The one where my crafty side remembers that it exists...

My sister-in-law is having a baby boy in July, and while her family is throwing her a shower in June, my mother-in-law wanted to have one hosted by our side of the family, as well, so she could invite all of her friends to it. My other sister-in-law and I were tagged to plan it, with some help from one of the family friends, and hooooooooo buddy.

I had fun.

I was in charge of the decorations, and on one of my many trips to the outlet mall that is now a mere SIX MINUTES from my house since we moved in December, I scoped out the baby clothes in the various children's stores to try to get some ideas of a possible theme. One ridiculously adorable skull & crossbones hat discovery later, I made the executive decision that we were going to do a pirate theme, and to Pinterest I went.

Honestly. How did people plan parties before Pinterest became a thing?

I knew I wanted to make decorations that could be used for both the party and the nursery, and I wanted the favors to be fun, but not cardboard. After spending WAY too much money at Michaels,* I spent WAY too much time playing with stain and paint and scrapbooking paper and stickers. And I kind of loved every minute.

The prep:

And the party:

 

 

 

 

  

 And (BONUS!) the goofy party crasher:

I'd forgotten how much fun it is (to me, anyway) to put something together like this. For Brigid's last birthday, because we had our house on the market, we did a birthday in a box kind of event at the local gymnastics place, one of those things where they plan everything except the cake. And for Caitlin's last birthday, which also happened to be her first? Well, we were living out of boxes following one failed house closing, coming up on our second (ultimately successful) attempt, and just getting back from a Disney vacation. Plus, it was the day after Thanksgiving. Let's just say the poor child was lucky she got anything remotely resembling a celebration that day.

I plan to make up for it this year. I may just start planning it now...



*After my first trip into Michaels, I called my sister-in-law to inform her that I'd already spent $100 in a craft store, and all I had for the party was a $5 fishing net. My shopping habit seems to have extended itself into the craft supply market now, unfortunately...

Reading Rainbow

Apparently, I can write more words than any one person should about favorite movies and television shows (if that one person is not a movie or television critic, anyway), but then the words dry up, and I forget to post again.

NOT THIS WEEK!! This week, I'm linking up with Ginger's Bring Back the Words prompt around what my favorite toys were as a child, which is actually a surprisingly short list, given how many toys were in my house at any given moment when I was growing up. In fact, there's really only one item on that list...

Books.

Now, before I could read, I had a few toys that I liked. When I was three, I wanted a barn and a farm and a horse for Christmas. This was the first Christmas my mom and I shared with my soon-to-be-step-dad, and when I unwrapped the Fisher Price farm set he'd put under the tree for me, I think I knew right then and there that he was a keeper.

(I was right, by the way. He's still a keeper, 30 years later. I am an excellent judge of character, obviously.)

Then there was the American Girl doll I got when I was...10? 11, maybe? I'd wanted a Samantha doll more than ANYTHING ELSE IN THIS WHOLE ENTIRE WORLD, and there she was on Christmas morning. The pictures from that day are a great testament to my joy that morning, but they're also a testament to pre-teen braces, frizzy hair, and remarkably pasty complexion, so...yeah. I think those pictures are in a box at my parents' house somewhere, maybe (hopefully?) never to see the light of day, again.

(Along with the video of my Jr. Miss competition (IT WAS A SCHOLARSHIP COMPETITION!) when I was a senior in high school. I think I've safely hidden that away somewhere, because it was awful. Picture a group of high school girls dancing a horrific dance to Jailhouse Rock by Elvis, in white sweatsuits with black electrical tape lines on them, made to look like jailhouse uniforms. Then imagine the ridiculous answers given to terrible pageant questions, and that is maybe the most cringe-worthy tape of my life. So. Bad.)

But books. Well, books were my life when I was growing up. I would read anything and everything I could get my hands on. I'd read every book in the young adult section at the library that earned me extra points in the Summer Reading Club. I'd read all of the children's books my little sister brought home to read, to her if that was an option, but even to myself, if it wasn't. I'd read really age-inappropriate books, now that I think about it, that I found on my grandpa's bookshelf. I'd read cereal boxes at the kitchen table, just to have something to do.

My mom loves to tell the story about how I got lost driving home from my piano teacher's house, even though she lived five minutes and one turn away from me, because I'd turned the wrong way. Turns out, when you start reading the minute you get into the car, you're not going to know how to get yourself around the small town you've lived in all of your freaking life.

Go figure.

My mom actually had to ground me from reading from time to time, because I wouldn't get anything else done. My room would be a mess, my homework would be incomplete, my chores would be unfinished. Seriously. My mother. Would ground me. From reading.

Who does that?

I hope beyond anything else that I am able to pass this love of reading on to my girls, because I don't know what I'll do if they don't enjoy it like I do. Brigid gets two books read to her every night before bed, and I'm trying to get back into the habit of it with Caitlin, as well. I am SO DAMN EXCITED for the day when I think Brigid is finally old enough to read the Harry Potter books with me, and I have a box full of old Nancy Drew books in the basement with her name on it. Lord of the Rings, Madeleine L'Engle, Narnia, The Babysitters Club, whatever new series they have out for kids now. I want them to want to read it all.

Just as soon as they learn how to read.

Reliving Notre Dame

I try to make it a point to always wear green on the Friday before a Notre Dame game, because I am just that much of an ND homer. I may or may not have bought this skirt from the J Crew outlet with just such an event in mind...

Of course, this week, I had to move my pre-gameday ritual up a few days, because Steve and I took Thursday and Friday off to actually go to Notre Dame for the game, but still...I think I got my point across.

We went back to South Bend for a game in 2011, but we'd left Brigid with my mom for the day (my parents live about two hours away from SB), and we'd just driven up and back that same day. We didn't leave the tailgate lot, except to go to the stadium and walk to the bookstore on the edge of campus when the game was over, so it had been awhile since I'd been on the actual campus. It's changed so much, but then...it hasn't.

When I was in high school, I applied to Notre Dame to give my parents bragging rights. I thought I could get in to the university, and I wanted them to be able to tell their friends that I had, in fact, done so, because, I don't know. I was a snotty high schooler who wanted to show off, maybe? But I had absolutely no intention of going there for four years, because I wanted to move to the city. Sure, that city happened to be Indianapolis, which is maybe no great shakes to most people, but it was a big deal to me, since my closest neighbor when I was in high school was the cow that lived in the pasture across the road from us. I was going to Butler, and that was that.

But there was no point in letting my official college visits go to waste, even if I'd already made my decision, so when my best guy friend and the guy I happened to have a crush on at the time asked if I wanted to take a day to go visit Notre Dame with them, of course I went. Spend the day in school or take a four hour roadtrip with a cute guy? Please.

I was 18. I think we all know where my priorities lie.

It was cold and rainy when we got there, so we decided to skip the official tour. After all, none of us were planning to go there, anyway. My friend was moving to Boston. My crush wanted to go to Duke. Why did we need to learn about the campus?

Then we stepped inside the Basilica to look around.

Look, I am Catholic. I was baptized Catholic. I attended Catholic school through seventh grade. I taught kindergarten Sunday school when I was in high school. I've spent my life at church. But I struggle with it sometimes, and I am not as active as I should be. And I definitely wasn't as full of faith as a teenager as some people I knew at the time. And yet, the minute I walked into that church, I knew.

This was where I would spend the next four years of my life, and I have never once regretted that decision.

Six years later, I would get married in that church. Nine years after that, I would take the daughters I share with the man I met just across the quad from that church to Mass there. And I would feel the very same feelings of coming home each and every time I walked into that building.

Notre Dame is my happy place, and I think it always will be. I've been telling Steve for years that I think I'd be happy working on a college campus for the rest of my life, but I think I've been wrong. I don't think I'd want to work on a college campus, I think I'd want to work on this college campus...

...if working meant sitting outside, under a tree, with a book, in the spring and fall, of course. I may end up being the first person in history to retire to South Bend, Indiana, I think.

TV Time

Well, last week I had so much fun participating in Ginger's favorite movie link-up that you'd better believe I wanted to participate in this week's favorite television show version.

10) Alias - I've always said that I want to be Sydney Bristow when I grow up, because seriously...she kicks so much ass. Steve and I started watching the show randomly one summer in the middle of its run, because I think maybe he found a deal for season 1 on DVD? And he's never been one to pass up a good deal? Even if that deal is on a show that neither of us had shown any inclination to watch prior to that moment? Whatever. That DVD was my first taste at binge watching an entire season of one show, and well, I was hooked after that. I have, however, never quite forgiven Jennifer Garner for breaking up with Michael Vartan in the middle of the show, to go marry Ben Affleck, even if the Garner-Affleck kids are some of the cutest kids on the planet. I'M STILL NOT OVER IT, OK? This has not stopped me, however, from adding it to my Amazon Prime watchlist, because I intend to watch it from beginning to end, all over again, sometime in the near future.

9) Charmed - I don't know what it is about this show, but I love it. STOP JUDGING ME! *ahem* The show runs on TNT now, and they were just starting with the pilot episode during my first week of maternity leave after having Brigid, so through the magic of the DVR, I was able to record and watch the entire thing from start to finish. The supernatural overload may have had something to do with the voices I could have sworn I was hearing in the white noise machine when getting up with Brigid during all of those sleepless nights, come to think of it...

8) Bones - I just love the relationships between all of the characters. The science stuff is interesting, I find the murder stuff a little gruesome from time to time, but the characters keep me invested in the show, no matter what.

7) Parks & Rec - It's not weird that I want to go knock off Ann Perkins and then take her place as Leslie's best friend, right?

6) New Girl - I know she's kind of a polarizing figure, but I LOVE Zooey Deschanel, and I want most of her wardrobe from the show.

5) Downton Abbey - I'm giving Downton this spot on a trial basis. It has A LOT to do before it can make up for what it did to me last season.

4) Friends - I will watch these reruns whenever they are on. Who DOESN'T watch these reruns whenever they are on?

3) Seinfeld - I've made Steve watch the reruns throughout our relationship, because I got tired of quoting the show to him, only to have him look at me like I was nuts. Not that he doesn't have a point, when I can relate most of life to Seinfeld, but still. I needed his support. Our family favorite is probably the Festivus episode, because we have a lot of fun interpreting Caitlin's baby shrieks as 'I've got a lot of problems with you people!' Well, I have a lot of fun doing that. Steve might just be humoring me at this point.

2) West Wing - This is such a great show. It is so well written, with such great characters, that I am still sad they didn't just leave it on the air. I absolutely would have watched Jimmy Smits as president for another 4 years, if it meant they weren't taking Josh Lyman away from me. This is my current Amazon Prime binge-viewing obsession.

1) Gilmore Girls - I want to live in Stars Hollow. Not in some small town somewhere in New England. Just Stars Hollow. I'd also like to be able to think as fast as Lorelai Gilmore talks, if that's not too much to ask.


Honorable Mentions:
The Office - Jim and Pam's wedding might have been one of my favorite episodes of any television series, ever.
The Bachelor/ette - Who doesn't like a nice hot mess to watch every now and then?
So You Think You Can Dance - Those kids have some serious talent.
Community - It can be up and down, quality-wise, but the up can also be really, REALLY up.
Dawson's Creek - Mostly because I have nostalgic memories of gathering in my dorm's common room to watch it with a whole group of girls in college. It's on my watchlist for future start-to-finish viewing at some point, too.
VEEP - Hilarious. The show is FREAKING HILARIOUS.

I'm sure I'm missing something, but this is what I have at the moment. What about you?

Fun With Make-Up

Last weekend, I spent Saturday night out with several ladies much, MUCH younger than myself, in honor of my soon to be SiL's bachelorette party. It was fun, and exhausting, and a little crazier than my 33-year old body can handle these days. And I learned that while I still like to talk to just about anybody who will have a conversation with me while I'm out, I now find myself doing things like discussing career paths with the 29-year old engaged bartender who is studying to be a chiropractor and giving parenting advice to the guy who's wife is pregnant with their first kid (a girl!) at the bachelor party drinking next to us. So, you know. I am a BLAST to have at parties, obviously.

Anyway, as I've gotten older, I've started using a lot more make-up in my everyday routine, to try to mask a few of those telltale 'yes I have a baby at home, and no I haven't had a decent night of sleep in something like 10 months' signs, and let me tell you...the rabbit hole that is internet make-up advice is just as fun/exhausting/crazy as any bachelorette party with a bunch of mid-twenties people in attendance. But! Most of the time I don't wake up with a splitting headache in the morning after looking at you tubed make-up tutorials, so I'll have to give the nod to the internet on this one.

My newest obsession? Tightlining.

It's an eyelining technique that involves lining from underneath your lashes, to accent your eyes without the heavy handed look you (or I, in any case) can get from regular eyeliner. I followed the advice I found here, and for my first attempt, I was pretty happy with the results:




Of course, the look took A LOT of Q-Tip clean-up, because I had eyeliner all over the place, but it's definitely a look I want to keep practicing, because I think I could make this an everyday thing for myself, once I get a better handle on it.

Side note: The other night, I was watching Two Weeks Notice with Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant, and all I could focus on was Sandra's eyeliner. Because in almost every movie she is in, I always love the look of her make-up, and now? I AM TOTALLY IN ON HER SECRET! Watch your back, Sandy. I'm coming for you.

(Because, the only thing separating me from Sandra's superstar life is the eye make-up techniques, right?)

Side note, the second: I used this Stila Smudge Pot and a flat eyeliner brush for my first attempt.

My Parents Are THE BEST!

Y'all! My parents bought a townhome on the beach.

I just...I can't even. I am SO excited about this place.

See, we've been vacationing at the same spot in Panama City Beach, FL for something like a million and a half years. And every year, while we were there, my parents would talk about how fantastic it would be to own one of the townhomes in the complex where we were staying. And they would talk to some of the owners who lived there full-time. And the maintenance staff on site. And the office manager. And anyone else remotely related to the property, in the hopes that they could somehow, someday, buy one of the places that never seemed to be for sale.

And all of that talking? It finally paid off when my parents received a call about a year ago from the office manager, telling them that one of the families who lived there was thinking about listing their townhome for sale. And somehow, through the craziest bout of meant-to-be-perfect-timing ever, my parents found a buyer for the house they were living in in Indiana that had been on the market for years, downgraded to a smaller house still in Indiana, and used the difference to fund their dream purchase of a townhome on the beach.

And, of course, being the perfect, always loving daughter that I am, I agreed to help them manage the property, since I am the closest one to it at five hours away. And, if that means I have to go down once a month to check on how things are being kept up?

Well...I guess that's just a sacrifice I'm willing to make.

My life is SO TOUGH, you guys.

 

Side Note: We do have the place listed on VRBO (where Steve and I are managing the rentals), at really reasonable rates, if you're looking for a great vacation spot. It's pretty quiet and somewhat secluded on this part of the beach, most of the time, but there are also fun family activities nearby, if spending all day doing nothing on the beach isn't really your thing...

Decorating a house I don't own...

The bad news: In about a month, my parents will be moving out of the house they've lived in for almost 20 years, leaving behind a 100+ years old farmhouse on five acres in the middle of nowhere Indiana, complete with pool, pool house, and pond, and moving into a much smaller house located in town, where all of the things we've always loved to do at my parents' house will no longer be available to us.

Sad.

The good news: In addition to this smaller house? They're also in the process of buying a townhouse on the beach in Florida.

Not as sad, anymore.

I, of course, immediately started a Pinterest board to decorate the place, like it's my very own beach house or something, and headed off to the Pottery Barn outlet for a little bit of window shopping, too. A few of my wishes?
It's hard to tell with the iPhone pictures, but this is the color palette I want her to use in at least one of the bedrooms. It just screams BEACH!!%$#%! to me.

Seashell pillow. Because, of course.
Starfish pillow. See above.
Coral candle holders? Same.

I'm trying to talk my mom into a nautical themed family room, with navy blue furnishings (because they're planning to rent the place out for the next few years, and light colored furniture is kind of a no-no in a rental, I think) and a pale gray wall, so I think rope accents would be perfect, right?
Green and light blue. Just like the ocean!
Linen picture frames, with beach scenes in them would fit perfectly on a shelf in the family room, I think.
I love the look of distressed wood in furniture (even though I think this distressing is most likely factory made), so I will be on the look-out for some new side tables when I hit up the antique stores on our Florida vacation in September.
Bedroom number two, perhaps?

Seriously...this is almost as much fun as decorating for Christmas, you guys!

July Birchbox

There was a little bit of Birchbox drama around these parts this month because I got my shipping notification at the beginning of the month, but it was showing that it would be two weeks before it was actually delivered. And that was annoying to me.

But THEN! After only a few days, my tracking information showed that the box was delivered in a much shorter time period than that two week estimated window, which was great...except for the fact that I still hadn't seen anything actually delivered to me. Because the mailman had, on one particular day, tried to give us the mail for our neighbors up the street, he figured that our mail had been left for our neighbors down the street.

You know, the ones who had just left for a week-long vacation.

Luckily, my dear, sweet husband is not as worried about mail-related felonies as I am, because he had no problem getting into their mailbox to rescue my Birchbox.

(And, really, they'd put a stop on their mail delivery while they were gone, so the only thing in their mailbox was our stuff, anyway.)

(AND and, they don't have a covered front porch, and we got a lot of rain while they were gone, so I rescued two packages that had been delivered for them, and stored those in my garage until they got back, to keep their stuff safe. So it all evens out, right?)




Anyway, the delivery...

GLOSS Moderne High Gloss Masque for hair: It definitely made my hair softer, but I don't know that I really noticed much of a difference in the shine when I used it. Of course, that could be more because I am about six months overdue for a hair cut and less because the product doesn't work quite as well as they say it does, but whatever...

Harvey Prince Hello: This officially qualifies as the first time I've liked a perfume scent they've sent me in my Birchbox. It's light and flowery and makes me want to spend all day outside in a garden. It's possibly my new favorite summer scent, I think.

Ada Cosmetics Bronzer: I needed a new bronzer, so excellent timing on this delivery! I like how it works, but I much prefer a compact bronzer to a loose powder, just because I ALWAYS make a mess with loose powder. I'm not so graceful with stuff like this...

Stila Lip Glaze: I don't think I've ever met a color of this stuff that I don't like. They are some of the most universally flattering lip glosses, ever.

And then if you throw in a Larabar and a pair of headphones? Well, you have the makings of a good box o' samples, right there. I think this is two or three in a row where I have been extremely happy with what I've received, and considering the first one or two weren't the best selections ever, I'm finally starting to think I'll be really sad when my subscription runs out. I LIKE new make-up, you know?

I'm glad Steve rescued this one for me from the neighbors, that's for sure.

*ahem*

My pregnancy, in pictures...








My doctor would be so proud, yes?


My parents have been in town for the past few days, so I've been terrible about promoting this, but you should ABSOLUTELY go enter my giveaway for an eight person party pack from The Party Works by tomorrow, because your chances of winning are EXCELLENT right now!

Friday Round-Up

I haven't done a Friday links post in forever, it seems, mostly because I haven't been reading any blogs to link to in forever. But, I'm working on that whole catch-up thing, again, so here are a few of my favorites from the last few weeks...

Elizabeth is a genius, and I want her to come and make my backyard pretty, too.

Jess is apparently in the process of creating her own photography website, and I want to buy all of the sunflowers when she does.

I don't usually post recipes, and let's be honest, this doesn't necessarily qualify as a recipe, but it DOES qualify as food that I'd like to eat. So there...

I think that ever since I've 'met' her, I've been trying to convince Cee to come to Atlanta and fix my closet for me, because she does this, this, and especially this, and I don't. One of these days, I might be able to break her down...

Do any of you watch the Bachelor? Or, even if you don't want it anymore, have you ever watched it? Because this Burning Love parody of that show is so, so, SO much better than the original, I would ABSOLUTELY watch it every week.

How cute are these bracelets?

And who wants to buy me the second Tory Burch dress on this list? Because I looooooove it.

I need to come up with additional storage space for my jewelry, because the corkboard I have been using just doesn't cut it for all of my super long necklaces anymore. I think I may have found my solution...


And...that's all I have for now. Have a super fantastic fabulous weekend, and (if your weather is shaping up to be anything close to what ours is going to be) try not to melt out there, ok?

June Birchbox

Do you want to know what is even better than finally getting home after a long day of traveling?

Getting home after a long day of traveling and finding that month's Birchbox delivery in your mailbox! I swear, I don't know how I got on the early end of the mailing list, but I am pretty much the happiest person ever that I did. I am not so great at the whole waiting thing, and I just don't think I'd be able to stand it if a bunch of people started to talk about what they received that month, and I still had nothing to show for it...

Instead, I'll just be that obnoxious person that talks about it while everyone else has to wait. Because I am sweet like that.

So...




Band-Aids. Sanitizing wipes. Stretch mark cream. SPF face cream. Lip and cheek stain. I swear...it's like they KNOW me or something.

Get out of my head, Birchbox!

I mean, I really needed Band-Aids, I can never have too many SPF lotions, and I don't leave home without sanitizing wipes, ever, so I am pretty much thrilled with all of those offerings. Beyond that, the stretch mark cream, which retails at something like $100 a tube for the full-size product, is probably what I'm most interested to try, just because I want to see if I notice any sort of difference after using it, or if it's true that the stretch marks are here to stay, whether I like it or not. I'm afraid this is going to be one of those products that I fall in love with, only to have to remind myself that I probably shouldn't be paying $100/tube for anything at this point in time.

Thank goodness they sent the lip and cheek stain to take some of the sting away. I am in love with the Benetint stain that I'm currently using, but it's almost $40 a jar, while this Stainiac product retails for less than $20 in the full-size product. So far, I think I'm a fan, so I may have just saved myself some money, and that's always nice.

Especially when I start to spend it on stretch mark creams.

Or not...

Friday Round-Up

Happy Friday, everyone! The sun is shining, the temperature is not of the sweltering variety, and I treated myself to a little bit of caffeine at lunch.

It's a good day all around, is what I'm saying.

I hope your Friday is treating you just as wonderfully sweet as mine is...

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And now, for the things I've enjoyed around the Internet this week...

I want the last pair of shoes in this post. I would almost go so far as to say I NEED the last pair of shoes in this post, but I'm sure, given the price, my husband would vehemently disagree. And I'm trying to stay on his good side, since he's giving me a few days of rest and recovery to myself this weekend, while he handles toddler duty at the beach. But still...pretty, pretty, PRETTY shoes.

Jen is a packing genius. Seriously. GENIUS.

How do we feel about this yellow floral dress (the last one in the post)? Because I'm torn between absolutely adoring the heck out of it and thinking it's too stepford-ish for my taste. But with those coral accessories? I kind of want it all. I don't know. I"M SO CONFUSED!

This just makes me smile. It's an outlook on life we should all have, I think...

Then there's this, which is kind of all about poop. But it makes me smile, too, because, well, LIFE. It's just what happens, you know?

And finally, surviving IKEA. Because it's a lesson we could all use at one point or another.

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And then, of course, you should check out my latest Style Lush post, if you have the time. And maybe weigh in on the large wooden mustache, if you're interested? Because I think it's awesome, and I need to find somewhere to put it, so I have an excuse to go buy it.

(I totally hooked you with 'wooden mustache', didn't I?)

Birchbox, for the win!

I have to say, I was a little worried about my Birchbox subscription when I first signed up for it. I'd heard such good things for such a long time, when I received my first box, I was a little disappointed. But, then I started hearing from people that my first month had been a disappointment across the board, with very few people happy with what they'd received.

So, I decided to reserve judgment until the second month. And I was rewarded for my patience with a dry shampoo sample that excited me more than anything of that sort should excite me. This was followed, in the next couple of months, with samples of tea, perfume, nail polish, eye shadow, and facial cleanser/moisturizer that absolutely made my subscription worth it.

Then this month rolled around. And I am officially in love.




 

You see that unassuming, shiny pink tube in the second picture? 

That is Fresh's sugar rose tinted lip treatment, and I am obsessed with it. I haven't stopped putting it on my lips every five seconds since it showed up on my doorstep, and I have no intention of ever doing so. It's tinted. It has SPF included. It smells so lovely.

It's a keeper. 

Friday Round-Up

Another week, another Friday. I should be more excited about this, right? Instead, I have to work today, while my husband takes Brigid to see Beauty and the Beast in 3D. Boo!

But, I am easy to please, so all will be forgiven if they just remember to bring the leftover popcorn home with them to appease me. And, maybe, add some 'butter' topping on the way out of the door?

It doesn't take much to make me happy again...

Now, on to the links!

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I am on a big 'let's save money!!!' kick this year, because despite having two, full-time working adults with good jobs in our household, I'm not entirely sure we are saving as much as we should be saving. Don't get me wrong...we are definitely saving something. I am not a finance nerd for nothing, you know. But, we could be saving more, I think. So, I really loved this post on little ways to cut back...so much so that I brought down a stack of Brigid's baby washcloths that are too small for bath time, but that might just be the perfect replacement for the quick paper towel rubdown she gets after every meal.

Who doesn't love a good 'how we met' story?

This? Right here? This is why parenting is so awesome and heartbreaking, all at the same time. It's also why, despite what a pain the entire process of bringing a little bundle of joy into the world can be from time to time, I hope I am blessed enough to do it again.

I am absolutely making the 'time of the month' jar, because after 10 years together, my husband should know better than to ask me that question. And if he doesn't, then he deserves to pay me for putting up with him, I think...

While I am not completely against negativity on the internet, because sometimes you just need to vent (and nobody is going to be all shiny-happy-people all of the time), it's still a good idea to remember that if negativity is all you put out there, that's probably all you're going to get back, too. I think most of the people I follow tend to be pretty positive across the board, but sometimes I think my own negativity seems to be getting out of hand.

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Also, while it doesn't necessarily qualify as a favorite link of the week (particularly this week, because I completely forgot I had a post due on Tuesday until about...oh, around 10pm on Monday night), I always forget to link up to my weekly Style Lush post, which makes me a terrible self-promoter. I really need to work on that...

Or not. Whatever.

Anyway, go forth, and read about my love affair with the Chi flat iron my sister bought me for Christmas. Because it is a love that runs deep, my friends.

Friday Round-Up

I am so, so very happy today is Friday. I have big plans for this weekend. BIG PLANS! Plans that involve...

...cleaning my house, doing laundry, finally uploading my Christmas pictures to post on my family blog, possibly starting the 30-Day Shred, and finishing the last book of The Hunger Games trilogy.*

I like to live life on the edge.

Here are a few of my favorite things from around the web this week:

I WANT THIS NECKLACE! Granted, I already have a necklace devoted to Brigid that I adore, but this one is just so pretty, too. Obviously, I need them both.

Sometimes, taking a break from social media is just what the day needs.

I know I should be embarrased to admit that I watch The Bachelor, but I'm kind of not. In fact, I kind of love it. And the MamaPop recap makes me laugh, every time I read it. I'm so glad they brought it back this season...

If you are a runner, or even someday dream of being a runner, and you enjoy a nice adult beverage from time to time, you probably need to enter to win this shirt. And if you don't win it? You should go buy one, anyway. It's all kinds of awesome.

Have a fantastic Friday!

*I'm...not exactly sure how I feel about these books, now that I'm working my way through the second one. I can't stop reading them, because I absolutely HAVE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!!, but I don't know that I like to protagonist all that much. She kind of annoys me, if I'm being honest. And I've cried my way through significant sections of the first two books so far, because the premise is just so heartbreaking, although not necessarily in a good way. I'm holding out hope that the final book brings it all back for me, in the end. At the very least, I will have knocked three books off of my 2012 to-do list within a week, so that's something, right?

And I'm back...

Vacation is over, laundry has been done, and I am slowly getting my head around the fact that I have to go back to work tomorrow for the first time in over a week.

I am not looking forward to that part of things, at all.

While I was gone, I took a week off from all things blog related (with the small exception of Twitter, that is, because I'd be lost without my Twitter news...), and although I missed keeping up with all of the day-to-day excitement of my blog friends (my reader feed is full, but I will be doing my best to catch up this week, as I can...), it was kind of nice to take a break. I'd like to thank Cee, Claire, Kimmie, and Melissa again for being awesome enough to agree to do guest posts last week, because it was nice to know I was leaving my little corner of the Internet in good hands.

Thanks for doing such a fantastic job, ladies!

On a slightly related note, outfit posts might be kind of sparse this week, because apparently, spending time on the beach has made me forget, not only how to put an outfit together, but also how to do my hair and make-up. So I'll try to spare you the photographic evidence of my re-entrance into normal society, and instead, I'll share a picture of this:





Why, yes, that is a picture of an empty gourd painted to look like Elvis playing the guitar that I spent $4 on in a thrift store in Port St. Joe, Florida. And it may be my greatest find, ever.


Happy Labor Day to all!

Cop-out

I have several things I'm working on right now, and no real desire to do an outfit post today. So instead, I have a question and a link, instead. First, the question...

Lately (which I'm sure has been super obvious, with the buy! buy! buy! theme my posts have been running the last few days...), my shopping has gotten a little (or a lot?) out of control. I set myself a budget at the start of the year, and I've pretty much lost all track of that. I swore I'd do a better job of 'shopping my closet' instead of shopping the mall, and that hasn't happened. I just really, really love to shop. And I'm ok with that.

But I need to dial it back a little.

So my question is, of the various blogger-run 'challenges' (for lack of a better word) that you've participated in during your internet life, what are your favorites? I need something that will help me to focus on what I already own, but will also keep me interested enough that I don't miss shopping. Not that I'm giving up shopping, by any means, because giving up shopping has the same effect on me that giving up sugar does, and I always end up over-doing it in the end. So, lay it on me friends...how do I change things up?

And, as a reward for helping me out, I'll leave you with this...



Did you know that while at the University of Michigan, Darren Criss (from Glee) co-wrote a stage musical based on Harry Potter? And not only did Criss and his group do one Harry Potter musical, they apparently came back for a second? And you can watch it all (in eight-ish minute increments, that is) on You Tube?

You're welcome.

My Favorite Things

I didn't have a camera with me this weekend because we were traveling.

My outfits this week haven't really been photo worthy, because I was too tired to do much on Monday, and I had Brigid going to the office with me on Tuesday (and didn't put much thought into things beyond 'be able to chase down crazy toddler if necessary', which was a good mindset to have, because it turned out to be necessary...).

So, I have no outfit photos to share.

You know that that means? Another installment of Tara's favorite things!

This is the greatest travel bag, ever. Seriously. It's amazing. (I even wrote about it at Style Lush yesterday, that's how much I love it.)

I was tired on my lunch break on Monday, from being out of town all weekend, so I indulged in something even better than caffeine...online shopping. Have you been to gilt.com? Because it is amazing. Not that I needed a new watch, but whatever...it's so pretty!

We're redoing our backyard this summer, because our current backyard is a complete disaster. There are weeds, dangerous trees, and drainage issues galore, so it's actually long overdue. And do you know what a yard/porch redesign means? Well, it means more shopping, of course (I'd love to get all new furniture, but I think I'm going to have to settle with some accessories here and there, for the time being...).

Anything you've been loving lately?

{photo credits: me, gilt.com, hautelook.com)