rachel·jo... a day in the life

101 List Updates

2011-03-05T08:56:00.000-06:00

Today, I am SO excied as the two canvases I ordered of our wedding photos came in so I'm going to pick them up! Squeeeeeal! I am one set closer to creating a gallery wall (#28).

So here are my 101 list updates:
#7 - Bring treats to work (not for birthday)
I can't believe I didn't take photos, but I made about 54 mini cupcakes for Valentines Day

#42 - Help Dad find a full-time job
I updated my Dad's resume for the 2010's and he was able to find a job... probably just a coincidence.

#49 - Send a care package to my brother
Today, I wrote my brother a letter, sent him a Chicago Bears door mat for his new place, some charcoal pencils and candy... let me tell you how fun that was fun to wrap!

#60 - Take a workout class
I'm in the middle of "Cardio Surge!" right now, and it is kicking my ass... but I love it.

#72 - Clean out closets and donate clothes to charity every 6 month
Andy and I took about 2 hours sorting through our drawers and closets and ended up donating 3 garbage bags worth of clothes to Goodwill. We also found some towels to take to the animal shelter :)

i like to sing like a coffee maker.

2011-01-30T18:48:00.000-06:00

if you needed a laugh:

#40 Spend a day with my brother

2011-01-09T16:52:00.004-06:00

My brother, Steve, took his girlfriend, Jordan, to Chicago on Friday to show her around and visit the museums. After sitting in traffic for 2 1/2 hours (Friday + rush hour + flurries), they made it to our place to spend the weekend! Side note: I find that having guests is the perfect motivator for getting the house clean... and to bust out the waffle iron ;)

Lebowski is still nervous around Uncle Steven

On Friday night, we took them for Chicago-style pizza at Lou Malnati's and walked around downtown Naperville.

a fifth Beatle?

On Saturday, we enjoyed homemade sticky buns (recipe 1/25)...

more like super sticky buns

Ate our weight in sushi... and enjoyed free smells from Penzey's Spices

I love that they sat us in a private room!

Went to Goodwill and saw True Grit...

unread and only $2!

Then, today, ate waffles and posed for pictures.

Candids are much better than portraits, sometimes.

I'm so happy they were able to come visit before heading back to Colorado. Despite having colds, Andy and I had a great time entertaining and getting caught up with my little bro. In addition, I'm glad this was the first item I crossed off my 101 list. Not only did I spend "a day" with Steven, it was more like 48 hilariously adventurous hours!

#40 - Spend a day with my brother - Complete

My 101 in 1001

2011-01-03T17:50:00.011-06:00

As of today:

Ever since Brooke started her list, I've been putting ideas into my little notebook and waiting for today to arrive to kick off my list. Coincidentally, there are also 1001 days until my 30th birthday! Wow, that hurts to type...anyway. Here goes:

The Mission:

Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:

Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days?

Many people have created lists in the past – frequently simple goals such as New Year’s resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organizing and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

Start Date: January 3, 2011

End Date: September 30, 2013

Bold/Italicized - completed

Cooking

1. Cook 25 recipes from cookbooks I own (0/25)

2. Make 5 dishes that get 5 stars (0/5)

3. Find a *signature* dish

4. Take a cooking class

5. Organize my recipe folder

6. Cook at home for entire week (0/7)

7. Bring treats to work (not for birthday)

Crafty

8. Set up an Etsy store

9. Sell Grandma’s hankies on Etsy

10. Enter a photography contest

11. Create wedding album for wedding weekend events

12. Create a shadowbox of wedding mementos

13. Finish sewing pillows

14. Take photos that spell out our name or wedding date

15. Finish wedding recaps on blog

16. Take a Photoshop or Illustrator class/seminar

17. Make our t-shirt quilt

18. Finish organizing scrapbook box 2002-2010

Culture

19. Read 5 non-fiction books (0/5)

20. Read Martha Stewart craft book and do project

21. Organize or participate in a book group

22. Go to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra

23. Visit a new to me museum

24. Write 15 letters (0/15)

25. Play a song on the piano

Decorating

26. Decorate the office

27. Hang up pictures in kitchen

28. Create a photo gallery wall

29. Figure out an organizing solution for coat closet

30. Declutter the family room & maintain

31. Make the bedroom more relaxing

Faith

32. Find a new church

33. Attend all advent services (0/4)

34. Volunteer for a service activity

35. Bring someone to church

Family & Friends

36. Have a dinner party

37. Reconnect with an old friend

38. Mail someone a surprise anonymously

39. Babysit for free

40. Spend a day with my brother

41. Visit Missouri (0/2)

42. Help Dad find a full-time job

43. Throw a surprise party

44. Help someone plan & organize a party

45. Make plans with a new friend

46. Create a visual family tree

47. Throw a themed party

48. Take family portraits and put into an album

49. Send a care package to my brother

Financial

50. Sell wedding dress

51. Sell ebay pile

52. Spend $0 for 1 week

53. Pay off credit card

54. Sell extra wedding supplies

55. File bills once a month

56. Save 3 month’s salary for an emergency fund

Health

57. Eat as a vegan for one week (0/7)

58. Start allergy shots

59. Schedule a physical

60. Take a workout class

61. Run a charity race/walk

62. Floss every day for a month (0/30)

63. Lose 10 lbs and keep it off (0/10)

64. Work out three times a week, two weeks in a row (0/6)

65. Touch my toes!

Home

66. New flooring

67. Finish painting

68. Eliminate chemical cleaners

69. Find rocks for the boot tray

70. Buy a grownup bed

71. Sell home or refinance

72. Clean out closets and donate clothes to charity every 6 months (1/3)

73. Finish changing all light bulbs to CFL/most energy efficient for their use

Marriage

74. See results of pastoral pre-marriage assessment

75. Have professional photos printed

76. Take a spontaneous adventure

77. Volunteer together

78. Have a date night once a month (0/21)

79. Visit local walking paths and bring dog

80. Do something nice as a surprise

Personal Growth

81. Unplugged weekend – no internet

82. See a movie alone

83. Get a tattoo

84. Write a will

85. Donate blood

86. Write a letter to myself to open in 10 years

87. Volunteer or join a committee at work

88. Don’t watch TV for a week

89. Don’t swear for a week

90. Don’t eat fast food for a month

91. Whistle with my fingers

92. Leave notes in library books

93. Volunteer my services for free

94. Write 101 blog posts (4/101)

Travel

95. Visit 3 new states (0/3)

96. Get a new passport

97. Take a transatlantic flight

98. Go to a taping of Oprah

99. Stand outside of the Today show on a weekday morning

100. Have a drink on the 96th floor of the John Hancock Building

new year, clean slate

2011-01-01T10:37:00.000-06:00

I'm starting the New Year with a clean ~~slate~~ floors. Yesterday, after struggling with our textured laminate tiles that always appear dirty, Andy bought me a Shark on clearance for $20 at Target.

PS - Andy is sick, so of course this is how I'm going to spend my morning - yay!

merry christmas

2010-12-25T15:39:00.001-06:00

from here

reducio is my fav

2010-12-21T19:04:00.000-06:00

from here

Reducio my budget, my waistline, my to-do list. The possibilities are endless.

i die.

2010-12-13T20:22:00.000-06:00

via mdubs

john lennon, 30 years later

2010-12-08T22:05:00.000-06:00

we chose this as our last song at our wedding reception:

good advice

2010-11-28T16:13:00.000-06:00

from here

necklace ♥

2010-11-26T08:22:00.003-06:00

maya brenner designs

my new desk

2010-11-17T10:20:00.000-06:00

it craves kitsch

poodle letter & pen holder - a must, no?

oh, happy day!

2010-11-16T19:45:00.000-06:00

yes!

true story

2010-11-14T14:31:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I pretend that I just found out that Oprah's coming to our house in order to get it clean as fast as possible.

here

made by girl read my mind

2010-11-01T10:22:00.000-05:00

from here

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T19:37:00.003-05:00

Elephant Rocks

2010-10-31T10:39:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we visited Elephant Rocks with Andy's family:

Clay Acorn

October

2010-10-30T18:26:00.000-05:00

This has truly been the "Month of Rachel"

Thus, the lack of posts. It's a good thing.

Pumpkin Spice Latte

2010-10-18T19:28:00.003-05:00

Graphic Designer Mollie Johanson of Wild Olive has a special embroidery post up over at WhipUp - "I heart pumpkin spice latte."
Via Robot Heart

Little Miss N

2010-10-17T22:43:00.001-05:00

One week old baby Natalie, photos by me :)

microblogging

2010-10-14T20:12:00.000-05:00

I can't come up with much for a post, but I will say I'm in the process of creating a "Billy the Exterminator" bingo card/drinking game.

10|10|10

2010-10-10T00:01:00.001-05:00

happy anniversary

Birth Day

2010-10-09T09:25:00.000-05:00

We are so happy for our dear friends, Dave and Meredith, who welcomed baby Natalie today at 8:05am.

Of course, Happy 70th Birthday to the late John Lennon.

fingers crossed

2010-10-08T19:04:00.000-05:00

here

We all Stroll in a Yellow Submarine

2010-09-29T18:35:00.001-05:00

Allow me to preface this post by saying, I will pretty much buy anything Beatles-related. Slap that logo on something as useless as a steering wheel cover - I'd buy it. "Strawberry Fields" nail polish? Why, yes! I can't even take The Beatles Trivial Pursuit Andy bought me for Christmas out of the packaging. Second, I must be very clear when I state that I am not, nor am I/we planning on having kids in the next 5 years at the EARLIEST. Not in the immediate picture. No.freakin.way. For Reals.

But check this thing out:

From Here

Oh, and talk about accessories (For when the "Rain" comes, of course!)

Damn, babies are expensive and NOT happening any time soon. Although, I kinda want to buy it and convert it into a dog buggy... a very expensive, socially unacceptable dog buggy.

Pottery Barn Porn

2010-09-27T18:27:00.000-05:00

fall Pottery Barn + Paper Source + JCrew catalogs

The fall Pottery Barn issue came today, my birthday just came early ;)

I must be a grown up

2010-09-26T21:12:00.000-05:00

I'm excited about our new touch screen thermostat.

yeah, yeah, yeah

2010-09-26T14:31:00.001-05:00

Beatles clothing at Forever21

happy birthday to my husband

2010-09-23T17:27:00.000-05:00

via here

It's fun to be able to type that ;)

traveling

2010-09-19T17:45:00.000-05:00

baby showering

2010-09-18T17:37:00.000-05:00

wining & dining

2010-09-17T18:35:00.001-05:00

yes, please!

2010-09-16T06:39:00.000-05:00

Shopping with Amy Atlas? Sign me up!
For now, virtural shopping works too:

from NYTimes.com

I love me a cute cake plate... here is the link to the rest of Amy's picks!

haters

2010-09-15T20:44:00.000-05:00

I love this guy. How can you not? He made the rounds on the internet last year (biography available here).

So when he popped up for sale as a letterpress print last month I bookmarked it as a "to buy when I get home from work" item. He sold out quickly, but he's baaaack in stock:

So should I pull the trigger for $20?

truth.

2010-09-14T21:06:00.004-05:00

for sale here

Monday Mantra

2010-09-13T06:00:00.003-05:00

found here

sunday catch up

2010-09-12T17:58:00.000-05:00

Oops, I missed yesterday's post... kind of like yesterday, I missed out on most of the day!
I slept too late, and when I arrived at my haircut appointment she was 45 later than scheduled to a tardy bridal party so I didn't get back home until 3ish. We ended up eating a late lunch which lead to a really late dinner of poor choices. Although, we did enjoy watching Date Night.

Although it killed me, I canceled my Pottery Barn fall decorating class today. I am strapped for cash and since I didn't get a chance to put out my fall/Halloween decs last year I don't really remember what I have and I know I wouldn't have been able to stop myself at PB.
I am still lusting after these, but word on the street is there's something similar at Home Goods:

http://www.potterybarn.com/products/mercury-pumpkin/

We broke out the crock pot for chicken tacos today, so now it's time for me to get my shred on! Have a great week, my dears!

Wedding Recap - Music!

2010-09-10T06:58:00.000-05:00

Here's a run down of the music we featured in our wedding... 9 months ago!

Georgia

Prelude: Beatles for Strings

Processional: “Here Comes the Sun” – The Beatles

Solo: “Blackbird” – The Beatles, performed on guitar by my brother, Steven

Recessional: “All You Need is Love” – The Beatles

St. Simons Reception: "A+R Reception" - Andy's iMix

(that's a seafood crepe in white champagne sauce)

Andy & Rachel Slideshow: “You Make me Feel so Young” – Frank Sinatra

My Mom spent several days putting together a photo slideshow using photos of Andy and I growing up and surprised us at our wedding. We played the slideshow on a loop at both receptions.

Illinois

Introduction as Mr & Mrs: “All You Need is Love” – The Beatles

Daddy Daughter/First Dance: “Georgia on my Mind” – Ray Charles

Wedding Ceremony Slideshow: “Hey Jude” – The Beatles

Our photography package included a slideshow that was to be completed before our wedding reception back in Illinois. We played the slideshow at the country club and the DJ welcomed everyone to come view the photos from the wedding ceremony throughout the evening.

Cupcake Cutting: “You are the Best Thing” – Ray LaMontagne

Any guesses as to the name of this song?

The music was such an important aspect to setting the mood of our wedding ceremony. This was one wedding task that we enjoyed working on together (paper cutting, notsomuch).

today

2010-09-09T20:42:00.001-05:00

via here

did you visit wilderness downtown?

2010-09-09T16:03:00.001-05:00

http://saddondraper.tumblr.com/

andy & andie & andes

2010-09-08T22:45:00.001-05:00

Tonight Andy (husband) and I went for an impromptu ride in our temporary convertible. I even changed out of my couch pants (because I don't do yoga) just for the occasion.

Later, I caught the end of Pretty in Pink, hence the other Andie. Since it was live I caught a Subaru commercial that I thought featured a Zooey Deschanel song, but it was actually Erika Davies - kind of a modern Billie Holiday.

I'm sure you can safely assume what happened to the Andes candies as I watched Pretty in Pink. So much for eating healthier, but at least there's no junk food left in the house.

Arcade Fire

2010-09-07T20:43:00.000-05:00

Andy introduced me to the Arcade Fire back in the day, so imagine how cool I felt when I heard about their "interactive HTML5 music experience, 'The Wilderness Downtown' " before he did.

http://thewildernessdowntown.com/

Enter the address of your childhood home and the faceless character in the music video pops up in various windows across your monitor running through your neighborhood. It's all very fancy with the way they integrated Google street view into the "experience."

So I ran the address of my childhood home first - I was so impressed.

I brought my laptop to my sick husband and gushed about the coolness of the Arcade Fire's HTML5 thingy and offered to show him his childhood home in a music video.

His response? "I have no idea what the address was... I was 4. Try the house my parents are in now."
Unfortunately, here's what happened:

Your address doesn't contain enough Street-View and/or Google Maps data to 100% enjoy this experience.

If you're lucky maybe your house will show up. Mine did:

"my tree" is the largest of the two pines; The man/fleeing smoke monster are for scale

I was able to see the pine tree my parents planted in my honor the week I was born, not that I'm bragging, it's a monster. If you get the same error, maybe you should try the address of the White House or something.

She & Him - Bank Dance

2010-09-06T17:54:00.000-05:00

Happy Labor Day!
Did nothing truly productive today.
The hubs is sick so I've been enjoying the uninterrupted magazine reading and rom com watching... Don't worry I'm providing him occasional gatorade & saltine refills.

Halloween - Martha can't fail

2010-09-05T22:35:00.000-05:00

I mentioned Martha's new pet line a while back, unfortunately her dog collars were a poor fit - the small was too large and extra small was too small. So disappointed. We considered buying a leather punch and making it work, but it would have looked ridiculous. Tim Gunn would not have approved.

This year, Martha decided to put all of her Halloween ideas in a "Halloween Handbook," which I picked up at JoAnn's with a 40% off coupon for $4.

Nearly everything in this exclusive handbook is available on her website, but as a fan of both MS and Halloween I'm glad I own it. Now, I just have to find the motivation to get my craft on.

a perfect saturday morning

2010-09-04T08:48:00.000-05:00

I'm devouring "Anti-9-to-5" this morning, but took a break to photograph my favorite things of the hour:

Steaming hot pumpkin coffee

Sounds of a flickering (pumpkin) candle

Wicked warm mocs

Of course, Lebowski is sleeping next to me but I can't disturb him to take a photo. Spoiled much?

subtle

2010-09-03T13:43:00.004-05:00

Happy Friday!
Today, I'm taking a break from home decor magazines and reading this on my lunch hour:

Here's a link to the book-related blog... Hopefully, no one will walk by my car and notice what I'm reading. I'm such a rebel.

Side note: What I wouldn't give for a picnic table or some shade. Three years of eating lunch in my car is no match for any vacuum cleaner attachment. Maybe Brooke has the right idea.

best news I've read all day

2010-09-02T19:47:00.002-05:00

Pumpkin Spiced Latte is back at Starbucks!

confession: I didn't read this online randomly. I searched through pages of Starbucks-related queries to find out if/when the pumpkin spice syrups would return. Yes, that's what my pumpkin obsession has come down to.

september goals

2010-09-01T06:42:00.000-05:00

My goal is to post every single day this month. I've been running out of ideas to talk about and been a downer lately... on top of feeling guilty about neglecting this space. September is a new start!

So did you pick out your new computer desktop?

add this to the list...

2010-08-12T08:48:00.002-05:00

...of songs I'd have loved to play on the harp:

to quote one of the comments,"eargasm"

10 months!

2010-08-10T06:15:00.002-05:00

Did you know I walked down the aisle to "Here Comes the Sun?" I should really try to finish my wedding recaps in the next month, especially before I forget everything...

From here

My wonderful cousin Anne-Marie gave us a "Yellow Submarine" music box at our wedding. Now that we're approaching the one year mark, I'll take one of each of the music box Beatles songs - thanks! ;)

pretty popular pillows

2010-08-05T20:30:00.004-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I went on a Target retail therapy session on my lunch hour and came out with these golden beauties by Dwell for Target, thinking I was so original:

Upon doing a quick search through my Google Reader, I came across some similarities...

First, there was this post at Little Green Notebook, which must have planted the seed back in March:

Then, last week there was this post by Young House Love:

Coincidental, right? Then a couple days later, they popped up here at Marta Writes:

Great minds, no? Andy may not be in love with them, but how can you pass up that kind of a bargain? I love how it brings in the saffron from the curtains!

love this: jennifer & barbara

2010-08-04T21:07:00.002-05:00

Jennifer Aniston: A Star is Reborn

marta stewart pets

2010-07-14T06:37:00.002-05:00

Dear Martha,
You know how much I love you, right? I'm sure you found it odd that a fourth grader listed you as her inspiration, but now I'm sure you've embraced me as one of your most devoted fans. Well, I just wanted to let you know that you've managed to strengthen my love (and weaken my budget) once again.
We took Lebowski for the worst haircut of his life this week, however your new pet line at PetSmart made everything infinitely better. Now, I just have to help Lebowski decide what items we want for my birthday and Christmas, and maybe a bonus gift, just because you're really outdone yourself this time, Martha.
Your devoted friend,
Rachel

Practical:

Fashionable (I'm thinking the red & teal):

Adorable:

All images from here, and no, I'm not getting paid to pimp Martha, I just ♥ the lady:

Summer Reading

2010-07-08T06:42:00.002-05:00

I just finished "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" by Mark Haddon

It was a quick and clever read plus the author is British - perfect for a return flight.

Nerd Alert - I love giving myself summer reading assignments!
Probably because my mom always signed us up for the summer reading program at the library and BookIt! I loved coming home with an armload of books and shiny stickers on my BookIt! pin. If my brother and I behaved we could even rent a VHS or a record for the week. Then came high school and we were required to read Barbara Kingsolver and Aldous Huxley over the summer... Luckily, my long shifts at the boat docks allowed me finish these assignments quickly and get back to The Oprah Book Club reading list. What can I say, I was a 16 year old going on 40... I guess I haven't changed much!

Do you have any summer reading recommendations?

I've just started "Little Bee" and may pick up "Summer at Tiffany."

july wallpapers

2010-07-01T15:15:00.000-05:00

Have you pick yours yet?
I'm having trouble deciding between:

and

Happy July!

is it time to go home yet?

2010-06-18T13:01:00.004-05:00

Happy Friday, only a few more hours!

baby onesies!

2010-06-17T22:15:00.002-05:00

I had so much fun designing these baby onesie iron ons before meeting Melissa's baby, Signe last weekend!

As you know/deduced I'm a bit "Type A" and so I wanted to craft her something that we could all use to estimate how much the baby's grown since we don't get to see each other very often. I loved this idea from YoungHouseLove in which they plan to put each month's photos into an album for their baby's first birthday.

I went crazy tearing the house apart looking for the "8 month" and finally gave up, took the picture, and hit the road. It turned out #8 was stuck to the #7 due to the insane amount of humidity... I did an "ombre" gradient (the 12 is 100% pink and the 2 month is about 10%). The fonts used are Albemarle Swash and Century Gothic.

Note to self: iron on transfers need to be reversed... print a couple test pages in greyscale first!

:)

2010-06-16T21:47:00.002-05:00

Only 106 days until my bday, I'm just sayin'

2010-06-15T12:26:00.000-05:00

You can see more Lyric Posters here

brain dump

2010-06-09T12:53:00.002-05:00

Last night I had my first photography class at the junior college. It was nothing like "Community," although people might be thinking I'm the overachieving "Annie" since I got pulled up to the front to model light sources. I thought my teacher was pointing to my camera, not me, when he said "Can I use this a minute?"

I have been making a point to take photos every day since I picked up my camera (and to help alleviate some buyer's remorse) so was playing around with ISO settings on Monday night. As I rushed out the door yesterday, I thought to myself "wouldn't it be my luck to leave the camera on overnight and have a dead battery for class?" Um, so that's exactly what happened. Luckily, the first part of class was an "intro/expectations" discussion and my battery was fully charged by the time we got clickin'.

Speaking of my awesome luck, I got up early on Sunday and went outside with my nifty new camera to take photos of the ducks and tadpoles in the pond in front of our place. I was walking the ledge, overgrown with shrubbery, and stepped onto a ledge that wasn't there. I fell about 3 feet and bruised my legs, scraped my arms and fell into a pile of rocks. Luckily, I had my lens hood and filter for protection, but both of our bodies experienced a couple scratches. I shutter (hehe) to think was could have happened to my precious Nikon... My ego was more bruised than anything else, but I'm sure the neighbors enjoyed the show.

Back to yesterday! When I got home from class there were potted purple mums on the dining room table. I was thrilled to have fresh flowers in the house and immediately said to Andy, "Are those from your Mom, did she stop by!?" The look on his face told me that he was the one that bought the mums... oops! He completely took me by surprise since he said his evening plans were play video games in the man cave. I guess he picked up on my subtle crappy mood and wanted to show his support for my new hobby. I brought them to work to brighten up my ~~cell~~ cubicle.

A coworker and I dropped off the pop tabs we've been collecting for the Ronald McDonald House. Thanks to all of you that have been collecting for us! We dropped off at least a 40lb garbage bag, which comes out to well over 50,000 tabs! The RMH office was very cool - I would love to work for a non-profit. Unfortunately, they're not hiring, but they did give me some extra cardboard tab collection houses as a consolation.

I'm excited to blog about a little crafty project I whipped up for a friend who may or may not have a had a baby recently... but I don't want to ruin the surprise! Post to come, I promise.

Happy Hump Day!

First photos!

2010-06-02T22:04:00.001-05:00

I'm really looking forward to my photography class next week so I can learn more about the iso settings and the other 20 buttons on the camera. Here are some quick snapshots I took tonight:

Go be artsy today!

2010-05-30T10:48:00.000-05:00

via grace's birdcage

oops, there goes my thriftyness...

2010-05-28T16:48:00.008-05:00

... definitely experiencing major buyer's remorse, but hopefully that's because I haven't held it in my arms yet.

I did however score free 2-day shipping and 1/2 off the warranty. It never hurts to ask for a discount, right?

Have a great holiday weekend, friends!

thank you ebay

2010-05-27T18:55:00.004-05:00

I've been searching through piles of hankies at antique shops for months and thanks to an ebay search alert, I "won" this beauty:

It's a vintage Georgia State Souvenir handkerchief! I'm thinking it deserves a nice place on our wall next to all of the wedding photos... I still need to have printed.

Side note: I completely forgot how addicting ebay is, especially with the ebay app... this has the potential to ruin my budget

7 months, 2 weeks and 2 days later...

2010-05-26T06:30:00.003-05:00

As of today, I have officially and semi-successfully paid off our wedding!

via +

I can't tell you what a relief it is knowing that particular black cloud of debt is behind me... now I just need to buckle down and pay off the other credit card. As I've written in the past, it wasn't especially easy paying for the majority of the wedding, but it was, for the most part, the wedding I wanted in the location I wanted!

marina and the diamonds

2010-05-25T06:46:00.000-05:00

Amazon is dropping off this album tonight... Hopefully, it won't be a melted puddle on our front door step!

A quick brain dump...

2010-05-20T06:50:00.000-05:00

It’s been a week of daylong meetings, so by the time I get home my brain is mush and I just want to stream Party Down from Netflix… sorry for the lack of posts!
On Sunday, I attended my second-cousin-once-removed’s Baby Shower. They don’t know what they’re having so we ended up saying “Baby Z” which was frickin’ ~~cute~~ adorable. We played the clothespin game where “cute” was the banned word. I saw the favors (below) and immediately lost my clothespin:

The mother-to-be’s mom (my dad’s cousin) knitted these cupcakes and filled them with the traditional peanut-mint shower combo. I about died from cute overload.

Last Friday, I got a half-assed email from the community president saying that there was going to be a community-wide garage sale… in one week! Andy and I have been franticly pricing and purging since we got the notice. On the plus side, we were really dragging our feet about picking a date for the garage sale ourselves, so after this weekend I can throw away my Hoarder’s application and have overnight guests again.

Hope everyone’s having a great week… not sure if I’ll be able to post a Friday Freebie link tomorrow!

Escalate - Free streaming awesomeness

2010-05-18T06:29:00.001-05:00

I am SO looking forward to today's Escalate speaker, Jessica Claire.
Next to Jasmine Star, she is one of my favorite photographers and a complete inspiration to my desire to be a photographer! What? I haven't mentioned that before? Nevermind, then.

I got exteremely lucky that JC's presenting during my lunch hour today, now I've gotta start charging that iphone. If you're interested, you can attend the live feed for free online, or on your iphone using the UStream app!

Freebie Friday - Pop Tab Container Wrap

2010-05-14T06:24:00.006-05:00

As you may know, a coworker and I collect pop tabs for Ronald McDonald House Chicago. I've made dorky little signs and taped them to jars for my Mom's office, my church, and our house. So far, we've managed to accumulate two 5-gallon buckets of tabs!

Yesterday, I noticed the library had a way-cuter and much more professional "container wrap" colored by an adorable budding artist. It is much better than my janky sign, so this week I'm sharing a free download for a printable jar wrap made by professionals at RMH marketing:

Click here to download

Since I have trouble coloring in the lines, I've made a color version that will surely suck every drop of ink out of your printer, but just remember, it's for a good cause!

Click here to download

Here's hoping you start collecting your own pop tabs, and if you do, I promise to pick them up from your house and take them to RMHC!

300th post & First Birthday project

2010-05-09T18:14:00.005-05:00

Wow, 300? Really? Moving on...
We were invited to a 1st birthday party yesterday, which was a great excuse to be crafty. Lately, my craft/blog time has been filled with extra work hours, spring cleaning, general laziness and collecting things for our upcoming garage sale.

I fell in love with the beautiful party invitation (artwork painted by the little miss' grandma) and knew I wanted to do something fun with it. Like the rebel I am, I have a total disregard for a "no gifts policy" - sorry, but I can't help myself!
I scanned the invite, created line art, which I laser printed onto an overhead projector transparency. I used the transparency as a poor gal's iron on transfer and then traced the transfer with an embroidery pen.
Below is the work-in-progress...

I used a back stitch, stem stitch and french knots. Andy suggested I use a variegated green thread for the stem... I think he was spot on! Isn't this tiny shirt adorable? It's 50% soy too - I'd sport it!

The birthday party was the first opportunity I've had to try out my Cricut machine for reals. I've been feeling guilty about buying it weeks ago, considering the cost, and I hadn't used it for any legitimate purposes. I'm glad I kept the machine because I created this project easily and I ended up looping this through the shirt's tag for a nice finishing touch:

Good times, good times. I'd forgotten how much I love creating things - I think I need to start scheduling a regular crafternoon or it won't happen for a while.

PS - If you're wondering, that's a party hat, not a piece of traditional birthday cheese.

free font friday - via iDIY

2010-04-30T21:02:00.001-05:00

1 / 2 / 3 / all FREE downloads from Dafont!

I'm working a 65 hour week so I'm borrowing today's iDIY post, please forgive me!

my new pet

2010-04-29T19:49:00.000-05:00

there's a crane fly that birthed itself in my terrarium - it's huge and horrifying. i might just throw the whole business away...

What's strange is that in the UK and Australia they call these flies "daddy long legs," yet call spiders by the same name - so weird.

freebie friday - poster

2010-04-23T09:28:00.000-05:00

Since I'm unable to showcase fonts, here's a wonderful free poster from Fiona Designs:

I'm thinking of putting this in a high gloss frame and hanging it in the office! Enjoy and Happy Friday!

a little she & him to pass the day

2010-04-22T13:23:00.004-05:00

If I were a teacher or worked at Paper Source, I would definitely channel Zooey on a daily basis...

She & Him - In The Sun from Merge Records on Vimeo.

wonka wednesday

2010-04-21T06:39:00.000-05:00

even better when it's free

2010-04-17T08:39:00.002-05:00

But what if it was pretty great to begin with? Take these free ceiling tiles from Empire West, for example:
Joi introduced this ceiling tile project on her blog a few weeks ago, and it was something I had starred in Reader, wanted to research (are they really free?), but then forgot about. Then I visited Amanda last week; she showed me her awesome samples so I ordered my own that day.
Fast forward to one week later and I have my very own tiles. Free shipping too - how crazy is that?!

Here are my selections:

I'm hoping to frame them, like Joi, and hang them in the kitchen. Andy loved the concept of actually using them as ceiling tiles, but we agreed that doesn't fit with our current decor.

Let me know if you order any samples (especially colored)!

Have a great Saturday!

free font friday - matchbook

2010-04-16T08:02:00.000-05:00

How cute is today's font? No, really - how cute is it? It's available in both serif and sanserif and I can just picture Don Draper approving it for use in an ad for cigarettes or popcicles.

Click here to download

You know who's not approving it? The IT staff at my work... all font installation/administrative rights have been taken away. Awesome. Thanks.

Happy Friday!

whip it, real good.

2010-04-15T19:10:00.000-05:00

so far I like it, but we're only 5 minutes in...

you know how I know it's springtime?

2010-04-15T07:28:00.001-05:00

yesterday, when we came home from work there was a dead bunny in the driveway,

then we managed to fall asleep with tree frogs ~~calling~~ screaming

and were awoken to a little something like this:

Ah, the sounds and sights of spring. Seriously though, I'm so glad it's finally here!

weekend wrap-up

2010-04-11T20:13:00.003-05:00

the hutch is assembled, cleaned, lined and filled with our wedding china

terrarium needs some more moss and plants before I can transform it into The Island

Pretty damn productive for two days :)

six months of matrimony

2010-04-10T08:58:00.005-05:00

I ordered a pewter heart from Lisa Leonard Designs for Andy and I to commemorate the occasion. Note, his name comes first because he was shocked that our invitations and wedding ephemera didn't start with his name - "it's suppose to be alphabetical, right?"

Can't wait to give it to him later today.

forgot free font friday

2010-04-09T19:58:00.003-05:00

my bad.
lunch with Amanda took prescience.
also, there was the whole "work" thing.

dearest hubs

2010-04-08T06:46:00.000-05:00

I know you probably don't visit here often, but in case you do...
As you know, Saturday is our 6 month wedding anniversary. I'm sure you remembered, although my constant subtle hints may have helped. If you are at a loss for where to go for dinner, or what gift me, this link has some great "investments" we could both enjoy! ;) Or we maybe we could just do dinner and spend the day hiking around the dog park and planning a trip to Las Vegas?
Much love,
R

Tina Fey

2010-04-07T19:30:00.000-05:00

Tina looked great on Oprah... the whole "improv" peoples' conversations was a weird segment.
Loved that Tracey Morgan got choked up when he said Tina was his friend.

Mad Peeps

2010-04-07T12:29:00.001-05:00

Because this caused me to crack a smile after crap week:

via +

(What's that? It's only Wednesday?!)

terrarium project

2010-04-06T06:41:00.001-05:00

Inspired by this Terrariums 101 post last week, I collected various mosses at my Grandma's farm on Easter. Right now they're doing fine in a rubbermaid container, but I hope to get started on my own miniature mossy universe tonight... No gnomes here, the theme will be "LOST inspired" ;)

good thoughts cannot ever be ugly

2010-04-05T06:26:00.000-05:00

via +

free font friday - comic book commando

2010-04-02T06:39:00.001-05:00

Today's free font Friday is one of Andy's favorites. Whenever I'm printing more return address labels for us, it's what he always requests.

via dafont.com

I like Comic Book Commando because it comes with 7 different versions: "original," 3D, bold, condensed, italic, distorted and expanded. It's also a fun font with actually being legible!

I hope everyone is enjoying the awesome weather this week... I swear, sun + warm weather = instant happiness. Despite the crap thrown at me daily, this formula has worked wonders this week and I've managed to stay in good spirits. My new positive attitude could also be from reading The Happiness Project (more on that to come).

Homework

2010-04-01T06:42:00.001-05:00

I enjoy giving myself reading assignments, but I may have a bit too much on my plate for April...

inspiration from mark twain

2010-03-31T06:02:00.005-05:00

text added by me, photo by the lovely Pioneer Woman

love this video mashup

2010-03-30T06:23:00.001-05:00

what would you do...

2010-03-29T06:40:00.000-05:00

It's been on my mind daily (sometimes hourly) and I'm looking for a big change. Now's as good of time as any, right?

If money was not a factor I would buy one of these and then go on a French photo retreat.

What's on your list?

am I crazy...

2010-03-26T13:49:00.002-05:00

...for wanting to cut my lunch short so I can leave work early, drive 20 minutes out of my way back home, and then race to the train station to pick up Ms. MGM, when I don't even know if they (below) will look good/fit/work with the dress I'm wearing tomorrow?

EDIT:
From a true friend: "no, they look super cute. boots are a tough fit sometimes, but try them on and don't race to pick me up!!!!!! i have a magazine"

free font friday - century gothic

2010-03-26T08:14:00.002-05:00

Today's pick is one of my favorite sans serif fonts:

It's my go to font. Like a little black dress (in my case, dark denim jeans) it goes with everything and can be dressed up or down. Century Gothic is great for mellowing out a crazy script and complements most fonts extrememely well. I used it in all lower case along side "CAC Lasko Even Weight" for baby shower invitations - can't wait to show those off!

In an article released today (it's kismet, I tell you!), switching from Arial to Century Gothic could use up to 30% less ink when printing emails. Not only is it a great looking font, it's also saving the planet. Can your favorite font do that?

my hutch, my lovely lady hutch... check it out!

2010-03-25T22:58:00.005-05:00

Sorry, but I couldn't help myself with that BIP's reference.

It's late and I have many a papercut. My car is loaded up with half a dozen cake plates and lots and lots of pink.

I'm leaving the beast (below) in Andy's capable hands this weekend as I go back home. It needs an electrical update, a few tacks, and some sanding. There's also some laundry on his honey-do list, but I doubt it will interrupt his Battlefield time.

free font friday - pharmacy

2010-03-19T07:51:00.000-05:00

From Harold's Fonts:

"PHARMACY was inspired by the sign at a local (Albany, NY) drugstore. Waiting at the red light, I'd often stared at the sign, admiring its jolly and curious mix of upper and lowercase, and of course the peculiar asymmetrical capital A."

Not sure which is weirder...

2010-03-18T22:06:00.001-05:00

Coworker: Good morning, how are you?
Me: Fine, you? (thinking: crap! this was a set up)
Coworker: My back's acting up again and I haven't been sleeping well...
Me (pre coffee, still not thinking): I know what you mean.
Coworker: Really? You do?! (in a "this is some sort of contest" tone)
Me: Well, I had this horrible nightmare that the hotel I was staying in had a dead cat problem and I got moved from a 4th floor room to the first floor. Then a hurricane began flooding the hotel parking lot and washing cars into our hotel room. In addition to the possibility of drowning, now there were cars crashing into our room and crushing us with each ebb of the waves. All I kept thinking was, "if only I hadn't complained about those dead cats we'd probably survive on the 4th floor." Then I woke up drenched in sweat.
Coworker: Oh, yeah? I always dream about people from work, in a rotation - only one coworker per dream.
Me: You win.

love it

2010-03-15T19:21:00.002-05:00

I asked Andy to please pick up something to go with asparagus for dinner...

I love how a man's mind works.

"not just awful, god-awful"

2010-03-12T13:00:00.012-06:00

To quote max cannon, that's how my week's been.

Looking forward to some monster cleaning this weekend, chinese take-out, Bright Star, mailing our *joint* taxes, and hopefully cracking a few windows around the house to remove the smell of tacos...so delicious, but so smelly.

Special thanks to my ladies that have been so supportive this week. This one's for you:

free font friday - clementine sketch

2010-03-12T06:58:00.006-06:00

Today's featured font is:

by Teagan White

I first encounted this font over at Nuestra Vida Dulce and downloaded it via dafont.com.

This font is a little tricky to use. In order to have closed letters at the beginning of each word it must be capitalized.

Also, to "close" each letter be sure to use a ^ (carrot?) after each word.