Good Readin'.

I love to read. With a busy work life and mommin' it up, I haven't spent nearly enough time engulfed in a good read these last few months (and during pregnancy I was mostly reading "how to not accidentally kill your infant/you're doing everything wrong" type books). My favorite books are usually in the humor realm and lean toward memoirs (I just finished the Andy Cohen Diaries and it was such a dishy, fun read). 

On my reading wish list?

Gone Girl (I'm a million years late to that party)

Not That Kind of Girl (I actually got this for Christmas and it is still sitting on my desk...)

Why Not Me?

I Don't Know What You Know Me From

What books do you suggest?

A Blip & a Bump.

Sorry for the little blip in blogging and the general silence n' cobwebs round here!

A little peek at my baby shower photos--more to come next week!

 

Hi, I'm the world's worst blogger. I feel like I've been neglecting my little space here but I'm trying not to hive out about it. Are you missing me though? I'm missing you. I don't like leaving this space empty for more than a couple days but I've been going crazy with baby prep and finishing up work projects and planning for the next couple months and dealing with some really FUN pregnancy insomnia! After battling that nasty head cold, I am just getting my footing back on ze blog.

I'll be back to regularly scheduled programming next week with a baby shower recap, some peeks at the nursery, and more. Stay tuned!

A Thought to Chew On with Your Brain Teeth.

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Sometimes you are perusing Pinterest and you see something that really bangs you on the side of the head.

So often I wonder about what will happen next and try to plan everything as much as possible. With so much that I can't plan happening right now and so many things in the future that are out of my control, I needed to see this. It reminded me to take a step back and breathe. For so long I stressed about getting pregnant and then when I decided to be patient, it happened. My guess is that most things will happen that way...I just have to remember to breathe.

Photo Memories.

Warning: Lots of really silly photos that have nothing to do with one another ahead but I love them and they make me happy. Hopefully they make you a little happy too.

 

Recently while searching all my old photo files for a specific photo (never did find it) I realized two things. 1.) I need to organize the photos on my computer better cause, dang, there are a lot of them. 2.) I really love going through my old photos. 

Some choice and random finds to kick this week off right:

Have a happy Monday!

Happy Monday.

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I know Monday's get a bad rap but I have found that the older I get the less I dread them (maybe because I don't have a hangover from a weekend full of parties and junk food and more parties?). I'm actually headed up to the office today which means a long car ride of tunes and NPR plus I get to actually get dressed. Like, I'm wearing jeans. On a Monday. With real shoes. I get to talk to people's faces today. I am having meetings with real live people in front of me. Isn't it weird what you get excited about once you work from home for a long time?

Anywho, I've been thinking more about the energy we put out there. There are so many people who complain that it's "already Monday" or wah-wah that another work week is upon us. Sure, weekends are the best but why not make Monday a kick ass day just because? I know my jeans and real shoes and I will try to make the best of Monday for sure.

Have a happy Monday! I mean it.

Beach House Dreams.

Summertime is almost officially hear and, much like everyone else, I am dreaming of the beach. Specifically, I am dreaming of a beach house. 

Rhyno and I have long wanted to rent a tiny beach house for a long weekend. I have this idea that we'll bring Violet and barbecue outside every night and spend entire days at the beach. Back in January we were softly planning a trip and looking around at rentals, though now it looks like we'll be (happily!) postponing a getaway to save money in order to create a bomb ass nursery full of amazing decor. 

So maybe next summer we'll get that beach house, with Babysaurus in tow! For this summer we've made a pact to dedicate some days to the local (lake) beaches near us--I'm so ready for sun and swimming and so much watermelon it'll make you barf a little. 

Of course a day at the beach also means that I'll need to do even more maternity shopping (as you may have read) but this time...bathing suits. Funny enough, I've had less of a hard time finding bathing suits that fit since they don't need to be snug around my big, ol' hips (thanks for those, by the way, Great Grandma Borgia!).

 I've found a few cuties that I just hope fit my ever-growing bubbies, belly, and tush...

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 Though not white...never white...

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Hey, as long as my boobs are getting fat too may as well show them off!

Now to just find a big sun hat, sandals for my soon-to-be-swollen feet, and a cute cover up!

Calm within the Chaos.

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Because I'm a total creature of habit and consistency, I hate when I don't post 5 posts a week but dudes/dudettes I am choosing not to stuff the empty days with filler and just leave 'em empty. 

I know. I am the only one who cares about this. 

In an effort to keep calm in stressful times (and keep my blog clear of unneeded clutter because who cares if I don't write something for a couple days), I've been allowing myself a break from things that aren't totally necessary. I have a lot going on (yeah, vague, oh well) so sometimes the house can be a little dusty, the blog a little blank, or the dishwasher a little full. Usually I push myself to the brink of insanity by over-committing to things even when I have too much going on but let's break some patterns, shall we? I'm happy, I'm grateful, I'm willing to let go of certain things.

How do you keep calm in chaos?

A Tiny Blog Break.

Isn't this print gorgeous? Doubly so if you are a Friday Night Lights fan. You can buy it: here.

I'm takin' a little blog vacation this week. Nothing terrible going on and no real reason behind it, just a busy work week, lots of things on my personal to-do list, and I am battling the flu so I wanted to take one thing off my plate (I'm finally learning how to do that!). 

Also, how heavenly is that print? Rhyno and I recently started watching Friday Night Lights and that tagline is SO GOOD. 

Have the best week and don't miss me too much. See you in a week!

Invincible Summer.

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Scary Friday.

It's Black Friday! Today scares me a little bit.

 

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I remember going out on Black Friday in high school, before it was such a huge deal (I think Best Buy opened at 6am the year we went). I think it's such a circus now that I can't get into it at all. I'll gladly stay enjoy Thanksgiving evening playing board games with my family and sleep in the next day rather than wait in the cold for hours to get trampled by the masses for mediocre deals on stuff I could find online. I might just be a chicken though.

 

Do you brave the danger on Black Friday?

Bright.

Happy Friday, babes!

 

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I plan to spend the weekend prepping for Thanksgiving (I don't host, I just make intricate baked goods), binge-watching Mad Men (I just can't stop--I began re-watching it from the pilot and it is like falling so deeply in love again), figuring out my life, and doing so much yard work before winter officially arrives.

 

Have a fantastic weekend!

 



Sick As a....



This.

 

The last time I was sick it was a rough head cold, this time I am 99.999% positive I am battling the flu.

 

After a whirlwind weekend and some busy work days, I woke up Monday with a slight ache in my throat and a wonky stomach. Today brought more congestion, more stomachaches, a fever, and a sinus headache. I have decided to admit to myself that I have the flu and not do what I usually do (run myself into the ground until I am so sick I can't do anything except lay around). Because of the crazy weekend, we are insanely low on groceries so I have lived on veggie broth and black tea (I'm hoping for the motivation to get groceries tomorrow). I have been taking detox baths, chugging water, and abstaining from all alcohol and caffeine.

 

Two days in and I am ready to feel better already. Bottoms (of a mug of Emergen-C) up in hopes you stay flu-free this season! 

 

 

Paddling My Own Canoe.

 

Sometimes my friends tell me cool stories of living in the city and bumping into random small-time celebrities or hitting up book signings after work and I feel a PING of "aw, shucks, wish that was me" self-pity.

 

But then I moved to the country and just happened to buy a house in the town riiiight next to where one of my favorite actors/authors grew up. Then a year or so later he stopped by his hometown and did a book signing/reading/sing-along at his old elementary. If you already know who Nick Offerman is without clicking the link I already think you are way super awesome cool, if you have to click...well, then click away and fall in love. He is funny and mustached and insightful and sweet in the manliest way and, hey, he's Ron effing Swanson. Dang, I love Parks & Recreation.

 

 

 

Sorry for the shitty photo quality--my camera AND phone died before the reading even started so I had to use Rhyno's rinky-dink garbage phone camera.

 

 The senior Offerman, Nick's dad, introduced the evening and it was kind of the most precious thing ever. Nick Offerman's entire family was in the audience and it was cool to see a hometown celebrity come back home and be so modest and hilarious. He told funny stories about wanting to be a break dancer (his name was Tick Tock) and gave a list of reasons why he loves his wife (Megan Mullaly) so much and told the audience how much it meant to him to grow up in this teeny, tiny town in the middle of almost nowhere. He ended the evening with "Bye, Bye Lil' Sebastian" which any Parks & Rec fan would die over. I died over it. I'm basically dead.

 

Um, so then came the book signing and I nearly barfed in my mouth because I was so dang excited to meet him.

 

In the effort of saving time, no one was allowed to take an actual photo WITH Nick. So my homemade mustache that would make for the perfect photo opp went unused.

 

I have met a handful of celebrities in my time and I sometimes act like a dingbat. I once met one of my very favorite authors (Susan J. Gilman) and was so awestruck by her hilarity and intelligence that I ditched the pre-made speech I had in mind and nervously yelled, "I LOVE BOOKS!" and whipped her own hardcover at her face. I could not do that again. So when I got to the table I very calmly admitted, "I am freaking out." Mr. Offerman simply said, "No. Do not do that. Let's just talk like humans." And we did. And it was rad. I told him how much I loved Somebody Up There Likes Me and he told me a bit about working with the director and how proud he was of that movie and how nice Chris Pratt & Amy Poehler are. I was grinning like a buffoon and happy as a clam.

 

 It was one of my very favorite moments of 2013. Thank you, Mr. Offerman.



09/11.

09/11. 

We are twelve years out but still the date makes my heart catch in my throat. 

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Cheesy as it is, I have played this remix over and over today, as it played on loop on 09/12/01. I can remember sitting in my childhood bedroom listening to it on the radio and just sobbing while holding hands with my best friend Sam.

I think back to how naive and pure I was before that day. I never even thought about terrorism, about hatred so many countries over. I had never seen images that shook my core so much, images of people falling out of buildings. I didn't think about how much public servants actually sacrifice, about the impact war makes on each civilian. I am so thankful for my cousins that serve.

I can remember sitting in Social Studies class at Mother McAuley, next to my friend Kaitlin, when the first planes hit. Our teacher, Sister Nancy, wheeled a TV into our classroom and immediately fell to her knees as the second plane hit. She loudly prayed for the victims and prayed for mercy for the offenders. I will never forget that she prayed for mercy and she prayed for forgiveness. In the face of absolute terror, she wished for mercy. It was a bittersweet and beautiful moment in my youth. Every 09/11 I will think of her hope amidst devastation. Help those who have been led astray, help those who have been hurt, help those who need it most.

Though not a Republican, I will never forget our (at the time)  President's speech. "These acts shattered steel but they cannot shatter the American resolve. (We) were targeted because we are the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity for the world and no one will keep that light from shining."

I hope you remember the importance of 09/11 today. I hope you took a moment of silence and took a moment of love and a moment of fun.

It's the Freakin' Weekend.

Sorry that I quoted an R. Kelly song in my title. No matter how excited you are for the weekend, no one should ever do that. 

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Who doesn't love the weekend!? Oh, probably people that work on the weekends, you're right. I'm not one of them and, for some reason because I don't have conventional hours right now so I'm not tethered to a desk 9-5 M-F, I'm really excited to have some play time. Tonight I have the house to myself while Rhyno is at a union meeting, we're hitting up a town fair with my parents tomorrow, I made a small to-do list to chip away at, and hopefully we can squeeze in some relaxing here or there. 

What are your weekend plans?

Airplane Dreams (Like Hoop Dreams But Way Different).

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Today's been kind of a rough one...actually this week has been. Things with my career are wonky to put it lightly and I just have a mild case of the poor me's. Oh, did I mention I fell a bashed my head like a total rock star? I'm not concussed...at least I don't think so.

So, what do I do when things aren't so sunny and I want to cheer up? Well, honestly, I plan my Body for Life free day (wine and pasta, I'm coming at you like a spider monkey). But then I daydream about places I want to go. You remember that line in While You Were Sleeping about how she plans vacations she'll never take? That's me forever and ever...except I actually plan to take them someday. Whenever I'm feeling a bit down, now instead of turning to white flour and carbs, I add to my travel dreams on my Adventures Pinterest board.

I actually consider myself quite lucky to have travel to quite a few places even before the age of 21--I've seen Alaska in the summertime, Italy (I think a chunk of my heart is still there), Spain, France (remind me to tell you sometime about the world's craziest home-stay experience in Nice), Monaco, Andorra (which is adorable and no one has really heard of), Canada, Mexico, and plenty of our good, ol' States. But I still have wanderlust...maybe I'll visit...

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Greece always looks like a fairytale to me. Plus, I'd like to wander the stomping grounds of the Katsopolis family.

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London, what a beaut. I did a brief stopover at Heathrow when I was a Junior Ambassador but I didn't get to see anything outside of those airport walls. PS: Have I done enough travel bragging yet? Sheesh. 

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Hawaii, especially during the lantern festival. I may just give my right arm to hike volcanoes and lay on the Hawaiian beach all day.

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New York City! I love a good skyline and, surprisingly, I've never been to NYC. I've heard great things and hope to go someday soon and do ever dang touristy thing possible. 

Where do you most want to go?

Sick Old Hag.

That's exactly what I feel like.

I have been sick all week with a summer head cold.

 What dinner looks like this week with green tea in my favorite mug from Samantha. 

Stuffy. Coughy. Hot flashy. Why do I always catch every virus?

Luckily the weather has been Fall-like and amazing so I can leave the windows open and endure my hot flashes as they come. Tasha's been stuck like glue to my side and we've been enjoying long naps in the afternoon. I've been trying to chug water and peppermint green tea as often as possible. It's just lousy to feel lousy.

After a few days of medicating my cold with over-the-counter drugs I feel massively stoned and totally out of it. No thank you. I'm trying to speed up the recovery process by ingesting a lot of garlic, breathing in red onions, and any other hippie dippie things I can find on the internet. I also spent yesterday evening smudging our house with dried white sage to expel negative energy and encourage a positive space. Yes, this is who I am now.

Do you have any favorite natural head cold treatments?

If I Had It My Way...

 

...every day would be the perfect day to wear a dress and black tights.

 

...most of the year we would have Midwest October weather with snow only on Christmas and New Year's Eve and bright, hot sunshine on the 4th of July.

 

...avocados would never go bad.

 

...my home would always smell like fresh laundry.

 

...homemade chocolate chip cookies wouldn't have calories.

 

...high heels wouldn't hurt my feet.

 

...there would be a "pause" button on life so you could stop and enjoy tiny moments a little more.

 

...there would be a cable channel that only played my favorite episodes of my favorite TV shows.

 

...people would be more respectful of nature.

 

...Tina Fey and Amy Poehler would live across the street from me.

 

...bad hair days wouldn't exist.

 

...my bike seat wouldn't hurt my butt.

 

...pomegranates would be much easier to eat.

 

...people would smile more.

 

...everyone would be eligible for one totally free vacation every year.

 

...you would have a rad Monday.

 

 

 

 



Plantz.

 

Over the weekend I housesat for my adventure-seeking folks while they zip-lined around Georgia. I should house sit professionally because I'm really good at playing with the dog, taking dips in the hot tub, and spending time in the home gym in the basement (yes, they turned my old bedroom into a gym). My parents designed every inch of the house and built it about ten years ago. It's been so cool over the years to see how they've changed it and really turned a plain plot of land in the country to a home with lots of little details. One of the details I most envy? The tiny gardens all over the 1.5 acres they own.

 

My parents both have a total green thumb that I don't think I inherited at all (I've killed two cacti in the last 2 years, whattup). When they began building the house there were already quite a few trees and two ponds on the lot. My folks are constantly adding to the number of plants and creating tiny gardens all over and it is so gorgeous when everything is in bloom.

 

Pops of color here, there, and everywhere.

 

I wish I was someone who was crazy into horticulture. I am not. I know my favorite flowers are peonies and that's all. If you say, "S. Guff, what type of flower is this?" I'll say, "Purple kind."

 

Don't know what you are, sirs, but I sure do enjoy you.

 

I have a blog so I HAVE to like succulents, right? That's the rule, right? ;)

 

Whoa, levitating flower basket! It IS magical out here!

 

 

Okay, geese are not plants BUT aren't they beautiful? Yeah, and they're also jerk offs. I was doing the "morning chores" (feeding the pets, watering said plants, filling the bird feeders) and out of nowhere one of these chumps ran up on me with wings stretched and honking like a lunatic! So, like any calm person, I threw the pitcher of bird seed in the air, screamed, and ran onto the porch as fast as my chubby legs would take me.

 

Happy Monday, don't get beat up by a goose today!

 



No Such Thing as Too Many Snowflakes.

 

I don't think there is such a thing as too many snowflakes. I am a Midwest girl with a Midwest heart. I look forward to snowstorms (so long as I'm not stuck in my car when they begin). I don't mind having a snow day to work from home and drink copious amounts of hot chocolate.

 

I'd been pretty bummed about this mild Chicago winter so far and then a few weeks ago we got a pretty wonderful little snowstorm. So even though it's now Spring in my neck of the woods (though still bone chilly) the obligatory and totally tardy snowstorm photos.

 

Yes, I let my roses just hang outside all winter. I have a total green thumb in that way, you know?

 

I love the lights in our backyard.

 

 

The view from, and the clothesline in, our backyard. This house. I love it too hard.

 

My little old lady snow bunny. She's slow moving but loves to prance around in the snow.