31
Dec

nye2009

So, any big plans for New Years Eve?  The mister and I are throwing a little shindig at our house, so we have spent the last few evenings in a purging, cleaning, stuffing-things-into-the-attic frenzy.  We are only expecting around 10-15 guests, which will still be a test to see how many people we can fit into out cozy little home.  While we are waiting for guests to arrive the sausage dip is cooking, the bar is stocked and the wii remotes are fully charged and in their upright and locked position.  Party time!

In totally unrelated news, if your new year resolutions (or goals, or life plans or whathaveyou) include simplifying your life, then I have a great resource to get you started.  Knowing what I do about the year ahead for Patrick and I, it would be silly for us to proclaim 2010 “the year of the simple,” but freeing up time, living in the present and cleaning your counters are even more important when your world is spinning at a million miles a minute. 

What I’m trying to say is, you should read Zen Habits.  Here, let me help.

Breathe.

Do interesting things.

Your life, simplified.

The Sound of Silence: How to Find Some Quietude in Your Life.

A Simple Guide to Being Present for the Overworked and Overwhelmed.

A Simple Guide to Keeping Your Counters Clutter Free.

Peace out, 2009.

photo credit: www.cupcakejones.wordpress.com
13
Nov

Like I would post anything else today. If you haven’t seen them already, click fast here to see some of our wedding pictures from Cheyenne & Geoff Shultz, photographers extraordinare.
Anyone have big plans for the weekend? Patrick is finally coming home to stay Saturday night, we are both so relieved. 4 weeks apart is a hard way to begin a marriage.

Other than a ride to the airport, here are some things I hope to do this weekend:

  • Clean the house!
  • Wash those stinky dogs
  • Read for hours
  • Craft?
  • Library Book Sale
  • Hem pants
  • Finish thank you notes!

If I can finish up all that, I will be one very happy girl come Monday.

Have a great weekend everyone!

06
Nov

Hope everyone had a good week! I am so excited for the weekend…mom is coming to town tonight, we’re celebrating my birthday (again!) on Saturday and I have a baby shower in Winston-Salem for my cousin Wendy and baby Jackson, followed by game night in Durham. Who needs boys to have fun?

Here are some of my favorites from around the web this week:

Bald Bears Make Me Uneasy – The Awl. Have you ever wondered what a naked bear looks like? Me either, but hey, now you know.

Book Design: Beauty in the Details – Editor Unleashed. I love this article mainly for the discussion about the layout in the Harry Potter series. Ok…I love this article precisely because of that. Who knew so much though went into the design of the inside of the book?

FAQ: Camera + Photography – I am Style-ish. I am always fascinated by micro-businesses. How they work, what they do, and so on. Even more so for creative businesses.

Why Every Country Has a Different F*cking Plug – Gizmodo. If you have ever tried to plug in something outside of the USA, you surely feel the frusturation. This article is looong, but pretty intetersting.

Big Ideas – Seth Godin. Something to chew on over the weekend.

Happy Friday loves, see you on the other side.

30
Oct

Wow has this been the lamest week ever for posting or what? I promise that next week will be an improvement. Patrick will be gone again so I will have lots of down time. To make up for the lack of posts I have an extra long list of awesome people who actually did look at their blog more than once this week.

Eek! Halloween 2009 – Adventures in Renovating a Brooklyn Limestone. The coolest Halloween decorations you will see this year.

Schwarzenegger Gives California Legislature a Hidden Finger – TechCrunch. Now this is funny.

Unitasker Wednesday: The Egg Cuber – Unclutterer. And this is ridiculous.

Going for a R-I-D-E – From Wedding Plans to Weeds. This reminds me so much of our boys, Amos and Caden. They love road trips. Plus, cute dog pics!

“If they hadn’t been pushed, they never would have made the leap.” – The Art of Nonconformity. How are you making lemonade out of lemons during this recession?

Dude drops his Kindle 2, convinces Amazon to replace it and pay him $200 for his troubles [balls] – Gizmodo. A long title of a short article about a guy with a lot of legal jaron floating around in his head.

See, all better now. Make sure to drop by on Sunday for my first ever monthly goal meetup!

And a very Happy Birthday! to my best friend, Danielle, who turns 25 tomorrow. Happy Halloween to everyone else!

23
Oct

For me this week has plodded along at a maddeningly slow pace, refusing to deliver the weekend. This is the first full week that I have worked since the middle of September (I know, poor me) and I never felt that the weekend would appear. Which is silly to say, because the weekend always comes. Now I must wait just one more short day before my darling husband (!!!) is back in town. He has been gone for the last two weeks and I have missed him so. Equally excited and frenetically awaiting his return are our two boys (I mean…dogs) who have dutifully listened to me count down the days each night as I crawl into bed.

Well, with all that sappiness out of the way, let’s get into what you came here for…good reads from around the world wide web. And I have some really good ones for you this week.

Clean Up Your Act - Young House Love. I’ve been cleaning with vinegar, water and baking soda for a while now. Between those 3 ingredients you really can clean almost anything, and it costs just pennies. Bonus points for saving your lungs from all those noxious gases.

Top This! – Seth’s Blog. And I quote, “Sometimes the work is the work and the goal isn’t to top what you did yesterday.” Take note, perennial overachievers.

The latest wedding trend - …here we go… Birds are all over weddings now. If frogs were the woodland creature du jour, I would be having the exact same reaction. No. freaking. way.

Roger – My Life is a Piece of Cake. If you don’t read anything else on this list…heck, if you don’t read anything else ALL DAY, read this piece. It will touch you. I don’t want to give away too much, but yes, I did sit at my desk and quietly weep.

Selective Listening & Selective Vision - The Hubby Diaries. These two go together so read them both. All the ladies in the house will be relieved to know that they are not alone.

Let’s Get Those Phones Ringing! – Slate. Across the country Public Radio stations are asking listeners to call in and support the station. Here is a list of ways that you are convinced to pick up the phone and make a donation. Side note – I love hearing stories about unintended consequences (the Freakonomics blog is a great place to start if you are interested) and I finally have one of my own to share. Everyday at WUNC callers are entered to win a week long trip to some foreign location – Paris, Rome, London etc. You want to know why I haven’t called in my pledge? I am actually afraid of winning the trip. Even though it is sponsored by the station, winners surely incur some cost – taxes must be paid on the trips value at the least – and Patrick and I are so broke that I don’t call because I am terrified of winning. How could we turn down Paris if it was offered? No, we couldn’t, so I don’t call.

16
Oct

Happy Friday! This weekend I am flying down to Miami Beach for my cousins wedding. I hear the weather is still hot in South Florida, so it will more than make up for this dreary, drizzly cold that we have been having here in North Carolina. Lots of celebrating and wine (LOTS of wine) look to be in my future.

While I’m busy leading my totally unglamorous jet set life (don’t worry, Patrick is logging plenty of miles as well, unfortunately they are all to the west coast, in fact he is there now), here are some thoughts to keep you thinking…

I think I need new friends (Being Carly) – Girl, I know exactly what you mean. I love love love my friends, but they all moved away. Who wants to be this Raleigh girl’s friend?

And for my nex trick… (i suwannee) – So so so excited for this new addition to Glenwood Ave, brought to you by Jamie Mears.

The “Local Store Premium” (The Simple Dollar) – buying local isn’t always the easiest or cheapest method, but it usually does the most good.

Mirror Neurons: Why Watching Others Succeed Won’t Help You Succeed (The Simple Dollar) – Yeah Trent was hitting on all cylinders this week. I especially relate to the Food Network example. It is the only way to explain why I am watching more of that station than ever, but eating cereal for dinner.

25
Sep

So it’s Friday again (time flies when you’re having fun!) but this is a very special Friday. I’m spending the day enjoying lunch with my bridesmaids, turning cartwheels in the bridal suite of the Renaissance, and practicing for tomorrow with a ribbon bouquet and 5 mile wide smile.

Here are some of my favorite articles from my blog reader this week:

Perfect vs. Good Enough from Make Under My Life
Business Card Doodles from The Simple Dollar
The Living Room from The Old Painted Cottage
Entrepreneurship Classes are on the Rise from Small Hands, Big Ideas
How to be a Customer Service Superstar from Modish Biz Tips
Linen Cabinet Makeover from Just beachy
Unscripted from Cheyenne Schultz

While we’re talking about Cheyenne, check out her blog early next week, she usually posts bridal portrait sessions soon after the wedding takes place, so maybe you’ll see a familiar face!

Oh and please do check in a few times over the next two weeks, I have a few posts scheduled while I’m away.

See you on the other side loves!

18
Sep

Can you believe that in one week (and one day) I’ll be getting married? Cause I kinda can’t. I can’t wait for it though, it’s just that it doesn’t feel real yet. When does that happen? Brides of the past, let me know!

The Art of Non-Conformity: The Case for the $100 Business

Nancy Ray: My Workspace (love peaking at these!)

Being Carly: {title unknown} (but it’s about oatmeal)

…here we go…: Engagement photos (I love shout outs, but I love Hey Mel more!)

Life in Translation: Doing Normal Things Like a Real Life Italian

Busy weekend wrapping up loose ends, see you on the other side!

11
Sep

Tonight I’m headed home for my bachelorette party. The actual plan of events are a mystery to me, but nonetheless I’m so excited to see some of my very favorite people, my bridesmaids! Check back Monday for a recap with lots of pictures ( I hope!)

In the meantime, here’s your weekly reading assignment, with love:

White After Labor Day?: Could you do it? I’m not convinced…

Unemployed or Between Jobs?: 4 Ways to Keep Moving and Grooving : Great advice on how not to go stir crazy, and expand your horizons at the same time.

Low Budget: San Francisco on the Cheap: I’m loving EmilyStyle’s SF guides. Is her timing perfect or what?

In-Front-of-TV-Clutter-Tray: DAAANG I can’t wait to get this wedding planning stuff over with so I can find time to decorate my house and be crafty.

What’s Wrong with the Work Place and What’s Next
: Rebecca always makes you think.

Prepaid Cell Phone Plans can Save you Money
: Interest, consider yourself peaked.

Working Vacations Rule: I can totally see myself doing this if/when I own my own business, but while I’m working for THEMAN, my vacation is strictly my own.

Are you a Success Junkie: Wait, is that a bad thing?

04
Sep

Labor Day weekend is thisclose, and soon Patrick and I will be loading the boys into the car, packing up our lounge chairs and sunscreen and driving down to Surfside Beach to spend the weekend with his family. My body may be sitting in my chair today, but I have the beach on my brain.

How about some good reading to help pass the day? Here are some posts to make you smile, to make you think and to make you dream.

Interesting Facts about Off-Priced Retailers – Well Heeled Blog

Moving to Paris without Quitting My Job: A Lesson in Becoming A Nonconformist
– The Art of Nonconformity

Two Ways to Hire (and a wrong way) – Seth’s Blog

Q&A: Designer Shoes on Sale – I am Style-ish

4 Lessons that Helped me Optimize my Workflow – Freelance Switch

September Goals – Cheyenne Schultz

Spotted – i suwannee

Happy Labor Day weekend everyone!