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where I work…

by Kaylah Stroup September 1, 2016

For basically as long as The Dainty Squid has had a space on the internet I’ve been sharing photos of what where I work looks like. I’ve moved around a lot, and even when I’m in the same space for a long-ish period of time I rearrange almost constantly. It keeps me sane. I often browse my own archives and I always enjoy looking back at what my surroundings looked like at any given time. If anything, I wish I would have taken more photos of my previous spaces.

At the very end of last year I moved my office into this small room, which was previously my bedroom. The other room, my now bedroom, was just a little too big for me. Switching the two was a great decision that I haven’t thought twice about. My furniture, on the other hand, is something I can’t get off my mind. My big glass top desk was just a little bit too large, not just for the space but for me. I didn’t need all that room. It always ended up becoming home to a pile of papers or other random misplaced items.

One evening a few weeks back I had the idea of switching my glass desk around with my sewing desk. I wasn’t sure if it would work or not just because the room has a bit of a strange layout with low windows, and an awkwardly placed closet buuuut it didn’t matter – I had to give it a go. The sewing desk is literally so heavy that I had to lay down on my back and push it around with my legs. For about two hours the whole back side of my apartment was a disaster zone, and I’m sure I looked nuts but it worked out wonderfully! The smaller desk is much better suited to be my computer desk, especially since it has nice little cubbies for all my knick knacks!

The glass top desk juuuust fits into the opposite corner of the room. I didn’t include any full photos of it because there’s nothing on it. It’s kind of just a randomly placed desk right now. I’m thinking of making it my “mail center” when the weather cools down and I get back into snail mail. For now I really enjoy how tidy it looks with nothing on it.

To be completely honest, most days I work from my new favorite coffee shop. I’m very easily distracted so if there are dishes in the sink, if there is a dog begging to be pet, or a floor that needs vacuumed – I’m going to do that instead of work at my computer. In the last few months I’ve found coffee shops to be exactly what I need in terms of a place to work without distraction. I can sit down and just kill my to do list without thinking about anything else I “need” to do.

I never really thought I’d end up being one of those people that works from a coffee shop but there’s something to it! The amount of time I’ve been spending there compared to the amount of time in this room definitely has me thinking about my next apartment and if I actually need a dedicated office. Only time will tell, and I’m sure I’ll change my mind fifty six times but for now I have a really cute little office space that I enjoy.
xoxo

office inspo, home tour, the dainty squid, computer room

A few sources
▴ desk
▴ floral calendar – 2017 version here!
▴ see the world pennant
▴ trouble + pizza inspector patches
▴ friend to bugs patch
▴ be kind patch
▴ waffle scented candle – it’s amazing, just go for it!
▴ where is my mind print
▴ teeth containers
▴ keyboard decals
The circle shelf is from Home Goods. Plant stand, maps, shark trash can and medical models are
vintage. Blue cart is from Ikea. If you’re curious
about anything else, just ask!

You can view all of my other previous office set ups under the tag “where I work“, and see more of my apartment under the tag “apartment“.

listening, watching, reading

by Kaylah Stroup August 31, 2016

Twice in the past I’ve shared posts titled “listening, watching, playing” (Find them here + here) This mini series of sorts started after a reader recommended something similar to my what I’ve been reading posts, except with movies, shows, music and more. It’s been a while since my last installment, long enough that I’m finally listening and watching different things, so I figured it was time for an update!

Listening
According to last.fm I’ve been listening to a lot of AFI…because apparently I’m fifteen again. The Art of Drowning has just been on repeat. There are very few albums out there that I can listen to and enjoy the whole thing and this is one of them. A few others, off the top of my head, include Taking Back Sunday’s Tell All Your Friends, all Man Man albums, and most recently, Aesop Rock’s The Impossible Kid.

I’m still really into Spotify’s recommended playlist, Discover Weekly, that they make at the beginning of each week. Some weeks it’s way off but the majority of the time I find at least a handful of new songs to listen to on repeat. As someone who gets stuck in patterns of listening to the same thing over and over again, it’s fun to hear a variety of new things.

Watching
Like everyone else in the world, I watched and thoroughly enjoyed Stranger Things. I’m impatiently waiting for season two. What else on Netflix have I been watching?
Jane the Virgin – why do I love this show so much!?
Animism – a documentary about people who love objects. Yep...
Shameless – Why, oh why aren’t the rest of the seasons on Netflix? I’m obsessed.
St. Vincent – Caused me to ugly cry. It was a good one, for sure.

Other than that, I was excited to find that there was a new season of Expedition Unknown available to stream. I don’t have cable or anything, just Netflix, so I’m always a season behind on things. Josh Gates is basically the best TV show host, ever. He’s hilarious, super smart, and adorable. I’m pretty sure Jeff and I both want to be him. In this show he investigates legends and mysteries, often looking for lost treasure or lost cities. I wish there were unlimited episodes (…and that him and Guy Fieri were hosts of every TV show because I love them so very much.) If there is only one thing from this post that you check out make it Expedition Unknown!

Nearly forgot to add, RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars season two! So many of my favorite queens are back. Ahhh! I don’t even know who I’m rooting for yet!

Reading
I’m trying SO hard to get back into reading. I don’t know that I’ll ever get back to how much I used to read but anything is better than nothing. I hit up Half Priced Books the other day hoping to get lucky and score Mary Roach’s new book, Grunt, for cheap. Sadly, they didn’t have it in stock but I did manage to find a few other books that sounded interesting and were super affordable. With a little pile of new books, I found a renewed enthusiasm for reading. I’ve even spent a few evenings at the beach reading while the sun set.

I’m currently over three-quarters of the way through Prude by Emily Southwood… and loving it! In my past what I’ve been reading posts I’ve expressed my interest in anything to do with sex work, so immediately this book had my attention. It’s about a woman whose fiance lands a job filming a reality show about porn, and her struggle to accept it. The author’s writing is humorous and although, I don’t know that’s it’s meant to be, it’s thought provoking. If it sounds like something you’d be interested in, I definitely recommend it!

So, what have you been listening, watching, reading, playing, etc? I’m always looking for recommendations.
xoxo

Maple Grove Cemetery

by Kaylah Stroup August 29, 2016

If you thought I was going to go to New England and not come home with a thousand cemetery photos, you clearly don’t know me very well. These aren’t quite as interesting as the ones with the creepy faces from Old Bennington Cemetery and not even a quarter as awesome as some I found at another cemetery I visited the next day but this was still an excellent stop.

I had passed this cemetery on my way to Pemaquid Point but was driving too fast to stop since there were cars behind me. I chalked it up as a loss, and had completely forgotten about it until on my way back to the hotel I ended up at the red light across the street and figured I haaad to stop! Right after pulling in the sky opened up and it started to pour. My plans for the evening included swimming in the hotel pool anyway, so why not get wet a little bit early?

Back in March I visited and blogged about Mound View Cemetery in Mount Vernon, Ohio. One of my favorite headstones there was one that just said “Carrie”. Since that one finding headstones that only have the first name on them has become one of my favorite things. It’s so mysterious. Of course, one could presume it’s because family is nearby but some of them are so far from other headstones it’s hard to tell if they’re related to anyone else there. In this cemetery I actually found a few of them. My favorite of which is “Annie”, seen below.

xoxo

Giant’s Stairs

by Kaylah Stroup August 25, 2016

Pemaquid Point didn’t quite satisfy my urge to explore tide pools. I mean it was obviously an awesome spot but I needed to see more of the coast! Giant’s Stairs trail was another spot I found listed as a favorite by the same person who recommended Pemaquid Point. It was a little over an hour away from where I was but the tide was still low enough, and the photos looked cool enough that I figured it’d be worth it.

…Aaaand it was! I followed the trail for a few minutes before dipping down off the path to climb around on rocks. Same luck as before though, I still wasn’t finding anything alive. Despite all my research tide pool exploration is still a bit of a mystery to me. It kills me that I don’t get to do this more often. If I lived near the ocean I would be at a spot like this every single day at low tide to search for critters. It’s so
amazing that this world exists and for a small amount of time we get a
peek of it.

After an hour or so of watching waves crash in, I climbed back up to the trail ready to head back to my car. It was then I realized the path went on a lot further than I had thought before. Despite being tired and ready to head back to the hotel (+ the hot tub!) I figured I might as well keep on walking because when would I get a chance to explore here again anytime soon.

Not too far from where I climbed up I stumbled upon the actual Giant’s Stairs. Seen above. I guess I thought the whole area was just the Giant’s Stairs. My photo does them no justice at all. They really are giant stairs!

I’m already aching to get back to the coast. One half day is not even close to enough time. I always hear people always say stuff like “I was born in the wrong era.” but I was just born in the wrong state – which, luckily, is something I can fix. I definitely picture myself living on the coast some day. I am an ocean gal through and through. I’m half terrified of it which I think is so much of why I love it. It’s frightening yet calming. I don’t quite know if that makes sense at all but the ocean definitely has me feeling some kind of way.
xoxo

Pemaquid Point

by Kaylah Stroup August 24, 2016

The whole reason Jeff and I took the roadtrip to Maine was because a friend asked him to shoot their wedding. We had been talking about going up to Maine for a while but this was exactly the push we needed to finally get on the road. Saturday while he was busy doing wedding stuff I had the day to myself. Our hotel was in Waterville, about an hour and a half from the coast but I figured if I was already *this* close to the ocean there was no way I could not spend the day there.

I spent a great deal of time before the trip researching tide pools. My one and only experience with them on the west coast last summer left me anxious for more. I found a blog based around tide pool exploration in Maine and they listed one of their favorite spots as Pemaquid Point. So, when Jeff left the hotel to go shoot the bride getting ready I set off toward the ocean.

The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. I arrived around an hour and a half before low tide, and basically had the place to myself. The weather was cool, and damp, a huge relief from the summer heat in Ohio. I wandered around the water by myself for a while until a stranger called out “Finding anything good?” “Nope! I’m not having any luck. This is only my second time at a tide pool.” I responded. He walked over and pointed out a few things including a cute little crab that I didn’t even end up photographing.

Despite the fact I found no other live creatures, it was still absolutely worth the drive from the hotel. I ooo-ed and ahhhh-ed at plant life, and exercised all my self control to not bring home every single shell and claw I found.

The ocean is pure magic. Don’t get me wrong, I love Lake Erie but the ocean is just...wow. Until we meet again, Pemaquid Point!
xoxo

what I wore : covered in cactus

by Kaylah Stroup August 23, 2016

green hair, cleveland fashion blog, what I wore, outfit post

modcloth, the dainty squid, green hair, kaylah doolan, cleveland, blogger, fashion

the dainty squid, cactus dress, cleveland fashion blog, cleveland

details

sunglasses – TJ Maxx

plugs – Omerica Organic

PS. Use rep code “daintysq” for 20% off your first order!

dress – The Blogger the Better c/o Modcloth

shoes – Black Sandals via Modcloth

As if I wasn’t going to eventually own this dress! It’s covered in cactus, and y’all know I feel about cactus. Not to mention the fact the name of the dress, The Blogger the Better, is almost like they’re subtly poking fun at the fact that errrry blogger out there is going be posting photos of themselves in it. I’ve got no shame in my cactus game though! Seriously, look at my plants. They’re cute cutest.

Can’t say I wasn’t hesitant because of the mixed reviews and the fact that it was backless. I hate strapless bras, and my girls are too big for me to go without. Just glancing at the product photos I didn’t realize that it had a built in bra. It’s surprisingly structured! There was even a photo from this set where I was like “daaaang girl, looking fiiiiiine!” I didn’t include it though because it was an obviously gratuitous boob photo. Haha! The second I put it on I knew it was a keeper. This dress is amaaaazing. It’s a little late in the season but I found the perfect summer dress.

Hope you’re having a lovely day!
xoxo

Acadia National Park

by Kaylah Stroup August 22, 2016

After Old Bennington Cemetery Jeff and I continued on our route to Maine. The second big stop of the trip was going to be Acadia National Park. While researching I had read a post somewhere written by a park ranger that if you only had one day in the park you should do Park Loop Road so that was our plan. We have a pretty bad habit of not giving ourselves enough time in National Parks and this time was no exception. But hey, visiting for only a few hours is better than never visiting at all, right?

One half of the loop is one way traffic and the other half is two way. We ended up taking the two way traffic route, getting to the bottom, and realizing that the one way traffic half of the loop was in the opposite direction of what we were heading. We were already tired from being in the car all day, not to mention the fact that traffic was pretty bad on the way into the park. No phone service coupled with poor signage meant it took a very long time for us to find our way back into the loop at the top. I wasn’t even sure if we’d end up trying to do it again just because we had wasted so much time. Eventually we made it in, the correct way, and the beautiful scenery was so worth it.

Our first stop in the park was Thunder Hole, a natural inlet where waves crash in with a thunderous boom. We didn’t actually get to see Thunder Hole because holy tourist city!! but the surrounding area was everything I dreamed Arcadia would be. It was beautiful! Just like the Grand Canyon*, I was kind of surprised how you were just allowed to go wherever you wanted. Some parks are so strict, do not leave the path, but following the lead of just about everyone around us we climbed around on the rocks for a while.

After finally making our way around the loop successfully we kiiiind of got trapped inside and made a second full loop. D’oh! Jeff was beyond tired, and we were both ready to just check into our hotel (an hour and a half away!) and sleep but what are ya gonna do?

On our accidental second trip around we stopped at Sand Beach which was just stupid beautiful. I was squatting down to get some shots of the waves when one completely soaked by butt. The water was pretty cold but I couldn’t resist getting the rest of myself wet. The waves were crashing in so I stood in water, about knee deep, and let them hit me. It was perfect. I could have done it hours.

Acadia National Park, passport stamp, np passport

So, Acadia NP could probably label their routes better. I’m sure we’re not the first people to make that mistake, but Park Loop Road is a great way to experience the park when you’re short on time.
xoxo

*Obviously this is a lot less risky than climbing around at the Grand Canyon but I’m pretty sure it’d still be super easy to get hurt here climbing around.

Old Bennington Cemetery

by Kaylah Stroup August 18, 2016

Old First Church Cemetery , Old First Congregational Church Cemetery, Vermont

Jeff and I just got back from a “mini” road trip. I’m putting mini in quotes there because since I found out we’d be doing this trip I always just kind of thought it would be a quick get away buuut I think it’s safe to say we killed this trip! Nine states, and just over two thousand miles. For now I think the easiest way to blog about it will be to go in chronological order…

Thursday night after Jeff got off work, we loaded up the car and headed toward my parents house. I thought the plan was to spend the night there and leave early in the morning but Jeff had misunderstood and thought I wanted to leave right after dropping Klaus off. Aaaand that was totally cool by me (because that is exactly what I actually wanted! I just thought a little bit of sleep before a twelve hour drive would be the responsible thing to do.) So we drove through the night, took turns sleeping, and made pretty great time.

Although it was slightly out of the way, Jeff really wanted to take a detour into Vermont. No real destination in mind, just wanted to cross it off his list as it was one of the only states on the east side of the US he hadn’t been to yet. We choose a town at random, Bennington.

I was rambling about how cute Vermont was when to my left I spotted one of the most beautiful houses I had ever seen. Seeee?! It was massive, decrepit, and honestly just looked like the perfect haunted house. We HAD to stop and get photos. While I was busy taking shots with each of my three cameras (one digital, two instant film. I’m a v. serious tourist, okay?) Jeff thought it would be a good idea to check and see if there were any geocaches nearby. Perfectly enough, there was! “Say Hi to Robert Frost” is the name of the cache and it was located in the cemetery right down the street. That’s how we randomly ended up in the cemetery Robert Frost was buried in!

Old Bennington Cemetery, Vermont, Bennington

Honestly, Robert Frost isn’t very exciting to me. I’ve just never been interested in poetry, it’s nothing against him. I’m always happy to check out the grave of someone famous though, no matter who they are. Also, any excuse to stop into a cemetery is fine by me. …Well, it turns out that Old Bennington Cemetery is packed full of history and the most beautiful headstones. I was only inside the gates for a matter of minutes before declaring it a favorite!

Do you remember last month when I blogged about Workman Cemetery and was all excited about that one headstone with a creepy face on it? Yeah, this cemetery was literally packed full of them! I have SO many photos of them. It’s just crazy how much detail and work was put into these. They put modern headstones to shame.

Pretty awesome first official stop of the trip, right!? Old Bennington Cemetery is absolutely gorgeous, and totally worth a detour. I have never seen old headstones in such amazing shape. This place is an absolute treasure!
xoxo

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Klaus – the water dog!

by Kaylah Stroup August 17, 2016

Thank you IAMS™ for sponsoring this post. Take on the IAMS™ Visible Difference Challenge for your pet and see a visible difference in your dog!

If you’ve been reading for a while you might remember me mentioning that my big brave puppy is terrified of water. When I adopted him I was so excited to have a beach buddy but quickly realized that wasn’t going to pan out how I wanted. Klaus and the beach probably won’t be friends for a long time, if ever! But he is starting to love the water!! You know, as long as it’s quiet, and won’t sneak up on him like waves do.

Jeff, Jason and I went out to my parents a few weekends ago. Just a nice, relaxing weekend to escape from the city. I’ve been trying to convince all my friends, basically since we met, that they need to come out to my parents since my parents are coolest. Hi Mom! We hiked up the creek that runs through my parents backyard. We rode four-wheelers through the woods, and ate until our bellies felt like they might explode. We even brought our hammocks out, and slept underneath the stars. It was an awesome time but the highlight of my weekend was seeing Klaus finally realize how awesome playing in the water is.

Recently I’ve transitioned Klaus to IAMS™ Grain Free Naturals. We took IAMS™Visible Difference challenge and I seriously couldn’t be happier. I feel like I’ve been on the hunt for SO long for a good food for my best bud and after three whole years I’ve found it. The food I chose is grain free, made from farm-raised chicken, and farm-grown peas! For the past few months Klaus has been acting pretty bored with what I was feeding him. This pup who used to be so excited to eat would just let it sit in his bowl all day. Since starting switching over to IAMS™ he is stoked to eat again! While that’s not one of the three identifiable differences guaranteed, it’s one that makes me very happy.

The three visible differences you’ll see after making the switch are healthy skin and coat, healthy digestion, and energy. The one I’m showcasing in this post? I’ll give you one guess. Healthy coat isn’t the first that comes to mind with this muddy dog. Although just because he’s crazy dirty, doesn’t mean he isn’t super soft and shiny! He definitely is! Does this puppy not just look like a ball of energy? He is! That’s something else that had been troubling me for a while with his last food. He just didn’t seem to have any energy. Although anytime he gets to go to grandma’s house he perks up, he’s been especially crazy, in the best way, since switching to IAMS™.

IAMS™ is so confident that you’ll see a visible difference in your dog when you choose their dog food that they offer a money back guarantee. Pretty sweet right?! For more information on IAMS™ products for dogs of all sizes and ages and to learn about the Visible Difference Guarantee, visit Iams.com/VisibleDifference.

obsessed with Jeff’s reaction in the photo above. Guess that’s the “who is that puppy?!?” pose.

This puppy was in absolute heaven. He was just a rocket, shooting back and forth, splashing in the water. I’m hoping next time I’ll be able to convince him that going out past where the water clover grows is even more fun. Will Klaus and I ever be able to enjoy swimming in the pond together? I’ve got my fingers crossed but only time will tell!
xoxo

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

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