Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Time

I am an obsessive list-maker. I write lists about what groceries to buy, who to call after work, what errands to run on my lunch break, what chores to do when I get home ~ the lists are endless!

Yet, even with all of my list-making, there just never seems to be enough time to get everything done.
I had to stay home from work on Friday because I was incredibly sick and positively run-down {just 2 weeks after starting my new job...eek!}. I think I not only put too much on my plate, but I put too much pressure on myself to get everything done.

I think that being a newlywed gives me the added pressure of wanting/expecting to be the perfect wife for my husband.


{Are you still considered a newlywed if you've been married for over a year? Our 2 year anniversary is June 6th of this year}.

I envision having all of my errands done during my lunch break, home-cooked meals every night, and a house so clean and beautiful, it brings tears to Martha Stewart's eyes. And when that doesn't happen {which is, um, never! At least not all at the same time}, I am way too hard on myself.


So, this week will be all about prioritizing, balancing, and re-organizing my life.

As a sort of preemptive strike, I did some research on how to simplify everyday tasks. Enter: Organized Home. This site offers tons of useful articles, links, and - my favorite - lists to help keep you organized.

I immediately printed out the "Favorite Recipes" list, which allows you to organize your family's favorite recipes by name, cookbook/source, page number, and comments. Now, when I am in a pinch for time, I can just pick a recipe from the list instead of wasting time searching through all of my cookbooks in hopes of randomly stumbling across a good recipe.

Another great tool is the "Master To-Do List". Although I write everything down in my planner, this list allows you to highlight the most important events that could otherwise be overlooked. I don't know about you, but I often find myself saying things like "What?! Next week is the beginning of April??". The great thing about this list is that is has space for you to write today's date as well as the "target date" for when each item needs to be accomplished. This will keep you from letting the days slip by and will help you stay on track.

The "Monthly Meal Planner" is an additional resource that will be helpful. I currently use mealsmatter.com for all of my meal-planning. Although I do {try to} enter all of the meals I plan on making, I am definitely a pen and paper kind of girl. So, it will be beneficial to have a monthly menu printed out and available to view at a moment's notice.

There are lots of other useful resources on the site, so I encourage you to check it out for yourself.

Does this ever happen to you?
If so, what have you found to be some good time-savers?

Monday, March 29, 2010

Giveaway Winner!

Thank you all so much for entering my first Giveaway!

And much thanks to Richelle for giving away her fabulous notebooks and planners! It was my pleasure to host this Giveaway, as her chic designs really do speak for themselves!


It was also so sweet of many of you to become followers of my blog! I am excited to make some new blogland friends :)

And the winner of the PrettyChicSF Planner + Notebook Giveaway is...


#55 = Kim, of Then Sings My Soul, whose favorite designs are the golden key and coral geometric because they are "girly, but not too much!"

...and thanks for following my blog! :)

Thanks again to all of you for entering! Stay tuned for more fantastic giveaways!

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Liberty of London

Target's new Liberty of London line is sooo pretty! Unfortunately, I promised my husband that our home would be "gender neutral", which means the beautiful items in the LoL collection are strictly prohibited.

*sigh*


A girl can dream...














and my absolute favorite...




P.S. Don't forget to enter my first GIVEAWAY!


Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Giveaway Time!

***This Giveaway is now CLOSED***

I am SO excited! I had planned on doing a Giveaway when I reached 80 followers. The other day, I noticed I had reached 87 followers...That exact same day, Richelle of PrettyChicSF contaced me about hosting a giveaway ~ what a coincidence!

So, here is   MY FIRST GIVEAWAY!!

Richelle is an incredibly talented Graphic Designer originally from SoCal, now living in San Francisco. She also just happens to sell the most chic notebooks and planners available on etsy!
 

Each planner's weekly view includes inspirational quotes, goal planning and opposite titled 'to do'. It also includes a 2 year snapshot view, blank notes pages, 2010 'things I love', as well as a travel page, contacts, birthdays, and special dates.


The winner of this Giveaway will receive:

1 Planner + 1 Notebook
in any style of their choosing:


"Perfect for savvy blackberry and iphone users who still appreciate the written word."


TO ENTER:

{1} Visit Richelle's etsy shop and a leave a comment here about your favorite print and why you think it is fabulous

{2} For an additional entry, blog about this Giveaway and write a second comment with a link back to your post

{3} You do NOT have to follow my blog in order to enter...but making new blogland friends is oh-so-fun...so feel free to follow if you'd like :)


One winner will be chosen at random.org and the prize may be shipped to anywhere in the USA.

The Giveaway ends this Saturday, March 27th at midnight {11:59pm} EST.
 
If you don't have a blog, be sure to include your e-mail address so I have a way to contact you if you win!



Good luck!!

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Former Hater

Several of you mentioned that you hadn't read the Twilight saga and/or that you hadn't watched either Twilight or New Moon. One of you even said you wished someone would "do a good post about why Twilight is so well loved".
 
Well, your wish is my command! ;)


Let me begin by saying this: When I initially heard about Twilight and met some of its die-hard fans, my first thought was "What a bunch of weirdos! Who the heck reads creepy vampire novels?!" I secretly wondered if they were crazy and scoffed at their obsession with the aforementioned "vampire books". Not only that, but I adamantly refused to read the books for myself or to watch the upcoming movie.


A few months later, my sister's friend accidentally left the book, Twilight, at her apartment, and it somehow ended up at my house. I attempted to read it on three separate occasions, but I couldn't get past the aridity of the first chapter.


In June, I decided to rent the movie just so that I could tell its pushy followers that I gave it a try and still thought it was terrible. After watching Twilight, I concluded that it was mildly entertaining, that vampires weren't evil after all {well, at least not in this series}, that Robert Pattinson was not so bad looking as a vampire, and that all of the scenes with the "non-vegetarian" vampires were ridiculously cheesy. I also felt like I was missing out on a TON of information.


I think the producers tried to keep the movie short so that non-Twilight-loving people would give it a chance. After all, who would watch a 3 hour long vampire movie if they'd never even read the book it was based on? However, I do wish that they would have made it at least half an hour longer. I feel like they cut out a ton of information that would have helped first-time Twilighters have a better understanding of the story and its characters.


Nevertheless, the movie peaked my interest, and I attempted to read Twilight for the fourth time. Suddenly, I was halfway through the book, scaring my husband by gasping aloud at all of the suspenseful parts and staying up 'til the wee hours of the morning, reading chapter after chapter. I couldn't believe it: I was officially hooked!


Our 1st wedding anniversary {traditionally the anniversary for giving paper} was the following weekend, so my husband decided to give me the entire Twilight saga as a gift {something he now regrets due to my love for/obsession with the series}. I read the next three books voraciously, skipping lunch with my friends in favor of reading a few chapters during my lunch break, staying up even later to finish "just one more paragraph", and neglecting my housework. But I didn't care, because the books were just that good.




After reading all of the books, I watched Twilight again and loved it. I couldn't believe what a difference it made! Having all of the details and background information {from all of the books, not just the first one} really helped the characters come to life.


Twilight is definitely a romance novel: not a Danielle Steele type of romance {ick}, but more of a star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet, will they end up together??, type of romance. Sure, Edward and Bella's relationship is pretty intense for high school, but if you think about it, Juliet was only 13. Seventeen is a much more reasonable age for such a romantic relationship. Plus, Edward is not exactly a teenager, and Bella is clearly wise beyond her years. So, I can deal with the age issue.


I'll admit that there are some pretty gooey lines in the books, such as whenever Bella talks about Edward's "beautiful face". But I am not a very mushy type of girl, and the romance in these books didn't bother me. I loved how devoted the characters were to one another. Somehow, their sincerity enabled me to look past the silly lines and really believe that they were in love.


In addition to romance, all of the books and movies have lots of suspense, action, and even some humor thrown in.


I hesitate to call the Twilight saga a "thriller" because I feel like that word often gets lumped together with horror movies ~ something this movie/book definitely is not. I am a self-proclaimed scaredy-cat, and often run out of the room with my hands over my ears when commercials for scary movies come on. So, take it from me: this move is thrilling, but it is definitely not a "thriller" in the creepy/demonic/upsetting sort of way.


I also love Bella's relationship with her dad {partly because it reminds me of my relationship with my dad, except that we talked a lot more than they did}. The way Charlie {her father} was protective of her and the fact she respected and loved him in spite of/because of his protective nature was refreshing. Movies and TV shows nowadays seem to paint parents as the bad guys who are just there to be their children's personal ATMs. Although Bella and Charlie had difficulty expressing their emotions, the devotion they felt for one another was quite tangible and heart-warming.


I watched the midnight premiere of New Moon {after attending a Twilight saga themed party with friends ~ so much fun!} and thought it was incredibly well-aligned to the book. Also, if you weren't a fan of the first book/movie, you still might enjoy New Moon because it is vastly different from Twilight. There is a much more detailed and complex storyline, and the film is riddled with action and suspense.


My husband just bought me my own copy of New Moon on DVD {it was released on 3/20} and we watched it together Sunday night. I had almost forgotten how amazing it was! The action, the suspense ~ incredible! What's more: my husband loved it, too!


In Conclusion:
I highly recommend reading at least the first book {the whole book; not just a few chapters} before you completely write it off. You may not love it, but you should at least give it a chance. And if you don't hate the first book, read the second book...and so on and so forth until you are hooked! hehe just kidding. But you never know: you might end up liking Twilight after all :)

Saturday, March 20, 2010

MIA

I'm sorry I haven't been online this week. I absolutely love my new job and all of the precious little children, but they take up lots of time and even more energy. I've spent every moment away from school either resting, cleaning the casa, or hanging out with my husband.

To prevent an extensive absence like this from taking place in the future, I'll be putting together a bunch of posts this weekend and will be dispersing them throughout the week.

Also, be sure to stop by on Tuesday for my first Giveaway!! Just wait 'til you see what is up for grabs!

I hope you're all having a fun, rejuvenating weekend! :)

{not sure where this image came from but I love it!}

Friday, March 12, 2010

Anticipation...


It seriously gave me goosebumps!


Hmm that had nothing to do with fashion, home decor, or anything of the sort...Oh, I know! Here is an image of Edward Cullen's bedroom:


Happy now? ;)

109 Days!!

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Working Wardrobe

I have a new job! You are now looking at the Assistant Principal of a private preschool in Pennsylvania ~ woohoo! To celebrate, I've decided to add to my wardrobe. The dress code for the position is not surprising {no sandals or open-toed shoes, nothing sleeveless, no jeans}. However, boots, tights, and leggings are all acceptable. Hurray for cute, comfy, and semi-casual clothes! So, here are some of the items I'm thinking about purchasing:


Old Navy


Old Navy



Charlotte Russe


Old Navy

Kohl's

Old Navy


Urban Outfitters


Target



Old Navy

Charlotte Russe

I really like the aforementioned stores because most of their clothes are trendy as well as inexpensive.

Hey, I'm an assistant principal, not a neurosurgeon! ;)

What are your go-to stores for fashionable, yet thrifty clothing?

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Star of the Week: RUBYELLEN

Creativity emanates from this "Star of the Week". Get ready for tons of links to her unique projects, lots of pictures, and me using the word "creative" about 2 million times! ;)


Her Profile: Hello. I love to make things, especially with and for my girls, True, Brave, and Soul. I am also madly in love with my Benny and I just love being together. My goal is to enjoy God in all that we do.

As you just read,  Rubyellen  is wife to Ben and mother to 3 precious girls: True, Brave, and Soul. You can already tell just by finding out the names of her daughters that originality is one of Rubyellen's many gifts!

Here are some of the reasons why she {and her blog} are oh-so-wonderful:

#1: How her family and friends celebrate Special Occasions {with handmade gifts and imaginative festivities}






#2: Her honesty and words of wisdom

#3: The healthy meals she and her husband make for their family {most of the ingredients come from their amazing garden}


#4: Her fantastic photography skills


#3: A home full of unique, vintage decor...



#4: And ridiculously creative accessories





#5: The pretty dresses she makes for herself {here, here, here, and here...oh, and here}



#6: As well as the handmade clothing and accessories she sews for her adorable little girls



#7: Her family's ingenuity and hard work


#8: The delightful crafts she makes with her own two hands




#9: Her charming etsy shop



#9: How she and her husband clearly understand the importance of doing things together as a family


#10. The creative {Seriously, how many times have I used that word? It doesn't even do her justice!} DIY projects she does on an almost daily basis



#11: Her ability to have fun, be silly, and truly enjoy life


#12: The incandescent love she and her family have for one another

Click here to see for yourself how creative she really is!

Thank you, Rubyellen, for your cheerful, down-to-earth, and uplifting blog! :)
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