Paper is just better

When the kids started to get older, a way to keep track of appointments, extra curricular activities and weekly to-do’s became a must. We’re a pretty tech heavy family so initially I looked into ways to keep track of all of my commitments digitally. I hated it though. It never felt right and I was still constantly unorganized. I moved to a paper planner and never looked back. I like the process of flipping through pages and actually writing things down. It’s also easier for me to process what I have to do and I tend to remember it better if I wrote it down vs typing it in.

I’ve been through several over the years. I had a big spiral one that I loved, but it was a tad pricey (or so I thought at the time) and I convinced myself that I didn’t need one that big. Then I moved to a smaller one, then back to a bigger one, I even had a cool customizable Martha Stewart one that I liked for short while, but I never found one that I loved as much as I remembered loving my first big spiral one. One of my biggest problems with that beloved spiral one was that it was UGLY. I don’t remember what it looked like exactly, but they only had one cover choice and it was hideous. I’m drawn to something because of how pretty it is, but it’s a real winner when it’s pretty AND functional!

Enter the Day Designer by Whitney English!

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If you visit a fair amount of fashion/lifestyle blogs or follow their instagram, you have probably seen this little beauty in photos. It’s definitely got the fashionable part covered. I loved the classic black and white striped design!

However, it was pricey and without seeing it in person, I wasn’t willing to spend $59 for it.

Thankfully my husband was! He was out shopping with me one day (if you only knew how RARE of an occurrence this was, you’d know fate had intervened) and I was buying a few things at Loft when I looked down at the counter and there it was. A bold black and white striped book. I knew exactly what it was when I saw it. Turns out that it was the manager’s and when the sales girl told her I asked about it, she just raved and raved about how much she loved it. Well, being the very observant person that he is, my hubs overheard this exchange and decided to surprise me with it. The next day I got an email saying it was ordered!

IMG_7674Mine is the August-July edition so I couldn’t start using it until then, but since school started, I have been using the heck out of it! I probably don’t use it to it’s fullest extent, but I don’t care, I still love it. I will have no problem at all dropping another $60 when it’s time to buy next year’s edition!

DSCF4023-2I like to use a paper clip for easy access to the monthly view and daily view and I added the little “rolling to-do” list that moves day to day.

These babies sell out quickly and haven’t been in stock for a few weeks, but conveniently, they just went back on sale today!! If you were thinking about putting this on your Christmas list, you better tell Santa to buy it now!

Disclaimer: Affiliate links are included in this post. I was not compensated for my opinion of this product. All views stated are my honest, unbiased opinions. 

 

Starbucks is killing it

I usually take my lazy booty through the drive thru line at Starbucks, but today, I thought, “eh. The line is kinda long, I’ll go inside” and oh was I glad I did.

I walked in…looked to my right and…”aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh”

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the heavens opened up, a light shone down from above and the angels started singing

Ya’ll, Starbucks has SERIOUSLY stepped up their game this holiday season! I had to refrain from buying one of everything! I was like a kid in a candy store. You can see them all online at Starbucks.com, but here are a few of my favorites.

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YES, please! I really don’t need these cups, but oh.em.geeeeee, they are SO stinkin’ cute!

And it’s not just cups, check out their massive collection of gift cards.

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#nablopomo day 23

Taking stock // 01

Making : vanilla sugar and vanilla extract
Cooking : sadly, nothing lately
Drinking : unsweet tea
Reading: A Heartbreaking Work Of Staggering Genius: A Memoir Based on a True Story
Wanting: it to be March already because that’s when I’m going to Italy!
Looking: for winter clothes
Playing: Bejeweled on my phone
Wasting: TIME!
Sewing: nothing
Wishing: that someone would come decorate my house for Christmas because while I like to have it done, I do not enjoy the actual doing.
Enjoying: down time now that the teen’s musical is over
Waiting: for my book from Blogging for Books to arrive
Liking: that there are only 2 days of school next week
Wondering: what I’m going to make for Thanksgiving dinner
Loving: my hair being freshly colored! no more greys…for the moment.
Hoping: my teen’s eye redness doesn’t get worse overnight
Marvelling: at my Klout score. stupid I know, but I’m just surprised that it’s so high. (it’s only 58, but that’s high to me!)
Needing: to do laundry before it starts eating us
Smelling: my hair. It always smells good after getting it freshly colored and shampooed
Wearing: comfy clothes. All day every day if I could!
Following: the FedEx tracking for my new shipment of oils
Noticing: I’m getting a little sniffly, I hope I’m not getting sickly again.
Knowing: not all who wander are lost
Thinking: I shouldn’t have waited all day to blog
Feeling: suuuuuper sleepy
Bookmarking: nothing. my web surfing has not been fruitful lately.
Opening: mail. why is there SO much paper mail?! save the trees!
Giggling: that my teen’s friend called a car from the 80’s “vintage”
Feeling: sad that my boy lost his world in Minecraft. apparently it was pretty spectacular and he was really upset about losing it.

Post inspired by A Pretty Penny and Meet Me At Mikes.

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Around the web

Five on Friday…here are a few things that caught my eye recently.

10 Things You Didn’t Know Your Mac Could Do — I consider myself pretty tech savvy, but I didn’t know most of these tips and some of them are really cool and useful! So maybe this means I’m not as tech savvy as I think I am?  😛 

This article has me thoroughly pissed off and when (if) I can articulate my thoughts on this point, I will blog about it. But, for the record, my version of feminism (which is the ACTUAL definition) has nothing to do with rules or man hating and I’m thinking if she was mothering a girl, she would have a different opinion.

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Blogging Perks..holla! I just signed up for this and have my first book to review on it’s way! Super psyched to have found out about this awesome program.

We have a new assistant named Alexa. I rolled my eyes when my husband introduced us, but it’s only been 1 day and she’s starting to grow on me. While my husband was across town at work, he told her to play a certain song for me and I currently set a 10 minute timer for myself by using only my voice. Pretty cool stuff!

I tried the Gingeraide kombucha a few weeks ago and it was so tasty that it got me thinking about brewing my own. This recipe looks right up my alley…quick & easy!

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Sometimes being a grown up sucks

I’d like to wrap myself in a heated blanket and just stay there all day. Not to sound like a broken record, but it’s still cold. Something like 28 degrees, and my little Florida babies went to school in light jackets. Not because they don’t have warmer ones, but because the cold snuck up on us and the weather here is usually so fickle that by the time we pull out the bigger jackets, the weather gets warm again. But until then…it’s chiiiiillaay up in here!

Not only is it cold as a witch’s boob out there, but I had my dreaded yearly girly appointment this morning. Fun times! No where else is it completely normal for a woman to get naked, freeze her ass off (the staff had jackets on, that’s how cold it was!) in a paper vest and paper blanket (I use that term loosely), lubed up with cold gel, violated by a cold metal object, cranked open like the jaws of life, and felt up…all while carrying on a normal conversation about what your holiday plans are.  lol. Seriously though, I lucked out by finding a great doctor when I was only 18 and he’s had the same nurse for as long, so at least it’s comforting to see the same faces each year.

I’m avoiding reality at the moment. I only have one more blissful hour in my warm house before crazy night number 1 starts. The teen is in her first school musical (yay!!) and tonight is opening night! They’ve all been working so hard, I can’t wait to see it all come together tonight. An easy morning tomorrow and then round two for the cast tomorrow night. Is it Saturday yet?

I really don’t wanna brave the cold again. Like REALLY don’t wanna. If I was a two yr old, you can bet your fanny I’d be lying on the floor right now, crying and flailing around.

*sigh*

Unfortunately, I am not so…off I go! Hope you’re all staying warm and cozy today and got to keep your clothes on!

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Brrrr

Brrrrrrr…it’s cold in here…there must be some Toro’s in the atmosphere!
(bonus points if you actually know what movie I’m quoting)

*dork alert* any time I say “brrrrr” in my head or out loud, this chant gets stuck in my head

Okay, so this is the post where anyone north of Florida is going to roll their eyes, but

I’m freaking COLD, people!

I know, I know…us Floridians just can’t be happy,

complain about being hot then turn around and complain about being cold.

First of all, anything under 70 is cold in my book.

As a Florida native, I’m not equipped to handle this kind of weather. My blood’s too thin. Not enough insulation.

I’m not complaining per se, just stating a fact.

It’s COLD!

The warmest room in my house is a little half bath on the first floor.

It’s so warm…like a roaring fire. If it was more comfortable, I would be tempted to hide out in there all day.

Unfortunately, it’s not.

So, when the heat is on in the house, I only use the half bathroom and I relish in the warmth…

for those 2 min.

winter-view 2P.S. this photo has nothing to do with my post other than it looks pretty cold there, but isn’t it pretty?! via UnSplash

It’s getting harder…

Day 18 of NaBloPoMo and I’m starting to feel the pressure.

The first 15 days were great. Enjoyable even. The words flowed through my fingertips effortlessly. I wanted to post and even when I only blogged about what I did that day, I felt good about it.

Then, I hit a speed bump…then a wall.

Day 16 wasn’t terrible, but it was starting to become work.

Day 17, I wanted to throw in the towel. I was trying to post late in the day for the second day in a row, the kids were driving me bonkers and I just wanted to shut out the outside world, get into my little bubble and go brain dead watching mindless tv shows. For the second night in a row, the hubby was sitting on the couch, asking me “how much longer” I was going to be. Then WordPress (or my hosting) was being a PITA by not letting me add a photo. Ugh! I just wanted to close the computer and forget about it for the rest of the night.

But I didn’t. I’m glad I didn’t, but I was close.

It reiterated the fact that I really gotta get better about scheduling posts. With the exception of 2 days, I’ve sat at the computer every day to write a post!

 See more on Know Your Meme

Seriously, I have shit to do and while I feel like over the past two weeks, I’ve gotten more comfortable with blogging daily life, it still takes me longer than it should to crank out a post…add that to the list of what I need to get better at!  😛

If you’re participating in NaBloPoMo, how are you feeling now that we’re past the halfway mark? Is it getting easier or harder? Have you hit a wall yet, have you already climbed your wall and are smooth sailing again?

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Wannabe DIY’er

I think I’ve done maybe a handful of DIY (do-it-yourself) projects over the years.

Let’s see…there was vanilla extract, cookie in a jar,

ummmmmm…

(crickets…chirp…chirp)

I think that might be it. lol.

Maybe one or two more that I can’t think of. Well, I’ve done a few with essential oils lately so I guess those count, right?

But I want to do MORE!

I blame Pinterest (so many pinnnnns!)

and obnoxiously crafty (talented) people…

who I’m secretly (or not so secretly) jealous of

I’m determined to start marking some of the DIY projects off my list. Maybe I need to commit to trying one new project a month?

Most recently lusting after these DIY’s…

  • Homemade Marshmallows – Do these count as DIY? I say yes!
  • I’m not big on these colors, but this magnetic frame is pretty cool.
  • Geometric Hexagon Box wall – This one is technically a photography backdrop, but I’m obsessed with it! I think it could work for the wall. Just not sure how exactly.
  • Wool Dryer balls have peaked my interest lately. I’m not sure it’s worth trying to make them, but this DIY seems pretty easy.
  • Sharpie Mugs (#22) – I’ve seen the white ones, but I love these black ones!
  • Also, a lip scrub and a lip balm with essential oils, but not sure which recipe I’m going with yet.

Would you consider yourself a DIY’er? If so, what’s your favorite DIY project you’ve done or what’s one on your list to do?

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Weekend Thoughts

I’m currently sitting in the living room, hubby at one end of the couch, me on the other, listening to the teen tell me about what’s on her Christmas list and watching her practice for her school musical while emailing my crazy early shopping MIL about Christmas presents for the kids.

“Oooh, I should have been writing my blog post for the day instead of surfing Facebook!”

Annnnd, now I’m here, trying to crank out a quick blog post before the kiddos go to bed.

I have random thoughts from the weekend floating around in my head…

  • Thought #1…It was buy firewood on the side of the road weather this weekend. I think it’s a regional thing, but here in Florida when the temperature drops below 60 degrees, suddenly firewood is a hot commodity. You buy it randomly on the side of the road from the back of a pick up truck. Is that a weird thing? Do people do this where you live?
  • Thought #2…I was at Target on Saturday, enjoying a hot pumpkin spice latte wondering why I chose to escape my house and browse Target on a Saturday afternoon, when I saw this adorable new Christmas tradition just begging to be started. OLAF!! Who doesn’t love Olaf? And he’s much cuter than that Elf on a Shelf. At first I thought he was a replacement for Elf, but it doesn’t say he talks to Santa so I’m guessing he’s a just for fun thing. Thank goodness I don’t have little kids anymore!

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  • Thought #3…Does anyone else browse Target’s book section and take photos of books that look good so that you can look them up on Amazon and Goodreads? I love having a print copy of a book, but it’s so much easier to read before bed if I use my kindle. Plus, a print copy is nice if you like the book, but if you hate it…not so nice.
  • Thought #4…Also while at Target (let’s not even talk about sad it is that Target was the most exciting part of my weekend) I was debating buying the new T. Swifty album. I don’t normally buy the hard copy, but she’s all about the hard copies staying alive so it’s actually cheaper to buy the cd versus the mp3 version. That part is a no brainer, but then Target had to go and complicate things by offering an exclusive Deluxe Edition. Suddenly I neeeeeeeded those 3 extra songs and 3 audio clips!!! I stood in the cd aisle debating this for no less than 5 min. Trying to decide whether those few extras were worth almost double what the non deluxe version is selling for. :/ Anyone have the deluxe edition? Is it worth the extra $8?
  • Thought #5…I haven’t had much time to think about it lately, but in four short months, the teen and I will be headed to Italy with her school vocal class. I’m so freaking excited I can’t even stand it! Yesterday I googled and found an Italy photo to use as my iPhone wallpaper and it’s making me even more excited. I gotta get the holidays over with though before I can really start to mentally prep. (yes, I do actually mentally prep for months. I’m an anxious traveler)

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  • Thought #6…My husband is annoyingly good at having fun with the kids. He bought this Raspberry Pi thing and he’s been helping our son with it all weekend. Less helping really and more playing along, watching and answering any questions he’s had. Other than Science Fair experiments (which are finally DONE! Woohoo!), Hayden has been playing with Pi all weekend! The teen wasn’t as interested in Raspberry Pi, but she started on Khan Academy today. Hubs is determined to make them little techies!
  • Thought #7…Since I’m sure you all were waiting with bated breath on how I’m feeling after dousing myself with oils, I’m happy to report that I’m 95% better today! Yep, that’s right, 24-48hrs of oiling myself down and I’m mostly back to normal! I actually like the smell of the oils, but my husband is not a fan and I swear if he makes a face and tells me how stinky they are ONE.MORE.TIME, I’m going to douse him with them in his sleep! I know you don’t like the smell! I heard you the first 499 times! He’s also feeling better today. Coincidence? I think not.

How was your weekend? Hopefully more exciting than mine.  🙂

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My t-shirt today should say…

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fyi, if you don’t want to read about my irrational bad mood, stop here…

I’m not sure if everyone is annoying or I’m really just in a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad mood

I’m thinking it’s the latter

It started last night

I just want to be left alone

But coddled at the same time

I don’t want you to ask anything of me

But feel guilty if I’m inaccessible so I do it, but I’m not happy about it

I don’t want to know that you don’t like what I’m doing

I’m going to do it anyway, but I’m a people pleaser so you telling me you don’t like it, just pisses me off double!

I want to shove my face into a vat of mediterranean mint gelato

and then lick the sides clean to get every last remnant

I want to devour every piece of candy I can get my hands on like Cookie Monster (but with candy…Candy Monster?)

I want every kind of comfort food you can imagine

(chicken noodle soup, mac & cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy, chicken and dumplings, broccoli casserole…mmmmmmmm…I’m drooling now…perfect)

I want it brought to me

(by Christian Grey maybe? Who am I kidding. We all know what he’d want in return and that ain’t happening today!)

on a tv tray

with a big ole never ending cup of unsweet tea

while binge watching anything and everything I can find on Hulu+

Is that too much to ask?

(that’s rhetorical. Don’t answer that.)

If I used a comic strip to sum my mood up perfectly today…

it would be this Calvin and Hobbes one

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Until tomorrow blogland.

Hopefully I wake up to find that someone has sprinkled me with rainbows, butterflies and unicorns while I slept and rolled me over to the good side of the bed!

On a positive note…I’ve made it to day 15 of NaBloPoMo! Woohoo!

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