Be Mine

While I appreciate Valentine's Day as an extra reason to show the person you love just how awesome you think they are, the hubs and I usually don't do much besides a nice dinner out to celebrate. This year, I convinced him to go out a few days early so we can participate in Chicago Restaurant Week - we have a reservation for dinner at Frontier Saturday night and I cannot wait to spend the evening in the city with him and some delicious food. And, we'll be in Florida for the actual Valentine's Day, so as long as we're together and I'm not bundled up in a coat, hat and gloves, I'll be a happy camper!

Regardless of us not going all out on gifts, I though it'd be fun to do a little roundup of love-ish kind of things (which to me is pretty much just anything pink or gold or sparkly) that I wouldn't mind receiving ;).

Heart PJ Set ($16.80)  |  LOVE Paperweight ($68)  |  Essie Plumberry Polish ($8)

Sailor's Knot Studs ($48)  |  Gold Urchin ($20)  |  Twirl Perfume ($65)

Fuschia Ikat Pillow ($45)  |  Always Pillow ($39.90, but sold out by the time I found it. Womp.)

Getaway

It's a cool 26 degrees in Chicago today. This time next week, I'll be in sunny Delray Beach, Florida with the hubs visiting my brother and sister-in-law. It's currently 77 degrees there. Needless to say - I. Can't. Wait.

I took the liberty of swiping a bunch of my bro's instagram pictures from his Facebook (thanks Kev!) to get myself through the long week of waiting for our trip. Here's just a few of the things I'm looking forward to.

Low-tide walks on the beach

PALM TREES. I love them.

Uh, and trees like this. So cool. Reminds me of Hawaii!

Crazy amazing scenery by the ocean.

Finally FINALLY meeting Grissom! Those ears kill me.

Sunrises. Good God I love sunrises.

Banana trees. IN THEIR BACKYARD.

Chasing seagulls.

Spices and loose teas at the Farmer's Market.

Waves. I have a strange obsession with the ocean.

And of course, seeing these two. It's been WAY too long!

If I had a Million Dollars... or $275

In a stroke of pure luck that generally skips me right over, I won $275 in my office Super Bowl squares on Sunday! With 11 seconds left in the game Dan looked at the sheet and said "Um, honey, if they get a safety you'll win $200!" To which I replied, "What's a safety?" He explained the play enough for me to understand that there was an actual possibility that I could win, and those last 11 seconds of the game were just about the most nerve-racking moments I've ever had watching a sporting event. And, believe it or not, a safety was exactly what happened, and after checking the sheet a good 5 times just to be TOTALLY sure, I was jumping around the living room squealing about winning the "final score" $200 pot.

Then I checked my other square just for kicks and realized I had the exact same numbers (4 & 1) in reverse... which meant I also won the $75 "reverse of the final score" pot. Leave it to the chick with NO clue about football to win big. It was awesome.

So, I obviously immediately started to think about all of the fun things I could buy with $275 (well, $265 since the squares cost me $5 a piece). And considering there's a few specific items that are a bit expensive (at least for me) that I've been swooning over for quite some time, I have big plans to splurge and spend that money good and quick. While the hubs probably thinks this is a bit pitiful, a work friend pointed out that winnings like this are the perfect excuse to treat myself to some personal indulgences. So shop I will!

Left to right:

Longchamp Le Pliage Large Tote ($145)

Clarisonic Mia ($119)

Ugg Classic Tall Boots ($194)

I guess I shouldn't call this "Pick Two" since I already know one item I am buying for sure. I am 100% getting a Clarisonic with my winnings! I've been wanting one for years and everyone I know that has one swears by it. I'm hoping that this will make a noticeable difference in my problem skin, and can't wait to try it out.

That leaves the Longchamp Le Pliage tote versus some classic Uggs. Honestly, I think both are insanely overpriced, but that doesn't make me want them any less. The Uggs would be perfect for freezing Chicago winters, but the tote is such a versatile bag that I'm definitely considering it. But again, the price on both just bugs me. Which would you choose?

The (Completely Unofficial) Young House Love Macklemore Thrift Shop Challenge

Update: Thanks to everyone that's clicked on over to my little blog via Young House Love and left comments. My blog traffic is out of control today and it's made this 1 degree Friday in Chicago so much more exciting! I'm flattered you're here and hope you'll stick around to read a few posts!

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Confession time: I have a blog crush on John and Sherry Petersik of Young House Love (who doesn't?) And thanks to their recent book signing tour, I got to meet them in person and find out first hand that my crush is justified - they're just as amazing in person as they come across on their blog!

Last week, the duo posted a "Completely Unofficial Macklemore Thrift Shop Challenge" that I immediately linked to the kid sister's facebook wall because, well, she loves that song, I love thrift stores, and it sounded like a good time in general.

Unfortunately everyone around me (including Manda) was riddled with the stomach flu over the last couple of weeks and this week was bananas for me at work, so we didn't actually get around to grabbing a $20 and heading to a thrift store until tonight. And since our journey was a bit last minute, we didn't have a whole lot of options for our shopping, so we ended up at a mediocre Goodwill. Have no fear though, we still snagged a couple of fabulous finds, and we had a blast looking around for items from the song.

Here's our trip in subpar quality phone photos!

Step 1: Take a picture in front of your thrift shop with just $20 in your pocket

Step 2: Peruse

I was loving this embroidered scene in the fun faux bamboo frame. Manda wasn't feeling it, but I still had to take a picture because of the egg chair appearance! Sherry has blogged bunches about her love for egg chairs, and I dream of the day I have a porch that's structurally sound enough to have one dangling from the ceiling. 

We also walked away from this magnet set. I was half creeped out and half amazed by it

These little cards were too cute to pass up for a whopping 49 cents

I was having serious visions of this wooden cow cutout painted a super bright color and propped up on top of our kitchen cabinets. Unfortunately the poor little guy was missing a couple chunks out of his ear and a back leg, so I had to leave him for someone with some woodworking skills to fix up.

These boxes have been on clearance at Target for ages, but at Goodwill they were an even bigger steal at $1.49 a pop. I grabbed a little square gold one that I'm thinking about using for ponytail holders and bobby pins in the bathroom instead of the open (and therefore messy) dish I use now. Definitely not vintage or anything, but still a decent find.

Manda and I both thought this brass coin sorter was cool enough to spend $1.99 on. 

Manda and I both badly wanted these suuuuper shiny silver oxfords to be in our size, but the largest pair would barely fit my toes in them. Sad violin.

Finally - behold. My favorite find of the evening. This awesome little gray metal cart for $5 with expandable side panels. I have so many different ideas in my head about how I'll use this that I'm giddy over it.

Step 3: Find items referenced in the song and snap a photo

Big props to my model for all the awesome photos to follow. First up, Manda with a stack of bright and fun luggage that I really really really wanted to bring home. But I also really really really didn't want the hubs to kill me considering I already have a couple old suitcases in the garage just waiting for some love.

After deciding the luggage was fun, but a little boring, we headed over to the jackpot - Men's coats. And since Manda is a twig, they were all kind of "big ass coats" (as referenced in the song). We had some fun with poses - kicking off the photoshoot with this awesome fake suede jacket with a lamb-fur type collar

Hey, you. Nice brown leather jacket.

This coat was fur-lined and denim. In other words - ridiculously unstylish, yet probably warmer than any other coat we own. Can't win them all I guess.

SO - total spent on the coin sorter, gold box, metal cart table and cards was less than $10! If the weather is decent this weekend I'm thinking maybe Manda and I will trek down to some of the "better" stores downtown and see what kinds of treasures we can score with the other half of our $20 limit. Thanks to John and Sherry for a random good time suggestion, and thanks to my mini-me for spending Thursday evening with me supporting the Goodwill mission!

I'm linked up over on Young House Love (I was stalking the site crazy style this morning and still wound up as #15), so head on over and check out their spoils and what tons of other blogger friends found!

Happy Weekend all!

Baby Brain

Alright, it's time for me to come clean. I have baby brain. And I know of exactly two people that read this blog that will be excited to read this (Hi mom! Helllllo Lauren!). But don't get too excited ladies, it's more like I have baby STUFF brain, not exactly I-want-a-little-bundle-of-joy-of-my-own brain. Yet.

Here's the thing. Since people I know have been having babies for awhile now, I've had a pretty constant stream of excuses to head into the baby department when I'm out shopping and squeal at the little bitty clothes and shoes and things. The stuff for babies is just SO darned cute! And don't even get me started on all the miniature hats and fleece jumpsuits with animal ears on the hoods. I canNOT walk away from those things. Ever.

Then there's Pinterest. The never ending feed of gorgeous nurseries and adorable toddlers in preppy clothes that are clearly styled for the camera and probably never actually look so perfect in real life. But they make a 30-year old woman dream. Can you blame me?

And then you add in comments like "You know, once you hit 35 it's waaaaay more likely you'll have pregnancy complications" (thanks Dr. Aris) and "I'm so proud of you for joining a gym... and next, you can get pregnant!" (love you Gramma), and it's tough not to think about how someday in the not too far away future, we'll probably have a little one of our own.

And then I have a panic attack.

And then I remember all the cute stuff that babies require, and I calm down. A little.

So, full disclosure - over the last year or so I've picked up a few little baby items that are stashed in a drawer for later. Just a few. You know, for my non-existent baby. And since the most recent purchase was just this weekend, I figured it was about time to share.

Raised by Elves Onesie from Old Navy - This was clearanced after Christmas for less than $2 and the movie Elf is a total favorite in our house for more than one reason. Had to have it. (Considering this is an article of clothing, I felt like this was the purchase that solidified that I have baby brain).

Snail dresser knob from Anthropologie - Another clearance find that's going to look perfect on a little side table or nightstand someday.

Rotating Constellation Light from Ikea - I saw this was being discontinued this weekend so I grabbed one for $12. Then I found one lone box in the as-is department for $7 and swapped for that one. Score.

Round Owl Containers from Ikea - These adorable boxes were my very first baby buy. And my mom was with me and agreed that I had to have them, so I feel like that justifies it.

Anyone else planning for family members that aren't even in the plans yet? Or is it just me?

Making My Day Since 2006

When the hubs is off on a retreat away from home and something like this randomly

pops up on my screen at work during an especially crazy busy day...

well, it just doesn't really get any better than that.

Getting Healthy

WARNING: This post is going to be long and rambling.

I promise not every post I write from here on out is going to refer to my gym membership and how much I love it, but plain and simple - it's making a huge, positive change in my life, and that is really really awesome and refreshing for me. Something I'm quickly noticing is a change in my diet and the way I want to eat. I've always kind of just eaten whatever I want, and up until a couple of years ago that was ok because I was blessed with an incredible metabolism and could literally feel my body digesting my food while I was still eating. This could have something to do with the fact that I am ALWAYS hungry, but regardless, I never really thought much of it.

Then I gained 25 pounds in a matter of about a year and a half.

Now I know what everyone that knows me is saying/thinking right now, and I imagine it's something along the lines of "But you are SO skinny! And tiny!!" or "25 pounds huh? So you must weigh what now, like 90 pounds?" or "Oh please. You have NOT gained 25 pounds. There's no way." or "Well you must have been really unhealthy before that." or... you get the point. I've heard every last possible variation of all of the comments above from pretty much everyone, and I've got to be honest - I'm sick of it.

Here's the deal - I may be small-framed and I may be still considered thin by any standards (truth be told, those 25 pounds are the only reason I am considered a "normal" weight for my age and height), but I'm not in shape, and I'm not healthy, and I don't feel great about my body with all this "extra" weight I've put on. I've talked a lot about my health here in the past (here and here) but what I don't think I've really gotten into is the issues I have with my stomach and how positively weak it is. I've mentioned that alcohol and caffeine are no-no's for me now, but I haven't admitted the whole truth - and the whole truth is that I throw up a lot. Like a couple times a month or more, simply from not listening to my body and pigging out on greasy food and then eating dessert and then maybe having a late night snack... and then I spend half the night in the bathroom, sometimes sleeping on the floor in there, and I'm exhausted and unable to eat the next day.

So why didn't I make a change a long time ago? Honestly, I'm not sure. I guess because I was always scared that it wouldn't make a difference even if I did eat super healthy and exercise and all that. This pessimism comes from my issues with my skin - I've had moderate to severe acne for THIRTEEN years now, with no end in sight no matter what I use/try/take/buy. So, I tend to think that's how everything with my body will go. If I eat really well and take care of myself, what if I still get sick all the time and what if I still feel like throwing up most nights and what if I just keep gaining weight and what if...

But here I am. I forced myself to join a gym and I've stuck with it for a whopping 2 weeks, which is already way longer than I thought I would last. The good news is that I LOVE it, so I can actually see it being a long-term thing for me, which is awesome. I talked to a trainer the other day about getting into a routine and she taught me about a bunch of the weight machines that will help me tone without dropping a ton of pounds (which is what I want, and what's best for my body type). I've fallen head over heels in love with zumba (even though I am terrible at it). I'm comfortable jumping on a machine right next to someone else that looks like they really know what they're doing (I'm learning. Slowly). As noted above, my diet is naturally changing because I feel good about eating things that are good for me, and understand that eating crap is just going to counter all the calories I just burned at the gym on the treadmill (and probably make me throw up). And the very very best part? I haven't felt sick since it all started (knock on wood). Here's hoping this all continues well into 2013 and beyond. I'm thinking it will.

Happy three-day weekend friends!

In-sta-sanely Easy

Ok ok, so my Instagram play on one of my most overused favorite words (that'd be 'insanely') didn't really work. Forgive me. It's Monday and I've been up since long before the sun.

Regardless of my mediocre subject line, I'm excited to share two quick little projects I whipped up over the last couple weeks using some of my favorite Instagram photos from last year!

First up are some fun little magnets that I made in literally 10 minutes by arranging a ton of my favorite pics in a grid, printing it out and spray mounting the paper to a couple sheets of magnet "paper" that I had laying around from a vendor. A few minutes trimming with an exacto knife left me with enough magnets to cover nearly the entire freezer and brought a fun burst of color into the kitchen.

The magnets aren't actually strong enough to hold anything up, but I'm in love with them nonetheless. I think I'll move some of them to the side of the fridge and take them out of my very specific grid eventually, but for now the orderly fashion that they're in helps keep my minor OCD at bay.

Next up is my DIY 2013 calendar, which is proudly hanging at my desk today. I figured since January is already half over it was about time I take down the sad looking December calendar sheet that was still hanging at my desk, so I threw this little guy together last week and finally printed it at home last night on some white cardstock. The lack of big squares to write appointments and the like in obviously makes this calendar more about form than function, but I'm ok with that since I rarely actually write dates down anyways. 

For the calendar, I went with all types of scenery and detail pictures, rather than fun and goofy people shots from over the months so that it would look appropriate at my desk. You can spot one of my very favorite photos on the July page (bottom left) - a teen spotted these huge letters on a fence in Detroit when we were there doing service work last summer and it's been such a powerful image for me since that trip.

So there you have it - two super quick DIY's that finally got some pictures off my phone/camera and printed out to actually be enjoyed! It's so odd that in this digital age pictures circulate all over Facebook and other social networks, but are rarely actually printed out anymore for people to see. I remember being in college and taking the bus to Walmart to develop our pictures from a weekend out and about and being giddy with excitement over flipping through them and reliving those moments for the first time. Now, pictures are uploaded to my computer and I rarely even get around to sharing them. Maybe I should add "print some pictures!!" to my 2013 resolutions?

Happy Monday!

Grown Up Bedroom

When we first bought our house, I got a little crazy with the paintbrush and decided that every room we painted had to have color. Then over the last few years I've started to hone in on what I really like, and I've learned to stop looking at the little free brochures at the paint store for inspiration and instead use my surroundings and what I'm drawn to (ok, and blogs and pinterest) as guides.

The kitchen was the first place where I realized I made a huge mistake and needed change. For whatever reason, I wanted a dark red kitchen for YEARS. When I lived with my brother in my parents' two-flat we sort of painted our kitchen dark red, but truth be told we never did as many coats of paint as were necessary so it was a really pitiful job. So, when the hubs and I fixed up our kitchen the first time (starting before we even moved in to our house), I talked him into a dark red wall, and while I loved it for awhile, I was aching for lighter and brighter colors overall and was thrilled when we painted everything the same light gray that's in our hallway.

Now I'm on to our bedroom, which has been on my projects list for months but has sat untouched because I'm indecisive. I know I want a dark-ish gray on the walls, but I had no idea how many shades of gray are out there (hehehe, shades of gray), and it's been impossible to find one that I am willing to commit to. Currently, there's 5 or 6 different swatches on the walls and I'm not sold on a single one of them. Sigh. Regardless, the bedroom is definitely in need of change - thanks to another one of my color explosions when we moved in, it's currently baby blue with a chocolate brown accent wall and saying I hate it would be an understatement. I consistently refer to it as "colors that belong in a traditional baby boy nursery", which is a far stretch from the calming, serene, romantic and moody look I'm actually going for.

Since Home Depot is our go-to for house projects, I've really only been looking at Martha Stewart and Behr paint swatches, and I think that's my problem. I'm planning to get somewhere this weekend with Benjamin Moore paint and grab every paint chip they have available in a gray shade. If all goes as planned, I'll settle on a color this weekend and we can actually paint sometime in the near future.

Here's some grays I definitely want to check out in person -

Benjamin Moore Charcoal - as seen in Jess Lively's home tour on Design Sponge -

Benjamin Moore Amherst Gray from Running from the Law -

Benjamin Moore Kendall Charcoal from a broken link on Pinterest -

Benjamin Moore Plymouth Rock in Alexandra Kaehler of Things that Sparkle's bedroom -

Go Green

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Words I never thought I would say, #247:

I made a smoothie with a crap ton of spinach in it, and it was absolutely delicious.

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That's right - I made a "green" smoothie, otherwise known as a "green monster" among blogs and pinterest. And seriously people, it was GOOD.

With 2 cups of spinach plus banana, strawberries, an orange and some greek yogurt, this thing is insanely healthy and one serving packs in more fruits and veggies than I usually consume in a day. I followed a recipe from "Two Peas & Their Pod" because it was the simplest one I found online and I figured that was a good place to start, and I could not be happier with the results. Maria's proportions filled 2 mason jars - I put one in the fridge overnight and it was perfect for breakfast on the go this morning, and the other is in the freezer waiting to be popped in the fridge for the next day. I think I'll make another batch tonight before my strawberries go bad, and freeze both servings for after workout classes this weekend. Based on looking at the comments of Maria's post, it looks like playing around with ingredients is fairly foolproof, and would likely help keep me from getting bored with the same thing day after day. Regardless, the base of a mild green like spinach brings in a crazy amount of nutrients and I promise that besides the color you would never even know that's what's in there. It genuinely just tastes like a great, refreshing smoothie! And, potentially the best part? I had my smoothie at 8:30 this morning and now at just 5 minutes til noon I am NOT completely starving already like I usually am from about 10:30 on.

In other food news, this is my lunch (and snacks) for today:

Full disclosure - I pigged out on a bacon cheeseburger and a few teriyaki chicken wings with my father in law last night, so I'm obviously not depriving myself of indulging in delicious unhealthy food or anything. But, I feel good about eating much better overall and it's incredible how much more energy I have throughout the day when I'm not wolfing down potato chips or french fries at lunch.