little lady, big apple: July 2012

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Tuesday Thoughts

...

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i dare you to actually answer that last one.

i'm serious.

say it out loud.

write it down.

it's a little scary, isn't it?

but it's a question that we should all ask ourselves constantly.

until next time,

Sunday, July 29, 2012

The New Setup

i've shared pictures of the apartment before (here & here!),

but now i wanted to show you some of the changes we've

made (still a work in progress) since patrick moved down.

...

we got a new mirror...

even though the old one didn't shatter when this happened,

the frame felt wobbly & we didn't want to take any chances.

and yes, i let patrick hang the new one. :)

p.s. where i sit right now...colorful & cluttered. my kind of inspiration. :)

...

we didn't end up going on our day trip today due to the weather,

but we did go kayaking in the Hudson (it's free!).

aside from getting kicked out when the lightning and downpour came,

it sure was a pretty sight to be paddling and watching

the cruise ships head towards the Statue of Liberty.

the vision of me, on the other hand, after walking all the way home through the rain?

not so pretty. ;)

i'm off now to help make dinner.

it's sloppy joes & corn on the cob night over here.

xo!

until next time,

Friday, July 27, 2012

watching the Olympics? sounds like NBC's delayed coverage of the event will start at 5:30pm ET with opening ceremonies starting at 7:00pm ET tonight if you're interested. oh, and click here to see the USA swimming team having a little fun. :) we're continuing our apartment "renovation" this weekend and wrapping up various projects. we also might be taking a little day trip on Sunday to spend some time in the sun. (yay!)

before i bid farewell, here are a few recent moments I wanted to share ::

our dear friends sent us the sweetest gift from California!

(remember this trip when we found it?)

we've finished the white and are saving the red for a special occasion.

since it was our first bottle of wine in the "new" place, we decided

it was a good time to start saving corks. :)

he's hot and i'm cold.

my girl!

so many favorite people all in one night makes for a very happy little lady.

the ladies.

i used to have this writing & drawing sore 24/7 as a kid.

and it's back.

and it makes me smile.

a good reminder.

always wear a little love.

things got a little dizzy.

added a few highlights!

i was sick earlier this week (boo!),

but i came home and Patrick made me spaghetti.

and he slid on his socks into the main room from the kitchen to check on me

between stirs. trust me, i've had a few moments lately when i've wanted

to wring. his. neck. (as i'm sure he has, too. ahem!) and there's been plenty of times when this whole sharing-a-shoebox thing is just beyond ridiculous.

but that simple gesture of spaghetti night?

at the end of a crummy day?

it sure was sweet.

and i sure am thankful he's here.

as we embark on our separate little weekends,

let us all remember to cherish the little things.

because those little things?

pssst, they are the best things.

until next time,

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Link Time!

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Happy little Friday!

...as my mom likes to say.

here are a few links I wanted to share ::

*also, sincere apologies if I ever share things twice. I forget. :)

DIY sparkly tray.

a New York pillow.

i could stare at this for days.

support bras. :)

a great gift for any fella.

do you know how to perform dog CPR?

rad skull flask.

i'm liking this girl's hair length.

a baked oatmeal casserole - yum.

am i the only excited for the Anna Karenina movie?

love these sunglasses!

a 6-year-old who applied for a job.

3 pretty lampshades: 1, 2, 3

such a simple and cute gift or favor.

74 reasons why Kristen Stewart really messed up.

i'm envious of this baby elephant.

are you taking pics outside and worried about your heels sinking in the ground and getting dirty? try these.

speaking of shoes, i'm coveting these. (here is blair eadie wearing them!)

and, finally, my new mantra.

until next time,

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Twitter Necklace

it all began with little miss Carrie Bradshaw...

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but the new name necklace to have?

is the Twitter necklace.

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what do you think? would you wear a Twitter necklace?

not gonna lie, i've been wondering how an @ihartvirginia one might look. :)

(buy them here at Bauble Bar!)

until next time,

Monday, July 23, 2012

Things Come Crashing Down

Patrick has brought it to my attention that I am, at times, pretty reckless - a surprising self realization given that I am normally obnoxiously meticulous, ever striving for perfection. When it comes to certain projects like the recent ones around the apartment, I suppose I take a Buddy-the-Elf-running-and-jumping-on-the-Christmas-tree-to-attach-the-star approach and just attack without proper preparation or care. "Eh, I'll eyeball it", I think. A couple lamps might have crashed after not moving the cords and there might have been a few extra holes in the walls. Nothing that a magical tub of spackling goop can't fix! But then the 4:00AM wake-up call happened. Ya know, when the giant antique heavy a$$ mirror came crashing down to the floor. Awakened from separate nightmares to a noise that was as loud as a friggin bomb explosion, we shot up in such a panic that it took hours to calm back down. We heard our neighbors walking around probably deafened by the cacophonous boom on the 2nd floor. Oddly enough, the mirror part didn't crack at all (?!) so at least we don't have to worry about any bad luck trailing us for seven years... However, I will admit that I - the reckless little lady - hung that mirror.

my bad.

Looking at the wimpy nail that couldn't withstand the weight, I realize my mistake. Why is this? Why am I so careless when I am so not in other areas of my life? Maybe that's it. I think and dwell and prepare and make lists and practice and do over and do over again and think about whether my do-over-again is sufficient. I am a planner, attempting to mentally file way too many business and personal agendas...and I am a juggler, ever wanting the perfect balance between the many different facets of my life. And I'll be the first to admit that I tend to drive myself a little crazy with all the thoughts that go into those efforts. So when I see a mirror that needs to be hung on the wall, I just don't want to wonder if the nail is strong enough and I don't want to measure if it's exactly centered and I don't want to analyze the situation like I do everything else. There's no room in my little head. So I hang it up like I'm a member of a NASCAR pit crew. Get in, get out, move on.

And yes, I realize this method isn't workinggg. But what can I say? It's exhilarating. I might swing around that power drill of mine like I'm a prepubescent boy with a Nerf gun. I might start making a giant mess without putting down paper towels. (I also might be driving my boyfriend crazy.) But you know what? That carefree side of mine? The one that realizes situations that don't matter quite as much? The one that just eyeballs it? Well, I kind of appreciate its technique. We all have, what we believe to be, weaker traits in our personality - bad habits, things we don't want everyone to know, and things we beat ourselves up for not doing better.

In an effort to celebrate our less perfect sides, here are five of my own vices ::

1. Cooking is not in my repertoire. I have absolutely no clue what I'm doing. Also, I'm afraid of sharp knives.

2. I am zero percent athletic. The only individual sport in which I thrived was elementary dodgeball. Only because I hid in the corner.

3. If I'm having a really, really, really bad day I buy items to make brownies and eat the batter. Raw. All of it.* (*see #1)

4. I hit the snooze button up to 5 times. And it takes me over an hour to become human each morning.

5. I am reckless when it comes to household projects. And I hang heavy a$$ mirrors on itty bitty nails. And I don't foresee any problems. Until, ya know, things come crashing down.

until next time,