about them and imitated them too.

speaking of dinosaurs, have you heard of dinovember? every year, this husband and wife "devote the month of november to convince their children that while they sleep, their plastic dinosaur figures come to life". it's amazing. 

have a wonderful weekend!

what do you have planned for the weekend? 

poor piri is going to his least favorite place in the whole wide world next to the vet's office. 

the groomers. boo hoo. 

we also need to pick up nutella because we're out. 

pop some popcorn and watch we bought a zoo. 

eat some pizza and garlic knots. 

head on over to a museum. 

and listen to chocolate by the 1975 on repeat. {sartorial diner introduced me & now i can't stop listening to it}

happy weekend everyone! 

ps - i just totally cried following #SFbatkid on twitter save san francisco from riddler and penguin. here is the story in case you didn't hear. 

liebster award: we're throwing confetti in the air! thank you!

okay. before i start saying thank you, first, i'm sorry! i think i put this off for way too long. so apologies that this post is coming so late. but better late than never? {yes? yes?}

thank you champagne-n-pizza*, buddy the mutt, simply akshara and kid granny for tagging our blog for the liebster award. it was loads fun getting to know you through the random facts and q & a's that were shared. so i guess it's our turn? there seems to be some differences in rules, but i'll go with the answering 9 questions, tagging four wonderful bloggers and asking them 9 questions of my own. 
*blog has since closed

from simply akshara 
1. sail around the world or fly up to outer space? 
i am actually terrified of both. the vastness of the ocean and space just sends chills down my spine! can i do something like a road trip instead?

2. favorite genre of music.
my playlist is pretty eclectic {except for some reason i can't listen to country music}. i can go from alternative, new wave, bossa nova, oldies, indie pop to folk & acoustic. some of my favorite artists are camera obscura, pink martini, phish and regina spektor. i also really love japanese music. 

3. favorite season. 
summer!

from buddy the mutt
4. how old were you when you got your first pet? 
my entire family loves animals so i had pets my whole life. i had baby chicks, frogs, fish, rabbits, parakeets and dogs. my grandpa also had a farm and i loved being there with the cows and a baby lamb! i can't recall a specific age, but i was always surrounded by pets. 

5. what is your best childhood memory? 
i loved following my older brother around as a little kid. he hated it of course. one time i followed him and his friends to go play baseball. i was too little to play and being the little kid that i was, i got bored pretty quickly. i ended up going back and forth behind home plate and one of his friends didn't see me and swung his bat and it hit me right on the side of my head. my brother carried me on his back and ran home crying hysterically. i don't remember the pain, but i do remember feeling so touched and loved. a few christmases ago, i brought this story up while visiting family. when i got to the part of him crying and me feeling so touched my brother interjected in surprise and said, "oh... i was actually crying because i thought i was going to be in deep trouble." so my memory wasn't exactly right, but it's still my favorite. :)

6. what made you choose your current pet? 
piri was originally my brother's dog but came to live with me in 2006 when my sister-in-law got pregnant. piri was actually bought at a mall. back then we didn't know how bad this was. most dogs sold at malls are from puppy mills, which have horrible conditions. but now we are more aware. we have found organizations and shelters that we support through donations and participate in advocacy efforts to stop the cruelty and abuse of all animals. piri has opened this awareness for us. we're really glad he did. 

from kid granny
7. who is your favorite author? 
hands down marion zimmer bradley! i was a big king arthur, canterbury tales fan back in the day {thanks 11th grade english class!}. mists of avalon was on our reading list for summer and i didn't start it until a couple of weeks before school started. it's a huge book but i couldn't put it down. 

8. what inspired you to start your blog? 
on instagram i met so many wonderful people from all over the world and we created a great community. we became friends, support each other through hard times, share joys, tips and advice. it's a space i'm so lucky to be  apart of. i wanted to find something similar in the blogsphere. and i wanted a space to just ramble and share pictures. it's easier to send my parents an email with the blog link than to get them on facebook. :)

9. name three favorite online shopping websites. 
etsy for sure. i also love modcloth and olive green dog. 

 ###

phew. thanks for reading all that! 
i'm tagging hanna over at speak style & rock, miho at wander to wonder, mariko over at gamerwife and emmy at scarberian fashion lover for their liebster award posts! 

my questions to you ladies are: 
1. what is your favorite quote? 
2. if you can tell your 11 year old self a piece of advice what would it be? 
3. name one thing on your christmas wish list this year.
4. what is your go-to comfort food? 
5. who is your role model? 
6. what is one event in 2013 that was the most memorable to you? 
7. who was your favorite teacher and why? 
8. what are three words that best describe you. 
9. vampires or zombies? 

a crown for a king. a little diy.

he's the king of the bed. the blankets. and all the pillows.

and a king needs a crown.

so we found the sweetest mini dog crown diy and made him one. 

what i used: 

from home

+ toliet paper roll

+ scissors

+ hole puncher

from michaels

+ ceramcoat acrylic paint {charcoal} 

+ paint brush

+ elastic band 

+ gorilla super glue

+ rhinestone stickers

+ sherpa fabric 

follow these instructions to make one for the little king or queen in your family!

we're having a guest for thanksgiving and i'm in a search for recipes, recipes and more recipes.

^^ i have a love affair with pretty doors. i want one in red some day. ^^

we're having a friend from new york join us for thanksgiving. his family all live abroad and we've decided to spend it just us here in virginia, so we're stoked to have him join us. i just got forwarded his e-ticket, which means it's time to get my game face on and be bit more serious about going through and picking out recipes. mmmhmmm. can't wait for this place to smell of herbs. 

do you have a favorite thanksgiving dish? let us know. would love to check it out! 

i survived the dentist visit and other weekend things.

it wasn't so bad. i must've maintained my teeth better than the last time. but i really hate those drills. ugh. the sound is just the worst. {getting chills just thinking about em now}

it's miraculous though how the day cleared up for me after this visit. so bright, sunny and cheery. does that happen to you? {enter sneaky smiley face here}

we squeezed in a trip to goodwill where i picked up some more frames and a beautiful wire basket style single wine holder thingie {am i doing a good job describing it?} -- i think i may put one of my milk bottles in it with pretty flowers. think it'll look nice.

we also spotted a beautiful piano for $200 that i wanted to take home with me. i literally walked around goodwill saying "piano", "piano" under my breath the entire time. unfortunately we don't have room for it in our apartment now so we didn't get to bring it home with us. {darn it!}

you know, i once had those butterfly in my stomach moment playing heart and soul with yangkyu at columbia university. we were there to teach some students how to play poongmul {or korean traditional drums}. during break i went over to the piano and yangkyu came by and we played heart and soul together. we weren't dating. just friends. but i liked him. i was 22 and it was one of those moments where i immediately went home, called up my best friend and gushed and squealed over it. to this day i sometimes look at him and wonder how we ended up getting married. {enter warm smiley face here}

we also spent some time under the blanket with our space heater watching non-stop sister wives. i always thought of myself as open-minded but i didn't realize how much judgement i had going into watching that show. sister wives is addicting and surprisingly warm and mind changing. 

hope you had a wonderful weekend! 

 ^^ warm bowls of ramen and udon at a new japanese restaurant we checked out in herndon, va. the soup base for me was a bit salty but i love nabeyaki udon so not much complaining here. ^^ 

^^ ilex berries from trader joe's. just really love them. ^^

 ^^ i think he's ready to light 10 christmas trees with this smile. why are you so cute, piri?!"

^^ i couldn't help it. target is all ready for christmas. and i picked up those really cute c9 christmas lights. can't wait to put it up. ^^