Vacay!

...

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Any fun Labor Day weekend plans??

I am off to the beach! 

Oh, vacation, you are finally here. 

My sister was supposed to come with, but can no longer make it - so it's just my cute mom & moi for 5 nights and 4 full days in the sun. I also get to see one of my girlfriends which I'm very excited about. :) I plan on soaking up the last little drops of summer, with hopes that I can carry that calming rejuvenation with me for the rest of this year. Busy fall and winter, I know you're ahead, but right now? Right now, it's about scooping  up sand and letting it trickle out of my hand, and being completely entertained by that activity. 

what else is on our agenda?

read.

sunbathe.

eat Dairy Queen blizzards.

take long walks on the beach.

hit up our favorite seafood restaurants.

drink pina coladas by the pool starting at noon.

play dress up and exchange half the clothes we bring.

watch Gone with the Wind (I've never seen it!)

stay up past our bedtime, telling stories.

explore, shop, frolic, giggle.

:)

a little glimpse into some of my vacay essentials ::

...by the way, that MZ Wallace large metro tote has turned out to be one of my best purchases. I take it on every. single. trip. It's so light and I love all the bag inserts. And I feel like I could run over it with a car and it would still be in tact. I don't like luggage I have to worry about, you know? They come in multiple colors now - take a look here.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Do me a favor and soak up some summer to carry with you, too, ok?

...

until next time,

g

Pics of the Week

...

Patrick's little sister - and my favorite running partner. :)

She talks to me the entire time (while I'm dying panting) 

and keeps me distracted. 

a few gussied-up pics with Patrick and some of his fam:

:)

As all good nights do, 

this particular evening ended with a giggle fit.

listen here:

In case you couldn't hear my laugh, I'm fairly certain your dog did.

Patrick & I baked this cake recipe for his mom's birthday!

Ok fine.

I cracked the eggs and licked the bowl,

thus providing very important emotional support.

This was the view from our 6AM flight.

I wish I could point and "ha-ha" and say, "never again!"

but I'm the crazy little lady with another 6AM-er next week. 

(hand slap to the forehead)

Mat Kearney (which I now know, after years of pronouncing it incorrectly, is "Kar-ney")

and Train concert at Rumsey Playfield in Central Park. 

I bought these tickets as a surprise when Patrick told me 

his master plan of moving here.

And it's really hard for me to believe that the date has now past. 

I wish things would just slow down already. 

p.s. Train played "Meet Virginia" which totally made my week.

p.p.s. Did you know that the lead singer of Train met his wife at one of his concerts? He saw her in the audience and asked management to get her. 

Stories like that make me smile so big!

p.p.p.s. moments from this week for which 

I do not have photographic evidence:

We cleaned the vent thingy on the front of the air conditioner 

(for the first time in its 3 years of life) and now it works so much better!

Funny how that works like that...

Patrick doesn't bend or lean when he spits out his toothpaste,

an incomprehensible phenomenon that makes me twitch with annoyance.

It just falls, out of his mouth, from like 30 feet in the air, into the sink.

And on the side of the sink.

And on the faucet.

And on the knobs right next to the faucet.

And all over the mirror.

(-.-)

My legs are covered in GIANT bug bite welts from the concert. 

(We all know how that goes...) 

I actually do have a photo of them, 

but it's too risque grotesque to show on here. 

I texted it to my mom and she replied,

"OMG! You are a mess."

Good thing she gets to see her little hot mess...

...TOMORROW!

until next time,

g

Food for Thought

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until next time,

g

This Video Will Make You Smile

i mean...

it just doesn't get any cuter.

until next time,

g

May Books

Have you ever heard of May Books?

{images via}

Mica May, a logo designer, was sick of ugly notebooks. So!...she designed her own. And now you can, too. You can customize your own 5x8" notebook with pattern, monogram/name style, and by type of inside pages. Right now you can choose between a 2012/2013 academic agenda, 2013 monthly agenda, non-dated weekly agenda, meal planner, wedding diary, bump diary, baby diary, dot grid, graph, lines, and blank pages. The binding is stitched with a canvas cover and they are $17 - $20. I've had such fun playing "designer" on the website; I want to buy them for all of my friends!

As the website states, 

"life is too short for ugly notebooks."

Start designing your very own custom notebook here.

***Also, be sure and check out the Rise School Art book design and the incredible cause it benefits.

until next time,

g

Links & Pics

It's been a sad Friday here in Manhattan with the shooting outside of the Empire State Building. Oh how I wish the violence would stop. I'm sending uplifting thoughts & prayers to the victims and their loved ones as they deal with their distress. Here is a post I prepared for today -- may it give you something light and happy to read in a world full of terrible and hate. xoxo, the little lady

..........................................................................

Any fun plans this weekend? We're off to a wedding! I have a feeling Patrick is going to use his whole appendectomy-wounds-excuse as a reason to stay off the dance floor, but fingers crossed I can change his mind. :)

some links for you ::

Can I hug him?

Patrick & I giggled so hard while listening to these two girls explain the worst haircut.

a quote to live by.

Can someone puhleeease make their child wear one of these on Halloween?

neat hairstyle.

high-five!

Ooo! This would be a pretty nail color for the fall.

...when i saw the nakey pics of Prince Harry.

What a cute & comfy looking bed!

Not to set you into a panic, but Christmas is 4 months from Saturday. If you're thinking of a meaningful gift that might take a little extra time to execute, I'd recommend checking out the photo gifts at Pinhole Press.

My friend wears this temporary tattoo - isn't it funny?

homemade oatmeal cream pies - yum!

and some pics of my week ::

saw these cuties on the Upper East Side.

i want to squeeze that grey foot so bad.

matchy, matchy.

whatever you do, never pass up a gumball machine.

brunch date with SGS!

(highly recommend the restaurant.)

gift shopping :)

the calculator at D.A.S.H. (owned by the Kardashians)

at first I was like, "really?! they would."

and then I was like, "ok, fine! I wish I had one."

this was a high moment.

i came home thinking Patrick was upstairs, 

and I decided to sit on my stoop for a couple minutes

to enjoy the beautiful weather and the neighborhood pups.

...and then I spotted the big guy walking down the street with these. 

and, well, this was a low moment.

my trainer was appalled by how poorly I punched so I had to 

spend an hour learning how to fight... aside from crawling out of the gym and

walking with a limp the following day, I also lost feeling in my right pinky.

so here I am with my hand in ice water (um, torture!) which did 

absolutely nothing to help. 

(still sore - but my pinky works - so we're good.)

who needs an iron when you have this?

found this card in my favorite stationery store in Grand Central.

it also made me start singing "peanut butter jelly time!" in my head.

Melz, if you're reading this, you would know. ;)

wassup?

Citi Field.

love him.

on our fridge.

"Planks a Lot" by O.P.I.

an artistic response to my photo? 

nah, that's my brother teasing me through Instagram.

:P

have a fun & safe weekend!

xo.

until next time,

g

Organize with Russell + Hazel

whether you're heading back to school, starting a new job,

 or you're simply wanting a fresh start with your home or office life, 

now is a great time to get organized. 

(and russell + hazel is a personal favorite of mine to help get the job done!)

...

- shop here -

until next time,

g

Ode to My Tide Stick

I know I've mentioned my appreciation before, but if the little lady had a magic wand, this would be it. 

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I snickered to myself yesterday afternoon about how I use my Tide stick so frequently, quickly realizing that spilling as much as I do must be symptomatic of some sort of syndrome. :/ There I was, sitting at my desk, Tide-sticking raspberry residue from my blouse. It's like a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser for your clothing. (If you've never used a Magic Eraser on your walls, I give you permission to take a half day to go reconnect with your cleaning self.)

So there I was, merely a few hours after the raspberry residue incident, meeting another couple for the very first time. (It's never in my cards to make a good first impression...) After waiting in line, paying a ridiculous amount of $, I was about to eat a ballpark hot dog. (Which we all know is totally worth the ridiculous amount of $.)

Earlier in the day, my friend teased me asking me just how many hot dogs I was going to get...because let's be honest, I love them. You think I would have been forever scarred by the waiter at the fancy Greenbrier resort performing the Heimlich on me as a child while I was choking on a hot dog, but my inner fat kid blocked it out.

Back to my story... So there I was, settling into my seat, opening my little individually boxed hot dog. Approximately 3 bites and 40 seconds later, my hot dog slipped out of my bun and I was left with a lap FULL of ketchup and mustard. 

"Let's see...maybe if I quietly reach for the napkins and tide stick, nobody will notice."
I thought to myself.

"Ginny!!! Wha? What the heck did you do?!" 
- Patrick, blowing my cover.

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^ how I felt.

I'd like to thank my little Tide stick for always seeing me through the rough times. Without you, I'd be more of a hot mess than I already am...

...a hot mess with stained clothes.

until next time,

g

The Look for Less Tuesday

With all the new fall clothes & accessories flooding your favorite stores, it can be easy to get a little carried away. I'm all for seasonal closet updates and splurging on certain pieces - like a new winter coat - but some items? They just aren't worth the splurge. Make sure you can't get almost the exact same thing for a whole lot less. You might even find that you like the cheaper option better! 

:: studded loafers ::

FROM // $325

FROM // $79.99

:: sheer polka-dot blouse ::

FROM // $69.00

FROM // $15.80

:: gold link bracelet ::

FROM // $88.00

FROM // $10.00

:: white box-cut tee ::

FROM // $95.00

FROM // $15

:: silver glitter pumps ::

FROM // $365

FROM // $39.99

p.s. my mom always taught me that when you buy a new piece of clothing, it's time to pick one out to donate/give away...such a great little tip for closet updates to keep that quantity in check. you know you haven't worn that going-out top since college - and no, you won't ever wish you still had it - so just get rid of it already, mkay? 

xo.

until next time,

g