Off we go!

Safe travels to those of you brave enough to navigate your way home for the holidays!

Christmas decorations

A picture of our Christmas tree before it was attacked by one 10 lb yorkie.  My poor ornaments are now downstairs, safely out of reach.  I suppose they were just too tempting...

Day 2: Monterey Bay Aquarium

We headed next to Cannery Row and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  It was by far the best aquarium I've ever been to.  My favorite exhibits were the jelly fish and this huge tank teeming with tuna, sea turtles, sharks and mackerel that resembled the open sea.  Truly amazing.

The penguins and sea horses were pretty awesome to see as well.

The aquarium is housed in an old cannery (sardines were Monterey's top industry back in the day). 

Best of all, the Monterey Bay Aquarium is a non profit organization that educates and furthers the efforts to conserve our oceans.  They protect and rescue many of the animals and fish there and seek to educate the public about sustainable seafood that is healthy for you and the ocean.  You can learn more and support their efforts here.

Still to come, more of day 2.  And...there's hiking involved!  Surprised?  I was too.

Safe travels

And happy holidays!

Wishlist Wednesday: Penguin sweaters

I really wish I knew how to knit!!  A current oil spill in New Zealand has affected the blue penguin population and rather than traumatizing the penguins more by scrubbing and cleaning them immediately, the rescuers are putting little wool sweaters on them so they won't try to groom themselves and inadvertently swallow the toxic oil.  Skeinz yarn has provided detailed instructions and a mailing address where you can send the sweaters to be used in the rescue effort. We had the opportunity to see the little blue penguins during our visit to Phillip Island in Australia and I hope that this mess can get cleaned up quickly and that these little penguins stay warm in their wool sweaters!

Original story and picture here

Vintage Monday: wooden penguin nesting dolls

My favorite find from the Brooklyn Flea

The luckiest penguin

 The crazy bird lady in me adores penguins and I had to share this heartwarming story as soon as I read it.

To summarize:  Lucky is a Humboldt penguin who lives at the Santa Barbara zoo.  Humboldt penguins originate in the Pacific coast of South America and are considered "vulnerable", one stage before "endangered".  When Lucky began walking, the zookeepers noticed that he had splayed legs which did not respond to treatment.  When he walked, he would put pressure on the wrong parts of his foot, resulting in sores.  They contacted Teva, the popular outdoor shoe company, who had helped out with an elephant in a previous incident and they created a special boot for Lucky!  It is lightweight, water resistant, comfortable and provides traction so he won't slip when he goes in and out of the water.  The boots are changed out daily to be washed and Teva has promised a lifetime supply.

Just when I thought penguins couldn't get any cuter...

Vintage Monday: Cobalt blue bottles

 I love the rich cobalt blue of these bottles and am always picking them up at thrift stores or estate sales.  They remind me of old Vicks bottles.  Here they are sitting on my kitchen windowsill...

 And what are the little figures to the right of them?  An adorable whale and penguin we found at a cute little store in Fredericksburg in matching cobalt glass as well.  The details on them are so awesome for such miniature figurines!

Sorry for the absence of posts lately.  I've been rather blue since daylight savings time.  I must hail from the bear family as all I want to do is get out of the cold and hibernate!  It also doesn't help that it gets dark after 5:30pm so by the time I get home, all the light is gone to take any good pictures of recent recipes or vintage finds.  We hit the Pyrex jackpost this past weekend so I will try to get pictures as soon as I can!

Vintage Monday: Penguin baking soda holder

Like a model crazy bird lady, I love penguins.  Desperately.  When I was little, I would tell anyone who would listen how much I wanted a penguin and that if I had one, I would keep him in the refrigerator.  Well... my dreams have come true.  This little guy was spotted at Hog Wild Vintage, another great store at North Loop, and the best part is that he's actually supposed to live in the fridge! 

According to the directions, you pour in the baking soda and through the little holes in his back, it helps absorb odors and keep your fridge smelling fresh. (or at least not like Chinese food all the time)

I would've posted a picture of him in his new home in our fridge but found it much too incriminating.  I mean, I have a shelf just for chocolate...