a photo a day

Thanksgiving shopping list - it's my first time hosting! I finished my shopping yesterday and am so glad I don't have to battle the crowds any more. 

3 hours until Thanksgiving break!

what i'm listening to right now

"take me to church," by hozier:

i love the beat and the chorus of this song…and this music video is telling a whole different (disturbing) story than i imagined.  actually, i don't know what i imagined.  but this was not it.

a Ruby a day

Sunday morning with Miss Ruby and a good book. Heaven. 

october: 25 & 26

i'm posting this on november 23rd?!  who have i become?  answer: a bad blogger.

in october, i read:

outlander, by diana gabaldon (jenny had been telling me to read this book for years, and i finally did it after watch the first two episodes of the TV show that's based on the book. um, this book was totally entertaining.  historical fiction, quasi-romance-novel-y, but a totally compelling story line and a quick read.  i will certainly be reading more books in this series.)

drive: the surprising truth about what motivates us, by daniel h. pink (this was a book that lots of people were talking about in my grad school program and i finally got around to read it.  pink's premise is that motivation comes from autonomy over your job, the potential for mastery, and believing in the purpose.  now you don't need to read the book. :)  but you should!  it's well written and intuitive, but not overly simplistic.  i enjoyed it.)

a Ruby a day

Someone is cuter than the baguette pan that was originally in this box. 

what i'm listening to right now

"comin' home," by robert ellis:


what i love about one of my local country music radio stations is that it plays all the hits and then occasionally plays music i've never heard but really enjoy, like this one.  thank you, texas.

a ruby a day

self-portrait: 5:30pm on almost every weekday, moments after walking in the door.

a ruby a day

when your dog friend winston leaves after visiting for the weekend, you want to be as close to your mama as possible now that a dog isn't stealing all her attention.  it is especially awesome if she leaves a sweater on the table for you to turn into a bed.

miss claire's november recommendations

i really like telling other people about things that i like.  the podcast serial?  i cannot stop telling people about it.  so, blog readers, whether you like it or not, you're going to get a monthly installment of recommendations big and small from me.  i have to tell someone or i'll burst.

this month miss claire recommends:

1. serial.  duh.

2. trader joe's mini ginger pumpkin ice cream mouthfuls.  i like a tiny amount of something sweet after dinner (big bowl of ice cream?  no way.  three or four bites of something?  yes please.), and this is perfection.  i may have more than one box in the freezer because i got worried that they would sell out.

3. i'm in love with two new beers: buffalo bayou cucumber wit (yes, i just said cucumber, and it totally has hints of cucumber! this is a local houston beer and sadly may not be available where you are…) and  dogfish head namaste (nora and nigel introduced this to me in october and i love it…it's another wheat beer, because that's the way into my heart…and this one is sold nationally).

what i'm listening to right now

"blank space," by taylor swift:


part of me doesn't want to like her, but the songs on this album are so SINGABLE.  do it, taylor.