January 10, 2012

THEY SAY IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY {NAH NAH NA NAH NA}

Today is my birthday.
I think 33 is going to be a good age + good year. 
My first birthday as a Mrs.
I also like the way 33 sounds + looks much better than 31 or 32. 
There is something to be said for it's symmetry.

Yesterday I emailed the Mr. this recipe {I found on pinterest} with a little blurb like, 
"wish we had time to make this for my birthday"... or something to that effect. 
I had absolutely no delusions of that actually occurring... 
so I was beyond surprised after dinner... 
when my amazing husband unveiled my very own lemon cake with cream cheese frosting.

How lucky am I? I know... pretty lucky.





January 9, 2012

CURRENTLY COVETING {NO. 4}

How was your weekend? The weather here has been abnormally warm and we Ohioans have been enjoying the sunshine. After working Saturday, I had dinner + a few adult beverages with the Mr. and N, and then enjoyed a wonderful lazy Sunday. I even took a nap on the couch {which I rarely ever do} with Bailey {our cat} curled up beside me. Below are just a few things I dreamed of while napping.


1. loving these simple earrings / 2. i would tote this everywhere / 3. need this iphone case / 4. how cool is this alarm clock / 
5. skull and glossbones polish / 6. classic cozy sweater / 7. dreams of this quilt / 8. vintage inspired boots

January 6, 2012

A LITTLE ON MY LATELY

Happy Friday, everyone! 
I work tomorrow {Saturday} so Friday doesn't quite hold the same meaning this week. 
I'm not complaining though... looking forward to the weekend anyway.

A picture is worth a thousand words...  
Here is a little on life lately according to Instagram.


{my bird print blouse from Asos / our favorite bar / a yummy Christmas drink / 
Bailey's new favorite spot thanks to this / a new scarf / dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant / 
our new mantle decor... a work in progress / the Mr. hard at work /  
Great-aunt Elsie's 100th birthday / arriving home from the Nutcracker / volcano rolls from Tai's... SO good / pinning away on pinterest / another cat picture / yesterday morning I had grits {country bacon} that we picked up in SC when we were on our honeymoon... I can't find the variety pack in Ohio because folks in the midwest just don't appreciate grits like they should {pretend I'm saying this in a southern accent.}}

January 5, 2012

BEFORE I DIE...

I stumbled upon this street art installation by Candy Chang on Free People's blog. It stuck with me, so I wanted to share it here.

"It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and forget what really matters to you. With help from friends and neighbors, Candy turned the side of an abandoned house in her neighborhood in New Orleans into a giant chalkboard where residents can write on the wall and share what is important to them. Before I Die is an interactive public art project that transforms neglected spaces into a constructive places where we can discover the hopes and dreams of the people around us. It is also a reminder to ourselves of what is most important to us." {from this site}


These chalk board walls have expanded to other cities, including: Amsterdam, Portsmouth, Querétaro, Almaty, San Diego, Lisbon, and Brooklyn. I wonder if my friends in Brooklyn have seen this?

See below {5th line down in the middle} where someone wrote "hug a sloth"... If I didn't know better I would think my Mr. wrote that. He has always said his favorite animal {besides our cat} is a baby sloth. No joke.

 


It's a little hard for me to think this big {"before I die" big}. So, I think I'll stick to this year. I don't really believe in making New Year's resolutions. I find that I always break them... 
I'll see you at the gym? Yeah, right! Instead I am planning {soon} to make a list of things I would like to accomplish in 2012. Just a little list of goals and things I would like to do.
*Do you believe in resolutions? What are you hoping for in 2012?

January 4, 2012

A SUNDAY SPENT ANTIQUING

First and foremost, I want to thank everyone for the kind comments and words of encouragement 
regarding yesterday's post. I appreciate it {and you}so much. Thank you, thank you!

A few weeks ago the Mr. and I made a trip to our favorite antique shop, Eclectiques.
It's a two level {with a tiny third level room}antique shop in Clintonville that we absolutely adore. 






{I showed you this ornament chandelier first here.}


{I keep watching for this coffee table to be marked down.}




This wire bin was our purchase for this particular day...


...and this was our purchase from our very first visit. We found the dresser for $85...


...then we took out the top two drawers, removed the drawer guides, 
drilled a hole in the back for cords, and turned it into our tv stand! We love it. What do you think?



January 3, 2012

A BIT DISCOURAGED.

To be honest {and my goal is to be myself on my blog, so here goes} last night I was feeling a bit discouraged about blogging. I logged on to write a post for this morning, and planned out my posts for the week in my notebook, but then I got side-tracked reading one of my favorite blogs. Sometimes {and by sometimes I mean only once before last night} I like to read a blog from the beginning to see how it began... to see how the writer evolved and got where they are. I like to think it will impart me with wisdom on how to get there myself... how to get more readers and so on. The first time I did this {read a blog from the first post} I felt kind of encouraged; this particular blogger had not always been so darn good,  or had so many readers, and it made her seem more real and imperfect... and this whole blogging thing slightly more attainable for me; however, last night's journey from the start had just the opposite effect. The blogger from last night was one of those quick successes; those girls you want to hate, but actually really like. She had only written about 15 - 20 posts and had readers commenting... You know those bloggers to whom it just seems to come so easy, and they are just so good? This was that blog and that girl. Yes, last night I was feeling somewhat discouraged.

When I started this blog I wanted it to be a style blog. Not a fashion blog, but a personal style blog. I see personal style as something different than fashion. I don't claim to be the man repeller or the Glamoroui {nope, not at all}. I learned this year that I don't care as much about designer level fashion {which was a shock to me}... I don't watch the runway shows or care if something has a name attached to it. That's not to say I wouldn't die for a closet of Isabel Marant, but just that I personally enjoy reading blogs where I might actually be able to afford the clothes... like the blog - Kendi Everyday. I wanted my blog to be about an average girl {me} and attainable style; however, I realized early on that I don't enjoy daily outfit pictures of moi, because I am too critical of myself.

So... last night I was feeling discouraged. But this morning I woke up in a really good mood... with my husband beside me and my adorable cat {who thinks he is a dog} tripping me as he walked around my legs, crying for his breakfast. As my Mr. reminded me last night, if I'm not one of those bloggers who has instant readers {besides my lovely family + friends} it's ok. *I need to write my own blog and not compare it to others. I did not start this for other people, I did it for myself. I began this blog because I needed something... I needed a creative outlet and something to focus on besides work {and my tv. I watch too much}. People reading it is just a giant bonus.

If you are still reading this novel, thank you. And thank you for following my little blog as I figure out what I want it to be about, really. Make a comment sometime in the future and let me know you are out there {so far my only comments are from my Mom... Thanks, Mom!}.

 {*good advice from my Mr. /  Image via pinterest}


January 1, 2012

THE YEAR IN REVIEW

As sun goes down on the first day of 2012, the Mr. and I can't help but look back on 2011 and reminisce about what a wonderful year it was... and actually wonderful does not do it justice. 

2011 is... 
the year we got married {the best day of our lives}...
and had a wonderful honeymoon in Charleston, SC
the year we gained a brother-in-law when the Mr.'s sister got married...
and we gained a niece when they had a beautiful baby girl, Zoey.
It was the year one of my best friends, N, moved back to Ohio {from Chicago}...
and one of the Mr's, S,moved back to Ohio {from Florida}...
and my good friend, C ,came back to work at the store (after moving from Philly with her husband)

It was the year my Mr. finished his first year of grad school at OSU {with straight A's}
our friends, M + J, had a bouncing baby boy, Mason...
and four of our married folk friends announced that they were expecting.
In 2011 my big sis adopted the boys {her cats, Mich + Miller}...
and my parents gained an addition to their house when they adopted Suds {their newest kitty}
Celebrating our first Christmas and NYE as Mr. and Mrs. was a lovely way to top it off...
and we are looking forward to all 2012 has to hold. 


{Honeymoon / Sullivan's Island, SC}