Is It Friday Yet??

This week has been so busy, I can’t believe it’s only Wednesday!

And admittedly, that hasn’t left me time to blog properly as I had anticipated…sigh.

But I did just make a list of great ideas for upcoming posts and hopefully I can get to at least one of them this week – cross my fingers, ha!

In the meantime, it is back to work for me! I’ve been making amazing progress with Live Love Life Now™ and am working furiously to get the Etsy store open soon.

I can’t wait to share it with all of you!!

Petition for Cats in the Workplace

To be completely honest, my vacation was absolute loveliness but my first day back at work was really rough.

Fortunately, Wylie and Sami were there to greet me when I got home and instantly made me feel better!

So for anybody else out there who experienced a particularly tough Monday today…here’s something to brighten your day!

Wylie

Sami

Relaxation Here I Come!

After weeks of counting down, we are finally packing for the beach!

While I won’t be away from home the entire time, I will be enjoying 10 glorious days away from the office in order to truly unwind after months of running to and fro.

I’ve also decided to take the week off from blogging in order to spend a lot of my free time focusing on Live Love Life Now™ and getting the Etsy store closer to its grand opening!

But not to worry…in no time at all my rejuvenated self will be back to posting those adorable cat pictures and videos we’ve all come to love!

Living Life All the Way to Portland, Oregon!

After months of begging (semi-joking), my sister has finally agreed to guest blog about some of her recent adventures (sans moi)…and give me the night off from writing. Thanks Melissa and enjoy!


First off, hello! Jenn’s alluded to this mystery twin sister of hers before and here I am – I do exist!

Though many twins don’t necessarily have similar journeys in life, Jenn and I have often found this to be the case for us. On one hand it’s great because we can commiserate about life, but less great in that we can’t necessarily provide “been there, done that” advice! Jenn’s beautiful blog though, has been a source of inspiration and motivation for me as we both continue down our respective paths and I’m happy to share a little of my journey here as well.

Taking time to travel has been on my “important – must do” list for many years…as one of those items that gets routinely postponed for lack of money and planning! Fortunately, my job provides a small loophole in my procrastinating ways because it provides many opportunities for travel throughout the spring and fall. And if I’m particularly on my game, I’ll jump at the chance to tack on some personal time at the end of a conference…which is exactly how I came to FINALLY visit Portland, OR last month when work took me nearby to Palo Alto, CA.

Ah ha, victory! I’ve been pining to see this city for years and was fortunate that a friend of mine offered her services as my tour guides during my 3+ days there. Her company also happily included the company of her younger sister and their pup!

From the photos below you can see I had the loveliest weather while there! My friend calls it “move to Portland” weather as it tricks folks into thinking it is like that year round. And while the weather may not always be ‘this’ perfect, I can see why people fall in love with this city…I can’t wait for my next visit!

~Melissa

The largest independent used and new bookstore in the world, Powell’s Books, is located in Portland and I scored a used copy of our last book club selection while shopping.

Portland has over 200 food carts available at any time and most are grouped together around a city block. YUM!

Oregon has more than 300 wineries – who knew? Not me! We stopped at Sokol Blosser Vineyard to enjoy a tasting and their view!

I love to climb and was thrilled to discover that Portland has not one but TWO gyms devoted to bouldering. Check out a Circuit Bouldering Gym – they are phenomenal!

Folks, that peak is where we were headed (note the top of our car at the bottom). Luckily the view motivated us to keep going the whole 1300 feet UP to Mitchell Point!

Our reward, the beautiful Columbia River Gorge.

Petition for Cats in the Workplace

While I wish Wylie and Sami were lap cats, I have come to terms with the fact that they aren’t.

But they do have their moments.

Of course, it sometimes hinders my productivity when Sami curls up on my lap when I’m trying to do work at my desk or Wylie lays down on his favorite blanket right before I’m about to get off the couch, but I treasure those moments.

They are my favorite part of the day!

Wylie on his blanket

Sami in the office

“The Stylist’s Guide to NYC” – Sibella Court’s Latest Literary Masterpiece

If you love styling, decorating, collecting or interior design then you must buy this book…right after you buy her first bestselling book “Etcetera”.

My sister introduced me to Sibella Court last year and I immediately fell in love with her passion for details and her enthusiasm for collecting and her multitudes of curiosities. I wanted to live inside her book “Etcetera” because of how beautifully curated her living spaces are. Others may see clutter, but I see lovingly displayed oddities and curiosities.

I was reminded yesterday that her latest book, “The Stylist’s Guide to NYC” had been released just a few weeks ago and immediately went across the street to my local Anthropologie (best place to find it stateside) to get a copy for myself…and my sister.

I read two chapters at the pool this afternoon and am beside myself to share this book with everyone! In the book, Sibella shares a listing of her favorite stores culled together after living and styling in NYC for 10 years. But the details are what make this book a collector’s item.

Words cannot do it justice though so I am sharing a few pictures below. But trust me, you need this book in your library! And when you do get it, drop me a line and let me know what you think!

And if you happen to be lucky enough to find yourself in Sydney, Australia – check out her hardware and haberdashery store and props salon and then send me some pictures!

The Society inc.
18 Stewart Street
Paddington, NSW 2021
AUSTRALIA

The gorgeous (and surprisingly) embossed cover!

Each chapter is theme based and begins with a listing of Sibella’s favorite respective stores…

…followed by a map of a perfectly laid out ‘loop’ in order to see the shops in the most organized and efficient way!

Stunning pictures abound in the book and make me want to grab a bus to NYC in the morning!

Surprises abound everywhere, so make sure that your copy isn't missing anything under the cover!

Jessi Arrington: Color-Obsessed Thrift Shopper Extraordinaire

Jessi Arrington is a Brooklyn based, color-obsessed designer and founder of the design firm WORKSHOP. Her favorite color is rainbow and she’s made a hobby out of wearing nothing new because it’s healthier for the environment, her wallet and offers her the opportunity to indulge her unique fashion sense!

She recently gave a lecture for TED and I was so fascinated by her personal style and spirit that I wanted to share her thoughts with all of you.

If you’d like to read more about what she thinks about color and design and thrift store shopping, check out her blog at LuckySoAndSo.com!

I just did and came across the most eloquent and insightful post about her struggles with perfectionism and procrastination, which just so happen to go hand in hand...something I never actually realized until tonight!

One mental epiphany later, I had to share the link to the post because it so perfectly articulates how I feel inside.

Room & Board Shopping Spree

While waiting to meet up with a friend last Friday night, Miguel and I decided to kill some time in the gorgeous Room & Board home design store.

While we primarily went in because we noticed they had a rooftop patio area, I quickly found a handful of things that I wanted to take home with me!

Alas, the store’s prices didn’t agree with my wallet so I only left with these pictures…but I plan to do a little research on eBay to see if I can snag some of the vintage finds myself!

I loved their window graphics…and the reflection!

I dig rooftop shopping!

And the view of a nearby rooftop garden – awesome!!

I am a huge fan of botanical art and this vintage Dr. Auzoux Botanical Chalk Plate is a must have…for somebody with an extra $999 in their pocket!

I found this adorable mustache pillow in the kids area but I wanted it!

I thought this a beautiful and refined way to show off Alexander Girard's illustrations!

I found this a gorgeous alternative to the usual juvenile children’s art! Each Vintage Toy Block assemblage is one-of-a-kind

I’ve recently fallen in love with vintage maps and these one-of-a-kind French School maps are gorgeous!

Petition for Cats in the Workplace

I truly, truly, TRULY wish every Monday could be a repeat of today: sleeping in, going for a swim, doing a little work in between and hanging out with the fuzzies…

Wylie

Sami

MY Happiness Project: Month 2 Wrap-up Report

I can’t believe that another month has come and gone…but here I am writing my wrap-up to month two of MY Happiness Project.

All in all I think I was pretty successful in achieving my goals! Unlike month one, there were no tangible ways to really measure my success (which sometimes made me feel a little less motivated) but at the end of the day I think I made great strides in trying to be a better partner to Miguel!

And vice versa actually! Seeing my efforts made Miguel feel like he needed to step up similarly and I think it sort of shook us out of our comfort zone.

So how did I really measure up with my month two goals? See for yourself below!

1. Quit nagging – I did find myself prodding Miguel at times to work on certain projects, but more often than not I bit my tongue and he actually started to do more on his own because I wasn’t bugging him. It actually made me remember how as a child I would become less motivated to do something when my mom would nag me…hmm, can you say epiphany!?
   


2. Be nicer – Miguel actually acknowledged that I had been doing better with this one, which made me feel really good because it’s been an issue that has come up a few times over the years. Of course, I may have gotten a bit more sarcastic at work to compensate (oops!) but I have definitely become more aware of my actions when we're out with friends.
   


3. Offer small gestures – I was better about this one in the beginning of the month, but I think I’m a lot more aware of how necessary the small gestures are and I’m going to continue to work on making this more of a habit.
   


4. Cook more often – this is another one that I was better about earlier in the month but my schedule is really to blame! Getting home so late at night doesn’t bode well for making dinner and we don’t often eat in on the weekends, but I’m going to try and do better about offering to cook when the opportunity arises so Miguel doesn’t feel like it’s his sole responsibility.
   


5. Don’t sweat the small stuff – I think I’ve done pretty great with this one! While I haven’t been able to fully adopt Miguel’s laidback personality, I have been careful not to burden him with my venting as soon as I walk in the door. It allows us to have more positive time together and leaves room for having conversations about things that really matter, rather than focusing all of our energy on the negatives on the day.

Is Cheap Gas Worth Embarrassment?

Apparently, it is…because tonight my GasBuddy app did me wrong, big time!

You see, in my quest for the cheapest possible gas I have started to use the GasBuddy app on my iPhone, which reports on gas prices in your local area so you can shop around for the best deal. While I won’t go way out of my way to save a few bucks, I have started to frequent the stations that don’t gouge the prices as bad as others (i.e. Exxon).

So, you know I was super excited tonight to find out that the cheapest gas in my area was not too far off from my normal commute! I quickly clicked “get directions” and became so engrossed with finding my way that it didn’t click that I was being prompted to take exits to Fort Myer until it was too late.

Yup, I didn’t realize until I was on the exit ramp that I had taken a Fort Myer ONLY exit…that dropped me right at the army base’s guard post.

Fortunately for me, it all happened so quickly that I had no time for my face to register my extreme embarrassment and turn bright red. Instead, I calmly mentioned that I had taken the wrong exit (hoping this happened all the time) and politely asked if I could do a quick u-turn.

The guard was very nice and directed me on how to exit, but on my way out I was forced to drive through an inspection tent…where I had to explain to another guard what had happened.

Oh, the humiliation! Why oh why would somebody have tagged a gas station located on an army base? Seriously people!

The Moral? Saving money is important, but be wary of no-name gas stations…you never know where you’ll end up!